Babylon 5, Season 1

That is how the show was filmmed, but to save money the CGI and live action done combined with digital scenes were done in 4:3. They never up converted those scenes properly as original intended. In fact even with the live action footage they never went back to the negatives to retransfer the show they just conveted the PAL version to NTSC. Rumor has it the original is lost and persumed destroyed. So it seems everyone is correct. It's ashame this was allowed to happen and we will never get and HD remaster of the series. All the effort to be ready for the future back then and yet they never took the steps to insure it would happen.

Season one is good. It is definitely not the best as it suffers from a few wooden acting moments, and the effects (especially in the pilot) are laughable. But it is very solid. It does a perfect job of beginning the show, it begins to give you tantilizing bits and peices of the over all plot. It has great character development, and Silcair does a great job of running the station. There is only one weak episode; titled Believers, and even that is still good, it is just not great compared to the others. Overall I would only say DO NOT SKIP THIS SEASON. start with this one, as it makes the rest of the show a lot more meaningful.

B5 is the best of the space operas. It is the template, in writing especially, for all the others to follow. Granted the special effects have been eclipsed since its inception. But, the writing and interplay of the story lines is involved and compelling. The story line sets out to be a five year show, with a defined track that is completed, despite some recasts along the way. There is a blend of serious subjects and humor that is the method by which B5 always drew its watchers back for more. It's too bad that the follow up series attempts didn't fly.

I’m glad season 1 only cost 4.99. The CGI looks weird, the video stutters every time we see an outside shot of a ship in space. The DVD didn’t look like this. I wonder how the other seasons look.

I love the show but am disappointed in how choppy the CGI shots are. This is not present on the DVDs and is a bit distracting.

Bygi

The first season is pretty bad. Actually, the first half of the first season is downright horrible. In fact, it's so bad that it occasionally crosses the line from cringe worthy to unintentionally funny. The acting, the writing, the sets, the CG... Dear god, what a train wreck! However, it picks up a lot towards the end of the season. My dad watched this show when I was a kid, so I'm semi-familiar with where this is headed. But, still missing enough pieces of the puzzle to feel like I'm watching it for the first time. I'm sticking with it, because I know it eventually gets better. I think most of the B5 fans reviewing here forget that they are only supposed to be scoring the first season of the show. I grant that the show, in totality, may deserve five stars. I wouldn't know, as I haven't finished it yet. But, there is absolutely no way the first season by itself deserves anything higher than two and a half stars, at best. Don't be discouraged though, there are a few bright spots here. Believers, Legacies and Babylon Squared are all stand outs, and should be easy for most Sci-Fi fans to enjoy. Also, maybe I just started drinking the kool-aid by the end of the season, but Sinclair's (or as I call him, Commander Pinocchio's) ridiculously wooden acting did kind of start to grow on me after awhile.

From start to finish B5 is a story, And a marvelous one at that. It has it all: wonder, love, passion, betrayal, revenge, and redemption. Season one is a bit slow, but it's all setup. You meet the players with their relationships and motives. All of which can change over time, as the players change over time. You catch hints of the main story arc in season one. But season 2 the main story arc really begins. And it's a not a slap in your face.. it's subtle at first. And various sub-plots to keep you busy. You will love certain players and hate others. But that's what a good opera does. Ok since it's the 90's the CGI is poor by todays standards. But B5 isn't about that.. this is about the story. It's the story that stands the test of time. Watch. Watch it all, in order from season one to season five. And you won't regret it.

I haven't read all the reviews, but I'll bet many did not not know that this series was a concept for the next ST series after Star Trek:The Next Generation. From what I remember and heard over the ST grapevine: JMS had shown the concept of B5 to Roddenberry, but Roddenberry had not liked it. Roddenberry had considered it too dark for the ST franchise. So, JMS went to WB who picked up the series. At that time, Roddenberry had found out he was dying and wanted to rush another ST series into production before he died. So, Michael Moore and another ST insider had come up with the DS9 concept and Roddenberry had quickly OKed it. Now many have to remember that Roddenberry had kept his illness quiet so as not to upset us ST geeks...uh....Trekkies....uh...Trekkers. This upset JMS and had an animosity to Roddenberry & the ST franchise. I think JMS had forgiven Roddenberry after his death. Now I loved both series. The only similarity between the two was that they both took place on a space station. But as both progressed, they both got more violent and boring. Also, the networks did not do much for both series. They kept moving it around and fans like me kept missing episodes and losing interest. The worst was done to B5. UPN moved the series around till they cancelled it. TNT picked it up and was showing it at a specific time. They they played "the shell game" with B5 and the series finally died. I remember at one point they used to show new episodes at 1 or 2 AM. I guess to keep the regular hours open for the sport teams (ugh). Ironically, Roddenberry's widow, Majel Barrett and Walter Koenig (Chekov on ST:TOS) appeared on B5.

Just purchased season one for 39.98 and looked on my back statements later and noticed they charged me 40.98. Odd, never known iTunes to charge tax before on the products I buy.