When I originally created this blog, I was mourning the end of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica. You have to understand - I came to the world of sci-fi/sci-fantasy fairly late. I had always gravitated toward the genre in books, but my first experience in sci-fi television did not happen until about 2005. I suppose I had watched things close to the genre like Charmed or BtVS or Smallville, but honestly those are more mainstream than shows like Battlestar Galactica, Firefly, and Babylon 5. Anyhow, it was 2005 and I had recently graduated from college I was working in a small bookstore in a large metropolitan town (let's call it Metropolis for fun). I wanted time to prepare graduate school applications and take care of some personal details, so working at the bookstore almost full time was perfect.
I found myself with a little more free time than I had expected. My coworker, Karate, had just finished watching a television series on DVD called Babylon 5 and spent quite a bit of time talking to our manager, MovieBuff, about it. I was intrigued by the snippets of their conversation I overheard, but I still felt that sci-fi was "too weird." Eventually, both MovieBuff and Karate noticed my growing interest, and MovieBuff convinced me to give Babylon 5 a try. He even offered to lend me his DVDs. Moviebuff only asked one thing - that I stick with Babylon 5 for an entire season before deciding to give it up. He and Karate both warned me that season 1 was slower, that it essentially functioned as a prologue for the rest of the series and would pay it off later.
They were right. I trudged through Season 1. At first, I was admittedly a bit put off by the strange looking aliens but as I kept watching, I found myself transfixed by the differing cultures and their dealings with one another, their motives, and the mysteries surrounding the station, it's history and yet unknown enemies.
I watched seasons 2-5 at an alarming pace. I couldn't believe how well constructed the storyline was, how rich the characterization was, and how many themes, ideas, and philosophies the show tackled. I fell in love with the characters, anguished over their struggles, and felt joy at their triumphs. I knew it was just a TV show, but for the first time, I was watching something that made me THINK. I was astounded.
When I was finished with the series, I was at a bit of a loss. I wasn't sure I'd watch anything so profound again. Luckily, I was wrong.
As Kosh would have said, "And so it...began."
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