Babylon 5 reminiscence

skip · Post by **skip** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 10:47 am 0

Me and the girl are watching through the boxset one or two episodes a week at a regular time. Not easy for me due to new job (so I'm usually doing work while it's on) but there's some good stuff there. Not always easy to watch (and I've missed a lot here and there), but I'm going to be at it right through until the end.

juice · Post by **juice** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 11:06 am 0

B5 was good - it showed that you could have long-term story arcs, philosophical discussion and a wealth of background information in a Sci-Fi show. It may have missed the mark on occasion (especially in the 5th series), but it definitely hit it more often than not.

One of the greatest things about the series was the relationship between J'Kar and Mollari - no tiemcock here! Starting off as diplomatic opponents, becoming enemies and then slowly beginning to understand each other, before finally destroying each other.

It's a shame there hasn't been anything like it since - BSG has kinda tried, but I believe even the writers have admitted that they've been making it up as they go along!

Istar · Post by **Istar** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 11:11 am 0

Somebody say favourite moment? Oh, god, where to start...

1. The final scene of Sleeping in Light. Fuck, makes me blub just thinking about it.
2. The Deconstruction Of Falling Stars. All of it.
3. The bit in Babylon Squared when we realise that B4 is an intrinsic part of a causal loop, and get a big clue to exactly who Valen was / is / will be.
4. The 'Get the hell out of our galaxy!' scene.
5. The scene where Lenniers' jealousy crosses the line and he tries to kill Sheridan. Then realises the horror of what he's done, and runs.
6. "Jump. Now!"
7. Stim addiction, and walkabout.
8. The Fall of Centauri Prime. Because, fuck!.
9. The bombardment of Narn by the Centauri mass-accelerators. Because, fuck!
10. Big space battles, with huge particle cannons slicing through hulls.

And that's just the first ten I thought of without even thinking about it.

I've been a Trekker all my life. And I remember, very very clearly, the Wednesday evening back in 1996 when I watched the closing credits of 'Interludes and Examinations' and said, quietly: "This is better than Star Trek".

DTB · Post by **DTB** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 12:05 pm 0

I just loved the blurring of fiction/reality.

Guns that had to be reloaded.
A space station that rotates rather than the cop out of artificial gravity.
Flawed real people.
when those particle beams strike people do get sucked out into space and you saw it happen.
to turn in space you require thrust.
Humans will still be petty warmongers by the time we get this far.

And G'kar, the Narn not only had the coolest ships but were the coolest with a reluctant reformed leader.

Micheal taking Leenier for a ride down the broardwalk on his kawasaki ninja

All priceless, shame i can't afford the box set yet.

CharlieF · Post by **CharlieF** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 12:48 pm 0

What do you want?

HippyDave · Post by **HippyDave** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 1:05 pm 0

Ah, love it. I'm just working my way through it again, actually, having picked up the first two seasons on DVD lately. It's as good as I remember - in fact the first season is better than I remember! - and knowing the delights of the last three seasons still await me is a very nice feeling indeed...

I'm a dyed-in-the-wool Trekkie, and will always rate Deep Space Nine and TNG as my favourite TV sci-fi, but B5 cuts it very close indeed. I actually really rate the 5th season of B5 - it's great watching the characters who have survived not one but two major wars then having to face up to the decisions they made along the way and pick up the pieces - or go to pieces, in some cases. The two chief 5th season threads - the telepath problem and the Centauri crisis - were brilliantly written and all the more compulsive because we knew what was coming in both cases. It was just a matter of how, despite the best efforts of everyone involved, the worst would come to pass anyhow...

Great show. Just a pity that Crusade was such an anti-climax, and wasn't given time to grow/improve, really!

weresheep · Post by **weresheep** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 1:06 pm 0

Coolest moment?

Years later, after having watched all 5 seasons on DVD many times, going back to watch the pilot episode and noticing that Kosh greets Sinclair with the following line...

"Entil Zha, Valen"

In the pilot episode! Just causally thrown in there. Fuck me!

I seem to be somewhat similar to Bog in that Babylon 5 came about when I was going through some personal stuff and it, helped. I could never explain why it means so much to me, but it does. Watching the final episode, with JMS himself throwing the switch to end B5 is wrenching.

Christopher Franke also deserves a mention for his wonderful music.

-weresheep

Istar · Post by **Istar** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 1:21 pm 0

weresheep wrote:"Entil Zha, Valen"

no way, I never noticed that!

Right, since I'm signed off sick this week, I'm starting with The Gathering, then chomping through all 5 seasons, then doing the mini-movies, and then Crusade (which I've never watched but have in the collection. Yes, I am slightly OCD when it comes to collections of things).

WiteWulf · Post by **WiteWulf** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 1:29 pm 0

Istar wrote:
weresheep wrote:"Entil Zha, Valen"
no way, I never noticed that!

I never noticed that, either, but looking it up on The Lurker's Guide reveals that this line was only included in the special edition of the pilot that was aired in 1998 after Season Five had been broadcast.

Bog · Post by **Bog** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 2:49 pm 0

*Jawdrop*

No way! HA! And "JMS, You bastid!" Haha.

That's amazingly brilliant - cheers, weresheep!

Matrixxx · Post by **Matrixxx** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 3:23 pm 0

Garibaldi: Beep Beep!

Londo: beep .. beep ??

mutantcamel · Post by **mutantcamel** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 4:29 pm 0

I lost track of it too, watched it religiously for a good couple of years, but I seem to remember it got relegated to the graveyard shift on Channel 4. Some of the background work that I heard through the grapevine was pretty interesting too. A lot of people said that there's a "bible" (which most TV series have) which was like nothing they'd ever seen before. 92 scripts written by one person is a fairly astonishing achievement.

WiteWulf · Post by **WiteWulf** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 4:32 pm 0

mutantcamel wrote:92 scripts written by one person is a fairly astonishing achievement.

Please don't let RTD see that, he'll only get ideas...

weresheep · Post by **weresheep** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 4:37 pm 0

WiteWulf wrote:
Istar wrote:
weresheep wrote:"Entil Zha, Valen"
no way, I never noticed that!
I never noticed that, either, but looking it up on The Lurker's Guide reveals that this line was only included in the special edition of the pilot that was aired in 1998 after Season Five had been broadcast.

Yeah, just checked wikipedia and it says that the original TV version didn't have that line in it, but in the later edit they put it back in. Its amazing that JMS could have it all planned that far ahead!

I almost spat out my dinner the night I noticed it. Had to pause and rewind to make sure I'd heard it right!

-weresheep

Marius · Post by **Marius** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 7:49 pm 0

Favourite moment? When the station is under attack from earth forces, and Delenn, with an escort of Minbari battlecruisers, jumps out of hyperspace on top of the station.

"Only one human has survived an encounter with a Minbari cruiser. He is behind me. You are in front of me. If you value your lives, be somewhere else."

Brilliant