I just love Londo and his story or tragedy if you will, and acted exceptionally by Peter Jurasik. Still watch through the entire B5 series from time to time
Everything involving Londo in babylon 5 was a tier better than the rest of the show. Such an original character, with the Machiavellian plots and his finale. So many other characters and plots just seemed generic in comparison.
One of the reasons I oppose any such remake of any beloved show in this day and age is the almost total lack of quality in personnel in Hollyweird, to the point that even mediocre stuff is praised for the relative quality. In this case, for either show, I would add the decreasing life experience available to the studios. Nobody there knows how anything is done IRL, only what they see in other Tinseltown products. Both of these shows need verisimilitude and there appears to be very little ability to figure out where it comes from.
If you like military scifi you should. Check out, "Hammers Slammers". The series was envisioned when the author saw Star Trek back while serving in Nam.
You've sold me on your premise: reboot SAAB, not B5. The question is: who could be trusted to reboot a show like SAAB in today's environment? B5 still has the devotion and care of its creator, Mike Straczynski. Have Glen Morgan and James Wong expressed any interest at all in taking another crack at SAAB?
Space had a real issue in that it couldn't decide if Our Heroes were starfighter pilots or mobile infantry. Granted I think behinds the scenes negotiations and politicking from one JMS is a huge reason why B5 was able to bang out the full 5 seasons, ensuring its enduring legacy, whereas Space: Above and Beyond is only known to 90s scifi nerds.
Cost is a major issue as well. An episode of B5 ran about $850,000 for its whole run. An episode of SAAB ran $2.5 million, which is a HELL of a lot of money in the mid-90s
@@mahatmarandy5977 Yeah I have to admit JMS was a master of low budget TV production- setting the show mostly in one place with a handful of reusable sets helped a lot too
Interesting to see if the algorithm supports another good video on above and beyond. another great video, many thanks. Maybe a video on different countries approaches to TV science-fiction. If you think of the early 70s Italian inspired Jerry Anderson production like space 1999, or the very depressing apocalyptic 1970s in the UK like survivors or Blake 7, or some of the more experimental work coming out of France in the 70s and 80s - would love to hear your take on that.
A reboot idea for SAAB becomes more interesting when you remember that it takes place in a future timeline of the X files/Millennium/Lone Gunman/Strange Luck universe.
They should not touch B5. Unless its a spin-off or another side story. I do agree that Space Above & beyond needs a reboot. However, it needs to be a gritty character driven storyline about soldiers or pilots fighting a Hard-Science interstellar war.
Food for thought. One idea I had about how to reconcile the problem of the characters being both fighters and grunts is to have them in mini-mecha; think modular power armor that fight in space an on land (a cross between the Valkyries of Macross and Starship Troopers). I was lucky enough to be able to watch both on British TV, which wasn't as bad as the situation in America. I remember the SAAB episode 4: Mutiny as being a real standout, but then, as you say, the series lost its way.
The 90s animated series Exo-Squad navigated this well. IDK if you were thinking of that series when you made this suggestion, but it immediately sprang to my mind. Granted I feel like e-frames (aka mini-mechs) would have been very cost prohibitive to make in live action, much moreso than the starfighters.
yeah you can always say like star trek: out training is so fantastic that each man (and woman) is uomo universale... but i think its a bit flimsy argument. just give them separate roles.
Unfortunately, B5 is the one that will be (and, I believe, currently is being) rebooted - and it's precisely _because_ the original got 5 seasons, told a complete story, and (most importantly) left a devoted fanbase. That makes it superficially a safer bet for executives who are searching desperately for "safe" in a media environment that has seen so many high-profile failures in recent years that they've actually coined a new term, "flopbuster," to describe the phenomenon.
Unless the reboot is as good and as faithful to the original as the Fallout series, this fan will prefer the original, despite its flaws. There's just no way to replace Jurasik, Katsulas, etc. I never even saw Space:Above and Beyond aside from a commercial.
agreed. if i had to choose one above and beyond would be better for a reboot but only if main characters would have clear roles and not be tankers and pilots and everything and only if they would set to finite arch. would it be 3 or 5 seasons doesnt matter as long as its clear goal.
I found that Space Above and Beyond, something I loved and still re-watch, was much more an episodic show rather than B5 which was well ahead of it's time with a long range plan on where everything was going. As example, SAaB was the original Battlestar Galatica, while Babylon 5 was the re-imagining. Both shows were products of their time, binge watching really wasn't something that was known to happen so SAaB made sense as episodic, while Babylon 5 was as stated much ahead of it's time, in that you can and likely should have seen it regularly and not out of order. I would absolutely love Space Above and Beyond remade to today's standards and hate for B5 to be remade.
I Agree 100%. SAAB is the one to reboot. Maybe even to diversify a bit. Dedicate characters to MI and fly boys, let the ground pounders butt heads with the flight jocks in the mess. Dedicate pilots to combat roles. Heck lets even take it one step further and make the infantry characters all be enlisted or at least NCOs and let the stick wagglers stay junior officers to create more tension and rivalry. If you want to stick with the WWII pacific type narrative that makes it even more fun. Allowing you to tell multiple intertwining stories about multiple groups of complex characters all interwoven together. I'd buy that for a dollar.
In Infantry units all the soldiers and NCOs are enlisted except for the Platoon Leader who is an officer.I was in infantry units on deployments to Iraq,but,we never had an officer as a platoon leader,it was usually an E-7.
No on the Reboot. Those are all turning up to be AWFUL these days. They should have separated the groundside from the aviation side, but little brother only gets two episodes I guess. 💀
I agree with the conclusion, SA&A deserves a reboot, a chance to actually get to show what it wanted to do. B5 reboot will have to fight against the original already being a complete, and much loved, story.
Babylon 5 is the best sci-fi show. That epic long term story is unbeatable. Dropping hints and plot points that only make sense in the next season. I'm still disappointed that Space Above and Beyond didn't get more that the single season.
neither needs rebooted, we have plenty of other scifi stories to tell. Babylon 5 told its story in a low budget way that was overly full of filler, but it did it and Spave above and beyond, in my opinion, requires so many alterations to "fix" you might as well be telling a different story. So lets encourage development of one of the thousands of good stories that haven't had a chance instead, I mean we still have at least 30 of philip k dick's stories that haven't been made into movies =P
Great video again. I never really got into Space Above And Beyond. One of the issues was I never really connected with the characters. But you raise a good point at the "they created invirtoes as another form of slave race". I did see the final episode, and by the end, it does feel like maybe we shouldn't have been cheering on the human side this whole time.
I have no desire for a reboot of B5. I agree that JMS told his story, though I would love to read the unrealized Crusade scripts, the story is self contained. SAAB has a story yet to tell.
If Space Above and Beyond does get a reboot, it would be nice to see it do what Battlestar Galactica did, which is to go from a series that lasted only one season in its first go around, only to become a multi-season hit on the second try. The trick is selecting a theme that will resonate in the modern world. 1970's BSG is often described as escapist fare that was cashing in on the popularity of Star Wars. The later incarnation definitely had a post 9/11 sensibility. What could they do to Space Above and Beyond to make it relevant in today's world?
Another great video. Just want to pop in and say that this is the channel I have come to look forward to weekly. The Mad Max and Rollerball videos (among many) are *chef's kiss*.
I agree with you on SAAB needing the reboot. The post 9-11 trope has been done to death with RDM Battlestar Galactica being the winner. Exploring the numbing, arrogant jingoism of that era would be welcome and, tbh, not explored enough in any media. Plus, maybe PTSD and other psychological effects of being a soldier in a capitalist/totalitarian society. Where one's self worth is measured by what one have's and "Are You Okay?" pandering. Yeah, and fascism.
The only reason why B5 and the reboot talk is really getting any support from people is because JMS is in control of it. And the only reason he is even interested in it is because he feels there is more to the universe than what he told last time, so feels there is more to the story, and has 30 years of more storytelling experience behind him that can make him shape and tell a better story than what he told in the past. It is for those reasons it has my interest, but I await to see if it holds my attention. Saying that, I would love to see Space: Above & Beyond get some attention and love, and not forced out because X-Files was big and it had some small connection to that. Because as Harsh Realm showed, and what Breaking Bad was able to shake off from, having been linked to that show was not a sign of success for something.
Fox has a storied history of killing the sci-fi series it green lights. SAAB, Firefly, and I’m sure there are others I’m not remembering. While I would totally watch a well done above and beyond reboot, part of me feels like we already got that, at least aesthetically, with the Galactica reboot.
Werewolf, Millenium, Almost Human, Dollhouse, Dark Angel, Terra Nova, The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. Fox is a veritable graveyard of sci-fi/fantasy shows that deserved better.
Also the writers of SAAB loved punk rock. X and the Ramones jammed into episodes. Imagine what could happen with Bad Religion and Pennywise shoe horned in. Sigh it's fun to dream.
This is an interesting analysis. I saw Space Above and Beyond when it was on TV. I have not seen it since then. I would love to re-watch it with my adult eyes. Like many other things, please do not re-boot this. I remember at the time being baffled that every episode had them switching between being pilots or infantry. I agree that it seemed divided between being a story about the "nipple necks" or a war story. It also seemed to have elements of the original Battle Star Galactica in it as well. Let's just cut our losses and make a new story.
Babylon 5 is in my mind one of the best Sci-fi shows ever made even if it is very Star Trek-ish. Space Above and Beyond had flaws but a lot of promise and a good cast. I think both could have been great with a bit more money. Strangely I think to a modern audience Space holds up much better than Babylon 5, Seaquest, many episodes of the X files, or many movies of the era.
You’ve really converted me into a Space: Above-and-Beyond-head. So much so that I don’t even want to actually watch the show for fear of experiencing the same disappointments you did 😂
B5 has been done, and in parts done well. SAAB seems like a franchise that’s kind of lost. Lots of elements that could be used, but no need to keep the bones or skin, just the heart and liver.
I agree that SAaB is a pretty good candidate for a reboot. I actually disagree with come of your critique of the show. But it clearly didn't manage to do everything it could have. B5 told a whole story. It wasn't perfect, and a B5 reboot could be flashier and maybe even better. But I don't have a hole in my heart wondering what B5 would have been in season 2,3,4 as it got refined. SAaB is exactly that, a solid start of a first draft that left me wanting more. A reboot could really deliver on what the original never had the chance to do. Networks tend to make the mistake of rebooting stuff that has no new ground to cover, just because the original was successful and people will recognize the name. Those sorts of reboots are pretty much never successful. But those middling successes are what should be the focus of a reboot. Battlestar Galactica was one of the greatest reboots of all time for exactly that reason. The OG had some fun bits and pieces, but it also had major issues and constraints and only one season, and it left the audience wanting more.
I'd love to see what you have to say about Earth 2. I think that's another case of great premise/ good but neglected execution. And equally ripe ground for a topical reboot.
I watched SAAB when it first came out, and skipped B5 initially because compared to TNG, it looked kinda crappy. It wasnt until a few years later when i got laid off, i started watching it on scifi out of boredom. Once i got past the TOS vibe and odd CG, i became a total convert. The storytelling was a bit of a revelation to me, and i didnt really follow ST much after that. SAAB was great early, but they tried to tie together the "command level" and "grunt level" perspectives, and the story seemed to be trying to shoehorn too many arcs together. It was kinda jarring, and made it feel kinda all over the place.
SAaB was not in the same league as B5. Far inferior sets, aliens, characters, actors and plot. I particularly hated the ridiculous way that the pilots were also marines. I really wanted to like it, but never missed it once it finished
Space Above & Beyond (SA&B) was inconsistent. To risk trained pilots as infanteers was always grating. Quite insane. Babylon 5, despite it's problems was near perfection in the round. While I would be concerned about either being remade for a modern audience, I would not mind SA&B getting another swing at it, with good writing that avoids presentism. I fear that would be beyond current writing rooms. A reboot of Babylon 5 would almost certainly detract. They could (very easily and almost inevitably) do worse than redo the show changing nothing but the CGI scenes. While that is never going to happen, the way the show was shot would make that easy.
I hate to burst anyone's bubble prematurely. However these are just going to be woke written by a non experienced writer that will absolutely refuse to watch the source material because they are to good for that and will not allow it to influence their message they are going to be putting out.
And you dont think the originals was woke?????? lets see righwingers are wrong fascist bad, women can be in combat and do everything men can do and so on, YES THEY WHERE WOKE ALSO. Maybe stop hating women and stop being a rascist
![Tee Grizzley - Detroit (Feat. 42 Dugg) [Official Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/aeKfTtt0x14/mqdefault.jpg)
I just love Londo and his story or tragedy if you will, and acted exceptionally by Peter Jurasik. Still watch through the entire B5 series from time to time
it was fantastic. but can it get its magic done second time? it may be better to left there.
Everything involving Londo in babylon 5 was a tier better than the rest of the show. Such an original character, with the Machiavellian plots and his finale. So many other characters and plots just seemed generic in comparison.
Can't have londo w/o g'kar. They are the yin/yang of the story.
Their stories are almost but not quite perfect inversions of each other.
Londo & G'kar had some of the best & profound moments of the entire series.
One of the reasons I oppose any such remake of any beloved show in this day and age is the almost total lack of quality in personnel in Hollyweird, to the point that even mediocre stuff is praised for the relative quality. In this case, for either show, I would add the decreasing life experience available to the studios. Nobody there knows how anything is done IRL, only what they see in other Tinseltown products. Both of these shows need verisimilitude and there appears to be very little ability to figure out where it comes from.
Another thing, at least on the b5 side, is I'm really hopeful but wary after the rangers movie.
Jms rather screwed the pooch on that one.
If you like military scifi you should. Check out, "Hammers Slammers". The series was envisioned when the author saw Star Trek back while serving in Nam.
Great series. I'd also recommend Jerry Pournelle's Co-Dominum series; specifically Falkenburg's Legion.
Damn it, this is making me want to watch Space Above and Beyond again...and I know it's going to break my heart not having more seasons.
You've sold me on your premise: reboot SAAB, not B5.
The question is: who could be trusted to reboot a show like SAAB in today's environment? B5 still has the devotion and care of its creator, Mike Straczynski. Have Glen Morgan and James Wong expressed any interest at all in taking another crack at SAAB?
Netflix could pull it off with the right team. Their Asian stuff has production through the roof.
We could always ask JMS to have a crack at a SAAB reboot.
Wearing out the hammerheads by repeatedly nailing it for 9 minutes straight. Spot on.
Space had a real issue in that it couldn't decide if Our Heroes were starfighter pilots or mobile infantry. Granted I think behinds the scenes negotiations and politicking from one JMS is a huge reason why B5 was able to bang out the full 5 seasons, ensuring its enduring legacy, whereas Space: Above and Beyond is only known to 90s scifi nerds.
Cost is a major issue as well. An episode of B5 ran about $850,000 for its whole run. An episode of SAAB ran $2.5 million, which is a HELL of a lot of money in the mid-90s
@@mahatmarandy5977 Yeah I have to admit JMS was a master of low budget TV production- setting the show mostly in one place with a handful of reusable sets helped a lot too
Even watching it as a kid who knew nothing about the military, this struck me as strange.
Interesting to see if the algorithm supports another good video on above and beyond. another great video, many thanks. Maybe a video on different countries approaches to TV science-fiction. If you think of the early 70s Italian inspired Jerry Anderson production like space 1999, or the very depressing apocalyptic 1970s in the UK like survivors or Blake 7, or some of the more experimental work coming out of France in the 70s and 80s - would love to hear your take on that.
A reboot idea for SAAB becomes more interesting when you remember that it takes place in a future timeline of the X files/Millennium/Lone Gunman/Strange Luck universe.
They should not touch B5. Unless its a spin-off or another side story.
I do agree that Space Above & beyond needs a reboot. However, it needs to be a gritty character driven storyline about soldiers or pilots fighting a Hard-Science interstellar war.
Food for thought. One idea I had about how to reconcile the problem of the characters being both fighters and grunts is to have them in mini-mecha; think modular power armor that fight in space an on land (a cross between the Valkyries of Macross and Starship Troopers).
I was lucky enough to be able to watch both on British TV, which wasn't as bad as the situation in America. I remember the SAAB episode 4: Mutiny as being a real standout, but then, as you say, the series lost its way.
The 90s animated series Exo-Squad navigated this well. IDK if you were thinking of that series when you made this suggestion, but it immediately sprang to my mind. Granted I feel like e-frames (aka mini-mechs) would have been very cost prohibitive to make in live action, much moreso than the starfighters.
yeah you can always say like star trek: out training is so fantastic that each man (and woman) is uomo universale... but i think its a bit flimsy argument. just give them separate roles.
@@Canoby Never saw Exo-squad, but it works for me. Nowadays the cost shouldn't be so prohibitive.
Unfortunately, B5 is the one that will be (and, I believe, currently is being) rebooted - and it's precisely _because_ the original got 5 seasons, told a complete story, and (most importantly) left a devoted fanbase. That makes it superficially a safer bet for executives who are searching desperately for "safe" in a media environment that has seen so many high-profile failures in recent years that they've actually coined a new term, "flopbuster," to describe the phenomenon.
Unless the reboot is as good and as faithful to the original as the Fallout series, this fan will prefer the original, despite its flaws. There's just no way to replace Jurasik, Katsulas, etc. I never even saw Space:Above and Beyond aside from a commercial.
agreed. if i had to choose one above and beyond would be better for a reboot but only if main characters would have clear roles and not be tankers and pilots and everything and only if they would set to finite arch. would it be 3 or 5 seasons doesnt matter as long as its clear goal.
A reboot of SAAB has a ton to pull from 20 years of GWOT.
GWOT?
@@hellacoorinna9995 Global War on Terror
@@hellacoorinna9995 Global War On Terror
@@hellacoorinna9995 Global War on Terror
@@hellacoorinna9995Global war on terror
I found that Space Above and Beyond, something I loved and still re-watch, was much more an episodic show rather than B5 which was well ahead of it's time with a long range plan on where everything was going. As example, SAaB was the original Battlestar Galatica, while Babylon 5 was the re-imagining. Both shows were products of their time, binge watching really wasn't something that was known to happen so SAaB made sense as episodic, while Babylon 5 was as stated much ahead of it's time, in that you can and likely should have seen it regularly and not out of order. I would absolutely love Space Above and Beyond remade to today's standards and hate for B5 to be remade.
Resurrecting the Swedish automaker SAAB is what I get from the comments, and I couldn't agree more.
I Agree 100%. SAAB is the one to reboot. Maybe even to diversify a bit. Dedicate characters to MI and fly boys, let the ground pounders butt heads with the flight jocks in the mess. Dedicate pilots to combat roles. Heck lets even take it one step further and make the infantry characters all be enlisted or at least NCOs and let the stick wagglers stay junior officers to create more tension and rivalry. If you want to stick with the WWII pacific type narrative that makes it even more fun. Allowing you to tell multiple intertwining stories about multiple groups of complex characters all interwoven together. I'd buy that for a dollar.
That's the show I want to see.
In Infantry units all the soldiers and NCOs are enlisted except for the Platoon Leader who is an officer.I was in infantry units on deployments to Iraq,but,we never had an officer as a platoon leader,it was usually an E-7.
No on the Reboot. Those are all turning up to be AWFUL these days.
They should have separated the groundside from the aviation side, but little brother only gets two episodes I guess. 💀
Another insightful and engaging piece - thanks!
I agree with the conclusion, SA&A deserves a reboot, a chance to actually get to show what it wanted to do.
B5 reboot will have to fight against the original already being a complete, and much loved, story.
Babylon 5 is the best sci-fi show. That epic long term story is unbeatable. Dropping hints and plot points that only make sense in the next season.
I'm still disappointed that Space Above and Beyond didn't get more that the single season.
neither needs rebooted, we have plenty of other scifi stories to tell. Babylon 5 told its story in a low budget way that was overly full of filler, but it did it and Spave above and beyond, in my opinion, requires so many alterations to "fix" you might as well be telling a different story. So lets encourage development of one of the thousands of good stories that haven't had a chance instead, I mean we still have at least 30 of philip k dick's stories that haven't been made into movies =P
Great video again. I never really got into Space Above And Beyond. One of the issues was I never really connected with the characters.
But you raise a good point at the "they created invirtoes as another form of slave race".
I did see the final episode, and by the end, it does feel like maybe we shouldn't have been cheering on the human side this whole time.
I like the idea of rebooting shows or movies that had unrealized potential rather than ones that were successful or at least ran their full course.
Caught between tick and tock
I have no desire for a reboot of B5. I agree that JMS told his story, though I would love to read the unrealized Crusade scripts, the story is self contained. SAAB has a story yet to tell.
If Space Above and Beyond does get a reboot, it would be nice to see it do what Battlestar Galactica did, which is to go from a series that lasted only one season in its first go around, only to become a multi-season hit on the second try. The trick is selecting a theme that will resonate in the modern world. 1970's BSG is often described as escapist fare that was cashing in on the popularity of Star Wars. The later incarnation definitely had a post 9/11 sensibility. What could they do to Space Above and Beyond to make it relevant in today's world?
War on Terror?
Invasion of Ukraine?
Another great video. Just want to pop in and say that this is the channel I have come to look forward to weekly. The Mad Max and Rollerball videos (among many) are *chef's kiss*.
I agree with you on SAAB needing the reboot. The post 9-11 trope has been done to death with RDM Battlestar Galactica being the winner. Exploring the numbing, arrogant jingoism of that era would be welcome and, tbh, not explored enough in any media. Plus, maybe PTSD and other psychological effects of being a soldier in a capitalist/totalitarian society. Where one's self worth is measured by what one have's and "Are You Okay?" pandering. Yeah, and fascism.
The only reason why B5 and the reboot talk is really getting any support from people is because JMS is in control of it. And the only reason he is even interested in it is because he feels there is more to the universe than what he told last time, so feels there is more to the story, and has 30 years of more storytelling experience behind him that can make him shape and tell a better story than what he told in the past.
It is for those reasons it has my interest, but I await to see if it holds my attention.
Saying that, I would love to see Space: Above & Beyond get some attention and love, and not forced out because X-Files was big and it had some small connection to that. Because as Harsh Realm showed, and what Breaking Bad was able to shake off from, having been linked to that show was not a sign of success for something.
The ads for B5 were pretty common here in the UK, that probably explains why it did well here.
Fox has a storied history of killing the sci-fi series it green lights. SAAB, Firefly, and I’m sure there are others I’m not remembering. While I would totally watch a well done above and beyond reboot, part of me feels like we already got that, at least aesthetically, with the Galactica reboot.
Sliders was another show that was great until Fox decided to be Fox.
Werewolf, Millenium, Almost Human, Dollhouse, Dark Angel, Terra Nova, The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. Fox is a veritable graveyard of sci-fi/fantasy shows that deserved better.
Soo happy I got both series on DVD
Also the writers of SAAB loved punk rock. X and the Ramones jammed into episodes. Imagine what could happen with Bad Religion and Pennywise shoe horned in. Sigh it's fun to dream.
This is an interesting analysis. I saw Space Above and Beyond when it was on TV. I have not seen it since then. I would love to re-watch it with my adult eyes. Like many other things, please do not re-boot this. I remember at the time being baffled that every episode had them switching between being pilots or infantry. I agree that it seemed divided between being a story about the "nipple necks" or a war story. It also seemed to have elements of the original Battle Star Galactica in it as well. Let's just cut our losses and make a new story.
Both shows are amazing!
Babylon 5 is in my mind one of the best Sci-fi shows ever made even if it is very Star Trek-ish. Space Above and Beyond had flaws but a lot of promise and a good cast. I think both could have been great with a bit more money. Strangely I think to a modern audience Space holds up much better than Babylon 5, Seaquest, many episodes of the X files, or many movies of the era.
Or the Devil! Or perhaps, Rod Serling's ghost...
I remember hearing of these two shows, but I watched "Third Rock from the Sun" instead. 😅 Harry especially was hilarious.
You’ve really converted me into a Space: Above-and-Beyond-head. So much so that I don’t even want to actually watch the show for fear of experiencing the same disappointments you did 😂
So much potential . . .
B5 has been done, and in parts done well.
SAAB seems like a franchise that’s kind of lost. Lots of elements that could be used, but no need to keep the bones or skin, just the heart and liver.
Let's split the difference, have JMS reboot Space: Above and Beyond.
Have you seen the animated series exo squad? It is quite mature for a kids show and has some interesting ideas.
I agree that SAaB is a pretty good candidate for a reboot. I actually disagree with come of your critique of the show. But it clearly didn't manage to do everything it could have. B5 told a whole story. It wasn't perfect, and a B5 reboot could be flashier and maybe even better. But I don't have a hole in my heart wondering what B5 would have been in season 2,3,4 as it got refined. SAaB is exactly that, a solid start of a first draft that left me wanting more. A reboot could really deliver on what the original never had the chance to do.
Networks tend to make the mistake of rebooting stuff that has no new ground to cover, just because the original was successful and people will recognize the name. Those sorts of reboots are pretty much never successful. But those middling successes are what should be the focus of a reboot. Battlestar Galactica was one of the greatest reboots of all time for exactly that reason. The OG had some fun bits and pieces, but it also had major issues and constraints and only one season, and it left the audience wanting more.
good video.
I'd love to see what you have to say about Earth 2. I think that's another case of great premise/ good but neglected execution. And equally ripe ground for a topical reboot.
I was thinking of Earth 2 just the other day. I have only the vaguest memories of it, but I'm curious to give it a proper look.
It's worth a re-watch for three episodes of villan Tim Curry alone.
I watched SAAB when it first came out, and skipped B5 initially because compared to TNG, it looked kinda crappy.
It wasnt until a few years later when i got laid off, i started watching it on scifi out of boredom.
Once i got past the TOS vibe and odd CG, i became a total convert.
The storytelling was a bit of a revelation to me, and i didnt really follow ST much after that.
SAAB was great early, but they tried to tie together the "command level" and "grunt level" perspectives, and the story seemed to be trying to shoehorn too many arcs together. It was kinda jarring, and made it feel kinda all over the place.
SAaB was not in the same league as B5. Far inferior sets, aliens, characters, actors and plot. I particularly hated the ridiculous way that the pilots were also marines. I really wanted to like it, but never missed it once it finished
They'd never do Above and Beyond properly. The stories cut a little close to the bone.
Nice
Imagine a actual official canon crossover between babylon 5 and space above and beyond
Space Above & Beyond (SA&B) was inconsistent. To risk trained pilots as infanteers was always grating. Quite insane. Babylon 5, despite it's problems was near perfection in the round. While I would be concerned about either being remade for a modern audience, I would not mind SA&B getting another swing at it, with good writing that avoids presentism. I fear that would be beyond current writing rooms. A reboot of Babylon 5 would almost certainly detract. They could (very easily and almost inevitably) do worse than redo the show changing nothing but the CGI scenes. While that is never going to happen, the way the show was shot would make that easy.
Space: Above and Beyond died because of corporate politics, not anything inherent to the show.
I hate to burst anyone's bubble prematurely. However these are just going to be woke written by a non experienced writer that will absolutely refuse to watch the source material because they are to good for that and will not allow it to influence their message they are going to be putting out.
And you dont think the originals was woke?????? lets see righwingers are wrong fascist bad, women can be in combat and do everything men can do and so on, YES THEY WHERE WOKE ALSO. Maybe stop hating women and stop being a rascist
Babylon 5 seems more a religious story than a merely politucal one.