Personally, I don't know any fans of Babylon 5 that didn't start out as Trekkers. I'm one of 'em. I think that's the way it is with most B5 watchers. So why would someone who costumed and conventioned, watched and taped, and (let's be honest) ate, slept, and breathed Star Trek suddenly turn around and start bashing it and it's viewers? No it's the Trekkers who missed the boat on B5 that are the immature, nasty ones here. You find a lot of B5 bashing Trekkers online, and it's clear most of 'em don't have the first clue what it is they're bashing. It ticks me off, especially the DS9 fans that say Babylon 5 is a rip off of "their" show. They have it the wrong way 'round. After all, didn't JMS pitch Babylon 5 to Paramount before he pitched it to WB? They rejected it, but suddenly decided they would make a new Trek series about a space station full of aliens by a suspiciously jumpgate like worm hole. Hmmm.
Don't get me wrong, I liked DS9 when it came out, particularly Garrik (sp?). I even started conventioning as a Bajoran terrorist! But even I had to admit the quality of the Star Trek franchise had dropped off since Gene Roddenberry died. Sure, Next Gen was nice, but I think of B5 as the true successor to Star Trek, or at least a spirit brother. Why do you have to like one or the other?
I'm only 20, so I missed this: Did Trekkers get cranky when Star Wars came out or did the fans co-exist peacefully? Could a Star Wars fan go to a Sci-Fi convention in costume without having his IQ questioned? And what about Star Wars vs. Battlestar Galactica? Star Wars was the established comodity then. Did Galactica get guff from Star Wars fans or did they watch it and enjoy it for it's own merits?
I just don't understand all the infighting between Sci-fi fans. Face it, we're all geeks. Whether you perfer one series over another isn't going to change that. Arguing about it only makes it worse. In the immortal words of William Shatner (who, God willing, will stop singing on Priceline commercials) "GET A LIFE!"