smokedragon

I know, I know, there's a search engine and all that, but, I don't want to read any B5 threads just in case I come across a spoiler(that's happened to me when I checked out threads on Buffy, and, Angel).

All I need to know is after I finish B5 S2, do I need to watch any of the movies? Is there an order to watching everything?

I know one of the movies has major spoilers for the series.That's the one I want to avoid. So, help me out, please.

As to the series itself, well, I almost gave up during the first season because it is so uneven. Some strong episodes, but, many weak ones. And, dammit, some of the acting was flat out bad. But, episode 8 kept me going on with the series .

I have watched 8 episodes so far of S2 and it is so much better. But,

As to Sinclair,

And, while I am at it with the questions

Babylon 5 has started to finally hit steam, and, I hope it continues.

MrX

"In the Beginning" is the one with major spoilers that most will tell you not to watch until after you're done with Season 4

Your other questions will eventually be answered.

xVladx

As MrX said above, "In the Beginning" should be watched any time after Season 4. Watching it beforehand will not only not be as entertaining, but it will spoil a few major plot points.

If I remember correctly, "Thirdspace" takes place during the fourth season, but you'd probably be best of just waiting until after the fourth season to see that one.

While I haven't seen "River of Souls", yet, I seem to recall reading that it takes place after the fifth season, so you're going to want to wait a while on that one. Same goes for "A Call To Arms", that one also takes place after the fifth season.


Well, the original airing had a picture of her pre-chrysalis, but the DVD didn't keep that, so it's a bit of a goof.

Both, actually. If I remember correctly, the network basically told them that they didn't like Sinclair, and to replace him with someone else. That said, the end result does work out rather well, but you'll see that for yourself eventually...

Oh, you'll see, or as they say around these parts, "Heh, heh, heh".

Oh, it continues. The first season is by far the weakest, but once the main plot starts going, then it just keeps getting better and better.

das Monkey

Why does everyone who starts watching this show start a thread to avoid spoilers and then promptly ask all sorts of questions about the future of the show?

Here's the order thread: http://www.dvdtalk.com/forum/showthr...hreadid=299855

You've made it past the hard part, and it's pretty much a tour de force of television's finest ahead of you now. Welcome to the mix.

das

Superman07

I'm in almost the identical boat. I never watch B5 because it was so different from Star Trek. However, now 10 yeras older and more intune with who is involved with the industry and their quality (J.M.S - Jeremiah, Spiderman), I decided to give it a try.

I just finish the episode after "All Alone in the Night". I must say, I think I liked the earlier parts of the season. I feel like stuff is losing steam, but I have a feeling this will be rectified soon.

One thing I am somwhat disappointed in is that I did watch "The Gathering"/"In the Beginning" first, as I saw it listed as "The Pilot". I finished it thinking "That's odd. So is the entire series a flashback?" EVen if it is and I have been spoiled by some things I am still finding people and events compelling. From the bits and pieces I remember seeing when I was young, I vaguely remember a "darkness", so I wasn't really spoiled by that.

Anyway, I'll check out the order thread, and in the mean time I'll keep on treking.

Bandoman

I wish I could watch it for the first time all over again.

latenight

Stop bashing season 1. Long live Sinclair!

Josh-da-man

The preferref viewing order is:

The Gathering (Pilot)
Season One
Season Two
Season Three
Season Four
In the Beginning
Season Five
Thirdspace
River of Souls
A Call to Arms
Crusade Season One
Legend of the Rangers

"In the Beginning" is really the only movie that is continuity-heavy, and it will spoil certain things that occur during seasons 1-4.

"Thirdspace" takes place during the fourth season at some unspecified point, "River of Souls" takes place between the penultimate and final episodes of the fifth season, and "A Call to Arms" sets up the aborted "Crusade" spin-off. "Legend of the Rangers" is sort of a standalone movie that takes place in the same universe that was potentially a backdoor pilot for a second spin-off.

That is an error that was made when the series was re-mastered in widescreen. The credits, as originally aired, showed

No real spoilers here, but

Babylon 5 has started to finally hit steam, and, I hope it continues.



Well, that particular does seem to have difficulty making the right decision when given a choice...

Gamblor187

You ain't seen nothin' yet!

Just wait until seasons 3 and 4! I found it impossible to just watch one or two episodes in a sitting. In fact, you may have to force yourself to stop at 4 or 5 episodes in a row!

Gamblor187

I also saw "In The Beginning" before I started watching the season sets. There are major spoilers, but it never got in the way of my enjoying the regular episodes. The promise of what to come is one of the things that kept me watching the series when I was a bit indifferent towards it during season one.

smokedragon

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Josh-da-man
[B]The preferref viewing order is:

The Gathering (Pilot)
Season One
Season Two
Season Three
Season Four
In the Beginning
Season Five
Thirdspace
River of Souls
A Call to Arms
Crusade Season One
Legend of the Rangers

Thanks for this list.I have printed it out to keep.

I'm on disc 4 now and I really cannot stop watching! Gonna look for deals on season 3.

Thanks again all of you.

das Monkey

I was going to let it go since I had already posted the link, but if you're going to "print it out to keep" I'll speak up. That might be his prefered viewing order, but IMO it's the wrong one. You should be watching Thirdspace during Season 4, between 'Into the Fire' and 'No Surrender, No Retreat', probably immediately after 'The Illusion of Truth'. Tossing it on at the end like that is just lazy and doesn't make any sense with continuity.

das

Josh-da-man

Thirdspace was aired out of order, and that's the order that I went with. Siding with caution -- when in doubt, follow the broadcast order. The episode originally aired between season five's "Movement's of Fire and Shadow" and "The Fall of *************." Since it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to put it between those S5 eps, I just held it off until after season five.

Even though it does fit into continuity early in season four, it doesn't really have anything important that needs to fit in there, so I just stick it after the fifth season. If we're being strict with continuity, then you'd have to put "In the Beginning" before "The Gathering" and "River of Souls" before

Either way, the placement of "Thirdspace" isn't that big of a deal, as its mostly superfluous.

das Monkey

Agreed. But its airdate is more a function of TNT scheduling than intended order. The plan was to show a movie to get things going, then show the 5th season, then finish with another movie. It marketing over storytelling and had more to do with the NBA Playoffs than anything else.

Not a chance. It's told in flashback and clearly intended to augment the story as we know it (and catch up new viewers).

I concede this in my linked post, but neither of us believe it, so it's not worth arguing about. It's not about strict airdate or strict continuity; it's about flow. The show itself is told predominantly in the present. is forward-looking from that present, just as In the Beginning is looking to the past. Thirdspace, however, is told in the present, and it flows nicely IMO between the two major storylines of Season 4 (coincidentally where it chronologically fits as well) ... River of Souls is also told in the present, and as such, should follow the story of Season 5 (but after for the aforementioned reason).

I pretty much agree, but I'm still right.

das

Josh-da-man

Well, if we REALLY want to split hairs, "Thirdspace" has some continuity problems so it doesn't fit precisely anywhere in season four.

Kittydreamer

Oh don't we all! Sigh....

Josh-da-man

This is kind of tricky, because the entire series is sort of told in flashback.

Viewing "In the Beginning" and "The Gathering" back to back works because Londo is narrating ItB from the future, and then he's the one who gets the opening narration on The Gathering. So it sort of segues into it when viewed that way.

You have old Londo giving the pre-Babylon 5 history, and then going right into the opening of the station.

I believe that JMS has said that the entire series is being told in past-tense, as the opening narrations allude.

Which may potentially cause a slight problem, considering that

abintra

How important is it to start the journey with The Gathering? I have S1 & S2 but don't want to buy the movies just for the gathering.

I suppose a rental is doable if it is a must.

Josh-da-man

"The Gathering" is important, but not completely essential. I wouldn't recommend that anyone start watching the series without watching it, however, as it sets up some of the central mysteries of the series.

I believe it is available as one of Warner's DVD pilot singles, so you should be able to buy it for under five dollars. I'm not sure if it's been released yet, though. I've seen some of these, in stores and they're packaged in a cardboard envelope like an AOL disc or a CD single.

"The Gathering" and "In the Beginning" are also available as a single DVD for around fifteen dollars, so that's an option as well. Those are the two most important movies, so that's a good option as well if you don't want to invest in the movie box.

xVladx

Actually...


Well, there's a few plot points here and there that are brought up throughout the series, and a there's a character that pops up later that was introduced in the pilot, but it's not absolutely essential to the plot. However, I do recommend checking it out, if only to have In The Beginning handy once you get past the fourth season.

das Monkey

I figured you'd say that , but there's a pretty wide difference IMO. While the narrations setup that the story is introduced from the future, the actual events of the story are told in the present tense. The viewer is made to feel as if he is a part of the 2258-2262 universe, and he progresses through those years along with the show over the course of the 5 seasons. The story is told with the assumption that the viewer does not know the future yet (i.e. outside of the season he's in), even if the narrator does. In the Beginning, however, is really told in future flashback. It makes a different assumption, that the viewer knows the events of 2258-2261 and the weight of Londo's situation and the importance of story he tells.

Again, to me, it's not about trying to find some strict formula that applies to all the pieces in some order, but it's about the flow of storytelling.

Anyway ... on the topic of watching The Gathering, I agree with the others. It's not essential, but I'd still watch it. Just keep in mind that it's nowhere near as good as the show will eventually be. It's also worth the money for the DVD, since In the Beginning is fantastic.

das

Chew

Only a month until the movies come out on DVD.

Bandoman

I'm glad there's still some B5 I haven't seen yet.

cliffzig

Calling das! Please please, I trust your opinion more than anyone. Could you critique this viewing order, and let me know whare is needs tweaking? I am planning on going into this series, so that I might die one day knowing that I did it and I did it right!

EDIT: Taken das' suggestions about the order of watching the movies. HE knows what he's talking about, so keep THIS LIST handy!
I left Crusade in the original order for simplicity sake.

(Un)Official Babylon 5 Viewing order

MV = Movie. S1 - S5 signifies the season.

MV.001 - The Gathering (Story Year: 2257)

Season One ("Signs and Portents") (Story Year: 2258)

S1.001 - Midnight on the Firing Line
S1.002 - Soul Hunter
S1.003 - Born to the Purple
S1.004 - Infection
S1.005 - The Parliament of Dreams
S1.006 - Mind War
S1.007 - The War Prayer
S1.008 - And The Sky Full Of Stars
S1.009 - Deathwalker
S1.010 - Believers
S1.011 - Survivors
S1.012 - By Any Means Necessary
S1.013 - Signs and Portents
S1.014 - TKO
S1.015 - Grail
S1.016 - Eyes
S1.018 - Legacies
S1.019 - A Voice in the Wilderness part 1
S1.020 - A Voice in the Wilderness part 2
S1.021 - Babylon Squared
S1.022 - The Quality of Mercy
S1.023 - Chrysalis

Season Two ("The Coming Of Shadows") (Story Year: 2259)

S2.023 - Points of Departure
S2.024 - Revelations
S2.025 - The Geometry of Shadows
S2.026 - A Distant Star
S2.027 - The Long Dark
S2.028 - A Spider in the Web
S2.029 - Soul Mates
S2.030 - A Race Through Dark Places
S2.031 - The Coming of Shadows
S2.032 - GROPOS
S2.033 - All Alone in the Night
S2.034 - Acts of Sacrifice
S2.035 - Hunter, Prey
S2.036 - There All the Honor Lies
S2.037 - And Now For a Word
S2.038 - In the Shadow of Z'ha'dum
S2.039 - Knives
S2.040 - Confessions and Lamentations
S2.041 - Divided Loyalties
S2.042 - The Long, Twilight Struggle
S2.043 - Comes the Inquisitor
S2.044 - The Fall of Night

Season Three ("Point of No Return") (Story Year: 2260)

S3.045 - Matters of Honor
S3.046 - Convictions
S3.047 - A Day in the Strife
S3.048 - Passing Through Gethsemane
S3.049 - Voices of Authority
S3.050 - Dust to Dust
S3.051 - Exogenesis
S3.052 - Messages from Earth
S3.053 - Point of No Return
S3.054 - Severed Dreams
S3.055 - Ceremonies of Light and Dark
S3.056 - Sic Transit Vir
S3.057 - A Late Delivery from Avalon
S3.058 - Ship of Tears
S3.059 - Interludes and Examinations
S3.060 - War Without End, Part One
S3.061 - War Without End, Part Two
S3.062 - Walkabout
S3.063 - Grey 17 Is Missing
S3.064 - And the Rock Cried Out, No Hiding Place
S3.065 - Shadow Dancing
S3.066 - Z'ha'dum

Babylon 5 (Part 2)

Season Four ("No Surrender, No Retreat") (Story Year: 2261)

S4.067 - The Hour of the Wolf
S4.068 - Whatever Happened to Mr. Garibaldi?
S4.069 - The Summoning
S4.070 - Falling Toward Apotheosis
S4.071 - The Long Night
S4.072 - Into the Fire
S4.073 - Epiphanies
S4.074 - The Illusion of Truth

MV.003 - Thirdspace (Story Year: 2261)

S4.075 - Atonement
S4.076 - Racing Mars
S4.077 - Lines of Communication
S4.078 - Conflicts of Interest
S4.079 - Rumors, Bargains and Lies
S4.080 - Moments of Transition
S4.081 - No Surrender, No Retreat
S4.082 - The Exercise of Vital Powers
S4.083 - The Face of the Enemy
S4.084 - Intersections in Real Time
S4.085 - Between the Darkness and the Light
S4.086 - Endgame
S4.087 - Rising Star
S4.088 - The Deconstruction of Falling Stars

MV.002 - In the Beginning (Story Year: Prologue: 2261. Framing Story: 2278. Main Story: 2240s)

Season Five ("Wheel of Fire") (Story Year: 2262)

S5.089 - No Compromises
S5.090 - The Very Long Night of Londo Mollari
S5.091 - The Paragon of Animals
S5.092 - A View from the Gallery
S5.093 - Learning Curve
S5.094 - Strange Relations
S5.095 - Secrets of the Soul
S5.096 - In the Kingdom of the Blind
S5.097 - A Tragedy of Telepaths
S5.098 - Phoenix Rising
S5.099 - Day of the Dead
S5.100 - The Ragged Edge
S5.101 - The Corps is Mother, The Corps is Father
S5.102 - Meditations on the Abyss
S5.103 - Darkness Ascending
S5.104 - And All My Dreams, Torn Asunder
S5.105 - Movements of Fire and Shadow
S5.106 - The Fall of Centauri Prime
S5.107 - Wheel of Fire
S5.108 - Objects in Motion
S5.109 - Objects at Rest
S5.110 - Sleeping in Light

MV.004 - The River of Souls (Story Year: 2263)

MV.006 - A Call to Arms (Story Year: Late 2266 or early 2267)

Crusade (Story Year: 2267)

CR.001 - War Zone
CR.002 - The Long Road
CR.003 - The Well of Forever
CR.004 - The Path of Sorrows
CR.005 - Patterns of the Soul
CR.006 - Ruling from the Tomb
CR.007 - The Rules of the Game
CR.008 - Appearances and Other Deceits
CR.009 - Racing the Night
CR.010 - The Memory of War
CR.011 - The Needs of Earth
CR.012 - Visitors from Down the Street
CR.013 - Each Night I Dream of Home

MV.005 - The Legend of the Rangers (Story Year: 2265)Crusade Crusade

das Monkey

It is my opinion that the "d" in my name is lowercase. Glad I could help!

das