Best '90s sci-fi show

[Phantom]

Had to go with B5.

[qerlin]

I was gonna put Highlander n the poll, actualy, C5 -- ran outta room.

[Snake_Plissken]

I went for DS9... although I hesitated for X-files and B5; the cheese part of B5 is what, imho, downgrades it from 'masterpiece' to 'great';

I think DS9 overall is the best ST series; better by a fair margin (again imho) than TNG; You had the best of both worlds (yep, pun intended ) you had your thoughtful sci-fi on one hand and your cool space battles on the other. Than you had the odd episode that would be neither but were entertaining nonethless, like the ep where Sisko plays baseball against a Vulcan crew or when Odo needs the help of Vic Fontaine to court Kira;

In the Pale Moonlight has to be the best ST episode ever (!)

[Aldaron]

B5 by a nose over DS9.

Well, B5's first four seasons, anyway. The only fifth season ep I bought on tape was "Sleeping In Light" as the series finale - otherwise, I consider B5 to have ended at the end of season 4, and leave the drivel that was season 5 consigned to oblivion.

BUT...those first 4 seasons! Wow!
As much as I love Trek, and DS9, B5 had some definite advantages over it.
<ul>
<li>Grittier setting</li>
<li>Unstoppable bad guys</li>
<li>No Ferengi</li>
<li>Lt Cmdr Susan Ivanova (drool...)</li>
<li>Fantastic tragic (Londo) and heroic (G'kar) characters</li>
<li>"Make you think" story arcs (totalitarian governments, etc)</li>
<li>No Ferengi</li>
<li>Brad Dourif yet again playing a psycho! </li>
<li>ZATHRAS!!!!</li>
<li>The best ever time-travel episode ever</li>
<li>Only ONE time-travel episode in the series</li>
<li>Minimal technobabble</li>
<li>Oh, and did I mention? NO FERENGI!!! </li>
</ul>

[Morticutor_UK]

Babylon 5.

First, Last and Always.

Why? Tolkien-esque uberplot, heroism, morality and grittiness all in one superb blue/gray bundle. Oh, and great speeches that made the actors enjoy themselves too much and MR BESTER. Starfuries are pretty too.

And Crusade wasn't too shabby either (was that a 90's series? I can't remember!).

[qerlin]

Ah, yes...Bester. Can't watch Koenig as Chekov, now; he'll always be Bester to me...

[captain_kirk]

I would go with Babylon 5. The writing was excellent as was the 5 year story arc.

Paul

[prophetsteve]

B5. Its pretty close since DS9 in its later seasons was also mustwatch for me but B5 wins out by a nose.

Primarily it was for the characters. Their plots were epic arcs and both characters and situations changed over time - sometimes without me realizing it at the time.

JMS made me care about the characters and then put them through hell. I cheered with their victories and I brooded over their failures. The last seen of Londo in Season 5 was absolutely heartbreaking.

The writers played with my mind and changed the rules several times in the series. The whole series changed how I looked at television (and sci-fi in general).

For me it was just that good.

[tmutant]

DS9 grew on me over time. B5 hooked me early. I have to give the nod to B5 by a hair. (Hercules and Zena fall into the guilty pleasures category.)

I really liked Space: Above and Beyond. X-files lost me in the later seasons, but early on it was very good.

[ComaBoy]

B5, although I wish someone had told JMS not to do Season 5.

[captain_kirk]

Originally posted by ComaBoy
B5, although I wish someone had told JMS not to do Season 5.

I agree. Season 5 was just a fill in. JMS wrapped up the storyline at the end of season 4. Season 5 was just an added bonus because TNT decided to pick up the franchise.

Paul

[Capt.Hunter]

B5 really benefitted from an eclectic mix of actors. On one hand, you had Boxleitner (mainly TV background), then Mira Furlan (Yugoslavian actress, not previously known in the US), the extreme of Andreas Katsulas (G'Kar), who was fifteen years in Peter Brooks international theatre company (for which you have to be absolutely brilliant). Throw in ex-child stars (Bill Mumy as Lennier) and complete beginners (Jerry Doyle as Garibaldi had never done a day's acting in his life - he used to be a pilot and a Wall Street investor then decided to start acting and got the interview on the strength of a totally fake resume!).

This mix played brilliantly - you felt like these characters were real, especially since the first (and much of the second) season were limited in the special effects and relied more on character-driven plots. I think B5 also took the time to have more different character pairing than any other show (G'kar and Marcus Cole was particularly inspired).

So - Babylon 5.