the lost tales

[Mariel]

Well I pre-ordered mine from Amazon but when I looked in my Sunday paper I noticed that Best Buy had it with an exclusive comic. So yes, I rushed out to Best Buy this morning just so I could have that comic. It's a 6 pager that fits in the DVD box and is a tribute to Richard Biggs and Andreas Katsulas. I also enjoyed the DVD with all its extras. Well worth the price in my opinion.

[Melanie Nilles]

I like it, but both my husband and I are frustrated that it's only one episode that leaves things hanging. As he discovered, though, putting out more depends on the sale of this first one. If you want to see more, tell your friends to buy it! Support more Lost Tales, so we aren't left wondering what happens next.

[mogora]

I was rather disappointed.

I really disliked the first episode. JMS originally wrote this as a short story not set in the B5 universe. Just changing the setting to B5 didn't make it feel like Babylon 5. But then, I thought the original story was ridiculous in the extreme to begin with. I'm supposed to buy demons and exorcists in space without even a twitch of incredulity?

The second episode with Sheridan was much better but predictable. I knew what Sheridan's solution would be the moment Galen posed the problem. However, at least my eyes weren't rolling out of their sockets like in the first episode. I did enjoy this one, despite the lack of tension over what Sheridan would do.

[I, Brian]

Got to admit, I'm very reserved about these - JMS seems to have been going downhill in terms of creativity since Season 3 of B5.

Season 5 as a rush job perhaps has an excuse, but I've had serious difficulty enjoying any of the B5 films released since. One I can't remember the name of, other than it was bloody awful and couldn't give it away fast enough. In the beginning was okay, but filled with plot discrepencies with the original B5 storyline.

[Melanie Nilles]

About the first episode or rather, the first part...is this some sort of actual demon or a remnant of the allies of the Shadows? If the latter, it would make more sense and follow with the original B5 story. THAT is what I want to know.

[JFLewis]

Originally Posted by Melanie Nilles

About the first episode or rather, the first part...is this some sort of actual demon or a remnant of the allies of the Shadows? If the latter, it would make more sense and follow with the original B5 story. THAT is what I want to know.

I think that was my main issue with the first section. If Angel sightings, in the B5 universe, have throughout history been Vorlon sightings (which I think the series intimates) then why are there real demons? It would make much more sense for them to be some kind of agents of the Shadows.

The second part was great for me. The sets didn't feel as small and we *gasp* had three actors from the series on screen at one time! The interplay between Galen and Sheridan felt just like the original series at its best.

I'll definitetly buy the next set. I hope they give JMS the budget to do the Garibaldi story as he envisions it.

The tributes to Andreas Katsulas and Michael Biggs were particularly touching.

[Gothic_Angelica]

I just got round to watching the lost tales and I was a little disappointed. It was just a random story about nothing.

Ah well, never mind. I liked some of it and it is nice to see B5 looking better than ever.

[sassy nation]

yea, i was gravely disappointed with the dvd stories. and the original cast, few. the first story, oh it was horrid. and not buy-intoable. i am now trying to watch Jeremiah, and found the pilot boring.

[doctorwhen]

I, too, was a bit disappointed with the storylines. The whole devil in space thing was an interesting concept, but it didn't really fit into the whole B5 universe in my opinion. As I think someone else mentioned, it was a non-B5 story JMS wrote - and you can tell.

As others have mentioned, the other story's ending was a bit vague.

Nice try, but you're going to have to try a lot harder to beat or even equal the original series: My girlfriend and I are huge fans and watch B5 on rotation (we watch the whole arc back-to-back and it takes us a good year each time!) - and we're still finding new things.

The only redeeming feature was that the CGI was updated, and the "look and feel" of the whole thing was much better using the new technology.

[judge_mel]

All in all, I found it enjoyable to spend some time back in the B5 universe, and while the stories were little more than interpersonal set pieces to be played out predictably, I'm not unhappy about watching them.

As for plot and dialogue, Straczinski continues to demonstrate both his strengths and weaknesses. He's great as usual with his portentous dialogue, still rather clunky with his normal speech, and his characters tend to be designed to play out the game he's having in his head with these two stories. The only major flaws I found annoyed me were the gloating and petty maliciousness on the part of Lockley and Sheridan especially. I guess they haven't had much fun in the intervening years.