Favorite B5 character moments

[hxclespaulplayer]

Byron proving a point by way of having a thug pummel him 3 times:

Was one the same as three? Was three the same as one and two?
Your anger has nothing to do with me. What will satisfy your anger will never come from me or anyone else here. I'm afraid you must look for it elsewhere.

Many from "In the shadows of Z'Ha'Dum":

Delenn stressing the need to keep their knowledge of the Shadows under wraps, very powerful stuff:

Sheridan:But were they all killed? Delenn, maybe --- maybe some of them were kept alive as prisoners! Anna might still be alive! Morden...
Delenn: ...must be released!

Because Morden is never alone! Listen to me! Aside from the Vorlons, we do not have the First Ones to help us this time. We are on our own! We will have only one chance to stop them, and if we fail, billions will die! There comes a moment when each of us must pledge himself to something greater than himself. You told G'Kar he had to decide between revenge and the good of his own people. Now you must make the same decision, Captain. It will be the most important decision of your life!

Sheridans' tacit reply to Zack re: what he saw when scanning on the brig monitor:

Zack:What? What did you see?
Sheridan Nothing. Shadows.

Sheridan verbally assaulting Morden with questions, with the camera zooming in on his face at the end of each:

What was the doctors name?
What was the ID number of the transport?
What was the name of her captain?
What happened to the Icarus?!?!

You sure don't want to mess with Sheridan:

One hundred and thirty-nine people died on board the Icarus, Mr. Morden. Including my wife! And here you sit, not a scratch! Now, something here doesn't add up. I intend to find out what happened --- what really happened! If necessary, you will sit here for the next hour, the next day, the next week, the next month, the next year, the next five hundred years! But you will not leave here until I know the truth!

Not to mention the answer, a single word, to a question we'd been wanting to know for 2 years:

Sheridan:If "Yes" was the answer, what was the question?

Ooh, and now I can't get the outstanding cinematography out of my head of Sheridan getting pummeled in the bar in "Face of the enemy" - damn amazing - and powerful imagery... (Photography, too, according the the DVD commentary, stills were taken as well)

Of course, as previously mentioned, the look of disgust on Londos' face as he sees Narn being bombarded...

WWE 2; Marcus connecting the dots just as we were:

Dear God! A Minbari not born of Minbari!

Zathras hurrying along the Minbari soldiers that have just docked on B4, sneezing or WTF he was doing, culminating in Valen flanked by Kosh and Ulkesh:

I welcome you and present this place to you as a gift! I am called Valen, and we have much work ahead of us!

Sheridan and Kosh in "Interludes and examinations" (guy with the 10th doctor avatar brought this ep up, which triggered my memory of their encounter):

"I hear you've got a saying: 'Understanding is a three-edged sword.' Well, we've got a saying too: 'Put your money where your mouth is.'"
"Impudent."
"Yeah? Well, maybe that's the only way to get through to you. You said you wanted to teach me to fight legends. Well, you are a legend too, and I am not going away until you agree."
"Incorrect. Leave now."
"No."
"Disobedient."
"Up yours!"

The choir hymn montage in "and the rock cried out, no hiding place" - Refa getting his just desserts...

Brothern Alwyn in "The deconstruction of falling stars":

Faith and reason are the shoes on your feet - you can travel farther with both than just one.

and unravelling his Ranger uniform:

We will rebuild the earth... will it take us another 2,000 years? But this time, we will build it better.

not to mention First-one-like human:

his is how the world ends. Swallowed in fire, but not in darkness. You will live on. The voice of all our ancestors, the voice of our fathers and our mothers to the last generation. We created the world we think you would have wished for us, and now we leave the cradle for the last time.

Sheridan, "Intro the fire":

The Vorlons only one question over and over: Who are you? You! For you, the question is: What do you want? I have never heard you answer that question! Who are you? What do you want?

and

It's over because we've decided it's over! Now get the hell out of our galaxy! Both of you!

Marcus and Ivanova (being her classic self)

Did we just win?
Don't jinx it.

Which brings me to the entire S5 intro, highlighting the most pivotal moments of the series.

 

[CorporalClegg]

Frankly, I think the Lyta situation is the perfect example of the show's weakness: the telepaths. For a long time I've felt they could have been completely omitted and the show would have been better for it.

They really had no other reason for being there than JMS quirky obsession with the concept. Almost every plot point in the show ultimately came back around to telepaths for no other reason then because they were there; and in each instance, their existence seemed to weaken each respective plot. (The Shadow deus ex machina, for example.)

As for Lyta herself, I think this plays into JMS's broader problem in that he some times seems to have an inability to create (or at least manifest) good conflict.

I've always thought it should be the characters who create the conflict, not the other way around. (One of my biggest problems with NuBSG, but I digress.)

Straczynski always seemed to try to hard to fit the character's square peg into the round hole of conflict in order to progress his story ideas. His deplorable treatment of Lennier is the perfect example of this. He had a story idea, but in order to make it work he had to disregard the previous five years of characterization he himself created. Lyta is obviously another example. Unfortuneately, he seemed to do this a lot. I'd say Londo got the worst of it overall, but in his case, it was very gradual and generally insignificant in sope.

I will say at least, that a lot of this had to do with his overall approch to the show. He tried to string the series out as if it were a novel. However, there're simply too many distractions, hurtles, complications and other oddities that exsist in television that simply aren't there when one sits down at a desk and writes prose.

 

[hxclespaulplayer]

This will be my last post here (if I can help it!) but Sheridan in "Severed Dreams" outwitting the Earthforce squad in the docking bay...

Always hide a lie inside the truth - makes it easier to swallow

And the whole Londo-Vir standoff at the end

 

[TEH BABA]

I do have a cut off talia susan sex scene.

 

[Neroon]

This will be my last post here (if I can help it!) but Sheridan in "Severed Dreams" outwitting the Earthforce squad in the docking bay...

Always hide a lie inside the truth - makes it easier to swallow

Actually, that's the previous episode: "Point of No Return".

But why are you stopping posts in here, now?

 

[hxclespaulplayer]

But why are you stopping posts in here, now?

I thought I may have over-quoted.

However, I thought of one... It's pretty "WHAM" stuff in "all my dreams, torn asunder" - Sheridans' shoe slowly drops to the sound of a gavel...

there comes a moment in everyones life when we have to do something we'd rather not know... do something we'd rather not know...

And in "messages from earth"... when Sheridan rewinds what Hauge says:

respect the chain of command...the political office

Him rewinding this reminded me of the part of that simpsons ep, you know, when homer goes on strike, and his brain is constantly thinking "lisa needs braces!-dental plan!-lisa needs braces!-dental plan!"

Oh, and Vir, responding to Londos' request to relay a message to Centauri Prime that he'd personally take care of quadrant 37:

For a while there, I thought I'd stepped into an alternate universe

(or something along those lines)

 

[RoJoHen]

Not really a character moment, but I just want to mention how much I love the theme song and opening for Season 5.

 

[Mistral]

Susan had questioned Marcus's role and Marcus shows up with a posterboard chart and points out "...and there's a picture of my Mum and Dad. They're not really part of the organization but its a pretty good picture, wouldn't you agree?" or something to that effect. Laugh my ass off everytime I see it.

 

[Forbin]

Re: Lyta's treatment. I've heard that the cast tended to treat Pat Tallman the same way off-camera, just as a sort of side effect of their on-screen behavior. Which is a damn shame, 'cause Pat's an absolute sweetheart.

 

[Reverend]

News to me. Where'd you hear that?

 

[Brian]

As much hate as "Infection" gets, it had a great Sinclair moment for me, when the reporter asks him, "Is it worth it? Should we just pull back, forget the whole thing as a bad idea and take care of our own problems at home?"

No. We have to stay here and there's a simple reason why. Ask ten different scientists about the environment, population control, genetics and you'll get ten different answers, but there's one thing every scientist on the planet agrees on. Whether it happens in a hundred years or a thousand years or a million years, eventually our Sun will grow cold and go out. When that happens, it won't just take us. It'll take Marilyn Monroe and Lao-Tzu and Einstein and Morobuto and Buddy Holly and Aristophenes .. and all of this .. all of this was for nothing unless we go to the stars."

 

[Harvey]

Infection also has a great moment at the end between Garibaldi and Sinclair. After running around like Captain Kirk the whole episode, Garibaldi calls Sinclair out about his behavior. Sinclair doesn't have an explanation. It's as anti-Trek as the series gets.

 

[Brian]

I really like this exchange between Londo and Vir in "Chrysalis":

"Vir, how many gods are there in our pantheon? I've lost count since the last emperor was elevated to godhood.
"48. No, no, 49, 50 if you count Zuug but, you know, I never thought you should--"
"All right, let's say 50."
"50."
"Now out of that 50, how many gods do you think I must have offended to have ended up with G'Kar's teeth buried so deeply in my throat that I can barely breathe?"
"All of them?"
"Sounds right. And now I have to go back to the Council and explain to them that in the interest of peace the Centauri government will agree to give quadrant 37 to the Narns. I think I will stick my head in the station's fusion reactor. It would be quicker. And I suspect, after a while I might even come to enjoy it. But this .. this, this, this is like being nibbled to death by .. what are those Earth creatures called? Feathers, long bill, webbed feet .. go 'quack'?"
"Cats."
"Cats. I'm being nibbled to death by cats."

 

[stonester1]

One of my favorites!

 

[hxclespaulplayer]

Susan had questioned Marcus's role and Marcus shows up with a posterboard chart and points out "...and there's a picture of my Mum and Dad. They're not really part of the organization but its a pretty good picture, wouldn't you agree?" or something to that effect. Laugh my ass off everytime I see it.

Oh, when he presents Ivanova with that chart reorganizing the command structure to fit with the Ottoman Empire or somesuch?

Marcus can have some offbeat humor, such as in Voices of Authority, with Ivanova and him trying to conjure up some of the first ones:

Ivanova:Like hell! I am not letting them leave here without saying yes!
Marcus:Really? And how do you propose stopping them? Perhaps a big red-and-white sign with the word "STOP" on it? I'll put a bucket on my head and pretend to be the ancient Vorlon god Boojie!
Ivanova:That's it!
Marcus[surprised]: Fine, I'll get a bucket!

Not really a character moment, but I just want to mention how much I love the theme song and opening for Season 5.

Yeah, the whole musical score really fits in with how JMS described it during production: "Without giving too much away, season 5 would be empire building." He also stated it took ages to select what clips to select to sum up the last 4 years:

This in some ways is my favorite title sequence. It took a long time to make it, and it was very difficult to assemble. Usually I can design the title sequence on paper, and the working with the editors part doesn't take that long...here it took a Long Time to painstakingly choose the images, use counterpoint dialogue, pick the high moments and make it all flow from one year to the next, sort of a Cliff's Notes version of the history of the show. And the music is terrific...very mature, solid sounding.

(lurkers guide is your friend, peeps!)

 

[Colonel Midnight]

Ivanova:Like hell! I am not letting them leave here without saying yes!
Marcus:Really? And how do you propose stopping them? Perhaps a big red-and-white sign with the word "STOP" on it? I'll put a bucket on my head and pretend to be the ancient Vorlon god Boojie!
Ivanova:That's it!
Marcus[surprised]: Fine, I'll get a bucket!

I like that one, plus his little "Who knew they were French?" line a few moments before... Just classic!

Not to forget also -- "The Wild Badgers in my trousers..."

Cheers,
-CM-

 

[Neroon]

One of my fondest memories involving that whole bit with "the Vorlon god Booji" came when my daughter got Jason's autograph at a con a few years ago. She was eight years old at the time and inimitably adorable. Anyhow, when she got up to the table while he signed her photo, she mentioned the scene. His reply "I'll get a bucket." just as smooth as you'd have seen in the episode itself. Plus, when we took a picture of her with Jason, he surprised her by picking her up and setting her onhis shoulder.

I think she became his biggest fan that day.

 

[Supernuke]

My favorite moment is between Sheridan and Garibaldi in Sheridan's office. It was the episode where Sheridan bumps into a membari in the hall and kills him in self defense. He comes of kind of ignorant but it's still great.

I'm paraphrasing:

Sheridan: I want you to find that Membari and bring him here!
Garibaldi: Do you have a description?
Sheridan: (pauses) Bald..... with a bone on his head! (Sheridan storms out)

Excellent scene, yes.

And now we have yet another new spelling for "Minbari."

Haha Yea I apologize about the bad spelling. I'm still new to the show and I tried to look up how it was spelled, but got bad advice...

 

[Jan]

Haha Yea I apologize about the bad spelling. I'm still new to the show and I tried to look up how it was spelled, but got bad advice...

Welcome to the world of B5 fandom. The Lurker's Guide is your best bet for lots of B5 stuff.

Jan

 

[glindros]

I always enjoyed this exchange between Sheridan and Emperor Turhan.

"It has occurred to me recently that I have never chosen anything. I was born into a role that had been prepared for me. I did everything I was asked to do, because it never occurred to me to choose otherwise. And now, at the end of my life, I wonder what might've been."
"That's why my father taught me to live each second as though it would be the last moment of my life. He said: 'If you love, love without reservation. If you fight, fight without fear.' He called it the way of the warrior."
"No regrets then?"
"A few. But just a few. You?"
"Oh, enough to fill a lifetime. So much has been lost, so much forgotten. So much pain, so much blood. And for what, I wonder. The past tempts us, the present confuses us, and the future frightens us. And our lives slip away, moment by moment, lost in that vast terrible inbetween. But there is still time to seize that one last fragile moment. To choose something better, to make a difference, as you say. And I intend to do just that."

I wish we had a little more Turhan to balance Cartagia, oh well....