Niners Unite...around Babylon 5! - The Lost Threads

I suppose that makes sense. Didn't the Airforce come out of the Army? Maybe the relationship was similar on B5. But I could have sworn that a General was only equivalent in rank to a naval Captain and that Admiral was the highest attainable rank. Anyway I'll just get used to the weird command structure.

Took a break from watching today since I watched two episodes yesterday. I don't want to get thru this series too quickly. Made that mistake with The Wire. Bought season one on a Friday night and had to race back to the store, Sunday night, to buy season two.

 

So, I've started reading the Techno-Mage books today. 50 pages into book one. So far, I like that Galen is Elric's apprentice--it's a shame we didn't get to see them both on screen together. I like that Galen is shown demonstrating slight of hand skill--the techno-mages are often compared to wizards, but I've always seen them as advanced magicians, and this small character bit is a nice nod in that direction. And there was a small bit--just in passing--that referenced a Centauri apprentice mage. I like that, because on the series the mages seemed all to human. Given what little I know about them so far (keep the spoilers away for now), it seems like making them more diverse would be appropriate.

 

i thought the triology was good the first time i read it - much better than the centauri triology (evidently written by english major flunkies), but not quite up to the level of the psi-corp trilogy (which would be good scifi even if it wasn't part of the B5-verse).

but re-reading it earlier this year, i realized i had seriously misunderestimated the technomage trilogy. it is genuinely dark, and fascinating. maybe i just haven't read any fiction directed at adolescents before, but galen's dark feelings about suicide was the first time i ever understood the apparently wide-spread practice of Self Flagellation. it was shown in the da vinci code, muslim's do it too. but i never understood why. that is, until i read the technomage trilogy.

i guess, some people really have to fight their animal tendencies a lot harder than others if they want to maintain control. (others just enjoy being out of control, often to the detriment of innocent bystanders). the pain - galen brining the fire down on himself in the book, self-flegellation in catholicism - that pain focuses the mind, and allows a person to bring their baser instincts under their conscious control.

for that insight into fundamental human nature, i nominate the technomage triology as an outstanding book.

 

Peter David wrote the Centauri trilogy and I'd hardly call him an English major flunkie.

 

actually, i don't know what education he has, but it is a very poorly written set of books... indeed, they only get worse as the trilogy progresses.

for what it's worth, i just assumed that peter david put his name on it - and let some factory of struggling writers write it for him. no one actually writes that much. well almost no one.

 

Just finished watching Spider in the Web. I found the concept to be more interesting than the execution. The scene with Amanda Carter and Abel, in which Abel starts to seizure, was played quite well by Michael Beck though. Pretty horrific. Good job by the writers following up on how Sheridan was able to come by the classified cyborg info so quickly.

The next statement I make is simply my own opinion and I've no desire to debate or argue. From what I've seen thus far from B5, the evidence that DS9 was derivative is mounting up. I find myself slowly becoming a believer. I had a bad feeling this show was going to change the way I look at my favorite Trek series.

 

Good advice.

Checked out A Race Through Dark Places tonight. They finally did something to make the Dr. interesting. He is one of the rare cases in which the actor is more compelling than the character he's playing. And the mind fake with Talia took me hook, line and sinker. I was surfing around on the PC while watching, and when that scene happened, my mouth literally dropped open.

 

I have a feeling you may end up finding Dr. Franklin more interesting down the line, too.

Jan

 

You're so right. In fact this season has brought some interesting character changes. The Doc is actually interesting. That backstory they did with he and his father was both well written and needed. He's being included more as a regular. But the award for biggest character change goes to Ivanova, hands down. It's like her character has done a complete 180. With Sinclair she was all formal and rigid. With Sheridan she's become a comedian. The sex dance she did in Acts of Sacrifice caught me way off guard. Never would have expected that from her.

I had a nitpick with Hunter, Prey. It was cool to have Garibaldi put on the Fedora and go old school gumshoe. However the station's chief of security wearing a hat is still the station's chief of security. I had a hard time believing the people down below wouldn't recognize the foremost security officer on B5.

I keep waiting for Londo to hit bottom but he just keeps sinking, trying to convince himself he's happy. I can't wait to see how he redeems himself, assuming he ever does.

 

^^ Yes, Ivanova loosened up nicely, even without the dance in "Acts of Sacrifice". Change and growth is the hallmark of B5.

Re: "Hunter, Prey", Garibaldi had a point, though. Lurker's would probably scatter whenever they saw any security uniform and when else would they have seen him to recognize him? There don't seem to be many working BabCom units in DownBelow.

Londo...anything I say would be a spoiler and it's too good to do that.

Jan

 

I'm about five minutes into There All Honor Lies. "Deep space franchise..." Whoooooa there! So was B5 the first to fire a shot across the bow?

They spaced the bear?! Kind of harsh I think. Was this whole episode a subtle shot at Trek merchandising? Funny.

 

I always thought the "deep space franchise" thing was a little holier than thou on JMS' part, especially given plans for a spin-off as early as The Gathering was finished (the first time), but even in all my indignation it's a pretty funny moment. And the bit with the bear is just great.

 

JMS didn't write that episode, Peter David did. In his introduction in the latest script book he explains that the 'deep space franchise' comment was his reaction to watching a special about Trek while he was writing the script where the main point was keeping the franchise going instead of keeping Roddenberry's vision alive. He expected JMS to take it out but it stayed.

The bear spacing part was written in by JMS because the bear was a gift from Peter's wife and JMS "doesn't 'do' cute." This started a mock 'war' between Peter and JMS which ended when some fans thought they were seriously mad at each other.

Jan

 

Oh, I wasn't aware that the "deep space franchise" thing was Peter David's, although I still find JMS echoing the sentiment often in the scriptbooks.

My Other Voices Vol. 3 is on its way--I look forward to it.

 

Sorry, Hirogen Alpha. I probably should have put that in spoiler tags.

Jan

 

Oh, no worries at all, Jan.