In case somebody's reading this thread not knowing what Babylon 5 is, I think it's possibly the best scifi show ever. The visual effects are very dated, but the rest is not. The topic and style is...
In case somebody's reading this thread not knowing what Babylon 5 is, I think it's possibly the best scifi show ever. The visual effects are very dated, but the rest is not. The topic and style is slightly similar to Star Trek: Deep Space 9, which it obviously inspired, but in my opinion even better (and I'm a big DS9 fan). Relations between different alien races, some very mysterious, politics, brewing interplanetary war and also classic space opera everyday stuff from life on a multi-species frontier space station.
The pilot episode wasn't remastered like the rest of the show for some reason, so it's low-res and compressed, but the rest is in HD.
Great overarching story, great characters, interesting ideas, humor, music - the only downsides are firstly that the quality and story are not as consistently tight as some of today's shows with very short seasons (but then again all of current Star Trek is way worse in this despite having short seasons and long seasons have many advantages as well), and secondly that the show was nearly cancelled a couple times, so they had to wrap up most storylines in the second to last season just in case and the very last season is weaker as a result.
Some of the movies are pretty good too, and even the cancelled spin off show Crusade is pretty decent despite some obvious flaws (it's more dependent on CGI, which just wasn't there at the time, technologically and budget-wise, and the studio and the author had conflicting views about its direction).
Interesting fact: the author of Babylon 5, J. Michael Straczynski, tried to think ahead and prepare for possible problems with shooting, so for each main character he wrote an alternative character with their own story arch and personality and a way to coherently write out the original, in advance, in case the actor had to leave the show at any point. This did actually happen and it worked brilliantly.
Good points. You mentioned having to wrap up some arcs early due to potential cancellations and JMS building in "escape hatches" for the different actors. But I think you forgot to mention that...
Good points. You mentioned having to wrap up some arcs early due to potential cancellations and JMS building in "escape hatches" for the different actors. But I think you forgot to mention that that that's because he'd mapped out the major plot of the entire series from beginning to end ahead of time. So at least in the first four seasons, there's never the issue of the writers writing themselves into a corner and then having to come up with something dumb to get themselves out.
Also, all of that fore-planning means that while this show has the usual sci-fi TV time travel shenanigans, it's the opposite of most. Instead of silly ass-pulls that retcon old episodes, here they finally resolve some of the mysteries that have been dangled there since the show's beginning, and do so with gloriously epic payoffs. Very much in the "Oh... Ohhhh! I see now!" kind of way as the pieces finally fall into place and you realize you're seeing a moment that had been anticipated for years in the show. It's definitely up there as one of my favorite time travel plots.
God I wish more shows actually planned out even a rough plot multiple seasons in advance. I recently watched through Stranger Things since it finally concluded with Season 5, and it's so sad to...
God I wish more shows actually planned out even a rough plot multiple seasons in advance. I recently watched through Stranger Things since it finally concluded with Season 5, and it's so sad to see how many opportunities they had to set up stories and plotlines way back in Season 1, and how much meandering and vague retconning they did to get to a conclusion. Reminds me of the third Star Wars trilogy, where they somehow managed to make the first two movies of the trilogy without mapping out a conclusion! So much respect for JMS actually planning things in advance.
In a move that has delighted fans of classic science fiction, Warner Bros. Discovery has begun uploading full episodes of the iconic series Babylon 5 to YouTube, providing free access to the show just as it departs from the ad-supported streaming platform Tubi. The transition comes at a pivotal time for the series, which has maintained a dedicated following since its original run in the 1990s. Viewers noticed notifications on Tubi indicating that all five seasons would no longer be available after February 10, 2026, effectively removing one of the most accessible free streaming options for the space opera. With this shift, Warner Bros. Discovery appears to be steering the property toward its own digital ecosystem, leveraging YouTube’s vast audience to reintroduce the show to both longtime enthusiasts and a new generation.
The uploads started with the pilot episode, “The Gathering,” which serves as the entry point to the series’ intricate universe. This was followed by subsequent episodes such as “Midnight on the Firing Line” and “Soul Hunter,” released in sequence to build narrative momentum. The strategy involves posting one episode each week, allowing audiences to experience the story at a paced rhythm that mirrors the original broadcast schedule. This approach not only encourages weekly viewership but also fosters online discussions and communal watching events, much like the fan communities that formed during the show’s initial airing. The episodes are hosted on a channel affiliated with Warner Bros., complete with links to purchase the full series, blending free access with opportunities for deeper engagement through official merchandise and digital ownership.
Midnight on the Firing Line was either privatized, or was never put up. Since it’s the aired pilot of a rather serialized show, it’s kind of sets the table for where a lot of things are going in a...
Midnight on the Firing Line was either privatized, or was never put up. Since it’s the aired pilot of a rather serialized show, it’s kind of sets the table for where a lot of things are going in a way that The Gathering doesn’t. Would also be nice if they could export in correct aspect ratio and make a playlist, but I also appreciate TV and movies available on YouTube, so that’s good.
I'd be down for a weekly discussion thread. I've never seen it and wouldn't watch it solo, but it'd be fun to have the chance to discuss a show online! Especially one as beloved as this.
I'd be down for a weekly discussion thread. I've never seen it and wouldn't watch it solo, but it'd be fun to have the chance to discuss a show online! Especially one as beloved as this.
I think a separate topic at bare minimum, if only to let people know it's a thing. One option is a standalone topic with top-level comments for each individual episode. That's what we did in...
I think a separate topic at bare minimum, if only to let people know it's a thing.
One option is a standalone topic with top-level comments for each individual episode. That's what we did in ~anime when we did a community watchthrough of Erased. Of course, that only had twelve episodes though. Probably not advisable to have a single topic for a show with 100+ episodes though, would be best to break it up somehow. I'd say either have one post for each season, or a monthly recurring thread with top level-comments to discuss the episodes released that month.
I'd prefer weekly, personally, but I can see how some users who aren't interested would find that annoying. Just knowing myself I know it would be much easier for me to do 1 episode a week than 4...
I'd prefer weekly, personally, but I can see how some users who aren't interested would find that annoying. Just knowing myself I know it would be much easier for me to do 1 episode a week than 4 episodes a month, as ridiculous as that might sound.
The post would be monthly in that case, but discussion would still be weekly. A new top level comment would be made each week to discuss the latest episode. "Episode 1 discussion here!" "Episode 2...
The post would be monthly in that case, but discussion would still be weekly. A new top level comment would be made each week to discuss the latest episode. "Episode 1 discussion here!" "Episode 2 discussion here!" Etc.
It's just one option. Maybe we can make an individual thread first to gauge interest in a community watchthrough, and formats people would like?
"You put your right hand in, you put your right hand out, you put your whole self in, and you turn yourself about. You do the Hokey Pokey, you give a little shout. That's what it's all about!" I...
"You put your right hand in, you put your right hand out, you put your whole self in, and you turn yourself about. You do the Hokey Pokey, you give a little shout. That's what it's all about!"
I absolutely adore this show and hope a new flock of fans will be formed seeing it for the first time now.
I highly recommend it! The first season is a little hard to get into... If you want to watch an abridged sequence I used mpierre's watch guide from the B5 subreddit. The show feels highly relevant...
I highly recommend it! The first season is a little hard to get into... If you want to watch an abridged sequence I used mpierre's watch guide from the B5 subreddit. The show feels highly relevant given the times we live in, almost uncannily.
Seasons 2-4 are some of the best TV ever IMO and highly rewarding given the show's length.
I can only wonder if Warner Bros is putting it on YouTube to guage interest in a reboot. If so, I hope everyone streams it and recommends it to friends. Babylon 5 put me off at first, because it...
I can only wonder if Warner Bros is putting it on YouTube to guage interest in a reboot. If so, I hope everyone streams it and recommends it to friends.
Babylon 5 put me off at first, because it wasn't like the Star Treks I was so familiar with. But I gave it another chance and I'm so glad I did.
It has Sopranos/Battlestar Galactica/ or Game of Thrones -level characters & world building.
Realistic characters making choices and suffering consequences (or eeking out a win!)
It did this decades earlier, with studio bullshit & no budget.
The CGI is dated, but so imaginative. Try to see the fx as the trailblazer it was.
Truly one of the scifi greats.
The reboot is exactly the reason they are doing this. Studios have been sniffing around for a couple of years looking to reboot it, JMS has even written a new pilot episode multiple times but it...
The reboot is exactly the reason they are doing this. Studios have been sniffing around for a couple of years looking to reboot it, JMS has even written a new pilot episode multiple times but it never quite makes it off the ground. Partly that's because Warner was a studio run by idiots, which is why they no longer exist. B5 is going to be a very, very expensive show to produce. A lot of youtube activity helps justify the cost of making a new one. Netflix has the B5 rights now so it might get made this time.
Bad news though - last I heard JMS was out and Netflix was fishing around for a new showrunner to create the reboot. That's the fastest way I know to get it cancelled after three episodes. There is no Babylon 5 without JMS, and there is no one who can fill his shoes in this role. I won't even bother tuning in if he's not writing.
I think the reason why is simple - it's JMS' way or the highway when it comes to his productions. He doesn't play politics and he says 'no' every time someone pitches him a dumb idea. You bring...
I think the reason why is simple - it's JMS' way or the highway when it comes to his productions.
He doesn't play politics and he says 'no' every time someone pitches him a dumb idea. You bring him focus group data saying the show needs more fistfights or comedy, you get an episode that makes fun of focus group data as a decision making tool in a scifi wrapper. He writes deep challenging scripts that give no easy answers because he would rather showcase an idea and consequences than take sides on things. This makes him 'hard to work with' if you just want to treadmill some average drek down the pipeline, or push an agenda with the shows.
We've seen how well that worked for Marvel, Star Trek, Star Wars, Doctor Who, and Lord of the Rings - black holes consuming profits is all that's left of them. Stargate appears to have lucked out, their new series has the entire original cast and creative teams on board so we know we'll get a quality show.
I suspect the sentiment that it's not B5 without JMS is near-universal, so Netflix is going to get flayed alive by the entire fan base if they try to go forward without JMS. I'm not sure that they are aware or care about that, though. Shovelware is most of their media. If it were up to me I'd sign JMS for B5 regardless of price and then put him in charge of every show on the platform after it's done. :p
Some probably good news about this... Paramount bought Warner, Netflix walked away. That means we're up in the air again. Netflix wasn't keen on JMS, neither was Warner. Nobody knows yet how...
That means we're up in the air again. Netflix wasn't keen on JMS, neither was Warner. Nobody knows yet how Paramount feels about it. If the episodes continue to stay up on Youtube I think that means Paramount is going to consider it. I've never been a huge fan of Paramount but even I have to admit they do better on balance than Warner or Netflix. Time will tell. Even Paramount isn't really Paramount anymore - it's all Skydance now.
Larry Ellison's son David is kinda-sorta in charge of all this media. /shrug
Sources familiar with the decision indicate that Warner Bros Discovery opted to consolidate its content portfolio, prioritizing owned platforms over third-party sites like YouTube.
I got my hopes up that they were saying B5 was actually available on HBO Max, but that doesn't appear to be the case, at least not in my region. Seems like the only legitimate way to access it...
a broader effort to drive traffic to subscription-based services such as Max, where remastered versions of Babylon 5 have been available for years
I got my hopes up that they were saying B5 was actually available on HBO Max, but that doesn't appear to be the case, at least not in my region.
Seems like the only legitimate way to access it right now is buying the whole thing or via the Roku Channel (with ads). Or physical media, if you can find it.
It's a shame, 'cause I was hoping to share the series with my family, and the one-per-week cadence works well for that.
...is it the original gathering or the remaster?..i've always appreciated stewart copeland's score, but i've only seen the original broadcast episode issued on VHS...
...is it the original gathering or the remaster?..i've always appreciated stewart copeland's score, but i've only seen the original broadcast episode issued on VHS...
Score is credited to Christopher Franke on the YouTube version, but on Amazon, they have the original cut available. Find it under Extras, no purchase required, but you do need an account....
Score is credited to Christopher Franke on the YouTube version, but on Amazon, they have the original cut available. Find it under Extras, no purchase required, but you do need an account.
...and so it is!..just watched it: that's indeed the original `93 PTEN production, but the thumbnail is from the `98 TNT re-production... ...i've never seen that original production released...
...and so it is!..just watched it: that's indeed the original `93 PTEN production, but the thumbnail is from the `98 TNT re-production...
...i've never seen that original production released digitally but given the thumbnail, i can't help but wonder if they accidentally posted the wrong version?..
In case somebody's reading this thread not knowing what Babylon 5 is, I think it's possibly the best scifi show ever. The visual effects are very dated, but the rest is not. The topic and style is slightly similar to Star Trek: Deep Space 9, which it obviously inspired, but in my opinion even better (and I'm a big DS9 fan). Relations between different alien races, some very mysterious, politics, brewing interplanetary war and also classic space opera everyday stuff from life on a multi-species frontier space station.
The pilot episode wasn't remastered like the rest of the show for some reason, so it's low-res and compressed, but the rest is in HD.
Great overarching story, great characters, interesting ideas, humor, music - the only downsides are firstly that the quality and story are not as consistently tight as some of today's shows with very short seasons (but then again all of current Star Trek is way worse in this despite having short seasons and long seasons have many advantages as well), and secondly that the show was nearly cancelled a couple times, so they had to wrap up most storylines in the second to last season just in case and the very last season is weaker as a result.
Some of the movies are pretty good too, and even the cancelled spin off show Crusade is pretty decent despite some obvious flaws (it's more dependent on CGI, which just wasn't there at the time, technologically and budget-wise, and the studio and the author had conflicting views about its direction).
Interesting fact: the author of Babylon 5, J. Michael Straczynski, tried to think ahead and prepare for possible problems with shooting, so for each main character he wrote an alternative character with their own story arch and personality and a way to coherently write out the original, in advance, in case the actor had to leave the show at any point. This did actually happen and it worked brilliantly.
Good points. You mentioned having to wrap up some arcs early due to potential cancellations and JMS building in "escape hatches" for the different actors. But I think you forgot to mention that that that's because he'd mapped out the major plot of the entire series from beginning to end ahead of time. So at least in the first four seasons, there's never the issue of the writers writing themselves into a corner and then having to come up with something dumb to get themselves out.
Also, all of that fore-planning means that while this show has the usual sci-fi TV time travel shenanigans, it's the opposite of most. Instead of silly ass-pulls that retcon old episodes, here they finally resolve some of the mysteries that have been dangled there since the show's beginning, and do so with gloriously epic payoffs. Very much in the "Oh... Ohhhh! I see now!" kind of way as the pieces finally fall into place and you realize you're seeing a moment that had been anticipated for years in the show. It's definitely up there as one of my favorite time travel plots.
God I wish more shows actually planned out even a rough plot multiple seasons in advance. I recently watched through Stranger Things since it finally concluded with Season 5, and it's so sad to see how many opportunities they had to set up stories and plotlines way back in Season 1, and how much meandering and vague retconning they did to get to a conclusion. Reminds me of the third Star Wars trilogy, where they somehow managed to make the first two movies of the trilogy without mapping out a conclusion! So much respect for JMS actually planning things in advance.
From the article:
Midnight on the Firing Line was either privatized, or was never put up. Since it’s the aired pilot of a rather serialized show, it’s kind of sets the table for where a lot of things are going in a way that The Gathering doesn’t. Would also be nice if they could export in correct aspect ratio and make a playlist, but I also appreciate TV and movies available on YouTube, so that’s good.
Midnight on the Firing Line is on Dailymotion (unofficially) for anyone who really wants to watch it:
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8h1hey
This was my favourite TV show when for a while when I was a kid. If they're releasing one episode a week, we should do a weekly discussion thread!
I'd be down for a weekly discussion thread. I've never seen it and wouldn't watch it solo, but it'd be fun to have the chance to discuss a show online! Especially one as beloved as this.
Should we make a separate topic each week, or keep it in the weekly Free Talk topic?
I think a separate topic at bare minimum, if only to let people know it's a thing.
One option is a standalone topic with top-level comments for each individual episode. That's what we did in ~anime when we did a community watchthrough of Erased. Of course, that only had twelve episodes though. Probably not advisable to have a single topic for a show with 100+ episodes though, would be best to break it up somehow. I'd say either have one post for each season, or a monthly recurring thread with top level-comments to discuss the episodes released that month.
I'd prefer weekly, personally, but I can see how some users who aren't interested would find that annoying. Just knowing myself I know it would be much easier for me to do 1 episode a week than 4 episodes a month, as ridiculous as that might sound.
The post would be monthly in that case, but discussion would still be weekly. A new top level comment would be made each week to discuss the latest episode. "Episode 1 discussion here!" "Episode 2 discussion here!" Etc.
It's just one option. Maybe we can make an individual thread first to gauge interest in a community watchthrough, and formats people would like?
It has been a while since we did a weekly…
I'm in, that sounds awesome!
"You put your right hand in, you put your right hand out, you put your whole self in, and you turn yourself about. You do the Hokey Pokey, you give a little shout. That's what it's all about!"
I absolutely adore this show and hope a new flock of fans will be formed seeing it for the first time now.
...did the videos just go private for everyone else too? I was just about to watch episode 4.
Yes. The youtube link is on warnerbros.com, so it's legit, but it doesn't work right now, who knows what heppened.
I really tried that show. I couldn't get into the theatre-like feel. Maybe I'll give it another shot.
I highly recommend it! The first season is a little hard to get into... If you want to watch an abridged sequence I used mpierre's watch guide from the B5 subreddit. The show feels highly relevant given the times we live in, almost uncannily.
Seasons 2-4 are some of the best TV ever IMO and highly rewarding given the show's length.
I can only wonder if Warner Bros is putting it on YouTube to guage interest in a reboot. If so, I hope everyone streams it and recommends it to friends.
Babylon 5 put me off at first, because it wasn't like the Star Treks I was so familiar with. But I gave it another chance and I'm so glad I did.
It has Sopranos/Battlestar Galactica/ or Game of Thrones -level characters & world building.
Realistic characters making choices and suffering consequences (or eeking out a win!)
It did this decades earlier, with studio bullshit & no budget.
The CGI is dated, but so imaginative. Try to see the fx as the trailblazer it was.
Truly one of the scifi greats.
The reboot is exactly the reason they are doing this. Studios have been sniffing around for a couple of years looking to reboot it, JMS has even written a new pilot episode multiple times but it never quite makes it off the ground. Partly that's because Warner was a studio run by idiots, which is why they no longer exist. B5 is going to be a very, very expensive show to produce. A lot of youtube activity helps justify the cost of making a new one. Netflix has the B5 rights now so it might get made this time.
Bad news though - last I heard JMS was out and Netflix was fishing around for a new showrunner to create the reboot. That's the fastest way I know to get it cancelled after three episodes. There is no Babylon 5 without JMS, and there is no one who can fill his shoes in this role. I won't even bother tuning in if he's not writing.
Jesus christ. Why. I'm expecting another NuTrek, and I'm really tired of that.
I think the reason why is simple - it's JMS' way or the highway when it comes to his productions.
He doesn't play politics and he says 'no' every time someone pitches him a dumb idea. You bring him focus group data saying the show needs more fistfights or comedy, you get an episode that makes fun of focus group data as a decision making tool in a scifi wrapper. He writes deep challenging scripts that give no easy answers because he would rather showcase an idea and consequences than take sides on things. This makes him 'hard to work with' if you just want to treadmill some average drek down the pipeline, or push an agenda with the shows.
We've seen how well that worked for Marvel, Star Trek, Star Wars, Doctor Who, and Lord of the Rings - black holes consuming profits is all that's left of them. Stargate appears to have lucked out, their new series has the entire original cast and creative teams on board so we know we'll get a quality show.
I suspect the sentiment that it's not B5 without JMS is near-universal, so Netflix is going to get flayed alive by the entire fan base if they try to go forward without JMS. I'm not sure that they are aware or care about that, though. Shovelware is most of their media. If it were up to me I'd sign JMS for B5 regardless of price and then put him in charge of every show on the platform after it's done. :p
Some probably good news about this... Paramount bought Warner, Netflix walked away.
That means we're up in the air again. Netflix wasn't keen on JMS, neither was Warner. Nobody knows yet how Paramount feels about it. If the episodes continue to stay up on Youtube I think that means Paramount is going to consider it. I've never been a huge fan of Paramount but even I have to admit they do better on balance than Warner or Netflix. Time will tell. Even Paramount isn't really Paramount anymore - it's all Skydance now.
Larry Ellison's son David is kinda-sorta in charge of all this media. /shrug
https://cordcuttersnews.com/warner-bros-discovery-removes-babylon-5-from-youtube-after-brief-free-run/
Welp, that was fun while it lasted.
I got my hopes up that they were saying B5 was actually available on HBO Max, but that doesn't appear to be the case, at least not in my region.
Seems like the only legitimate way to access it right now is buying the whole thing or via the Roku Channel (with ads). Or physical media, if you can find it.
It's a shame, 'cause I was hoping to share the series with my family, and the one-per-week cadence works well for that.
...is it the original gathering or the remaster?..i've always appreciated stewart copeland's score, but i've only seen the original broadcast episode issued on VHS...
Score is credited to Christopher Franke on the YouTube version, but on Amazon, they have the original cut available. Find it under Extras, no purchase required, but you do need an account.
https://watch.amazon.com/detail?gti=amzn1.dv.gti.c7857d15-7037-4d31-9ef1-da456b64b707
...and so it is!..just watched it: that's indeed the original `93 PTEN production, but the thumbnail is from the `98 TNT re-production...
...i've never seen that original production released digitally but given the thumbnail, i can't help but wonder if they accidentally posted the wrong version?..
According to Reddit, that seems likely and has happened before on other streaming services.
https://youtu.be/XaIZc2icdTU
The Gathering is back up, now I'm just confused.
It's region locked though, not working in Czechia, the previous ones were.
US only it looks like. Can't have nice things.