It seems to happen every year. I want to reexplore my past. Why is this? Well, I can pop psyche myself forever. Maybe it's the sequence of tragedies that seemed to emanate in my former Decembers. In late '90, my mom and dad moved back from Cruces, my mom in the final stages of terminal cancer (although I was kept blithely oblivious of this fact until the very end). In '93, a college friend ended his existence on this planet with a single round to the head. And in '96, one of my closest friends and- according to a mutually close friend- "my spiritual twin", lost his war with life after his umpeenth heart attack at age 44 (yes, I meant war with life, not death; you can ask me about that later).
So, you can imagine, the Yuletide season wasn't exactly a time to look forward to. It wasn't until marrying my exwife Allison that I started to actually enjoy Christmas; her enthusiasm for the holidays was palpable and contagious. And some of my closer friends started to help me foster an interest in pagan traditions, Wicca, and other beliefs that centered around our small part in the universe rather than a shakily-reasoned landlord over this rock of molten core. It's no wonder then that I gravitated also to escapism and speculation, whether it be the high fantasy satire of Terry Pratchett or reliving middle school by playing in some really kick ass D&D games (NOTE: If you don't like games- role-playing, board, card or otherwise- this is probably not the blog for you). Television was also a friend (?) during this time, a reluctant truth that I am somewhat loathe to admit although I will say that television writing really does blow film out of the water from the way it can actually tell a complete story, not an expurgated one for the 2-3 hour cinema (don't even get me started about how Joss Whedon ruined Firefly with Serenity, albeit through the fault of the medium as much as anything). <tangent tangent>
My staple viewing during the mid to late 90s was ridiculous, escapist silliness like Hercules and Xena although, to be fair, these shows also experimented with serial formats, sometimes breaking from the routine of episodic, 43 minute stories. And don't forget, The Bitter Suite predates Once More With Feeling by about at least 3 years.
But the standout for me was Babylon 5. There, I said it. Before any hardcore Trekkers decide to bludgeon me with DS9 sticks, let me remind you that B5 was conceived conceptually before DS9 and actually pitched to Star Trek producers, who declined at the time. Now, I'm not going to get into the speculation about plagiarism that way too many fanboys like to keep speculating along, I will just say that B5 was a more fully formed and realized "novel on TV" than DS9 could ever hope to accomplish. DS9's achievements as phenomenal genre television isn't even in question here (their Tribble reboot will always go down as one of the best single episodes in the Star Trek universe). But B5's goals were somewhat loftier. Yes, the criticisms are clear: the first season seemed very episodic and Michael O'Hare's wooden acting was tough to get used to (it saddened me to learn years later that he had monumental and debilitating depression during the entire run of the show, which would follow him to the end of his days).
Even so, I saw something different in B5 that would become a staple of television: the serial television show. No longer did you have to write a soap opera that centered on the 1% and their self-induced problems as the exclusive median of season long storytelling. B5, even in those early episodes, foreshadowed so much more to come. And all from the mind of some of the great Science-Fiction writers out there, not least of which was the show creator, J. Michael Straczynski. I sensed in Straczynski a soul searching, spiritual atheist who had given up on but still deeply respected the ancient beliefs and wanted to reconcile them with a post-modern secular and rigorously scientific world.
That is what Babylon 5 is for me then, a reconciliation, an explaining story for how intelligent beings came to be that way... and what's keeping us back from being even more. It's a spiritual quest, a secular yet deeply spiritual dystopian novel but also a work of great hope. I think, during this drizzly January, it's time to reexplore this world again. I'll give some progress reports along the way.
CAVEAT!
If you intend to watch B5 for the first time because you're actually reading this (hahahaha!), I should lay some ground rules here. It was a syndicated, low budget TV show, animated on Amiga computers, really impressive for the time but still nothing like the big studios could muster. Acting is spotty and heavy-handed at times. And the Shakespearean theatricality of the entire production beggers belief, definitely setting it apart from the gritty, hyper-real, shaky cam shows of today (which have their strong merits as well; not a dis, I assure you).
In any case, I truly believe that Babylon 5 lays the groundwork for excellent Sci Fi/Fantasy serials to come, such BTVS and the BG reboot. If you can get passed the low budget and early wooden acting, this is one to see through to the bitter end. As such, it remains one of my five favorite shows of all time. BE WARNED: there are a few of those Go Fish episodes. If anyone wants to follow the whole story arc but also wants to avoid the mingers, let me know. I'll send you a list of ones you can miss. Now it's time to dive into the future by going back to the mid nineties. FUN!
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