Yes, sir! I have a couple of weeks of annual vacation time coming up, hopefully in mid-October. Sounds like B5 would be a good way to invest some of that since I'll be home bound for the duration.

Just finishing up the live action version of Ghost In The Shell. Though not entirely faithful to the anime of 1995, it's an enjoyable compromise.

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Originally posted by Zoso I can handle dated looking effects so long as the story is compelling, and from what I hear, B5 is just that.

[nerd alert incoming!]

B5's (space) effects were awesome at the time; they went full CGI with no apologies, eschewing models and i look back at all the battles fondly the way you do classic old video games. i still think they look great.

the story was brilliant however there's a few caveats. unfortunately, despite being THE pioneer of the TV format everyone takes for granted today - B5 still suffered to an extent from "monster of the week" story telling. that's not surprising given that was the format of scifi on TV since the 60s, but it still took too many episodes (imo) to evolve.

somewhat ironically, you still need to watch these shitty episodic entries because there are narrative hints or developments relevant to later story arcs. once the story gets going though it was a masterpiece and unlike anything TV had done before. i can't remember the exact stats but JMS wrote something like 80 of the 110 episodes, including virtually all of seasons 3 and 4 (the best seasons) which seems unlikely to be repeated (B5 was also 20+ eps per season).

sadly, due to financial uncertainty JMS packed most of the story into seasons 3 and 4, leaving 5 a bit anorexic. despite loving BSG more though i think B5's story remains the best (TV) narrative in space opera to date.

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Hahaha, BSG...a good friend of mine that lives just outside Chicago was soooo pissed when BSG ended. He often joked about having a Cadillac with a bodybag-lined trunk to stuff Ron D. Moore into. He was upset for having followed it all that time only to conclude, essentially, with "angels did it".

I'm actually rewatching BSG now. I watch 1 or 2 episodes each night on my Kindle. I'm on Season 3 now, and Adama is about to come back to New Caprica and liberate the fuck out of some colonists. Love that scene of Galactica jumping into the atmosphere and launching her birds.

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Originally posted by Zoso Hahaha, BSG...a good friend of mine that lives just outside Chicago was soooo pissed when BSG ended. He often joked about having a Cadillac with a bodybag-lined trunk to stuff Ron D. Moore into. He was upset for having followed it all that time only to conclude, essentially, with "angels did it". [/quote} yeah, the deus ex machina was strong. that said, i feel that angle was projected right from the pilot episode so it didn't exactly come out of nowhere. i was also gutted when B5 ended, convinced that TV would never take such narrative risks again - am fucking stoked i was so, so wrong BSG and B5 had a real similarity when it came to corporate influence. B5 spent each season worried about cancellation whereas BSG was forced to introduce Monster of the Week episodes. BSG's single episodes weren't bad by any stretch but still reflected the format's immaturity in the mid 2000s. [QUOTE]Originally posted by Zoso I'm actually rewatching BSG now. I watch 1 or 2 episodes each night on my Kindle. I'm on Season 3 now, and Adama is about to come back to New Caprica and liberate the fuck out of some colonists. Love that scene of Galactica jumping into the atmosphere and launching her birds.

BSG's tactical combat is objectively better than anything from the genre in TV/cinema. space opera's traditional awfulness aka star trek's bollocks always relied on reversing the power coupling to enhance the tachyon burst of epic shitfulness BSG was subterfuge, surprise and tactical advantage.

...

when you're done with all that, The Expanse is easily the best space opera since BSG.

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I thought the first three seasons were very good, but the last one felt very weak.

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Originally posted by pkcRAISTLIN BSG's tactical combat is objectively better than anything from the genre in TV/cinema. space opera's traditional awfulness aka star trek's bollocks always relied on reversing the power coupling to enhance the tachyon burst of epic shitfulness BSG was subterfuge, surprise and tactical advantage. ... when you're done with all that, The Expanse is easily the best space opera since BSG.

I felt less harshly towards Ron than my friend did. I agree with you about the tactical combat side of BSG. I still get chills when the Pegasus jumps in at the last minute to save Galactica.

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Originally posted by pkcRAISTLIN when you're done with all that, The Expanse is easily the best space opera since BSG.

Amen to that. It's probably my favourite show of the last few years.

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Thanks for the reminder about The Expanse. I started it some time ago, then got sidetracked with something else entirely and simply forgot that it existed. Is that a Netflix or Prime asset, now? I seem to recall it losing some studio funding and getting "saved" by someone.

Amazon Prime.

Still waiting for Police Academy 8 like

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What is the real aesthetic?

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Originally posted by Lews Amazon Prime.

Roger that, and thanks!