who watches Babylon 5

[alpha-centauri420]

its my fav show anyone watch it????????????

[Missster.Freeman]

I did and WILL watch it again. It was an epic series. Babylon 5 (almost) took over my entire life back in the 1990s.

Hi and welcome to GateWorld. The handy Search will help you to find the thread you are looking for. Oh wait, it's right here http://forum.gateworld.net/showthread.php?t=11431

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[kmiller1610]

I've been on a B5 binge for two months, but I have been corralled by my gateworld brethern into FINALLY watching the final 3 seasons of DS9......

A little known truth about B5. That great story arc isn't quite, completely original ......

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babylon...d_of_the_Rings

Several elements in B5 seem a lot like elements in J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. For instance, in The Fellowship of the Ring, the Dark Riders first appear singly, then in progressively larger groups; B5 repeated this tension-building pattern early in its first season, when enemy forces known as the Shadows appear first singly, and then in vast numbers. Additionally, the Shadows, like the Dark Riders, strike a deep primal fear in everyone who sees them. The way the Shadows are spoken of, as the Darkness and the Enemy is reminiscent of how Sauron is spoken of in the Lord of the Rings.

The most obvious LOTR reference is the Rangers, who share a name and a mission with the Rangers of Lord of the Rings. Both are secretive orders that work covertly to protect a populace that is either unaware or openly hostile to them, and both are led by individuals of mixed race – Aragorn, who had blood of Men, Elves, and Valar, and the half-human, half-Minbari Delenn. Just as the marriage of Aragorn and Arwen reunited the Humans and Elves, whose blood flowed through them both, the marriage of John Sheriden and Delenn reunited the Humans and Minbari, who shared each other's souls.

The code of the Rangers, as stated by Marcus Cole in the episode "Grey 17 is Missing", is: "We walk in the dark places that no one else will enter. We stand on the bridge, and no one may pass." This is reminiscent of two scenes from Lord of the Rings. The first is Aragorn's description of his Rangers during the Council of Elrond in The Fellowship of the Ring: "Lonely men are we, Rangers of the North, hunters - but hunters ever of the servants of the Enemy"; and the second is Gandalf's confrontation with the Balrog over the abyss in Moria, in particular his cry of "You shall not pass!" before he shatters the bridge. Furthermore, Gandalf has previously been warned (by Aragorn, no less) that he will die if he enters Moria (also known as Khazad-dûm); in B5, captain John Sheridan is warned that he will die if he goes to a planet called Z'ha'dum. Both men sacrifice themselves, fall into an abyss, and return in an altered form to unite the forces of good against the forces of evil. Kosh could also be compared to Gandalf, in that both are powerful beings who help gather the forces of Light together and act as a mentor towards the main hero, Sheridan and Aragorn. Both also die in their duties, and both return, though Kosh's return was brief.

Also, B5 takes place at "the dawn of the third age", and the defeat of Sauron in Lord of the Rings is considered to be the ending event of the third age of Middle-earth.

The third season of Babylon 5, the Shadow War, is depicted less as a typical science-fiction war than as a conflict between Darkness and Light comparable to the War of the Ring. The Shadows, like Sauron, were defeated before, but over time regained their strength and returned to start a new war. The First Ones were leaving the Galaxy to out beyond the Rim, just as the Elves were leaving Middle-Earth to go to Valinor. After the Shadow War, all the First Ones leave for beyond the Rim. Likewise, after the War of the Ring, the Elves leave for Valinor. Both universes have difficulty getting all the various races to work together to stop the Enemy, since many of these races are suspicious and distrustful of one another. Aragorn, like Sheridan, was in exile from his rightful home in Gondor and was hated by the Steward Denethor who feared for his position if Aragorn returned. Sheidan, comparitively, had to breakway from Earth and was declared a traitor by President Clark. Both Denethor and Clark were corrupt and power-hungry and both ended up committed suicide when it seemed that their power was lost.

The Shadows, like Sauron, also have many servants and races working for them, that they summoned when they prepared to make war again. Both also infiltrated and influenced other rulers and nations, through Emperor Cartagia, President Clark, just as Sauron worked through Saruman and other forces of evil. The Shadow's Mr. Morden is their smooth-tongue advocate, just as Grima "Wormtongue" was in Rohan for Saruman. Additionally, the Shadows use living beings as the central operating system of their warships. This theme of domination and alteration if similar to Sauron's desire to dominate life in Middle-Earth and bend all to his will.

A similar theme is the different levels of civilizations in both Babylon 5 and the Lord of the Rings. The Minbari stand technologically and culturally above the other Younger Races, much as the Elves are set above the other races of Middle-Earth. Delenn's role is not dissimilar from Arwen's. Also, the Centauri and the Narns stand at different technological levels, just as Gondor and Rohan do in the LOTR. Gondor itself is described in Roman-like terms, whereas Rohan is more Anglo-Saxon. Gondor and the Centauri Republic are soldier states, whereas Rohan and the Narn Regime are more warrior-oriented. The former are older civilizations and the latter are younger civilizations, still imbibed with a spirit of dashing, even reckless, bravery and warrior heritage that is lacking in the former.

The name Narns might be derived either from C. S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia, or from Tolkien's Narn i Hîn Húrin in The Silmarillion which was itself almost certainly the inspiration for the name Narnia. The name of Tolkien's heart of elvendom, "Lórien" (or "Lothlorien") is given to the first of the First Ones in B5. (See "Lorien") The name of the Shadows' agent, Mr. Morden, may also reflect Tolkien's Mordor. The similar nature of the names Khazad-dûm and Z'ha'dum has been noted earlier.

The creator of B5, J. Michael Straczynski (JMS), acknowledges Tolkien when a "techno-mage" loosely quotes The Fellowship of the Ring, where the character Gildor Inglorion says, "Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger."

JMS has stated that people misunderstand the similarities between the two different stories. He often says that B5 is "greatly informed by" but "is not" any particular preceding work of fiction or history.

[Ancient 1]

its my fav show anyone watch it????????????

You should have done a SEARCH and found this thread. It saves on repetition, and keeps people from wondering: "Didn't I just post in there?"

[Bragi]

I watched it. I don't know if Sci-Fi or anyone else is playing it anymore.

[Commander Ivanova]

A little known truth about B5. That great story arc isn't quite, completely original ......

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babylon...d_of_the_Rings

Would've greened you for this enlightening info but I need to spread it around a bit first
B5 may have drawn on LOTR in the respects outlined but for me LOTR was pedantic and turgid while B5 for the most part WASN'T .

[Missster.Freeman]

You should have done a SEARCH and found this thread. It saves on repetition, and keeps people from wondering: "Didn't I just post in there?"

Ahem...

Hi and welcome to GateWorld. The handy Search will help you to find the thread you are looking for. Oh wait, it's right here http://forum.gateworld.net/showthread.php?t=11431

Remember the Search button. It is your friend. Hallowed IS the Search button.

Oh well, you'd think with both these links we provided, alpha-centauri420 would be able to find the thread now.

[Tok'Ra Hostess]

A little known truth about B5. That great story arc isn't quite, completely original ......

Hey, what is since about, oh, the 2nd or 3rd century BCE?

If we realize that the human heros from B5 were very into Earth history and mythology it actually makes sense that Valen - Sinclair - would have patterned his Rangers on the Tolkien fable.

[kmiller1610]

If we realize that the human heros from B5 were very into Earth history and mythology it actually makes sense that Valen - Sinclair - would have patterned his Rangers on the Tolkien fable.

A brilliant read... Not all who wander are lost.......

[AGateFan]

I love B5. One of the best TV shows I have ever watched.

[Missster.Freeman]

Indeed it did. I'm curious, have any of you watched B5 since it ended? I'd like to know if the Special F-X still holds up by todays standards.

Oh, and maybe we should have this thread merged with the main B5 thread.

[Tok'Ra Hostess]

Indeed it did. I'm curious, have any of you watched B5 since it ended? I'd like to know if the Special F-X still holds up by todays standards.

My family is addicted to B5 and not a week goes by that someone hasn't slipped a disc into the player to watch an ep... or three... four... and the gang inevitably gathers round.

I'm no expert on SFX but I find that they are as arresting now as they were when the eps first aired, mainly because they look - and sound - natural.

[kmiller1610]

Indeed it did. I'm curious, have any of you watched B5 since it ended? I'd like to know if the Special F-X still holds up by todays standards.

The whole series feels just a bit from another era. The whole series is in studio. There are no outdoor scenes. The FX are dated, but adequate. But the writing, the poetry, the ideas, the concepts, the many great and quotable speeches make it very special. One thing B5 did that I haven't seen done as well was the emphasis on fleet size engagements where there are actual tactics employed. Most times, in most other series, it's just a jumble. The ship designers had a ball, but many of the ships are a bit cartoony. Would a world really use all that color? But the designs are wonderful. The white star is still my fav ship of all sci fi.......

[Missster.Freeman]

Thank you both for your answers. I was just curious as it's been years since I last saw an episode. I'm going to start buying the Babylon 5 series on DVD soon. I doubt even poor F-X would put me off buying the boxsets.

[Gregorius]

I watch B5 I'm currently at "A call to arms" and after that I'll watch the Crusade