IMDb user comments for
Babylon 5: The Gathering (1993) (TV) More at IMDbPro »

Filter:

Best Chronological Prolific Authors Loved It Hated It Hide Spoilers:

Page 1 of 2:

[1] [2]

Index

14 comments in total

---

15 out of 17 people found the following comment useful :-
A great start to a great story, 26 October 2002

Author: Klaatu-18 (b5guy@aol.com) from Dallas, TX USA

Back in 1993 one of my co-workers, who knows I'm a science fiction fan, asked if I was going to watch the pilot for that new SF TV seriies. At first I didn't think I had heard of this before. Then I realized that this must be the show that J Michael Stracynski (JMS), the screenwriting columnist for <i>Writer's Digest</i>, quit that job to work on.

I watched the movie and was instantly intrigued. Unlike many SF TV shows, the science was well done (with none of the technobabble seen in other shows). A valiant attempt was made to present a few totally non-humanoid aliens. (This resulted in the funny puppet aliens in a section that was edited out when the special edition was created)

But what drew my interest was the fact that this movie had laid down plot threads for the proposed series. Unanswered questions about what really happened to the first four Babylon stations. And why had the Minbari suddenly surrendered at the end of the Earth-Minbari war when victory was in their grasp? What was the story behind Commander Sinclair's missing time at the Battle of the Line?

Before the series itself aired I read an article in Cinefantastique which explained that JMS had a plan for an ambitious story arc that would take five years to complete. I was ready.

---

11 out of 12 people found the following comment useful :-
One of the better attempts at a pilot for a new series, 6 February 2002
Author: Neville Angove (lecygne) from Australia

"The Gathering" comes as a complete surprise unless you are aware of the process of the development of a TV series for sale. For anyone who has not seen Babylon 5, "The Gathering" is a reasonable telemovie, but only of strong interest to serious science fiction fans. But for fans of the series, this movie is an excellent example of how the storyline for the series was originally conceived and then modified when its limitations became obvious. The changes in the characterisations of Delenn, G'Kar and Llando can, in the retrospect provided by the later release (and viewing) of this pilot, be seen as significantly adding to the strength that made the series the classic it has become.

---

8 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :-
Not bad, but there's room for better, 2 February 2002

Author: dragos_dobrota from Regensburg, Germany

As a Babylon 5 fan I have watched it more than once, last time today, after seeing yesterday another B5 movie "B5:In the Beginning". I must confess that the latter is much better. Still, it is not bad for a series' start. Some of the characters are portrayed differently than I've grown accustomed to in the series (like G'Kar for example), Delenn's makeup is less than perfect (compare it with the one in "In the Beginning") and she really looks unusual (after seeing her later transformation...).

But there are some good lines and Peter Jurasik(Lando Mollari)'s act is delightful and so is Mr Jerry Doyle(Garibaldi)'s. A good start for a B5 beginner and a must re-watch (after seeing the rest of the series).

When J. Michael Straczynski conceived B5, he really wrote a great story!

---

6 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
Solid Start To An Intriguing Saga, 30 December 2005

Author: no-skyline from Rochester, England

Babylon 5 was a hugely ambitious sci-fi show to get off the ground with complex characters and story arcs that went on over the entire 5 series run. This was the first pilot movie and it paves the way to what would follow.

It's an intriguing piece of sci-fi with some strong performances in particular Peter Jurasic as Lando Mollari and Andreas Katsulas as G'Kar. The special effects are a bit limited in places but thats to be expected from a show just finding it's feet.

Some of the actors in this initial show would leave to pursue other projects but the core remained in. There are some story lines (which I wont spoil) that could have been further explored had Takishima and Lyta stayed on the show. The acting quality is mixed and this was ironed out as the series went on.

All in all it's a good TV movie that does stand on it's own well but it will leave you with a few questions and a good reason to pick up on the series which just get's better as it goes along.

Good TV movie that will get you ready for the full series 7/10

---

5 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
Great beginning!, 8 October 2001
Author: jellyneckr

I started watching BABYLON 5 when it came on in 1994 and I found myself confused even after only one episode had aired. Then I saw this and I wasn't confused anymore. This sets up what the show is all about. With out this, I wouldn't have known what was going on. This was a great way to introduce the series and I think it is something that BABYLON 5 fans will really enjoy.

---

6 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :-
Weak intro to great series., 28 October 1998

Author: Mark Weller from Vancouver

While I count myself as a fan of the Babylon 5 television series, the original movie that introduced the series was a weak start. Although many of the elements that would later mature and become much more compelling in the series are there, the pace of The Gathering is slow, the makeup somewhat inadequate, and the plot confusing. Worse, the characterization in the premiere episode is poor. Although the ratings chart shows that many fans are willing to overlook these problems, I remember The Gathering almost turned me off off what soon grew into a spectacular series.

---

1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
First Effort Planted Humble Seeds, 21 April 2008

Author: Derek Williams (derekwilliams1974@yahoo.com) from New York, NY USA

"Babylon 5" was actually one of my favorite shows of the nineties, second only to "The X-Files". This first Pilot tele-movie really does not do the later series justice. I think what is evident here is that the writing was superior to a lot of the other sci-fi offerings out there. The acting seemed strained in this tele-movie and there were casualties in the follow up series because of this. The special effects were the then state of the art CGI but seems dated now. All this was improved later on when the producers had a hit on their hands and some more money to play with. Still, sit through it in order to fully appreciate the fantastic story arcs that were unfolded in the following series. Consider this a prologue to a great sci-fi epic because it is!

---

How to watch the B5 movies, 8 October 2008

Author: bpeck13 from Washington State, United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

You can buy the first two movies (In the Beginning, The Gathering) separately, but in order to get all five B5 movies (the first two plus Thirdspace, The River of Souls, and A Call to Arms), you have to buy them in a box set.

The first two movies are out of order—they should be In the Beginning and then The Gathering. These movies are GREAT for background information. They really should be watched before watching the series.

Thirdspace is a detached from the rest of the movies and series. It comes after the end of the Shadow War (season 4, episode 6), but then there is no mention of it again. If you never saw this movie, you wouldn't miss any continuity. The only thing it clears up is why Lyta Alexander and Zack Allen never got together.

The River of Souls occurs in apx. Year 2263 and is less detached because B5 has encountered Soul Hunters before. This just gives more insight to them. It is like an extra episode in Season 5.

A Call to Arms (Year 2267) is a prequel to the Crusade series. If you aren't planning to watch the Crusade series, there is no reason to watch this movie.

Season 5 should go like this:

1. Season 5 Episode 21 "Objects at Rest" (Year 2262) 2. The River of Souls movie (Year 2263) 3. A Call to Arms and the Crusade Series (Year 2267)—optional. I suggest these be watched separately from B5 series as they really don't enhance or expand on the B5 series. 4. The Lost Tales—Voices in the Dark movie (Year 2271) 5. Season 5 Episode 22 "Sleeping in Light." (Year 2280)

6. The Legend of The Rangers: To Live and Die in Starlight (after the Year 2280)—optional. Does not add nor detract from the series.

---

Despite this being a pilot, it already has excellent chemistry and excitement, 8 December 2006

Author: planktonrules from Bradenton, Florida

I have long time been a fan of Babylon 5, so you should keep this in mind--I'm sure this must color my review of this TV movie pilot for the show. Fans of the series might notice some odd changes in cast--this happens a lot in pilot episodes, as the show often is slightly re-tooled before the shows begin in production. For example, the doctor, the second in command were different actors than in the series and the prosthetics on Mira Furlan made her look much more "alien" in this movie. It's a shame about the doctor, as I really liked the African man who played him with a bit of sarcasm and flair.

As for the rest of the cast, they were amazing to watch for a pilot. Normally, on most pilots, the camaraderie isn't really there and the relationships just seem a bit underdeveloped. However, here, Garibaldi, Sinclair and the rest seem to work well together and the made for TV movie is very watchable and similar to the resulting series despite the cast changes. For the early 1990s, the production values are excellent, though in 2006, the computer graphics appear, at times, a bit dated--as this was the first sci-fi series that got rid of modeling and used computer generated images for all its space scenes. All in all, it's an exciting and riveting show--made even more so by the always brilliant writing of J. Michael Straczynski.

---

4 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
Thankfully, the series wasnt like this, 24 March 2004

Author: bnevs18 from Wisconsin

You can give JMS and the boys a pass on this one because they were at the beginning of their series and on a small budget, but the movie is still sub-par. Dont get me wrong, B5 the series is by far the best TV series ever, but if i was an exec seeing this movie, i wouldnt have ordered the series. I dont like O'Hare as an actor, the costumes are silly, and there are tons of cliches. The same can be said for most of the first season (with the exception of Babylon Squared and Survivors); Bruce immediately put a fire into the series and it went on to be an amazing spectacle. If you are a B5 fan and havent seen this movie, see it. If you arent a B5 fan, dont...you wont want to watch the series.

---

---

Page 1 of 2:

[1] [2]

Add another comment

---

Related Links

Plot summary	Amazon.com summary	Ratings
Awards	Newsgroup reviews	External reviews
Official site	Plot keywords	Main details
Your user comments	Your vote history