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Was it worth watching in detail? Well, it was after all a season-long anticlimax with a long, long, long goodbye.
Clearly the telepath story was something that had been planned from the beginning. I'm not sure it really fits in with the rest of Straczynski's vision of the future, other than as a problem that just won't go away. Lyta was ignored in the end of season 4 just as the shadow allies seem to have been after they left Z'ha hadum. Why she was ignored is not clear. She certainly was part of the team and she certainly was trusted. But then suddenly she wasn't part of the team or trusted. I don't find Byron much different than G'kar. He seemed to be more interested in being the 'messiah' and G'kar was better at writing down the message. Both sets of followers are sometimes more enthralled with the message than capable of applying it to themselves. Lyta leaving with G'kar and perhaps regaining some perspective should be a good thing. Once again we see Bester is more racist than complete monster. He scarcely cares that his behavior causes as many problems as it solves, because his vision of the future for telepaths is structured and narrow. The episode 'The Corps is Mother, The Corps is Father' is something of a joke on the 'incest' within the corps. The corps' worst problems come from within and so do taudry acts of self-congratulation.
Perhaps the most unintentionally funny joke of the season was when Lockley first talks to Sheridan when she arrives. She declares she "will not be micro-managed." She was married to this guy, wasn't she? The joke is of course that every major character in the series is a big-time micro-manager including Lockley. Why send some flunky to meet with dangerous characters in a trap-like setting when you can go yourself and micro-manage the situation? Why was Marcus sent on such missions? Cause he was a micro-manager! Why just fight the war or just give your life for your girlfriend when you can be in the middle of both! The original Star Trek, I refer to as Stereotype Trek, because every alien race in the galaxy behaved rigidly according to its own stereotype. The Next Generation, I call Limousine Liberal Trek, because many episode espoused, promoted and wallowed in ideals to the point that they never worried about whether the ideals were utterly incompatible from one episode to the next. They certainly never cared about following an ideal once its moment in the sun passed. Babylon 5 is Micro-Manager Trek. Sheridan, Zack, Garibaldi, Lockley, Ivanova, Delenn, Mollari, G'kar; everyone of them had to see to every stinking detail!
The lady in the blue suit. I don't care much for Tracy Scoggins in the role. She does have a disturbing, hard look about her, but she looks more like an over-glamorous super-model than a soldier and her voice was too soothing all the time compared, to Ivanova's baby-face and voice of authority. My personal preferences aside, Lockley is kind of a puzzle. Why does this woman wear an Earth Force uniform? Everyone else working at Bablyon 5 wears a Babylon 5 uniform. Clearly her position in the story is to have a good relationship with the forces on Earth that haven't gotten along with Sheridan recently. But as station commander isn't she in a little too powerful a position for that kind of role? It's inviting disaster. Stories may require such things, but you have to watch the believability factor sooner or later.
The Garibaldi arc was too much going through the motions. The character had run out of development, so it was a rehash. We knew the story before it unfolded so it was hardly worth telling.
ETA: Mollari's story was one we knew the outlines of anyway. We weren't really given enough time to dwell on the Centauri tragedy to care about it much. But I'm not sure making the story longer would have helped.
The ending was too much. Frankly, I think the ending of season 4 with its flaws was better.
Over all season 5 was okay, but not great. Much like the last two seasons of Buffy, some will insist it was the best ever because of their own personal issues, but overall it was just an anti-climax that waddled its way to a nice rosy finish.
Clearly the telepath story was something that had been planned from the beginning. I'm not sure it really fits in with the rest of Straczynski's vision of the future, other than as a problem that just won't go away. Lyta was ignored in the end of season 4 just as the shadow allies seem to have been after they left Z'ha hadum. Why she was ignored is not clear. She certainly was part of the team and she certainly was trusted. But then suddenly she wasn't part of the team or trusted. I don't find Byron much different than G'kar. He seemed to be more interested in being the 'messiah' and G'kar was better at writing down the message. Both sets of followers are sometimes more enthralled with the message than capable of applying it to themselves. Lyta leaving with G'kar and perhaps regaining some perspective should be a good thing. Once again we see Bester is more racist than complete monster. He scarcely cares that his behavior causes as many problems as it solves, because his vision of the future for telepaths is structured and narrow. The episode 'The Corps is Mother, The Corps is Father' is something of a joke on the 'incest' within the corps. The corps' worst problems come from within and so do taudry acts of self-congratulation.
Perhaps the most unintentionally funny joke of the season was when Lockley first talks to Sheridan when she arrives. She declares she "will not be micro-managed." She was married to this guy, wasn't she? The joke is of course that every major character in the series is a big-time micro-manager including Lockley. Why send some flunky to meet with dangerous characters in a trap-like setting when you can go yourself and micro-manage the situation? Why was Marcus sent on such missions? Cause he was a micro-manager! Why just fight the war or just give your life for your girlfriend when you can be in the middle of both! The original Star Trek, I refer to as Stereotype Trek, because every alien race in the galaxy behaved rigidly according to its own stereotype. The Next Generation, I call Limousine Liberal Trek, because many episode espoused, promoted and wallowed in ideals to the point that they never worried about whether the ideals were utterly incompatible from one episode to the next. They certainly never cared about following an ideal once its moment in the sun passed. Babylon 5 is Micro-Manager Trek. Sheridan, Zack, Garibaldi, Lockley, Ivanova, Delenn, Mollari, G'kar; everyone of them had to see to every stinking detail!
The lady in the blue suit. I don't care much for Tracy Scoggins in the role. She does have a disturbing, hard look about her, but she looks more like an over-glamorous super-model than a soldier and her voice was too soothing all the time compared, to Ivanova's baby-face and voice of authority. My personal preferences aside, Lockley is kind of a puzzle. Why does this woman wear an Earth Force uniform? Everyone else working at Bablyon 5 wears a Babylon 5 uniform. Clearly her position in the story is to have a good relationship with the forces on Earth that haven't gotten along with Sheridan recently. But as station commander isn't she in a little too powerful a position for that kind of role? It's inviting disaster. Stories may require such things, but you have to watch the believability factor sooner or later.
The Garibaldi arc was too much going through the motions. The character had run out of development, so it was a rehash. We knew the story before it unfolded so it was hardly worth telling.
ETA: Mollari's story was one we knew the outlines of anyway. We weren't really given enough time to dwell on the Centauri tragedy to care about it much. But I'm not sure making the story longer would have helped.
The ending was too much. Frankly, I think the ending of season 4 with its flaws was better.
Over all season 5 was okay, but not great. Much like the last two seasons of Buffy, some will insist it was the best ever because of their own personal issues, but overall it was just an anti-climax that waddled its way to a nice rosy finish.