Joseph DeMartino
Moderator
A newbie\'s journey
Ron Epstein, all-around good-guy and co-founder of The Home Theater Forum, was recently convinced to give Babylon 5 a try. He'd never watched the show before, but was a witness to the almost fanatical fervor of the fans (like yours truly) who used the Forum and its live chats with Warner Bros. execs to lobby for a DVD release of the series as far back as 1997. So his curiosity was piqued and one day he posted a message asking if the show was worth the investment of his precious money and even more precious time.
This is the thread that contains the discussion that led him to take the plunge. It covers the many arguments and suggestions made regarding the merits of the series (which are interesting for the different points that different fans emphasize) and also Ron's reaction to the show at various points through the end of S2 as he tries to get a handle on the story and where it is all going. I've read this kind of "Diary of a B5 Newbie" before, and always fing them interesting. Without taking the analogy too far, it bears a certain resemblance to the experience of taking a child on a ride you enjoyed as a kid. There is this odd sense of time folding over on itself, as you simultaneously remember your own first experience of the ride, and vicariously share the other person's.
Anyway, I thought some of you might also enjoy reading those posts, from a forum with a slightly different focus.
Regards,
Joe
Ron Epstein, all-around good-guy and co-founder of The Home Theater Forum, was recently convinced to give Babylon 5 a try. He'd never watched the show before, but was a witness to the almost fanatical fervor of the fans (like yours truly) who used the Forum and its live chats with Warner Bros. execs to lobby for a DVD release of the series as far back as 1997. So his curiosity was piqued and one day he posted a message asking if the show was worth the investment of his precious money and even more precious time.
This is the thread that contains the discussion that led him to take the plunge. It covers the many arguments and suggestions made regarding the merits of the series (which are interesting for the different points that different fans emphasize) and also Ron's reaction to the show at various points through the end of S2 as he tries to get a handle on the story and where it is all going. I've read this kind of "Diary of a B5 Newbie" before, and always fing them interesting. Without taking the analogy too far, it bears a certain resemblance to the experience of taking a child on a ride you enjoyed as a kid. There is this odd sense of time folding over on itself, as you simultaneously remember your own first experience of the ride, and vicariously share the other person's.
Anyway, I thought some of you might also enjoy reading those posts, from a forum with a slightly different focus.
Regards,
Joe
