Babylon 5: The Gathering (1993)

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

For a movie that wound up on IMDb's Top 250 List all the way back in 1996, this movie only had nineteen user reviews posted when I came to this page. That seems rather odd and I don't know what to chalk that up to. Although I've never watched an episode of the TV series, it seems to me this series pilot ought to have had more of an impact on viewers to warrant a broader host of reactions.Arriving a couple of decades after the Star Trek TV series, one can appreciate the improvement in special effects compared to some of the almost cardboard looking sets of The Enterprise. However much of it looked like video game quality compared to the incredible visuals of today. One can definitely measure the progress over time of how television adopted technology to achieve some of the stunning illusions and visual tricks we can witness today.The story itself here is pretty much by the numbers for a sci-fi outer space saga. Much of the acting is a bit sketchy, and the Minbari and Narn prosthetics leave a bit to be desired. My understanding is that some of the pilot actors used here didn't make it into the series, and in the case of Tamlyn Tomita's character, Lieutenant Commander Laurel Takashima, one can see why. Some of her dialog and screen presence was downright cheesy. Even Commander Sinclair (Michael O'Hare) left something to be desired in the way of a forceful presence aboard Babylon 5. With Captain Kirk, you always knew who was top gun on the Enterprise crew. The handful of reviewers for this pilot seem rather mixed in their appreciation of the show. Again, with no basis for comparison against the actual series that followed, I'd have to say it was generally okay with an intriguing story line that got muddled a bit along the way. It wasn't enough to get me interested in the program that it introduced, although I can't say I'll never get to it at some point. Maybe one day.

This ninety minute pilot episode introduces us to the space station Babylon 5, its crew, its inhabitants and most importantly its purpose. The Babylon Project aims to provide a location with various alien races can meet to trade and to talk; there are a wide variety of alien species present but there are five that are most important; the Earth Alliance, the Mimbari Federation, the Centuri Republic, the Narn Regime and finally the Vorlon Empire… the story opens as the station is preparing for its official opening and the arrival of the firth and final ambassador; Ambassador Kosh who represents the mysterious Vorlons. He isn't the only new arrival; on the same day a telepath by the name Lyta Alexander and a suspicious character called Del Varver also come aboard. Within a minute of his arrival Kosh is found unconscious suffering the effects of an unknown poison; if he dies it could mean war and the end of the Babylon Project. In an attempt to find out what happened Dr. Kyle asks Lyta to telepathically scan Kosh; when she does so she sees what happened to him; this gives the doctor a lead as to where to look for the poison; it also exposes the killer… Commander Sinclair: the man in charge of Babylon 5. With this evidence he will have a hard job clearing his name before he can be taken to the Vorlon home world for trial.This was a fine introduction to most of the key characters in the series; we learn a surprising amount of back story without it distracting from the story at hand; key details include the fact that the Centuri had subjugated the Narn until fairly recently and Earth and the Mimbari had been at war; Earth won but only because the Mimbari surrendered when it seemed their victory was assured… both stories that will be relevant in the following series. This episode's story featured a good mystery which when solved raised more questions; the most important being 'Why?' While this is primarily a drama with a good mystery there are some humorous moments; usually provided by security chief Michael Garibaldi and Centuri ambassador Londo Mollari… although not exclusively.Technically the special effects have dated quite a bit which is a pity as I recall being wowed by them when I first watched the series… the world of CGI has progressed very quickly though. The acting from the main cast was pretty good and by the time the series proper arrives the weaker members of the cast have been replaced. This doesn't apply to Patricia Tallman who did a fine job as Lyta but doesn't return when Season One begins. I first watched this some time after watching much of the series which was a pity; if you get a chance it is best to watch this first as it explains much of what you need to know to understand who is who.

You can buy the first two movies (In the Beginning, The Gathering) separately, but in order to get all five B5 movies (the first two plus Thirdspace, The River of Souls, and A Call to Arms), you have to buy them in a box set. The first two movies are out of order—they should be In the Beginning and then The Gathering. These movies are GREAT for background information. They really should be watched before watching the series. Thirdspace is a detached from the rest of the movies and series. It comes after the end of the Shadow War (season 4, episode 6), but then there is no mention of it again. If you never saw this movie, you wouldn't miss any continuity. The only thing it clears up is why Lyta Alexander and Zack Allen never got together. The River of Souls occurs in apx. Year 2263 and is less detached because B5 has encountered Soul Hunters before. This just gives more insight to them. It is like an extra episode in Season 5.A Call to Arms (Year 2267) is a prequel to the Crusade series. If you aren't planning to watch the Crusade series, there is no reason to watch this movie. Season 5 should go like this: 1. Season 5 Episode 21 "Objects at Rest" (Year 2262) 2. The River of Souls movie (Year 2263) 3. A Call to Arms and the Crusade Series (Year 2267)—optional. I suggest these be watched separately from B5 series as they really don't enhance or expand on the B5 series. 4. The Lost Tales—Voices in the Dark movie (Year 2271) 5. Season 5 Episode 22 "Sleeping in Light." (Year 2280)6. The Legend of The Rangers: To Live and Die in Starlight (after the Year 2280)—optional. Does not add nor detract from the series.

Back in 1993 one of my co-workers, who knows I'm a science fiction fan, asked if I was going to watch the pilot for that new SF TV seriies. At first I didn't think I had heard of this before. Then I realized that this must be the show that J Michael Stracynski (JMS), the screenwriting columnist for <i>Writer's Digest</i>, quit that job to work on.I watched the movie and was instantly intrigued. Unlike many SF TV shows, the science was well done (with none of the technobabble seen in other shows). A valiant attempt was made to present a few totally non-humanoid aliens. (This resulted in the funny puppet aliens in a section that was edited out when the special edition was created)But what drew my interest was the fact that this movie had laid down plot threads for the proposed series. Unanswered questions about what really happened to the first four Babylon stations. And why had the Minbari suddenly surrendered at the end of the Earth-Minbari war when victory was in their grasp? What was the story behind Commander Sinclair's missing time at the Battle of the Line?Before the series itself aired I read an article in Cinefantastique which explained that JMS had a plan for an ambitious story arc that would take five years to complete. I was ready.