The Babylon 5 TV Movie Discussion Thread
08-17-04, 10:39 AM
#1
DVD Talk Legend
Thread Starter
The Babylon 5 TV Movie Discussion Thread
The boxset of movies finally gets released today!
(my copy shipped from Amazon.
)
"The Gathering"
"In the Beginning"
"River of Souls"
"Thirdspace"
"A Call to Arms"
I for one am happy to finally have the complete story on DVD. Once I finish the second season of West Wing, I plan on finally watching everything in it's proper order.
I'm posting the das preferred viewing order below. (just so I can easily find it later)
Link
(my copy shipped from Amazon.
) "The Gathering"
"In the Beginning"
"River of Souls"
"Thirdspace"
"A Call to Arms"
I for one am happy to finally have the complete story on DVD. Once I finish the second season of West Wing, I plan on finally watching everything in it's proper order.
I'm posting the das preferred viewing order below. (just so I can easily find it later)
Originally posted by das Monkey
If I were building a definitive order, it'd likely go like this.
The Gathering
Season 1: Signs and Portents
Season 2: The Coming of Shadows
Season 3: Point of No Return
Season 4: No Surrender, No Retreat I
Thirdspace (Either directly after 'Into the Fire' or after 'The Illusion of Truth' ... anywhere between 'Into the Fire' and 'No Surrender, No Retreat' would be fine though)
Season 4: No Surrender, No Retreat II
In the Beginning
Season 5: Wheel of Fire (I'd watch 'Phoenix Rising' before 'Day of the Dead', even though their aired flipped - doesn't really matter as 'Day of the Dead' is a stand-alone, but it flows better that way)
The River of Souls
A Call to Arms
Crusade
The Legend of the Rangers
If I were building a definitive order, it'd likely go like this.
The Gathering
Season 1: Signs and Portents
Season 2: The Coming of Shadows
Season 3: Point of No Return
Season 4: No Surrender, No Retreat I
Thirdspace (Either directly after 'Into the Fire' or after 'The Illusion of Truth' ... anywhere between 'Into the Fire' and 'No Surrender, No Retreat' would be fine though)
Season 4: No Surrender, No Retreat II
In the Beginning
Season 5: Wheel of Fire (I'd watch 'Phoenix Rising' before 'Day of the Dead', even though their aired flipped - doesn't really matter as 'Day of the Dead' is a stand-alone, but it flows better that way)
The River of Souls
A Call to Arms
Crusade
The Legend of the Rangers
08-18-04, 12:45 AM
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About a call to arms:
Now while I love JMS and his work - wow, did he TOTALY steal the premise of Space Cruiser Yamato down to the last nut and bolt. One or two similiar plot points and I could dismiss it as happenstance - great minds think alike. But man, did he get seriously 'inspired' by Matsumoto's work.
In fact I think the only major plot point not included in Call to Arms was the Gamalon leader Desslok as a nemesis for the Star Force.
Spoiler:
Now while I love JMS and his work - wow, did he TOTALY steal the premise of Space Cruiser Yamato down to the last nut and bolt. One or two similiar plot points and I could dismiss it as happenstance - great minds think alike. But man, did he get seriously 'inspired' by Matsumoto's work.
In fact I think the only major plot point not included in Call to Arms was the Gamalon leader Desslok as a nemesis for the Star Force.
08-18-04, 05:33 PM
#5
DVD Talk Gold Edition
The difference was that the whole "saving the Earth from a virus" really had very little to do with the point of Crusade. It was just the catalyst to get the story going. (The cure would have been found early in the second season.) Unfortunately, we never were allowed to see where Crusade would have gone, except for the hints in the scripts that were published but never shot.
And of course there's the reality that Star Blazers isn't at all the first science fiction story to use the basic story line. There are a number of stories and novels written decades before Star Blazers that used it. (And I loved Star Blazers when I was a kid, but man it screams 70s.)
And of course there's the reality that Star Blazers isn't at all the first science fiction story to use the basic story line. There are a number of stories and novels written decades before Star Blazers that used it. (And I loved Star Blazers when I was a kid, but man it screams 70s.)
08-18-04, 05:54 PM
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I agree that the series would have been light-years away from any of the Yamato story arcs. I mean JMS is famous for the mid-story bait and switch, everything is not as it seems.
Still, as far as Call to Arms goes - well, I'm still going with my original assessment of "Yikes!"
Still, as far as Call to Arms goes - well, I'm still going with my original assessment of "Yikes!"
08-18-04, 08:10 PM
#7
DVD Talk Hero
Originally posted by dstrauss
Unfortunately, we never were allowed to see where Crusade would have gone, except for the hints in the scripts that were published but never shot.
Unfortunately, we never were allowed to see where Crusade would have gone, except for the hints in the scripts that were published but never shot.
Spoiler:
08-18-04, 09:17 PM
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Did anyone else notice that they screwed up the label art. The text is correct but all of the pictures are the same as the season 5 set disc for disc. The insert art is right and that art is usually duplicated on the labels. Oh well, so don't expect the label pictures to have anything to do with the movies.
08-19-04, 01:31 PM
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Originally posted by Kevin M. Dean
Did anyone else notice that they screwed up the label art. The text is correct but all of the pictures are the same as the season 5 set disc for disc. The insert art is right and that art is usually duplicated on the labels. Oh well, so don't expect the label pictures to have anything to do with the movies.
Did anyone else notice that they screwed up the label art. The text is correct but all of the pictures are the same as the season 5 set disc for disc. The insert art is right and that art is usually duplicated on the labels. Oh well, so don't expect the label pictures to have anything to do with the movies.
08-20-04, 06:13 PM
#12
DVD Talk Legend
Okay, on a related note... I just ordered and got Babylon 5 Season 1 Disc 1 in the mail from Netflix today. After it had already shipped I discovered that the pilot was a separate movie that wasn't on that disc. I'm finally giving the show a shot, and I'm sure if I end up liking it I'll end up watching The Gathering eventually. But how important is it that I watch The Gathering before those episodes? Will I be completely lost if I don't?
08-20-04, 07:39 PM
#14
DVD Talk Hero
"The Gathering" sets up a lot of the mysteries that will pay off during the first and later seasons... they will be revisited during the course of the series, though, but I would still recommend that anyone taking the plunge watch it first.
08-20-04, 08:48 PM
#15
DVD Talk Hero
It won't kill you to go without it, but if you can possibly get ahold of it, try. The payoffs will be better down the road if you start at the beginning of the story.
das
das
08-21-04, 11:27 AM
#17
DVD Talk Legend
Well, I'll probably pick it up with my next Netflix order, instead of getting s1 disc 2. So I will have only watched the first 3 or 4 eps before I go to it... that can't possibly ruin THAT much can it? I just didn't want to have to wait to watch disc 1, which I've already received, until I
1) got one of my other shipments in (probably Monday),
b) watched it and sent it back (Tuesday at the earliest), and
iii) got The Gathering in the mail (likely Friday or Saturday).
I hate wasting a Netflix block like that. I did see one of those pilot-only discs at Target for 4 bucks, which is another option... but I'd still just as soon watch an ep or two before I buy anything.
1) got one of my other shipments in (probably Monday),
b) watched it and sent it back (Tuesday at the earliest), and
iii) got The Gathering in the mail (likely Friday or Saturday).
I hate wasting a Netflix block like that. I did see one of those pilot-only discs at Target for 4 bucks, which is another option... but I'd still just as soon watch an ep or two before I buy anything.
08-23-04, 05:35 PM
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Well, I had a completely bizarre Netflix experience with the B5 Movies. I received a DVD marked "A Call To Arms". The DVD was also marked "A Call To Arms", but when I put the DVD into the player, it was "Thridspace". Apparently, it was a mislabeled DVD from the Warner plant. Has anyone else found any of the B5 DVD's mislabeled or was I just "lucky"? (also, the B5 Movie DVD's were matte gray with the B5 logo and no full color label ate and marked "Rental Only. Not For Resale." This makes me wonder if they were piratged as well, but I would think not. Netflix has no reason to do anything underhanded.)
08-24-04, 12:11 AM
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Originally posted by DRG
Well, I'll probably pick it up with my next Netflix order, instead of getting s1 disc 2. So I will have only watched the first 3 or 4 eps before I go to it... that can't possibly ruin THAT much can it? I just didn't want to have to wait to watch disc 1, which I've already received, until I
1) got one of my other shipments in (probably Monday),
b) watched it and sent it back (Tuesday at the earliest), and
iii) got The Gathering in the mail (likely Friday or Saturday).
I hate wasting a Netflix block like that. I did see one of those pilot-only discs at Target for 4 bucks, which is another option... but I'd still just as soon watch an ep or two before I buy anything.
Well, I'll probably pick it up with my next Netflix order, instead of getting s1 disc 2. So I will have only watched the first 3 or 4 eps before I go to it... that can't possibly ruin THAT much can it? I just didn't want to have to wait to watch disc 1, which I've already received, until I
1) got one of my other shipments in (probably Monday),
b) watched it and sent it back (Tuesday at the earliest), and
iii) got The Gathering in the mail (likely Friday or Saturday).
I hate wasting a Netflix block like that. I did see one of those pilot-only discs at Target for 4 bucks, which is another option... but I'd still just as soon watch an ep or two before I buy anything.
Heh Heh Heh
There. I feel better now.
By the way, if Netflix sends you the old release of "The Gathering", do NOT watch the other movie, "In The Beginning", which is also included on the disc. Save it for its proper place during season 4.
Last edited by Gamblor187; 08-24-04 at 12:15 AM.
08-24-04, 05:56 AM
#20
DVD Talk Legend
Thread Starter
Originally posted by Gamblor187
Okay. I'm really jumping the gun here. For all I know, you'll end up hating B5. But there's something that I've wanted to do for a long time, and I'd better do it before someone beats me to it.
Heh Heh Heh
There. I feel better now.
Okay. I'm really jumping the gun here. For all I know, you'll end up hating B5. But there's something that I've wanted to do for a long time, and I'd better do it before someone beats me to it.
Heh Heh Heh
There. I feel better now.
08-24-04, 07:32 AM
#21
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Originally posted by Chew
What? No Bando and a dancing banana?
What? No Bando and a dancing banana?
I bought this the day it came out, but just got around to watching "Thirdspace" yesterday (I saw "The Gathering" and "In the Beginning" on the earlier release). It was pretty good, but now that the story is played out it doesn't have the same sense of urgency for me.
08-24-04, 09:13 AM
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Originally posted by ptyrtl
Well, I had a completely bizarre Netflix experience with the B5 Movies. I received a DVD marked "A Call To Arms". The DVD was also marked "A Call To Arms", but when I put the DVD into the player, it was "Thridspace". Apparently, it was a mislabeled DVD from the Warner plant. Has anyone else found any of the B5 DVD's mislabeled or was I just "lucky"? (also, the B5 Movie DVD's were matte gray with the B5 logo and no full color label ate and marked "Rental Only. Not For Resale." This makes me wonder if they were piratged as well, but I would think not. Netflix has no reason to do anything underhanded.)
Well, I had a completely bizarre Netflix experience with the B5 Movies. I received a DVD marked "A Call To Arms". The DVD was also marked "A Call To Arms", but when I put the DVD into the player, it was "Thridspace". Apparently, it was a mislabeled DVD from the Warner plant. Has anyone else found any of the B5 DVD's mislabeled or was I just "lucky"? (also, the B5 Movie DVD's were matte gray with the B5 logo and no full color label ate and marked "Rental Only. Not For Resale." This makes me wonder if they were piratged as well, but I would think not. Netflix has no reason to do anything underhanded.)
I had the exact opposite, received "Thirdspace" but the actual movie on the disk was "A Call to Arms". Regarding the rental only grey dvd's I would say about half of the new releases that I've received in the last couple of months have been like that. I assume it's a special deal netflix has with the studios. No reason for them to buy the full retail version.
08-24-04, 09:26 AM
#23
DVD Talk Legend
Thread Starter
It doesn't apply in this situation as the discs aren't flippers, but one thing I've noticed: Netflix will take flippers and make them into single-sided. West Wing S2 for example. I think it has more to do with the fact the people checking them back in don't have to struggle with figuring out what's what rather than the fact it makes us rent two discs over one flipper.
Warner Bros. seems to have the most number of these "rental only" discs for some reason.
Warner Bros. seems to have the most number of these "rental only" discs for some reason.