Babylon 5 S4 Opening

[Cassadinegirlaz]

My favorite season opener

[TheFamilySlitheen]

Babylon 5 was something new, something different, something so revolutionary and groundbreaking that it changed not ony scifi but television as well.

Characters who were flawed, who made mistakes and life changing decisions that would affect those around around them.

Space battles that took place in 3 dimensions are were breathtaking to watch.

Multiple story arcs that merged into each other (Earth/Minbari War, The Shadow War, Telepaths, Earth Civil War)

[eppinghovener]

Yay! 77.777th viewer :D

[trakkaton]

Why aren't there any reasonable SciFi series? This B5, Farscape, etc. crap is just USan backwardness with costumes. I want to see something on the intellectual level of K Pax, Moon, Alien or Blade Runner, not that Soap Opera BS!

[Meyosan]

@trakkaton Movies with ambiguous storylines doesn't equate to high intellectual levels. For most, including Blade Runner, it is tantamount to laziness on the writers' part when it's a standalone movie.

But, how is it that you can call B5 unreasonable? Is it that you disagree with the series' views on order vs chaos, free will vs authoritarianism, that religion still plays a role in the future? Or is it that you took a superficial glance at the opening?

[trakkaton]

@Meyosan

Someone once said that period pictures tell more about the time there where made in than the time they are playing in. Guess that awkward fact is also true when they are playing in the future.

[Meyosan]

@trakkaton And another person said not to judge a book by its cover. Even if B5 might have technology eclipsed by that time, the overall design of Earth ships in the series shows that we won't have the ability to overcome physics.

[trakkaton]

@Meyosan

When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong.

The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible.

Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

[Meyosan]

@trakkaton And if you had watched the show, it would have shown that as none of the races are at the same level of technology, how races that are millions of years more advanced have living ships, I said Earth ships for a reason.

If you were to watch the show, you would find the situation with telepaths the same with replicants, they're forced to join an organization and if they don't, either their abilities are suppressed or they're hunted down by psi cops.

[Xardion55]

My favorite season opening. Of course, it's probably because it was around this point that I started to get into it. Actually the previous season, but still...

[Svinue]

love it

[bijoulovesboss]

I think the way each show- Babylon 5 and star trek- view human nature is very different. Star trek tends to be very optimistic, where as Babylon 5 is more realistic.

Ivonva: It wouldn't matter if lived to be a hundred, we'd still make the same mistakes.

Dr. Franklin: well that's depressing.

Ivonva: I'm Russian, doctor. We understand these things.

[tolskaydao]

Yes please make a b5 video. Bur please do not make it a fuill music video, I`d like to see and listen to some original sequences. Should you usemusic, please let it be Franke`s since its the bestmusic for B5

[tolskaydao]

Yeah, please make a b5 video. I´d like if you do not nescessarily lay some music over it, but more line up some sequences as they were,. or if you take music then let it be Christopher`s Franke music fitting for B5.

[TheNinjaMouse]

Epic opening. The music starting at :46 always reminds me of the Requiem for a Dream trailer music.

[sukneh]

I feel that we re able to use B5 as a basis for commenting on contemporary events is a testament to the strength of the story. I except from my approval Season 5 which, excepting always the last episode, I think was much inferior to the first four.

[bashirD]

I miss Claudia Christian ...

[YouFoolWarrenIsDead]

Bruce Boxleitner for President.

[JohnBachofer]

I agree. The United States needs someone like him. I get the feeling the Babylon 5 story is actually happening so to speak. I mean with the war in the middle east going on and this new president whom I do not trust at all people are starting to put up the Confederate flag again. Just like B5. You're right Bruce is better than Barack.

[pimpinjosh12]

that confederate shit BETTER NOT come back >:[

[PatriotMan09]

What you won't here in public schooling or the media is that Robert E. Lee freed his slaves and let them go home to Africa. During the war he recieved letters from them telling him about their new lives as free people. Also the north often executed black southern soldiers on the spot. I won't lie there was bad people in the south, but if you believe the union was all good people with your interest at heart than you have traded one form of slavery for an intellectual slavery.

[pimpinjosh12]

but u dont know this but the south is secretly trying to reorganize thru redneck country music and tryin to get ppl to like it and try to glorify the kkk and like the rebel flag which like icp id use it as shit paper

[PatriotMan09]

Yea what the corruput president did on the show is the one we got now is doing. He is attacking Fox News the way Clark did on the show. Also Garabaldi is a real life conservative talk show host. He on the show was against Clark just like in real life he is against Obama. Obama is a thug out of Chicago that has a media feeding out of his hands and threatens and intimadates his enemies.

[starknight97]

Will Obama not done much good don't help that the few republicans keep blocking everything too. Though he's not done much bad yet either. He means good but he kinda naive too. Though currently 100 times better then bush.

[Bek359]

@starknight97 Dude, why are you talking about politics here? This is a goddamn B5 video, as in, the series that I go to when I don't particularly feel like discussing politics.

[Usul573]

I wonder how SGA and B5 compare, of course I'll have to keep in mind the times that they were made.

I've watched all of SGA and I need to see B5 still, probably netflix the DVDs, it's probably the best way to see it.

[R8erNation636]

DS9 FTW!!!

[IrishVagrant]

I'm not sure if the rights ran out and Sci-Fi didn't bother renewing them, but for several years they did indeed air Babylon 5 in syndication. It used to be on every 7am Monday through Friday and occasionally in the 8-4 marathons.

[knoxvilleguy2]

The SciFi ( Soon to be SyFy ) Channel ought to run episodes of B5, they show episodes of older shows like The Twilight Zone & the " Friday the 13th " series.

Maybe it's a copyright / intellectual property issue...... ? I don't know. I've checked & it doesn't appear in syndication anywhere.

[Oondronite]

@malarky321: The heck with sci-fi, B5 is one the best shows I've ever seen period, in any genre. Also, I think this intro is easily the best out of the five.

[knoxvilleguy2]

Oondronite:

B5 & the re - imagined / re - envisioned Battlestar Galactica are 2 of the best science - fiction, / fantasy / adventure shows that I've been privileged to view. ALMOST everything else is sound & fury signifying nothing. White noise.

[BioCapsule]

perhaps... but I think without B5 to set the standard of the long term story-arc... show like Lost & new BSG may not happen at all... B5 show us that it can be done....

[knoxvilleguy2]

BioCapsule:

Exactly - B5 used something called CONTINUITY- A quality that rarely showed its face in a lot of science fiction or other television shows ( Prime example: Original Trek ).

The re - envisioned BSG owes MUCH to B5, & not just in its adoption of the story arc & continuity.

[mac1701e]

actually if you look at the original battlestar galactica that had continunity as well some was obvious like adamas log some not so obvious baltar limping around the room in gun on ice planet zero part one which fit in with him having been buried in a prymid cave in at the end of lost planet of the gods part 2

[knoxvilleguy2]

Okay, maybe there was continuity in little things, but I mean character development & plot development, not gadgets & devices. Stargate SG1 did the same with story arcs about the Gou'ald ( ? ) & the Ori & Ancients, as well as the Ascended.

[R8erNation636]

Deep Space Nein is teh better.

[HeyArnoldsspleen]

Idiot

[malarky321]

at the risk of abuse.....B5 is the best sci-fi series ever...if only because it meant the viewer had to wath from the start to put it all together...and when it all came togther...well what needs be said

[Krisando]

<3 this series fav Sci-Fi. Theres like 3 or 4 movies aswel xD I wana see the real ending which was such a cliff hanger =O

[davidls11]

You can watch the whole series online for free at SurfTheChannel(.)com. The movies are on watch-movies(.)net.

[cheesein]

VERY good season. Season 3 and 4 are where it's at :) This one is probably the darkest out of all of em.

[Bert9327]

Search for this short lived show called "Hypernauts" it was a proof-of-concept show that was the predocesser to B5.

[HisLordshipTheOwl]

Pretty nice FX for early 90s, all things considered.

[gabrysg1]

I very like Babylon 5!!!

[YiddoBobbins]

I have absolutely no problem with Star Trek at all, I like all the incarnations of it, and I have no problem with you liking it either. I have a problem with you coming on to a B5 video and saying it looks unrealistic, when one of the things B5 is most famous for is its realism (as well as its epic storyline of course).

You are entitled to your opinion of course but you can't go around making patently false comments and not expect a response.

[XCXSNIPER]

yeah we got forums for that kind of things,

but i actually do appreciate, negative comments as well :P more understanding on what peoples like to watch etc,

As i said before, i watched a few episodes of star trek NGE and voyager,

but i still like Babylon 5 more then any other science fiction tv-show. It even challenge my other favourite scifi star wars in storyline and characters,

but thats just my opinion. feel free to post yours as well

[Coremann43]

My favorite sci-fi shows are Babylon 5, Star Wars and Firefly, i can't decide which one i like more... i've been watching them ever since i was a little kid

[salmon00001]

Add farscape to the list and I'm pretty much the same. All awesome shows.

[arveduilastking]

@XCXSNIPER Bab5 is Lord the Rings in Space. The epicness is the same.

[XCXSNIPER]

@arveduilastking lol, well the epic attitude to LOTR trilogy "the movies that is" can be argued, but your quite right.

[Boromir26]

@XCXSNIPER you denying that LOTR is epic?? are you out of your mind?? LOTR set the trend for epic! without LOTR the classification of "EPIC" wouldn't even exist in cinematography!

[sweetmary116]

@arveduilastking which scifi show is your fave, nothing relating to Star Trek?

[sweetmary116]

@arveduilastking 

[jhina5422]

@XCXSNIPER B5 is win. I am working on writing a novel and my story is going to be more like b5 then ST. The epicness of the plot and how things are developed is great. I would further rant about how some ST episodes make no sense but nah.

[MaxNght]

@XCXSNIPER

Comparing realism of B5 and ST is like comparing Sherlock holmes with any fairy tale book St is good no discusing that but is so dam idealistic it makes me want to puke and you wil find no realism there..wel maybe some in DS 9 which is B rip off .B5 is realistic ,sometimest maybe to mucch but the facts are that is imposible to comapre B5 and ST beacause bot shows have diferent themes and writing style.

oh yes end my writing is english is crapy so if you want to flame feel free

[sweetmary116]

@XCXSNIPER which scifi show is your fave, that doesn't wear a starfleet uniform?

[Swordsman808]

@YiddoBobbins Yeah B5 feels a lot more realistic than Star Trek. Other than instellar travel, the B5 universe technology isn't all that much great than our own. In Star Trek Humans are practically on the level of First Ones! And 99% of the time it's always a happy ending with the entire crew grinning like self-righteous dopes! B5 is much truer to real life: It rarely turns out the way you wanted or planned and your left to wonder if there's any real sense to it at all.

[SciFiDreamer]

In agree with you for the most part, but I have to say Deep Space Nine added some of the realism your talking about.

[Swordsman808]

@SciFiDreamer DS9 had its decent moments, its great moments, and its mediocre moments, so too did B5, but for me B5 was a more engaging and higher quality show in general than DS9 for the discerning sci-fi fan. The philosophical, political, and mythical undertones are unmatched by any other sci-fi show IMO. Superior FX be damned.

[thatguywiththeegg]

@SciFiDreamer

DS9 was a copy of B5. JMS pitched the idea to Paramount first and they said no. Years later they tweaked his ideas and concepts for the trek universe. DS9 is one of the best trek programmes but it did steal JMS ideas, he was going to sue Paramount but thought it would be too much hastle.

[XCXSNIPER]

im not much of a star trek fan tbh, i enjoyed Babylon5 because of its great characters and storyline,

I havent seen many episodes of star trek, its not bad but its not what i prefer to watch =/

[sfbaygirl]

I love this show! Incredible cast and terrific story lines.

[bowser515]

Airportchris2. you have no idea what you are missing, rent the box sets out and enjoy, B5 is everything star trek isn't and personally, even though im a big trek fan i much prefer the grittines of B5. It is also worth noting that B5 has some of the best ship designs ever...

[crazymentall]

I LOVE B5!!!!!!!!!!

[GkarsEye]

Me too. My favorite sci-fi television show. Great characters, great plot, just great overall. S4 was probably my favorite, as everything started to come together in a more climatic way. I love this intro, the music works so well with the visuals.

[42underscore]

S4 is my favorite intro. The S5 opening is weird, what's with the sword?

[ryancute22]

The sword is the symbol of their interstellar alliance

[gribae]

Except for the season 3 opener, this is my favourite. A shame that Crusades never really took off - I'd have loved to see if that followed in B5's footsteps for openiners and enders.

[qwerty678999]

wow this looks crappy

[Airportchris2]

yea, you can rly tell this is computer generated.

[electricvolker]

Am I the only one who thinks that Babylon 5 is overrated and the praised "big plot" is extremely messy?!

[MrWednesday101]

Yes.

[KillahMate]

Frankly, the "big plot" is BY FAR the best thing about Babylon 5. It's the only thing I don't find objectionable about the show.

[Airportchris2]

it looks rather unrealistic, and boring.

[MrXevier]

I was thinking exactly the same thing until I looked at one episod.

Then I couldn't stop watching them all, dvd after dvd, without being tired.

[Airportchris2]

It may seem cool, but its still all unrealistc.

[MrXevier]

Which old sci-fi tv show isn't?

Which "Space Opera" tv show isn't?

Except Battlestar Galactica of course...

[Airportchris2]

Star Trek is said to be the most realistic scifi show then and now. Scientists even look into Star Trek for how things from it work, to make them real.

[MrXevier]

to quote you almost:

"but its still all boring..."

Of course, it's just a point of view.

I am not a scientific personn.

I like visual poetry more than long explanations about how to move in space.

I feel more inspired by a good Farscape ep with special effects and weird aliens than by a long talk between two scientists in pyjamas.

Again, it's just my point of view.

[YiddoBobbins]

Are you a troll or just a complete and utter idiot?

So, in B5 human ships generate a limited amount of artificial gravity by including a rotating section in their design. They also have no shields, and use fighters just like a modern carrier.

In Star trek, ships have miraculous energy shields, full artificial gravity with no explanation, and doctors can heal wounds by passing a glowing stick over the injury.

Oh I'm sorry, what was unrealistic again? You absolute fucking tool.

[Airportchris2]

After all Star Trek is 2-3 centuries away.

[XCXSNIPER]

hm.

Babylon 5 has a feeling of more realism in it then Star trek but, ill leave that argument to you guys :P

[Airportchris2]

Well, the exterior shots of B5 is clearly CGI, but even after Star Trek moved to CGI in Star Trek IX, and about halfway through Voyager, they were so close to the physical models, many ppl didn't know it was infact CGI.

[YiddoBobbins]

That's bollocks, there won't be anyone out there who isn't a moron who didn't know Voyager was all CGI. Voyager was also made many years after B5, the effects on B5 were made with Amigas so don't even bother trying to compare the two shows, that's obviously retarded. Compare TNG and B5 as they are the same era.

[Airportchris2]

Actually, The first 3.5 seasons of Voyager was done using a studio model, and how could they have created CGI for B5, if it was during the same time as TNG, which was during the late 80's early 90's, the personally computer hadn't been even perfected yet, let alone good CGI apps, like you see in B5.

[YiddoBobbins]

Idiot.

Voyager never used a studio model:

"Voyager was also the first Star Trek TV show to use Computer Generated Imagery (CGI) exclusively, and eliminate the use of models for exterior space shots."

B5 used Amiga CGI. From the B5 production booklet (comes with the DVD release):

"Babylon 5 was also one of the first television shows to use computer technology in creating visual effects, using Amiga-based Video Toasters at first, and later Pentium and DEC Alpha-based systems."

[Airportchris2]

Actually, they did use a studio model.

ex-astris-scientia(dot)org/sca­ns/mechanics/voyager0b.jpg

[Airportchris2]

ex-astris-scientia(dot)org/sca­ns/intrepid1.htm

[YiddoBobbins]

Yes, they created models, which were then modelled in CGI for the show. None of the models were used in exterior ships shots at any points. They made models of B5 ships as well because CGI artists like/want/need a frame of reference for their work.

[Airportchris2]

Actually, yes, the physical models were used in the first few seasons of Voyager, just like DS9, read up on it, moron.

[YiddoBobbins]

Someone as mind-numbingly dumb as yourself has no place calling anyone else a moron.

Yes I've read up on it (again) and apparently models were used in Voyager's shots in the first couple of series (even though I'm still correct in saying Voyager was CGI eventually after series 3), well done, now how about you go and read about all the many and various things you've got completely wrong in this 'discussion' as well and show me the same courtesy? No? Didn't think so.

[jhina5422]

@XCXSNIPER B5 is more realistic then ST, example B5 has interhuman war; ST does not. in ST the humans have created COMPLETE peace and a Utopian world. Due to human nature and everyone believing that their idea is better there will always be fighting, same with religion and politics, this is one thing that humans can not escape.

[Slylendro]

star trek is 200 years beyond the time of B5.

besides, unlike B5, in Trek, earth joined the federation which has species with superior technology to be shared with

[Airportchris2]

yea.

[YiddoBobbins]

I know that, and it doesn't make Star Trek any more realistic. They completely ignore the laws of physics and base their science on technically-impossible techno-babble which is deliberately worded as to be impenetrable because they know it's scientifically without merit.

In B5, the Humans bought a shitload of technology from other races, and during the series gets technology from races millions of years older than us. And they still manage to make it realistic.

[Airportchris2]

Star Trek had scientists, so don't tell me it completely ignored the laws of physics, completely.

[YiddoBobbins]

Ok, how about it ignored 99% of them then?

[Krill8888]

An old comment, but I answer it anyway. I like Trek. Nearly all, but I mostly know Voyager, and I can tell you, it is everything but realistic. Scientists never said it is plausible. Actually, scientists were complaining about being IGNORED. Laws of physics were ignored even in TOS, such as Newtonian physics in space (a ship won't just "stop" because you shut off the engine), but there were no technobabble, while in the newer series, we came form "the engines canna take the strain, Captain!" to:

[Krill8888]

WTF is with YouTube, I wrote a second part to this comment, but it disappeared. So actually, what I wanted to say is that ST does not promote science, but pseudoscience. You are led to believe that it is realistic. But it isnt. I'm afraid the 500-char limit would not let me list all the pseudosci. of ST. B5 lacks the crazy overuse of technology and technobabble for things which could be explained much more correctly and only that makes it a better series, not to mention everything else.

[MrDialup]

Airportchis2: It is more realistic than most scifi shows, with such features as ships using rotating sections to simulate gravity and ships able to rotate about their centre of mass without changing direction.

[Airportchris2]

Yea, the rotating sections to create gravity is a sorta primitive way, compared to other scifi shows.

[ctruman]

even just evrything about it, more realistic timeline, more strife compared to other show. Only other close comparrisson to this show would be the new battle star galactica

[Airportchris2]

Star Trek has a realistic timeline, in 2063 the first warp drive was created, in the mid 22nd-early 23rd century is the period of which Enterprise is in. The late 23rd-early 24th century is when TOS Trek takes place, Mid 24th century is when TNG, DS9, and Voyager take place.

[ctruman]

yeah, i know, B5 just seems more realistic though.

[YiddoBobbins]

Ah God you're so infuriating! So your definition of good sci-fi is who can make up the most unrealistic technology? Jesus Christ monkeyballs.

[Airportchris2]

No, but according to scientists, they have said that Star Trek Tech is really really plausible.

[YiddoBobbins]

No, they haven't.

Check the Wiki entry for 'treknobabble:

"Treknobabble is a portmanteau of "Star Trek" and "technobabble" (itself a portmanteau of "technology" and "babble").

It is used humorously by fans of the various Star Trek television series, and disparagingly by its critics, to describe the infamous amount of pseudoscientific gibberish packed into many episodes."

You just keep serving them up and I'll keep hitting them out of the ground.

[Airportchris2]

Yea, well, I like Star Trek, my CGI projects are mostly Star Trek. I never found interests in the others. I guess, I am more of the space exploration and science person.

[Strategios]

Season 3 opening is the best in my opinion. Sends a chill down a spine, but this comes right after it. Great. TLT has also great one... ah. They are all great. :D

[nds2]

cool.

[StarshipMaxima]

The best of all the B5 intros. Even better than The Lost Tales intro.

[CoolKidHalter]

I liked this show a lot but I didn't like how G'kar had to make a prophetic speech that had nothing to do with what was happening in every single episode.

[thrawn323]

if i could only choose a few words to discribe this entire show they would be hope and insperation

[Lynnianaa]

Much love for B5. Thank you for the unforgettable stories and the memories. <3

[FatalFist]

Kosh alone was badass.

But otherwise for the jist of what sci fi stood for, this series nailed it.

[namesareallgone]

Best TV series sci fi or otherwisse

[StarshipMaxima]

Star Trek, The Next Generation was the best science fiction of all-time and one of the best drama series ever made.

But Babylon 5 was right up there. It truly had a kickass cast, stories, and some pretty serious music as well. Hats off to Mr. Stracynzki.

[auricalco]

DS9 was crap, it was to easy to undestard.

B5 introduce me many new ideas and philosofical questions, it is full of historical references, and moral conflicts.

DS9 was made for kantians (the modern epicureans) that belive that good lies in pleasure.

[arwynt]

Ditto! The best sci-fi series EVER!

[XCXSNIPER]

i agree with that. its 1 of the best sci-fi EVER

[Arkhimec]

The ultimate sci-fi series. A must see.