creitz Review of Babylon 5: The Lost Tales

Babylon 5: The Lost Tales (2007)

President Sheridan travels to B5 for an anniversary celebration

[1/10 · 17 September 2007]

I am an avid B5 fan, and I have all 5 seasons on video, which I watch over and over again. I think that it is the best TV SF series ever, and contains some of the most original ideas and finest poetic writing on television. Unfortunately, it went downhill with the appearance of "Crusade" and "Legend of the Raiders," both of which were dismal efforts. At the time, I wondered what JMS was thinking. There were so many imaginative stories and so many creative writers that he could have used. Why did he have to do it all himself? He could have delegated some of the responsibility. Now along comes "The Lost Tales" and I thought "Oh boy! More B5" and I rushed out and bought my copy. What a disappointment! What a travesty! What drivel! The first episode is like a grade 5 production of "The Omen" and the second episode is pointless and trite. The acting is terrible, consisting of vacant stares into space; the script is pedantic and dull; the sets are non-existent (a couple of armchairs, a corridor or two, a blue screen backdrop and a drawing of a large hanger). How could Bruce Boxleitner and the rest demean their talents in this way? The potential is still there. If Warner Brothers is still prepared to finance and distribute further productions, JMS should hire some top-notch writers and a couple of talented directors to come up with a worthy successor to the original series. Tough as it is to face up to, I think that JMS is burnt-out, and he should stick to writing comic books.