so it took a while due to life being busy but I finished the second season of Babylon 5. While the first season focused on character and lore development and hinted at the coming war, the best way to describe the second season was the opening steps of the coming darkness. Or, the year where all hell breaks loose.
Its not the special effects that makes Babylon 5 special, the series is about 27 years old so the effects look like 90's era computer graphics. The backgrounds and the set pieces are a combination of matte paintings and computer graphics so for the most part it looks like the game Wing Commander 3. But everything else sets this series apart from other science fiction and it still stands out as one of the best Science Fiction series ever made. From the dialogue to the strong acting by the main cast, to the writing, you buy into this series and hang onto your finger nails through the whole season.
Basically the premise is that the Shadows are coming, they are one of the old races and had fought a war of near annihilation 10,000 years ago. And now they were returning. But instead of being a open and clear enemy, they work in the background. They partner with the Centuri to beat the Narn in a war that lead to the near destruction of the Narn Homeworld. They manipulate other races and events.
At the same time there are other aspects of this season that stand out. The Earth Government has been taken over by facists in league with the Psi Corp. We see the rise of Nightwatch, and nazi like organization that encourages humans spying on humans to tamp down sedition and discontent. We see the start of the Mars rebellion, the forming of an unofficial underground railroad to smuggle out telepathic, and a uneasy alliance between the new Captain of Babylon 5 John Sheridan and the Minbari and Vorlons, another of the old ones.
But the season doesn't feel over cluttered, the writers and creators made everything fit together flawlessly and logically, and that's the real strength of Babylon 5.
Sadly Babylon 5 was forced to replace the original Captain Jeffrey Sinclair, because of Michael O'Hare's mental health struggles that lead to his death. But Bruce Boxleitner was a great choice as he bought humor and casualness to the role that was lacking before. The cast was smooth and comfortable in their roles. The characters themselves were for the most part very humor with issues and moments that make you really care about them as characters.
While some things could have been done better, for example the departure of Talia Winters as Andrea Thompson departed over her contract and role was done in a rush and didn't feel satisfying. The background or supporting characters. Vir and Mr Mordon and Warren Keiffer (Robert Russler played my favorite video game of all time as the psychotic overman Seether in Wing Commander 3) really added strength to this show.
Stand out episodes
Soul Mates - A stand alone episode that features Londo deciding which of his three wives he's going to keep. It was designed to show the humanity of Londo. But there was great comedy in the episode.
The coming of the shadows - We see the death of the Centari Emperor who wanted to apologize to the Narn for their actions in the last war. instead we see the strengthening of the business relationship between Londo and the Shadows, and the start of the new Narn Centari war.
In the Shadow of Z'ha'dom - We learn about what happened to Sheridan's wife. Its a great lore episode in that we learn the history of the last Shadow War and the story of the first ones. At the end of the episode Sheridan faces the same moral question as Churchill did when he allowed Coventry to be bombed to hide that fact that the allies had broken the Enigma Code.
The Long Twilight Struggle - The brutal end of the Narn Centari war and Londo selling his sole for power. It also featured one of the greatest speeches in Sci Fi history to me.
Comes the Inquisitor - Kosh sends an inquisitor to see if Delenn can be trusted in the coming war. The reveal of who the inquisitor is and why he was "appointed" was simply awesome.
The Fall of the Night - An absolutely awesome episode that shows that Earth is under the control of a corrupt President, Night Watch and the Psicorp. It continues the expansion of the war by the Centari and Earth appeases the Centari, which puts in in direct conflict with Sheridan.
The opening always talks about Babylon 5 being built as the best great hope for peace. At the end of it Ivanova in her monologue at the end foreshadows whats to come.
Quote:
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Cmdr. Susan Ivanova: It was the end of the Earth year 2259, and the war was upon us. As anticipated, a few days after the Earth-Centauri treaty was announced, the Centauri widened their war to include many of the Non-Aligned Worlds. And there was another war brewing closer to home. A personal one whose cost would be higher than any of us could imagine. We came to this place because Babylon 5 was our last, best hope for peace. By the end of 2259, we knew that it had failed. But in so doing, it became something greater. As the war expanded, it became our last, best hope for victory. Because sometimes peace is another word for surrender, and because secrets have a way of getting out
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Oh and that best moment for me in any series. After the surrender of the Narn. G'Kar is stripped of his ambassador ship to Babylon 5 and makes a final speech to the advisory council.
Other awesome moments
Centari attack the Narn Homeworld using surface bombardment