B5 is better sci-fi. It’s told as one long cohesive story, so it has a lot of time to explore ideas and themes. It is, however…very cheesy. A lot of the VFX don’t hold up, the first season feels like dime store Star Trek before the actors found their characters and the plot kicks into gear, and the fifth season is almost entirely epilogue. But. It’s a show you should watch.
Star Trek is very often better television. There’s more Trek to be had, and it’s easy to find your home in the franchise. Production quality is usually better. It’s slightly harder sci-fi, there’s usually less hibbity jibbity in it. Star Trek is a lot worse at following an overall story arc, DS9 is the best at it, TOS and TNG were aired before overall stories were invented, VOY infamously failed to implement the story they told us it had, ENT decided fuck it we’re Starship Troopers now, and that’s the canonical end of the Star Trek franchise.
Well, B5 had a shit ton of production problems. Several actors left, they had run into some pretty dire technical issues, there was a nasty divorce somewhere in there too. Not to mention, the execs decided to say, “Hey, we’re canceling next season, so 4’s your last one.” and then the writers crammed two seasons’ worth of story into one. And then, they said, “Sike, you get your 5th season after all.”
They planned for actors to come and go…mostly. One interview with the crew I heard, they said they built “trap doors” into the show so that characters could come and go, being replaced with suspiciously similar substitutes. There was supposed to be a way to get Talia back after Bester Psy Corpsed her, remember the weir dude with the transparent head, the “vicker?”
As for the network drama, for once it wasn’t that stupid. The network B5 was airing on was shutting down, so their Season 4 would be the last possible to make. So they ripped out all the B plots to get the story wrapped up, which made it feel rushed and stressful, they were getting ready to wrap the show, a couple of the stars got jobs elsewhere, and then another network picked them up for the 5th season. So the B-plot arc, Byron and his telepath cult, get stretched to the main plot of the season, along with some hastily written filler.
Combine that with the shaky first season which consists of a lot of adventure of the day episodes, cheesier production etc. that on first watch feels like dollar store Star Trek, but it’s all background for when the plot gets going, and you’ve got three very strong seasons of sci-fi television.
I’m a fan of both.
B5 is better sci-fi. It’s told as one long cohesive story, so it has a lot of time to explore ideas and themes. It is, however…very cheesy. A lot of the VFX don’t hold up, the first season feels like dime store Star Trek before the actors found their characters and the plot kicks into gear, and the fifth season is almost entirely epilogue. But. It’s a show you should watch.
Star Trek is very often better television. There’s more Trek to be had, and it’s easy to find your home in the franchise. Production quality is usually better. It’s slightly harder sci-fi, there’s usually less hibbity jibbity in it. Star Trek is a lot worse at following an overall story arc, DS9 is the best at it, TOS and TNG were aired before overall stories were invented, VOY infamously failed to implement the story they told us it had, ENT decided fuck it we’re Starship Troopers now, and that’s the canonical end of the Star Trek franchise.
Well, B5 had a shit ton of production problems. Several actors left, they had run into some pretty dire technical issues, there was a nasty divorce somewhere in there too. Not to mention, the execs decided to say, “Hey, we’re canceling next season, so 4’s your last one.” and then the writers crammed two seasons’ worth of story into one. And then, they said, “Sike, you get your 5th season after all.”
Screw the network.
They planned for actors to come and go…mostly. One interview with the crew I heard, they said they built “trap doors” into the show so that characters could come and go, being replaced with suspiciously similar substitutes. There was supposed to be a way to get Talia back after Bester Psy Corpsed her, remember the weir dude with the transparent head, the “vicker?”
As for the network drama, for once it wasn’t that stupid. The network B5 was airing on was shutting down, so their Season 4 would be the last possible to make. So they ripped out all the B plots to get the story wrapped up, which made it feel rushed and stressful, they were getting ready to wrap the show, a couple of the stars got jobs elsewhere, and then another network picked them up for the 5th season. So the B-plot arc, Byron and his telepath cult, get stretched to the main plot of the season, along with some hastily written filler.
Combine that with the shaky first season which consists of a lot of adventure of the day episodes, cheesier production etc. that on first watch feels like dollar store Star Trek, but it’s all background for when the plot gets going, and you’ve got three very strong seasons of sci-fi television.