Babylon 5: The Complete Fifth Season: The Wheel Of Fire DVD boxset
01/07/2007 . Source: Geoff Willmetts 
Region 2 DVD. pub: Warners Home Video Z1 24275. 6 DVDs 924 minutes 22 episodes with extras. Price: £17.95 UK) if you know where to look) stars: Bruce Boxleitner, Jerry Doyle, Mira Furlan, Richard Briggs, Bill Mumy, Tracy Scoggins, Stephen Furst, Jeff Conaway, Patricia Tallman, Peter Jurasik and Andreas Katsulas. Buy Babylon 5: The Complete Fifth Season in the USA - or Buy Babylon 5: The Complete Fifth Season in the UK  check out websites: www.warnerbros.co.uk and www.babylon5tv.co.uk
There's been some time between me watching and reviewing the fifth season of 'Babylon 5'. A mixture of little time and suitable price, not to mention how much was done in producing this final season under even stricter price control and filming schedule. Six days an episode would have probably put the frighteners on many a production company. Babylonian Productions took it in their stride. Watching it again after nearly nine years puts a lot of things into perspective. It holds together rather well.
'Babylon 5' also proved that computer animation could be done under budget for TV shows and was the template for so many that have followed mostly cos it could do manipulations that would be otherwise impossible for modelwork as great as that can be.
If you've been asleep for the past decade and missed the series, 'Babylon 5' is the name of a space station set up by humans for commerce and diplomacy amongst themselves and the various alien races. Species there get involved in a long term battle between two elder alien races who use the younger races as pawns in their war. Although this is the main thread, various stories are used to show other aspects of the characters and tales.
With so much of the long-running plots tied up in Season 4 because it was feared there would be no Season 5, creator Joe Straczynski had to spread the final few arcs differently. Refugees from the Psi Corps seeking sanctuary on Babylon 5 was covered. So, too, was the fall of Centauri Prime as races aligned with the Shadows, one of those elder races, take their revenge. Other stories are more character generated as the Narn G'Kar turns from warrior diplomat to unwitting spiritual leader. Some of the other tales are used to show other aspects of the community. They are also under attack by other races. On this I do find an odd weakness. The station surviving all kinds of attacks up to then seemed particularly vulnerable when you would have thought it more than experienced in taking care of itself.
Saying that, 'Babylon 5' is still a good series and author Straczynski will leave you with a tear in your eye with the very last episode. Indeed, even with his audio commentary, admits to finding it difficult to bring closure but was ably supported by his cast. How many series have you watched that can illicit such a response as that?
Amongst the extras, there are three audio commentaries, a look at the CGI effects and material about some of the situations. The latter I tended to find a little redundant mostly cos it doesn't tell me anything I didn't get from watching the episodes. Of particular interest, though, are three scenes cut from the final episode. It's a shame that they weren't put into it to make it a special edition episode as I doubt if it would have upset the pace but thrown some more insight.
There have been many SF series on TV since 'Babylon 5' but none with a finite arc nor with the variety of continuing alien-looking characters such as this. If you've only discovered the series of late or too young to have seen it the first time around, start off with season one and have a fantastic journey through these boxsets.
GF Willmetts
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