My Journey through Babylon 5

[LoneStar1836]

1x08 - And the Sky Full of Stars

I'm giving this show another plus because the intro sequence is really cool. I'm sure most of you B5 fans would agree Is the voice that's speaking that of the actor playing the Commander?

Yes it is. The intros change every season to fit what's going on. I think they are some of the best for any show I've ever watched.

[Galileo_Galilee]

I'm still not sure what the Grey Council of the Menbari is all about and why Delenn doesn't want anyone to know. Not sure what their significance is.

Here's the answer for you:

Spoiler:

The Grey Council was set up by Valen in order to watch out for the Shadows when he presented his gift of a space station to the Minbari a thousand years ago. They are made up of the ruling castes of Minbar, warrior and religious. But, just wait until you find out who Valen really was and where the station came from. This will be revealed, so have patience.

There was another Shadow war being fought a thousand years ago, only until Valen came along it was on the verge of being lost.

That's why Valen is so revered of a person in Minbari culture. And it also leads to the reason why the Minbari surrendered to earth at the Battle of The Line.

Just remember, Valen is also a Minbari who is not Minbari. That is a huge, and very subtle clue.

[magictrick]

Thank you, but I'm not going to read it I was just typing out my thoughts I don't really want to know the answer until I see it on the show.

[Missster.Freeman]

I've always viewed B-5 as being about Londo and G'Kar. Without either of these characters the series would have been less interesting.

Q. How many Vorlons does it take to change a light bulb?

A. None. They get one of the younger races to do it for them, however, they then must be wiped out because they have been touched by the darkness...

regards,
G.

lol good one.

I've always thought of the show being more than Londo and G'Kar, but B5 definitely would have felt smaller without them.

Yes it is. The intros change every season to fit what's going on. I think they are some of the best for any show I've ever watched.

The intro speech and music for season three is my personal favourite. It really set the tone for the whole season.

[Cold Fuzz]

1x08 - And the Sky Full of Stars

I'm giving this show another plus because the intro sequence is really cool. I'm sure most of you B5 fans would agree Is the voice that's speaking that of the actor playing the Commander?

I enjoyed this episode mostly because it provided a lot of key information about the past. I didn't know much about the Earth-Menbari war until now, and didn't realize the Commander had a key role in all this - what that is remains to be seen. I see this episode setting up a major story arc down the road.

I'm still not sure what the Grey Council of the Menbari is all about and why Delenn doesn't want anyone to know. Not sure what their significance is. But as has been the case so far I'm sure I'll find out soon enough.


Also, everyone here has been doing a great job of not spoiling anything for me so just wanted to say thank you! I hate spoilers!

Good for you for avoiding spoilers. Babylon 5 is too good a story to be spoiled. Besides, it's one thing to know what's going to happen but it's another to see how and why those events take place... and how those events have lasting consequences for people.

As for the Minbari Grey Council, by the time you get to season 4, you'll be very familiar with what the Council is and its significance to the Minbari people. You're correct that Commander Sinclair has a huge role in the Earth-Minbari War. Just how significant that is, you'll have to wait and see. I will say that "He is the closed circle," at least according to a certain Vorlon (and no, it's not the Vorlon you're thinking of).

Edit: My personal favorite opening sequences are the ones for seasons 5 and 3.

[LoneStar1836]

The intro speech and music for season three is my personal favourite. It really set the tone for the whole season.

5 is my favorite because of how it was put together, but 3 certainly fits best with the season.

[magictrick]

5 is my favorite because of how it was put together, but 3 certainly fits best with the season.

And I thought season 1's intro was already great. I guess I have something else to look forward to.

[Galileo_Galilee]

And I hope you'll enjoy Walter Koenig's performance as the Psi Cop Bester. He actually does a real good job of being creepy, and is a completely different performance than as Chekov.

[maneth]

Oh yeah, Bester was my favorite recurring character along with Dr Franklin. Ivanova, G'Kar and Londo are my favorite main characters.

I'm glad you like the first season so far.

[magictrick]

1x09 - Deathwalker

This was a pretty intense episode. The story was really good, even though I guessed how it would end. First was when the mention of immortality came up - there's no way that she was going to get out alive - and next when they said Kosh would not be involved in the assembly.

I learned a lot about the history of some of these races and also other past wars. It seems like the relationships between most of these alien races are all traced back to some sort of war. Kind of a sad reality, but totally believable.

I am looking forward to finding out what Kosh wanted with the telepath's thoughts.

[Cold Fuzz]

1x09 - Deathwalker

This was a pretty intense episode. The story was really good, even though I guessed how it would end. First was when the mention of immortality came up - there's no way that she was going to get out alive - and next when they said Kosh would not be involved in the assembly.

I learned a lot about the history of some of these races and also other past wars. It seems like the relationships between most of these alien races are all traced back to some sort of war. Kind of a sad reality, but totally believable.

I am looking forward to finding out what Kosh wanted with the telepath's thoughts.

Deathwalker is one of my favorite episodes of season 1 actually. Part of it is because, as you said, we learned a bit about the history of some of B5's aliens. That kind of empire building gives the alien characterizations credibility and depth. The nice thing about the Non-Aligned Worlds is that there's quite a room for variety within the group. By the end of season 2, you'll be very familiar with certain races like the Drazi, Markab, and others.

Interesting thing about how Kosh crops up in the A and B plots in this episode: We know very little about him but something about his character might make us think he's "good." And then this stuff with Talia and Jha'dur comes and then all of us are wondering just WTF he and the Vorlons are really up to. Who are they? Who are they really? That's a question that'll be pondered more and more by the audience... and some of the characters.

[magictrick]

Interesting thing about how Kosh crops up in the A and B plots in this episode: We know very little about him but something about his character might make us think he's "good." And then this stuff with Talia and Jha'dur comes and then all of us are wondering just WTF he and the Vorlons are really up to. Who are they? Who are they really? That's a question that'll be pondered more and more by the audience... and some of the characters.

I thought Kosh was great in this episode. I really liked his last line that he says about immortality when everyone is sort of stun locked at what just happened. I always got the sense that Vorlons are a lot more advanced than the other races that we see. Whether or not this is actually be proven to be true remains to be seen. But if this episode is any indication, that seems to be the case.

Either way I look forward to finding out more about the Vorlons. I find them more interesting than all the other races, even though we've barely learned anything about them so far. I guess because the bickering and scheming that all the other races are involved in (including humans) is so predictable, a sad but true fact.

[Cold Fuzz]

I thought Kosh was great in this episode. I really liked his last line that he says about immortality when everyone is sort of stun locked at what just happened. I always got the sense that Vorlons are a lot more advanced than the other races that we see. Whether or not this is actually be proven to be true remains to be seen. But if this episode is any indication, that seems to be the case.

Either way I look forward to finding out more about the Vorlons. I find them more interesting than all the other races, even though we've barely learned anything about them so far. I guess because the bickering and scheming that all the other races are involved in (including humans) is so predictable, a sad but true fact.

Just how advanced the Vorlons truly are is trotted out in bits and pieces... and then again in even bigger chunks. Part of the mystique of the Vorlons is just how enigmatic they really are. And they really like that. They have their own form of bickering and scheming as well... though it's all riddles to other races like humans.

[magictrick]

1x10 - Believers

Well it just wouldn't be sci-fi without having religion vs science thrown into the mix. I don't want to start a debate here so I will only touch briefly on the topic of this episode. I think the entire episode was summed up really well by what Delenn told the parents regarding beliefs and how she cannot choose which one is more "right" than the other.

The episode itself felt like another filler, although it was nice to see it focus on the Doc and give some screen time to another supporting character.

What I didn't like is we didn't get to see the outcome with the parents. Is the incident just going to be overlooked to preserve Babylon's integrity when it comes to "cultural freedom"? I mean a murder was committed on the station and nobody is talking about it?

[LoneStar1836]

Each race is judged by their own laws on B5. Under the laws of these particular aliens, no murder was committed so no one else has legal jurisdiction to do anything about it.

I think it's a great episode. It's one of those thought provoking, debatable eps. Of course I don't agree with what the parents did, but the concept of cultural freedom versus human morality is an interesting one, albeit frustrating.


On the other hand, I think JMS did a fine job on B5 with its portrayal of religion and how it was woven into the show. (Not religious myself.) I don't think it was necessarily elevated, but it also wasn't denigrated.