What's your favourite season?

[Springer]

What's everyone's favourite season of Babylon 5?

I'm not necessarily meaning what's objectively the best season, since we'll never all agree, but what is your personal favourite and why?

For me, it's season 3. It hit just at the time that B5 was really becoming super popular among genre fans here in the UK, and the summer of 1996 when it was airing was a memorable one for me, from doing my school exams, the Euro 96 football tournament and holidays, and B5 season 3 was a big part of that summer. In my opinion it looks the best and most expensive season, I prefer the cinematography, the music is great and it's when the story really went places. Every week we were being treated to truly epic episodes - not just the Severed Dreams trilogy, but that run of episodes starting with Ship of Tears through to Z'Ha'Dum. Other than half of Grey 17 is Missing and maybe A Late Delivery from Avalon for being a bit boring, I can't fault any of the episodes. To 16-year-old me, it was – and is – peak science fiction and it is the season I like to watch – and remember – the most.

So what's your favourite season and why?

 

[Looney]

OH such a tough question. I want to say Season Two because that is when I got hooked in. I feel like saying Season Three might be kind of cheating because it is arguably the best season - it is a tough argument because Season Four is so good, but is it so good just because sooooo much happens?

Why do you make me think about these things?!!!!!

Now if we are talking the season I watch the most it would be Season One. Why?! Because there are sooo many good episodes to watch that don't always make you immediately feel a need to watch the next episode. Season Three and Four you just constantly want the next chapter of the story.

Okay, but I have to make a choice so I'm going to go with. . . .(Drum Roll Please) . . . . .

Seasons 1 - 4 ... FINAL ANSWER

Okay, Okay I will go with Season Two for sentiment. It is the season I fell in love with the show for the first time.

 

[LateArrival]

Hard to say as I watched season 1 "last" and like O'Hare's performance.

But as season 5 had the character arcs developed (aka: poor Londo), I might also go with season 5.
The side-by-side scene with G'Kar and Ta'Lon is one of my favorites.

Backwards, I know, but such is the way of things.

Although one of my favorite quotes would be from the G'Kar/Londo elevator scene in season 3:
"I hate my life"
"So do I"
"Shut up"

 

[Looney]

I too officially saw Season One "last", but now I've seen it more than any other season. It was so difficult watching some of those episodes in Seasons 2-5 when you knew they were referencing Season One and could do nothing about it. Back in the last Century, after Season One aired you were only going to see it again if their was a re-run at some point or if it got released on VHS TAPE CASSETTES.

 

[Springer]

I'm close to saying that season 1 is my second favourite season, but then I look at the excellent episodes from seasons 2 and 4 and there's not that much in season 1 to compare to them. But season 1 is the show I fell in love with and have many happy memories of that developing over the course of the season - by the time we got to Chrysalis I was convinced the show was the best thing ever. Plus it's unique in that it's Sinclair's only season as the star, and it really does feel different to the rest of the show - the music, the lighting, the cinematography, the direction, the world-building, the willingness to play around with occasional weirdness, and the more standalone stories. I love it.

 

[Looney]

Yeah I do love watching Season 1. There is so much setup for the future. There is so much established with Sinclair and the tone of his vision of Babylon 5 that basically disappears in a flash. I do love it all.

 

[LateArrival]

I too officially saw Season One "last", but now I've seen it more than any other season. It was so difficult watching some of those episodes in Seasons 2-5 when you knew they were referencing Season One and could do nothing about it. Back in the last Century, after Season One aired you were only going to see it again if their was a re-run at some point or if it got released on VHS TAPE CASSETTES.

Yup on those VHS CASSETTES - once I had them all did a low tech Binge Watch of the first season.
Season 1 is where the character arcs began: Happy Powerless Londo.
Season 5 is where the arcs ended: Not-Exactly-Jovial Emperor Londo, with his new best friend Mr. Keeper.

Question-ish: If season 5 had been approved all along so that season 4 would have ended with Sheridan being captured, then season 5 would have covered the remainder of the Earth/Mars/Clark arc. But would we still have gotten Sleeping In Light?

 

[Springer]

Question-ish: If season 5 had been approved all along so that season 4 would have ended with Sheridan being captured, then season 5 would have covered the remainder of the Earth/Mars/Clark arc. But would we still have gotten Sleeping In Light?

I think so. There's a post somewhere from JMS, written around season 3 I think, where he says he already knows what the final episode will be, he had already drafted the final scenes, and he had two possible titles for it: Farewell, or Sleeping in Light.

But thank goodness they filmed season 4 when they did, otherwise we wouldn't have gotten Ivanova in it!

 

[Looney]

I have often speculated (in my mind) what Season Five would have looked like with Ivanova instead of Lochley. The more I've watched the show the more I've started thinking about how interesting Season Five would have been with BOTH. I don't know how it would have worked, BUT I'm also not sure how it would work with Ivanova assuming command of B5 after the Civil War. I don't think it is too far fetched to speculate that Earth Gov would want someone running B5 who wasn't so closely tied to Sheridan's core. Fan preferences aside, Lochley is a character who makes a lot of sense (other than her personal tie to Sheridan). And it kind of doesn't make a lot of sense that EarthForce rewarded Ivanova. Seems like she would have been forced to leave EarthForce after the war. I know Sheridan made deals, but that doesn't mean individuals would have responded well to her. This is definitely a huge story arc we could have gotten with a Season Five that had Ivanova in EarthForce and Lochley helming B5. Or think of a Season Five with Lochley running B5 and Ivanova forced out of EarthForce working as a WhiteStar Captain or having to do some other job for the Alliance.

 

[Springer]

I have often speculated (in my mind) what Season Five would have looked like with Ivanova instead of Lochley. The more I've watched the show the more I've started thinking about how interesting Season Five would have been with BOTH. I don't know how it would have worked, BUT I'm also not sure how it would work with Ivanova assuming command of B5 after the Civil War. I don't think it is too far fetched to speculate that Earth Gov would want someone running B5 who wasn't so closely tied to Sheridan's core. Fan preferences aside, Lochley is a character who makes a lot of sense (other than her personal tie to Sheridan). And it kind of doesn't make a lot of sense that EarthForce rewarded Ivanova. Seems like she would have been forced to leave EarthForce after the war. I know Sheridan made deals, but that doesn't mean individuals would have responded well to her. This is definitely a huge story arc we could have gotten with a Season Five that had Ivanova in EarthForce and Lochley helming B5. Or think of a Season Five with Lochley running B5 and Ivanova forced out of EarthForce working as a WhiteStar Captain or having to do some other job for the Alliance.

Ah but the Earth Alliance didn't own B5 in season 5 - it was still independent. Sheridan brought Lochley to be the captain to try and help heal the wounds between the two sides, but of course that was just a conceit to make the character of Lochley more interesting. Maybe Ivanova got one of the new Warlock ships as part of the same deal, Earthforce trying to heal wounds. If Ivanova had stayed on station she would been the one to fall in love with Byron on the rebound from Marcus, and then call Bester in when things got out of hand.

I've got my own little head-canon about how season 5 would have started if season 4 had ended where it should have, with Sheridan captured, Ivanova fatally wounded, Franklin and Lyta stuck on Mars with Earthforce closing in and everyone thinking Garibaldi is a traitor. I reckon we'd have seen Garibaldi go to Earth and end up working for Clark, maybe he would have run into Jack again, maybe even Dr Kyle who would be the only person he could trust, and somehow Garibaldi would have to go undercover to try and free Sheridan and find Lise and save the day, and that would be how he would have redeemed himself and finally become a hero - at least until he starts drinking again.

 

[LateArrival]

Garibaldi would probably want to pay his Good and Dear Friend Bester a visit first, only to discover that he wasn't allowed to express his (err) true sentiments towards everyone's favorite Psi-Cop.

 

[Looney]

Ah but the Earth Alliance didn't own B5 in season 5 - it was still independent. Sheridan brought Lochley to be the captain to try and help heal the wounds between the two sides, but of course that was just a conceit to make the character of Lochley more interesting. Maybe Ivanova got one of the new Warlock ships as part of the same deal, Earthforce trying to heal wounds. If Ivanova had stayed on station she would been the one to fall in love with Byron on the rebound from Marcus, and then call Bester in when things got out of hand.

I've got my own little head-canon about how season 5 would have started if season 4 had ended where it should have, with Sheridan captured, Ivanova fatally wounded, Franklin and Lyta stuck on Mars with Earthforce closing in and everyone thinking Garibaldi is a traitor. I reckon we'd have seen Garibaldi go to Earth and end up working for Clark, maybe he would have run into Jack again, maybe even Dr Kyle who would be the only person he could trust, and somehow Garibaldi would have to go undercover to try and free Sheridan and find Lise and save the day, and that would be how he would have redeemed himself and finally become a hero - at least until he starts drinking again.

True it was Sheridan who brought Lochley in, but I feel like logic dictates that EarthGov would been more upset had the reigns been given to Ivanova. Much more of an olive branch to bring someone not so closely tied to the rebellion. I mean Earth still had to be a major B5 player. And Earth had to bring Ivanova back for her to end up where she did, so that is a question in my mind.

Hmmmm Garibaldi going to Earth and working for Clark in hopes of freeing Sheridan? That would have been a heck of a story arc!

I really wish they had managed to bring more stars back like Dr Kyle.

 

[Lord Garth]

The fourth season is my favorite, it's not even close. Not a knock on the other seasons but it was just that good. The third season is the runner-up. Then the second. Then the first. Even though I like all four seasons I've seen so far.

 

[Springer]

The fourth season is my favorite, it's not even close. Not a knock on the other seasons but it was just that good. The third season is the runner-up. Then the second. Then the first. Even though I like all four seasons I've seen so far.

Those first six episodes of season 4, and the last seven or eight, are something special aren't they? I just wish Into the Fire had had a better director, the most important episode of the entire show and it's just staged so flat.

I always find it hard to split season 3 and 4. I think season 4 was the most consistent season of the entire show, there's no lesser episodes at all unlike season 3, where the gap between the worst and best episode is much greater. To be so consistent over 22 episodes, especially given the constraints of having to rush the ending, is an amazing achievement by JMS, the cast and crew.

This may sound weird, but when I think of season 3 I just get a rosy feeling, whereas I find season 4 a bit colder. I associate colours with them, sort of warm orange/red with season 3 and pale blue with season 4. Maybe I have a bit of synesthesia, though it's probably details in the cinematography that I'm picking up on subconsciously.

So that, coupled with my personal experience watching the two seasons the first time round, and I think season 3's best episodes are better than season 4's best episodes, shapes my view, but they are both absolutely tremendous seasons.

 

[Lord Garth]

Those first six episodes of season 4, and the last seven or eight, are something special aren't they? I just wish Into the Fire had had a better director, the most important episode of the entire show and it's just staged so flat.

The first six episodes of the season were amazing. It was almost like a mini-season in and of itself. G'Kar was put through Hell! I was so rooting for Cartagia to be killed off. He was like the Centauri's version of President Clark.

Episodes 17 through 21 of the season, I watched back-to-back-to-back-to-back. It was a real page turner.

I think B5 Seasons 3 and 4 are like TNG Seasons 3 and 4. In both cases, the third season had a lot of strong highlights, but the fourth season was more consistent overall.

 

[Springer]

I think B5 Seasons 3 and 4 are like TNG Seasons 3 and 4. In both cases, the third season had a lot of strong highlights, but the fourth season was more consistent overall.

Hmm, I think I'd argue season 3 was more consistent than season 4 of TNG, I can't think of a single bad episode in season 3, but there's a couple in season 4 I'm not keen on. But like B5 both season 3 and 4 of TNG are overall excellent, the peak of that show.

You make a good point about season 4 being a page turner. The level of serialisation was something we hadn't seen before at that time, in B5 or any other show.

 

[Dusty Satai]

I put my vote on season 3. Sure season 4 is a rollercoaster of a story and some of the best episodes of the whole show, but to me season 3 has a great sense of expectation, of building up towards something that I like a lot.

I also have a soft spot for season 1. As many other I also watched it last during the first run, when I managed to find it on VHS. But it has grown on me with every re-watch. It is rather different, from the other seasons mood-vise. Both O'Hare as an actor and the season manages to convey a sense of both brooding and nostalgia for something lost, that "nothing is the same anymore". Oh, and that season ending is hard to beat. It is probably why I am fond of the To Dream ... book as well.