Re: First time impressions from the Babylon 5 virgin
That date is good with me too.
Mine has arrived today :thumbsup:
That date is good with me too.
Mine has arrived today :thumbsup:
Niners Unite...around Babylon 5! - The Continuing Arc
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Re: First time impressions from the Babylon 5 virgin
As am I, though the DVD hasn't arrived yet. Should be here soon, though.
And, on a completely kind of unrelated note, my Crusade watching continues with...
"The Needs of Earth"
This is an episode that should have been just fine. The pieces were there. The scenes were there. But, somehow, it just doesn't come together for me. For one, we don't know the alien character played by SG-1's Tony Amendola long enough to care about him the way the crew seems to almost instantly. He's barely there long enough to give Gideon and crew the data crystals, let alone make an impression. The first officer has an interesting thread about accidentally scanning the alien (the first real indication, besides some dialogue in War Zone, that he's a telepath, a thread I thought would have been brought up already. But, that comes too late in the episode to be more than just a small bit of character that takes a long, Star Trek-like personal log to get to.
Then there's the "heist" (or whatever you'd like to call it) itself. It barely happens. We've got some guards who flock to Eilerson's porn (the porn subplot, I admit, is hilarious) faster than a group of thirsty men after a fan dancing Uhura in Star Trek V. Dureena's need to take off her gloves seems contrived to me. Lastly, she seems to let a large number of slaves escape without any consequences, as if it wasn't immensely obvious that she was an ex-slave from very early on. And, lastly... lastly, the man who's part of the thieving guild doesn't get any lines to speak of, leaving me to wonder why the character is necessary at all in this already packed script.
And, when Excalibur is chased by the alien ships, I don't know if it's the music (not working for me in this episode), the direction, or something else, but I feel a distinct lack of jeopardy pretty quickly.
Finally, I have to wonder... wouldn't somebody be more than a little upset over risking his/her life over what turns out to be useless on their mission? I understand the message, and that some characters would embrace it, but having the crew seemingly accept with unanimity seems as unbelievable as the crew of Voyager deciding to continue on in the 37's.
In the final analysis, this episode probably sounded great at the outline stage, but as a finished filmed episode, it's incomplete at every stage. Oh, well. Still quite watchable. Bring on the Lost Tales... after I finish the next half dozen episodes.
Grade: B-
As am I, though the DVD hasn't arrived yet. Should be here soon, though.
And, on a completely kind of unrelated note, my Crusade watching continues with...
"The Needs of Earth"
This is an episode that should have been just fine. The pieces were there. The scenes were there. But, somehow, it just doesn't come together for me. For one, we don't know the alien character played by SG-1's Tony Amendola long enough to care about him the way the crew seems to almost instantly. He's barely there long enough to give Gideon and crew the data crystals, let alone make an impression. The first officer has an interesting thread about accidentally scanning the alien (the first real indication, besides some dialogue in War Zone, that he's a telepath, a thread I thought would have been brought up already. But, that comes too late in the episode to be more than just a small bit of character that takes a long, Star Trek-like personal log to get to.
Then there's the "heist" (or whatever you'd like to call it) itself. It barely happens. We've got some guards who flock to Eilerson's porn (the porn subplot, I admit, is hilarious) faster than a group of thirsty men after a fan dancing Uhura in Star Trek V. Dureena's need to take off her gloves seems contrived to me. Lastly, she seems to let a large number of slaves escape without any consequences, as if it wasn't immensely obvious that she was an ex-slave from very early on. And, lastly... lastly, the man who's part of the thieving guild doesn't get any lines to speak of, leaving me to wonder why the character is necessary at all in this already packed script.
And, when Excalibur is chased by the alien ships, I don't know if it's the music (not working for me in this episode), the direction, or something else, but I feel a distinct lack of jeopardy pretty quickly.
Finally, I have to wonder... wouldn't somebody be more than a little upset over risking his/her life over what turns out to be useless on their mission? I understand the message, and that some characters would embrace it, but having the crew seemingly accept with unanimity seems as unbelievable as the crew of Voyager deciding to continue on in the 37's.
In the final analysis, this episode probably sounded great at the outline stage, but as a finished filmed episode, it's incomplete at every stage. Oh, well. Still quite watchable. Bring on the Lost Tales... after I finish the next half dozen episodes.
Grade: B-
Re: First time impressions from the Babylon 5 virgin
I am not exactly sure when my DVD will arrive. The shipping status indicates it could be as late as next Tuesday. No kidding.
However, I did get to watch it On-Demand, so I can still follow along in-stream with everyone else if I don't have the DVD in time.
I am not exactly sure when my DVD will arrive. The shipping status indicates it could be as late as next Tuesday. No kidding.
However, I did get to watch it On-Demand, so I can still follow along in-stream with everyone else if I don't have the DVD in time.
Re: First time impressions from the Babylon 5 virgin
"The Lost Tales: Voices in the Dark"
Well, my Lost Tales DVD came yesterday, for those keeping score. And, yes, I watched it and a few special features right away. The Lochley segment wasn't as bad as I had expected--a story about the decline of religion as man reaches out into space is one that I haven't really seen explored on screen before. The main problem is, of course, Lochley. My brother walks in and yells "she can't act!" I'm forced to agree.
I don't really mind how empty the place looks, except in a couple of shots. Consider that (a) Babylon 5 is supposed to be totally deserted only 10 years or so from now and that (b) all we really saw was a high-security hallway.
I do mind that the story is able to be wrapped up so quickly, and that we don't get to hear any other perspectives on this possession. Where's Zack when you need him? Or Garibaldi? Or anybody? The problem isn't the lack of extras, it's the lack of speaking characters, IMO. Hopefully that can be fixed in later installments.
Now, Sheridan's segment is brilliant, though I could have done without "quantum space." You'd think that would have come up in The Legions of Fire. Also, I can't figure out how the Centauri Prince figures into those books, either, but this story is good enough (and the moral question interesting enough) that I can live with it. Plus, Galen's as good as ever. Why, I wonder, doesn't Sheridan thank him for recently saving Earth, though (from the Drakh plague)? Well, I guess he is a little pissed.
Grade: B+
"The Lost Tales: Voices in the Dark"
Well, my Lost Tales DVD came yesterday, for those keeping score. And, yes, I watched it and a few special features right away. The Lochley segment wasn't as bad as I had expected--a story about the decline of religion as man reaches out into space is one that I haven't really seen explored on screen before. The main problem is, of course, Lochley. My brother walks in and yells "she can't act!" I'm forced to agree.
I don't really mind how empty the place looks, except in a couple of shots. Consider that (a) Babylon 5 is supposed to be totally deserted only 10 years or so from now and that (b) all we really saw was a high-security hallway.
I do mind that the story is able to be wrapped up so quickly, and that we don't get to hear any other perspectives on this possession. Where's Zack when you need him? Or Garibaldi? Or anybody? The problem isn't the lack of extras, it's the lack of speaking characters, IMO. Hopefully that can be fixed in later installments.
Now, Sheridan's segment is brilliant, though I could have done without "quantum space." You'd think that would have come up in The Legions of Fire. Also, I can't figure out how the Centauri Prince figures into those books, either, but this story is good enough (and the moral question interesting enough) that I can live with it. Plus, Galen's as good as ever. Why, I wonder, doesn't Sheridan thank him for recently saving Earth, though (from the Drakh plague)? Well, I guess he is a little pissed.
Grade: B+
Re: Live Commentary for B5: The Lost Tales
Sunday works for me as well. I work until 5:00 EST and get home around 6:00 PM.
I picked up B5:TLT at my local Barnes & Noble the minute they opened on the 31st. I thought it was great.
I actually enjoyed the Lochley segment, in spite of the bad reviews it's been getting. I didn't like Lochley in Season 5, the first time I watched the show, but between S5, Crusade, and TLT, she's grown on me. The whole theme of religious decline, and tying in events from "The Deconstruction of Falling Stars" with Biblical apocalyptic prophecy was a hoot. It was kinda silly, but it worked for me.
The Sheridan segment was fantastic. Great to see Bruce Boxleitner and Peter Woodward in character again! New York was beautiful. And the whole story with Prince Vintari was a great dilemman for Sheridan. Taking Vintari home to live with them could play into the whole arc with David Sheridan being taken to Centauri Prime very nicely. I wonder if that'll get covered in the next DVD, seeing as Peter Jurasik is supposedly appearing, as well as David Sheridan on screen.
All in all, it feels like B5 is back. Anybody know how sales are going? Hopefully well enough for WB to fund more releases.
Sunday works for me as well. I work until 5:00 EST and get home around 6:00 PM.
I picked up B5:TLT at my local Barnes & Noble the minute they opened on the 31st. I thought it was great.
I actually enjoyed the Lochley segment, in spite of the bad reviews it's been getting. I didn't like Lochley in Season 5, the first time I watched the show, but between S5, Crusade, and TLT, she's grown on me. The whole theme of religious decline, and tying in events from "The Deconstruction of Falling Stars" with Biblical apocalyptic prophecy was a hoot. It was kinda silly, but it worked for me.
The Sheridan segment was fantastic. Great to see Bruce Boxleitner and Peter Woodward in character again! New York was beautiful. And the whole story with Prince Vintari was a great dilemman for Sheridan. Taking Vintari home to live with them could play into the whole arc with David Sheridan being taken to Centauri Prime very nicely. I wonder if that'll get covered in the next DVD, seeing as Peter Jurasik is supposedly appearing, as well as David Sheridan on screen.
All in all, it feels like B5 is back. Anybody know how sales are going? Hopefully well enough for WB to fund more releases.
Re: Live Commentary for B5: The Lost Tales
Crusade: "Visitors from Down the Street"
I've been watching quite a bit of the X-Files recently. I've become a big fan. I figured the 50 odd some episodes I've crammed so far would make me more privy to some in-jokes in this episode, but not really. This is how I would have parodied the show when I had only seen the movie and a couple of standalone episodes. In addition, isn't there a.. you know, plague to be stopped here? It's been more than five months as this episode opens, and the crew of the Excalibur is answering distress calls? Where's the urgency?
Grade: C+
(I realize now that River of Souls has to be dropped down to a D+; because as much as this episode was just "okay" it was leaps and bounds above that steaming pile)
Oh, and as it stands, THIS is the order I'm following with the rest of the episodes (I've moved The Needs of Earth up following my own preference)
Cx01 War Zone
Cx11 The Needs of Earth
Cx09 Racing the Night
Cx10 The Memory of War
Cx12 Visitors from Down the Street
---
Cx06 Ruling from the Tomb
Cx13 Each Night I Dream of Home
Cx02 The Long Road
Cx03 The Well of Forever
Cx04 The Path of Sorrows
Cx05 Patters of the Soul
Cx07 The Rules of the Game
Cx08 Appearances and Other Deceits
Crusade: "Visitors from Down the Street"
I've been watching quite a bit of the X-Files recently. I've become a big fan. I figured the 50 odd some episodes I've crammed so far would make me more privy to some in-jokes in this episode, but not really. This is how I would have parodied the show when I had only seen the movie and a couple of standalone episodes. In addition, isn't there a.. you know, plague to be stopped here? It's been more than five months as this episode opens, and the crew of the Excalibur is answering distress calls? Where's the urgency?
Grade: C+
(I realize now that River of Souls has to be dropped down to a D+; because as much as this episode was just "okay" it was leaps and bounds above that steaming pile)
Oh, and as it stands, THIS is the order I'm following with the rest of the episodes (I've moved The Needs of Earth up following my own preference)
Cx01 War Zone
Cx11 The Needs of Earth
Cx09 Racing the Night
Cx10 The Memory of War
Cx12 Visitors from Down the Street
---
Cx06 Ruling from the Tomb
Cx13 Each Night I Dream of Home
Cx02 The Long Road
Cx03 The Well of Forever
Cx04 The Path of Sorrows
Cx05 Patters of the Soul
Cx07 The Rules of the Game
Cx08 Appearances and Other Deceits
Re: Live Commentary for B5: The Lost Tales
^I found "Visitors from Down the Street" dissapointing as well; as an "X-Files" parody, it just wasn't that funny. And beyond that, it had little to no value to the arc.
^I found "Visitors from Down the Street" dissapointing as well; as an "X-Files" parody, it just wasn't that funny. And beyond that, it had little to no value to the arc.
Re: First time impressions from the Babylon 5 virgin
I've always wanted the "Poison the Well" music from the climax of the film.
Do you have Crusade on CD? Does it include any music from A Call to Arms?
I've always wanted the "Poison the Well" music from the climax of the film.
Re: First time impressions from the Babylon 5 virgin
Evil Dead, I have the Crusade soundtrack CD, but it doesn't contain anything from "A Call To Arms". I do have that movie DVD, however. Interesting in "The Lost Tales" how even though it's Christopher Franke who did the score, he used Chen-like music for the scenes with Galen.
Evil Dead, I have the Crusade soundtrack CD, but it doesn't contain anything from "A Call To Arms". I do have that movie DVD, however. Interesting in "The Lost Tales" how even though it's Christopher Franke who did the score, he used Chen-like music for the scenes with Galen.
Re: First time impressions from the Babylon 5 virgin
Sometimes I pop in my DVD of A Call to Arms just to listen to that sequence... I find the emotion of it really effective.
Probably why I've wanted a story about what eventually happens to Earth, how it's cured, for so long. Yeah, I know what the plan for Crusade's second season was, but I'd still like to see it. I think I'm the only one who finds it crazy that there's such a huge dangling plot thread in the Babylon 5 universe that nobody seems to care about.
I keep hoping we'll get a Direct-to-DVD release set 3 or 4 years into the plague (I don't see any reason why they have to stick to the original idea for Crusade at this point) where Sheridan rounds up Delenn, Ivanova and Garibaldi and takes matters into his own hands to find a cure. I dunno. Could be fun. Even a book series. But I know not to hold my breath.
Sometimes I pop in my DVD of A Call to Arms just to listen to that sequence... I find the emotion of it really effective.
Probably why I've wanted a story about what eventually happens to Earth, how it's cured, for so long. Yeah, I know what the plan for Crusade's second season was, but I'd still like to see it. I think I'm the only one who finds it crazy that there's such a huge dangling plot thread in the Babylon 5 universe that nobody seems to care about.
I keep hoping we'll get a Direct-to-DVD release set 3 or 4 years into the plague (I don't see any reason why they have to stick to the original idea for Crusade at this point) where Sheridan rounds up Delenn, Ivanova and Garibaldi and takes matters into his own hands to find a cure. I dunno. Could be fun. Even a book series. But I know not to hold my breath.
Re: First time impressions from the Babylon 5 virgin
The psi-corp trilogy is by far the best of the three trilogies. that's odd, cause i never really dug the telepath stories on b5, and i loved the londo stories (though, the centauri trilogy was quite lacking, i thought. second best is clearly the technomage trilogy).
anyway, the second and third books are great. actually, the psi-corp trilogy is the only book of that kind (that crappy scifi show spin off written by english-major flunkies who refuse to write porn), that i would actually consider a very good sci fi book even if it wasn't part of the B5 'verse. the story works on it's own, and i think that makes it much stronger than the other two trilogies.
i'm not saying it's as good as say A Canticle for Lebowitz (which JMS butchered as B5's Desconstruction of Falling Stars). But it is certainly as good - if not better than - the well-regarded Uplift Trilogy by David Brin.
The psi-corp trilogy is by far the best of the three trilogies. that's odd, cause i never really dug the telepath stories on b5, and i loved the londo stories (though, the centauri trilogy was quite lacking, i thought. second best is clearly the technomage trilogy).
anyway, the second and third books are great. actually, the psi-corp trilogy is the only book of that kind (that crappy scifi show spin off written by english-major flunkies who refuse to write porn), that i would actually consider a very good sci fi book even if it wasn't part of the B5 'verse. the story works on it's own, and i think that makes it much stronger than the other two trilogies.
i'm not saying it's as good as say A Canticle for Lebowitz (which JMS butchered as B5's Desconstruction of Falling Stars). But it is certainly as good - if not better than - the well-regarded Uplift Trilogy by David Brin.
Re: First time impressions from the Babylon 5 virgin
I thought it was a nice touch by Franke. Just bought the soundtrack CD, so I was able to really notice it when listening. The amusing thing is that Franke does Chen better than Chen. (The "Crusade" music grew on me, but I never did really like it.)
I thought it was a nice touch by Franke. Just bought the soundtrack CD, so I was able to really notice it when listening. The amusing thing is that Franke does Chen better than Chen. (The "Crusade" music grew on me, but I never did really like it.)
Re: First time impressions from the Babylon 5 virgin
Unless JMS is interested in de-canonizing The Legions of Fire Trilogy, Gideon and the Excalibur will have to be involved, since I'm pretty sure that it's said in the second book that it was specifically Gideon and the Excalibur who found the cure. At least, I'm pretty sure. Still, after seeing about half of Crusade, not using the Lost Tales to tie up the storyline seems like a collosal waste.
Unless JMS is interested in de-canonizing The Legions of Fire Trilogy, Gideon and the Excalibur will have to be involved, since I'm pretty sure that it's said in the second book that it was specifically Gideon and the Excalibur who found the cure. At least, I'm pretty sure. Still, after seeing about half of Crusade, not using the Lost Tales to tie up the storyline seems like a collosal waste.
Re: First time impressions from the Babylon 5 virgin
Wasn't sure if the live commentary was gonna be tonight, and if so, what time. It's gonna be a busy night, but I'll pop on and off the board from time to time, and if I see a commentary going on, cue up my DVD and join.
-Elwin
Wasn't sure if the live commentary was gonna be tonight, and if so, what time. It's gonna be a busy night, but I'll pop on and off the board from time to time, and if I see a commentary going on, cue up my DVD and join.
-Elwin
Re: First time impressions from the Babylon 5 virgin
Looks like the commentary will be on the Tuesday the 14th now. Works for me.
"Ruling from the Tomb"
I really enjoyed this episode, especially how the voice in the killer's head was never explained. Lochley had some interesting chemistry with Gideon--and that's from somebody who has loathed the character in almost everything she's been a part of. Glad to see some people going off the deep end because of the Drakh Plague--I know we heard about riots on Earth, but it's good to know that the idea wasn't just forgotten. And Max is certainly turning out to be a surprisingly likeable character. And will the pilot/ex-preist in training (I forget his name already... Tracy?) be returning? He certainly seems like a good candidate for a good Lt. Corwin type or maybe even a Zack Allen. Well, he would have if the series had lasted.
Grade: A
Looks like the commentary will be on the Tuesday the 14th now. Works for me.
"Ruling from the Tomb"
I really enjoyed this episode, especially how the voice in the killer's head was never explained. Lochley had some interesting chemistry with Gideon--and that's from somebody who has loathed the character in almost everything she's been a part of. Glad to see some people going off the deep end because of the Drakh Plague--I know we heard about riots on Earth, but it's good to know that the idea wasn't just forgotten. And Max is certainly turning out to be a surprisingly likeable character. And will the pilot/ex-preist in training (I forget his name already... Tracy?) be returning? He certainly seems like a good candidate for a good Lt. Corwin type or maybe even a Zack Allen. Well, he would have if the series had lasted.
Grade: A
Re: First time impressions from the Babylon 5 virgin
do we really want to have a live commentary without Neroon???
my date was just a suggestion. when will you be back? or shall we do it before you leave? This Tuesday (the 7th) is fine with me - but i'm not sure your DVD will have arrived yet. unless you'd like me to point you at a stop-gap measure
do we really want to have a live commentary without Neroon???
my date was just a suggestion. when will you be back? or shall we do it before you leave? This Tuesday (the 7th) is fine with me - but i'm not sure your DVD will have arrived yet. unless you'd like me to point you at a stop-gap measure
Re: First time impressions from the Babylon 5 virgin
Another vote for scheduling a time when Neroon is available.
Another vote for scheduling a time when Neroon is available.
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