Babylon 5 fans rejoice

By stegocent, in X-Wing

Spaced - what a show.

I'm trying to think of a sci-fi franchise return that was actually successful in doing justice to the original IN MY OPINION...

The only ones I can think of are Dr. Who, Flash Gordon, The Prisoner, and Star Trek.

I didn't like the SW Prequels, I didn't like New BSG post founding New Caprica, didn't like Prometheus.

I'm hoping you mean the 80s flash film and not the 00s series, and the prisoner remake was crap they didn't get the original show at all.

I don't like BSG it was total rubbish after new Caprica, I do love Stargate and Farscape , never heard of this "Star Wars" thing you are on about though.

SORRY - I meant to say B5. I just assumed you were a BSG fan due to your avatar. I actually agree with you about BSG. Star Wars is a cult film from the late 70's early 80's that they tried to revive in the 90's-00's and failed miserably. Then Disney bought it and is currently making it into a cartoon musical with a spin-off Ice Show.

Spaced - what a show.

I'm trying to think of a sci-fi franchise return that was actually successful in doing justice to the original IN MY OPINION...

The only ones I can think of are Dr. Who, Flash Gordon, The Prisoner, and Star Trek.

I didn't like the SW Prequels, I didn't like New BSG post founding New Caprica, didn't like Prometheus.

I'm hoping you mean the 80s flash film and not the 00s series, and the prisoner remake was crap they didn't get the original show at all.

80's Film. Original Prisoner get's way too much credit. It was a good idea buried in a rushed mess. The remake was flawed, but interesting.

Come on, by now, with all of the trouble that went on in that quadrant, this has to be Babylon 21 by now !

Nope....

Edited by zathras23

I'm not too sure about this.

I loved Babylon 5 back when it first aired, and enjoy watching the series again on DVD from time to time. J. Michael Straczynski had something going with the concept of a serialized episodic program, where not only did the series have a beginning, middle, and an end, but so did each on of the five seasons, They also managed to produce movies that fit into the universe. Don't get me started on the visual effects that were ground-breaking for the time. Not to mention the actors we lost since, Andreas Katsulas (G'Kar), Jeff Conaway (Zach), Richard Biggs (Dr. Franklin), and Michael O'Hare (Jeffery Sinclair), to name a few. It would not be the same without them, in my opinion.

So in closing, hell no!

Edited by SteveSpikes

I met Claudia Christian at a small convention where she was a guest all weekend. She is quite a party gal and fills out leather pants well. Not opposed to a public flashing either...

Tracy Scoggins also lives literally right around the corner from my house. That girl is not all there in the head... she comes into the local PD and complains to my buddy about conspiracies and being followed. My father-in-law went to school with her too.

Andreas Katsulas was a great actor, not just in B5. He is missed.

B5 was great, until season 5.... getting rid of Marcus and Ivanova was a big mistake and the new station commander was a bit of a non entity. I loved the show, watching seasons 1-4 several times. I still haven't seen a couple of the movies though. River of souls and the Rangers sounded cack. Thirdspace was ok, but a bit isolated from the main story. In the beginning was very good.

A reboot? I'm not so sure, like most ideas, success or failure will depend on implementation. Why not make a new IP instead?

Don't get me started on the visual effects that were ground-breaking for the time.

Um...here's my beef: I absolutely agree that the computer-generated effects were on the cutting-edge of that technology.

However, I don't consider them ground-breaking in general because it would have looked better with models. I think the DS9 model work stands up way better to the test of time. Compare the opening sequences and judge for yourselves which looks better.

But if it was a budget issue that forced them to use CG, fair enough. They did a great job with what they had.

I met Claudia Christian at a small convention where she was a guest all weekend.

Was she nice to talk with? She was probably my favorite character in the whole show. I've never been to a convention, partially because I wonder if it would be awkward - I've heard lots of people say that a lot of the celebs there really don't enjoy it. I'd want to relax and have a fun chat, but I'd worry if I was just being one more annoying fan, or if there'd be a huge queue, etc.

B5 was great, until season 5.... getting rid of Marcus and Ivanova was a big mistake and the new station commander was a bit of a non entity. I loved the show, watching seasons 1-4 several times. I still haven't seen a couple of the movies though. River of souls and the Rangers sounded cack. Thirdspace was ok, but a bit isolated from the main story. In the beginning was very good.

A reboot? I'm not so sure, like most ideas, success or failure will depend on implementation. Why not make a new IP instead?

SPOILERS!

Don't worry, Season 5+ is sort of like B5's version of the EU. It's fun, but the main story is over. BUt yeah, totes watch it.

B5 is, bar none, my favourite Sci Fi of all time and this news makes me very happy. I have faith that JMS can tell the story he wants in the 2 or so hours of a movie because he's a great screenwriter and he is so passionate about the franchise that he'll do it justice. This is a good thing, more Sci Fi is a good thing.

Why not make a new IP instead?

In todays age of everything being so expensive it's hard for a new IP to take off. It's always easier to go off on something that has been established. That is why Star Trek was rebooted. Sequels were just sucking so bad, but they still wanted to milk of money out of the Star Trek name, it's been rebooted.

So it's easier to use Star Trek because the name is out there, the characters are known so it's easier to use something that people already know about and not much explaining is needed, especially for a 2 1/2 hour movie.

B5 is definitely my favorite sci-fi TV series ever. So much that my daughter is named Delenn.

Bit leery of a reboot though.

Jim

Do you really think it's going to be that type of reboot, though?

I imagine that it's going to be a new story in the B5 universe.

That's not a reboot then, that's just a new movie. A reboot of a franchise refers specifically to disregarding the pre-existing material and retelling the same basic story in a new way.

Do you really think it's going to be that type of reboot, though?

I imagine that it's going to be a new story in the B5 universe.

That's not a reboot then, that's just a new movie. A reboot of a franchise refers specifically to disregarding the pre-existing material and retelling the same basic story in a new way.

Fair enough. Where did the assumption that this is going to be a reboot come from?

Um...here's my beef: I absolutely agree that the computer-generated effects were on the cutting-edge of that technology.

However, I don't consider them ground-breaking in general because it would have looked better with models. I think the DS9 model work stands up way better to the test of time. Compare the opening sequences and judge for yourselves which looks better.

But if it was a budget issue that forced them to use CG, fair enough. They did a great job with what they had.

I can't recall specifics, but I don't think B5 ever had near as many resources as DS9 did. People grousing about the 5th season (which really was the least of the seasons) should probably know that the show was intended for 5 seasons, but then JMS was told that he wouldn't get his 5th season. He had to wrap his story up in the 4th season. He basically did just that, and was then told that he could have his 5th season.

I loved Babylon 5 back when it first aired, and enjoy watching the series again on DVD from time to time. J. Michael Straczynski had something going with the concept of a serialized episodic program, where not only did the series have a beginning, middle, and an end, but so did each on of the five seasons, They also managed to produce movies that fit into the universe. Don't get me started on the visual effects that were ground-breaking for the time. Not to mention the actors we lost since, Andreas Katsulas (G'Kar), Jeff Conaway (Zach), Richard Biggs (Dr. Franklin), and Michael O'Hare (Jeffery Sinclair), to name a few. It would not be the same without them, in my opinion.

Oh wow, I hadn't heard that Richard Biggs and Michael O'Hare were no longer with us. :(

Fair enough. Where did the assumption that this is going to be a reboot come from?

From the article linked in the first post.

Straczynski however, is reviving hope once again for a return of the franchise – or better yet, a fresh beginning.

The new Babylon 5 will be a reboot, taking the original concepts and telling a new story.

No, B5 was done on a much smaller budget that DS9. DS9s effects hold up a lot better, but really, until DS9 started using CGI in their latter seasons, the B5 (outer space) effects looked better at the time. That may have been a matter of over saturation of the Star Trek "look" though. B5 was at least fresh.

LOVED B5. I'll admit I didn't get into until after the first season and didn't see the last season (it jumped ship and I no longer got it) but found the story it told to be pretty amazing. I'm not sure one could really have a true reboot and do the show justice because there just isn't enough time to tell the story and B5 is a whole story.

I see the comment about Season 5 being sub-par but I suspect that is because so much of the "good stuff" was thrown into Season 4 when they were under the impression that there would not be a Season 5. I also remember how Season 3 went right into Season 4 the next week.

Don't get me started on the visual effects that were ground-breaking for the time.

Um...here's my beef: I absolutely agree that the computer-generated effects were on the cutting-edge of that technology.

However, I don't consider them ground-breaking in general because it would have looked better with models. I think the DS9 model work stands up way better to the test of time. Compare the opening sequences and judge for yourselves which looks better.

But if it was a budget issue that forced them to use CG, fair enough. They did a great job with what they had.

Models may look nice but they are also far more limiting. I mean a problem with DS9 has been figuring out the actual size of something like the Defiant because different sources have it appear to be vastly different sizes.

Fair enough. Where did the assumption that this is going to be a reboot come from?

From the article linked in the first post.

Straczynski however, is reviving hope once again for a return of the franchise – or better yet, a fresh beginning.

The new Babylon 5 will be a reboot, taking the original concepts and telling a new story.

Right, that's what I took away from the article (I'll confess, I skimmed it). It sounds like it's an ambiguous use of the term 'reboot'.

For my sake, I absolutely loved the show and even went to a few conventions in my day - including costume. Fun times!

I rewatched the series (aside from season 5, because I didn't have it with me while traveling) last summer. While the visual quality is a bit sketchy from the perspective of our current technology, I still really love the story and the characters.

I'm totally up for revisiting the B5 universe with whatever JMS comes up with.Hopefully Claudia Christian will decide that her career hasn't been 'all that' since leaving the show after season 4, and Ivanova might be the lead in whatever comes next. That would be awesome.

Maybe if the movie is good I can finally get my wife to watch the TV series with me. B5 is still the best sci-fi series I've seen.

Do you really think it's going to be that type of reboot, though?

I imagine that it's going to be a new story in the B5 universe.

That's not a reboot then, that's just a new movie. A reboot of a franchise refers specifically to disregarding the pre-existing material and retelling the same basic story in a new way.

Fair enough. Where did the assumption that this is going to be a reboot come from?

Um...here's my beef: I absolutely agree that the computer-generated effects were on the cutting-edge of that technology.

However, I don't consider them ground-breaking in general because it would have looked better with models. I think the DS9 model work stands up way better to the test of time. Compare the opening sequences and judge for yourselves which looks better.

But if it was a budget issue that forced them to use CG, fair enough. They did a great job with what they had.

I can't recall specifics, but I don't think B5 ever had near as many resources as DS9 did. People grousing about the 5th season (which really was the least of the seasons) should probably know that the show was intended for 5 seasons, but then JMS was told that he wouldn't get his 5th season. He had to wrap his story up in the 4th season. He basically did just that, and was then told that he could have his 5th season.

I loved Babylon 5 back when it first aired, and enjoy watching the series again on DVD from time to time. J. Michael Straczynski had something going with the concept of a serialized episodic program, where not only did the series have a beginning, middle, and an end, but so did each on of the five seasons, They also managed to produce movies that fit into the universe. Don't get me started on the visual effects that were ground-breaking for the time. Not to mention the actors we lost since, Andreas Katsulas (G'Kar), Jeff Conaway (Zach), Richard Biggs (Dr. Franklin), and Michael O'Hare (Jeffery Sinclair), to name a few. It would not be the same without them, in my opinion.

Oh wow, I hadn't heard that Richard Biggs and Michael O'Hare were no longer with us. :(

Edited by zathras23

Oh wow, I hadn't heard that Richard Biggs and Michael O'Hare were no longer with us. :(

Another actor who has "traveled beyond the rim" is Tim Choate, aka Zathras. He died in a motorcycle accident a few years back.

Oh no!!

Regarding what I said about going to conventions in costume, I twice went in a Zathras outfit, and was able to tell Michael O'Hare at one convention that he was not the one, but I told Tim Choate (at a different convention) that he was the one.

So... wow... They're both gone now. I hope that in some small way I helped them feel loved by their fanbase.

I also had the short opportunity to hang out with Jason Carter. The poor guy was having a bit of a midlife crisis, though. It was awkward. :unsure:

Do you really think it's going to be that type of reboot, though?

I imagine that it's going to be a new story in the B5 universe.

That's not a reboot then, that's just a new movie. A reboot of a franchise refers specifically to disregarding the pre-existing material and retelling the same basic story in a new way.

Fair enough. Where did the assumption that this is going to be a reboot come from?

Um...here's my beef: I absolutely agree that the computer-generated effects were on the cutting-edge of that technology.

However, I don't consider them ground-breaking in general because it would have looked better with models. I think the DS9 model work stands up way better to the test of time. Compare the opening sequences and judge for yourselves which looks better.

But if it was a budget issue that forced them to use CG, fair enough. They did a great job with what they had.

I can't recall specifics, but I don't think B5 ever had near as many resources as DS9 did. People grousing about the 5th season (which really was the least of the seasons) should probably know that the show was intended for 5 seasons, but then JMS was told that he wouldn't get his 5th season. He had to wrap his story up in the 4th season. He basically did just that, and was then told that he could have his 5th season.

I loved Babylon 5 back when it first aired, and enjoy watching the series again on DVD from time to time. J. Michael Straczynski had something going with the concept of a serialized episodic program, where not only did the series have a beginning, middle, and an end, but so did each on of the five seasons, They also managed to produce movies that fit into the universe. Don't get me started on the visual effects that were ground-breaking for the time. Not to mention the actors we lost since, Andreas Katsulas (G'Kar), Jeff Conaway (Zach), Richard Biggs (Dr. Franklin), and Michael O'Hare (Jeffery Sinclair), to name a few. It would not be the same without them, in my opinion.

Oh wow, I hadn't heard that Richard Biggs and Michael O'Hare were no longer with us. :(

Another actor who has "traveled beyond the rim" is Tim Choate, aka Zathras. He died in a motorcycle accident a few years back.

I forgot about poor Zathras. (Everyone forgets poor Zathras.) . . . In this case, no one should forget Zathras.

I forgot about poor Zathras. (Everyone forgets poor Zathras.) . . . In this case, no one should forget Zathras.

Such a phenomenal character, and he... what, only showed up in 3-4 episodes, depending on how you count? That, and it was 20 years ago now.

Dang, thought this was going to announce By flight path system. I'm good with a new movie too!

That would be nice, maybe after we get some new B5 then maybe some new games too.

Would be a 'dream given form' if FFG were to get the rights and then make us some sweet games

Well given how the ships move, definitely not a flight path game, but if Armada does well.....