Reviving our last, best hope for peace

The other day, I wrote about what a good space opera project might look like in the coming years, and came up with a short list of desired points: high-concept idea that can accommodate an easily-transmissible idea with a deeper core, an updated look to the universe, good characters, something that's somewhat optimistic, and so forth.

There are plenty of big shows out there that could incorporate that, like from the MCU, Star Trek or Stargate (a revival is in the works) franchises, but there's one that would fit that nicely: Babylon 5.  

I rewatched the show earlier this year, and really fell back in love with it, because it incorporates a lot of those elements: a space station located in neutral territory that takes a pivotal role in a devastating, interstellar war, while taking some pointed shots at the state of contemporary politics.

The series gets a bit of a polarized reception — I feel like the negative (misguided) reaction is best summed up in Spaced and The Big Bang Theory — because of the show's somewhat rocky start, dated CGI, and costumes, but I've always maintained that it's worth looking past those window dressings to look at what  J. Michael Straczynski's was getting at, something I wrote about for Uncanny Magazine back in May.

While franchises like Lost in Space, Marvel's cinematic universe, Stargate, Star Trek, and Star Wars, have all gotten big reboots and spinoffs, B5 is one of those shows that's overdue for that type of attention. And I'm starting to get the feeling that there might be something in the works.