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Author Topic: Babylon 5  (Read 3368 times)

Ratman_tf

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Babylon 5
« Reply #15 on: April 19, 2020, 03:10:17 PM »
Quote from: VisionStorm;1127305
Imagine coming in late into the series and not getting WTF is so important about this "Sinclair" guy when he comes back in the episodes where they travel to B4 cuz you missed out on how he was the original lead character and station commander for all of season 1, before Sheridan came along.

In my case, It made me more interested to go back, watch from the beginning, and find out.
Not specifically about Sinclair, but the series in general.
The notion of an exclusionary and hostile RPG community is a fever dream of zealots who view all social dynamics through a narrow keyhole of structural oppression.
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Ratman_tf

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« Reply #16 on: April 19, 2020, 03:13:41 PM »
Quote from: Lurkndog;1127301
In general, I'll take painstaking model work over slapdash CGI. Plus, there is something to be said for preserving the show in its original form.

I kind of agree. I hate how the Star Wars "special editions" have erased the work of model makers from the originals.
But some of the effects work in Trek TOS is so grainy and blurry, and we can (and probably should) preserve the originals when doing updates.
The notion of an exclusionary and hostile RPG community is a fever dream of zealots who view all social dynamics through a narrow keyhole of structural oppression.
-Haffrung

Lurkndog

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« Reply #17 on: April 20, 2020, 01:12:40 PM »
Quote from: Ratman_tf;1127313
I kind of agree. I hate how the Star Wars "special editions" have erased the work of model makers from the originals.
But some of the effects work in Trek TOS is so grainy and blurry, and we can (and probably should) preserve the originals when doing updates.

If you can watch the show in its original form, or the updated one, fine. The classic Doctor Who DVDs do this. Though, again, the updated CGI effects are not particularly well done.

The one time Trek really knocked it out of the park, in my opinion, was when DS9 did a "return to The Trouble With Tribbles" time travel episode. The original ship designs done with modern effects really looked great there.

Koltar

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« Reply #18 on: April 20, 2020, 10:19:15 PM »
Quote from: Ratman_tf;1127313
I kind of agree. I hate how the Star Wars "special editions" have erased the work of model makers from the originals.
But some of the effects work in Trek TOS is so grainy and blurry, and we can (and probably should) preserve the originals when doing updates.


They did 'preserve' - the Bu-ray version of the remastered episodes gives you the choice to go back and forth between the old effects and the new effects.
I prefer the 2008/2009 remaster version - because the finally looks 24 stories 'tall' - like it should. Also, the planets all now have believable weather systems and atmospheres when seen from orbit.

- Ed C.
The return of 'You can't take the Sky From me!'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUn-eN8mkDw&feature=rec-fresh+div

This is what a really cool FANTASY RPG should be like :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-WnjVUBDbs

Still here, still alive, at least Seven years now...

Omega

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« Reply #19 on: April 22, 2020, 06:28:39 AM »
Quote from: Lurkndog;1127232
Heh! When I heard they were doing a remastered version of TOS, I made sure to buy the DVDs of the original version. Sounds like I made a good choice.

With B5, I do kind of wish they could remaster the effects shots in HD, for the simple reason that the live action elements were actually shot on film in widescreen, so they would make for great Blu-rays if there were HD effects to go with them.


Part of the problem is that to replace scenes with CG for some reason they had to cut out bits to fit them in. And whomever did the work seems to think that ST starships move like fighter planes. Dont even get me started with CGing in the Gorn and other aliens.

Omega

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« Reply #20 on: April 22, 2020, 06:34:35 AM »
Quote from: Ratman_tf;1127313
I kind of agree. I hate how the Star Wars "special editions" have erased the work of model makers from the originals.
But some of the effects work in Trek TOS is so grainy and blurry, and we can (and probably should) preserve the originals when doing updates.

Not just the model work, but progressively erasing the side actors from little bits. Anakin in Return of the Jedi for example. Mostly subtle stuff as of the copy Kat had, and didnt like.

Abraxus

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« Reply #21 on: April 22, 2020, 08:24:40 AM »
I got into B5 mostly being a fan of Science Fiction yet also because Star Trek TNG and trek in general became very stale and even too political for  my tastes. Almost none of the characters in Trek had any relationships and when they did it went nowhere. Character xyz admits to loving character ABC and it went nowhere. As well as some really strange politically themed storylines. All of sudden warp drive pollutes space can you be any more obvious with your anti-pollution agenda. Note not that am against that sort of thing just how heavily handed it was done in that particular epsiode. The first season of B5 had it's growing pains and it became better yet I found the characters more realistic, organic and not perfect and neither was the world they lived in. The only Trek I found to be similar was the later seasons of DS9. Otherwise everything else followed and still follows a similarly stale formula.

danskmacabre

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« Reply #22 on: April 22, 2020, 07:24:31 PM »
Many years ago, a friend who was a huge B5 fan invited me over to watch the B5 series. He explained everything in detail with all sorts of periphery factoids.
I'm not sure I would have been that into it otherwise, as it feels like SF soap Opera in space.
But whatever the case, yeah I quite like the series and I did find it interesting to watch the overall plot develop and watch the characters evolve.