I’ve mentioned before in other reviews that I am a big fan of good science fiction. I have a passing interest in “Star Wars” and “Star Trek”, and though I watch both, am not really into them. Off the top of my head I can only think of two sci-fi shows that I do get into, one of them being “Babylon 5.” In case you’re curious, the other one is “Stargate SG-1”, but the main focus of this review is the first. I can’t tell you how psyched I get whenever another season of “Babylon 5” gets released on DVD. This month it’s the 3rd season, and sitting down to watch it reminded me of just how well written this series was. I think in part, that has to do with creator J. Michael Straczynski’s taking the time to plot out an entire five-year story arc. In doing so, events in one episode often have a direct affect on other episodes. This is what made the series so darn compelling. I can’t tell you how many times I’d catch some odd piece of business that happened in one episode, only to find out it was a foreshadowing of something else. Sometimes these ‘links’ were cross-seasonal.

When the 3rd season DVD set of “Babylon 5” showed up at my house, I immediately set to watching it. I’ve even gotten my wife into the series (as I have a few others). For those who have never seen the show, but have been tempted, I’ll tell to you what I told her. You need to start from the 1st season. But what you will find is that while this season offers up some pretty good stories, the characters are a bit light, and occasionally it seems a bit campy. But if you follow it into the 2nd season, you’ll start to notice some changes. The episodes start becoming a bit darker in tone, and many of the characters you thought you knew, turn out to be something wholly different. Once you hit the 3rd season, everything changes and all bets are off.

This is immediately apparent from the spoken line in the opening credits of the 3rd season, followed by a more somber version of the theme. “The Babylon Project was our last, best hope for peace. It failed. In the Year of the Shadow War, it became something greater: our last, best hope... for victory."

This is so different from most other TV shows. Usually, all the characters pretty much stay the same with few minor changes. This kind of predictability can become dull. But in “Babylon 5” you never really know what’s going to happen next. It is full of shocks and surprises, and offers a multitude of emotional payoffs. And if you’re looking for realistic special effects, look no farther.

The 6-disc DVD release of “Babylon 5: The Complete Third Season”, like it’s predecessors, sets the bar for what makes a great set. All of the episodes were digitally transferred into Widescreen and are absolutely pristine. The 5.1 Dolby Digital remastering has incredible clarity, and as this is the season of war, you can only imagine how well the sound fills the room when appropriate.

There is no shortage of extras either. Straczynski turns in commentaries on two of the pivotal episodes of the season, ‘Severed Dreams’ and the season finale, ‘Z’Ha’Dum.’ Straczynski is very well spoken and is fascinating to listen to if commentaries are your bag. He is an amazingly prolific writer, and as such is able to share his insight with great detail. And speaking of prolific; this season was so important to the series in terms of bringing together everything that had been presented during the 1st and 2nd seasons, that he actually wrote every single episode. This is generally unheard of for any series.

There is also an additional commentary by actors Bruce Boxleitner (Captain John Sheridan), Jerry Doyle (Garibaldi), Richard Biggs (Dr. Franklin), and Ed Wasser (Mr. Morden) on the episode, ‘Interludes and Examinations’. All four got together and had a relaxed conversation about the episode, which was more funny than illuminating. It was like these guys were sitting around the bar sharing stories. It was a real treat.

There are also some fine featurettes on the final disc. ‘Creating the Aliens of Babylon 5’ and ‘Building a Better Narn’ both feature effects artist John Vulich who talks a bit about how he designs the alien makeup. In the second feature he turns actor Marshall Teague into a Narn, giving us a little lesson in makeup effects. ‘Designing Tomorrow’ features production designer John Iacoveli and set decorator Jason Howard, as well as Straczynski and producer Douglas Netter explaining how they got the look of the show together, focusing mostly on the sets. All three are fairly short, but offer a wealth of background information.

If you’re into finding out about the background of the characters or the storylines, there are crew personnel files and dossiers that can be accessed using passwords. These are fairly complete ‘mini-documentaries’ utilizing full video and voiceover to ‘teach’ us. Oh, and I just found an ‘Easter egg’ that is pretty easy to find. It links to a lengthy blooper reel that is just hysterical. Just look in the Data File section and highlight the ‘5.’

“Babylon 5: The Complete Third Season” is well worth owning (but only if you have the first two seasons already). If you’ve never seen the show, I’m sure you could still enjoy it by starting anywhere. But if you want the full experience, watch it from the beginning, and in order. You won’t be disappointed.

Starring: Bruce Boxleitner, Claudia Christian, Jerry Doyle, Andrea Thompson, Richard Biggs, Peter Jurasik, Mira Furlan, Andreas Katsulas, Stephen Furst, Bill Mumy
Extras: Commentary by Creator J. Michael Straczynski, and stars Bruce Boxleitner, Jerry Doyle, Richard Biggs, and Ed Wasser on three key episodes, Documentaries – “Behind the Mask: Creating the Aliens of Babylon 5”, “Building a Better Narn” and “Designing Tomorrow: The Look of Babylon 5”, Data Files, Personnel Files, a Shadow Dossier, and Episode Previews
Specifications: Widescreen, Dolby Digital 5.1
Studio: Warner Brothers Home Video
Release Date: 8/12/2003
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website

We'll give Babylon 5: Season 3 an A+.