I’m also disappointed that we never got to see everything they had planned for Crusade. Until it came out on DVD and I listened to the commentary, I hadn;t realized there was so much in the works, and it really put every odd moment of S1 into perspective.

Back when it first aired, I had a few giggles at Gary Cole’s expense simply because I was expecting a carbon copy of O’Hare or Boxleitner. But on second viewing I came to love the character and the performance on its own merits, and it gave me a whole new appreciation for the rest of Cole’s work.

Maybe some day, another James Cawley will come along and film the unused scripts as a fan production. ;-)

Dude, that says more about how YOU see the show than it does me. Where the fuck did I even reference T and A besides nowhere? In fact, you clearly missed the words “bold social commentary”….in addition to the fact that damn near the entirety of my post was about modern Trek’s inability to be relevant as regards to it’s social commentary.

#79
“I don’t think I could casually watch a rerun here and there without needing to sit down and watch the whole story arc.”

Agreed with your post as regards to B5, but this line….actually I have been able to watch an ep here and there and fight off the urge to watch it all again.

I’ve watched the entire story 3 times. The first time around, which was nothing short of an amazing 5 year experience. I doubt I’ll ever experience anything like that again, or at least for a good while.

The second time around was when TNT got the show and re-broadcast them. It was awesome being able to watch it everyday! Plus you pick up on so many things that you missed the first time around, either because you weren’t really paying attention, didn’t really know the significance or were just plain ignorant of some important fact until later.

When Kosh first meets Sinclair in the pilot ep, he greets him with some funny Kosh speak gibberish. Watching the whole shebang the second time around I understood what Kosh was saying and I was like “HOLY SHIT!! They foreshadowed something major, so quickly that early!”
IIRC, he says “Entil’za Valen”.

I remember someone saying that B5 is meant to be watched at least TWO times around because you’ll pick up on so much foreshadowing and things you missed the first time around because now you have a better frame of reference and know what’s coming.

The third time was this year, in fact, because every 6 months or so, Best Buy will sell the season sets for 20.00 per season. As that deal was too good to pass up, I got all five seasons for 100.00 bucks.

This time around, I bought it all. Crusade, the movies, Legend of the Rangers, all of it. And then, just for laughs, I watched it all in “in-universe” order. So I didn’t end with “Sleeping In Light”. But with the last half of “Deconstruction Of Falling Stars” as it moves centuries into the future, ending a million years later.

Sure, it lacks the emotional impact of SiL, the best series finale ever IMHO, but still…..even that was an awesome experience, just to be able to do something like that with something so epic.

And like Season 1 of B5, I actually came to really enjoy Crusade and felt a little sad that we’ll never get the rest of the story.

What an awesome experience all three viewings of the show have been for me.

And the weirdest thing? Every viewing makes me appreciate Season 1 that much more. The last time around I was struck by how hard sci-fi-ish it was and really wanted to see the show stay like that, despite the awesomeness that was coming. All the cool touches in S1 that really made the station feel huge, like the Dockers Guild ep and so on.

Although I have found that watching eps on DVD, back to back, makes it feel a little rushed, as opposed to watching it once a week and then having to wait three or four months between seasons. It just felt alot more epic that way.

And weirder than that? I was ready to watch it all over again just recently.

Like any good, huge novel, it’s good to read all the way through every few years.

But I just can’t go back and watch it again. It’s too big a mental and emotional investment. I don’t think I could casually watch a rerun here and there without needing to sit down and watch the whole story arc. The thing that made it so great also had a negative imapct on its replay value.

#75. Peter N “That TAS trailer makes me want to buy the DVDs!”

For what you get, I’d say they are totally worth it considering most of us willingly went out and paid for TOS season 3 on DVD. Sure, some of the TAS episodes are stinkers, but there are some really good ones as well.

I like the scantily clad women (Helfer, primarily) as much as the next guy, but don’t let your hormones decide what is good and what isn’t. Moore & Co. know their audience is primarily teen boys and young men, and they really pump up the sex factor. That’s not “bold TV” that’s pandering to your audience.

I think the miniseries and Season 1 of BSG were excellent. It has unfortunately been in a quality free-fall ever since.