January Meme: Babylon 5 alikes?

[selenak]

cahn asked m what other canons remind me of Babylon 5.

Wellll, B5 is pretty much sui generis, but its traces are in a few shows. There's the ill fated spin-off Crusade, of course, which unfortunately didn't get even a season, and was broadcast out of order, but I like it a lot. (Not true for most of the various B5 spin-off attempts in tv movie form.) I can't think of a better advertisement than Holy Grail, andraste's fabulous vid about it (which btw isn't spoiilery for B5, cahn) , so I'll just point anyone curious about Crusade there.

Then there's of course the other space station show, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Regardless of origin, both shows are pretty much their own thing, Lennier showing up in s6 of DS9 and the on screen "we're not some deep space franchise!" snark in s2 of B5 not withstanding. However, you can't tell me that the Prophets belatedly gaining the Pagh Wraiths as their arch nemesis wasn't directly inspired by the Vorlons and the Shadows. In which case: I like the B5 solution to that conflict better.

Lost was after B5 the next long term story/stories show I watched, and despite Damon Lindelof & Co. hailing from the Abrams school of writers (read: planned first season, thereafter improvisations which sometimes work and sometimes don't) , I thought they succeeded more than they failed, and I have still a great deal of fondness for Lost, which followed lots of interesting characters through the years, offered complicated relationships, some batshit (in the best sense) mythology, and could pull of B5's trick of letting characters not be stuck in the cliché roles they seem to fulfill when we first meet them. When Damon Lindelof two years ago produced the faszinating Watchmen tv series, which was one perfect season, was planned as one and did not want a sequel, my fannish fondness of old revived.

Lastly, there's the rebooted Battlestar Galactica. ST veteran Ron Moore and his fellow scribes did make the mistake of advertising that they had a long term space opera arc planned out a la JMS when they plainly did not and winged it instead, which caused considerable fannish ire, but as with Lost, I liked more of the improvised results than I disliked, and so I still have much fondness for BSG as well. And hey, I've written not one but two BSG/B5 crossovers for the Mlultiverse ficathon.

The other days

Comments

[sovay]

There's the ill fated spin-off Crusade, of course, which unfortunately didn't get even a season, and was broadcast out of order, but I like it a lot.

Same, and that said, if any part of the B5 universe was going to be rebooted, I don't understand why it wasn't Crusade, which never got a proper chance to be a show.

[selenak]

At a guess: because the CW wouldn't finance it since it has the whiff of failure attached to it? Unfair, but I could see them be ready to spend money on something that has already a proven fanbase.

[cahn]

Oh, huh, I have heard vaguely of Crusade but I didn't actually know it was a spinoff of B5! Was there any kind of arc?

Lennier showing up in s6 of DS9

Wait, what?? *looks up* Huh!
Now that I've seen 2x01: I wondered about Sinclair vs. Sisko, but I also like B5's solution to that better. (I'll expand more on that next week :) )

When Damon Lindelof two years ago produced the faszinating Watchmen tv series, which was one perfect season, was planned as one and did not want a sequel, my fannish fondness of old revived.

Ooh, this sounds like something I should watch. (Big fan of the graphic novel.) Someday, when I catch up with watching things :)

[selenak]

Watchmen: absolutely, you must watch it! And it has only nine episodes, too. It's on Netflix (or Prime? But I think Netflix.) If you get around to it, here are my reviews.

There's more to say about Sinclair vs Sisko, but only after season 3, I fear. *is cryptic like a Vorlon*

[cahn]

ahhhhh yes I will watch it! But I may have to watch Expanse first :P :) (Also, besides B5, I have these DVDs I am dying to watch! I'm JUST SAYING :D )

Ahhhhhh yeah people keep telling me S2 and S3 are where B5 starts to get really good. I'm already hooked after S1! But so far S2 is, well, yeah, living up to the reputation. (I have finished "Revelations" (!!) and am staying there for now while I actually... do all the other stuff I'm supposed to do :P )

(Vorlons, man.)

[bimo]

Speaking of shows that are reminiscent of Babylon 5: In addition to the ones you have already mentioned, the one show that would definitely come to my mind as well is The Expanse. First of all, the novel-like narrative structure. (In The Expanse's case the novels were first, with one season roughly, though not always, covering about one individual novel.) Plus, the simply gorgeous set design, special effects and depiction of space battles. There's something about the overall look of the show that makes me suspect that this is exactly how B5 would have looked like if the current level technology would have been available back in the 1990s.

[selenak]

I've been meaning to check out The Expanse! Will do so, promised.

[bimo]

Aw, by all means, do! I'd be totally looking forward to learn what you are thinking of it! :-)

[reverancepavane]

Well worth the visit.

[cahn]

My best friend from college has been poking me about watching this; thank you for giving me an extra impetus! That sounds great.

[bimo]

Glad I could provide some additional motivation! :-)

[reverancepavane]

Speaking of reimagined series, have you seen the reimagined Lost in Space TV series? It was interesting (IMNSHO).

[selenak]

I saw it and reviewed it (and loved it), see all my posts about it.

[watervole]

I'd almost forgotten Crusade - and how much it reminded me of B7, until I saw the Apocalypse Box in the vid and remembered Orac!

I had a lot of fondness for BSG, but very much disliked the 'angels' at the end.