(I only included the paragraphs where Babylon 5 is mentioned)
1993
...In the
States, February gave a glimpse of one of the most influential series of
the decade, when the pilot of Babylon 5 made those who saw it sit
up and take notice....
1994
... Meanwhile,
in Epsilon Grid, Babylon 5 quietly started operations after one
tv movie with Midnight on the Firing Line. Most Science Fiction
fans dismissed it as a rejigged Trek clone, and it wasn't until halfway
through the first season did people's jaws start dropping. By the end of
its inaugural year, it had gained a good fanbase and returned for its prophesied
five year run.
1995
...But still
leading the way when it came to galaxy-wide conspiracies was Babylon
5, with the airing of The Coming of Shadows and In the Shadow
of Z'ha'dum showing what real enemies are about, and certainly guaranteeing
The Shadows in the TV Zone Top 10 Baddies of All Time.
1996
... Babylon
5 was at its zenith this year, delivering the triumphant triumvirate
of Messages From Earth, Point of No Return and Severed
Dreams. Not only that, but we got the revelation of the Shadow War,
and Sheridan really going over the edge in the jaw-dropping Z'Ha'Dum.
It was a the year that the show really got noticed, and even managed to
pull some of the die-hard Trekkies away from Sisko's adventure with its
promises of characters that changed, and battles that were sometimes lost.
If you did miss it, don't worry-- Deep Space Nine cribbed most of
it for its last two years anyway, so just set your videos for that.
1998
... Babylon
5's swift rescue from decommission was trumpeted by the arrival of
In The Beginning and the new reign started on a high. Alas it was
not to continue, and Season 5 gradually degenerated into Soap Opera with
Sheridan and his lovely wife Delenn, Garibaldi falling off the wagon more
times than Calamity Jane and the most annoying workmen this side of the
road-diggers who work before 10 on a Sunday morning. Still, we finally
get to see the beautiful and moving final episode Sleeping in Light,
and hopes were raised when TNT took up the option for the spin-off series
Crusade.
1999
... The year
started with a beginning and an end, all in one programme. The Babylon
5 tv movie A Call to Arms said a sad but exciting farewell to
J. Michael Straczynski's universe of the space station with a plot that
led into a spin-off series Crusade.
... June, and Crusade finally appeared. This series had suffered one of the most public birth pangs, with almost every bitter step of its creation relayed on the Internet. There were high hopes for it, and had it survived more than its eventual 13 episodes it might have proved itself. As it was, it proved to be a mish-mash of good and bad.
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