I think part of the later season improvements in DS9 were due to competition with B5, they had to get edgier and introduce a long term plotline just to not get steamrolled.
I’m re-watching B5 on DVD right now, and it seems even darker given the tilt of politics today.
I’ve done this same thing with watching B5 through. It truly speaks to what could happen now, but more of insidious and deadly ways (and with spaceships :D).
I”m actually quite excited to have done this because of the fact I’m taking a Scifi and Politics to fill up my last hours to graduate.