Dominion War story is outstanding stuff. It kind of comes out of nowhere too. Have you watched Babylon 5?
I like the first season. You have to put yourself int he mindset from the show's era. They are not on a ship, there is no captain, no spock/data, Sisko has a son, isn't emo, actually laughs, the federation isn't all powerful, not even in charge of the station. You needed that season to establish characters and environment.
Yeah, love the story in B5. Production quality can have issues at times, but that's the best done overarching story line I've seen. Brilliant stuff.
Imagine if JMS had been able to tell the story without the threat of cancellation. The Shadow War might have been even better. Incredible to consider.
Ive just never been able to get into DS9. It starts with the theme music, which I absolutely loathe. Ok, fast-forward past that and... I don't really care for the characters very much. Sisko doesn't feel like a strong leader. His son seems to not provide any contribution to the show other than get-into-trouble-and-get-rescued. The shapeshifter seems like a cool idea for a character, and is probably my favorite - I just wish they'd thrown more budget at him and actually shown him shapeshift more often. Then there's the Ferengi bartender and the Cardassian tailor, who aren't starfleet officers and it usually seems like the writers are fighting to find ways to include them in the story. Even the core premise seems weak: They have no mission, really. The enterprise had a 5-year mission to explore. Voyager was on a quest to find their way home. With DS9, they ... manage... a space station. I'll admit, however, that I've never stuck with DS9 on a regular basis. I've only watched episodes here and there. After reading the comments on this thread, I might try to binge-watch it and tolerate the first two seasons in order to get to the good stuff. I understand that it takes a couple of seasons before writers and actors really find their stride with characters and story.
You mean the greatest character of all time. And yes judging by your comments, I'll assume you haven't watched much.
I felt the same way with the characters. It did a complete 180 by the end of the 3rd season. Now I love them all.
It gets a lot better when they move away from the Bajoran plot arcs midway through season 2. I would just skip those episodes and rewatch ones that sound interesting. It's like Sisko becomes a stronger leader around the point where they let him grow a mustache. Kinda superficial, but Avery Brooks can get real charismatic when he's allowed to. I tried watching Enterprise a while back because of this thread, but nope... a good 4/5th of it is garbage. I haven't been able to finish the 4th season. The storylines are a constant drag and it should've ended a lot sooner.
Wow, I finally finished watching the Babylon 5 series, and what a series. If you can make it past the initial season(s)' poor CGI/special effects, and well, the initial season itself, it's a series that keeps the "oh crap!" factor coming episode after episode. The first season is a dud, but I wouldn't skip it. A lot of people don't like the last season, but even that season isn't "bad", but you could tell they were rushing to tie up plots as the show was coming to an end. Of all the space sci-fi series I've watched, this is the one that had me wondering how some acting could be so bad, some acting so good, but the show be one of the best. I actually think I'd put B5 up there with DS9 (of course many say DS9 ripped off B5). While googling what became of the B5 actors, it's kind of sad to see that so many of them have passed away so early in life. Now to figure out which series to watch next...
Saw that this thread was bumped and can't believe this series hasn't been mentioned (although I know it's been mentioned elsewhere). I've read the novels and The Expanse has truly found a home on Amazon Prime. A really excellent SF series, and it's been renewed for a 5th season. Bravo!
I like the 1st season better than you apparently, but do agree that the CGI/makeup/etc. gets better after season 1. The thing that sucks about season 5 is that it wasn't a lock to happen, so JMS wrapped up the series in 4 seasons, finally got the greenlight for 5 and had to pull it together but without a major cast member. The captain in Season 5 is bad. But yeah, the story is just really well done.
I just rewatched the Stargate saga (SG-1, Atlantis, and Universe), including the 2 SG-1 movies. I wish Universe had atleast 1 more season. It was really ashamed they never got to expand on wha they were doing (**** you Syfy). Amazon Prime has all 3 shows for free (for prime members). By the way, they are trying to get a new Stargate show off the ground. Also, if you haven't watch the Expanse, you are missing out.
Babylon 5 was one of my favorites takes some time to get into it, but it's definitely one of the better ones -- had a nice gritty realism and realistic tech.
I didn't find the captain to be that bad, but yeah, it was definitely a step down. My biggest disappointment was how potential storylines just abruptly ended for the reason you said. I don't think there's a Star Trek series where I felt as part of something "real" as the B5 crew. For Star Trek series', I was always the third party watching these people do their thing. With Babylon 5, I seriously was feeling emotional towards the end. lol. The relationship between G'Kar and Londo and how it grew and changed was some of the best parts of the show. Two excellent actors.
Several months back I watched a couple of seasons of Blake's 7 because I kept seeing references to it. Nice super dark dystopian premise but suffers from the production values, iffy writing, and budget limitations of 1970's Dr Who. Sort of 1984 meets Robin Hood in space.
I may watch the Stargate series next, but I'm still deciding. Is there any order to watch them in that's best or just watch them as they came out? One of the reasons I couldn't watch Babylon 5 initially and thought it was corny was because that damn Centauri hair and the special effects, technology, and sets seemed kind of lame compared to TNG's and DS9's. Little did I know the storyline and some of the acting rivaled both of them.
Thanks to prime, I watched some B5 season 5 because it's the least memorable season. Time hasn't been nice to it both visually and technically. It's the shame they lost the CGI masters. Standard def is the only way to go for them.
