The fourth season of the acclaimed Sci-Fi series Babylon 5 continues the grim plotline of Captain John Sheridan (Bruce Boxleitner). His ship last seen heading for the ultimate sacrifice, the series also greenlights the exit of trusted Security Chief Michael Garibaldi (Jerry Doyle).
Such dramatic loss always makes for good Sci-Fi and this fourth season was no different, however series creator J. Michael Straczynski decided to pull a search for spock, as neither scenario holds true. Season Four is one of change, though, with some things that worked and others that didn't quite work.
There were many great episodes in the season with the opener's "The Hour Of The Wolf" pulling the sheep's clothing over us. Other episodes which really captured the essence of the series include "Racing Mars" which finds adversaries acting like children! Who can forget the theme of the season in "No Retreat, No Surrender"?.
The complete season list includes 22 episodes spread over six discs. These can be found at http://www2.warnerbros.com/babylon5/chronicles.html
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The Disc:
As we mentioned before there has been much discussion about how the series was filmed for television. Overall, this season looks a lot better than the first three season's episodes. This isn't really because of the mastering of the discs, but is most likely the result of a better filming process that was used for season 4. The effects shots, reformatted from full-screen CGI, show occasional pixilation, but the new compositions are more dynamic than the old 4:3.
Unlike the first three seasons of the show, this sets' Dolby Digital 5.1 track matches better what I had expected for such a grand Sci-Fi show. While the sounds still aren't quite as impressive as say Paramount's Star Trek The Next Generation discs, I am happy to report a continued improvement for Season 4.
As for the extras I am also happy to report a bigger offering than the first three seasons. Extras begin with another new Introduction from series creator J. Michael Straczynski. This is followed by with commentary tracks from Bruce Boxleitner, Jerry Doyle, Patricia Tallman, and Peter Jurasik on 'Falling Toward Apotheosis '. A second commentary track from J. Michael Straczynski and director Mike Vejar on 'The Face of the Enemy' is the most interesting of the three audio tracks. Finally there's commentary from Straczynski on 'The Deconstruction of Falling Stars' which is a bit weird to hear.
Finally disc six offers up the bulk of extras which begins with two features Celestial Sounds and No Surrender, No Retreat DVD Suite . Neither are very deep both coming in under six minutes a piece. Still theres some interesting information here concerning the music behind the series.
There's also the Universe of Babylon 5 in which you'll find features similar to those in the previous releases. There's professional data, character data, blooper reels and an easter egg to be found. The kind of stuff that wraps up the season nicely.
bottom line:
On par with the third season, season four of the Babylon 5 saga is primer for the end of the series. Fans will no doubt find some of the best stories here which continue the arc of season three.
By - Brian "Shroom" Gray
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