SciFiNow, the UK-based scifi entertainment magazine (one of the best out there), put out a Babylon 5 “Top Ten” episode list back in July.
How did we miss this list coming out, and the chance to argue about it on the podcast?
Link: http://www.scifinow.co.uk/top-tens/ten-of-the-best-babylon-5-episodes/
Interesting list… Mine would go something like this. It’s not an exact science, but it’s approximate.
10. “Passing Through Gethsemane”
9. “The Fall of Night”
8. “Into the Fire”
7. “The Fall of Centauri Prime”
6. “War Without End Part 2”
5. “The Face of the Enemy”
4. “Chrysalis”
3. “Severed Dreams”
2. “Endgame”
1. “The Coming of Shadows”
Oh, and another thing…
They say and I quote, “there may not have been a huge amount of action in this episode…” in regards to “Signs and Portents”…
I have one thing to say: WHAT???!!!??? Were they even watching the same episode??? The battle with the Raiders was the biggest space battle ever seen on television at that point! It certainly qualifies as “a huge amount of action”, in any case. Is there a hole in their mind? 🙂
It is a good list with all their selections being winners. In The Shadow Of Z’ha’dum was my favorite episode of the 2nd season. Babylon Squared was my favorite of the 1rst season. I did notice there wasn’t any mention of Day of the Dead …. 🙂
To be honest it’s a pretty hard to make a top 10 Babylon 5 episodes with so many fantastic episodes to choose from and I don’t have the time right now to work mine out. At least scifi now unlike many top 10, 25, 50 or whatever greatest whatever’s on the internet list did contain a very solid top-ten. The only glaringly missing episode would have to be Sleeping in Light. Surely that has to be in any Babylon 5 fans top 10, right?
Jim, we just recorded a Babcast discussing our top five favorites. (Suffice to say, none of us could keep it to five.) Anyway, we agreed to take SiL *off* the list, because it was so obvious.
And Neil, I noticed the same glaring omission.
I was surprised that no non-arc stories made the cut. Walkabout, Passing through Gethsemane, or Even Sic Transit Vir were all very character intense dramas, which stand up very well in my book. I understand there were many fine episodes, but again, I’m surprised.
It’s a pretty good list, but I’d definitely want to include The Long, Twilight Struggle, The Fall of Centauri Prime and Sleeping in Light.
Then I’d make a second list with less momentous personal favourites like Confessions and Lamentations and Ceremonies of Light and Dark!