The future begins - or ends - here and now. Here is the huge space station Babylon 5. Now is the fateful year 2261. Commander John Sheridan has already declared the station free, breaking the ties between it and Earth Alliance. It was perhaps only a matter of time before he would have to fight to remain free. That time has come in this complete 22-episode fourth-season adventure presented on six discs and featuring an exciting array of exclusive extras.

The future begins - or ends - here and now.

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The worst because both the shadow war AND the earth war each their conclusion, prematurely, in this season. It is one slam-bang episode after another, as JMS fought was he thought was the fight to tell the last two seaons in one season - it left the cupboard bare for season five, but it left us with a powerful season of TV!

I won't bother with a show-by-show description of what happens. Others, better qualified than I, will surely do so. But I will share what i think were the highlights of the season:

1. Sheridan's speech when arriving at earth was extremely well-written and delivered. Though Boxleitner has been called "wooden" in his style, this speech was a vindication for him.

2. The whole thread having to do with Sheridan's sacrifice on Zha'ha'dum was well-done. Not overplayed by anyone, it still cast a delicious pall over the season, making all choices seemingly minor in comparison.

3. The end of the Shadow War was well-handled. It showed that the enemy was not the one most alien in body, but the one most alien in mind, that was the foe. In the end, we understood the Shadows and Vorlons but never understood Bester or Clark. The former were beaten by reason, the latter only by force.

4. Tactics, especially those at Proxima Three, were interesting and important. It is a rare show that show more than just shooting until one side figures out a dodge to win against imposible odds. Sheridan's forces and tactics had this one won from the start - the cost was the only variable.

There are some poorly-done elements. The Shadows and Vorlons are pathetic at the end. Lorien was a bit TOO deus ex machina for my tastes. Jerry Doyle is a bit too much overtaxed by the script, as is Patricia Tallman (both needed a couple of more episodes to make charactor changes believable).

However, the season as a whole is magnificent. The intro sequence alone is worth the price of admission. This is must-get for B5 fans and TV sci-fi fans alike.

36 of 36 found the following review helpful:

2261 - My Favorite Year in the FutureJan 12, 2004
By Mark Baker
Things are looking dark for our heroes. As this year opens, Garibaldi is missing and Sheridan is missing, presumed dead. Even though they are both alive (as we learn from the opening credits), things are dark. The Vorlons and the Shadows are no longer hiding behind allies and have launched a full scale war, using the younger races as the targets. Can Sheridan use what he's learned to bring a peaceful end to the fighting? Plus there's the situation on Earth with dictator President Clark. Throw in Garibaldi's weird behavior and you've got a full season that catches your interest and never lets go.

Since JMS didn't know for sure if he'd actually get season 5, he worked hard to bring major plot threads together in season 4. As a result, this year is packed with action and story, but there are some wonderful character arcs as well. I've always found Garibaldi's to be the most interesting of the season, but Vir gets some great moments early on as well. Londo and G'Kar's relationship also takes some unexpected turns that are wonderful. I love watching that duo at work.

Frankly, this season will always hold a special place in my heart because it's when I started watching. Hard for me to believe now, but my first episode was "Into the Fire." If it weren't for some very patient friends, I would have been lost, but I managed to stick in there, getting so hooked on the Earth plot that I couldn't stop watching. Later, when I'd seen the rest of the show, I realized exactly what I had missed in way of back story. Naturally, I don't recommend starting here. The way JMS is able to bring plot threads together is truly amazing this season and worth every hour spent watching the first three seasons for the payoff (not that that's a chore by any stretch of the imagination.) Still, I'll always have fond memories of waiting impatiently each week to see what happens next and the long wait over the summer to see how they'd resolve the mid season cliffhanger.

This DVD set is in perfect keeping with the others that have come out. Picture quality is mostly good with the occasional grain or spot. A tad distracting, but overall sharper then my video tapes. Sound is wonderful in full surround. Again we get three commentaries. The cast commentary, featuring Bruce Boxleitner, Jerry Doyle, Peter Jurasik, and Patricia Tallman is entertaining if not very informative. (I'll never look at Jerry's head the same way again, however.) JMS does his usual two commentaries. He's joined by director Michael Vejar on "Face of the Enemy" for a fascinating look at creating that pivotal episode. And he does his usual interesting look at "Deconstruction of Falling Stars," the unusual fourth season finale. The special features are rounded out by an introduction on disc 1, a new documentary on the music of the show, a new suite of music set against visuals from the season, the usual data and personnel files, and finally a gag reel. I will confess I almost missed this, but it was great. Makes me wish more then ever that we'd gotten to see the gag reels from the previous seasons.

If you're a fan of this show, you must get this set. It's worth every penny spent. And if you've never seen the show, DVD is a wonderful way to discover this wonderful show. I just suggest being smarter then I was and starting with season 1.

33 of 35 found the following review helpful:

Possibly the best season of the fiveNov 08, 2003
By Echo "Echo"
The fourth season of Babylon 5 wraps up the series admirably, and in my view is much stronger than season five. If not for "Sleeping in Light" it would be fine if the entire series ended with "The Deconstruction of Falling Stars".

The season itself is very tight. There isn't a lot of non-arc stuff, which is fine with me. Of the many subplots and loos ends that get resolved, look for Londo to sink even deeper into darkness while in Emperor Cartagia's court. The Minbari civil war comes to a head, with a very unexpected outcome for both the war and for Neroon.

The acting is more than adequate. Of particular note, Wortham Krimmer is fantastic as the sadistic and depraved Emperor Cartagia. Andreas Katsulas has never been better as Citizen G'Kar.

We understand the reason for the Shadow/Vorlon conflict...if if you don't know what the reason is, stay tuned...you might just find yourself agreeing with the Shadow point of view.

Looking forward to a good long acquaintance with this B5 season.

12 of 12 found the following review helpful:

Quoting my seaon 3 review - still the best TV everJan 29, 2004
By Bob Stout
Combining plot elements reminiscent of Tolkien and the Arthurian legends, writing that's rarely been equalled, characters you actually care about, an epic story spanning ages and generations, and still with more believability per frame than most non-SF dramas, B5 is in a class of its own.

Like some others here, I'm replacing my tapes with DVD's as they are released. The ability to quickly visit any scene from any show easily justifies the extra cost.

Season three is where most B5 fans got hooked - I know I did. I watched season one on and off. With season two, I found myself watching more. By the time the story arc began to unfold in season two, I was watching every week. By season three, watching every week's episode had taken on the nature of an almost spiritual imperative. Unlike some here, I don't necessarily consider season four a close second, but pretty much equal to season three.

B5 broke so much new ground, it's hard to list it all. It certainly was one of the first to show bad things happening to good characters. It took the bold step of letting you believe for years that certain characters were good (or bad), when they might turn out to be much more complex in the end. The characters become so real to us that I've seen grown men choke back their emotions when a character you only saw in a robotic suit incapable of expressing emotion get killed. B5 was a pioneer in admitting to and exploring issues of faith even though its creator and writer is an avowed atheist.

Even in its portrayal of relationships, romantic and otherwise, it was unique. Everywhere else on TV, characters were introduced in act 1 and in bed by act 3. As in real life, this also happened on B5, but you also got a chance to savor the growth of relationships you could never hope to see on episodic TV. B5 had its share of great love stories but they were never formulaic. Two were cut short by tragedy, but one of those was never consummated while the other grew from a one-night stand with political motives. You even saw people who were close and had some obvious attraction, but chose for various good reasons not to act on those feelings. Based on perhaps limited experience, these people seem more real and interesting to me than most I see on TV.

At a time when most entertainment teaches few positive values, B5 celebrates commitment to a greater cause. It balances this with cautionary tales that suggest we be constantly vigilant that our cause is really just. It teaches self-sacrifice. Simply watching most episodes of B5 is like a workout for your conscience. It makes you think. The characters themselves think. It taught that victories aren't always won by violence and that the only persistent peace is achieved through conscience, commitment, and determination.

17 of 19 found the following review helpful:

Great Series! But Warner Bros. should be ashamed ...Jan 18, 2004
By planetclark
... for not improving on the quality of the telecine transfers. There are probably more dust specks and garbage on the few episodes I've watched than in all three previous sets combined. And the DVD compression hasn't improved any -- artifacts all over the place, with some live action scenes practically shimmering on my high-end home theater system. (The sound, while not perfect, is acceptable).

Can I say that I love this show so much I'll buy the damn things anyway? Warner Bros. knows this is true for millions of fans. Too bad they're producing these sets as cheaply as possible, with no additional funding for cleaning up the transfers. Recently I witnessed the processing of transferring a network hourlong drama onto DVD, and it was amazing to see the operator clean up video artifacts on the fly -- erasing them just like Photoshop. Sure, it adds to the bottom line, but I think Warner Bros. can handle it. Reportedly they're making so much money off these boxed sets they're gonna OK a new B5 project in 2004, simply because it'll turn a profit off the subsequent DVD sales alone.

Warner Bros., you've got us in the palm of your hand. We're fans of the show and we want more of it. Now that you've got all our dollars, howzabout treating us with a little respect?

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