My Journey through Babylon 5

[Nolamom]

It certainly showed how much the Vorlons got around the universe! On a side note - how sad and frustrating for Londo this particular moment must have been.

[Cold Fuzz]

2x22 - The Fall of Night

I've watched a lot of sci-fi shows over the years and I have to say I'd be hard-pressed to find an equally captivating scene as the one where Kosh saves Sheridan from his fall. The scene would probably not have been as impressive on its own, but the lead up to it was excellent. I don't just mean this episode, but the entire series. With the Vorlons, Kosh and who they really are; the hints that Kosh drops from time to time; and everything else that tied in with this mystery. It all came together in this scene and it was just great to watch.

Now for the plot of the episode, I think it did a great job to setup the future seasons. The alliance between Earth and Centauri came as no surprise. The way Earth has been depicted on this show it makes sense that they'd want the easy way out. Add to that the new president who is focused solely on Earth's interest and the decision to align with the Centauri becomes very clear. I did like how Sheridan stood up to them though and didn't give in to the pressure to hand over the Narn ship.

The Shadows have now been revealed to practically everyone. What are the consequences? I'm sure Earth Central will come up with something ridiculous on how to deal with the threat that will make you want to pull out your hair. I can see increased tensions between B5 and Earth Central. Not only from this but also the Nightwatch, which I can see causing lots of problems.

Special mention to the opening scene with Vir and Lennier. Short, sweet and excellent.

I just want to reiterate how impressive the writing has been on this show. There is a tendency in sci-fi shows to neglect aspects of the plot or character development in order to achieve what the writers want in conclusion, and any inconsistencies can be attributed to the fact that "hey, its sci-fi". This has not been the case with B5 (except a few minor instances). Kudos to the writers and creators.

Side note:
Why is Na'Toth in the opening credits when the character appears only once, and briefly at that, in the entire season?

I'm quite curious. Did you suspect the Vorlons had an angelic appearance? The subtle hints were there, especially given certain scenes we've encountered in the past. I personally didn't expect the Vorlons to look like that though.

As for the political ramifications of the Earth-Centauri alliance, well there's shades of pre-World War II appeasement, specifically with Lantz saying, "There will at least be peace in our time."

The problems with the Clark administration go far beyond isolationism and what you've seen with Nightwatch. You'll see that soon enough. You're also correct that EarthGov has a response planned with the Shadow footage.

I liked Ivanova's ending monologue, especially about B5 failing its original mission but becoming something greater in the process. Her narrative wonderfully sets the tone for season 3 and when you see the opening sequences of "Matters of Honor" I think you'll appreciate evident changes to the show.

The beauty of B5 is the writing. You don't realize how great it is until you hit an episode like this and like you said, you see how everything has been leading up to this moment. Now you know why Delenn wanted to see Kosh before the transformation. Why Lita wanted to see him one more time before she left. What the doctor in the pilot meant by "I have seen the face of a Vorlon and nothing is the same". Of all the sci-fi shows I've ever watched B5 delivers the most viewer satisfaction for lack of a better term. The payoffs are so great you don't mind the so-so episodes just because there may have something really important in them that just didn't seem so at the time. It makes the series really fun to re-watch because you pick up all the hints you miss the first time through.

Why was Na'Toth in the credits? I don't know. They changed actresses for the part between season 1 and 2. I was more curious about why the pilot (Keffer? Keffler?) was there. He had one plot thread which ended in his death.

Anyway, I'm glad you liked the episode as much as I do. Now, buckle up for season 3!

I've never been sure as to why Mary Kay Adams only appeared in such a small number of episodes. As for Keffer, there's an explanation for his presence in the show. Network execs insisted that JMS include a hotshot pilot character. JMS of course wasn't planning on such a character and was really irked by them insisting on it. He therefore integrated Keffer into the overall storyline with the sole purpose of having him killed at the final episode. Ultimately getting scragged by a Shadow warship seemed very fitting for a character that was never meant to be in the series.

It certainly showed how much the Vorlons got around the universe! On a side note - how sad and frustrating for Londo this particular moment must have been.

Ah, Londo--missing out on all the fun as usual. He's wanted so hard for people to like him and he's gone about it in the completely the wrong way. *shrugs* I've met people like that before, particularly one from four years ago. He was such a jackass but couldn't figure out why people didn't like him. And when everybody disliked him he would rant like a madman, wondering why people don't like him. He was blind in spirit as well as his eyes, I'm afraid.

The same could be said for Londo. If he can't even clearly see the truth surrounding his own situation, there's really no hope for him clearly seeing a Vorlon.

[magictrick]

I'm quite curious. Did you suspect the Vorlons had an angelic appearance? The subtle hints were there, especially given certain scenes we've encountered in the past. I personally didn't expect the Vorlons to look like that though.

I've guessed correctly on many plots and characters on this show, but I really wasn't sure what to expect about the exact appearance of the Vorlons. I was leaning towards guessing they would be human-looking in appearance or it would look similar to Delenn, a mix of Human and Menbari, based on the route that story line has been taking.

Seeing how they actually look I guess I was on the right track but didn't quite get there

[Cold Fuzz]

I've guessed correctly on many plots and characters on this show, but I really wasn't sure what to expect about the exact appearance of the Vorlons. I was leaning towards guessing they would be human-looking in appearance or it would look similar to Delenn, a mix of Human and Menbari, based on the route that story line has been taking.

Seeing how they actually look I guess I was on the right track but didn't quite get there

At the time, I didn't even venture a guess as to the Vorlons' true appearance which made the big reveal in "The Fall of Night" a very big surprise. You'll be seeing Kosh outside of his encounter suit again... albeit in a very unusual way.

[magictrick]

3x01 - Matters of Honor

The first episode of the season seems to set the tone for what the next 20 or more will focus on. The issue of the Shadows has now grown to involve all the races to some capacity, as it was predicted.

Now what is Earth doing? Do they know who Morden and his associates are? What is this plan they kept referring to? All good questions which I look forward to finding the answers to as the season progresses.

Needless to say, Sheridan and company will have their work cut out for them as it seems both the Centauri and Earth are willing to support Morden, while thus helping, knowingly or unknowingly, the Shadows as well.

I was surprised to see Sheridan be so easily transitioned to command a Menbari warship. While I understand it is for the use of Rangers it was still designed and operated by Menbari. Found it kind of odd, especially considering what Sheridan represents to them. Either way, it was great to see one of the Shadow ships finally meeting its match.

[Nolamom]

I sent my daughter a link to Amazon's B5 stuff to remind her that's what I want for Christmas. She seemed surprised and said "you're serious!" She should know - she used to watch it with me.

[Cold Fuzz]

3x01 - Matters of Honor

The first episode of the season seems to set the tone for what the next 20 or more will focus on. The issue of the Shadows has now grown to involve all the races to some capacity, as it was predicted.

Now what is Earth doing? Do they know who Morden and his associates are? What is this plan they kept referring to? All good questions which I look forward to finding the answers to as the season progresses.

Needless to say, Sheridan and company will have their work cut out for them as it seems both the Centauri and Earth are willing to support Morden, while thus helping, knowingly or unknowingly, the Shadows as well.

I was surprised to see Sheridan be so easily transitioned to command a Menbari warship. While I understand it is for the use of Rangers it was still designed and operated by Menbari. Found it kind of odd, especially considering what Sheridan represents to them. Either way, it was great to see one of the Shadow ships finally meeting its match.

You'll see what the angle is with Earth central very soon. And like you said in a previous post, it'll make you pull your hair out.

A note about the Rangers' hierarchy: Delenn is in direct command of them and Sheridan has shared authority there. The Rangers wouldn't necessarily mind fighting alongside Sheridan because it's a mixture of Minbari and humans. It may seem like an unlikely arrangement but remember also that Sinclair has been on Minbar working with the Rangers. They've gotten used to working with humans by now. Also, it's worth noting that it's the Religious Caste that was manning the White Star. The Warrior Caste, who would ordinarily be the crew in a such a warship, would never accept Sheridan's authority over them. It would be an affront to their warrior pride unfortunately.

Though I may identify with the Warrior Caste from a personal perspective, their behavior has been frankly idiotic. You've got a major galactic war on your hands and, for a fighter, it could be a chance to earn some honor--especially since billions of lives are on the line. But no, they're being petty. That's why the Rangers are taking up the burden of fighting this war. It's like Delenn said near the beginning of season 2. The two sides must unite or be destroyed. The Warrior Caste are still so bitter about the end of the previous war with Earth that they can't see what's going on with the war that's brewing right in front of them. Idiotic.

Speaking of the Rangers, Marcus is one of my favorite characters on Babylon 5. You don't see very much of him at first but as the season progresses, I think you'll agree that he's a wonderful character.

Regarding the destruction of that Shadow vessel: Sheridan knows they're outgunned. He's a smart enough tactician get around such limitations. But sooner or later, they're going to have to stand up to those ships in a direct confrontation. For now, outmaneuvering them is really the only way to survive.

I sent my daughter a link to Amazon's B5 stuff to remind her that's what I want for Christmas. She seemed surprised and said "you're serious!" She should know - she used to watch it with me.

That's great! That'll definitely be a wonderful Christmas present.

[maneth]

Magictrick, did you catch the B5 Star Wars reference yet? (Hint, it's to do with Sheridan.)

Now the pace of the show is really picking up.

[magictrick]

A note about the Rangers' hierarchy: Delenn is in direct command of them and Sheridan has shared authority there. The Rangers wouldn't necessarily mind fighting alongside Sheridan because it's a mixture of Minbari and humans. It may seem like an unlikely arrangement but remember also that Sinclair has been on Minbar working with the Rangers. They've gotten used to working with humans by now. Also, it's worth noting that it's the Religious Caste that was manning the White Star. The Warrior Caste, who would ordinarily be the crew in a such a warship, would never accept Sheridan's authority over them. It would be an affront to their warrior pride unfortunately.

Well that makes more sense now. I don't think it was overtly clear that it was only the Warrior Caste that despised Sheridan, I thought it was a general consensus among the Minbari. The Minbari in that episode where they try to frame Sheridan for murder, were they also from the Warrior Caste?

Also I can't remember exactly but the Rangers are made up of all alien races right? It isn't just Minbari and Humans. I remember when Sheridan is holding a speech to them back in season 2 I seem to recall other races being present as well.

Magictrick, did you catch the B5 Star Wars reference yet? (Hint, it's to do with Sheridan.)

Now the pace of the show is really picking up.

I think I may have missed this, though my guess would be that it happened when they were on the new Minbari ship that Sheridan was given command of.

[maneth]

It's a bit obscure, but Starkiller was the first version of the name that became Skywalker. And you know what the Minbari call Sheridan...

[magictrick]

It's a bit obscure, but Starkiller was the first version of the name that became Skywalker. And you know what the Minbari call Sheridan...

Oh I thought it was something specific in this episode. I don't think my knowledge of Star Wars goes that deep for me to have caught that

[maneth]

I was a Star Wars fan long before I became a sci-fi fan.

[Nolamom]

I was a Star Wars fan long before I became a sci-fi fan.

Oh my - Star Wars didn't even come out until after I was married! I was a hard-core sci-fi fan from Asimov and Clarke et. al., ST:TOS, Twilight Zone, Outer Limits, you name it...

[Cold Fuzz]

Well that makes more sense now. I don't think it was overtly clear that it was only the Warrior Caste that despised Sheridan, I thought it was a general consensus among the Minbari. The Minbari in that episode where they try to frame Sheridan for murder, were they also from the Warrior Caste?

Also I can't remember exactly but the Rangers are made up of all alien races right? It isn't just Minbari and Humans. I remember when Sheridan is holding a speech to them back in season 2 I seem to recall other races being present as well.

The Warrior Caste are the ones who despise him the most. Some of the hard-line Minbari Religious and Worker Caste don't exactly like him either but to a much lesser degree. Ironically, it's the Religious Caste that tried to frame Sheridan in "There All the Honor Lies." However, Minbari personally associated with Delenn or with the Rangers acknowledge him as one of the top brass in the coming war. They're not going to let old resentments blind them to reality: The Shadows would like nothing more to have discord between Minbari and humans, even outright conflict. It definitely lines up with what their true objectives are. They also know that the Shadows could care less about battles in old wars. They only want what's in front of them right now. To the wiser Minbari and humans, they know that discord right now would mean the end of all of them.

The Rangers are exclusively human and Minbari for right now. However, as we saw with the Drazi training camp at Zagros 7, the Rangers have affiliates and allies among other races also.

[magictrick]

3x02 - Convictions

After a string of episodes that focused only on the main plot lines, Convictions was a pretty good buffer.

Lennier and Londo were the ones who really stood out in this episode. The scene with Lennier in the waiting area was great, loved the humour in it. The episode also brought Londo's softer side to the forefront. We see he still cares about others and things not related to power or Centauri legacy. Plus now I know where that "how many Centauri does it take to screw in a light bulb" comes from

I also liked the elevator scenes with G'kar and Londo. I was actually expecting a lot more intensity and conflict in it, but I still enjoyed the way it played out. I'm really curious about how this ongoing feud between G'kar and Londo will end up.

I thought it was interesting that they decided to have a mad bomber who simply wanted to instill fear into everyone around him and nothing more. A pure revenge plot with no ties to the main story line we've been seeing thus far.