Alas Babylon 5
• Stargazer
25/11/1998 00:00:000 UTC
I just finished watching the final episode of B5. It was so-so -- I
certainly would've liked to see some action instead of all that moping
around. I liked how Sheridan shuffled off his mortal coil (on the other
hand it would've been cool if he had dissolved into thin air in the
middle
of something -- "John?" "Yes..." *poof*).
One thing that really bothers me about B5 is that never did a damned
thing
with that giant planet-sized machine. Not even during the shadow war.
They
should've at least mentioned it in the final episode.
--
--Doc
s********r@i********l.net
"I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night."
--Sarah Williams
• s******j@d********.**o.com
27/11/1998 00:00:000 UTC
What ticked me off: Not resolving the Watcher in a Drum thread. That
was
a diabolical set-up! I guess this "Dave" guy will figure in the new
series.
I agree. Zathras should have sucked the station into the future, or
something.
Stefan
:wq
:
--
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• Stargazer
28/11/1998 00:00:000 UTC
>Oh, how could we forget: they used it to boost the signal of "The
Voice
>of the
>Resistance." Sort of on a par with using the Monolith from 2001 as
a whet
>stone.
Even now, I can see Kosh shaking his head in disbelief: "Idiots!"
--Doc
• Stargazer
28/11/1998 00:00:000 UTC
I'd have to agree to most of that. I rate it as above average TV
SciFi.
Much of the last two seasons were anti-climactic after the Shadow
War was
over. The formation of the Alliance afterwards gave a nice flavor to
the
epic, but we didn't really need to see some of the details. I did
not mind
some of the fantasy elements, but sometimes they got carried away...
This series had more big space battles than any, but it is hard to
get
excited about "Black Boxes vs Black Boxes" -- no sense of the
underdog
carrying the day. The Rangers were amusing, but, as Gorno says,
inscrutable.
--Doc
P.S. What the hell was the deal with the stupid "eye" on the
Centauri relic
Londo gave Sheridan. Is it supposed to be some kind of cliffhanger?
Didn't
seem to jive with the final episode either.
• s******j@s******.**o.com
29/11/1998 00:00:000 UTC
I think B5 was above average, and forced ST:DS9 and ST:V to get
on the ball.
Their writing has improved a lot since B5 came on, and I think
there's a
connection.
Also: BIG thumbs up for depiction of religion as more than a
sham put over
by scheming priests. Big thumbs up for characters much more
real than
the ST franchise's.
I agree with Gorno RE scale and such, but maintain that you've
got to make
compromises to have an interesting story.
In article , Stargazer wrote:
>P.S. What the hell was the deal with the stupid "eye" on the
Centauri relic
>Londo gave Sheridan. Is it supposed to be some kind of
cliffhanger? Didn't
>seem to jive with the final episode either.
That was a WATCHER! A nice birthday present for the future
price.
It was a really mean cliffhanger; we'll have to wait for some
future spinn-
off movie to learn about it. (A B5 newsgroup has a post my JMS
to the
effect that Crusade would not.)
Stefan
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• a****4@f******.********n.ca
26/11/1998 00:00:000 UTC
"Stargazer" (u*******e@d*****n.com) writes:
> I just finished watching the final episode of B5. It was so-so --
I
> certainly would've liked to see some action instead of all that
moping
> around. I liked how Sheridan shuffled off his mortal coil (on the
other
> hand it would've been cool if he had dissolved into thin air in
the middle
> of something -- "John?" "Yes..." *poof*).
I was waiting form them to zoom in on his eye, and having it blink
and change colour...and reflect flashing lights...and suddenly, he
is in a
hotel room...Oh, sorry, that was Babylon 2001...
> One thing that really bothers me about B5 is that never did a
damned thing
> with that giant planet-sized machine. Not even during the shadow
war. They
> should've at least mentioned it in the final episode.
I would have loved for Draal to show up, and have the station
shimmer out of existance just before the charges went off...and have
Zanthas in a voice over "Zanthras say waste not, want not..and
always use
proper tool!"
ttyl
Farrell
• j********o@***.com
26/11/1998 00:00:000 UTC
In article , "Stargazer"
writes:
>I just finished watching the final episode of B5. It was so-so -- I
>certainly would've liked to see some action instead of all that
moping
>around.
A dignified, if pokey conclusion. I completely agree with EarthForce
that
leaving the hundred-billion-credit station intact would be a much
greater
navigational hazard than a billion hyper-velocity fragments zipping
around
Episilon for the next thousand years.
>I liked how Sheridan shuffled off his mortal coil (on the other
>hand it would've been cool if he had dissolved into thin air in the
middle
>of something -- "John?" "Yes..." *poof*).
"Dih-lennnnnnn! Dih-lennnnnnn! Tell me how to use these stupid
'sea-shells'
again! Urk..." "Oh, John..., you died as you lived: on the toilet."
>One thing that really bothers me about B5 is that never did a
damned thing
>with that giant planet-sized machine. Not even during the shadow
war. They
>should've at least mentioned it in the final episode.
The "Deus Ex Machine." They're saving it so it will be a surprise to
the
Shadows. A BIG surprise. (Actually, I think they may have used it a
million
years in the future: "Yeah, I'll have a ham on rye... great, no
mustard.")
Dammit, don't they have hair dye in the future? Same thing on every
SF show:
Worf, Riker, Crusher, Chakotay, Kim (he was supposed to be, what,
40?!) Not
everyone gets grey, much less in a mere twenty years!
On the other hand...
In article <68u6oj$***@c******.**********g.com>,
b********r@p*******e.com
(Perrianne "Bucconeer" ("Bucky") Lurie) replied:
>j********o@***.com (JohnGorno) wrote:
>>[I don't know why they're paying for a fifth season], especially
since all
the >>interesting stuff is already over!
>In my last post, I neglected to take issue with Gorno's assertion.
I
>think there's lots more "interesting stuff" to come. The whole Psi
>Corps thread has yet to play out, as do the battles against the
Shadow
>minions. And the technomages are supposed to come back. The
>aftermath of the Shadow War may turn out to be more interesting
than
>the war itself.
Um-hum. "There's *gotta* be a horse in there somewhere!"
Gorno
They could at least have make the grey hair a gag about cosmic-ray
exposure in
space. "Well look at all us old grey space monkeys!" This brings to
mind the
"all our parents are dead, despite the fact that the Federation is
utterly
boring and safe and life expectancy in the Twenty-Fourth Century is
120
years!"-SF trope.
"Why, Deanna, you look marvelous!" "I have the *best* plastic
surgeon in the
entire Alpha Quadrant! Have I shown you a picture of my new
great-grand-daughter yet?"
I wonder if Zippy will be shown opposite Dilbert? It could make your
head
explode.
• j********o@***.com
28/11/1998 00:00:000 UTC
In article , s******j@d********.**o.com
(Stefan E. Jones) writes:
>What ticked me off: Not resolving the Watcher in a Drum thread.
That was
>a diabolical set-up! I guess this "Dave" guy will figure in the new
series.
Do you mean Dilenn's pal in the Deus ex Machine?
In article , "Stargazer"
writes:
>One thing that really bothers me about B5 is that never did a
damned thing
>with that giant planet-sized machine.
Oh, how could we forget: they used it to boost the signal of "The
Voice of the
Resistance." Sort of on a par with using the Monolith from 2001 as a
whet
stone.
"At last: after a million years, a question! Millions have journeyed
to see
me, touch me, pray to me, but none have asked me what I am: behold!
look
inside my cover:"
How To Make An Incomprehensible Motion Picture And Several Million
Dollars
by Stanley Kubrick
Gorno
• j********o@***.com
28/11/1998 00:00:000 UTC
Well, time for a summing up. The series was surely a magnificent
personal
accomplishment for Strazynsky, comparable only to Roddenbury and
Star Trek. As
for its worth as science fiction, I rate it as OK. Much less
significant than
Trek or the Star Wars movies, probably on a par with the more
distinctive but
short-lived Max Headroom. As contrasted with that, I don't believe
it shifted
the landscape any - it didn't break any new ground, it only
refreshed some
moldy old ideas.
It would be easy to make the excuse that it suffered from its
ambition, but the
simple fact is, the third and forth years weren't very entertaining.
When I
can confidently say that Voyager did a better job with the same
story in
Thirdspace/Species 8539, it is a pretty damning commentary. Those
middle years
weren't much fun. It's not merely that I found the Tolkienesque
elements
unsuitable, or that I have refined tastes in science fantasy (Soul
Hunters?
Life Energy-transferring machines?), but that they undermined the
epic
qualities of the story. In an epic, we follow people and efforts
from start to
finish, taking vicarious pride in their progress. The Rangers seem
to come
from nowhere: I have no understanding of their draw nor do I feel it
(compare
this to the Rebellion of Star Wars!) Likewise, the Whitestars have
no pedigree
- they don't reflect an on-going effort, they are an inscruitable
product of an
cliched alien society. Technically, the failure to set power levels,
to decide
definitely whether Earth ships were competitive or not, undermined
the effort
to establish the height of the obstacles they faced and explore the
ongoing
effort required. This also lent itself to a simplistic landscape
vis-a-vis
Earth where they could pull out a trump card and gain an effortless
victory
over nasty fascists. The moral landscape on Earth was also
simplistic: tired
old Orwellian/Brownshirt elements were dutifully trotted out,
without the least
bit of moral ambiguity or futuristic updating. The insignificance of
Earth in
the Shadow War allowed a smarmy and simplistic political outlook,
where the
devil can be outsmarted 'cause bullies are stupid. It's not just
that, to
quote Stefan, "It's important that humanity be important," but that
no epic
evolution was evident, where the initially overmatched defenders in
the Shadow
and Mimbari Wars gradually grow mighty and confident.
It was at least something unembarassing to watch. Hopefully, Crusade
will be
more fun.
Gorno