When one thinks of science fiction TV shows, one likely thinks of things like Doctor Who, Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek, or perhaps even The Expanse. All of these are
great in their own ways, but while short lived, running only five seasons, the 1990s
series, Babylon 5 stands head and shoulders above them all.
Babylon 5 was easily the best written and most epic SF show ever to hit the small
screen. Written by Michael J. Straczynski, Babylon 5 told not just the story of a massive space station and its crew but also the tale of the entire galaxy the show was set in. The Babylon 5 station was home to the ambassadors of numerous races including the Narn, the Centauri, the Minbari, and many others. The station belonged to Earth with humanity serving as a mediator between all those races.
The main storyline is of two ancient races essentially waking up resuming the age old war of dark vs. light with all the younger races caught in the middle. Babylon 5 had many stories inside of that though from the personal life journeys of its main characters to war between Earth and Mars as well as a civil war on Earth herself.
In Babylon 5, characters grow and change, some for the better, some for the worst as the feelings of the viewer (sometimes quite painfully) are forced to change as well. It is this growth and epic scale of the show that truly makes it a masterpiece of the genre. For those who have never watched it, Babylon 5 certainly deserves a viewing. Though its pilot episode leaves much to be desired, the second episode (“Midnight on the Firing Line”) is a pretty sure way to get one hooked on the series.
