Babylon 5
Babylon 5
8.492%
In the mid 23rd century, the Earth Alliance space station Babylon 5, located in neutral territory, is a major focal point for political intrigue, racial tensions and various wars over the course of five years.
RichyE reviewedOctober 18, 2025
Saw this one in the'90s Dutch TV.
It was space opera with brains and it didn’t just tell stories, it built a universe.
Set on a neutral space station in the mid-23rd century, Babylon 5 was a melting pot of politics, prophecy and interstellar drama.
The arcs were long, the stakes were high and the characters actually changed.
But here’s the kicker: the visual effects were made with Amigas. Yep, LightWave 3D running on Video Toaster turned Commodore’s humble machine into a sci-fi powerhouse.
Those starships, hyperspace jumps and battle sequences? Rendered on the same kind of computer you used for Deluxe Paint and Shadow of the Beast.
And the drama wasn’t just on screen. Straczynski pitched Babylon 5 to Paramount. They passed. Then came Deep Space Nine, another space station show with political intrigue and serialized arcs. Coincidence? Maybe. But it sure felt like Babylon 5 set the idea in motion, even if unofficially.
It was serialized storytelling before that was cool.
It tackled war, religion, identity and diplomacy, with aliens that weren’t just rubber masks, but full on philosophies.