Comments on: p.184 (Chapter Seven)

By: Andrew Crisp

Andrew Crisp — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 15:14:29 +0000

There was also the fact that the studio sponsoring B5 came very close to axing the series at the end of Season 4. So JMS had to rewrite that season so the story would wrap up nicely once Season 4 ended (the series ender was filmed at this time). I understand that this also played a part in the whole issue of whether Claudia would stay or go – why stay on if the show itself wasn’t going to last?

Then the studio said, “guess what? We’ll give you your last season after all!” and JMS suddenly had a season’s worth to fill up. I think he did brilliantly, given the handicaps thrown his way, but there’s no denying it was weaker than the rest of the show.

By: ArthurFrDent

ArthurFrDent — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 08:09:17 +0000

hmmm, as far as B5 and Trek being too classy… they are in a way. You don’y have as much mucking around in a ship’s bilge while commenting on what that really is down there… it’s messy, with messy people, who have messy reasons for doing things… they almost kill each other over crackers for heaven’s sake. Add that to the plant that has photogasms… That would have been firmly off-stage in Trek. the difference between in ‘verse existence as you might imagine, and writing that might be impish one minute and rip your heart out the next… if you haven’t gotten to that part yet, you will. Whereas Trek always struck me cleaner. D’ya recall scotty ever having grease on his face? “Wait a minute, Rigel farts helium?” Can you imagine Riker saying that? Maybe that speaks levels of classy both in universe and in show writing that would explain such a comment, although I’m just guessin’

By: ArthurFrDent

ArthurFrDent — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 07:48:51 +0000

with respect, I suggest you slug though F/S before you finally make up your mind, since you have it. It has been my experience that different people are hooked by different things along the way, and some people never are. Among my friends I’m the one that only ever liked the first season of B5 and hated the later ones while all of them hated the first season, but we have many different reasons for liking F/S. And if not? wellllll, donate it to your local library and write it off as a good deed, everyone has different tastes, as it were. I have the same reaction to StarGate as you do to FarScape, but hey we seem to like the same webcominc, ne?

By: Denna Moonstone

Denna Moonstone — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 03:37:38 +0000

Actually, Claudia Christian, who played Ivanova, wanted to move on to other things. It was a huge upset to the show, since Straczynski had everything planned out overall from beginning to end. He had to struggle in the last season to make up for losing one of his main characters, and that’s why it’s so weak in comparison to the rest.

P.S. Much as I love both B5 and Farscape, B5 wins because of overall quality. For me, Farscape really started slipping in the second season and was just too totally weird and not the exploration of the human condition it started out by the third. As I said above, B5 was quality until the last season.

By: Deirdre Mundy

Deirdre Mundy — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 14:06:11 +0000

That’s actually one of the reasons we never watched more than the first season of Farscape.

Babylon 5 was OK for the kiddies…. because the good guys were pretty darned good and win in the end. And even at its darkest, it was never TOO dark.

Firefly was way too violent and dark for them, but it was ‘boring’ enough that they could watch Inspector Gadget on Hulu while we hogged the DVD player.

Farscape was too dark for kids BUT IT HAD HENSON PUPPETS! SO IT WAS EXCITING!!!!
Not something we can watch at this point….

Now, if there was a Galaxion animated series……..

By: Glennnn

Glennnn — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 12:53:03 +0000

I think that good science fiction films are hard to do. You need a decent story with interesting details, characters and a comprehensive follow-through (read: production values!)
If everything isn’t balanced on the same point all it takes is one tiny detail to ruin it. Like crap that is designed to be cinematic eye candy but (unless you have a terminal case of suspended disbelief) you reject it because its just stupid.
The best science fiction films are the ones that were never made, that you imagine from a good book.

By: Dwight Williams

Dwight Williams — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 11:15:51 +0000

Created by Peter David? Filmed in Montréal? That Space Cases?

By: Dwight Williams

Dwight Williams — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 11:13:44 +0000

Vir was funny in the same way as Charlie Brown, I thought. Perseverance in the face of others’ bad actions, and all that.

By: DanialArin

DanialArin — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 02:32:45 +0000

BTW, anyone here remember Space Cases?

By: DanialArin

DanialArin — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 02:31:18 +0000

Ehem... Compare to B.R.A.T.S. of the Lost Nebula from a couple years prior before you judge Farscape harshly. And I actually found both B5 and Farscape to be better written and executed than a lot of the later Trek material. I miss Fraggle Rock.