Thread by @Delafina777, Okay, so, I'm almost done with my guide to Season 1 of [...]

Okay, so, I'm almost done with my guide to Season 1 of Babylon 5 for newbies, complete with video excerpts of the stuff you need to see in most episodes to spare you from most of the S1 badness. (still have 2 eps to go.)

First up, a little intro to what I'm doing and why Babylon 5 is an important bit of tv history.

https://ariela.dreamwidth.org/608.html

Next, Midnight on the Firing Line, the series' functional pilot (we won't speak of The Gathering). You should watch it in full. I give a little behind the scenes info as to why you should view B5's polarizing S1 commander with compassion.

https://ariela.dreamwidth.org/959.html

Soul Hunter. Don't bother watching it in full your first time through. It was trying to do something really interesting for a mid-90s show, but that's not the same as being good.

I've got an excerpts video showing the key character and arc moments.

https://ariela.dreamwidth.org/1057.html

Born to the Purple. You don't need to watch the whole thing. I've got an excerpt video. It's pretty rough, and a not-great combo of The Treacherous Woman, The Hooker With A Heart of Gold, and the Damsel in Distress tropes.

https://ariela.dreamwidth.org/1323.html

Infection. Even the series creator cites this one as a low point. I've just pulled excerpts. The B-story, a reporter doing a B5 feature, has good moments and is the start of a running, very non-Trekkian theme about B5's relationship with public opinion.

https://ariela.dreamwidth.org/1547.html

The Parliament of Dreams. If you're enjoying yourself, go ahead & watch this one in full. A lot of good character moments and some major arc elements, but I did an excerpt video to keep the watch-in-full list short. Corny but still A+ ending scene.

https://ariela.dreamwidth.org/1972.html

Mind War. Almost added this one to the watch-in-full list, but it's marred by an awkward script and actors' awkward attempts to deal with the awkward script. It does, however, introduce important themes and my favorite B5 character, so watch the excerpts.

https://ariela.dreamwidth.org/2126.html

The War Prayer. Watch the excerpts for the first real deepening of Londo's character from sad clown into Shakespearian tragic figure. (Also for a reference to a great Twain piece.) Also for rising anti-immigrant--sorry, anti-alien--sentiment on Earth.

https://ariela.dreamwidth.org/2527.html

And the Sky Full of Stars. Another one that just missed being on my watch-in-full list (and I imagine is on most B5 fans' essentials list.) I excerpted it, but it's one of the better S1 episodes, & if you're up for adding a few full eps, watch it, but...

https://ariela.dreamwidth.org/2727.html

...ultimately, in rewatch, there's a lot of time spent on the B-story of Garibaldi trying to locate the kidnapped Sinclair, and a lot of lead-up/repetition of the key points of what Sinclair's remembering.

The actual *meat* of it is pretty short, & you can just watch that part.

My purpose in doing this is to get people to S2 as quickly as possible while still having them see the background and foreshadowing and key character moments, so with one exception, even if an ep's good, I'm excerpting it unless *all* of it is pretty essential.

Deathwalker/Believers/Survivors. This is a run of inessential eps. While they're not as bad as "Infection," they're also not particularly good, so I didn't bother even excerpting them. I just listed the few important plot points.

https://ariela.dreamwidth.org/2828.html

By Any Means Necessary. Watch in full. This is my one bit of indulgence. It's not a strictly essential episode, but it is both a good glimpse into *life* on B5 (something I wish we got more of in DS9), and into the fraught politics of B5 being a diplomatic installation...

...a trade hub, AND a military base. It's also a good old-fashioned union story that seems even more relevant in 2020, and a good deep dive into who Sinclair actually is as a leader.

https://ariela.dreamwidth.org/3143.html

Signs and Portents. Watch in full. The first of several tentpole arc episodes (other than, obviously, Midnight on the Firing Line, which serves as a second, better pilot). Meet Mr. Morden. You'll be seeing more of his suave, ominous self.

https://ariela.dreamwidth.org/3549.html

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