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For Sale Apr 21, 2026 at 12:51 AM

Outside of the Big 2, how would you rank these Sci-Fi series/franchises from best to worst?

Posted by pishposhpoppycock

Beyond the two biggest and most well-known franchises in science fiction of Star Wars and Star Trek, how would you rank these smaller shows/franchises from best to worst in terms of quality? - Stargate: SG-1 - Babylon 5 - Farscape - Earth: Final Conflict - Battlestar Galactica
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princesspeachspeach Apr 21, 2026 +16
How dare you exclude the Expanse.
16
petite-acorn Apr 21, 2026 +8
Yeah. Expanse above all these (and SG-1 is great)
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btribble Apr 21, 2026 +1
1. Expanse 1. SG1 1. BSG 1. Farscape 1. B5 1. E:FC
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[deleted] Apr 21, 2026 +13
[deleted]
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Human-Position-3755 Apr 21, 2026 +7
SG-1 definitely takes the top spot but putting BSG second feels bit generous to me. Babylon 5 had way better world building and character arcs that actually mattered for entire series run. BSG started strong but that ending was just... yeah we dont talk about that finale
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VoraciousChallenge Apr 21, 2026 +3
BSG vs B5 is really hard for me. I think at their heights, BSG is better than B5. But B5 is more consistently good, IMO. I just finished a rewatch of BSG, showing my partner for the first time, before going back to finish B5 now that it's on Prime after we kinda fell off early in Season 5 a couple years ago. Season 5 gets a bad rap just because it was a return to the status quo after two seasons of going full throttle - it was kind of its own spin-off - but its actually pretty decent when taken on its own. Sleeping in Light - admittedly produced as part of Season 4 - is one of the all time great finales though. The one thing that holds B5 back for me is the writing. Not the plot or the themes or anything like that, but the dialogue. I'll get flack for this, but scenes like Ivanova's "God sent me" speech just come off as a little cringe to me. And not just those big moments, but a lot of the mundane (no pun intended) stuff as well. It's weird, because it gets it right a lot of the time, but it seems like every episode have a handful of moments that just pull me out. BSG, on the other hand, doesn't really seem to know what to do with itself after New Caprica. I have no issues with the ending or any of the religious stuff. That was baked into the plot right from the beginning, or even before the RDM show at all with TOS having the Beings of Light and just generally being very Mormon-coded/inspired. But after New Caprica, I think they didn't know how to end it and the Final Five stuff was just kind of crammed in there even though it didn't fit. Starbuck becomes a caricature of herself. Baltar isn't really even a main character. A lot of the good parts of the early seasons just kinda dissipate and you have a show carried by its legacy more than anything. I think I have to give the nod to B5 over BSG.
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AddisonsContracture Apr 21, 2026 +2
Correct
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redcoatwright Apr 21, 2026 +1
Indeed.
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AddisonsContracture Apr 21, 2026 +2
Hhhnnngghhhhhhh
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Equal-Possession-316 Apr 21, 2026 +1
That’s my gut ranking too, but every time I rewatch Babylon 5 I start doubting myself. Might be worth a B5 rewatch someday just to see if it jumps the queue.
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Theslootwhisperer Apr 21, 2026 +1
Problem with Babylon 5 is that the sets and CGI are pretty dated. But the storyline is unbeatable.
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redcoatwright Apr 21, 2026
Indeed.
0
drunkensoup Apr 21, 2026
This is the way
0
Troldann Apr 21, 2026 +8
Babylon 5 is just phenomenal. BSG is pretty good. SG-1 is a lot of fun, as is Farscape. I can’t rank E: FC, haven’t seen it.
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Randvek Apr 21, 2026 +4
Farscape could have been a transcendent show if it had, you know, an actual budget.
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Troldann Apr 21, 2026 +1
Yeah, I love it. Have the DVDs and then upgraded to the BRs. But nothing else on this list compares to the writing of the entirety of the S2-S4 arc in B5 (which also struggled with budget).
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sharrrper Apr 21, 2026 +1
Ironically they were canceled mostly for being too expensive.
1
Bone_Breaker0 Apr 21, 2026 +1
I was given the Blu-ray set of Farscape for Christmas of last year, and finally finished it a month ago. I know it’s an older show, but you can really tell they weren’t working with much.
1
Randvek Apr 21, 2026 +1
It's a masterclass of working within a budget but it still leaks through here and there.
1
boomosaur Apr 21, 2026 +2
b5 > farscape > sg1 > bsg > e:fc
2
snoopwire Apr 22, 2026 +2
SG1 and then B5 and Farscape are pretty well tied for me. BSG is distant level beneath them based on the absolute trash ending. Never seen Earth - is it worth watching?
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pishposhpoppycock Apr 22, 2026 +1
E: FC is decent, from what I remember of it. It does have the best opening credits sequence and music in my eyes. I think the plot was more political and less space-opera and epic space battles-focused than some of the other franchises.
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Doombah Apr 21, 2026 +3
B5 and BSG deserve more respect than they get. At least, the 2004 version of BSG. The original wasn't awful, but the leap in quality is staggering. But I think B5 may be the best sci-fi show ever made. It starts a little slow in Season 1, but then takes off running in Season 2. It dips a bit in the beginning of Season 5, but that's because they thought they were cancelled at the end of Season 4 and had to bounce back. The last half of Season 5 though...man, that's some of the best sci-fi tv out there.
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sharrrper Apr 21, 2026 +2
Top spot goes to one you forgot: The Expanse>B5>Farscape>SG1>BSG>Earth: Final Conflict Those first five I've watched every single episode at least once. All are very good. E:FC I've only seen sporadic episodes. I remember liking it but can't really compare it to the others overall so it defaults to the bottom.
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rex1one Apr 21, 2026 +1
For me, like you listed it, but swap the bottom 2.
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bostonronin Apr 21, 2026 +1
You forgot Seven Days.
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MelanieHaber1701 Apr 21, 2026 +1
BSG (2004) Babylon5 And I haven’t really watched the others.
1
MightyMorph Apr 21, 2026 +2
My PERSONAL ranking of Space Sci-Fi Shows ive seen. 1. Stargate SG-1 2. Andor 3. The Orville 4. The Expanse 5. Stargate Atlantis 6. The Mandalorian 7. Foundation 8. For All Mankind 7. Babylon 5 9. Farscape 10. Firefly 10. Dark Matter 11. Raised by Wolves 12. Alien: Earth 13. Andriomeda 14. Killjoys 15. Stargate Universe (season 2) 16. BSG Special mentions: Lower Decks & Futurama
2
EmekaEgbukaPukaNacua Apr 21, 2026 +1
1.) The Expanse 2,) BSG 3.) SG 4.) Dark 5.) Babylon 5 6.) Farscape 7.) Earth: Final Contact
1
shonuffharlem Apr 21, 2026 +1
Devs and it's comments on determinism maybe the best one season Sci fi
1
themiro Apr 21, 2026 +1
BSG > Farscape > SG-1 \~= B5 > rest
1
UHeardAboutPluto Apr 21, 2026 +1
Star Search
1
sharrrper Apr 21, 2026 +2
Of the four Star shows, Wars, Trek, Gate, and Search, Stargate is easily my third favorite.
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UHeardAboutPluto Apr 21, 2026 +1
Nice. I was hoping at least one person would get my Jeff Albertson reference.
1
[deleted] Apr 21, 2026 +1
[deleted]
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Eiden58 Apr 21, 2026 +2
Science fantasy is a mix of science fiction and fantasy, but okay
2
RGWK Apr 21, 2026
Killjoys Stargates various iterations Babylon 5 BSG
0
htp-di-nsw Apr 21, 2026
Stargate > Babylon 5 > Farscape > 80s Battlestar > modern Battlestar I have never seen Final Conflict. You left out series I would have ranked above these, though. Or well, at least comparable to Stargate. That's damn good.
0
HerbsAndSpices11 Apr 21, 2026 +1
What makes you like the original BSG more than the modern one? I gave it a try, but didn't care for it.
1
htp-di-nsw Apr 21, 2026 +1
80s Battlestar wasn't great, but it was kind of campy and fun. The newer Battlestar never hooked me. I did not enjoy it much at all.
1
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