Niners Unite...around Babylon 5!

[OmahaStar]

Posted by Vash:
However, it is ALWAYS enjoyable to have guys like you and OmahaStar in a group watching B5. You guys are very knowledgeable and enthuiastic with regard to the show and add great insights. And so I was *very* pleased when I saw you guys had found this thread and wanted to participate.

Ha Ha, Lindley ... Mommy Vash loves me more!

See for yourself --

Posted by Vash:
This is *exactly* right, OmahaStar.

:thumbsup:

 

[Lindley]

Ah, yes. I'll have to send my associates to visit you both. You'll know them by their black ships and the flaming plasma death they rain down on you.

 

[BigFoot]

I just got around to watching Infection and The Parliament of Dreams.
Infection... well, I can't say I liked it all that much. But it's always been like that lol.
The Parliament of Dreams was a lot better. Some of the lines were quite entertaining and the whole G'Kar plot cracked me up.

I'll try to watch Mind War and The Way Prayer tomorrow.

 

[Orac Zen]

Posted by Vash:
You just have to be willing to hang out with a bunch of Niners.

No one told me this was part of the deal!!!






I hope to stay a bit more up-to-date this week...but I can't guarantee anything.

 

[Orac Zen]

I'm going to be evil and double post. It's not my fault no one's said anything for a while.

And The Sky Full of Stars

Something I haven't mentioned before now but others have: It's still a real jolt to see Richard Biggs every time I watch an episode.

This is the first episode where lots of puzzle pieces are thrown around. Sinclair's experiences on the Line were mentioned in "The Gathering"; here they're laid bare in considerable detail and we're left with some of the first big questions in the series: What are the Minbari up to? What exactly happened to Sinclair? Why did the Minbari surrender when they had Earth utterly at their mercy? Why are they so desperate to hide what they discovered about Sinclair? Why is it so important that they'd kill him if he ever found out? Who exactly is Delenn?

It's interesting to note how easy it seems to be to set up shop (so to speak) on the station without ever being noticed. Granted the place is 8km long and there's a lot of ground to cover, but even so... Seems Garibaldi would be better served getting out there and checking things out rather than bitching all the time. And isn't it fascinating that the surviving baddie is being shipped back to Earth asap? <span class="spoiler"><font class="small">Spoiler:</font><hr /><span>Anyone would think there was something going on. Some sort of major conspiracy or something....</span><hr /></span>

<span class="spoiler"><font class="small">Spoiler:</font><hr /><span>"What do you want?" First time that question appears. Fascinating...</span><hr /></span>

Minor blooper: Why does the door to Delenn's quarters open before Sinclair moves toward it? Did she press a button or something where we couldn't see it?

Good episode with a lot of ground covered and some good performances.

 

[Lindley]

Posted by SB:Why is it so important that they'd kill him if he ever found out?

You know, that still doesn't make any sense, even after seeing the whole series.

Unless the Warrior Caste was lied to, of course.

 

[OmahaStar]

SB - Minor correction to the coded bit ... It's not a spoilter, since it was also said by Londo in "Born to the Purple" ... "What do you want, you moon-faced assassin of joy?"

 

[Orac Zen]

^
Picky, picky. IMHO that was a much less portentous use of the phrase than the example we encounter here. To each their own, but again I don't agree.

 

[Blade Runner]

And the Sky Full of Stars is an excellent episode and like SB says it sets up many questions for future episodes.

 

[The Evil Dead]

Is it just me... or does Commander Sinclair grow on you with repeated viewings?

I disliked him so much when I first started watching Babylon 5 in 1998, but since then... Damn, I really like the character and the actor's portrayal.

 

[BigFoot]

^ Well I for one have always liked Sinclair and the first time I watched the show I could not stand Sheridan for the longest time. He's grown on me since then though. But in a way, I still prefer Sinclair.

 

[Lindley]

Posted by The Evil Dead:
Is it just me... or does Commander Sinclair grow on you with repeated viewings?

I disliked him so much when I first started watching Babylon 5 in 1998, but since then... Damn, I really like the character and the actor's portrayal.

What has really struck me is how atmospheric season 1 is. Later seasons began to focus more on the story, and the simple atmosphere of the place sometimes got lost. I think Jeffrey Sinclair may have been a part of that.

 

[Blade Runner]

^ I agree there Lindley.

I also liked Sinclair from the start, but I also quickly became a fan of Sheriden.

 

[PKTrekGirl]

Posted by SB:
I'm going to be evil and double post. It's not my fault no one's said anything for a while.

Don't worry about this. No one is gonna get spamming warnings in this thread for double posting, triple posting or whatever, as long as there is a reason for it. I watched three episodes in one day last weekend, and believe me, I know how you want to get your reviews up as soon as possible before you forget all of your posting points. Plus you want to respond to others. Shoot, there is a high probability that I'll be doing some double posting myself later on today, as I have some catching up to do (1 ep) plus getting in one or two of the new episodes!

As long as no one abuses it to gain post-count (which, knowing the participants of this thread as I do, will not be an issue here), just do what you need to do to get your reviews in and carry on your convos.

I've never been so obsessive about spending quality time in the warning utility that I'm gonna have you sit over there in Oz, waiting for someone to wake up and POST ALREADY, just so you can get your review in.

 

[OmahaStar]

And the Sky, Full of Stars

Others will tell the synapsis of AtSFoS. I'll tell a little bit of trivia involving the casting.

As we know them now, Knight One and Knight Two were played by Christopher Neame and Judson Scott. Judson was always supposed to play Knight One. Knight Two, though, was originally created for Walter Koenig. Walter was to come on and play this role for two episodes, this one, and then later in the season finale, he would return.

And then Walter had a heart attack. He was layed up for awhile, and unable to get to the set, much less act as that character.

So the role was recast. Patrick McGoohan was set to play Knight Two. Patrick is probably best known for his role as Number Six in the 1960s series "The Prisoner" ... and then he became unavailable when the episode was set to film - he was already scheduled to be out of the country (they had delayed filming of this episode to fit Walter's schedule, then it was set with Patrick).

When Patrick left the role, it was finally recast with Christopher Neame, who later appeared in a few episodes of Voyager and Enterprise.

With the revolving cast list of this episode, one would think it would end up sucking pretty bad. Instead, Christopher brings out the best in the script, and does a pretty damn good job of bringing out all the psychoness of the role.

Although filmed before "Mind War", they aired that episode before this episode, so in a fit of irony, we see Walter in his new role before we see the episode he was supposed to have been in. Funny how that happens.

 

[Llanita]

The Evil Dead posted:
Is it just me... or does Commander Sinclair grow on you with repeated viewings?

I disliked him so much when I first started watching Babylon 5 in 1998, but since then... Damn, I really like the character and the actor's portrayal.

Even though it's not "repeated viewings" for me, I COMPLETELY agree that Sinclair grows on you. Sinclair didn't entirely convince me at first and seemed too "heroic" somehow - but even from the few episodes since then, have really come to appreciate him. O'Hare's performance is just a lot more nuanced than it seemed at first - he does seem like a real commander, once placed in context. His seeming confidence makes a lot more sense once you see him deal with lots of different problems: once it's visible that he HAS to stay strong to do his job, and it's not just an act. Am going to be VERY sorry to see him go ...

 

[Orac Zen]

Posted by Vash:
Don't worry about this.

And here was me thinking I'd given you something to do.

No drama.

I'll try to get the other episodes watched and reviewed in a timely manner.

 

[Jan]

And the Sky, Full of Stars

I really didn't like this episode the first time I saw it (first run, back in 1994). I hadn't seen the pilot and so I didn't catch the significance of the title. In just a few episodes, though, I'd started getting overwhelmed by the number of nutty fringe groups the station seemed to attract. IPX was a front for a bio-weapons supplier. Earth First. And now 'Knights' of some kind? It was only after seeing the entire series and going back to the beginning that I learned to appreciate it.

Jan

 

[Orac Zen]

Deathwalker

Another stand-alone episode with some useful bits of information here and there. There are insights into Narn culture – broods, blood feuds, vendettas being held over considerable periods of time. Further insights into what G'Kar is prepared to do to advance the Narn as a race and exact revenge on the Centauri.

"Justice or immortality? An intriguing choice." This is a series that makes one think. Can the promise of good for a vast number of people ever outweigh the means by which the knowledge was obtained? How...interesting that EarthGov is prepared to ignore Deathwalker's repellent past in order to secure her secrets. <span class="spoiler"><font class="small">Spoiler:</font><hr /><span>Once again, anyone would think they had some sort of agenda...</span><hr /></span> It's also interesting that a particular group of Minbari sheltered this individual.... Jha'dur's final words reveal precisely how despicable she is, and I can't say I was the least bit sorry that Kosh took the action he did.

"Understanding is a three-edged sword." I really ought to be keeping track of these Kosh-isms; I liked the character from day one and his comments are invariably cryptic, intriguing, and amusing. The Kosh subplot in this episode is amusing but little else. <span class="spoiler"><font class="small">Spoiler:</font><hr /><span>One of the few dropped balls in the series is the whole Kosh / Winters plotline. What on earth was the point of this, and (Thompson's departure aside) why was it never followed up?</span><hr /></span>

It's not an outstanding episode by any means, but it's certainly thought-provoking.

 

[Lindley]

^I always suspect that <span class="spoiler"><font class="small">Spoiler:</font><hr /><span>if Andrea Thompson had stayed, that data crystal would have been key in restoring her "good" persona</span><hr /></span>.