Babylon 5
- Thread starter Kail
- Start date
It's been a long time since I've seen the show, but I thought Byron did -not- believe that telepaths were superior?
Again, long time since I've seen the show...
No, he definitely believed that telepaths were superior. Remember back when he and Lyta first were meeting and he lectured her about taking orders from mundanes. She said they forget that telepaths are human, too and he replied:
The main difference is that Byron didn't want to kill mundanes and really just wanted to have their own colony away from the normals.
We might look to our recent issues with the United States' NSA for parallels.
I was happy when the Byron story was eradicated. Not because of any issues of the day, morals, or characterizations. I thought the story of he and his disciples sucked; the real world writers annoyed me - I could not willfully suspend my disbelief. It's probably the only portion of B5 I did not enjoy.
I don't like comic books in relation to any need to their prerequisite for understanding a movie (e.g., Marvel). The movie, or show, should be self-contained. Other media offering more depth is a bonus. Thus, the claim here, requiring novels to support a thesis about a character on the show, is baseless; it's in the show or it isn't. So it follows that by invoking the novels to make the claim, you are saying he was not a very complicated character on the show. I would find it acceptable to write, however, "The novels flesh out Bester as a *very* complicated character, making his story much more interesting upon rewatch of the show. I'd recommend them for a good read."
Consider it said, then. They're a good read if you're at all curious about the beginnings of the Corps, too.
Similar with the Centauri trilogy. Sure, we know that Vir becomes emperor but if one is curious how he grew to be worthy (for lack of a better term) of the office, they're a great resource.
And while we're quibbling,
Nope, the story's still there. It's the telepaths that were eradicated.
EVERYTHING about Byon made me retch.Oh, that telepath song made me wretch!
Including Byron.
Damned Byron........
Even Byron's ending (while appeicated) was annoying because it invloved Byron.
I REALLY hate Byron........
Which kind of proves non-telepaths point that they are right to fear them. It's a vicious circle
Now don't beat around the bush. Tell us what you REALLY think about Byron.
Reminds me of the X-Men.
I think he's just indifferent. Probably likes him a little.
That's actually not far off the mark...that is if Xavier's School for the Gifted was run by the Gestapo.
Again, the whole history of this mess from the discovery of the first telepaths right up to Bester getting on the shuttle to Babylon 5 the first time is covered in the first two books (the third deals with his ultimate fate) so you get a much deeper understanding of the history, but if you're familiar with X-Men then you have a pretty good sense of how it's likely to go down. Initial fear, persecution & general paranoia fuelled hysteria, government responds with registration and confinement, persecuted group closes ranks for their own protection and ultimately winds up oppressing their own just as much as any outside forces.
I've actually noticed the trope crop up a few times in fiction. Most recently in Bioware's two primary IPs; the mages in Dragon Age and to a lesser degree the biotics in Mass Effect.
Anyway, it's worth keeping in mind that Lyta's reaction isn't based just on a few slights like loosing her apartment and being left to fend for herself after the war, it's the end result of a lifetime of being at the receiving end of systemic prejudice and borderline slavery. Remember the reason she left the PsiCops was because of an incident where she got to see the cycle of persecution in all it's glory. Both the mundanes who turned a blind eye to a serial killer because he only targeted teeps and her own people for what they were capable of doing to avenge it themselves.
Conversely, this history also effects the non-teeps. Garabaldi is the only one saying it out loud but most of the humans are going to be naturally stand-off-ish and in the case of Sheridan: benignly neglectful. He could have stepped in at any time and help Lyta and the other rogues that served in the war at a much earlier point, but he chose not to because on some level, he doesn't fully trust telepaths. Because how can you unless you're a telepath yourself? And therein lies the perpetual dilemma.
IIRC ( away from home so can't check sources) jms said before they actually appeared that an inspiration for R&Z was the way British friends would crack up over a line from Morecambe and Wise (the UK's biggest comedy duo during the 70s - Olivier and Previn were among their straightmen) while he didn't understand a word.
Again, ISTR Neil was 'writing' them as M&W before the casting meant one had to be silent.
But those critisims that you heard about the arc, could have lowered your expectations of it. So because you weren't expecting much you might be more likely satisifed by the arc.
Similar threads
