by Matt Sernaker, Managing Editor

The year is 2023. It was the dawn of a new age for mankind, as Babylon 5 has finally arrived home on Blu-ray! Thanks to our friends at Warner Bros. Discovery, the hit sci-fi series has been expertly remastered and looks better than ever. You can now relive the five-year saga in glorious high def, shining a bright light on all 110 episodes and the pilot TV movie (“The Gathering”).

Babylon 5 (lovingly known as “B5” for short) epic five-star series was a game-changer for television, as it was the first to utilize a multi-year story. While networks focused on non-sequential storytelling, writer and producer J. Michael Straczynski (JMS) crafted a sequalized space opera that would act as a spark for long-form narratives on television. For five years, viewers got to experience character evolution and strategically designed plot elements that paid-off in ways that LOST or Game of Thrones could only have dreamed of. Everything had weight to it, and even the smallest of story beats ended up coming back into play as the seasons progressed. Despite the similarity in setting, the space station location and overall situation was dramatically different than the Star Trek equivalent which was airing during this time period. B5 had a grit and realistic approach, complimented by groundbreaking 90s CGI. Conflict was inherent within the story of B5, as various alien races would gather on the station to negotiate and engage with other worlds. This gathering would eventually bring Babylon 5 itself into conflict, one which would place the entire galaxy on the line as the war with an ancient race known as “Shadows” would change everything. 

Babylon 5 starred Bruce Boxleitner, Michael O’Hare, Claudia Christian, Jerry Doyle, Mira Furlan, Andreas Katsulas, Peter Jurasik, Richard Biggs, Andrea Thompson, Stephen Furst, Bill Mumy, Tracy Scoggins, Jason Carter, Robert Rusler, Jeff Conaway, Patricia Tallman, and Mary Kay Adams. While some faces would come and go, the majority of the cast stayed on for the duration of the 5-year arc. JMS cleverly built “trap doors” into the overall story in the event that someone couldn’t stick around for the entirety. This intentional decision ultimately  helped to create a more seamless viewing experience for the people at home. One of the biggest surprises during the show’s initial run was the sudden exit of star Michael O’Hare (replaced by a new character played by Tron’s Bruce Boxleitner). Thankfully, Michael returned to close out his character’s arc later on in the show, working in tandem with Bruce Boxleitner and Mira Furlan to close the gap and answer one of the most interesting mysteries of the series. In addition to the stellar cast, the series featured numerous notable guest stars, including Walter Koenig, Wayne Alexander, Jeffrey Combs, Ed Wasser, William Morgan Sheppard, Tricia O’Neil, Majel Barrett, and Brian Cranston.

You might be wondering about the differences between this new Blu-ray set and previous releases. Surprising, there are some major differences for this new release. The biggest win for fans was the recent remastering of the 110 episodes and the pilot movie “The Gathering”. The quality difference is absolutely apparent, as the 90s CGI now looks sleek and stunning in high definition. It had been many years since I watched my DVD sets, and I can say that this remastered version is a different experience altogether. Beyond the remastered aspect, the set is rather lacking as it includes no special features aside from the aforementioned pilot. This choice is rather surprising, as all of the previous DVD sets included hours of features and the show is owned by WBD. It frankly is a choice that doesn’t even line up with other recent complete series sets that we’ve reviewed from them, all of which included previously released content. So if you are hooked on TV series extras, you might need to keep your existing DVDs as well as this gorgeous new release. Also, it is worth noting that this set does not include the other TV movies or Crusade (the spin-off series that left fans with a lot of unanswered questions). Although it is disappointing that these elements were not included, the enhancement of the main run and pilot do make this worth your time and consideration. From an artistic perspective, they also didn’t put any of the main characters or the titular space station on the cover art. Choices…?

Overall

Babylon 5 is getting a lot of great attention these days. This release will increase accessibility for fans new and old, and is perfectly complemented by Babylon 5: The Road Home, the new animated adventure released earlier this year. Despite the lack of special features, this release is a major win for fans. Hopefully sales will show an interest in more stories set in this universe in the near future. This is THE SHOW that I recommend to people when they are looking for a new series to watch. I highly recommend it and it holds up extremely well.

Rating:
ComicsOnline gives Babylon 5: The Complete Series on Blu-ray – 4.5 out of 5 times I love hearing Lando yell “G’KAR!!!!!!!!”. 

Check out our Babylon 5 interview with JMS at San Diego Comic-Con at the link below:

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