Babylon 5 was one of the very first TV shows to use entirely computer generated visuals, ground breaking in its day but a bog standard thing these days. So you remember how old it is the original visuals were done with Newtek Lightwave 3D on Commodore Amigas no less....:smile:

the real reason he left is heartbreaking
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwyAo_YjtdM

Probably be found at a yard sale or in someone's basement about 20 years from now. :smile:

I saw JMS speak some years ago and I think he said Warner Bros had insisted that all of the CGI data was handed over without any copies being retained by anyone else. They dutifully packaged it all up very carefully on to discs so that someone could easily re-use the material in future. Then WB lost the whole lot.

I think I remember the original CGI was rendered at a very high resolution for the time, something like 3000x2500 and took 45-60 minutes to render each frame. It was then recorded to tape, now they don't have the original renders to put on HD and only the crappy low resolution tape. :disappointed:

It already IS jarring on the DVD's.

Outside scenes it's fine, but when you have internal scenes with actors it's VERY easy to see where they have had to zoom a 4:3 into a 16:9 image. Can't remember the episode title, but there is one with a Psi-Corp advert and the 'subliminal message' is cut off top and bottom of the screen! Various shots suddenly go from very wide to very close and fuzzy.

On the 4:3 video releases you can't tell because the scenes are the same size, but with the 16:9 version, they only have the 4:3 version to use with the cgi elements in :disappointed:

Lot of Amiga chatter so can I recommend: http://www.frombedroomstobillions.com/amiga

Just watched this over the weekend and they have one of the Lightwave team in it talking about Babylon 5, not much more than what is posted here but if you're an Amiga fan its worth a watch.

Also, I'll be buying this as unfortunately B5 won't be on Blu Ray anytime soon due to the original CGI needing to be completely re-rendered. The live action stuff was actually filmed on 35mm so could be HD but it'd be a bit jarring having HD live scenes and SD CGI!

My word, i didnt know any of that...and I loved Babylon 5 back in the day.

Another link about Michael O Hare
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_O%27Hare

Doesn't have any of the TV movies or the spin off Crusade that are all in the box set though

This show was one of my all-time sci-fi faves, but they tarnished it with a pointless 5th season (the story arc had well and truly been buried by the end of the 4th season). And, for the time, the special effects most certainly weren't "pants". And, yes, I have this box set, but I paid a lot more for it (many years ago).

Fab series have it on VHS and DVD

the best thing to happen to it was them getting rid of the incidental music between scenes. watched it through a few years ago. great series.

Amiga 1200 + 4000 were used to encode all the Cgi. i wonder if i can get the babylon 5 *.l3d files anywhere.

I'm a huge DS9 fan but never got into Babylon. I've heard it's quite good though.

One of the best shows EVER.

Never liked it, but great price for those that do.

Only show I've watched in it's entirety more than one. Wish more sci-fi was written this tightly.


Wow I had no idea, holy crap.

If you go to Z'ha'dum, you will die...

Which led to the most awesome run of shows without any dull filler episodes of the time.

Although the end of the Shadow Wars was a bitter disappointment. One can only wonder what it would have been like if it was allowed to develop over all of Season 4, instead of having to be cut short.

Ah, sweet memories. Londo, G'Kar, Bester ... three superb characters.

Series 4 was rushed because the network refused to commit to series 5, if fact it looked like they'd cancel the series at the end of season 4. JMS didn't want to leave it hanging (like so many series do when the network pulls the plug), so chose to end it at the end of season 4. Then a few weeks later the network renews for series 5!

​Thanks rooha, I've just watched the link, that's so tragic

Ahhh...thanks for that link. Always wondered about that change. Mind you casting Tron as commander turned out to be a great move. I need to rewatch B5 right now. What time does CeX open? :smiley:

You mean 'Severed Dreams'

Great series (apart from the 5th for all kinds of reason's). JMS's writing was master class on how to do good SF arc's, only spoiled in places by the half assed meddling of the network...

Heat for the price OP. Big sci-fi fan, but I just couldn't get into Babylon 5 at all. The special effects were pants for the time. Wonder how they've fared with age.

Great price for a brilliant, ground breaking SCI FI show, I feel like watching it all over again, still disappointed at the way the first commander left after season 1 although it was explained in one of the films.

great show

I still love my Amiga. This is the same back and forth I had with my Babylon 5 loving friends 20 years ago :laughing:

That's £15 for all 5, not per series, which is what I originally thought!

What a show :smiley: