A Niner Watches Babylon 5 (NO spoilers, please)

That depends on whether his becoming a "baddie" is natural character development or the result of brain washing, and the continual monochrome flashbacks to his capture seem to indicate the latter. Watching a character like Garibaldi slipping to the dark side would be interesting if it were "real", but because of the way it has been playing out so far it has felt artificial. I'm sure there'll be a point to it eventually, but right now all I want to know is what's really going on. If Garibaldi has been programmed to hate Sheridan then why, and by who?

This is where I have to disagree, this was one of DS9's great strengths and one of B5's weaknesses. All the way back in season 1 one of my biggest complaints was that B5 had poor villains and that these were hampering the hero characters; Sinclair seemed weak because the quality of his antagonists was poor. Things have mostly improved since then, but even still, none of the antagonists have been as good as pre-Waltz Dukat. Sisko seemed strong because he wasn't going up against a glorified MacGuffin like Clark, he was going up against a man, a fleshed out individual that we knew, someone charismatic that we could understand (once again, I'm talking about pre-Waltz Dukat ). Lord Refa is the best antagonist B5 has thrown up so far, but he's dead now.

DS9 focusing on the villains also opened up story opportunities that would otherwise have had little meaning. Take Damar's rebellion, which I think was one of the best elements of the final season. You could see he wasn't a big fan of the Dominion all the way back in the occupation arc, and after becoming the puppet-leader of Cardassia we got to see how his relations with Weyoun were strained. His decision to rebel is very similar to Sinclair's decision to break away from Earth because you could see them both coming a mile away, and I would argue that Damar's speech in The Changing Face of Evil is just as effective as Sheridan's in Severed Dreams. It shouldn't be the case, when Damar was first introduced he was little more than a Cardassian goon, but because the show chose to include him and developed him over several years, he became an interesting character that provided the show with some great moments.


Lines of Communication (***)

Sheridan, tired of the inescapable bias against his interests in the media, organises a new news network to give a fair and balanced version of the news. Uh oh.

Meanwhile, on Mars, Franklin cheats on Marcus while Marcus is left all alone with his telescopic stick thing. Poor Marcus, just as he thought he was finally going to get laid. Previous to that, Franklin gave a speech explaining that Babylon 5 wants to help the rebellion against Earth but only if the rebels stop targeting civilians. Hmm, makes sense. Thinking back, that's all that seemed to happen in this story, Franklin gave a speech and now everyone is onside. The end. Now he gets to play with some boobies.

Meanwhile, on a White Star ship, Delenn meets a Drakh, an alien that comes from that time-displacement room from the Enterprise pilot. For some reason he enjoys dancing, probably because his condition is like being on a permanent ecstasy high. He finds out that Delenn is on the ship and decides to kill her because he's evil (the fact that he's a Sith Lord should have given that away sooner), and the White Stars only just manage to escape... only to turn back around again to kick some high Sith ass. The Drakh lost the battle because once they saw the lasers coming from the White Star fleet they put on their Faithless CD and started to have a rave. That was their undoing.

Now Delenn must return to Minbar to try and prevent a civil war between the three castes. Or something

Say, where has Londo gone? I miss him.

 

Don't get me wrong, I really like DS9 but the strength of the villains was such that at times, it felt as if Sisko could have been a plank wood with a combadge drawn on it and it wouldn't have mattered much.
As for B5, I suppose it depends on how much importance you place on villains, or even how you define them. Sure Clark is a "baddie" of a sort, but only in a distant sort of way, as leaders of opposing forces really are. For me, the real antagonists of B5 are Londo and G'Kar. Most of what they get up to is what drives a good portion of the drama on the show. They can be at each other's throats at times while neither of them has to be a "baddie".

I think what DS9 and B5 really had in common was how developed the antagonists were. Even snakes like Bester and Morden had some humanity and - at least to their minds - a point of view that justified their acts. The fact that they're used sparingly only makes them that much more effective IMO.
Of course, to be fair I should admit that you get a much better picture of what makes those two tick from the novels than from the show.

As for the Drakh, yes it's true; under that suit he's really Tyres from Spaced.

 

The funny thing is that though he is presented as a one-dimensional evil overlord, Clark was right, for the most part.

Look at it from Earth's point of view. The Minbari attempted to commit systematic genocide against humanity. If they had completed their final solution, there wouldn't be a single human being left alive in the entire universe. They wren't defeated. There wasn't a change of leadership. The people in power on Minbar are the very same people who thought that it was an awesome idea to exterminate humanity down to the last child. They stopped, at the very last possible moment, due to a crazy and unbelievable religious revelation. Is it remotely sane to trust people who are that capricious about genocide? What's to say that they wouldn't get another religious revelation and start up again?

The fact of the matter is that the Minbari could still annihilate humanity ith minimal effort and as long as that was possible they were a ticking time bomb waiting to go off for no other reason than the fact that their culture sees genocide as a perfectly reasonable solution to little misunderstandings.

And then you can take a look at the bigger picture and see how devastating the Psi Corps could be to the Shadows if Earth entered the Shadow War as a client of the Vorlons, which would have been inevitable if Santiago remained in power. That would have escalated things far faster than had actually happened, as the Shadows would have no choice but to pull out the Primordial battlecrabs and planetkillers to counter the effects of human telepaths.
Given how much effort the Vorlons put into Earth, they weren't going to take destroying it lightly and probably would have delayed for as long as reasonably possible. They might have even made an attempt at a less apocalyptic purging of Shadow influence. Either way, being last on the Vorlons' shitlist is a heck of a lot better than being first on the Shadows' shitlist. And the actual events of the series demonstrated the truth of this, as the Vorlons never did make a move against Earth.

Clark pretty much single-handedly saved humanity from extinction with his paranoid isolationist policies.

 

Personally, I never needed to have Clark's motivation explained. That's because I don't need Hitler's motivations spelled out either. Clark was a political extremist with a thirst for power... like many people in history before. That's nothing particularly special. I guess JMS's point was: "It happened before, it can happen again."

 

I don't entierly disagree with the basic sentiment but I do have a couple of points.
First off, Santiago in power would not have inevitably lead to a Vorlon/Psi Corps alliance. After the Icarus mission, the Shadows had an in with EarthGov and had already turned Psi Corps from a threat into an asset. If anything was inevitable it was Santiago's death as he got in the way of some very powerful people. The only way that could have been different is if the Grey Council had contacted the EA first as Dukat wanted, or if the first contact didn't go down as it did with a twitchy captain on the Prometheus. After all, it was that staring contest with oblivion which gave those shadowy figures the impetus to pursue organic technology with such a single minded desperation. Without the Minbari War they'd only have been a bunch of toothless Earth-first trouble makers.

As for Clark, I wouldn't say the war made him "right" so much as gave him something for people to fear that he could exploit to gain power. You're right though, from Earth's perspective they have no reason to trust a race that almost wiped them out and the war undoubtedly did considerable (though by no means irrecoverable) damage to the collective cultural psyche.

When it comes to what the Vorlons did and didn't do during the Shadow War, I think it was only a matter of time before they got around to Earth. It may have been under Shadow influence but it was by no means being used as a hub or base like most of the others that were destroyed, so it would have been a lower priority target than the others. Remember that most of the planets they had bases on were mostly colonies and low-tech worlds (Narn, Coriana VI, etc.) Aside from Centauri Prime, the Shadows tended to stay away from large population centres and advanced civilisations.

 

I don't know, I see Avery Brooks as hammy moreso than wooden.

See, there's something I hadn't considered, and I wish that the show would attempt to put the opposing argument across like that. I'm not saying they have to say that Clark was in the right, because he wasn't, but it would be good if the show spent some time trying to get his point of view across before denouncing it.

Personally, I think it's a good idea for Hitler's motivations to be spelled out. It's easy to disregard Hitler as a madman, considering some of the things he did it can be difficult to think of him as anything else, but there's a reason why he turned out the way he did and there's a reason why people voted him into power. An examination of why is more interesting than the simple label of him being evil, at least it is in my opinion.

Also, Downfall was a bloody good film almost entirely because of the character of Hitler.


Conflicts of Interest (**½)

As I said in my last post, Garibaldi's turn to the dark side feels artificial due to the way the start of the season suggested that it was due to him being brainwashed by the Shadows or PsiCorps or some other group that wears black, such as the Catholic church. Some lines in this episode haven't helped that impression as Zach makes comments about how Garibaldi has changed ever since returning to the station. It doesn't feel that Garibaldi is really turning on Sinclair, so that dispels a lots of the drama for me. The way I see it, either two things will happen: 1) It will be revealed that Garibaldi was altered and he's not responsible, therefore I'll be vindicated, or 2) It will be revealed that nothing is wrong with Garibaldi and he really has turned on Sheridan, in which case I'll feel cheated out of the drama by some misdirection earlier in the season.

There's some good moments in this episode, Lise showing up again is unexpected and brings back parts of the "real" Garibaldi, the parts of him that are not affected by his Sheridan-hating. There's also some good moments for Zach as he has to confront Garibaldi on a few occasions. Much of the rest of the episode is the usual stuff; shady dealings, a shootout and a chase through the air ducts. It's not bad, but not great either.

I'm confident that this arc is going somewhere, one of the great things about this show is that there is a point to almost everything, so once I find out what the point of this arc is I'm sure I'll regain interest. But for now I'm left feeling impassive about the whole thing.

 

Any reason you keep interchanging Sinclair and Sheridan? Another in-joke over my head?

I like where the Garibaldi arc goes, though I'll let you be the judge of that. I do agree with your assessment of the arc up to this point, though.

 

Heck, even Boxleitner did it once!

 

If it is then it must be over my head too. I catch myself doing it from time to time and try to correct it, I thought I caught most of them. It happened a lot during the start of season 2, I thought I had finally gotten past it recently. Has it been slipping through a lot?

I don't know why I do it, but it dates back to before I watched the show and knew their names but always mistook them for one another.


Rumours, Bargains and Lies (***½)

So, Sheridan dances with Jesus in the bright sunlight, and everything turns out okay. Firstly, the start of this plot is weird, having Sheridan sitting alone and laughing to himself may be a sad reflection of who I am as a person, but I'm fairly sure that I'm insane and shouldn't be given any responsibilities. I'm not sure what that says about Sheridan. Secondly, why did he keep his plan a big secret? His actions caused everyone to think he was a bit mental, why couldn't he just tell Ivanova and Marcus what was going on rather than having them gawping at him? The League members also looked a bit silly, huddling together in corridors scared by the prospect of ghost ships. The concept was fine, but in execution it made them seem a bit dumb.

While all this is going on, Delenn is trying to stop the Minbari civil war, which is pretty interesting. Delenn's actions make her seem very aloof and above the concerns of her own people, which was kind of the point, but I'm not sure if that's the sort of thing we should be praising as Lennier suggested. The religious underlings wouldn't have tried to kill everyone if Delenn had just talked to them about her plans sooner rather than keeping them in the dark. Nonetheless, it was nice to see Neroon again, he seems like a very nice and open-minded guy.

Wait, he betrayed them?! Son of a...

Scott Bakula: 56

 

I think he was just feeling smug and pleased with the scheme he cooked up and decided to show off by doing it all off his own back. Plus of course on the practical side, if even a hint leaked out that he was scamming them then it wouldn't have worked. The more everyone around Sheridan acted like they have no clue what's going on the more it appears they have something to hide. Remember that Sheridan is a consummate strategist.
Mind you, from the way Franklin acted I got the impression he might have been in on it.

A little dumb perhaps, but then from their perspective you can't blame them for being a little paranoid. After all they just had two immensely powerful races tromping over the galaxy and wiping out whole planets Now they have Whitestars spotted patrolling the borders of one of the largest military powers in the galaxy and inexplicably shooting at empty vacuum. Then when someone like Londo goes to great lengths to deny there's anything to hide...well then something MUST be up!

 

I think this episode was aimed to show us how our real or imagined fears , our paranoia dominates us and how they can be manipulateted. While Religious Caste of Minbari gave in to their paranoia and prejudice to go against their principles in station Sheridan used Leauge's fears and paranoia to get what he wanted ( albeit for good of everybody from his perspective )

 

Agreed, although I do think they pushed it a little too far at times. The Brakiri ambassador crying that invisible aliens might be all around them, followed by the Leaguers running off in six different directions, was a bit too cartoony. Still, overall, I like this episode quite a lot- both plot lines.

My favourite part, I think, is Delenn's "did I do this?" speech, and particularly Lennier's final reply. Did anyone else get the idea that Lennier was actually saying, in his own ever-supportive way, "yes, I think it is all your fault". There was something very interesting in the delivery...

 

Moments of Transition (****)

Neroooooon! Noooooooo! Dammit, I was beginning to like him, he has one of those voices you can just listen to and feel happy, a bit like Morgan Freeman. Well, if you have to go out then I guess being killed by a very powerful light-bulb in the ceiling is one of the better ways to go. What was that thing anyway? I mean, I used to think that the electoral college was a dumb way to elect a leader, but letting a powerful ceiling lamp choose the leader is one of the worst examples of a democratic system I have ever seen! Joking aside, I enjoyed this scene. It has a similar problem as some earlier episodes (such as By Any Means Necessary) where the resolution to the conflict comes from some aspect of the law that wasn't mentioned previously and that the other party should have known, but in this case it didn't matter so much because I enjoyed the pageantry of it all.

It's good to see that Delenn didn't forget about the Worker Caste, I was wondering what they were up to during this civil war. Though it's worryingly socialist giving them majority power, they might try and bring about universal healthcare! Making Neroon the new Minbari leader posthumously was a nice touch.

This episode also managed to do something that the show hasn't managed to do yet, I actually cared about Lyta. All she wants to do is find a good job to pay her a decent wage, but she can't get work because she's not in the Psi Corps. It reminds me of myself in that I want a job too, but nobody will hire me because my last three workplaces caught fire in mysterious circumstances. This episode also had my favourite use of Bester yet, I don't know why but I prefer seeing him interacting with the "little people" rather than the likes of Sheridan. I like the fact that he knows his own reputation and includes a clause in Lyta's contract where he promises not to kill her.

The episode ends on an odd note where President Clark orders the death of 10,00 civilians for some reason. I hope that's expanded upon in the next episode because right now I'm worried he only did that to make him look evil.

Scott Bakula: 57

 

Those weren't just 10,000 civilians chosen at random, they were in five ships that were running the blockade around Proxima III in an effort to escape the ongoing battles and deprivation on the surface. Or, from Clark's perspective; disloyal alien collaborators trying to escape his control. Remember, with his support from the Shadows gone, Clark is feeling his grip on power weakening and is getting increasingly twitchy. Under such circumstances, all manner of atrocities can be committed in the name of planetary security.

 

Wonderful episode...One of my favorites. It confirms what G'Kar said about Babylon 5 : "No one here is what he/she appears" Basicly this episode shows that even the most alturistic well intentioned character in B5 can be hypocrite as long as it suits his/her needs....Leader of Minbari Warrior Caste says that Life and Death are same , equal ( but he is afraid of self sacrifice for his beliefs ) , he says "fighting is in their nature , it is the calling of their heart" ( then says they should fight for practical reasons ! ) At the other hand Garibaldi retorts Zack that they have no right to capture B5 installitions , equipment , ships etc and create their own empire ( meanwhile conviniently ignoring that he helped B5 breaking away from Earth along with rest of the command staff ) , he gives Lyta a job ( but then fires her because it does not suit his employers aims and Garibaldi is afraid to lose his fee... ) , Zack tries to console Lyta ( but then takes her quarters because she did not pay the rent then tries to use her for unauthorized scans ) , rest of the command staff just do not care about Lyta's plight....Really only person seemed honest in this episode was Bester....He said he came for a devious purpose of his own and he would not go near command staff and he did not !

In Babylon 5 characters has human faults...They can lie , be negligent , sometimes dishonest and hypocrite....BUT they continue to be complicated , fun and likable without appearing dumb....That is a rare feat of writing in sci-fi

 

No Surrender, No Retreat (****½)

So the show finally returns to the war with Earth. First up, Proxima III, a planet I've not seen before, but that's okay because I've heard a lot about it. Most of the episode is concerned with a battle for control of the planet and how Sinclair tries to win over the Earth Alliance officers as well as various other races in the galaxy. This is all well handled, I don't have any real complaints about any of this. It's exciting, political, and has spaceships getting blowed up real good.

The best part of the episode involved Londo and G'Kar as Londo extends an olive-branch in the hope that they can put their animosity behind them. I've watched a lot of television so I knew how this plot was going to go; G'Kar would refuse, then in the final moments, just as Londo is about to board his plane and fly off to a new life, G'Kar would come running up to him (in his military uniform), tell him that he loves him and they kiss passionately as the music plays. Or something. This pretty much falls into the old formula, but I enjoyed G'Kar's resolution to the matter so much that I don't care. He'll sign the document with Londo, but not on the same page.

Scott Bakula: 58

 

"Commander Philby's promotion has just been postponed by the crew."

I liked Mackie.


Ah yes, and now we get to the "kicking Clark's ass" part.

 

There are some things B5 does well, there are other things it does very well. This episode falls into the latter category, which is episodes that are paced at a dead run and are able to include drama, intrigue and action without becoming overwrought or tiresome. No mean feat.

I liked how each CO is shown to have a mind of their own and they're not all painted in a black and white "with us or against us" kind of way. You have Mackie who has until this point managed to dodge having to deal with what's going on so long as his hands were clean, mostly out of loyalty to the Alliance. Then you have Dr. Kel- I mean Captain Hall who's more of a jingoist who more concerned about his own skin and personal pride than anything else and is probably the sort that got his commission by saying the right things to certain people rather than being a truly competent officer.
Those are the two extremes but you also have Hall's XO who, while she doesn't agree with Clark's policies, follows orders out of a sense of duty to the Alliance and people under her command (we find out later she's not the only officer like that.) Then you get the various other Captains who, when faced with a fight or flight decision decide to either back down, retreat or fight to the death.
It's an interesting way to create drama and I don't think I've even seen a battle like this where the individual crews and Captains played such a pivotal role. Enemy ships are so often just big lumps of metal that shoot the "good guys" it's interesting to haev them imbued with personality and a point of view.
Which I suppose is why civil wars are always more dramatic and compelling from a story telling perspective. You don't have the luxury of making the enemy just some faceless mass trying to kill for the sake of it.

 

The Exercise of Vital Powers (***½)

Garibaldi is on Mars and blows my pet theory that William Edgars is secretly Bester out of the water. Bugger. This plot is quite enjoyable, particularly the part about Lise, but the Garibaldi V Sheridan part continues down a path that's interesting but not entirely dramatic. And I'm not a big fan of the revelation that mega-corps used to run everything, it seems very conspiracy theory-ish. Mega corps can't even fix an oil leak or release a game console that doesn't overheat and die as a matter of course (), they're not capable of truly running the world.

Meanwhile, Sheridan is up to no good, or something. I don't really know what's going on there, but he freaked Franklin out so it must be something bad. I'm guessing that Sheridan has gone mad, much like Cartagia, and he's planning on using the implants in the telepaths to force them into a production of King Lear for his amusement. Or something. I'm not really thinking now, I'm just typing this quickly so I can watch the next episode. Off I go!

 

I see you've taken William Edgars' words at face value then. In my eyes, Edgars was merely stating his personal opinion (that is, if he wasn't flat-out lying). He's not an omniscient source of ultimate objective truth or something. And he's not nearly as powerful as he thinks he is...

Ah, and the next episode happens to be my favorite Season 4 episode btw.