The SF Site: Babylon 5.1 by Rick Norwood

Babylon 5.1
by Rick Norwood

SF on TV

Websites
Other Babylon 5.1 Columns
For more information, you can try the following sites:
Rick Norwood's Website
Worldwide TV Schedule
The Official Babylon 5 Website
The X-Files
Pocket Books: Star Trek
Paramount Star Trek

Ratings
Ratings are based on a four star system.
One star means that the commercials are more entertaining than the program.
Two stars watch if you have nothing better to do.
Three stars is good solid entertainment.
Four stars means you never dreamed television could be this good.

Stargate SG-1, "Avalon" (part 1 of 3) (**) by Robert C. Cooper
A couple of people in the SF Site Forum have said that I enjoy putting down Stargate. Nothing could be further from the truth. Every time I watch a TV show or movie or read a book, I hope I'll have fun. And most of what is currently available is technically proficient enough to provide a certain level of enjoyment. But we are surrounded by a wealth of entertainment, and so the question is, do I find Stargate more entertaining than, for example, playing Halo, watching The African Queen, or reading Burning Tower by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle. The answer is, not usually.

A few thoughts on what kept "Avalon" from being better than it was. Everyone in the cast is constantly trying to be cute, which sounds an emotional one-note that gets tiresome. The exposition seems like so much boiler plate. On the plus side, the cliffhanger is an interesting puzzle. If the solution is as interesting, then maybe I'll upgrade my rating. I'll let you know next issue.

Stargate: Atlantis, "The Siege" (part 3 of 3) (**) by Martin Gero
Lots of people shooting at aliens. Lots of aliens who throw their lives away. Lots of spaceships shooting at spaceships. Aliens who hold off shooting so that humans can deliver one-liners, thus getting themselves killed. Lots of stuff blowing up.

Battlestar Galactica, "Scattered" (part 1 of 2) (***) by Bradley Thompson and David Weddle
Review next issue.

Rick Norwood is a mathematician and writer whose small press publishing house, Manuscript Press, has published books by Hal Clement, R.A. Lafferty, and Hal Foster. He is also the editor of Comics Revue Monthly, which publishes such classic comic strips as Flash Gordon, Sky Masters, Modesty Blaise, Tarzan, Odd Bodkins, Casey Ruggles, The Phantom, Gasoline Alley, Krazy Kat, Alley Oop, Little Orphan Annie, Barnaby, Buz Sawyer, and Steve Canyon.