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Post by codystarbuck on Jul 6, 2017 1:07:56 GMT -5
Episode 13:  Guest Stars: Gerrit Graham (tons of TV, CHUD II, The Critic, Dallas, Parker Lewis Can't Lose) as Lord Kiro, Fredi Olster (Walker, Texas Ranger, ) as Lady Ladira, Whip Hubley (ex-brother-in-law of Kurt Russell, Hollywood in Top Gun, revived Flipper), Ed Wasser (Guerra in the B5 pilot, "The Gathering", other small roles) as Morden. Synopsis-A Starfury pilot sends out a distress call when raiders attack; but, is killed before B5 can launch Delta Wing for support. meanwhile, a man named Morden arrives on B5, coming from the outer rim of the galaxy. The security officer asks if he found anything interesting. Morden smiles and says, "Yes!" Sinclair, Garibaldi and Ivanova discuss the raider attacks, which are getting closer to the station. They can't figure out how they are attacking so suddenly. Delta Wing is kept at "Ready 5". Sinclair then asks Garibaldi a personal favor and fills him in on his memory gaps and that he has exhausted his own investigation and asks Garibaldi to dig further. Londo meets with a human, who has recovered a valuable Centauri artifact, The Eye, which Londo pays a hefty price to take it off his hands. Londo spars with G'Kar, causing them both to miss the lift.  Later, Morden comes to G'Kar's quarters and asks, "What do you want?" G'Kar sarcastically replies with "What do you mean what do I want? What do I want for dinner...." Morden repeats the question until G'Kar finally says he wants revenge on the Centauri for what they did to Narn. Morden asks "And then what?" to which G'Kar replies that nothing matters after that. Morden thanks him and leaves.   Londo receives important visitors, Lord Kiro and Lady Ladira, highly placed nobles from Centauri Prime. Lady Ladira is a seer and faints after an intense vision. She is taken to Medlab. Kiro is skeptical of her visions, saying she has been wrong before and says that when he was a child, she predicted he would be "killed by shadows." Kiro is there to take possession of the Eye, which had belonged to his family for generations, before being lost. he is to take it back to Centauri Prime to be presented to the Emperor. Morden next visits Delenn and she says she is aware that he visited G'Kar. She suddenly feels weak and sees a shadow pass over Morden's face.  A silver triangle appears on her forehead and she covers it, telling Morden to leave. He departs and she says "They are here!"  B5 receives a communication from the ship Achilles, who have detected raiders. Delta Wing is launched and a man who has been following Lord Kiro speaks into a comm-link, saying "They have taken the bait!" Kosh arrives back on the station and Morden spots him and deliberately avoids him. We later see Lord Kiro tell Londo (via Babcom link) that he is ready to depart and to bring the Eye. Londo runs into Morden. He asks "What do you want?" Londo tries to dismiss him and calls him a lunatic. Morden keeps asking until Londo drops all pretense and answers honestly... Morden is satisfied and leaves. Sinclair is troubled by the attack on the Achilles, as it is further out then previous attacks. he calls for the manifest and sees that it is agricultural implements, which have little value to raiders. He tells Delta Wing to break off and return and orders Garibaldi to launch Alpha Wing. Londo meets with Kiro and Ladira and takes them to their shuttle, when the raider agent jumps them at PPG (phased plasma generator) point. He says that he is taking Kiro and The Eye. Sinclair comes along and sparks a confrontation. The raider is allowed to leave with Kiro. Sinclair orders Garibaldi to disable the ship and has the jumpgate shut down. He believes the ship is trapped when a jump point opens and a large ship appears, and promptly launches raider ships.  That is how they have attacked so quickly; they have a ship large enough to create its own jump points, carrying the fighters to their target. The raiders attack B5 and Alpha Wing engages. Lord Kiro's ship docks with the raider mother-ship before Alpha Wing can intercept. inside the station, people are urged to head for shelters and Londo guides Lady Ladira. She has another vision and says "The shadows have come for Lord Kiro!" Morden runs into Kosh, who says "Leave this place. Now" He does not appear to be talking directly to Morden, though it is hard to tell, with his encounter suit. Delta Wing returns and engages the raiders. Sinclair directs the battle and has Alpha Wing and Delta Wing drive the raiders towards the aft section of the station, into the line of fire of the station's defense grid, where they are wiped out. The mother-ship jumps before the Starfuries can close distance. Later, Garibaldi goes over the after-action reports, showing 11 raider ships destroyed, 4 disabled, 2 Starfuries hit, one pilot safely ejected. The station received minor damage and Kosh suffered damage to his encounter suit and requested tools to repair it. This puzzles them both, as they can't see how damage occurred. On the raider mother-ship, we learn that Kiro hired them to help him steal the Eye to keep for himself, to challenge the throne of the Emperor, possibly launching a coup. The raiders have other ideas and are going to sell the Eye back and Kiro. Just then klaxons go off and a strange ship appears, and slices the mother-ship in two with massive energy beams.  Lady Ladira senses Kiro's death. Later, Londo laments that his career is ruined, when Morden shows up and presents a gift, the Eye. He tells Londo he has friends he doesn't even know and then departs. Garibaldi tells Sinclair of his investigations and relates that Sinclair was far down on the list for potential B5 commanders. It was the Minbari who insisted he be appointed. Sinclair ponders this. He later sees Ladira off and she tells him of her vision of the station erupting in fire and being destroyed. He asks if it is just a possible future or certain and she says she cannot tell. Business just picked up!!!! This was the episode that turned me from viewer to fan, from the moment Morden asked his first question. Ed wasser is chilling, as Morden. He has an unnerving aura about him, like you would expect of Damian, in the Omen films. He does seem to be the Devil coming to find a soul to tempt and Londo rises to the bait. JMS says the questioning is based on encounter groups and group therapy, particularly the Synon game, where you ask over and over "Who are you?" to get to the truth of who a person really is.  Ed Wasser appeared as a CnC tech, Guerra, in the pilot, "The Gathering." This led many fans to speculate that Morden was Guerra, though JMS categorically dismissed this theory. They are two different characters. JMS liked Wasser and wrote Morden specifically for him. In watching the dailies, he said Wasser had a Rod Serling quality that really came out of the scenes and accentuated them In the commentary for the episode, JMS remarks about Morden's smug smile that makes you want to smack him.  In the commentary, JMS remarked that Gerrit Graham wore the Centauri hair crest the worst (I'd say a couple of later actors were more self conscious in it). The hair design was being developed still and didn't look right for most of the first season. It was refined by adding more layers to give and more sweeping crest and so it looked lis disjointed. Londo's was best, though there were a few other really good versions. We soon saw that status and rank was reflected in the crest. Younger and lower Centauri had a shorter, tighter crest, almost like a hair pick. Vir's was shortened in the second season; but, as his character grew, his crest grew. By contrast, the centauri women were bald or had just one strand of hair, in the back. Generally, they cast either beautiful young actresses or interesting character actresses for the Centauri women (the later for more mature women). We will later see Majel Barrett Roddenberry as the widow of the Centauri Emperor, as well as Londo's three wives "Death", "Famine" and "Pestilence." They will be played by Jane Carr (Dear John tv series), Blair Valk, and Lois Nettleton (Dirty Dingus Magee, Butterfly) (who also shares my family name and was from Oak park, Illinois, though I don't believe she is directly related to me. It's a geographical surname.) The name Morden conjures up the wicked Mordred, from King Arthur, as well as Mordor, from Lord of the Rings. LOTR was a major influence on B5, as is King Arthur (especially Tennyson's Idylls of the King. We also get our first glimpse of the Shadows, as a spidery ship attacks the raiders. At this point we don't know if it is a vessel or a creature. Morden's story and his link to the Shadows will later be explored in the novel, The Shadow Within, by Jeanne Cavellos (based on notes by JMS), which was released after season 3. At the end of the episode, Garibaldi and Sinclair speak in a men's room. Later, as they are leaving, a female crew member is seen walking in the opposite direction, towards the restroom. In the commentary, JMS states she is headed into the Men's Room. Too bad no one caught it and ADRed a male yelp, and a female shriek, to accentuate this. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Jul 7, 2017 0:32:27 GMT -5
Episode 14:  Guest stars: Gregory McKinney (Beverly Hills Cop 3, Mortal Kombat) as Walker Smith, Soon-Teck Oh (Man With the Golden Gun, MASH) as the Muta-Do, Don Stroud (Von Richthofen and Brown, New Mike Hammer, License to Kill) as Caliban, Theodore Bikel (African Queen, The Defiant Ones, My Fair Lady) as Rabbi Yossel Koslov. Synopsis. Visitors arrive on B5, including Rabbi Yossel Koslov, a family friend of Susan Ivanova, and Walker Smith, ex-Earth boxer and friend of Garibaldi. Koslov is there to bring a legacy to Ivanova, after the death of her father. Smith is there to enter the Mutai, and alien MMA circuit. Ivanova is happy to see Koslov, until he asks if she has set Shivah for her father. She begs off because of her duties. Rabbi Koslov approaches CDR Sinclair about Susan and requests she be relieved of her duties to set Shivah and Sinclair happily agrees and expresses dismay, as he didn't know that Susan's father had died. Later, at dinner in Fresh Air, Koslov tells Susan that he has spoken to Sinclair and Ivanova erupts at him and storms out. meanwhile, Smith tells Garibaldi about refusing to take a dive and being framed for taking performance enhancement drugs. he is out to prove himself via the Mutai. He notices Garibaldi doesn't drink anymore. Later, they head to the Mutai dojo and Walker insults the Muta-Do, the master of the dojo. He is knocked down by the Muta-Do and cast out, as humans may not fight in the Mutai. Smith is angry and Garibaldi criticizes him for not respecting the Mutai and the Muta-Do. They meet an alien, Caliban, who offers to train Smith and knows of a way to get Smith into the Mutai. Sinclair speaks to Ivanova and offers condolences and gives her time to set Shivah. She tries to brush it aside and he orders her to take the time and see to her affairs. He tells her he will join her in the ceremony. Smitha and Garibaldi watch the Mutai fights, as the ShoRin, the champion, easily wins the fight. The Muta-Do asks if anyone dares challenge the champion and Walker Smith speaks up. The challenge is accepted by the Sho-Rin. Rabbi Koslov delivers Susan her legacy, the family samovar, dating back to the time of the tsars. Susan appreciates the gesture, but, says she cannot forgive her father for being distant after her mother took her own life. The rabbi realizes that Susan cannot mourn until she can find forgiveness for her father. Smith fights the Sho-Rin and it ends in a stalemate, as neither can go on, having battered each other senseless. The Muta-Do declares it a draw and the Sho-Rin leads the cheers for Smith. Smith is accepted into the Mutai and humans will forever be allowed to fight. Ivanova escorts Rabbi Koslov to his ship and they say their goodbyes. As he departs, Susan starts to tear up and she calls out to Koslov, asking him to help her set Shivah for her father. he happily agrees. Later, in her quarters, Koslov talks of Susan's father as a scholar and a man of peace. Susan later tells a story of going to a lecture by her favorite author, one who her father despised. She had spent weeks formulating the perfect question for her literary hero and she nervously sttod up and asked it. She was 13 and her idol dismisses her question, calls her bourgois and a child in diapers. Her father, Andrei, stood up and defended her daughter, saying she is no bourgois and had been out of diapers for some time and that if he were not a man of peace he would horsewhip the author through the streets of St Petersburgh. As he led young Susan out, he turned to her and said, "It was a good question Susatchka." Susan reads the traditional prayer in English, for Sinclair and then breaks down, finally mourning her father. A very strong episode for Ivanova and Claudia Christian. her scenes with Theodore bikel are uniformly excellent.  Bikel has always been a great actor and Christian rises to the occasion. They have a great chemistry and we believe the Rabbi Koslov is truly a beloved "uncle" and family friend, one that knows Susan well, beyond the shield she throws up for everyone else. He also knows how much Andrei Ivanov loved his daughter, even if he wasn't always able to show it. The story of Susan's meeting with her idol and her father's reaction are a great piece of writing from Lawrence G. Ditillio, the script editor and old friend of JMS. We can picture it all as Susan describes it. The scenes during Shivah are very moving and the show is very reverent towards the Jewish beliefs, as it has to every religion depicted on the series. Many have commented about how the atheist JMS treats religion with respect, like the two are are that much at odds. Speaking for myself, not all atheists feel the need to attack religion and religious traditions, as much as the hierarchal institutions that build a power base around religious ideas and use that power to control their followers. For many atheists, the revelation that they do not believe in a deity comes after long study of religion and different beliefs; mine did. As such, we can have respect for the wisdom to be found in many religious teachings, even if we don't believe in the divine nature of the teachings. Religion/religious traditions and mythology are part of the cultural identity for a society and JMS carries that through the series. Some find solace and answers within, others do not and some find themselves on the receiving end of zealotry. All is depicted equally in the series, with an even hand.    The MMA side of the episode is the weaker element. It serves little story purpose, other than to give Garibaldi something to do. MMA was on the rise, at the time, with the Ultimate Fighting Championship gaining popularity and new promotions springing up. It appears this part of the episode was created to exploit this popularity. However, the fight scenes were fairly typical for B5, with mostly a kickboxing style, with at least one character launching spin kicks. The stunt performers hadn't progressed to a hybrid grappling style, so the Mutai looks like an average kickboxing tournament. It's a shame that a better fight coordinator, with a more varied martial arts background, wasn't brought in to spice things up a bit. The fight has no bearing on any of the later episodes and seems more of a waste of the episode, other than to provide a vehicle for Garibaldi. The alien ambassadors are unseen in this episode.  Don Stroud, who plays Caliban, is a familiar face in tv and movies.   He had been a champion surfer and became a stuntman and actor, appearing in dozens of tv shows and several high profile and cult favorite movies. In the early 90s, prior to filming this episode, he attempted to intercede in a mugging (Stroud is a black belt in Kajukenbo, a hybrid of Asian martial arts, developed by Asian settlers in Hawaii) and was stabbed 6 times, losing his right eye (he wears a glass eye). This was accentuated by his make-up. he would return to the series in a later season, as a former member of Nightwatch, who bears a grudge against Sheridan and who was injured in combat, again making use of the scar and eye. The episode also features an inside joke...  When Rabbi Koslov comes to Susan's quarters, she is seen reading Working Without a Net, by Harlan Ellison, who was a creative consultant ("Free agent of chaos," in JMS' words). There is no such book. It is the proposed title to Ellison's memoirs, which was to be written (then) by 2000. Talk of it has emerged from time to time; but, no such book has been published. Something tells me his lawyers are still scrutinizing it for potential lawsuits, as Ellison has never been one to mask his feelings about people. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 7, 2017 10:56:17 GMT -5
codystarbuck ... It's one of those rare shows of Babylon 5 that I watch back then when it's first came on because I remembered vividly it's has Don Stroud in it and he's one of my favorite character actor on television.
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Post by codystarbuck on Jul 7, 2017 23:51:13 GMT -5
Episode 15: "Grail"  Guest stars: David Warner (Trek 5 & 6, Time Bandits, Time after Time, Tron) as Aldous Gajic, William "Larry" Sanders (Newhart, Blade Runner) as Deuce, Tom Booker (voice artist on a couple Neon Genesis Evangalion videos, Prime Time Glick) as Jinxo, Jim Norton (Father Ted) as Ombuds Wellington Synopsis-Delenn and Lenier find Sinclair and Garibaldi and express surprise that they are not preparing to meet their distinguished visitor. Sinclair has no idea what she is talking about but agrees to meet the visitor, with Garibaldi and an honor guard. meanwhile, a crook named Deuce harangues a "lurker," from Downbelow, Jinxo, who owes him money. He gives him a demonstration and we see a woman strapped into a chair, who Deuce says was going to testify against him. A strange tentacled creature comes out and the woman screams, until it presses the tentacle onto her forehead and she turns catatonic. The creature then withdraws into an encounter suit and Deuce introduces him as Kosh. We next see Ombuds Wellington, a judge presiding over court cases on B5, listening to a civil hearing about a human (played by Director of Photography John C Flinn III) who great grandfather was abducted by an alien (with the stereotypical UFO alien design) who was the great-grandfather of the alien in court. He wants compensation for it, stating he has never been able to hold a job due to genetic experiments done by the abductors, which passed down the family line. The alien responds with a card, with a symbol on it. The judge rolls his eyes at the farce. Sinclair and the Minbari delegation meet the guest, Aldous Gajic, who the Minbari called a "True Seeker," who is questing for the Holy Grail ("Oh yes, iz verra nice!"), which features in other alien cultures, in different form. Sinclair is dismissive of the idea, but, Delenn says the journey is more important than the destination and says that Sinclair is also a "true seeker." Gajic's pocket is picked by Jinxo, who is caught by Garibaldi. He insists that Gajic accompany him to bring it before Ombuds Wellington. In court, the judge bars Jinxo from the station and points out that he is a skilled zero-G construction worker and could easily find work. Jinxo says he can't leave the station. Gajic offers to take Jinxo into his custody and vouch for his adherence to the law. He then asks Jinxo why he cannot leave and the man replies that the station will explode if he leaves. Wellington presides over Deuce's case; but, without a witness, is forced to dismiss the charges. Jinxo warns Gajic that Deuce will be coming for him. meanwhile, Garibaldi confers with Dr Franklin, as the woman from Downbelow has been discovered. There have been several such "attacks," with the minds wiped. Garibaldi is still investigating. Elsewhere, Jinxo explains his curse. he worked on the construction of all of the Babylon stations. 1-3 were destroyed by sabotage. He took no leave during the construction of B4; but, it mysteriously disappeared as he departed it. Gajic tells him he is actually lucky, as he escaped those fates each time. Deuce meets with "Kosh" who says he is hungry and sound nothing like the Kosh we know. Deuce says they will grab Jinxo and Wellington, to feed him. Franklin alerts Garibaldi that they have identified what attacked the victims: a Na'ka'leen Feeder,  a creature from a sector quarantined by the Centauri. Sinclair seeks out Londo and informs him of the situation and Londo is alarmed. He goes to his quarters to send Sinclair all of their files. Gajic meets with Delenn, who has no knowledge of the Grail but says the Minbari will look out for it. Gajic and Jinxo next meet with Londo and Vir informs them that he has researched the subject and can find no mention of such a thing. Jinxo asks how Gajic got started on his quest and he says he was an accountant with a family, who were killed in an accident on Mars. he was consumed by grief but encountered a dying man, who was seeking the Grail and was so moved he took up the dead man's quest. Wellington, returning to his quarters, is kidnapped by Deuce's thugs. They also go after Gajic and Kinxo, but Gajic fights them off with his staff. The go to the Alien Sector to meet with Kosh and Jinxo panics and runs away when he sees him. Gajic follows and they run into Deuce's thugs again. Jinxo escapes, but Gajic is captured. Garibaldi has linked Deuce to the Feeder and is looking for Jinxo, since he saw Deuce threaten him after court. Jinxo runs into Sinclair and tells him that the Vorlon has Gajic. Sinclair alerts Garibaldi and sends him to Downbelow. Gajic sees Wellington strapped into the same chair that held the woman, earlier. "Kosh moves toward him and Gajic places himself between, to defend Wellington. He calls for it to leave the suit, which it does, and Gajic faces it. Garibaldi and his men storm into the room and open fire and Gajic is hit in the crossfire. As Gajic lies dying, he gives all he has to Jinxo. Later, Sinclair and Delenn watch as Gajic's body is loaded into a shuttle and Jinxo departs. They wish him well and he tells them his name is Thomas. Sinclair watches from CnC, with Ivanova, as the ship departs and wait for something to happen, based on Jinxo's fear... Interesting episode, which has little bearing on the series. It does introduce the idea that the Minbari have different castes, as Delenn mentions the Religious Caste and the Warrior Caste. later, we learn of the third, the Worker Caste. In a couple of episodes, we will see the Warrior Caste and see some of the rivalry between them and the Religious Caste, to which Delenn and Lenier belong. The episode also introduces the legal system on B5, with the Ombuds acting as a sort of magistrate. We do not see a jury. The alien abduction case is a bit of fun...   David Warner is his usual terrific self and it is nice to see him as something other than a villain. He was getting more of that kind of thing, by that point. His costume, with his surcoat, suggests a knight on a quest, in the tradition of King Arthur. Arthurian lore is a strong element in the style of B5, as we will see next season, when a man who believes he is King Arthur reborn (Michael York) visits the station. William Sanders makes for a delightfully creepy Deuce, a total scumbag. For him, too, it was a nice departure, especially after several years as Larry (and his brothers Darrel and Darrel), on Newhart.  Jim Norton gets a couple of nice scenes; but, the role is a bit light for him, based on his work on Father Ted. He is a tremendous actor and would have been better served with a larger part. The name Gajic is an inside reference, as that is the family name of Mira Furlan's husband, Serbian director Goran Gajic. Gajic would later direct an episode of B5, in Season 5. Not a bad episode; but, not a significant one, either. Quite frankly, it could have used a bit of Monty Python. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Jul 8, 2017 22:25:33 GMT -5
Episode 16: "Eyes" Guest stars: Gregory Martin (son of George "I produced the Beatles" Martin, Memoirs of an Invisible Man) as Col. Ari Ben Zayn. Jeffrey Combs (Re-Animator, Star Trek DS9) as Harriman Grey. Synopsis-A man named Aron Franks is pumping Garibaldi's aide, Lou Welch, about CDR Sinclair and events on the station. Lou brushes him off and alerts Garibaldi. Garibaldi warns Sinclair and also about Franks' associate, Harriman Grey. Eventually, they meet the pair and learn that Franks is Col. Ari Ben Zayn, of Earthforce Internals Security or "Eyes." He is there investigating Sinclair and his command actions. Grey is a member of Psi Corps, attached to Earth Force. Ivanova objects to his presence, as Psi Corps is prohibited from scanning military personnel, without their consent. Ben Zayn says there are new regs and she will be scanned. She tels Sinclair she will not submit to a scan. Ben Zayn digs for every piece of dirt and dragoons Garibaldi to assist. Garibaldi starts doing his own digging. Grey tries to make peace with Ivanova and only angers her. She tells Sinclair she is resigning, rather than submit to a scan. he refuses and tells her she won't have to and will not violate regulations. Ben Zayn conducts an interview of Sinclair which gets heated and persona. Sinclair quotes regs that Grey cannot scan unless formal charges are brought and Grey backs him up. Ben Zayn is forced to interview directly and attacks Sinclair until the commander stops cooperating and Ben Zayn levels a charge of working against Earth's interests and assumes command. After informing Garibaldi and Ivanova, Susan storms off for a drink. She runs into Grey again, who accidently scans her and she gets royally POd. he apologizes and moves away. Some other oily types try to hit on her and she starts busting heads. Garibaldi informs Sinclair that Ben Zayn was passed over for command of B5 and he is a friend of Bester. He believes Bester is pulling strings after the Jason Ironhart incident. Sinclair talks to Grey alone and suggests he is trying to scan the wrong people. He goes into the interview with Zayn and starts baiting him, until he has him foaming at the mouth. Grey picks up the unguarded thoughts and realizes this is a personal vendetta and Ben Zayn pulls a PPG. Grey hits him with a telepathic blast, which freezes Zayn, allowing him to be subdued and arrested. The B-story involves Lenier and a Kawasaki Ninja motorcycle that Garibaldi has been rebuilding. lenier is fascinated and offers to help. Garibaldi is tied up with Ben Zayn and allows Lenier to work alone. he later finds that Lenier has reconstructed the entire thing and is mad that he didn't get to work on it; but, softens when he sees that Lenier is hurt that he offended Garibaldi. Lenier shows him that he installed Minbari power source, so it is operational, which pleases Garibaldi. The episode ends with the pair racing it down the station corridors. The episode is a bit much; but, it does make good use of past events and Gregory Martin great as the zealot Ben Zayn.  He has a deep, commanding voice and does bats@#$ insane well.  Jeffrey Combs plays an earnest Harriman Grey, who just wants to serve something bigger than himself. He is sympathetic to Ivanova dn tries several times to reassure her and make peace with her, only to be treated with hostility. In the end, he learns he is being used and acts honorably. The Lenier stuff has some nice comic touches and adds a bit of character development to Lenier. On B5, he acts almost as a sort of Spock figure (as does Delenn) though one who can be riled. Bill Mumy is great in the role and handles both sides well. This is a mix of filler, with minor connections to the season arc, mainly in the form of Bester and political factions on Earth. One note about Earth Force ranks, which comes up here. Earth Force is essentially given a Navy/Marine structure, in the series, with the spaceship personnel and fighter pilots representing the "Navy" elements, and the Earthforce Marines (or "GROPOS," short fro "ground pounders.") The Navy rank structure is followed until lieutenant commander level (O-4) where it splits into Fleet and marine ranks. There is some intermixing of ranks, especially at the Flag levels (general and admiral) we see Generals in both Marine and Fleet uniforms, in the series. For the most part, B5 did a pretty good job of portraying a military command, though women's hair regulations seem to vary a bit, depending on the look they wanted for ivanova, in a particular scene. She is generally shown with ith pulled back, though it is worn loose when she is in dress uniform. Later, we will see more of the GROPOS, in a self-titled episode. One of the things I liked about B5 is that it had an honest portrayal of the military, with career types an people doing it for now, proper relationships, those who were ruthless and those who were honorable. In later seasons, we will see military members have to make tough choices about their deeper loyalties, one that I like to point to, when political discussions make it seem that servicemembers are robots who obey orders, no matter how unlawful. B5 shows that there are some that do and others who take a stand on both law and principles. They do a hell of a lot better job than most of Hollywood, who either succumbs to DOD pressure to make everyone heroes, in exchange for military cooperation in filming (see Top Gun, for example) or portrays them as trigger happy fanatics blindly following orders (like in The Siege and numerous other films). It is a rare one that gives an honest portrayal (like An Officer and a Gentleman). |
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Post by codystarbuck on Jul 8, 2017 23:10:21 GMT -5
Episode 17:  Guest stars: John Vickery (ST DS9, ST Enterprise, NYPD Blue) as Neroon and Grace Una (Gone in 6 Seconds) as Alisa Beldon Synopsis-A Minbari warships arrives at B5, and displays its gunports open. The station reacts to potential attack, until Delenn intercedes and has the station scan to show that weapons are not energized or targeted. It turns out it is a Warrior Caste custom, to show that the come in open arms (much like the origin of the military salute, which originally showed that the hands bore no weapons). The Minbari come aboard the station to bring in the body of one of their war leaders, Bramner, who has died. Neroon was his adjutant and worshipped him. He was a great war leader who honored the surrender order, when others chose suicide, rather than issue the order. Delenn says that Neroon would have continued fighting, had not Bramner given the order. meanwhile, Ivanova witnesses a young woman steal from a merchant, who chases her. She collapses in pain and Talia Winters intercedes, identifying her as a telepath who has had an incident. Talia is able to calm her and help her block out voices. The girl is taken to Medlab, where she is pronounced healthy, though slightly malnourished. her parents are dead and she is trapped on the station and is identified as a latent telepath. Talia says the Corps will take care of her, but Ivanova refutes this and suggests that Alisa may have other choices. Neroon and CDR Sinclair trade words and Neroon deliberately tries to provoke him and succeeds in getting Sinclair to drop diplomacy, at one point, until Delenn again intercedes. Bramner's body is to lie in state before a ceremony, with only Minbari guards. Sinclair agrees, so long as security personnel are stationed outside the room. The compromise is agreed upon. Later, at the ceremony, the casket is opened and the body is missing. neroon goes ape and accuses the humans of stealing the body to dishonor the Minbari and Bramner. Even Delenn doesn't buy this. Garibaldi and Neroon work together tio investigate, even to the point of examining the stomach contents of the Pak mara, who are carrion eaters. No evidence is found. Na'Toth approaches Alisa with an offer to shelter her on Narn, with paid allowances and comforts, in exchange for regular blood and tissue samples, in the hopes of breeding Narn telepaths, as they have none (G'Kar tries to broker a similar deal with Lyta Alexander in "The Gathering."). Ivanova asks he why she doesn't check her teeth, while she is at it. Sge cautions Alisa and even Talia thinks it is a bad idea and Alisa scans Na'Toth and immediately asks to be left alone. She confesses to Susan that the alien thoughts terrified her. Later, Talia is presenting Alisa with clothes and tells her the Corps will cloth, house and educate her and provide her with work, when she is of age. Ivanova comes in and presents the other side, telling her mother's story. Sinclair talks to Delenn, who speaks of Bramner and reveals he was born into the Religious Caste and trained as a priest, until the war, when he joined the Warrior Caste. he was a great tactician but, he found no joy in war. Delenn says he wanted to have his ashes spread at a holy site on Minbar, but the Star Riders Clan (the Warrior Caste clan to which he and Neroon belong) brought this spectacle, instead. Later, Delenn meets with Alisa, thanks to Susan, and tells her of Minbari telepaths and how they live to serve others. She tells her that their needs are met, but, they receive no other payment. It is a calling, for them. Alisa picks up thoughts from Delenn and we see an image of Minbari using strange devices to stun the Warrior Caste guards. She tells Sinclair and eventually we find out that she had the body removed to fulfill Bramner's wishes. She later confronts Neroon alone and tells him that he will follow her lead that Bramner was transformed and joined the cosmos, just as he obeyed the surrender order, or see the Star Rider clan struck down in dishonor. He reluctantly gives in and she then tells him he will apologize to Sinclair. He reluctantly does so and Sinclair offers to record a message for broadcast on minbar in tribute to Bramner, from a former enemy, showing his respect for the man. Neroon is touched by this and Sinclair says they must look to the future so that all may live in peace and unity. Neroon remarks that Sinclair speaks like a Minbari and is impressed with the man. They part with mutual respect. Alisa departs with the Minbari to train on Minbar, where Delenn assures the others that she will be well cared for and to Alisa she says she can help bridge the gap between their worlds. Ivanova and Talia make peace and Talia offers to buy her a drink. Susan is going on duty, so they agree to coffee. Excellent episode, with minor faults. The telepath B-story is fine and gets into alien telepaths, the Psi Corps and related elements. It also provides development for Talia and Susan, including their wary relationship. However, Grace Una is an inexperienced actor and she is a bit stiff and comes across rather flat, in many scenes. The scenes between Claudia Christian and Andrea Thompson come off far better. Also, Claudia and Julie Caitlin Brown have a nice comedic rapport going, in their scenes.  John Vickery is outstanding as Neroon and gives him a great dignity and passion. He has a commanding voice and works well with the make-up. neroon proves to be an effective character and is brought back for subsequent appearances. The episode gets more into the Minbari culture, as we see the divide between Warrior and religious Caste. teh Worker Caste is not yet mentioned. Delenn speaks of the resentment from the Warriors over the surrender, which is a secret held even from them. It is only Delenn's rank on the Grey Council that gets him to comply with her wishes. Later, he will be at odds with Delenn, as we see the rifts grow deeper, especially after events in the Season 1 finale and the Season 2 early episodes.  The end finds mutual respect between former enemies, as Neroon discovers that the humans are more like the Minbari than he thought, especially Sinclair. This will prove to be a key scene, down the road. During the episode, we learn that Earth fired the first shot in the war, when an encounter with Dukhat's cruiser and an Earth military ship resulted in a misunderstanding. The Minbari ship showed open gunports, in their tradition and the Earth ship reacted to it as a hostile action and opened fire, damaging the Minbari ship and killing Dukhat. We will see these events later, in other episodes and in the movie "In The Beginning." The entire war began due to a cultural misunderstanding and nearly ended with the annihilation of the Human Race. *************************************SPOILER***************************************************  This episode also has a major impact on Susan and Talia's relationship. This was one of the refreshing, if a bit ambiguous, elements of the series. Early on, we see Garibaldi attracted to Talia and by standard Hollywood cliches, we expect them to get together. There are even hints at it, as Talia shares several scenes with garibaldi, asking his help or he asking hers. However, there is another level at work her. Talia never really shows romantic interest in Garibaldi. We do see some past lovers, via Jason Ironhart an, in future, an ex-husband. However, there are several brief scenes in the first season where Talia is watching Susan. They are subtle and, at first glance, seem to reflect their wary interaction, due to Susan's hatred for the Corps. Talia seems genuinely interested in making friends with Susan, despite Susan's hostility to the Corps. However, Susan usually softens and makes peace with Talia. As we will come to see, there is a romantic attraction there. It reaches a sort of climax in Andrea Thompson's final episode, though not quite an overt one. A lot is left to the imagination, though JMS has confirmed that there was a romantic relationship there, for those who ant to read that in the characters. Many LGBT fans saw it as an affirmation of the acceptance of gay relationships in the future, in a period when even Ellen Degeneres was not yet "out." This is the last episode that is there for character building or background detail. From this point on, it is all story arc, with the two-part "A Voice in the Wilderness" leading to big things for the present and the future. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Jul 9, 2017 11:43:14 GMT -5
Episodes 18 and 19:  Guest stars: Louis Turenne (Postman Always Rings Twice, Galactica 1980) as Draal, and Curt Lowens (Mission Impossible, MASH) as Varn, Ron Canada (Boston Legal, Cinderella Man) as Capt. Ellis Pierce Babylon 5 has been monitoring strange seismic readings form Epsilon III, the planet around which they orbit. A survey team is being sent down in a shuttle to investigate. On the way in, they are hit by an energy surge and the engines are disabled. Ivanova sends a Starfury squadron to rescue them. A second expedition is launched and can still get no closer, but, they pinpoint the origin of the missiles fired at them, in a canyon 5 miles below the surface. Sinclair and Ivanova pilot a shuttle down, with fighters distracting the defense system and succeed in landing. After getting through booby-trapped corridors, they find a walkway with complex machinery that reaches miles above and below them.  They eventually come to a chamber, where an alien appears to be plugged into a machine. It asks for their help.  They bring him back to the station and Medlab, where he is in serious condition. While this goes on, rioting breaks out on Mars and Garibaldi is worried about a former lover. Communication is cut off, even on the Gold Channel. he appeals to Talia to use Psi Corps resources, via a secret complex at Syria Planum, on Mars. Talia is rebuffed by Psi Corps officials, though the person offers to see what she can find out. Delenn is visited by Draal, her old teacher and mentor. While they catch up he confesses he has grown weary of Minbar, as he feels the people are losing focus and fracturing. He wants to "go to the sea," a kind of spiritual retirement, leading to death. Delenn is upset by this. With the alien away from the machine, the planetary defense system begins acting erratically. Making matters worse is an Earthforce vessel, the Hyperion, arriving and demanding to take charge of the planet and the technology below. Sinclair fights him, based on his jurisdiction. Also gumming up the works is the arrival of a trio of alien ships, representing the race of the alien from the machine. Delenn, Draal and Londo are visited by psychic visions of the alien and meet. They agree to go down to the planet to investigate. They find the alien in Medlab and Londo pilots a shuttle through the defenses, remarking it is like the battle of Valis 12. Seeing the shuttle, Sinclair and Ivanova follow it down and find the ambassadors and Varn, the alien, trying to stabilize the machine. Above, a battle rages between the aliens and Earthforce ships. Draal volunteers to take Varn's place in the machine and bonds with it, telling Delenn that this is the purpose he has sought. They group depart and Draal sends a message, via the machine, that no further landings will be attempted until he feels the time is right. The Hyperion buggers off and the aliens have been destroyed. Garibaldi is finally able to make contact with Lise Hampton, his ex-lover, only to find out that she is married and expecting a child. Excellent two-parter which gives us the back-story of the planet we have been seeing beneath the station. The revelation of the Great Machine is pure science fiction at its best. The scene on the bridge apepars to be an homage to a similar scene in Forbidden Planet, when Dr Morpheus shows the Earth captain the Krell machinery beneath his house.   Meanwhile, when we see Varn plugged into the Great Machine, it appears as an homage to Vitruvian Man.   The Hyperion's presence shows how Earth is hungry for technology and power, casting further darkness on the human government, with B5 caught in the middle. The Hyperion also proves to later have been a part of the expedition that made first contact with the Minbari, touching off the Earth-Minbari War. It is also seen at the Battle of the Line.  This is the first real Earth warship we see in the series, beyond the Starfuries. Next season, we will see the Earthforce Omega-class Destroyer ships, with design based on the Leonov, from the film 2010.  It will be a while before we revisit Draal and the Great Machine. Louis Turenne was unable to reprise the role, due to health issues, and John Shuck (Star Trek 3, 4,6 as the Klingon Ambassador, McMillan & Wife, MASH movie) played the character. Turenne would return as Brother Theo, part of a group of monks who come to stay on B5. The role was specifically created for him. This episode really pushed the show into deeper science fiction territory, as did the Walkers of Sigma 957, from "Mind War." We will see more of this mixture, of science fiction and space opera as things progress. We will also see more of Lise Hampton. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Jul 9, 2017 17:26:34 GMT -5
Episode 20: "Babylon Squared" Guest Stars: Kent Broadhurst (Kennedy, The Professional) as Major Krantz, Tim Choate (The Bold and the Beautiful, Pearl Harbor) as Zathras. The episode opens at breakfast, as a groggy Ivanova joins Sinclair and garibaldi. She was awakened early by CnC, about strange transmissions for Sector 14. She dispatched a Starfury to investigate, but it takes 3 hours to get there. Sinclair and Garibaldi mess with the sleepy Ivanova, making her fall asleep and steal her breakfast. She wakes up thinking she has slept through breakfast and runs up to CnC, while Garibaldi eats her breakfast. A couple of seconds later she yells that Garibaldi is a dead man. The Starfury pilot comes on the scene and in a weird shimmer of energy, Babylon 4 appears.  The pilot is hit by a wave of energy and his ship activates an auto-return sequence. the pilot is found at the station, aged to death. Later, they receive a distress call, on Babylon 4's frequency. they see Major Krantz, the commander of the station calling for help to evacuate the station. Sinclair leads a group of volunteer pilots to the sector, while he and Garibaldi fly in a shuttle. The see B4 materialize. Sinclair leads a couple of ships through and tells the rest to hang back. They are confronted by a raving crewmember and subdue him. They meet Maj. Krantz, who was supervising the construction and he learns that it is 2258 and they are from B5. he isn't surprised. He explains that things went haywire soon after construction was completed. Sinclair is suddenly flashed forward in time and sees Garibaldi in a firefight, who says he has riged the fusion reactors of B5 to blow. he tells Sinclair to go and this is what his purpose in life is.  Sinclair returns to the present and tells Krantz and Garibaldi what occurred. Krantz says these episodes have been occurring to people on the station. he then shows them a figure under guard; an alien named Zathras.  Zathras recognizes Sinclair; but then says he is "not the One." He speaks of a a great war and the need to collect the station at this time. Zathras escapes from the guards when a figure in a spacesuit appears and gives it a device, before being recaptured. Sinclair asks him what the device was and he says it is a time stabilizer. Sinclair realizes what hit the pilot before, a time distortion. garibaldi tries to organize the evacuation and gets hit with his own distortion, seeing himself with Lise Hampton, on Mars, as he accepts Sinclair's request to lead security on B5. They argue and he storms off. Garibaldi snaps back. The station appears to be coming apart and Zathras is caught under structural beams. Sinclair tries to help and Zathras says he must go, as he has a destiny to fulfill. Sinclair reluctantly leaves and Zathras is met by the spacesuited figure. he tells him he knew he would not leave him. Sinclair and Garibaldi depart with the last of the evacuees and garibaldi asks Sinclair if he believes Zathras tale of B4 being a base in a great war. Sinclair says yes and wishes him luck with it. We see Zathras and the figure return to another time and the figure removes his helmet, revealing a much older Sinclair. he says he tried to warn them but it happened the same way. A woman, who sounds like Delenn, says she knows and says they must go and finish their work. As all of this goes on, Delenn departs B5 and flies to a rendezvous with a Minbari cruiser. There, she meets with the Grey Council. She is told she has been chosen to lead it. She argues that she must stay behind, as her work isn't finished and speaks of a prophecy. She is told that prophecy will tend to itself. She argues her case for staying on B5 and eventually forces a vote, which goes 5-4 in her favor. As she departs, she is presented with a Triluminary, a triangle shaped device. She is told she may need it, if the prophecies are true. Fantastic episode that creates as many questions as it answers. We learn the fate of B4, after being teased with its mysterious disappearance. It passed through time to another age. If Zathras is to be believed, it will become a base in a great war. Sinclair encounters the figure in the spacesuit and is hit with massive feedback.  We see the figure remove its helmet, later and reveal the older Sinclair. So, Sinclair meets himself? What is his role in this and how does Zathras know him? When he says Sinclair is "not the One," does he mean the one from his time or is there someone else? What is Delenn's role? JMS teases us with the future, as he will revisit the events of this episode. The future will be slightly altered, due to Michael O'Hare leaving the series and there is a bit of a continuity error in that later episode (or change in the sequence of events, due to time distortion, if you like). B4 is given a slightly different shape, with its solar panels in the rear, almost mimicking the Vorlon ships. The space suit we see in the episode was a costume from the movie 2010, as they borrowed it for production, further connecting the film to the series. We finally see the Grey Council (apart from being implied, in Sinclair's flashback, during the Battle of the Line). Delenn turns down its leadership to stay on B5, feeling she is part of prophecy. This will come to define Delenn as apart from the Minbari, as events will lead her down a destiny beyond those of her world and people. They will still be a part, but she is destined for much more. We will also learn, later, of her link to the past.  The late Tim Coate was terrific as Zathras, blending comedy and drama well and he has a difficult part of conveying mystery, without answers. He will return a couple of times and is always a delight. he died at a rather young age, leaving behind a very young family. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Jul 9, 2017 19:02:48 GMT -5
ps I haven't mentioned the Tron connection on this show. Both peter Jurasik and David Warner were in the film and Bruce Boxleitner would join the series in Season 2. All they missed was Jeff Bridges, Cindy Morgan, and Barnard Hughes.
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Post by wildfire2099 on Jul 9, 2017 19:21:56 GMT -5
I LOVED the Motorcycle thing.. that was my 2nd favorite Garabaldi scene, and it totally made Lanier into an interesting character.. he was really just background before that.
I remember thinking at the time the Shadow ship-thing was really scary, and wondering how they could possibly fight a whole lot of them.
Zathras... is he a mouse, or a lion, or a housecat, or something else? He certainly a pretty typical type of character, but something about him always struck me as very unique.
And, of course, as I've said before.. B5 is the only time travel that I've seen that truly works and doesn't hurt my head at all.
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Post by codystarbuck on Jul 9, 2017 20:21:42 GMT -5
Episode 21:  Guest stars: June "I was upstaged by a dog" Lockhart (said dog's series, Lost in Space)as Dr Lauren Rosen, Mark Rolston (Aliens) as Karl Mueller, Kate McNeil (As the World Turns,) as Janice Rosen Ivanova catches Dr Franklin operating an unauthorized clinic in Downbelow. he says he owes it as a doctor and she agrees and is mad he didn't tell her. He offers to let her help, but the crowd is thin. he learns that a Dr Rosen is treating people with an alien machine. At first, Dr Franklin believes it is a con, but learns that it actually works and that Dr Rosen was a medical doctor, who lost her license after abuse of stims (stimulants) leads to the death of a patient and loss of her license. he wonders why she and her daughter haven't left, which is a sticking point. Eventually, he finds out that the machine draws energy from Dr Rosen and passes it to the patient, healing them. She is suffers from lake's Syndrome, a terminal disease and this is her way to atone fr the past. Meanwhile, Karl Mueller is convicted of two counts of murder. Garibaldi believes he has committed more, but can't prove it. Mueller is sentenced to a mindwhipe ("death of personality') which Talia will have to perform. She is reluctant, based on past experience with a serial killer case. She does a preliminary scan and sees horrifying visions. he has committed multiple murders. Mueller escapes custody and is wounded in the process. garibaldi warns Franklin to watch out for him at his free clinic and then thinks of Dr Rosen. Franklin gets there to find the Rosens at gunpoint, with Mueller forcing the doctor to use the machine. She turns the tables on him and uses the device to transfer her Lake's Syndrome, killing him. She is healed in the process. She stands trial and is acquitted on self defense, but is ordered to turn over the alien device to the station. She leaves the station to search for a new way to help others. While all of this goes on, Londo takes Lenier to his favorite nightclub, Dark Star, where he is disturbed by strippers, drinking and gambling. Londo gets them into a game of poker and Lenier wins repeatedly. londo starts cheating by using a tentacle appendage to steal cards, until he is caught. Lenier defends him as a brawl breaks out. The pair are arrested and lenier takes all of the blame, even though Minbari don't lie. It turns out they may do so to help another save face, as he did for Londo. he asks about the tentacle and finds out it is a Centauri sex organ! Ignore previous statements about the remaining episodes being all story arc-related. This isn't, exactly. The alien device will reappear and the "death of personality" procedure will reappear, but nothing else, really. It is standard tv fare, though well played, especially June Lockhart. She does a tremendous job as Dr Rosen. Sadly, she had no scenes with Bill Mumy. originally, they talked about the pair passing each other and doing a double-take, or having Mumy sans-make-up, as a security officer. however, there was a serious earthquake at the time of filming and they were plagued by after-shocks, interrupting filming, which prevented them from filming anything like that. As such, they had to comfort themselves with hanging out backstage. I still think they should have had Lenier pass her and turn around and say, "Mom?" Then, apologize and say he mistook her for someone else. Either that or have them meet in a waiting room and start talking, with her telling a story about a family dog that was always rescuing a trouble-prone some and Lenier talking about being lost with his mother, a lazy doctor and a robot and meeting strange creatures. At worst, they should have done something for the gag reel.  June looked great and was a total pro. Mumy tells a couple of stories about her in this interview... June Lockhart, rock n roll goddess! I like that!  Mark Rolston is suitably creepy, as in this scene, when Talia peeks into his mind. he is able to turn the tables on her and screw with her head.  Lenier and Londo make for a great comedy team, with Londo the conniving glory seeker and Lenier the naive monk in the big world. Mumy gets to do some martial arts, which pleased him...  ...and Peter Jurasik got to cheat at cards with his genitals!  You don't see that on Star Trek! |
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Post by codystarbuck on Jul 9, 2017 21:19:12 GMT -5
Episode 22:  Guest stars: Gianin Loffler (Stargate) as Lurker. Synopsis- A man named Stephen Petrov has been stabbed. he finds Garibaldi and collapses, saying "They're going to kill him!" Petrov is treated in medlab and Garibaldi recounts that he is a crook trying to go straight, who feeds info to Garibaldi. he feels he owes him. While this goes on, the Narns and Centauri are arguing over Quadrant 37, a disputed area ceded by the Narn, which G'Kar says was under duress, during the Centauri occupation. Londo relates to Vir the sorry state and that the government is prepared to give in to the Narns. Just then, he receives a communication from Morden and agrees to meet with him. Sinclair spends the evening with Catherine Sakai and proposes to her and she accepts. They watch ISN, which runs a piece about Pres. Santiago's goodwill tour. Delenn is in her quarters and Lenier arrives with a message from Kosh. She sent him to ask a question and Lenier says the reply is "Yes." She leaves to speak to Kosh. Morden tells Londo they want to help him and offers to solve the Quadrant 37 problem. Londo is instructed to tell his government that he will personally take care of things. Morden's seriousness convinces Londo. delenn meets with Kosh and asks to "see things with her own eyes." Kosh opens his encounter suit and Delenn sees the truth (though we don't) She bids him farewell and says he will not see her again as she "is now." Garibaldi investigates in Downbelow and meets a Lurker who tells him that he and Petrov were hired to move cargo, no questions asked, by a man named Deveraux. he confronts Deveraux who tells him not to meddle in other's affairs. Garibaldi takes him and his companions into custody, relieving him of a PPG with no serial number. garibaldi is troubled by this as only Earthforce security have such weapons. Londo has Vir relay Morden's message to centauri Prime. Sinclair and Catherine break the news to Susan and Garibaldi and they are happy. Garibaldi is alerted by his aid that Deveraux and his men are gone and heads out. Sinclair tries to appeal to G'Kar about the dispute and likens the Narns to abused children, overcompensating. He tells G'Kar that he feels they are at a crossroads and the wrong decision could lead to a destructive past. He asks G'Kar to reconsider and G'Kar seems moved. Strange ships appear at the Narn outpost in Quadrant 37 and destroy the base in minutes and disappear. garibaldi finds one of Deveraux's crates and finds a jamming device within that can disrupt the Gold Channel to earthfroce One, at Io. He calls Sinclair to meet him personally and runs into Deveraux. he draws his weapon and is shot in the back, unseen, by his aide, Jack. Sinclair is unable to raise Garibaldi, Ivanova has the same result. They go to his quarters and Sinclair meets Delenn. She shows him the Triluminary and asks if he remembers and he does. She says it is time they talked and he says he must find Garibaldi first. Garibaldi crawls to a transport tube and rides it to the Zocalo. he is found and rushed to Medlab, to be stabilized. he utters to Sinclair that they are going to assassinate Santiago. They try to raise Earthforce One on the Gold Chanel but are jammed. they see Earthforce One explode. Na'Toth informs G'Kar about the deaths at the Quadrant 37 outpost, 10,000 dead. G'Kar believes it is the work of an unknown force, as the Centauri don't have that kind of power. Lenier warns Delenn about her planned actions, but she feels she s right and places the Triluminary in a device she has been constructing. Jack is dispatched to find Deveraux and later links in that he and his men have been found dead. Jack stands guard over Garibaldi, in Medlab. Londo confronts Morden about the destruction and Morden says they are "only Narns." He says Londo is a hero to his people and his associates will be in touch. Na'Toth finds a message from G'Kar. he has left the station to investigate the attack. Sinclair talks to a senator about the conspiracy and is brushed off, that it was an accident. Footage is seen of Vice President Clark, who departed Earthforce One before the stop at Io, is sworn in as the new president. Sinclair remembers Delenn and runs to her quarters. he is too late, as the device is doing its work and Delenn is encased in a cocoon. Sinclair returns to his quarters and finds Catherine, telling her "Nothing is the same anymore." This episode made all of the weaker ones worth it. Everything has erupted. The Earth president is assassinated as earthforce One blows up, in space.  Garibaldi is betrayed and shot by his own aide, who watches over him. Morden returns and his associates destroy a whole Narn colony to elevate Londo's stature.  At the end, Morden is seen with shadowy creatures, and Delenn is encased in a cocoon after promising to tell Sinclair the truth. The season finale was spectacular. The assassination of Santiago was meant to mirror that of John F Kennedy. the swearing in of Vice President Clark was staged to mirror that of LBJ.  This marks the last episode, as a regular, for Michael O'Hare. JMS talked about what happened here... At the time, the audience was led to believe that the production decided to move in a new direction, after a mixed first season. Given the history of recasting with the pilot, this seemed reasonable. Michael O'Hare was gone and Bruce Boxleitner was cast as the series lead, starting with Season 2. The numbers were good enough that Season 2 was greenlit. Changes would occur. Season one is the first act of a novel, introducing the characters and the situation. This episode triggers everything that follows (the inciting incident). Now, we are done with introduction and we move into rising action. This is where B5 truly became a unique piece of American television as we were now talking about a science fiction novel for television, not episodic tv.  Michael O'Hare was very good as Sinclair and the character was likable. Much like his character, his happiness is disrupted by events, as his mental problems led to his seeking medical assistance and the recasting of the show. Sinclair is engaged to be married, but event shave overtaken them. Things will be different at the start of Season 2. It was sad to see O'Hare leave. i felt he portrayed a career military officer and commander well. his character had a deeply spiritual side which allowed him to work well with the other races and the character's absence is felt, as politics becomes fractured. I always felt the background as a fighter pilot was at odds with the character's personality, that he seemed more like a ship's captain, responsible for more than his wingman. O'Hare portrayed that responsibility and that spirituality. He was tough when he needed to be, gentle when required and always fair and compassionate. He was a good leader. Unlike Captain Kirk, he as not a reckless swashbuckling hero. he was more a thinking man's hero, reasoning his way out of situations, using strategy to turn strength against itself. He was a diplomat, confidant and friend. Sinclair will return for two more appearances and will be featured in the DC comic series, as well as the novel To Dream in the City of Sorrows, which fill in the gaps between this episode and his reappearance. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Jul 10, 2017 10:50:47 GMT -5
Season 2: The Coming of Shadows Episode 1: "Points of Departure" Episode guests: Richard Grove (Army of Darkness, Space Rangers) as Kalain, Robin Sachs (Galaxy Quest, Dr Who) as Hedronn, Robert Foxworth (Falcon Crest) as Gen. William Hague. Synopsis-CDR Sinclair has been recalled to Earth and Ivanova is up to her neck in trouble. She is informed by Gen. Hague, of the Joint Chiefs, that Sinclair has been reassigned and the new CO will be arriving soon, Capt. John Sheridan of the Destroyer Agamemnon, who has been patrolling the outer rim. Sheridan is likely to bring controversy, as he is known as "Starkiller," to the Minbari. he is the only human to defeat them in battle. Meanwhile, Sheridan, prior to arrival, has been alerted by Hague to head to B5 as it appears to be the destination for a rogue Minbari ship, the Tragati. Delenn is still in her cocoon, which is visited by Hedronn, a Minbari of the Grey Council. he alerts Lenier about the Tragati and orders him to tell the humans everything they need to know. Ivanova gives Sheridan the lowdown about Delenn and the absence of G'Kar and then asks why he is there. he explains that he was Pres. Santiago's choice to take command, if anything happened to Sinclair. he has been working with League worlds, as well as the Narn and Centauri. ivanova brings up the Minbari and he hopes they are past the incident. A Minbari warrior arrives on the station and consults a map and heads for Green Sector. he encounters Hedronn, who recognizes him as Kalain, of the Tragati. Kalain threatens Hedronn and tells him to leave. he also reveals that he knows Star Killer is there. Hedronn goes to Sheridan and informs him of Kalain and the Tragati. It's captain committed suicide and Kalain took command, taking it rogue. Ivanova asks how he defeated the Minbari warship, the Black Star and he explains that the ship had some kind of stealth technology that their weapons couldn't lock onto. he mined an asteroid field with fusion bombs, succeeding in destroying the ship. He realizes that Kalain may go after Delenn, if he is angered with the Grey Council. They hed for her quarters. Kalain has bulldogged through a security guard and enters her quarters, where Lenier confronts him and defends Delenn's cocoon. Sheridan arrives with security and Kalain surrenders without violence. he is taken into custody and interrogated by Sheridan, but he gives no answers. Lenier then informs Sheridan about the surrender at the Battle of the Line. Sinclair was brought on board at random, for intel. he was scanned and found to have a Minbari soul. Other pilots were captured and they, too, had Minbari souls. The Grey Council ordered hostilities to be ceased, to prevent destroying their brethren. They kept the knowledge a secret, as it was too big a revelation. Then, the Tragati comes out of the jump gate. The warship threatens the station and they launch fighters, including new pilot Warren Keffler. The Minbari are not using their stealth technology and not engaging the fighters. Sheridan smells a rat and tells the fighters to hold position. he links to security and learns that Kalain is dead, having ingested poison. Sheridan sends out a transmission through the jump gate. Another Minbari cruiser arrives and targets the Tragati, disabling it. It self-destructs and the Starfuries stand down. It turns out the ship hoped to provoke the station in an act of suicide and stir up another war. The episode ends with Lenier talking to Delenn's coccoon about how he regretted not being able to tell the whole truth about the Minbari uniting with their other half to fight the coming darkness. The cocoon starts to crack. While events occur, Garibaldi is in a coma, in medlab, with no change in condition since the shooting.  Bruce Boxleitner joins the cast and is immediately thrust into things. He has remarked that he was nervous going into it, but, treated it like a military assignment, as the new CO. That attitude worked well in his portrayal, as that is the situation of Sheridan. Boxleitner was a more high energy actor than O'Hare, though some of that is in the way the character was written. Sheridan will be more of an action hero in this.  Kalain represents a rogue element of the Minbari, who defied the surrender order. It helps demonstrate that the Minbari issues with the Warrior Caste are deepening and why they have split, as the knowledge of their connection to humanity is a closely guarded secret. The notion of the Minbari souls in humans is reinforced by a flashback to "Soul Hunter." We will learn more about the soul connection, particularly in relation to Sinclair.  DC Comics was approached by JMS to create a comic book series, which would fill in gaps between episodes. He did this independently, as Warner showed no interest in marketing the series. The first issue covers Sinclair's recall to Earth, some of the information about the Battle of the Line and his appointment as the new Earth ambassador to Minbar.  Hedronn will be seen in later episodes, usually at odds with Delenn. He represents more conservative factions in Minbari society, and questions the prophecy about the return of the Shadows. Great episode, which puts our new characters in place, resolving a thread or two for the first season and setting up the stories to come. We get a new character, Warren Keffler (played by Robert Rusler), to give a POV of one of the grunts: a Starfury pilot. He will be a supporting character throughout, though never a central one to any particular story. He gets a similar amount of screen time as the CnC regulars, Marianne Robertson and Joshua Cox. Cox would get a character name, in the third season: Corwin. For now, he is still listed as Tech #1. Rusler gets a title credit, with the main cast, but is seen in only a handful of episodes. The opening credits originally used the old shot of Delenn, until the revelation of her new form. However, the DVD includes the new appearance. It also reveals that Na'Toth has been recast by Mary Kay Adams. She would only appear directly in a couple of episodes. She played Na'Toth as far more low key than Julie Caitlin Brown and the producers decided to drop the character. bruce Boxleitner's voice over in the intro is re-recorded later, to give it more dramatic tone. Season 1's intro was re-recorded after a few episodes for similar reasons. |
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Jul 10, 2017 11:07:20 GMT -5
This marks the last episode, as a regular, for Michael O'Hare. JMS talked about what happened here... Ho-leeeeee... I had no idea. That's a very tragic story. JMS comes across as a truly decent guy, here, but man! Poor O'Hare... |
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Post by codystarbuck on Jul 10, 2017 11:42:55 GMT -5
This marks the last episode, as a regular, for Michael O'Hare. JMS talked about what happened here... Ho-leeeeee... I had no idea. That's a very tragic story. JMS comes across as a truly decent guy, here, but man! Poor O'Hare... Neither had I. Upon his death, I heard something vague about mental health issues; but, i only discovered this interview a couple of weeks ago. I had assumed they weren't happy with the way the series was progressing (or Warner bros) and decided to recast the lead, to someone who would be more of an action-oriented character. I liked O'Hare as Sinclair; but, he was pretty low key, very much a thinker. he got involved in the action; but, I have trouble seeing him doing some of the stuff Sheridan does in the series. The question I haven't seen definitively answered is how long Sinclair's story was supposed to play out (won't spoil it). It is resolved in the third season, after a cameo or two; but, how would it have played out with O'Hare as series lead? JMS has talked about Laurel Takashima, how her identity card being used by the Minbari assassin, in "The Gathering," was deliberate and she would turn out to be the traitor who shoots Garibaldi in the back, as part of the conspiracy to assassinate Pres. Santiago. She would be discovered and removed, bringing Ivanova in as a new character. When they recast after the pilot, the pushed up Ivanova and shifted the traitor to Garibaldi's aide, Jack. To me, it always seemed that Sheridan was being taken on Sinclair's journey, through the early stages of the Shadow War. Was Sinclair's story supposed to end with the war? Was it to come later in the series? JMS always talked about backdoors and I suspect that included some reshuffling of plot points. |
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