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
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
7
VoraciousChallenge4 days ago
+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.
3
AddisonsContracture5 days ago
+2
Correct
2
redcoatwright5 days ago
+1
Indeed.
1
AddisonsContracture5 days ago
+2
Hhhnnngghhhhhhh
2
Equal-Possession-3164 days ago
+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.
1
Theslootwhisperer4 days ago
+1
Problem with Babylon 5 is that the sets and CGI are pretty dated. But the storyline is unbeatable.
1
redcoatwright5 days ago
Indeed.
0
drunkensoup5 days ago
This is the way
0
Troldann5 days ago
+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.
8
Randvek5 days ago
+4
Farscape could have been a transcendent show if it had, you know, an actual budget.
4
Troldann5 days ago
+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).
1
sharrrper5 days ago
+1
Ironically they were canceled mostly for being too expensive.
1
Bone_Breaker05 days ago
+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
Randvek4 days ago
+1
It's a masterclass of working within a budget but it still leaks through here and there.
1
boomosaur4 days ago
+2
b5 > farscape > sg1 > bsg > e:fc
2
snoopwire3 days ago
+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?
2
pishposhpoppycock3 days ago
+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.
1
Doombah5 days ago
+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.
3
sharrrper5 days ago
+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.
2
rex1one5 days ago
+1
For me, like you listed it, but swap the bottom 2.
1
bostonronin5 days ago
+1
You forgot Seven Days.
1
MelanieHaber17014 days ago
+1
BSG (2004)
Babylon5
And I haven’t really watched the others.
1
MightyMorph4 days ago
+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
EmekaEgbukaPukaNacua4 days ago
+1
1.) The Expanse
2,) BSG
3.) SG
4.) Dark
5.) Babylon 5
6.) Farscape
7.) Earth: Final Contact
1
shonuffharlem4 days ago
+1
Devs and it's comments on determinism maybe the best one season Sci fi
1
themiro4 days ago
+1
BSG > Farscape > SG-1 \~= B5 > rest
1
UHeardAboutPluto5 days ago
+1
Star Search
1
sharrrper4 days ago
+2
Of the four Star shows, Wars, Trek, Gate, and Search, Stargate is easily my third favorite.
2
UHeardAboutPluto4 days ago
+1
Nice. I was hoping at least one person would get my Jeff Albertson reference.
1
[deleted]5 days ago
+1
[deleted]
1
Eiden585 days ago
+2
Science fantasy is a mix of science fiction and fantasy, but okay
2
RGWK5 days ago
Killjoys
Stargates various iterations
Babylon 5
BSG
0
htp-di-nsw5 days ago
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
HerbsAndSpices114 days ago
+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-nsw4 days ago
+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.
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