Loved the series but the ending was a you gotta be kidding me moment. I’ll spare the spoilers but all I could think was after 5 years of build up, that’s the pay off?
B5 was originally syndicated through the PTEN Network. It collapsed after the third season and B5 barely got it’s 4th season and did not look like it would receive a 5th.
JMS wanted to ensure that the main story was completed and that resulted in a compressed 4th season with a lot of side-story being removed. Towards the end of the 4th season, Babylon Productions reached an agreement with TNT that would guarantee a 5th and final season along with 4 telefilms and a spin-off series.
The real problem with the 5th season was that the main story had already been completed. The series finale had actually been shot as the end of the 4th season, but was replaced when TNT picked up the series.