Babylon 5... movies?!?

[ATimson]

Cary L. Brown wrote:

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The very final episode of B5, "Sleeping in Light," is set 20 years after the final "regular" episode of the series.

SO... if you're like me and prefer to watch things in the "in-fiction" chronological order, that's why I recommend "Sleeping in Light" as the last thing you watch.

Asides from "Deconstruction" as others mentioned, "Voices in the Dark" arguably should be watched after "Sleeping in Light" as well. It's not a traditional frame, like In the Beginning or "Deconstruction", but it still has one.

[Tulin]

Let's face it..........JMS just fucked it up!

[Neroon]

ATimson wrote:

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Asides from "Deconstruction" as others mentioned, "Voices in the Dark" arguably should be watched after "Sleeping in Light" as well. It's not a traditional frame, like In the Beginning or "Deconstruction", but it still has one.

How so? I think what most of us promoting SiL as the final item to be viewed are looking at things from a primarily chronological point of view. Given that, there isn't anything except "Deconstruction" which can be considered, from that frame of reference at least.

[ATimson]

Neroon wrote:

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How so?

"Voices in the Dark" starts with the destruction of Babylon 5 in 2282, as seen in "Sleeping in Light".

[Cary L. Brown]

ATimson wrote:

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"Voices in the Dark" starts with the destruction of Babylon 5 in 2282, as seen in "Sleeping in Light".

True, true... but that's really in there only to avoid confusing the audience, who've already seen "Sleeping in Light." A simple narrative method to remind the audience "we're going backwards by a number of years."

That's different than the way that "In the Beginning" handled it, where the entire story is set in the later time... in the form of Londo telling a story. The entire story is told from Londo's perspective, with Londo narrating it.

So I tend to disregard that little opening "splash" to the "Lost Tales" episode you mention. Ideally, I'd prefer the whole "Lost Tales" thing to not have that opening at all... but then again, SOME people would, inevitably, be confused by that!

[Jan]

ATimson wrote:

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"Voices in the Dark" starts with the destruction of Babylon 5 in 2282, as seen in "Sleeping in Light".

Yes but

you then see the time count back and the station reconstruct itself. The story itself takes place in 2271.

Jan

[ATimson]

Cary L. Brown wrote:

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That's different than the way that "In the Beginning" handled it, where the entire story is set in the later time... in the form of Londo telling a story. The entire story is told from Londo's perspective, with Londo narrating it.

Hence why I said "It's not a traditional frame, like In the Beginning or 'Deconstruction', but it still has one."

[ATimson]

Jan wrote:

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Yes but

you then see the time count back and the station reconstruct itself. The story itself takes place in 2271.

Just like "the story itself" for In the Beginning takes place in 2246-2248...

[Harvey]

Jan wrote:

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Yes but

you then see the time count back and the station reconstruct itself. The story itself takes place in 2271.

Jan

True, but the frame very much places the Lost Tales post-Sleeping in Light for me in viewing. It's why I place In The Beginning in 2277, even though the bulk of the narrative takes place before The Gathering. Likewise, Thirdspace has an introductory narration by Sheridan looking back that makes it kind of weird to watch in the middle of season four.

[Neroon]

The intro to "Lost Tales" strikes me more as a bit of artistic license and creativity for opening the show. It's a way to give tribute to arguably the most memorable voice of the series. Consequently, I can't use it as a definitive reference point for the series chronology.

[Reverend]

Hirogen Alpha wrote:

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True, but the frame very much places the Lost Tales post-Sleeping in Light for me in viewing. It's why I place In The Beginning in 2277, even though the bulk of the narrative takes place before The Gathering. Likewise, Thirdspace has an introductory narration by Sheridan looking back that makes it kind of weird to watch in the middle of season four.

Well...

...the entire show is told from a future perspective since the opening narration of the show is Londo recounting how he "was there at the dawn of the third age", which according to the In the Beginning Novel took place shortly before Luc & Lyssa came in. Also there's the opening credits of each season which for the first four seasons at least is narrated in the past tense by various characters and the closers to season 2 & 3 end with a past tense narration from Ivanova & G'Kar respectively. Then of course at the end of "Sleeping In Light" we find the whole thing is an historical docu-drama made by ISN.

[Colonel Midnight]

^ True, but I always just see that as a homage to LOTR (Lord of the Rings, not Legend of the Rangers).

Cheers,
-CM-

[Harvey]

^^
That's true, but I consider Sheridan's narration to be an extra level of framing beyond the whole of the series. The fact that he identifies both the end of the (spoiler) that happens before the movie as well as the resolution of the (second spoiler) that happens after the movie seems to set it apart. But I go back and forth on it. The last time I watched the series through, I placed the movie in season four.