I tried to rewatch it a while back but couldn't really get into the 90s production values - I think I've been spoiled by post millennium tv.
Yeah, a lot of the CG effects are laughably terrible, but I don't know. For me, that just adds to the charm. I guess I just like how the station and everything you see appears very lived in. Everything feels a lot more organic than Terok Nor, otherwise known as DS9. As an aside, it's cool to see how many recognizable faces show up on Babylon 5. Stuff like how the actor who plays G'kar is also the actor who played Tomalak from TNG, or how Walter Koenig (Chekov) plays the role of the fiendish psy cop Besters. And, like you and I said, the political nuance is great as well, but, beyond that, I like how it still remembers that it's sci-fi. The Vorlons in particular are just great, although they do kind of remind me in appearance of the Sheliak from TNG. One of my favorite moments from Babylon 5 though is when G'Kar is describing how all of the major races (Narn, Centauri, Humanity, Minbari) have as much hope of understanding some of the forces at work in the universe, as an ant does of understanding them. It's stuff like that which makes Babylon 5 really memorable and unique.
I also appreciate that, far more than any incarnation of Star Trek ever did, Babylon 5 knows how to touch upon the most painful aspects of the human condition. Two examples of this would be when Sinclair and Dr. Franklin are talking with each other at the end of the episode involving the parents who won't let their kid get operated on because of their spiritual beliefs. In Star Trek, an episode like that would've had a happy ending, but Babylon 5 has the ability to take it in a darker and, I'd argue, more ultimately insightful direction. It leads to the characters asking questions of themselves and each other that would otherwise not be asked. I highly recommend watching the below scene to get an idea of what I mean. It's the sort of thing that I feel Star Trek has never been able to touch, in regards to really tapping into raw human pain.
Another example would be when Garibaldi and the grown-up daughter of his dead friend say their last goodbyes to each other at the end of their related episode together. Like the above, you get the same sort of moment where the writers manage to tap into something raw and very much relatable. I wish I could find the scene and post it here, but it doesn't seem to be available on YouTube. The below is a bit of consolation.
I'll also say that the show is genuinely funny at times and can have some really witty lines. The shenanigans Londo and G'Kar get up to leads to some really great stuff. The episode where G'Kar has an assassin trying to kill him was definitely one of the funnier episodes in particular.
Anyway, I can't help, but wonder how the rest of the series must be. Really hope it doesn't go downhill or anything, since the first season's been so amazing thus far.
I really wanted to like Discovery, and I thought the premise was interesting, but about halfway through the first season I realized I didn't care about any of the characters.
After hearing how unbelievably bad it was, I didn't even bother watching it. Same goes with Picard. To tell you the truth, I haven't even gotten around to watching Enterprise. And, honestly, I'd much rather go check it out then either STD or Picard. When it comes to Picard, although the TNG movies already shit all over Picard as a character, now the show is basically adding insult to injury, which is just sad. I'm not sure I could ever bear watching it as a result. I don't need to see his character diminished any more than it already has been.
I'd definitely recommend The Expanse - much more of a grimy, realistic take on humans in space, with the various factions struggling to coexist. You may have to overlook some dodgy accents though.
Yeah, I'll definitely get around to it at some point. Unlike yourself, I find it more difficult to watch contemporary sci-fi. It's too flashy and tends to be more cynically produced to try and get as wide an audience as possible, instead of just writing good sci-fi.
After I'm done with Babylon 5, I'll probably move on to Stargate actually. I never much cared for the insufferable Americentrism in Stargate, but I don't know. I can remember popping on SG1 when I was a teenager at times and enjoying it to some extent. The cast was certainly good and some of the stories could actually be pretty okay.
My next pick would definitely be Battlerstar Gallatica. I've always found it a little off-putting, since it seems a little bit melodrama-ish and the whole "everyone's a cylon" meme got to me before I could ever check it out, but I intend to give it a watch regardless. Hopefully I'll enjoy it.
And yeah, Farscape. That's another one I've never watched. That's the one that has Gene Roddenberry's name on it, right? It's got puppets and some guy in a black leather gimp suit, I think? I'll probably check that out at some point too.
In the end, chronic anhedonia makes it hard to get to this stuff. Usually I just nap and stare at the wall. Again, I'm just glad I finally got around to Babylon 5.