When I started reading this thread a while back I felt I couldn’t really comment because I had never really watched B5. When it was on, I was really turned off by the Centuari and the whole nowness feel of the show.
I have watched the new BSG religiously, and I was a huge fan of DS9 (I think it was the best series in the Trek line).
That said, I watched every movie and every episode of B5. I have to say, B5 is perhaps the best Sci-fi in the whole space drama to ever air. It is so clear now where and why DS9 was so different than the rest of Star Trek. The very elements that made DS9 rewarding and interesting came from B5.
But B5 was better than that even. The central idea, that B5 would be like a book, is what really set the series apart. As you watch B5 you get that whole rise and fall effect of reading a book. The more you watch, the more the story engages you, the more you smile as things fall into place, the more rewarding it is to it’s followers.
The greatest problem with B5 was it’s low budget and poor special effects. But damn, what a great idea, what a great show.
But there are other great shows out there too, the 4400 (canceled), Eureka and Jericho are great and I love them all for different reasons.
I never watched Enterprise because it let me down. The cast was awesome, and I enjoyed the first few episodes, but it quickly fell apart, it not being Trek enough. But I think I will re-visit the entire series and then judge it.
