I'm a fan of H.P Lovecraft as much as the next Sci-Fi geek. Really. Did a Lovecraft story belong in the B5 universe? Ahhh, not so much.The plot is that the B-5 crew, now in revolt against Earth, find an ancient artifact, apparently left behind by the now departed Vorlons. without Ambassador Kosh to warn them (but who ever really understood what old Kosh was trying to say half the time?), the crew makes a bargain with Interplanetary Expeditions to try to unravel what is inside the thing.Well, of course, they open the thing, and discover it's a portal to an alternate universe where evil creatures take over the minds of people. Various denizens of B5 start acting strangely, from Attache Vir Cotto to Crime Boss Duece. When the Lovecraftian universe aliens start making a full scale invasion. (Seriously, were they all parked outside the other end of the gate waiting for some poor fool to open it?) we get a full scale B-5 space battle that can only end with John Sheridan doing what he always does when he encounters a problem- setting off a nuclear weapon.John "Nuke-Em" SHeridan. A real man's man! He's Jesus with nukes! It's a weak story, seemingly anachronistic as some fan-fic in the B-5 time line. (Seriously, is the squabble with President Clark all that important after you've just fended off an invasion of our universe from Lovecraftian horrors?) But it's fun to watch our beloved characters one more time.So, yeah, Joe, I'm giving you a mulligan on this one!

The basic story of "Thirdspace" is rather straight and simple, it could have been told in the time span of a regular B5 episode without being hasty. So, what makes "Thirdspace" interesting to watch, if you like this kind of sci-fi movie, more than the story or the not-too-overwhelming quality of acting, is its strong symphonic side - the synthesis of (CGI) images and Franke's score into a "space symphony" sometimes even resembling "Star Trek: The Motion Picture". It's not as elegant, though. "Thirdspace" is faster and somehow rougher, there is less sheer grandeur (well, it's a TV movie), but still... one can enjoy much of it indeed, literally, as a moving picture with music. What I also would like to mention, though, is Patricia Tallman's performance - distinctly more inspired and refined than what we saw in the preceding B5 episodes.

I have been a big fan of the B5 series for some time now but have never had the opportunity to see one of the movies until Thirdspace was aired on the Sci-Fi channel. I am glad that Thirdspace was the first B5 movie I saw. Although I am a big fan of B5 I have to admit that some of the acting can, at times, get a little weak. Thirdspace is a pretty good example of how bad the acting can get. It wasn't so bad that it ruined the movie but I did role my eyes a few times when the acting was obviously bad.The writing and characters for B5 have always been very strong and although most of the B5 TV characters are not in Thirdspace, the plot is strong enough that not all of the characters are needed or missed. For the most part the B5 crew, Delenn and I think Lennier were the only characters from the show that were also in the movie. G'Kar, Londo and Vir would have been a nice addition to Thirdspace but the characters were un-needed for the movie and their absence where for the most part unnoticed.They do a good job in building the suspense up in Thirdspace. They only let you know enough to keep the interest going. Although some of the side plots tend to get a little long (very long) and unnecessary, the interest is very strong has much to do with the main plot. The device discovered is also very intriguing. This also helps build the plot, suspense and interest in the movie, even if it is only for a shot time. SPOILER ALERT!!! When Lyta informs the rest of what the device is (as the device opens!!) I was at the edge of my seat. When the ships come out of the device to fight, I really felt that they were from a different reality and totally foreign to the rest of the worlds. What a great scene and camera angles. The fighting and resolution to end the fighting was in perfect sync to the rest of the plot. It would have been nice to see a face behind the ships though.SPOILER END!!! I highly recommend the B5 movie Thirdspace to all. I have since seen Call to Arms and Crusade and still thing that Thirdspace is the better of the three.

This IS the worst of the Babylon 5 tv-movies. It is set during the fourth season, but this movie aired during the fifth season. The story is rather weak and the acting is just a little bit better. I agree that TNT may have had some hand in influencing the writing. On the positive side, the special effects were great but that's about it.