Babylon 5 - The Complete First Season (DVD, 2002, 6-Disc Set)

Babylon 5 Season One centers around Babylon 5, the last of the Babylon Space Stations. They were intended to be peaceful meeting places for the various space going races and were created after the end of the Earth Minbari War. In charge of the space station is Commander Jeffrey Sinclair played by Michael O'Hare, a veteran of the earlier war who must now deal with his former enemies. Tension is always present between the alien races particularly Narn Ambassador G'Kar, played by Andreas Katsulis, and Centauri Ambassador Molari played by Peter Jurasik. Also popping up once in a while is the Earth Psi Corps Bester (played by Walter Koenig who we all remember as Checkov from the Star Trek franchise). Rounding out the ambassadors is the Minbari ambassador Delenn played by Mira Furlan. One of the better actors in the show is Security Chief Garibaldi played by Jerry Doyle. Also present is the adult Bill Mumy from Lost in Space fame.

Babylon 5 Season One first aired on February 22, 1993 and many of the special effects reflect that era. Many of the effects seem cheesy by today's standards while others are quite good. The alien makeup is very impressive, as are the costumes, as each Minbari, Vorlon, Narn and Centauri look completely different and alien. The sound efects and score are also pretty decent. It doesn't hurt that this dvd set has been digitally remastered and looks really clear with fantastic sound quality. What really sets this show apart however is the excellent writing and interesting story lines. J Michael Straczynski, the show's creator, is clearly a big fan of science fiction and puts out some really unique episodes. Episode 2 titled Soul Hunter has some great acting and special effects and when added with the great script is one of my favorite episodes from any sci-fi series.

What keeps Babylon 5 from getting an excellent rating are some of the problems that plague the show through its years on the air. First, much of the dialogue is forced and predictable. Its clear from being a fan of the show that many of the early episodes set up future episodes. That, however, doesn't excuse the cardboard like acting and occasionally silly dialogue. Another problem is that many of the episodes seem to end a bit too early and then the characters just wander around for ten or so minutes not doing anything. Added to this are the sometimes iffy special effects and over-used story lines. None of these issues take away from the fact that Babylon 5 was a fun show to watch and its a shame it didn't last longer on the air than it did.

Regardless of whether you're a die hard fan or just an occasional viewer, Babylon 5 Season One is an exceptional value. The set contains 6 discs and 22 episodes with some great extras including station tours, episode introductions, profiles on the aliens, tech files on weaponry and so much more. This series won Hugo and Emmy Awards for a reason so pick it up today and enjoy.