I got to know (from afar) MJS before he launched B5 on the old SciFi and Canopus forums on Compuserve. I even got to meet him briefly when he was in Memphis for a Con.
There had been a lot of discussion of his TV series, particularly the relatively fixed 5 year story arc. In VERY broad terms he laid out the story as we know it (with no real spoilers) and he built up quite a buzz on that early incarnation of the net for his show.
When it debuted I had to write him about how I liked it, except for those aliens with the weird spiky crown of hair and comic opera uniforms. Combine the odd look and the fact that the guy who played "Flounder" in Animal House (Stephen Furst) was cast as one of them they were obviously the comic relief. I told him how disappointed I was in the rather obvious ploy.
MJS replied and (very patiently) explained to me that I had the nature of the Centauri all wrong, though he had meant to lead people astray, just as I had been. He pointed out to me just how "comical" the Samurai warriors must have seemed to the first westerners to see them, with their outlandish dress and their "comic opera" behavior. He then reminded me of the legacy of violence and blood left by the Samurai tradition, particularly in World War 2. The Centauri weren't the comic relief, by a long shot.
Once past that misimpression I was never disappointed in the show, even when it stumbled or went off in strange directions for one or two episodes (the King Arthur bit was lame, for example).
However, I will reserve judgement, for now, as to whether or not B5 was "the best sci fi show ever." That's too broad for me to accept without thinking about it some. After all, what are the parameters? Would Twilight Zone or any of the other classic anthologies be contenders? What about mini-series? Are we talking the best overall series or single episode? I mean, let's set the ground rules here folks... ;^>
Yes, the Message from Avalon (or whatever) was one of the weakest.
I remember an unkind reviewer of the fist ep. referring to Molari as "Count von Bozo." Yet he turned into one of the most tragic, full-orbed figures I've seen in the secular arts.
Dan
I've always seen the Centauri as very "European". Maybe it was their Napolean style outfits. The palace and its residents gave an impression of the court of Versailles.