Babylon 5-Season 2 (1995) |
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Babylon 5-Season 2 (1995) |
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| BUY IT |
| General | Extras | ||
| Category | Science Fiction |
Trailer-Episode Previews x 22 Introduction-J. Michael Straczynski Audio Commentary-The Geometry of Shadows, In the Shadow of Z'Ha'Dum Audio Commentary-The Fall of Night Featurette-Building Babylon: Blueprint of an Episode Featurette-Shadows and Dreams: Honors of Babylon Featurette-The Universe of Babylon 5 Easter Egg-Outtakes Booklet |
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| Rating |
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| Year Of Production | 1995 | ||
| Running Time | 923:11 | ||
| RSDL / Flipper |
RSDL (83:55) Multi Disc Set (6) |
Cast & Crew | |
| Start Up | Menu | ||
| Region Coding | 2,4,5 | Directed By |
Jim Johnston Janet Greek Mike Vejar Kevin Cremin |
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Studio
Distributor |
 Warner Home Video |
Starring |
Bruce Boxleitner Claudia Christian Jerry Doyle Richard Biggs Andrea Thompson Peter Jurasik Mira Furlan Andreas Katsulas |
| Case | Gatefold | ||
| RPI | $119.95 | Music | Christopher Franke |
| Video | Audio | ||
| Pan & Scan/Full Frame | Unknown |
English Dolby Digital 5.1 (384Kb/s) French Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s) |
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| Widescreen Aspect Ratio | 1.78:1 | ||
| 16x9 Enhancement |
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| Video Format | 576i (PAL) | ||
| Original Aspect Ratio | 1.78:1 | Miscellaneous | |
| Jacket Pictures | No | ||
| Subtitles |
English French Dutch Arabic English for the Hearing Impaired |
Smoking | Yes |
| Annoying Product Placement | No | ||
| Action In or After Credits | No | ||
Babylon 5 is a science fiction television series set on a five mile long space station that is inhabited by around 250,000 aliens from across the galaxy.
Babylon 5 (B5) is the fifth in a series of space stations that have been built as a diplomatic meeting place for alien races to work out their differences. The first three Babylon stations were destroyed part way through their construction and the fourth station mysteriously disappeared just as it was completed. On B5, diplomats represent the different races from across the galaxy where they are able to attempt to work out their differences via the Babylon 5 Advisory Council. This council is made up of representatives from each of the five major races: the Earth Alliance, Minbari Federation, Centauri Republic, Narn Regime and the Vorlon Empire. A collection of smaller races forms the League of Non-Aligned Worlds who also hold a position on the council. These races each come to the council with issues from their recent past. In addition to its diplomatic function, B5 is also a point of trade, a general meeting location and a home away from home for wanderers, smugglers and travellers.
Babylon 5 has an unusual story structure that was designed from the beginning and spans the full five years of the show. As the show's story arc was planned from the beginning, it was possible to interconnect episodes where an apparently offhand comment becomes relevant in later episodes or even later seasons. Unfortunately, this expansive storyline made the series quite difficult to sell to a studio and it took five years to find a buyer.
Due to the intricate story structure, the second season directly continues on from the first, with storylines directly flowing on from one season to the next. Whilst it would be possible to begin viewing this series from this point, it is highly recommended that viewers completely watch the first season before starting the second.
The first five discs in the six disc collection each contain four episodes while the last disc contains the final two episodes and the main extras. The following episodes are included in this collection and I have included a very short description for each, but as these may contain some minor spoilers you may wish to skip ahead to the Transfer section of the review.
Points of Departure
A new commander arrives on the station and a Minbari warship with a personal grudge appears.
Revelations
After her hibernation period, Delenn emerges and reveals her change. G'Kar discovers a new presence on the rim planet of Z'Ha'Dum.
The Geometry of Shadows
Ivanova is given a promotion and must resolve a cultural dispute among the Drazi. A large number of techno-mages appear on the station and everyone sees this as a bad sign.
A Distant Star
An old friend of Sheridan gets into trouble in hyperspace and the B5 crew must devise a rescue plan.
The Long Dark
After more than one hundred years an Earth sleeper ship is discovered broadcasting a distress signal, but it may have picked up an unwanted passenger on its journey.
Spider in the Web
A businessman comes to the station to negotiate a peaceful solution to the problems on Mars and a new group known as Bureau 13 makes their presence felt.
Soul Mates
Londo's three wives all arrive on the station and he has a surprise announcement for them all.
A Race Through Dark Places
Psi cop Alfred Bester returns to the station to investigate a rumoured underground railway for telepaths.
The Coming of Shadows
The Centauri Emperor makes a special visit to B5 and G'Kar plots his revenge. While the Emperor is on the station, Londo makes a decision that will affect the course of the war. This episode received the 1995 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation.
Gropos
Dr. Franklin's father leads a large group of infantry on a mission and they must be temporarily located on the station.
All Alone in the Night
After a number of mysterious ship sightings, Sheridan takes out a fighter to investigate but is captured by a group of aliens. Delenn is recalled to meet with the Gray Council.
Acts of Sacrifice
A new race of aliens visit the station and Ivanova must go to great lengths to convince them to become an ally of the Earth Alliance.
Hunter, Prey
The Earth President's personal physician has some evidence about President Santiago's assassination and an Earth Alliance agent hunts him down.
There All The Honor Lies
Sheridan is forced to kill a Minbari and he must face a trial that will threaten his career. Earth decides to open a B5 gift shop on the station.
And Now For a Word
The ISN show 36 Hours focuses on the B5 station, and while there they witness an incident between Narn and Centauri vessels.
In the Shadow of Z'Ha'Dum
Sheridan discovers that a passenger from his wives' ill-fated final expedition has survived and is now on the station. Delenn and Kosh decide it is now time to let Sheridan know about the Shadows.
Knives
An old friend of Londo's asks for his help but this poses a political problem for him. Sheridan is taken over by an unknown alien lifeform.
Confessions and Lamentations
A disease breaks out in the Markab population and Dr. Franklin races to find a cure.
Divided Loyalties
A sleeper agent is suspected among the B5 crew and telepath Lyta Alexander returns to help find the traitor.
The Long, Twilight Struggle
Londo makes a decision that will bring the Centauri-Narn war to a sudden end and Sheridan and Delenn visit the surface of Epsilon 3.
Comes the Inquisitor
Kosh brings an inquisitor to the station to test the dedication and loyalties of Delenn.
The Fall of Night
The Centauri begin again to expand their empire and Earth takes a stand to protect their interests. A Narn warship is given sanctuary by Sheridan and the Nightwatch begin the make their presence felt.
Babylon 5 was shot on Super 35 film with the widescreen format always in mind for eventual digital television release. Unfortunately, due to technical limitations and budgetary constraints, all of the CGI and effects shots were created for an aspect ratio of 1.33:1 until part-way through season five. Working with these source elements, all non-effects shots (the vast majority of the show) are presented as true widescreen images while the 1.33:1 CGI effects shots are matted to an aspect ratio of 1.78:1. The matting for the effects shots luckily does not lose any significant information as the shots were composed with widescreen in mind.
The transfer is presented at an aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and it is 16x9 enhanced.
The sharpness displayed during the transfer varies considerably throughout. During the effects shots, the image is notably softer and during occasional shots, such as 42:14 and 61:16 on disc 1 and 71:46 and 74:32 on disc 4, the image is very soft. Luckily, the majority of the transfer is quite sharp but the variation in sharpness is clearly apparent when it affects only a single camera angle in a particular scene.
No low-level noise was detected at any time during the transfer. Excellent levels of shadow detail are visible throughout the transfer with high levels of detail always visible in the numerous dark sections of the image.
The transfer displays a vibrant colour palette that is able to accurately reproduce the original colour design.
No MPEG artefacts were detected at any time during the transfer.
A significant number of aliasing artefacts may be seen throughout the transfer. These artefacts are more frequent during the CGI sequences with examples visible at 0:17, 0:36, 9:17, 13:44 and 22:39 on disc 1. These artefacts are moderately distracting due to their frequency and their severity.
A number of moiré artefacts may also be seen throughout the episodes with obvious examples visible during the numerous shots of video monitors, but these artefacts are only slightly irritating.
A similar level of film artefacts may be seen throughout this season as seen during the first season. Some examples of these artefacts may be seen at 1:49, 2:16, 2:51, 6:34 and 15:02 on the first disc. Due to their frequency, these artefacts are moderately disruptive throughout all episodes.
During the film-based effects shots, a notable increase in grain may be seen and at times this is quite heavy, albeit minimally annoying.
Two small instances of cross colour artefacts may be seen during computer generated shots at 47:56 and 79:19 on disc 1.
During a single scene at 5:12 on the third disc, the image is quite blurry and it appears that the image may have been encoded with the incorrect field order set. This problem only lasts approximately fifteen seconds but is slightly disruptive.
Five sets of white subtitles are provided on the discs. I sampled both English streams and found them to be consistently accurate at all times.
The layer change on the first five discs occurs at the start of chapter thirteen between the second and third episodes at 83:57, 83:55, 83:54, 83:54 and 83:57 respectively. The episodes and extras are placed on separate layers on the sixth disc and consequently the layer change is not detectable.
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An English Dolby Digital 384 kbps 5.1 track and a French Dolby Digital 192 kbps 2.0 track are provided on the discs. I listened to the English track in full and briefly sampled the French track.
The dialogue is clear and easy to understand at all times.
During a single scene at 84:42 on the first disc, a slight audio sync problem may be heard but this is likely due to ADR work and not a fault of the transfer. No other problems with audio sync were detected during the transfer. At 90:45 during the opening scene of the third episode on the first disc, the audio has an obvious echo that lasts until 91:55 which is slightly distracting. No dropouts were detected at any time during the transfer.
The original score by Christopher Franke works well with the on-screen action and is able to effectively convey the epic nature of the storyline.
The new re-mastered surround mix for the DVD release utilizes the surround and LFE channels to create an enveloping and immersive soundfield without varying considerably from the original 2.0 surround mix.
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The animated menus are presented at an aspect ratio of 1.78:1 or 1.33:1 depending upon your player's setup.
Each episode is presented with a thirty-second episode preview for the upcoming episode. These previews are presented at an aspect ratio of 1.33:1 with a Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack and may be accessed via the Episodes menu.
Disc 1
This short introduction for season two, 'The Coming of Shadows', is presented by series creator J. Michael Straczynski and also has comments from producer Douglas Netter and various cast members. This introduction is presented at an aspect ratio of 1.33:1 with clips from the show presented at an aspect ratio of 1.78:1. An English Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack and white English, English SDH, French and Dutch subtitles are provided. An Arabic subtitle stream is also included but this contains no information.
During this episode length commentary, the cast members reminisce about their work on the show. It is clear from this commentary that the cast members enjoyed their time making the series and they have fond memories from that time. Unfortunately, this commentary reveals little real information regarding the series and does contain a number of minor spoilers.
Disc 4
This interesting episode length commentary by series creator J. Michael Straczynski contains a range of information about the specific episode as well as the second series in general. Listeners should note that this commentary does contain a number of minor spoilers for other seasons.
Disc 6
This interesting episode length commentary by series creator J. Michael Straczynski contains a range of information about the specific episode as well as the series in general. Listeners should note that this commentary does contain a number of minor spoilers for other seasons.
This is a featurette discussing the steps involved in creating an episode of the show. This featurette is presented at an aspect ratio of 1.33:1 with clips from the show presented at an aspect ratio of 1.78:1. An English Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack and white English, English SDH, French and Dutch subtitles are provided. An Arabic subtitle stream is also included but this contains no information.
This featurette discusses the show's awards and the honour of receiving a Hugo Award. The featurette is presented at an aspect ratio of 1.33:1 with clips from the show presented at an aspect ratio of 1.78:1. An English Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack and white English, English SDH, French and Dutch subtitles are provided. An Arabic subtitle stream is also included but this contains no information.
This section is a series of short clips and notes providing various pieces of information about the different personnel, races and technology found in the Babylon 5 universe. These segments are presented with a Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack at an aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and they are not 16x9 enhanced. White English, English SDH, French and Dutch subtitles are provided. An Arabic subtitle stream is also included but this contains no information. This section is divided into the following parts:
Babylon 5 Timeline - This interactive time line covers the major events leading up to the end of the second season with events ranging from 1957 to the end of 2259.
Tech Files - This is a series of short thirty second segments on the following ships and technology:
Personnel Files - This is a collection of short thirty second segments on the following personnel:
Data Files - This is a series of short thirty second segments on the following diseases, groups and technology:
During the Underground Railway segment, the character Alfred Bester is incorrectly referred to as Andrew Bester.
This Easter egg is presented at an aspect ratio of 1.33:1 with a Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack. This Easter Egg may be accessed by highlighting Project Lazarus in the Data Files Menu and pressing the left arrow to highlight a B5 logo.
NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.
Both versions of this season appear to be identical and I therefore would have no preference for either version.
Babylon 5 Season 2 - The Coming of Shadows continues arguably one of the best science fiction shows of all time and it will be appreciated by all fans of the genre.
The video transfer does display a number of obvious artefacts but due to the nature of the source material the majority of these are likely to be unavoidable.
The newly re-mastered Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is of excellent quality and always works well with the action on-screen.
The collection of extras provides some interesting insights into the show and are a welcome addition.
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| Extras | |
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| Review Equipment | |
| DVD | Toshiba 2109, using S-Video output |
| Display | Sony KP-E41SN11. Calibrated with Video Essentials. |
| Audio Decoder | Built in to amplifier/receiver. Calibrated with Video Essentials. |
| Amplification | Front left/right: ME75b; Center: DA50ES; rear left/right: DA50ES; subwoofer: NAD 2600 (Bridged) |
| Speakers | Front left/right: VAF DC-X; Center: VAF DC-6; rear left/right: VAF DC-7; subwoofer: Custom NHT-1259 |