Niners Unite...around Babylon 5! - The Continuing Arc

[Neroon]

Re: First time impressions from the Babylon 5 virgin

EST here, Columbus Ohio

By all means watch it and go ahead and comment if you like. That way when the running commentary gets going you'll have an extra viewing under your belt already. Besides, you know there's a whole fleet of us in here who have already seen it and are dieing to talk about it with you.

 

[The Habs Fan]

Re: First time impressions from the Babylon 5 virgin

Sleeping In Light
You weren't joking. This episode is sad. Extremely sad. There are no space battles, no action of any kind. Just some quiet introspection and the final goodbyes of both Sheridan and Babylon 5. It was nice seeing Ivanova one more time, and having her monologue end the whole series seemed fitting. Garibaldi being a Dad was fun, and so was his continuing friendship with Franklin. Seeing Zack was a surprise, and a welcome one. I wonder where he got that limp? Is Vir now Emperor? Nice to see him getting some girls now. He's gotten over his shyness. Delenn really goes through an emotional roller coaster in this episode. Babylon 5 has been destroyed, fulfilling Sinclair's vision from Season 1. It's the last of the Babylon stations, but it's legacy lives on.

Goodbye to Babylon 5: The Series. It was the previous thread here on the TBBS that got me to try Babylon 5. So I bought Season 1, and the rest is history. Thanks to you who posted in these B5 threads, Babylon 5 has become one of my favourite television shows.

My favourite episodes (by season):
SEASON ONE: Signs And Portents
SEASON TWO: The Coming Of Shadows
SEASON THREE: Messages From Earth / War Without End (tie)
SEASON FOUR: Intersections In Real Time / Endgame (tie)
SEASON FIVE: The Fall Of Centauri Prime

The seasons ranked from favourite to least favourite
1) Season Four
2) Season Three
3) Season Two
4) Season Five (from Meditations On The Abyss and on are some of the best episodes in all of Babylon 5)
5) Season One

My favourite characters
1) Londo
2) G'Kar
3) Vir
4) Garibaldi
5) Marcus
6) Ivanova

I can't believe Babylon 5: The Series is over already. But I still have some movies and 13 episodes of Crusade to watch. Plus, there is still more, new Babylon 5 being made. Thank you all again for your recommendations. It's because of you I watched Babylon 5. Am I ever glad I did.

PS: Christopher Franke's score from Sleeping In Light is my favourite. It's so sad and moving.

 

[Harvey]

Re: First time impressions from the Babylon 5 virgin

^^
I'll be in EST (Ithaca, NY) when I finally have time to watch Sleeping in Light, probably in a couple of weeks. I've got twelve episodes of season five to go before I make it to that one, though, so time will tell.

I hope we can do a live commentary. I'm really looking forward to the whole thing.

 

[The Habs Fan]

Re: First time impressions from the Babylon 5 virgin

I totally forgot about something in my Sleeping In Light review. I liked the "whole thing's a documentary" ending to it. It put those two ISN episodes into a whole new light.

 

[Jan]

Re: First time impressions from the Babylon 5 virgin

Tom Riker said:
PS: Christopher Franke's score from Sleeping In Light is my favourite. It's so sad and moving.

The Sleeping Light Score and a segment of the In the Beginning score are my favorites.

Yes, Vir's the emperor now. Remember Lady Morella's prophecy? And how he picked up the Seal when he found Londo and G'Kar?

At some point you'll want to watch SiL witn JMS's commentary turned on. It's a switch for him to be talking about directorial things but even he's audibly moved at the final fate of the Station.

I'm really glad that you're glad you invested the time and attention to watch the whole series. It's been fun reading your reviews, Tom Riker.

Jan

 

[Neroon]

Re: First time impressions from the Babylon 5 virgin

Some of the music in "Sleeping In Light" was also used in "Objects At Rest", though I don't know when it was originally scored.

I am going to exert all my willpower to keep from going off beyond the rim in discussing this episode.

 

[Neroon]

Re: First time impressions from the Babylon 5 virgin

Awwwww.... screw it. Never did have much willpower anyway.

"Babylon 5 was the last of the Babylon stations. There would never be another. It changed the future .. and it changed us. It taught us that we have to create the future .. or others will do it for us. It showed us that we have care for one another, because if we don't, who will? And that true strength sometimes comes from the most unlikely places. Mostly, though, I think it gave us hope .. that there can always be new beginnings .. even for people like us."

That passage is so very effective in a profound way that few others in television have ever achieved. Of particular interest though is the emphasized portion at the end. Notice that while you're hearing it... you see Ivanova putting on the Entil'zha/Ranger One robe. It's important that you realize it is Claudia Christian, because of the way she left the show in a very tense and hotly debated manner. Now ... that was all shot before the cause for her departure came about. But don't you find it interesting that in light of that knowledge of why she left, those words should be spoken while she is on screen?


A couple of other interesting notes. After John and Delenn have their good bye, he walks away from her and pauses.... but never turns to look back at her. Name the one other time when John did this and the circumstances surrounding it.

A second note that was pure happenstance.... when we first see John in the mirror, adjusting his Army of Light uniform. There is a totally coincidental image that you can see behind him. To hear JMS tell it, you can go to The Lurker's Guide page for this episode. Or you can read it here

When I was directing "Sleeping in Light," there's a scene with Sheridan and a mirror. (That's all I'll say about it, so there's no spoiler info there.) As John Flinn lit the shot, and angled the mirror...I froze at what I was seeing on the monitor. I called John over, and pointed to it. "Do you see what I see?" It took him a moment, but then his eyes went wide, and by his own reckoning, "the skin on my arms crawled." He turned to the guys dressing the set and said, in a very loud, clear voice, "NOBODY TOUCHES THAT MIRROR! YOU HEAR ME!? NOBODY!"

It's not a big...but it's a pretty cool unintended illusion (though once we saw it, we kept it).

 

[Mal]

Re: First time impressions from the Babylon 5 virgin

Hirogen Alpha said:
^^
That's true. I probably won't be seeing it for a couple of weeks, sad to say, since I've got Spring Break and before that midterms. But it would be great if everyone could wait until a specific date and hour, and then watch the episode together.

What do you all think?

how is the last week of March? i'd get in on some B5 action at that point.

 

[Orac Zen]

Re: First time impressions from the Babylon 5 virgin

Neroon said:
Awwwww.... screw it. Never did have much willpower anyway.

Why am I not surprised? Not that I can talk.

The time zone thing aside, I'd happily join in a "live" viewing of "Sleeping in Light" with this crowd. :thumbsup: So long as it isn't scheduled at 3am my time or something.

 

[Jan]

Re: First time impressions from the Babylon 5 virgin

Neroon said:
It's important that you realize it is Claudia Christian, because of the way she left the show in a very tense and hotly debated manner. Now ... that was all shot before the cause for her departure came about. But don't you find it interesting that in light of that knowledge of why she left, those words should be spoken while she is on screen?

Ironic, maybe. But that's really not a discussion we probably want to open here.

A couple of other interesting notes. After John and Delenn have their good bye, he walks away from her and pauses.... but never turns to look back at her. Name the one other time when John did this and the circumstances surrounding it.

It was in "Z'ha'dum" after Anna had returned. John and Delenn had argued over what she'd withheld from him and he heads out. He pauses for a moment when she pleads for him to believe that she does love him but doesn't look back.

Back to SiL, the main things I remember from this episode are the unspoken moments. Delenn reaching after John and later, to the sunrise. The pillow hug. The silent goodbyes everybody says to the station. Great stuff. And a major reason why I'm looking forward to TLT since JMS directed both.

Jan

 

[Neroon]

Re: First time impressions from the Babylon 5 virgin

Jan said:
Ironic, maybe. But that's really not a discussion we probably want to open here.

No we don't... but it's still one of those cosmic oddities that seem to crop up in the production of this show.

The pillow hug.

I was saving that one for later, because it's one of the most moving in the whole episode. Sheridan is off "to the sea"... alone. And his beloved is back at home in bed... alone. She slowly reaches out and cradles his empty pillow... then curls up even tighter into that "away with the rest of the world" fetal position.....

Another scene of special impact... "to absent friends. In memory still bright." I still use that toast when remembering someone who has passed beyond the rim.

 

[Jan]

Re: First time impressions from the Babylon 5 virgin

Neroon said:
No we don't... but it's still one of those cosmic oddities that seem to crop up in the production of this show.

Oh, yes! The synchronicity file is huge. Sorry, I thought you meant something different.

Another scene of special impact... "to absent friends. In memory still bright." I still use that toast when remembering someone who has passed beyond the rim.

There's something compelling about that phrasing, isn't there? So often after someone passes, you hear about how pain dims, memory dims. With few words Sheridan says that the ones gone ahead will never fade from memory. Lovely.

So...a mini-poll: At what points during Sleeping in Light do you get misty? For me, it's the farewell between John and Delenn and the death of the station-always. Sometimes it's the pillow hug and the final sunrise.

 

[Neroon]

Re: First time impressions from the Babylon 5 virgin

Jan said:
Oh, yes! The synchronicity file is huge.

Now that would be a subject for a whole new thread!

Sorry, I thought you meant something different.

I learned long ago to not be quick to leap to any conclusions, however hopeful or innocently intended they may be.

There's something compelling about that phrasing, isn't there? So often after someone passes, you hear about how pain dims, memory dims. With few words Sheridan says that the ones gone ahead will never fade from memory. Lovely.

I've often wondered if that particular phrasing was inspired by anything in particular.

So...a mini-poll: At what points during Sleeping in Light do you get misty?

Hmmmm... probably that point that starts with Garibaldi's prologue and ends with Ivanova's epilog.

But seriously? There are a few points:
- the aforementioned toast
- Sheridan & Delenn's goodbye
- Delenn's clutching of John's pillow
- Ivanova's epilog... all of it, the whole thing

 

[The Habs Fan]

Re: First time impressions from the Babylon 5 virgin

The River Of Souls
The holographic version of Lochley makes this movie worth seeing. The movie itself was entertaining, but I found myself only caring for the Holo-Brothel subplot. I could really care less about the Soul Hunter plot. It was very weird seeing Martin Sheen as an alien, with his eyes constantly bulging out of his face. It was nice seeing Lochley, Garibaldi, Zack, and Franklin again (even though, in Franklin's case, it wasn't really him). But, the only thing I got out of this movie is: Lochley is HOT!

 

[Neroon]

Re: First time impressions from the Babylon 5 virgin

A special request of those who have the Babylon5 season 5 set, and run Windows Media Player 9 or above.

Take out Disc 6, the one with "Objects At Rest" and "Sleeping In Light", and play it through WMP regardless of what your normal DVD viewing software may be. Once the disc starts up, I am curious in what you find in the index on the right. Expand the sup-chapters, particularly those under "Chapter 7". You should find a list of chapter titles that are more descriptive than "Chapter #" and so on.

The reason I ask is because this should be for "Sleeping In Light". However.... and there's always a "however" ... I see chapter titles from "Midnight on the Firing Line". With names like "Ragesh 5 Attack" and "On Better Terms".

What do you find on yours?

 

[Harvey]

Re: First time impressions from the Babylon 5 virgin

Mal said:

Hirogen Alpha said:
^^
That's true. I probably won't be seeing it for a couple of weeks, sad to say, since I've got Spring Break and before that midterms. But it would be great if everyone could wait until a specific date and hour, and then watch the episode together.

What do you all think?

how is the last week of March? i'd get in on some B5 action at that point.

Last week in March sounds perfect. How does everyone else feel? Is there a particular time anyone is set on for watching SiL?

 

[Neroon]

Re: First time impressions from the Babylon 5 virgin

That works out fine for me. Any particular night of the week?

 

[Harvey]

Re: First time impressions from the Babylon 5 virgin

^^
I've got work Friday and Saturday nights, and class Tuesday nights, but I could fit it in any other night of the week.

"Phoenix Rising"
Byron is done, and I'm happy to let that storyline go down the drain. Bester has some wonderful moments in this episode though, in spite of Byron. And one last mind-frell against Garibaldi. I hope he gets his revenge, but I doubt it will happen at this point.

"The Ragged Edge"
So Garibaldi has fallen back into the trap of alcoholism. This won't turn out well in the end. Will Lise be pulled into things to straighten him out once and for all? And Franklin is leaving (to replace the original doctor from the pilot no less, a nice nod to continuity). That will be a sad moment, though he's definitely due for a promotion. And the season is building momentum now, leading up to something I care about for the first time. About time, too.

"Day of the Dead"
A nice standalone episode, with some great cameos from the past. I do wonder why Lennier would care about Mr. Morden, though. Wouldn't Marcus be the logical person to deliver the message to him? And I wonder how Kosh communicated with Lockley-- I figure the message will have something to do with Sleeping in Light--but in the framework of the episode Kosh contacting Lochley didn't make a lot of sense. Maybe it will be explained later.

Only ten episodes to go now. Hopefully I'll be able to fit them in before we live commentary on Sleeping in Light. It should be a fun ride.

 

[Lindley]

Re: First time impressions from the Babylon 5 virgin

I think the fact that SiL was filmed before season 5 allowed some fun little "future-continuity" touches to be established. The Kosh message is one; one of Sheridan's outfits in "The Very Long Night of Londo Mollari" was another.

 

[Harvey]

Re: First time impressions from the Babylon 5 virgin

^^
I thought as much. It's cool little touches like that that will make this series one with a hell of a lot of re-watch value.