My Journey through Babylon 5

[magictrick]

2x04 - A Distant Star

Great episode. First time hearing about explorer ships and I find the idea pretty cool. Its like how we have people go on archaeological digs for a long period of time but now it is in space, mapping out the galaxy. Being on one of those ships sounds like an awesome adventure.

More mysterious alien encounters. Good to see that story line continues to progress, little by little in each episode I can see it building. We also finally get to see one of the new regular characters, the fighter pilot, in action. And now he's not just a pilot he's a squad leader.

I liked the dialogue between Delenn and the Captain. I can see this continuing to happen down the road, just like how Delenn and Sinclair had their special moments talking in the garden.

The captain of the explorer ship was well acted as well. Hope to see more of the character in the future.

[Cold Fuzz]

2x03 - The Geometry of Shadows

I don't know what to think about some of these episodes. There's the dark, serious tones that are part of one story line and then there's the more light-hearted, SG-1 style plot lines as well. I'm of course talking about the techno-mage vs the Drazi.

I think B5 just has its own unique style that I can't quite compare to anything else. Its not as light as SG-1 but not as dark as BSG. Its not as weird as Farscape either. I guess for now it is in its own league

Now back to the episode. A well-deserved promotion for Ivanova. Garibaldi saves the day. And techno-mages just look plain awesome.

There are also more subtle hints from the mages about the darkness that is coming. I wonder if we will see them again and what role, if any, they will play in what is to come? I really liked Elric though. That's the type of guy you don't want to mess with, and Londo found out the hard way (Narn opera ftw!) Hope to see him again.

I thought Ivanova's interaction with the Drazi was well done. Especially at the end when she takes the green ribbon. Did a good job on putting a comic relief spin on a serious conflict.

"The Geometry of Shadows" is one of my favorite episodes of season 2. In fact, it's one of my favorite episodes of all time because of the Technomages. Elric's presence conveys an ancient majesty and mysticism that might otherwise be absent in 2259. The Technomages have a fascinating history and one day, if you're inclined, there's the Technomage trilogy of books if you want to read them. They're among my favorite sci-fi books because it's Babylon 5-based and because there's a visceral, intensity throughout all 3 of the novels.

Perhaps the best part of the episode is the odd mixture of humor in seriousness. You've got the foreboding talk about a coming darkness, a darkness the Technomages know about, coupled with that quirky Drazi ritual. It all works well. And the holodemons... priceless!

2x04 - A Distant Star

Great episode. First time hearing about explorer ships and I find the idea pretty cool. Its like how we have people go on archaeological digs for a long period of time but now it is in space, mapping out the galaxy. Being on one of those ships sounds like an awesome adventure.

More mysterious alien encounters. Good to see that story line continues to progress, little by little in each episode I can see it building. We also finally get to see one of the new regular characters, the fighter pilot, in action. And now he's not just a pilot he's a squad leader.

I liked the dialogue between Delenn and the Captain. I can see this continuing to happen down the road, just like how Delenn and Sinclair had their special moments talking in the garden.

The captain of the explorer ship was well acted as well. Hope to see more of the character in the future.

This is one of those episodes that might otherwise be dismissed as non-arc, except when you see that alien vessel with the spines moving back and forth through hyperspace with utter ease. The descriptions of what's going on in the outer rim, coupled of what you're going to see in the episode "The Long Dark" will start tying more of these things together, albeit slowly. Here's something to think about: G'Kar warned the oversight committee about the return of an ancient enemy and Z'ha'dum. With all of these descriptions and ancient stories from their holy books, it might seem as if the Narn might have had encounters with the ancient enemy before.

About Delenn's speech about "starstuff"... what she's saying there is at the heart of Minbari beliefs about the soul and creation.

Explorer ships are very rare in the B5-verse. I don't remember offhand how many times we see an Explorer ship but it's a very limited number of times. We see an Explorer ship in the B5-spinoff Crusade as well.

[maneth]

Interesting things are in store for you!

[magictrick]

This is one of those episodes that might otherwise be dismissed as non-arc, except when you see that alien vessel with the spines moving back and forth through hyperspace with utter ease. The descriptions of what's going on in the outer rim, coupled of what you're going to see in the episode "The Long Dark" will start tying more of these things together, albeit slowly. Here's something to think about: G'Kar warned the oversight committee about the return of an ancient enemy and Z'ha'dum. With all of these descriptions and ancient stories from their holy books, it might seem as if the Narn might have had encounters with the ancient enemy before.

Well I figured the Narn have some history with them based on what G'Kar was saying from when he first heard about what happened to that outpost. What that history is remains to be seen but it is becoming clear that all the races will be affected in some way or another by what is to come.

Interesting things are in store for you!

I have no doubts about this!

[magictrick]

2x05 - The Long Dark

Ok so apart from the obvious implications with the ancient enemy that happened in this episode, there was nothing else of interest from a main story arc perspective. There were however a few things that came up that I am curious about.

First, how come everyone (including all the alien races) speaks English? I know this is a common question in many sci fi shows, but most of them try to explain in some way or another. In B5 I don't recall an explanation though. I realize because they are ambassadors they would be familiar with foreign languages, but why is it English?

Second, we find out that humans made contact with their first alien race just over 100 years ago. I find this a very short period of time for all the events that have happened to occur. Space exploration, space wars, building stations in space, etc. Seems like a lot to happen in just over 100 years. Does this also mean that the Centari were more advanced than humans if they had jump gate technology? What could the humans offer to them if they were technologically lacking?

[Cold Fuzz]

Well I figured the Narn have some history with them based on what G'Kar was saying from when he first heard about what happened to that outpost. What that history is remains to be seen but it is becoming clear that all the races will be affected in some way or another by what is to come.



I have no doubts about this!

Ah, now you're beginning to see the scope of B5's storyline.

2x05 - The Long Dark

Ok so apart from the obvious implications with the ancient enemy that happened in this episode, there was nothing else of interest from a main story arc perspective. There were however a few things that came up that I am curious about.

First, how come everyone (including all the alien races) speaks English? I know this is a common question in many sci fi shows, but most of them try to explain in some way or another. In B5 I don't recall an explanation though. I realize because they are ambassadors they would be familiar with foreign languages, but why is it English?

Second, we find out that humans made contact with their first alien race just over 100 years ago. I find this a very short period of time for all the events that have happened to occur. Space exploration, space wars, building stations in space, etc. Seems like a lot to happen in just over 100 years. Does this also mean that the Centari were more advanced than humans if they had jump gate technology? What could the humans offer to them if they were technologically lacking?

Good questions all around and I'll try to answer them for you without spoiling anything.

With the idea of everybody being able to speak English, among non-humans (to paraphrase a quote Delenn from a future episode), English is considered the language of commerce, especially since humans have made a rather big impact on the galactic community at large. Humans form communities of populations that are often mixed race, whether those races are human or non-human. English became the de facto universal language for many of these groups alongside an artificially created language called Interlac. Interlac, if I remember my B5 canon correctly, developed shortly after the Earth-Minbari War. Part of the origin of the Minbari War had to do with a language misunderstanding. Without going into too much detail about it, the language barrier is part of why the first contact between humans and Minbari proved horribly disastrous.

As for the Centauri fascination with human culture, much of that is because of the superficial similarity between humans and the Centauri. It went insofar as the Centuari believing that Earth was possibly a lost Centauri colony. However, that whole mode of thinking was debunked when Centauri physiology was examined in closer detail. The Centauri, as you will see, are radically different in physical structure. The Centauri circulatory system is completely different from ours, as well their--ahem--reproductive system.

From what I remember in the canon novels, the Centauri became more enamored with humans because we are so similar in appearance and yet so different in culture. To them, it's almost like we're their oddball cousins with weird senses of humor, wild new flavors of cuisine, and popular because we were able to come to an understanding of each other very quickly. We offered them new experiences, new opportunities for trade routes, and--to quote Londo from one of the B5 movies--trinkets and eccentricities to spare.

The creature encountered by Sheridan and his crew is not quite the ancient enemy but definitely one of their servants. The Copernicus was most definitely headed towards Z'ha'dum after the dark servant boarded the vessel. However, notice that the creature is definitely not of the same physiology as those spider-like creatures seen talking with Morden in "Chrysalis." However, they share one important trait: the ability to make themselves invisible. The ancient enemy and their servants do share one thing in common, a trait that Markab Ambassador F'shar was very correct in pointing out: "The forces of darkness do not move openly. They work through others, use others..." and partial or completely invisibility is definitely part of this mindset.

[OutandAboot]

[B]

Second, we find out that humans made contact with their first alien race just over 100 years ago. I find this a very short period of time for all the events that have happened to occur. Space exploration, space wars, building stations in space, etc. Seems like a lot to happen in just over 100 years. Does this also mean that the Centari were more advanced than humans if they had jump gate technology? What could the humans offer to them if they were technologically lacking?

A lot of things can happen in 100 years, just look back on our time and see what has occured.

[maneth]

Indeed. The Centauri culture was stagnating, so while they had things humanity and many of the other races didn't (IIRC the Jumpgates used in our part of the galaxy and the de facto standard means of storing information, the data crystals, were of Centauri origin), it seems to me that they hadn't developed anything new for a few centuries at least...

[magictrick]

As for the Centauri fascination with human culture, much of that is because of the superficial similarity between humans and the Centauri. It went insofar as the Centuari believing that Earth was possibly a lost Centauri colony. However, that whole mode of thinking was debunked when Centauri physiology was examined in closer detail. The Centauri, as you will see, are radically different in physical structure. The Centauri circulatory system is completely different from ours, as well their--ahem--reproductive system.

Yes I believe that reproductive system is illustrated a little bit in that episode where Londo and Lennier have their gambling adventure

Indeed. The Centauri culture was stagnating, so while they had things humanity and many of the other races didn't (IIRC the Jumpgates used in our part of the galaxy and the de facto standard means of storing information, the data crystals, were of Centauri origin), it seems to me that they hadn't developed anything new for a few centuries at least...

Its just odd that a race that is superior from a technological aspect would share so much with another race. Usually there is always hesitation to share unless the inferior race has a large supply of some mineral that is required by the other. I'm still not sure what the humans could offer the Centauri in the first place. And if their society was stagnating what did the interactions with human society provide?

[Cold Fuzz]

Yes I believe that reproductive system is illustrated a little bit in that episode where Londo and Lennier have their gambling adventure



Its just odd that a race that is superior from a technological aspect would share so much with another race. Usually there is always hesitation to share unless the inferior race has a large supply of some mineral that is required by the other. I'm still not sure what the humans could offer the Centauri in the first place. And if their society was stagnating what did the interactions with human society provide?

More about the Centauri reproductive system is actually addressed in season 3's "Sic Transit Vir."

I would say that the Centauri valued humans as new trading partner they could use to expand their particular sphere of influence. The thing is, the Dilgar War pretty much made humans a galactic power in their own right and the influence of the Centauri diminished a bit since humans started thinking they could come into their own in galactic affairs. This was certainly not the case because of how first contact with the Minbari was handled. You'll learn more about that soon enough.

[nx01a]

Playing catch-up here... Selected B5 highlights...

Season 1
•1x00: The Gathering
Kosh. Lyta. Beauty shots of the Vorlon transport, dreadnought and a Vorlon fleet!

•1x03: Infection: "IKARA!!!!!" Organic technology is cool. Lots more of it to come.

•1x06: Mind War: Telepathic telekinetics are cool. Talia's so hot. The ascended cgi doesn't stand up today in this case, sadly, but we get the idea. OMGWTFWalkers of Sigma 957!!! Baby's first First One!

•1x10: Believers: This episode always makes me angry.

•1x13: Signs and Portents: And so it begins!!! "What do you want?" Hi, Mr. Morden. Raider/starfury space battle. Baby's first Shadow vessel!

•1x14: TKO: The only episode I don't rewatch. I really dislike boxing.

•1x18: A Voice in the Wilderness (1): The phrase that will never leave my mind... "Mr. Garibaldi! It's BIG!"

•1x19: A Voice in the Wilderness (2): Nice space battle. Londo is wonderfully insane. Draal is cool.

•1x20: Babylon Squared: Wonderful episode. Later on [subjectively since we're dealing with time travel], you appreciate it even more.

•1x22: Chrysalis: Londo officially begins his descent. I feel so sorry for both him and G'kar. Bye, Earth president. Poor Garibaldi.

Season 2
•2x01: Points of Departure: Our first look at the Omega destroyer, the sexy beast. Hi, Sheridan! Minbari vs Minbari space battle. The Sinclair mystery summed up in two minutes. Wow.

•2x02: Revelations: The image of butterfly Deleen fluttering by... Baby's first Z'ha'dum!

•2x03: The Geometry of Shadows: Technomages!

•2x04: A Distant Star: Cool explorer ship. Nice hyperspace rescue.

[nx01a]

Indeed. The Centauri culture was stagnating, so while they had things humanity and many of the other races didn't (IIRC the Jumpgates used in our part of the galaxy and the de facto standard means of storing information, the data crystals, were of Centauri origin), it seems to me that they hadn't developed anything new for a few centuries at least...

While the younger races can build jumpgates, they only learned how by imitating the gates they found when they left their homeworlds and ventured into deeper space using sublight. But yes, we got that tech from the Centauri.

[magictrick]

2x06 - A Spider in the Web

Finally another episode with Talia. It feels forever since we've seen the character, almost makes you forget about her. This was a really great episode for her though, and Ivanova was partly right when the captain asked her if Talia can be trusted. She is honest and trustworthy but also dedicated to the core. I loved how she flat out lied to the captain's face at the end of the episode.

The implications of this episode are obvious - more conspiracies involving secret organizations on Earth and psy core. I don't know if this will be a major plot line going forward as it has only been referred to in a few episodes, so I guess it will be wait and see.

Not a huge fan of this episode, but I really liked Talia in this. I really hope they feature the character more frequently. I'm noticing a Talia-Garibaldi setup happening here. Wonder where they are going with it.

[Cold Fuzz]

2x06 - A Spider in the Web

Finally another episode with Talia. It feels forever since we've seen the character, almost makes you forget about her. This was a really great episode for her though, and Ivanova was partly right when the captain asked her if Talia can be trusted. She is honest and trustworthy but also dedicated to the core. I loved how she flat out lied to the captain's face at the end of the episode.

The implications of this episode are obvious - more conspiracies involving secret organizations on Earth and psy core. I don't know if this will be a major plot line going forward as it has only been referred to in a few episodes, so I guess it will be wait and see.

Not a huge fan of this episode, but I really liked Talia in this. I really hope they feature the character more frequently. I'm noticing a Talia-Garibaldi setup happening here. Wonder where they are going with it.

If you liked this episode, you'll really like an upcoming episode called "A Race Through Dark Places." Talia is featured more prominently in that episode.

I won't elaborate with the conspiracies other than it's all pointing towards something bigger and uglier than anything the main characters could have imagined. Homeguard, the Psi Corps, the assassination of President Santiago, and the ominous changes that are going on inside EarthGov are pointing to it. The shape of it will become clearer by the time this season ends. Eventually of course, something will have to be done about all this.

Though there seem to be numerous subplots happening simultaneously in Babylon 5 at your point in the journey, there are two big ones: What's going on at Earth and what's going on with these aliens out on the Rim. By the way, in case you haven't figured it out yet, especially with nx01a's post earlier, these aliens out on the Rim are called the Shadows. That's where this season's primary title, "The Coming of Shadows" comes from.

[SaberBlade]

I believe it's worth pointing out that the name "Bureau 13" will never used again in the series.

After the episode was aired it was discovered that the name Bureau 13 had already been used. It's the name of a role playing game (text based, played on tables with dice and so on) about a secret organisation called Bureau 13 and in order to avoid being sued for infringement the name was dropped and never used again.