A Niner Watches Babylon 5 (NO spoilers, please)

[stonester1]

Well...something extraordinary did happen. If an "angel" (stay tuned) did appear, fo sho...think people would just shrug and go about?

Not to mention that explosion thing.

Safe to say, schedules were probably rearranged a bit.

 

[AdmiralGarak]

I'm guessing the apology ceremony went about like this--

Ambassador: "Captain! Tell us about the angel!"
Sheridan: "First, I really should apologize."
Ambassador: "For what?"
Sheridan: "The Centauri incident."
Ambassador: "The Centauri did something to the angel!?"
Sheridan: "No, I mean the earlier thing."
Ambassador: "Oh, that? There's a fucking angel here! For god's sake, man! We don't care about that apology business anymore!"
Sheridan: "Oh... I'm sorry."
Ambassador: "We don't care!"

 

[Can]

I like the Inquisitor episode. Yeah sure it can be viewed as a ultra hammy , well dressed powerful evil alien episode initially. But one thing JMS does in B5 is reminding that he is not just writing for audience he is also writing and exploring the character , events and structure of B5 universe within the story itself. For us sci-fi veterans this is cliched overacted god-like alien episode maybe. ( I remember some drew parallels between Sebastian and Q ) But these characters have doubts , weak points , unexplored depths and limits. Inquisitor reminds us that these characters are right person for the coming crisis and decent for the moment. It should have been cleared from Vorlon's and and other characters point of view. Sheridan and Delenn are taking serious responsibilities.

"The Fall of Night" is our entrance to next phase in Babylon 5 story. Just like nothing is same anymore at the end of Season 1 now nothing is same either. Sheridan took a big step in defying the established policy of his goverment. Night Watch is becoming more active. G'kar still organizing resistance of his homeworld. ( I love how he tries to hide in bushes lol ) Londo is at dark side now. He is isolated in every sense because of his actions and his goverment's. And angel part is nothing like it seems initially...Just like everything else.

 

[Lindley]

I'm trying to decide how much to say here. I suppose I'll just say, what the characters see is not necessarily intended to be the objective reality from the viewer's perspective.

 

[DWF]

I always thought it was interesting that Londo didn't see anything, I wonder what he really saw.

 

[RoJoHen]

I like the Inquisitor episode. Yeah sure it can be viewed as a ultra hammy , well dressed powerful evil alien episode initially. But one thing JMS does in B5 is reminding that he is not just writing for audience he is also writing and exploring the character , events and structure of B5 universe within the story itself. For us sci-fi veterans this is cliched overacted god-like alien episode maybe. ( I remember some drew parallels between Sebastian and Q ) But these characters have doubts , weak points , unexplored depths and limits. Inquisitor reminds us that these characters are right person for the coming crisis and decent for the moment. It should have been cleared from Vorlon's and and other characters point of view. Sheridan and Delenn are taking serious responsibilities.

I loved this episode the first time I saw it a couple years ago, and I still think it's great. I especially liked the little Jack the Ripper twist at the end. I wasn't expecting it, and I thought it was neat.

"The Fall of Night" is our entrance to next phase in Babylon 5 story. Just like nothing is same anymore at the end of Season 1 now nothing is same either..

B5 is awesome at this type of storytelling. When shit happens, it affected the entire landscape, and there an be no going back.

 

[Booji]

The biggest complaint I have with "The Fall of Night" is the terrible effect of Sheridan slowly falling from the train. it just looks horrible. The deus ex machina angel ending I didn't mind since it actually worked for this episode. It works in the same way the Worm Hole Aliens in DS9 save the entire Federation by gobbeling up all the Dominion ships and cutting off access to the Alpha Quadrant. Corny to an extent, yet done in a believable way that helps to progress the story.

 

[OdoWanKenobi]

I always thought it was interesting that Londo didn't see anything, I wonder what he really saw.

Exactly what he said: nothing. Each person saw their own version of a divine power. Londo believes in no such deity, therefore he saw nothing.

 

[David cgc]

I always thought it was interesting that Londo didn't see anything, I wonder what he really saw.

Well, to be perfectly accurate, he just saw a blinding blob of golden light, with no defined form. It didn't look to him like Sheridan just suddenly started flying under his own power and gently landed on the ground.

 

[Harvey]

Come to think of it, was Garibaldi there when Kosh made his appearance? We know he's an atheist, so what did he see?

 

[JoeD80]

A frickin angel?! Not a hot blonde chick in a skimpy red dress, but an actual angel, with wings and everything. This is one of the silliest things I've ever seen.

SHERIDAN: Are you Kosh?
KOSH: *smiles and nods*
SHERIDAN: What does God need with a space station?
KOSH: *laser-beam-eyes Sheridan*

Talk about your deus ex machina.

This didn't come out of nowhere. This had been hinted at since the first episode with Dr. Kyle's comments about "looking into the face of a Vorlon". That doesn't mean you see the whole picture at this episode either.

I always thought it was interesting that Londo didn't see anything, I wonder what he really saw.

Well, to be perfectly accurate, he just saw a blinding blob of golden light, with no defined form. It didn't look to him like Sheridan just suddenly started flying under his own power and gently landed on the ground.

No, he saw nothing, as in yes, he did just she Sheridan float to the ground. That's why he says "I saw nothing." He isn't sharing at all in what the others see. As Joe said, "Londo saw what he said he saw."

 

[Jan]

This had been hinted at since the first episode. This didn't come out of nowhere.

And practically spelled out in just the last episode:

...yes, the Vorlons have

been to Earth, the Vorlons have​

been everywhere. The Vorlons...are.

Imagine the effect that seeing a Vorlon in this form for the first time had on Sebastian, who had thought he was on a holy mission.

Jan

 

[Fist McStrongpunch]

I always assumed Londo didn't see anything because he'd been touched by darkness.

 

[DWF]

Come to think of it, was Garibaldi there when Kosh made his appearance? We know he's an atheist, so what did he see?

Garibaldi was an agnostic not an athiest, Ivanova joked about saying half a prayer for him at the start of the second season while he was still recovering from PPG hit.

 

[DWF]

I always thought it was interesting that Londo didn't see anything, I wonder what he really saw.

Exactly what he said: nothing. Each person saw their own version of a divine power. Londo believes in no such deity, therefore he saw nothing.

Yeah but he still should've seen Kosh's real form. He said he say nothing but how could explain to himself that Sheridan just floated to the ground.

 

[Hyperspace05]

DWF, careful on the spoilers!

 

[Neroon]

TGB, I'm trying to decide if you really reacted that way to the episode or if you're just trying to provoke a reaction of a sort. You surely would know by now that with incidents that seem to surprise you into disbelief like this, are all too often just the beginning of something that is revealed more fully later on.

 

[Fist McStrongpunch]

TGB, I'm trying to decide if you really reacted that way to the episode or if you're just trying to provoke a reaction of a sort. You surely would know by now that with incidents that seem to surprise you into disbelief like this, are all too often just the beginning of something that is revealed more fully later on.

It seems genuine. He has a history of hating things that try to validate theology even a little, such as the existence of Minbari and human souls.

 

[Neroon]

DWF, careful on the spoilers!

The Drazi, the Narn, the Minbari, the human all did see something different, which is nothing more than what he said. While I appreciate your desire to keep the thread as spoiler free as possible, things have proceeded pretty well. If there is an issue, let me know, and I can take care of it.

 

[Ensign_Redshirt]

TGB, I'm trying to decide if you really reacted that way to the episode or if you're just trying to provoke a reaction of a sort. You surely would know by now that with incidents that seem to surprise you into disbelief like this, are all too often just the beginning of something that is revealed more fully later on.

It seems genuine. He has a history of hating things that try to validate theology even a little, such as the existence of Minbari and human souls.

The interesting thing is that Babylon 5 often dealt with religious themes despite the fact that J. Michael Straczynski is very open about his own atheism. But I guess you can have no religious beliefs whatsoever and still be fascinated by religion as a concept.