Product description

Babylon 5: Season 5 [1994]

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Average customer rating: 4.0

Binding : DVD
EAN : 7321900242752
Label : Warner Home Video
Manufacturer : Warner Home Video
Publisher : Warner Home Video
Release date : 2005-01-17
Title : Babylon 5: Season 5 [1994]
Actor : Array
Audience rating : Suitable for 15 years and over
Format : PAL
Languages : Array
Number of items : 1
Original release date : 1994-05-16
Region code : 2
Studio : Warner Home Video
Theatrical releaseDate : 1994-01-26
Number of discs : 6

Editorial reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
A disappointment after the superb two previous seasons, the final run of Babylon 5 found Claudia Christian departed and Ivanova replaced by Captain Elizabeth Lochley (Tracy Scoggins), who in a soap-opera twist turned out to be Sheridan's first wife. Sheridan was promoted to President of the Interstellar Alliance and the action moved to a group of telepaths seeking sanctuary from the PSI-Corp on B5. Giving a prominent role to Patricia Tallman's Lyta Alexander, a love story for her was woven with the leader of the telepaths, Byron (Robin Atkin Downs). Meanwhile the aftermath of the Shadow War was explored as the origin of human telepaths became clear in "Secrets of the Soul," and the appearance of PSI-Corp's Bester (Walter Koenig) brought the plight of the refugees to a powerful close in "A Tragedy of Telepaths" and "Phoenix Rising."

This was immediately followed by a rare episode not written by J. Michael Straczynski. Much was expected of "Day of the Dead," penned by Neil Gaiman, the British creator of DC's landmark Sandman comic and graphic novel series. Yet despite a change of tone including a guest appearance by Penn & Teller as 23rd-century comedy favorites Rebo & Zooty, the story proved an incongruous side trip into an unexplained twilight zone of fantasy. As usual the season picked up toward the end, with a string of fine political episodes leading to "The Fall of Centauri Prime" and the haunting "Objects at Rest," in which Sheridan and Delenn leave Babylon 5 for new quarters on Minbar.

The final episode, "Sleeping in Light," was directed by J. Michael Straczynski and made an epilogue to the series. Set 20 years later, after all the sound and fury this quiet, elegiac tale is the apotheosis of the love story that proved the balance to the tragedy of the preceding darkness. A personal story resolved against a background of the epic, at once transcendent, deeply human, and profoundly optimistic, "Sleeping in Light" is as moving as any hour in the history of television drama and a thoroughly satisfying conclusion to one of the greatest series ever made. --Gary S. Dalkin

Customer reviews

review by: date: 2008-11-25 rating:

Superb
Superb series of space station life. Although some criticize the 'stationary' nature of this series, it's examination of live in a microcosm is great. Leadership lessons abound.

review by: date: 2008-11-24 rating:

The best season of them all - quite possibly
Nearly 15 years on and this show is still talked about with awe! I would award 6 stars to this season alone, if I could, now I have watched it for about the 7th time. I feel that a lot of reviewers missed the point of the final series. It wasn't a bolt on - the full story, as written, got told - however as we all know, there was some meddling with the story arcs to get the major plot lines completed come the end of series 4 and maybe series 5 ended up being stronger for it - for you do get this sense of melanchollia and loss as the series hones in to the final sublime episode.

Therefore the reason why Babylon 5 is so successful is becauase of this series. Series 1-4 were full of fast action packed episodes, however series 5 works more on your emotion centres - guiding us to the emotional charged final episode. But you do have to go on the voyage to get there. G'kar and Londo steal the series with some of the finest acting I have ever witnessed in a made for TV drama and in the end you feel utter despair for Londo - a lost and broken soul.

Long before the final episode "Sleeping in the Light" - the emotions get tugged and "Day of the Dead"; "A Tragedy of Telepaths"; "All my Dreams, Torn Assunder"; "Movements of Fire and Shadow". & "Fall of Centuari Prime" (now corrected), give us some of the greatest TV moments ever recorded.

This series is guaranteed to make grown men cry - so with tissues ready enjoy what surely will still be being talked about in 30 years time.

R.I.P. Richard Biggs, Andreas Katsulas, Tim Choate.

review by: date: 2006-12-29 rating:

All good things must come to an end
The final season of Babylon five is something of a series of two halves. In the beginning the season is slow to get going and has some of the worst episodes in the entire series but it does improve towards the end and the final three episode are, I feel, some of the best Babylon 5 has ever produced. I feel the main problem with season five is that they try to get too much into it, with the telepath rebellion and another Centauri war, the season feels rather rushed. Also with the loss of Marcus and Ivanova at the end of season four the addition of new recurring characters so late in the shows run would never rarely go down that well as it is difficult to grow to like and care for their replacements. Although it does get off to a rather disappointing start, season five is definitely an excellent way to finish one of the best Sci-Fi TV shows ever made.

review by: date: 2006-02-21 rating:

complete the set
The 5th season of B5 was somewhat disappointing, especially after the highlights of seasons 2, 3 and 4. We can thank warner bros for this, the cast and crew never being secure in the knowledge of another season. Hence the story arc got condensed mainly into season 4 leaving season 5 lacking in momentum and less realised ideas. After saying that it does have its special moments especially near the end of the series where Londo's inevitable tragedy is played out beautifully. As the show draws to a close you feel you are saying goodbye to family and that it is sad their stories are coming to an end. Sheridan and Lockley being married in the past just comes across as bad melodrama, especially her being asked to be head of B5! Scoggins is good in the role of Lockley, but i think more should have been made about her part and beliefs and loyalties in the president clark era. Lyta gets finally ****** over by events after all the good she has done for the alliance. Lyta gets the meat of the part that should have apparently gone to the ivanova character with the telepaths. JMS said that he may have had Ivanova's character die if he had known she would not be in season 5, i think dramaticaly it would have worked better, but the final ever episode had already been shot. Confirmation of season 5 came very late and Christian had other filming commitments ( the actors thought season 4 was the end of things)Claudia Christian later said that she was available for the part and could fit it into her filming schedule, but Warners would not have it. The final episode sleeping in light is subtley done and will have you in tears i can guarantee. There is a pervading sense of melancholy and things coming to an end throughout this series. Worth getting even though it is the weakest season by far and lacks the texture and substance of the earlier seasons, but that is a little unfair when comparing it to seasons 3 & 4. "Sleeping in the light"is a fitting end is really worth the entrance fee anyway.

review by: chasingshadows date: 2005-10-03 rating:

The eleventh hour at Babylon 5 �
I came to Babylon 5 almost at the eleventh-hour in its run on late-night channel 4, so I didn't particularly notice any decline in the quality of the episodes between those in the earlier seasons I'd managed to catch and this final season- I was just appreciative of such a well-written and absorbing science-fiction drama. But having now watched all five seasons on DVD it's clear to me that there's a definite disparity between this season and the four that precede it.

Season Five begins very ploddingly in a time of peace and explores the setting-up of the new alliance with the former Captain of Babylon 5 John Sheridan as its President. The new Captain of the station Elizabeth Lochley is very likable almost immediately- despite being written to oppose almost every regular on the show before she's even got both feet through the whooshing space-doors- but she is in my view a very solid replacement for Susan Ivanova, who especially gets the chance to shine in the "River of Souls" TV Movie made at the same time as this season.

The telepaths invited to start a colony on the station are one of the two main subjects of the season, but it's not until episode seven that this storyline picks up pace and becomes absorbing. But even then- after the so-called "telepath war" was alluded to more than once in previous seasons- it's somewhat of a disappointment when you consider what could have been had Straczynski chosen to really take on such a large story-arc and all that it entailed ethically, socially and politically for the universe of Babylon 5. The telepaths' story, which comes at a time between their exploitation by Earth Gov. in the past and the war (between them and the "mundanes") that's to come...is an interesting one, but the main problem is that as a group they are largely uncharismatic and with the exception of their leader- mute, which doesn't make for thrilling viewing. But on the flip side this story does provide Patricia Tallman (Lyta Alexander) with the screen-time she deserves and also some fantastic character dilemmas to sink her teeth into and that's reason enough for me be glued to my seat throughout this season. And once it gets up some momentum the storyline and the characters involved do make for compulsive viewing. The second subject of the season I won't give away for those who haven't seen it before, but it's much more thrilling than the telepath story-arc and also ties in with the finale of the show and also the fabled Babylon 5 feature film, which has yet to materialise...

Every season of Babylon 5 is marked by at least one superlative episode that takes every revelatory idea, every glimmer of brilliance and every subtle exploration into what it means to be human to extraordinary heights and it's no surprise that "Sleeping in Light," the episode in the fifth and final season of Babylon 5 and the finale of the show as a whole...is the episode for me, which attains that inexplicable goal. Even though I hadn't followed the programme from the beginning- when I saw this episode for the first time I was moved to tears, such was the power of the feeling and ability of all those involved in its making and I dare anyone not to react in the same way. The last thing you'll want to hear is that this episode alone is worth the price of the box set, because that implies the rest is below par. Well unfortunately...it is to some extent, but this is Babylon 5- it's still an awesome season, so buy the set for every episode, all 22 and be more than pleasantly surprised by a gem of an episode right at the end.

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