An Update From "Babylon 5"

I'm 49 episodes into "Babylon 5," which is just short of the halfway point of the series, and I wanted to write up some general thoughts about my experience with the show up to this point. I'll try to refrain from spoilers, but there will be a few about cast changes from the first two seasons.

"Babylon 5" is a '90s sci-fi television series best known for being one of the first to successfully follow a single, cohesive narrative from day one. Creator J. Michael Straczynski wrote nearly all the episodes and had an unusually high degree of direct creative control over the show's content. "Babylon 5" was the flagship series of the short-lived television network PTEN, where it ran for four years before finishing its last season on the cable channel TNT. All five seasons are available on Netflix, and I've slowly been making my way through them over the past few months. The centerpiece of the series so far has been an ongoing war between two alien groups, the Narn and the Centauri. This is shaping up to be only the prelude to a larger conflict that will involve the human race, which is facing its own internal troubles due to corrupt leaders and sinister, propaganda-spewing paramilitary organizations.

"Babylon 5" has aged well, and improves significantly from season to season. The instances of outlandish 80s fashions and bizarre set decoration from the early episodes have mostly gone, and the CGI effects that started out so primitive-looking have gotten much better. The first season was largely comprised of interchangeable stand-alone episodes that introduced various concepts and characters that would become important later. The second and third have been focused on ratcheting up the tension and developing arcs for each character. I find the individual installments of the series fairly predictable, and rife with the sort of schmaltz and cheesiness that invaded too much mainstream science fiction back in the 90s. There are protagonists called Rangers and telepathic baddies called Psi Cops, for instance. However, at its core "Babylon 5" is a far more mature and interesting series than any of the other space operas of the era, including all the "Star Trek" variations I've seen.

Initially it was the little details that stood out. There were obvious efforts to have gender balance and more ethnic diversity on the show, though from a modern frame of reference the cast still comes off lopsided in both regards. However, the show tackled themes and ideas that "Star Trek" never would have touched, often by putting its characters in moral and ethical quandaries that felt truer to life. Episodes have dealt with labor strikes, medical ethics, recreational drug use, propaganda, and religious themes. I especially appreciate the treatment of religion, since most science fiction series are happy to talk generally about spirituality but tend to get cold feet addressing organized religion directly. "Babylon 5" introduces an order of monks to the station in the third season, several characters are outspoken about specific beliefs or religious affiliations, and there's even an updated version of a grail quest in one episode.

The "Babylon 5" universe is an awfully complicated place, where Earth Dome, the central government of the human race, is a far shadier organization than the Federation of "Star Trek." Bending the rules becomes a necessity for the staff of Babylon 5, and currently most of the major good guys are part of a secret war council that requires them to keep their involvement under wraps from their superiors and nearly everyone working under them. Every character has committed acts that would be questionable from a certain point of view. At least one has crossed the line to become a true antagonist on the show, while remaining sympathetic and possibly redeemable. My favorite character is still Londo Molari, the gregarious Centauri ambassador who has gotten himself far, far in over his head in the current conflict. However, the character with the most impressive arc has been G'Kar, who has been transforming from a simple diplomat to something far more intriguing.

It hasn't all been smooth sailing though. In my previous entry looking at the first five episodes, I incorrectly identified the lead actor playing Captain Jeffrey Sinclair as Bruce Boxleitner, when he was actually played by Michael O'Hare. Boxleitner came in as Captain John Sheridan in the second season, one of several cast changes that have occurred so far. I've accidentally spoiled myself for another major character leaving the series at the end of season four. This is one of the major elements I wasn't prepared for. Though all the hype around the series emphasizes how well-planned the continuity for the story was, it's been obvious where the writers have been caught off guard. When O'Hare left the show after the first season, the exit for Captain Sinclair was awkward. Another major female character, who enjoyed nearly two years of continuous development, also had a sudden departure that obviously wasn't anticipated.

The real strength of "Babylon 5" has been how well the show has recovered from each of these setbacks. The story is big enough, and all the characters well developed enough that the narrative can switch gears at a moment's notice. Some characters have had less attention than others, but it doesn't seem odd for minor players like Londo's attaché, Vir, to suddenly take the lead for an episode or two, because they're so well set up. One character who has recently risen to prominence has been Zack Allan (Jeff Conaway), a member of the Babylon 5 station's security staff who was a recurring background player in the second season and became a regular in the third. The newly introduced Marcus Cole (Jason Carter) has had a more difficult adjustment and still feels like an outsider after seven episodes, but this is partly by design and has been worked into the storyline.

The big conflict that has been teased for two-and-a-half seasons has yet to fully unfold in the show, but it's coming, and the knowledge that it's coming is a wonderful certainty. And knowing the show isn't going to be canceled before we get to the climax, and knowing all this careful setup and these characters I've grown to love aren't going to all be suddenly dead-ended by nervous executives or studio meddling is no small comfort. Usually I have to wait for the second half of a series to get to the emotional payoff, but I've gotten so much out of "Babylon 5" so far, can't wait to see where it goes next.

I'll be back with more updates soon.