Oh, dear Lord, say it isn't so?
The dreaded reboot wheel has taken another spin, it would seem, and the news is out from TV Line earlier today that no less than Michael J. Straczynski himself has been commissioned to prepare a full reboot of his own Babylon 5 for The CW.
Ahem.
Hey, look. I bear absolutely no ill will toward Babylon 5 at all. I've mentioned in this space before that it was a show that I just didn't quite 'get' when it aired in its original rotation on the Boob Tube. Once all of it came out on home video, I did try to get through it ... but failed. Since I had the disks, I even gave it a second try about a year later; alas, it just didn't take. In fact, it wasn't until the late Jerry Doyle challenged me (somewhat) via a Twitter post to give it a try for the full run that I finally got through all of it. Though I've never watched the standalone telefilms from that universe, I conceded that what I did enjoy was good, not nearly as great (for me) as those who'd championed its wares online for so long.
I think my central issue with it is that for an obvious Science Fiction show far too much of the dialogue felt like it was pure Fantasy. Many of these characters were given speeches and snippets which sounded like they'd be more at home in the worlds of The Lord Of The Rings or even Game Of Thrones. They spoke far too theatrically for my tastes, so I had some reservations about investing in their separate journeys. Again, sometimes truly liking a show is a matter of personal taste, and while I loved the overall arc of the show I just didn't care as much for the characters as I needed for all of it to resonate.
Now, I'd never argue that the show shouldn't be seen or enjoyed. That's just not my thing. Long-time readers here know that I'm all for more SciFi and Fantasy as opposed to less. Straczynski's plotting was pretty epic, and his definitely had a very gifted cast with which to weave his delicate webs. But, at the end of the day, my single journey through his franchise -- despite it taking a few attempts -- will likely be enough for this lifetime.
Though I'm typically not a fan of full reboots (I do prefer continuations or spin-off incarnations as opposed to simply starting everything all over), I may be more inclined to give this one a look if and when it finally makes it onto television. Clearly, Babylon 5 is a property that a studio could exploit the Hades out of; and I'm glad that this is happening with Straczynski's involvement as opposed to an all-new creative crew. It's his baby; if he wants to give it a fresh spin for a new generation of wokeness, then hats off to him for persevering. He'll definitely have an audience.
I'll keep my eyes peeled for updates, and share 'em if I see any.
-- EZ
The dreaded reboot wheel has taken another spin, it would seem, and the news is out from TV Line earlier today that no less than Michael J. Straczynski himself has been commissioned to prepare a full reboot of his own Babylon 5 for The CW.
Ahem.
Hey, look. I bear absolutely no ill will toward Babylon 5 at all. I've mentioned in this space before that it was a show that I just didn't quite 'get' when it aired in its original rotation on the Boob Tube. Once all of it came out on home video, I did try to get through it ... but failed. Since I had the disks, I even gave it a second try about a year later; alas, it just didn't take. In fact, it wasn't until the late Jerry Doyle challenged me (somewhat) via a Twitter post to give it a try for the full run that I finally got through all of it. Though I've never watched the standalone telefilms from that universe, I conceded that what I did enjoy was good, not nearly as great (for me) as those who'd championed its wares online for so long.
I think my central issue with it is that for an obvious Science Fiction show far too much of the dialogue felt like it was pure Fantasy. Many of these characters were given speeches and snippets which sounded like they'd be more at home in the worlds of The Lord Of The Rings or even Game Of Thrones. They spoke far too theatrically for my tastes, so I had some reservations about investing in their separate journeys. Again, sometimes truly liking a show is a matter of personal taste, and while I loved the overall arc of the show I just didn't care as much for the characters as I needed for all of it to resonate.
Now, I'd never argue that the show shouldn't be seen or enjoyed. That's just not my thing. Long-time readers here know that I'm all for more SciFi and Fantasy as opposed to less. Straczynski's plotting was pretty epic, and his definitely had a very gifted cast with which to weave his delicate webs. But, at the end of the day, my single journey through his franchise -- despite it taking a few attempts -- will likely be enough for this lifetime.
Though I'm typically not a fan of full reboots (I do prefer continuations or spin-off incarnations as opposed to simply starting everything all over), I may be more inclined to give this one a look if and when it finally makes it onto television. Clearly, Babylon 5 is a property that a studio could exploit the Hades out of; and I'm glad that this is happening with Straczynski's involvement as opposed to an all-new creative crew. It's his baby; if he wants to give it a fresh spin for a new generation of wokeness, then hats off to him for persevering. He'll definitely have an audience.
I'll keep my eyes peeled for updates, and share 'em if I see any.
-- EZ
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