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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Storm Raven" data-source="post: 4072905" data-attributes="member: 307">I have mixed feelings about The Gathering. On the one hand, it sets up the base of the Season One plot (and one scene in particular is directly referenced in Season One), and sets up a certain character who becomes prominent starting in Season Two.However, the story itself is slow, and several characters were changed significantly from the pilot to the series (partially as a result of the inordinate time delay before the network greenlighted the series after airing the pilot). Some parts are shot fairly badly (in particular, the actor playing the doctor in the pilot is lit so badly in many of his scenes that you cannot make out his facial features).I would recommend watching Season One through Signs and Portents, and then going back and watching The Gathering. I would actually recommend watching the first season - there are only a couple of bad episodes in there, although most do not come up to the standard set by later seasons of Babylon 5. They do, however, serve to establish the characters and the setting. I'd compare just watching the "plot-arc" episodes of Season One to deciding that instead of eating a piece of cake, you'll just have a plate of icing. Sure, all the sugar and butter tastes good, but you end up wishing you had some cake to go with it.</blockquote>