Apparently, this was a fairly controversial debate among avid Sci-Fi buffs in the 90s. However, both of these shows have been off the air for nearly a decade now. So, I imagine that tempers have cooled, and failing that, several of the more unhealthy debaters are probably dead anyway.
From what I understand, the intensity of the debate was exacerbated by accusations of plagiarism. Supposedly, JMS had shopped his idea for B5 to Paramount long before DS9 was conceptualized. The accusers go on to claim that Paramount blatantly plagiarized many concepts from the original B5 scripts. There is no doubt that there are many uncanny similarities between the shows (space station, wormhole, “Dukat”, etc) , and I certainly sympathize with the small guy who gets his concept knocked off. However, I find this particular accusation tedious for two reasons. Firstly, parallel media releases are a fact of life. There is an interesting article about that at Artful Writer. Secondly, I think the real meat of the show is not in the basic concepts, but in their execution.
There are several axes along which I have formed opinions about the shows: plot, scripting (these are different), plot consistency, acting, visuals, and soundtrack.
Plot
There is no doubt, JMS is a truly amazing story-weaver. The depth, breadth, and attention to detail of B5 is truly staggering. DS9 with its lame standalone episodes, lackluster first two seasons, and franchise-encumbered stories has a difficult time competing. That being said, this was still a tough call. DS9 had such incredible economic, political, religious, and sociological threads weaved throughout the show, mostly because of Bajor. Bajor was something that B5 lacked - truly dedicated attention to one very interesting race (vs the more “cosmopolitan” B5). Plus, the franchise that encumbered DS9 did serve to infuse an artificial sense of depth into the show.
Winner: B5
Writing
Where the plot governs the broader concepts of a show, writing governs the minutiae of the actual words that are used. In my opinion, this is incredibly important; it is what makes characters worth watching and worth caring about. It is difficult to fairly compare DS9 to B5 in this regard because DS9’s writing is far less consistent than B5’s (the lion share of which was created by jms himself). However, in this regard, B5’s consistency works against it. The B5 writing was consistently mediocre, except in those rare cases that made me slightly embarrassed to be watching the show. I blame this on the frequent and failed attempts at humor. Perhaps it simply aged badly, or perhaps it was manufactured to appeal to a nerdier brain, but I did not find B5 “humor” appealing. In the end, my metric for the writing is whether or not the show provided me with lines worth repeating. DS9 provided me with several, and B5 provided me with none.
Winner: DS9
Plot Consistency
This doesn’t even need debate. B5 has large a huge advantage at the outset; only one long running series and generally one writer. If it didn’t win, I would fault them. Not only is the consistency quite good, but JMS is the master of weaving in long-lost plot threads and tying up loose ends. However, DS9 isn’t half bad either. It certainly lacks the blatant disregard for “Star Trek Canon” that characterized Voyager and Enterprise.
Winner: B5
Acting
B5 has a lot of bad acting. The bad acting in B5 is a symptom of a larger problem; a small budget. DS9 was a franchise show with a guaranteed following and a large tier 1 studio behind it. Not only did DS9 have a fiscal advantage, but I strongly suspect that better actors were more willing to sign on to a Star Trek franchise show than to a heretofore unknown sci-fi project. Either way, the end result is that DS9 had a much stronger cast than B5. Leading the DS9 cast is Avery Brooks, who is simply fantastic - along with Patrick Stewart, one of the few Star Trek actors who can actually convey powerful emotions without seeming tacky or making me feel awkward. Yes there was bad acting in DS9, and yes there was good acting in B5, but the trends swung way towards DS9.
Another problem with B5 beyond a some poor performances was the high turnover rate of the cast. I read some of the casting changes and each actor/actress had a different story. However, I don’t think that it was just a coincidence. I strongly suspect that the static nature of JMS’s stories bothered some of the cast members who didn’t like their role or their amount of screen-time. This is just a theory, however. Maybe they just got unlucky.
Winner: DS9
Visuals
I don’t have much of an eye for these kinds of things, but I just prefer the DS9 visuals. Supposedly, B5 was one of the first shows to use pure digital effects, unlike DS9 which used models (like TNG). Honestly, I don’t think that the digital effects were there yet. Plus, there’s the previously mentioned budget disparity.
Winner: DS9 (on purely subjective grounds).
Soundtrack
Once more, the budget disparity was quite evident in the soundtrack performances. DS9’s soundtrack sounded like it was performed by an orchestra, whereas B5’s soundtrack sounded like it was synthesized with a Casio. That being said, the intrinsic quality of the music wasn’t amazing with either show. The music for both shows grew on me a little over time - however, I never felt compelled to purchase or even demo the soundtrack to either show. Thus, my verdict.
Winner: Neither (everybody’s a loser)
Legend:
- B5 = Babylon 5
- DS9 = Star Trek, Deep Space 9
- JMS = J. Michael Straczynski, the creator of B5
- Bajor = Watch DS9
- “Dukat” = Watch B5 and DS9