Cheap Babylon 5 - The Gathering (Pilot) / In the Beginning (DVD) (Richard Compton) Price

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Customer Reviews of Babylon 5 - The Gathering (Pilot) / In the Beginning

I think this DVD represents some of the best of Babylon 5, and some of the... well, not the best. The pilot episode, while much improved with it's "special edition" release, is still less than a perfect example of what the series was able to do. But it's still better than any Star Trek series pilot ever did :) It wraps the feel and background of the series in a murder mystery that sets the pace for the action and political intrigue that was to continue for the run of the series.

"In the Beginning" is something of a spoiler for first-time B5 viewers, so beware. Many of the surprises of the series are re-revealed here, along with many new discoveries. However, it also represents Babylon 5 at its best. It's a thrilling re-telling of the backstory of the Babylon 5 universe, as told by a dying emperor, full of regrets, many years later. One of the axioms of the TV series was that "nobody is ever exactly who they seem," and in this made-for-TV movie, this hits home very squarely. It's an action-packed two hours that remains fun after repeated viewings.

One great movie... Ignore the other!
The fan consensus on this two-feature DVD is that it represents the Worst and Best of Babylon 5.

To be fair, "The Gathering" as a pilot episode is merely mediocre. Pilot episodes are seldom the strongest of a series. The launching of Babylon 5 had a heavy burden to carry. When Deep Space Nine appeared - or Voyager for that matter - the Star Trek universe was pretty well known. Only the characters and specific situation required introduction. Yet, in "Gathering," the entire Babylon 5 universe required introduction.

On this DVD, "The Gathering" is a Director's Version. Scenes have been added or clipped, and the sound score has been re-mixed, making a superior overall product. My main complaint with "The Gathering" is that it's quite unnecessary. One can never watch the pilot, and still understand the series perfectly. It's almost better to NOT watch it. There were so many cast changes between the pilot and the series, so many costume, prop, and make-up alterations... watching "The Gathering" can be a little unsettling.

Perhaps it may be heresy, but I would suggest "In The Beginning" as a better introduction to the series. Filmed during the last season of Babylon 5, this tele-movie recreates the events leading up to the Babylon 5 program. Humans encounter an alien first-contact situation that goes horribly wrong. A war breaks out between the humans and the highly advanced Minbari, a war the humans cannot win.

"In The Beginning" is arguably the best of Babylon 5 in a capsule. The plot flows naturally, the passion can be felt, and the special effects... all come together in the best sci-fi that came out of television. While the episode lets out some secrets, primarily from the first season, they are minor in the overall scheme of the series. In some respects, "Beginning" was a new pilot episode, financed by TNT, which had taken over broadcasting rights in the last season of Babylon 5. Eager to bring in new viewers, TNT encouraged the production of "In The Beginning."

Wayne Gralian
Wayne's World of Books / Krakow RPGs
WaynesBooks.com

Five stars for content and one star for presentation.
This DVD was a great disappointment to me.

I am a big fan of "Babylon 5". I love what writer/producer/creator J. Michael Straczynski accomplished with his 5 year epic. Sure, the show was a little slow to get going (he had a lot of build up to accomplish) and it stumbled in the first half of the final season (the telepath war wasn't everything it could or should have been), but when you take the long view of the structure and the impact of the story being told, it's one of the best novels ever produced on television.

This DVD presents the re-edited two-hour pilot movie "The Gathering" and the backstory feature "In the Beginning."

This version of "The Gathering" was produced for TNT when that network picked up the series for its fifth and final season. It was re-edited, with updated special affects and a new score added. It is a better movie in this form than the original. However, what is odd about it is that the series was produced in letterbox format (and was shown as such on Sci-Fi). However, as TNT didn't show it in letterbox format, this transfer of the film is in 1.33:1 ratio.

The plot involves a space station that serves as a meeting place for various alien races where they can work out their grievances on neutral territory. The first ambassador from the fifth major space faring races (Humans, Minbari, Narns, Centauri, and Vorlons) is due to arrive. He is Kosh, a Vorlon. The Vorlons are the oldest of the races known. When an assassination attempt is made on his life, suspicion falls on the station's commander, Jeffrey Sinclair (Michael O'Hare). The story is a mystery, and it serves to introduce many of the main characters and themes that would run throughout all of Babylon 5.

It's impressive to see how much groundwork Straczynski laid out right from the start. His universe and the story he intended to tell were already in sharp focus in his mind, and it shows. If you see "The Gathering" and follow the series to its conclusion, you can see many things alluded to in the initial pilot pay off years down the road. It's impressive.

It's also interesting to see what ideas and cast members were shed along the way. Michael O'Hare was never a particularly charismatic presence, and his departure at the end of the series' first season allowed for the more dynamic actor Bruce Boxleitner to come in as John Sheridan. However, Mira Furlann as Delenn, Andreas Katsulas as G'Kar, and Peter Jurasik as Londo make it through to the end of the show and the three of them gave consistently interesting and intriguing performances. Unlike many TV shows, these characters grew and changed. Jerry Doyle also stayed with the show to the end as Michael Garibaldi. He's always adequate (and sometimes excellent), but he's never been able to shake his Bruce Willis image sufficiently to make an impact of his own.

"In the Beginning" is the story of what happened before "The Gathering." As a movie, it fills in the backstory of what happened in the days before the Babylon 5 station was established. It was originally produced between seasons 4 and 5 when the show moved to TNT. As such, it has always been a bit of a puzzlement to me. Now, this is not to say that it is a bad movie. It's actually an exciting story in and of itself that goes a long way in explaining the suspicion with which the Humans and the Minbari view each other during the entire run of Babylon 5. However, it also reveals some secrets that viewers weren't privy to for years while watching the series in real time. I'm never sure when to recommend that new viewers should watch "In the Beginning." Should it be watched in storyline chronological order--before "The Gathering" or after the final episode of season four "The Deconstruction of Falling Stars" so that none of the surprises are ruined. It's a tough call, but Warner Brothers has released it with "The Gathering" so there you go. They seem to think it should be watched here and now.

Personally, I love "Babylon 5" and I'm glad to see this DVD. I hope it will lead to the release of the entire series. However, as a DVD, it's very disappointing. There are absolutely NO extras. I've read what Straczyski has written about the creative choices he made while producing the show and about his theories of storytelling. I would have loved to have a commentary track from him detailing the production process. I have little doubt that additional commentary from the cast, from conceptual consultant Harlan Ellison, and from co-producer John Copeland would have been of great interest. Unfortunately there isn't any. Because of this, I have very mixed feelings about this DVD. I want the entire series, but I feel a little cheated. I don't want to say "Don't buy this DVD!" because I don't want to ruin the chances that the rest of the show won't follow. But I want more and I want Warner Brothers to know that. If we're going to invest in 5 years worth of material, they should give us something extra. It will be no small investment to buy all of "Babylon 5". Make it worth our while.

If you like "Babylon 5", I highly recommend "Farscape" now being released on DVD.

(C)2002 Joe Edkin