#b5 points of departure

[ooksaidthelibrarian]

Babylon 5 Rewatch S2E1 Points of Departure

German title: Die Feuerprobe, The Crucible - ok fair enough

hhhh earth heavy cruisers are sexy

SHERIDAAAAANNN

I love him so much

Goodbye, Sinclair - I really enjoy him in his season and I am glad they managed to give him the arc that he gets

boys, you should know better than to yell at Ivanova and then get into an elevator with her

the comedic timing of this is so fucking good and so is the absolutely terrified expression of the Drazi

I am always so worried for Delenn's cocoon catching fire

I love the moment in the new into when the exterior lights of B5 light up

lordt the 90s are so strong in this intro

Trigati is such a good name, I love saying it

ah, my B5 OTP: Sheridan/Oranges

he does have instant great chemistry with Ivanova and it works really well with them having served together already

I love her briefing

'about yay high' LOL

I don't think 12 years are long enough to forget why you called someone Starkiller

things are off to a smashing start with the Minbari

Lennier, too busy to get threatened with a gun

the reveal of the Minbari soul situation is WILD

the situation with the Trigati is so tense, I love it

I wouldn't want to be one of those fighter pilots

Sheridan is so pleased with himself

look at how fucking BIG the Minbari cruisers are!

'there is enough guilt to go around in the world without grabbing for more'

enjoy your orange, Sheridan :D

[elena1701a]

Only Ivanova could be so deadpan while delivering this news.

Babylon 5 "Points of Departure"

[unearthlytraveller]

Babylon 5 Rewatch: Season 1, Episode 13: Signs and Portents

Yes, late again, due to family visits again. It's a bank holiday weekend here, so TKO will come today or tomorrow and then I'll be back on schedule.

This epiode is named after the first season; so you'd think it would be important. And it is! The return of GuerraFirst appearance of Morden and the Shadows; a really obvious shot of Delenn's completely unimportant craft project; end of the Raiders subplot; and the first appearance of David Corwin, played by Joshua Cox.

Despite its pivotal role in the story, I remembered this episode as being weak. Some of what I remember still holds true; Ladira overacting, and that conversation at the start where Londo gets The Eye is not very well written. ("This is not a prop! Now let me exposit for a minute stuff the person I'm talking to already knows!). On the other hand, Ed Wasser gets Morden right out of the gate, and each of his scenes works. Andreas Katsulas nails his scenes as usual; Peter Jurasik is on top form. The first appearance of the Shadows remains a powerful scene: the appear from nowhere, something nothing else we have seen can do, and just annihilate the episode's main boss.

Speaking of the raiders, let's talk about them. JMS has admitted that the Raiders were just a cheap way to get no-consequence action into the early episodes. You can really see that in, say, Believers. But we still see them used to support our main characters. We have Ivanova's eagerness to fight, both in her repeated reluctance to break off pursuit, and that glorious little "Surprise!" in the final battle. We also see Sinclair again showing his tactical chops; figuring out the diversion, deploying his forces around B5, and setting up an almost completely one-sided battle.

Indeed, I'm not sure if we get to see a space battle again in the show where the tactics are so well displayed. There will certainly be better battles, more emotional and impactful. But smarter? I can't think of anything, at least.

Some random thoughts to finish off.

Is this the last time we see the magic triangle? I can't remember if it shows up in Points of Departure in season 2, but I think otherwise it vanishes from the show.

Once again, Sinclair lets a hostage taker go. At least this time he planned to capture him as soon as he left the station.

It's kind of laughable that the raider's plan to smuggle his hostages through customs was to hide his gun behind his jacket! A legacy of the security customs of the 90s, I guess.

Earthgov supports unisex bathrooms.

[woodsfae]

Babylon 5 s03e02: Convictions table of contents • previous episode

Good news, you all have an ally living in my house. My partner, who up to this point hasn't not been watching with me, has started gently chivvying me towards the couch when I haven't watched B5 in a few days. He checks on me like a worried border collie. "Feeling ok? You haven't watched Babylon 5 in awhile…your brain is busy? Babylon 5 will fix that." Completely coincidentally I have also surpassed the episodes he vaguely remembers seeing on tv when they aired.

Kinda seems like the Drazi are started to fill the background ecological niche left by the sad departure of the entire Markab species.

Zack Allen deserves the poking. Stop being a space fascist, Zack.

bombs away Down Below! Ivanova's crank caller wasn't so crank after all!

The intro changed again!

Dang! This is hype. Vir's is the best cameo ahahahaha. No, I lie, it's G'Kar's. But Vir's is the funniest.

Drazi missionaries, human missionaries. And a bombing!

The Drazi are here to witness the site of the miracle of Droshalla (Kosh), and Brother Theo et al are here to live forever and ever hooray. I do hope the religious stuff isn't too tedious. Although if they really are here to do comparative religious studies, that could be interesting.

The human monks are also geeks with high tech skills. hm.

Garibaldi and his team have found bomb remnants, so it's officially a bomb event that needs to be investigated.

Lennier has only seven days to live?! Actually, Lennier will lie to stop being bothered in an airport and do penance over it, which is far funnier.

The bombings are getting really serious. People can just smuggle anything onto B5, I guess!

Get well soon, Lennier! Should have let Londo take the hit, but he's built different.

G'Kar believes that the bombs are being placed by Centauri agents who are starting a terror campaign, and he's been right about everything so it's entirely possible. If so, I don't think that Londo knows about it. I do really doubt that it's the Narns, as Londo's claiming.

"There's nothing political about the truth, Captain, as you will discover soon enough."

untrue. There's significant political meaning in everything presented as truth.

save me from Londo's prattling. I'd come out of a coma to ask him to stop with the circular reasoning. It's sweet of him to hang out and visit with Lennier while he's comatose, though.

A third bomb was found just in time to clear the area, and the explosives were stolen from an ice mining rig, and there were bombings elsewhere with the same batch of explosions. Lucky they had the technologically-inclined monks willing to barter their labor for residency to screen all their video date to look for the bomber(s)!

Unless the monks are responsible. Although they're so condescending about the simplicity of the task, maybe not.

G'Kar and Londo chance meeting in a turbolift! Trapped by a bombing together in a turbolift! This uhhhh will be stressful for G'Kar I'll wager.

Dang, maybe the bombings are the Narns, aimed at Londo! That's the second bombing that almost got him. I'm inclined to think it's not the Narns, though, Having access to, and safety on Babylon 5 is one of their greatest strategic advantages.

Unless Centauri are very different from Narns, being unconscious for two hours indicates a severe head injury, certainly a concussion at the very least.

Londo: We will die if we don't work together. G'Kar: *laughing* "No."

G'Kar won't help save himself and Londo, won't work with Londo, because G'Kar might die, but it's worth it to watch Londo die, too. Logical! He's done so much hard to the Narnuan people, planet, colonies, and the entire galaxy's odds of victory against the Shadows.

"No. As the humans say: "Up yours! Die!""

It's nice to see G'Kar so chipper! He has something really nice to look forward to, and got to share the joke to boot. Love this for him.

I choose to believe that Sheridan just hid his link in his undies. ^^

idk much about bomber psychology, and idk how much of the analysis of is legit and what's literallly fed propaganda. So I'm willing to accept anything B5 tells me, here.

There are chaotic times, and this guy has felt afraid and buffetted by it, so he wants everyone on Babylon 5 to feel that way, too. He's got to have some backers, Some planners. Some accomplices! Right?? Thinking about the time this episode was made, that's Waco, Oklahoma City, Kaczynski. Very home grown terrorism ranging from religious right to literally-tortured-in-cia-experiments. This seems to be more commentary on the disaffected blue collar worker end than the unethical experiments side of things.

The secret bomb has been found and it's also big and would wreck the fusion core.

My theory has been proved right! Sheridan's link was in his tighty-whities!

Partner: It was in his butt.

Bomber did not like the link in the pants reveal, but luckily, Sheridan's down to scrap!

Oh, they're just literally throwing the bomb into space! Well, if it works, it works!

Bomber: "It's not fair. It's not fair!" Sheridan: *cold-cocks him*

lmao, perfect.

Wow, they don't know that Londo and G'Kar are both missing!

Still not a very funny joke, but much funnier that Lennier heard and remembered Londo telling it to him, and then woke up to repeat it to Delenn before Dr Franklin could get through the punchline.

"I did what I did because all life is sacred. But when the object of your actions does not share that belief, I fear I have served the present by sacrificing the future."

Even Lennier is like "Maybe I shouldn't have saved Londo." That's really harsh of him, damn! The harsh world is shaving down his soft, fluffiness and it's really sad!

Londo: "I'm going to live!" G'Kar: "Well, it's an imperfect universe."

Londo: "I hate my life." G'Kar: "Me too." Londo: "Shut up!"

At least if G'Kar had to think he was going to die, and had a rough day, he lived knowing he had made Londo's day even worse than G'Kar's. An excellent note to end this on.

next!

[afmcompany]

INCOTERMS EXPLAINED: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW

Incoterms or International Commercial Terms are a series of pre-defined rules, of voluntary use, relating to international commercial law. An incoterm represents a universal term that defines a transaction between importer and exporter so that both parties understand the tasks, costs, risks, and responsibilities, as well as the logistics and transportation management from the exit of the product to the reception by the importing country. Incoterms are all the possible ways of distributing responsibilities and obligations between two parties. It is important for the buyer and seller to pre-define the responsibilities and obligations for the transport of the goods. All best shipping company in India incorporate the Incoterm rules which forms a crucial part of any agreement between buyers and sellers by dictating who will pay for loading and unloading costs, customs export procedures, insurance, import costs, and more. By understanding the Incoterm rule defined in a contract, buyers and sellers can get a firm grasp on their costs and, ultimately, their margins. 

Here are the main responsibilities and obligations:

Point of delivery: here, the incoterms defines the point of change of hands from seller to buyer.

Transportation costs: here, the incoterms define who pays for whichever transportation is required.

Export and import formalities: here, incoterms define which party arranges for import and export formalities.

Insurance cost: here, incoterms define who takes charge of the insurance cost.

Incoterms were created by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in 1936 and thanks to their usefulness they were rapidly used in all the world. Nowadays Incoterms are accepted internationally by governments and public administrations,

In any business, all different parties look after their own benefit, and that’s why it’s so important deciding who will be responsible for what in any trade. It can also be really complicated and start conflict and confrontations between said parties.

Incoterm were, as we’ve said, created with the objective to set a unified criteria regarding the responsibilities and obligations to which seller and buyer of goods agree beforehand so  they know at all times who must bear with what costs or risks.  This helps reduce confrontation and misunderstandings between traders and in turn minimize trade disputes and litigation. Furthermore, a good knowledge of Incoterms can help save money derived from, for example, delays or mishandling of the goods.

Classification of Incoterms

The Incoterms are divided into four principal categories: E, F, C and D.

Category E (Departure), which contains only one trade term, i.e. EXW (Ex Works).

Category F (Main Carriage Unpaid), which contains three trade terms:

FCA (Free Carrier)

FAS (Free Alongside Ship)

FOB (Free on Board)

Category C (Main Carriage Paid), which contains four trade terms:

CPT (Carriage paid to)

CIP (Carriage and Insurance paid to)

CFR (Cost and Freight)

CIF (Cost, Insurance and Freight)

Category D (Arrival), which contains three trade terms:

DAP (Delivered at Place)

DPU (Delivered at Place Unloaded)

DDP (Delivered Duty Paid)

The four above-mentioned categories can also be classified as per the means of transportation:

Incoterms for any mode of transport: EXW, FCA, CPT, CIP, DPU, DAP and DDP;

Incoterms only for sea and inland waterway transport: FAS, FOB, CFR and CIF.

Each Incoterm contains a set of rules of interpretation for the obligations of both the seller (A1-A10) and the buyer (B1-B10) covering the following issues:

A1/B1 – General Obligations,

A2/B2 – Delivery,

A3/B3 – Transfer of risks,

A4/B4 – Carriage,

A5/B5 – Insurance,

A6/B6 – Delivery/transport document,

A7/B7 – Export/import clearance,

A8/B8 – Checking/packaging/marking,

A9/B9 – Allocation of costs, and

A10/B10 – Notices.

Basic Features of Incoterms Used for All Modes of Transport

EXW Incoterm (Ex Works)

The seller makes the goods available at its location, so the buyer can take over all the transportation costs and also bears the risks of bringing the goods to their final destination.

FCA Incoterm (Free Carrier)

The seller hands over the goods into the disposal of the first carrier. After the buyer takes over all the costs, the risk passes when the goods are handed over to the first carrier.

CPT Incoterm (Carriage Paid to)

Carriage Paid To (CPT) is an international commercial term (Incoterm) denoting that the seller incurs the risks and costs associated with delivering goods to a carrier to an agreed-upon destination. With multiple carriers, the risks and costs transfer to the buyer upon delivery to the first carrier. The CPT Incoterm is versatile as it can be used for all modes of transportation and may also be used where more than one mode of transport is employed by any shipping freight forwarding companies.

CIP Incoterm (Carriage and Insurance Paid to)

The seller pays for the carriage and insurance to the named destination point, but risk passes when the goods are handed over to the first carrier.

DAP Incoterm (Delivered at Place)

DAP simply means that the seller takes on all the risks and costs of delivering goods to an agreed-upon location. This means they are responsible for anything associated with packaging, documentation, export approval, loading charges, and ultimate delivery.

DPU Incoterm (Delivered at Place Unloaded)

With the DPU Incoterm, the seller assumes all costs and risks until the goods are unloaded at the agreed named place at destination. In this case, the buyer is responsible for import customs formalities. DPU can apply to any mode of transport or multiple modes of transport.

DDP Incoterm (Delivered Duty Paid)

The seller is responsible for delivering the goods to the named place in the country of the buyer, and pays all costs in bringing the goods to the destination.

Basic Features of Incoterms Used for Sea and Inland Waterway Transport

FAS Incoterm (Free Alongside Ship)

The seller must place the goods alongside the ship at the named port, the risk of loss or damage to the goods passes when the goods are alongside the ship, and the buyer bears all the costs from that moment on.

FOB Incoterm (Free on Board)

The seller must load the goods on board of the ship, nominated by the buyer. Cost and risk are divided when the goods are actually on board.

CFR Incoterm (Cost and Freight)

Seller must pay the costs and freight to bring the goods to the port of destination. Although the risk is transferred to the buyer when the goods are loaded on the ship.

CIF Incoterm (Cost, Insurance and Freight)

It’s exactly like CFR except that the seller must in addition procure and pay for the insurance.

Conclusion

The use of Incoterms in international trade is a widespread phenomenon, and disputes frequently arise due to confusion concerning them. Prior to inserting an Incoterm into a contract, it is essential for the parties to make sure that the Incoterm meets all their expectations and needs regarding the following issues:

Is transport to be made by sea/inland waterway means or not?

Who should bear the majority of the risk of loss/damage to the goods – the seller or the buyer? At what point in time in the delivery to the place of destination should risk be shifted from the seller onto the buyer?

Is there a need to use the services of a carrier? If so, who should have an obligation to conclude a contract of carriage – the seller or the buyer?

Should the seller be responsible for the unloading of the goods?

Is there a need to subscribe an insurance contract?

Shipments can face problems without the correct incoterm so it’s really important to think carefully about which one is appropriate. Failure to understand incoterm definitions leads to problems throughout the supply chain. For example, logistics costs could increase, the terms may not match the requirements of the buyer or seller or the buyer or seller may not be able to comply with the incoterm. Top freight forwarding companies in India use Incoterms for the preparation of international freight forwarding of goods and cargo by the freight forwarders worldwide for commercial purposes. 

[vickyjona]

Babylon 5 rewatch of ‚Points of Departure’ - an essential episode that explains a lot about the Earth - Minbari connections.

[steal-this-idea]

The hewn tree cannot reform itself, but it continues to try.

Whether it brings up new shoots or not, it knows it will die anyway. So, really, is this bravery or simple desperation?

Perhaps they are the same thing.

[gabolange]

27, 33, 39? :)

27. Who is the most stressful character you’ve ever written? Why?

Stressful! Huh. Not sure, but maybe Elizabeth Lochley? She isn't particularly beloved (or liked at all) in much of the B5 fandom. She's unevenly written and unevenly acted, but I still sort of wanted to take her at face value and figure her out. Usually, I'm writing my faves, so that was at least a bit of a departure.

And it's a tiny story in a tiny fandom, but if you also feel like maybe Lochley got short shrift, I direct you to but tell it slant.

33. Do you practice any other art besides writing? Does that art ever tie into your writing, or is it entirely separate?

Nah. I mean, I used to sing. But I don't create other things in any way.

39. What keeps you writing when you feel like giving up?

It has honestly never occurred to me to give up. I mean, I've had periods where I've written more or less, had days when it's driven me crazy. I had really bad days: I have absolutely gotten beta comments that made me cry, and I have had stories I love absolutely flop (which also made me cry). And at each point, I've sort of taken that as motivation to do better? And I sort of couldn't tell you why other than--

I'm just a writer. I'm not a prolific writer. I don't write every day or even every month. But I've been writing and telling stories since I was a kid (and putting those stories on the interwebs since I was a teenager.) I've taken writing classes and gone to workshops and also put it all down for a while when life is nutty. And I always come back to it.

Writing is just...not a hobby so much as a piece of my heart. I could never give it up. And taking a break or having a bad day doesn't change that.

[acrazyobsession]

Babylon 5 - 2x01

“Points of Departure”

Happy New Year, everyone! I am so excited to get back into this show and see what season 2 brings.

BRUCE BOXLEITNER 😍 [finally] as Captain John Sheridan

“Agamemnon" That is quite the mouthful

Sinclair is being permanently reassigned….knew that was coming. But it is of course interesting that he is being reassigned to the Minbari homeworld (as the first Earth Ambassador allowed permanent residency). It is no surprise that he was specifically asked for though we still don’t really know why he is so important.

[New opening monologue] Babylon 5 is 5 miles long with 250,000 humans and aliens. WOW

[credit sequence at the beginning] What a way to completely ruin the mystery surrounding Delenn and what she will become! That is why I avoid episode summaries and I hate “Coming up next week on…” snippets and episode trailers. They just give too much away!!!

There is some controversy surrounding Capt. Sheridan?? Always interesting. It seems he is called “Star Killer” having destroyed a Minbari ship. Which is why the Minbari might not be too happy with the choice. Yeah…some of them are not happy. Also because they did not have any say in Sinclair’s replacement.

It seems Delenn is helping the prophecy along by what she is doing.

I don’t know what the order of rank is for the Earth Alliance. It threw me at first when Sheridan was introduced as a Captain, because I am so used to Air Force rankings with Stargate and Captain is pretty low. But it seems they are following something similar to the Navy (along with the Coast Guard being the only ones with Commanders). Commander Sinclair being highest ranked on B5 and Lieutenant Commander Ivanova his second in command. It would only make sense for Captain Sheridan to be higher rank than Ivanova, which in the Navy, a Captain is one rank above Commander.

Sinclair and Ivanova as she gives him the tour:

S - “On the way in, I read the station reports, trying to catch up on everything. What's our status?” I - “Chief of security is in critical condition in Medlab. He thinks there's a conspiracy concerning the president's death. Ambassador G'Kar has mysteriously vanished. We still don't know what Ambassador Kosh looks like inside his encounter suit. And Ambassador Delenn is in a cocoon.” S - “A cocoon? As in a moth or a butterfly?” I - “Yes, sir. About yea high.” S - “Interesting place you have here.” I - “Yes, sir.”

I definitely have a girl crush on Ivanova.

Another great couple of lines between Ivanova and Sheridan:

I - "Which brings me to something I've been wanting to ask you. It's kind of awkward.” S - “You haven't worried about being diplomatic before. Don't disappoint me by starting now.”

It does seem that Ivanova is very comfortable with Sheridan. Opening up about her concerns at the choice of Sheridan and feelings regarding the President’s death. I was surprised she sat on the stool but even more surprised that she moved and sat on the chair. Much more informal that she was with Sinclair.

Sheridan is much more confrontational than Sinclair.

AND WE FINALLY LEARN THE SECRET - While they were interrogating Sinclair they discovered that Minbari souls are being reborn in human bodies. So to prevent their souls from being destroyed, they surrendered. Very interesting. But apparently there is more to the prophecy that Lennier did not tell them.

Lennier: “About the great enemy that is returning and the prophecy that the two sides of our spirit must unite against the Darkness or be destroyed. They say it will take both of our races to stop the Darkness. I'm told that the Earthers will discover all of this soon enough on their own. I hope they are right. Because if we are wrong no one will survive our mistake.”

So, Delenn’s transformation has something to do with that? We shall see.

A good balance of action and humor! I liked this episode probably the best so far. It just felt much more dynamic and interesting - very well acted.

[alexcat45]

Mirror: https://b5-revisited.livejournal.com/144134.html

[douxreviews]

Babylon 5 - Series Review

"Now get the hell out of our galaxy."

J. Michael Straczynski’s Babylon 5 was the last, best hope for a rival sci-fi television franchise to challenge the dominance of Star Trek. It failed. And let’s be glad it did. Last thing we needed was another bloated franchise knocking out a never ending cycle of naff spin-offs. Instead let’s be thankful for what remains to this day as one of the finest sci-fi series ever made. But it did take some time before it became that.

[Warning: This review contains spoilers]

Season One - Signs and Portents

Straczynski envisioned the series as an epic novel for television told in five volumes with each episode being an individual chapter. JMS wanted to tell a universe changing saga of heroes and villains, epic battles and the rise and fall of empires. Something akin to Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, only in space with aliens instead of hobbits and on a limited television budget. Surprisingly, this didn’t turn out to be as impossible as it might have seemed.

The year was 2258. The name of the place was, duh, Babylon 5, a massive five-mile long space station built by humans after the devastating Earth/Minbari war -- a place where aliens could meet to talk out their differences. Straczynski presented us with a future that was a far cry from the optimistic utopia of Gene Roddenberry. Crime, poverty, corruption and prejudice still existed. The various races were constantly at each other’s throats. Many of the alien races felt genuinely extraterrestrial, not just a load of humanoids with bumpy foreheads and pointed ears, although the station did have its fair share of those.

B5 first aired in 1993 with the (not very good) feature length pilot ‘The Gathering’. A year later the first season began airing with ‘Midnight on the Firing Line’ on the now defunct PTEN network, the show’s home for its first four seasons. In truth the first season is not the series’ strongest. No doubt in an effort to not alienate a potential audience, the season is driven more by predominantly naff standalone episodes, than the show’s signature story arcs. These standalone tales were often just sub-Trek nonsense that did little to help B5 to stand out from its rivals. Nevertheless there was still some good to be found in amongst the crap. After all, as rubbish as ‘Mind War’ was, it still gave us Walter Koenig as that slippery Psi Cop Bester (still B5’s finest villain).

In the second half Straczynski gradually started to move away from alien of the week tripe like ‘TKO’, ‘Believers’ and ‘Infection’ and began to lay the foundations for the awesomeness that was to come in episodes like ‘And the Sky Full of Stars’, ‘Signs and Portents’ (the introduction of Mr Morden and the Shadows), the two-parter ‘A Voice in the Wilderness’ and ‘Babylon Squared’ in which the crew investigate the sudden and mysterious reappearance of the missing Babylon 4 station. The big season finale ‘Chrysalis’ is a veritable congregation of ‘holy shit, did they just do that?’ moments as earth shattering cliff-hanger follows earth shattering cliff-hanger. Sinclair’s final lament “Nothing is the same anymore” couldn’t have been more appropriate.

At this early stage the characters were also something of a mixed bag to be sure. While G’Kar and Londo arrive practically fully formed (despite some rough early make-up effects) the rest of the cast all needed a little more work. Sinclair was too often stiff and po-faced while Ivanova had yet to develop something resembling a sense of humour. And I can’t be the only one who thought that Jerry Doyle looked like the product of a failed attempt to clone Bruce Willis?

The first season was certainly a patchy start for Babylon 5. Much of it hasn’t dated well. While they were groundbreaking and innovative at the time, much of the CGI effects now look rather primitive but still manage to stand up a lot better than most of the shows from the time (Space: Above and Beyond for example). The costumes and alien make up are all a little rough. And the dialogue constantly veers between clunky and cheesy. But the series potential was still there for all to see. By the second season the show would improve by leaps and bounds, culminating in some of the finest TV drama of the last 25 years.

Season Two - The Coming of Shadows

It was a year of change in season two of Babylon 5.

Due to illness, Michael O’Hare amicably agreed with creator J. Michael Straczynski to depart from the show. He was replaced by Bruce Boxleitner as the new station commander, Captain John J. Sheridan. The former Tron fitted in quite well on B5 and after a few episodes you’d easily be forgiven for thinking he’d been there the whole time.

The first episode ‘Point of Departure’ serves to introduce and establish Sheridan as the new station commander and show how he handles a crisis. It’s not until episode two ‘Revelations’ that JMS got around to resolving all the cliff-hangers from the previous season. Delenn came out of her cocoon with L'Oreal hair (because she’s worth it) and instantly caught Sheridan’s eye. Garibaldi woke from his coma to expose the man who shot him in the back. And G’Kar returned to the station with grave warnings about the darkness to come (that no one would listen to until it was too late).

Season two has the look and feel of a show more assured of its self, more confident in what it can accomplish. This was the year Babylon 5 stopped looking like just another Star Trek clone and became a small screen sci-fi epic to be reckoned with. There were still a number of rubbish standalone episodes such as ‘The Long Dark’ and ‘GROPOS’ to put up with, but they weren’t as bad as they had been in the first season. Besides, when you have episodes as good as the Hugo Award winning ‘The Coming of Shadows’, ‘In the Shadow of Z’ha’dum’ and ‘The Long Twilight Struggle’ what are a few duff ones here and there?

Walter Koenig returned as Bester in ‘A Race Through Dark Places’ and continued to make us forget he was ever Chekov. ‘And Now For a Word’ looked at life on the station from the perspective of a news program. Later in the season Lyta Alexander, not seen since the original pilot, would return in ‘Divided Loyalties’ to expose a sleeper agent on the station that had devastating consequences for Ivanova. And ‘Comes the Inquisitor’ sees the Vorlons test Delenn with the help of Jack the Ripper (no, seriously).

With the addition of Boxleitner the main cast was considerably stronger this season, albeit there were still a few redundant characters that needed to be gotten rid off such as Lt. Keffer, a hotshot fighter pilot character the network insisted that Straczynski add to the line up. But JMS was not one to let even an unwanted character go to waste and used Keffer’s fate to further along the Shadow War arc. The same could not be said for G’Kar’s aid, Na’Toth, who just sort’ve vanished after two episodes without anyone, her boss included, noticing.

It’s no small thing to say that Andreas Katsulas and Peter Jurasik were the series' best actors and this season they took their performances to another level. For most of the first season Londo was nothing more than the comic relief, but this season Londo’s story went in a much darker direction as he grew closer and closer to Mr. Morden and his ‘associates’. Similarly as Londo fell further into darkness G’Kar began his long and painful journey towards redemption and spiritual enlightenment.

The season finale ‘The Fall of Night’ managed to end the season on a suitably downbeat note, but lacked the universe shacking impact of ‘Chrysalis’. While the future looked bleak for the characters the show’s future looked ever brighter. With the flaws and weakness of the first season overcome Babylon 5 would continue from this point to go from strength to strength.

Season Three - Point of No Return

In my humble little opinion season three of Babylon 5 is one of the greatest seasons of television in the entire history of the medium. This was the absolute peak of Straczynski’s small screen space opera. Admittedly, it’s not 100% perfect. It was at this point that Straczynski started writing every single episode himself (an impressive achievement to be sure) so inevitable dreck like ‘Grey 17 is Missing’ gets sandwiched in between all the great stuff. And we were pretty much spoilt for choice with great stuff this season. After two years worth of build up this was the season where things finally started to pay off.

The season started quietly enough with a group of mostly standalone tales of varying quality and significance. But by the time we got to ‘Messages from Earth’ the fan was well and truly hit and hit hard. The entire status quo of the series was suddenly turned upside down and there would be no going back. Straczynski didn’t so much as jettison the reset button as completely obliterate it. ‘Point of No Return’ saw the Earth Alliance become a fascist dictatorship under President Clark forcing the crew of Babylon 5 to break away into an independent state. This all lead to the epic ‘Severed Dreams’ (another Hugo winner) in which our heroes fought to defend the station from Clark’s forces. From now on Sheridan and company were cut off from home on their own (and got some nifty new uniforms to boot).

The season settled down for a bit after that until the Shadow war finally kicked off in full. ‘Interludes and Examinations’ sees Kosh make a devastating sacrifice on Sheridan’s behalf. The two-parter ‘War Without End’ saw the return of Sinclair and finally revealed the true story behind the disappearance of Babylon 4. After the big battles of ‘Shadow Dancing’ everything comes to a head in the season finale as Sheridan goes with his not-so-dead wife, Anna, back to Z’ha’dum. They should really use this episode in media studies classes as an example of how to write a truly great season finale. It’s simply a breathtaking 45 minutes of television that (again, IMHO) no one has yet to come close to equalling or surpassing.

With so many big events jostling for screen time JMS wisely doesn’t let the characterisation get lost in amongst the explosions. Sheridan and Delenn kept making gooey eyes at each other. Ranger Marcus Cole arrived on the station and wasted no time hitting on Ivanova. G’Kar finally found inner peace and a new purpose in life. Franklin struggled with drug addiction and resigned. And Londo’s decent into darkness continued despite his best efforts to escape his destiny.

Season three was the middle chapter of Babylon 5 and the point in which it got seriously worse for our heroes before it could eventually get any better. Creatively the show was riding on a high. From the acting to the special effects everything was at its absolute best. Sadly the show would never be this good again. Outside factors would eventually derail Straczynski’s carefully constructed five-year-plan. But season three still stands as a shinning beacon of everything that was, and still is, great about Babylon 5.

Season Four - No Surrender, No Retreat

So much for best laid plans, eh?

When he first conceived of Babylon 5, J. Michael Straczynski had a definitive five year plan for the series. By the fourth season that plan was in serious danger of falling apart. The Prime Time Entertainment Network, the series’ home from day one, was not long for this world and as such the future of the series was uncertain. Fearing that his show would be cancelled before he could conclude the story, Straczynski went in to emergency damage control and started wrapping up the all major storylines far earlier than he’d initially planned. As a result season four is the most densely packed season of the show’s entire run, as barely a single episode is wasted in Straczynski’s mad rush to bring his story to what seemed at the time to be a premature end.

After nearly three years of planning and build up, the Shadow War, the very driving force of the entire series, was over in the space of just six episodes. The whole thing raced to an underwhelming conclusion that basically amounted to nothing more than Sheridan telling the Shadows and Vorlons off for being naughty and sending them to their rooms without any supper for the rest of eternity. Babylon 5 was the first notable sci-fi series to start using extensive story arcs (something that’s practically the norm nowadays) but it was also the first to bring its story arcs to a disappointing resolution (something else that's practically the norm nowadays).

With that major arc out of the way Straczynski got to work setting up the Drakh threat, built up the growing conflict between Sheridan and Garibaldi, dashed through a Minbari civil war in record speed before finally kicking off the war against President Clark’s fascist government in ‘No Surrender, No Retreat’. The conclusion of the Shadow arc might’ve been a letdown but the Earth civil war was Babylon 5 at its absolute best. Only problem was that it was over almost as quickly as it had started. Originally the plan was for the Earth conflict to be carried over into the fifth season with the fourth season ending with Garibaldi’s betrayal and Sheridan’s capture. But with the show’s future in doubt everything was wrapped up with ‘Endgame’ and ‘Raising Star’. Straczynski was all ready to end the series then and there, but when cable network TNT agreed at the last minute to finance a full fifth season the final episode 'Sleeping in Light' was pushed back a year and a new season finale was quickly shot on the cheap.

Despite it's ups and downs season four is still a strong season. Although there are no Hugo winners, there are still several standout episodes, most notably Sheridan’s brutal interrogation in 'Intersections in Real Time'. The acting was excellent across the board this season, but if there’s a single standout star without a doubt it’s Jerry Doyle. Straczynski sent Garibaldi to hell and back this season and Doyle rose to the challenge with gusto. Sadly this would be the final season for Susan Ivanova as a contract dispute would prevent Claudia Christian returning for the fifth season. With no time to shoot a proper goodbye scene her departure is clumsily handled in voiceover, a disappointing exit for one of science fiction's finest heroines.

Season Five - The Wheel of Fire

The last minute renewal for Babylon 5 was something of a mixed blessing. On one hand it meant that the show would continue and J. Michael Straczynski would now be able to complete his much talked about five-year-plan. But since Straczynski had wrapped up almost every single significant plot thread during the previous season he was now stumped about what to do next. Sure, he had a lot of great stuff with Londo planned, but that didn’t get going until towards the end of the season. So what the hell was he going to do until then?

Straczynski had twenty-one episodes to fill up and barely enough story material to cover a quarter of the season. Rather than relinquish some creative control by bringing in a load of new writers and some fresh ideas, Straczynski continued to write virtually every single episode himself even though it was clear by this point that he’d reached his burnout stage. Granted, the only time he did allow someone else to write an episode it resulted in Neil Gaiman’s dreary ‘Day of the Dead’ but that's still no excuse for not sharing your toys, Joe. Actually, in many ways the series came a full circle with season five as Babylon 5 went back to the sort standalone filler dreck everyone thought we’d seen the last of in season one. Worst offender being the abysmal Tom Stoppard homage ‘A View from the Galley’ which looks at an attack on the station from the perspective of two repair workers who sadly, unlike Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, don’t end up dead at the end.

The lack of decent episodes wasn't the show’s only problem this season, as its previously strong characterization seemed to have vanished entirely. They might’ve looked the same, they might’ve even sounded the same, but these were not the same characters we’d been following faithfully over the last four years. Despite now being President of the Interstellar Alliance (with all the power and influence of a UN Secretary-General) Sheridan still stomps around the station like he owns the place becoming the type of character you’d rather punch in the face than follow into the jaws of hell. Delenn, meanwhile, has been relegated to the prestigious role of ‘her indoors’. Elsewhere, Garibaldi roamed aimlessly around the station in a futile search for a decent plot line, while Londo and G’Kar spend most of the season working on perfecting their buddy comedy routine. And with Claudia Christian gone (but sure as hell not forgotten) Tracy Scoggins was brought in to replace Ivanova as Captain Elizabeth Lockley, the station’s new commander and Sheridan’s ex-wife (huh?). Try as she might, it is difficult to take Scoggins seriously as a tough military leader.

Now that the Shadows were gone and President Clark had been overthrown there were no more enemies to fight and our heroes were all getting ready to live happily ever after. As a result virtually nothing happened for the majority of the season. The only significant event in the first half was a limp rebellion by Gap model telepaths lead by Byron, a walking personality black hole. The only upside to this arc was more focus on Patricia Tallman's underused Lyta Alexander and the always welcome return of Bester, who even gets his own episode this season, the disappointingly bland ‘The Corp Is Mother, The Corp is Father’. Once all the dull telepath malarkey is done with the season finally starts to pick up some much needed steam as the Interstellar Alliance goes to war with the Centauri. But even this conflict fails to provide the same kind of high drama and epic battles the show used to give us. Only the tragic conclusion of Londo’s story in ‘The Fall of Centauri Prime’ makes any kind of emotional impact.

The remaining episodes are all used for some last minute wrap up and a shed load of teary goodbye scenes to rival anything Peter Jackson could come up with. After everyone has gone their separate way Straczynski closes the book with ‘Sleeping in Light’ an elegant and beautiful epilogue to the series and one of the best series finales of all time. Although it did manage to end on a high note (notably with an episode left over from the previous year) overall season five is a disappointing dud.

Despite this less than grand farewell, Babylon 5 still remains one of the greatest sci-fi series ever produced. Admittedly it was something of a flawed masterpiece thanks to the occasional wooden acting, clunky dialogue, dodgy standalone episodes, cheap sets and a tendency to get lost up its own mythology. But with this show Straczynski created something truly unique, an epic science fiction novel for television with a definitive beginning, middle and end. Yeah, the beginning was a bit uneven and the end part didn’t work out as planned, but that middle section, boy, was that good.

Mark Greig has been writing for Doux Reviews since 2011.

[gammaspectrum]

Omega Sector VE-Q b5-15 7 b

1 / 26 / 2019  ||  1 / 26 / 3305

Supposedly, this was the staging point for next departure, but there was no one present when I landed here. However, the green geysers were lovely to observe, so it was hardly a wasted planetary landing.

[veliusthewanderer]

Did Babylon 5 Predict MAGA?

This is a slight departure from my normal blogs regarding politics, but there is a good reason for this which I will get to. I ask that you bear with me for the duration and I promise to do my utmost to lead you back to the beginning. For those who know, I'm a HUGE sci-fi fan. I claim myself as a proud Trekkie, but I also enjoy Star Wars and Battlestar Galactica..they are three of my Top 4 sci-fi franchises of all time (no offense to Whovians out there, I just haven't watched enough Dr Who to be able to rank it). What is my fourth sci-fi favorite? You may have heard of it. Its called Babylon 5. Made by Warner Brothers Studios and created by J. Michael Straczynski. To summarize at the most basic level, it was set on a space station orbiting a dead world located in neutral space between 5 major space-faring powers, of which Earth in the form of the Earth Alliance was one. It was a United Nations in space which served also as a commercial hub and military outpost. Think of it like a combination United Nations, Republic of Venice and Fort Benning (yea, I'm from Georgia) combined. There were of course personal stories in the series involving the interactions of Humans and aliens on a daily basis, but in the larger scope, the series was about the rise and fall of empires, told a smashing 'good vs evil' story, and dove headfirst into questions of morality, religious belief, and politics. Its the focus of Straczynski on politics that is my focus. At the beginning of the series, Earth Alliance is at a critical point in its history. A sitting president up for re-election with an agenda that includes more open-borders with the alien powers, cooperation with said powers on critical issues such as epidemics, ecology and culture, and a more open society on Earth and its colonies, is facing a challenger who is set on economics above all else. You likely think this challenger is the snake in the grass, the alligator in the water, but in what was a surprise twist, the real traitor happened to be within his own cabinet..specifically the Vice President. This person, William Morgan Clark, was a staunch nationalist who wished to purify Earth Alliance by removing those in power who he felt were influenced by aliens, and among his tools were groups of Humans who called themselves HomeGuard. Consider them the Ku Klux Klan of Babylon 5 because like the Klan, their goal was to terrorize and murder aliens whenever and wherever they were found, regardless of whether those aliens were children, merchants or even ambassadors. Through the first season, HomeGuard attains the peak influence only to be broken by the loyal EarthForce officers of Babylon 5. But does Clark yield? No. Having escaped any connections to the fallen HomeGuard, he simply forms a new plan. Allying himself to ancient beings known simply as the Shadows and using an organization of psy-enhanced Humans called PsiCorps, Clark places loyalists into positions of power. Combining the charisma of his personality and the telepathic potential of PsiCorps, Clark insured that anyone who wasn't loyal to him personally was vetted and removed, often being sent to 'reeducation centers', prison, or simply made to disappear. By the end of the first season, Clark has his pieces in place and commits the most shocking fictional crime in Babylon 5's history. Leaving EarthForce One (B5's version of Airforce One) for Mars claiming illness, Clark orchestrated the assassination of his boss using an explosive device. Because the Order of Succession dictated it-an order modeled on the same order for the US Presidential succession-Clark was sworn in as president. Almost immediately he accelerated the program of loyalty testing, placing Psi-Cops (the telepathic Gestapo) in positions of authority so they can sense treason before it happens, and creating new institutions such as the "Ministry of Truth" and the "Ministry of Peace". As evidence was soon revealed tieing Clark to the assassination, he went further, creating a second paramilitary group tied to the Ministry of Peace, known innocently as 'Nightwatch'. Increasingly they persecuted those among the populace who had opinion that did not coincide with the propaganda being generated by the Presidential Office and it even led to the capture of ISN (B5's version of CNN) by Clark loyalists who then transformed the news network into a televised propaganda arm of the Ministry of Peace (see also Fox News). Thousands of innocent people were jailed for expressing opinions that would ordinarily provoke little more than a mild rebuke on any other occasion, even executed. In the end, it took an EarthForce captain with integrity, courage, and moral standards to challenge the new status quo, even breaking Babylon 5 away from the Earth Alliance in protest. But when even this failed to rouse popular support for Clark's deposition and especially when several other Earth colonies also broke free only to be bombed back into submission did this individual then take the offensive militarily, in the name of a Free Earth. After a campaign which despite his efforts to keep bloodless nevertheless resulted in hundreds more dead, Clark-facing an uprising on Earth and a multiracial space-fleet led by Earth Alliance ships under this individual's command-took his own life rather than face charges of crimes against humanity. Others in his administration were not so lucky and were eventually rounded up and brought to trial. Why did I just give away a major plot spoiler of the series? Consider the current political situation in this country. Despite being voted out of office in 2020 by a substantial margin, Donald Trump-our version of William Clark-refuses to concede his loss and agitates with his Big Lie. Like Clark, Trump already has a list of political enemies which-assuming he gets re-elected-he'll target in a vicious campaign of revenge. Like Clark also, Trump has minions who carry his torch, such as Marjorie Greene (a comparable character from Clark's administration is the Officer of the Ministry of Peace, Julia Musante. Obviously there is so much resemblance between the fictional Musante and the all-too-annoyingly real Greene). Also consider that the previous Earth Alliance President, Luis Santiago, has some parallels to our current President, Joe Biden. This is also all too often a source for Trump's attacks at his rallies, as well as the echoed attacks of his many minions on Twitter and other social media platforms. The HomeGuard and the Nightwatch have their real-life duplicates in the Proud Boys and the 1 Percenters. For those who choose not to get actual news from sources other than OAN or Fox, consider watching Babylon 5 on HBOMax, particularly the 2nd-4th seasons. Yes, there is also the big Shadow War, which among other things deprives Clark of his secret, alien allies and forces him to go all in on Hitlerian dictatorship in order to remain in power, but its the Earth Alliance Civil War that should be paid the most attention. As you watch, consider that we're increasingly on the path that could, if not changed, lead us to the same conclusion. Even for those who get their news from CNN or The Young Turks (@TYT on Twitter), the seasons I just listed are important as a guide to what could potentially happen to us. So to bring us back to the heading of this blog, we return to the question that is the header for this blog. Did Straczynski and Babylon 5 predict the rise of MAGA? Its hard to say. When you look at the events of the nation and world during the years Babylon 5 first aired on TV, its easy enough to see how certain events such as the breakup of Yugoslavia was addressed, or the War on Drugs was shown at a personal level on the series (nope, no more spoilers). But whether Straczynski himself knew about MAGA is doubtful. After all, Donald Trump was still merely an entrepeneur when Babylon 5 was on TV. But once you view the series, even you will be shocked by the eerie similarities between what happens on the series and what is actually happening now.

[woodsfae]

Babylon 5 s02e01 Points of Departure

s01 table of contents • s01 wrap-up • previous episode: s01e22

I did pinky promise!

That's definitely John Sheridan. Captain (?) of the Agamemnon.

Partner: Is that the new captain? What happened to the old one?

Me: Nothing has happened to the commander. The commander of deep space 9 is still in command.

Partner: .... ???

oops, heh. Got my Star Trek brain on 100% of the time.

There is still so much going on. The episode has only been going on about thirty seconds and I already feel like there’s ten new plot threads. Sheridan, Sheridan’s deep animosity for, and ability to defeat, Minbari. Minbari warships in Earth space.

And there’s still all the old plot threads! Which I am pretty sure I remember OK. I was dead dog tired last night.

Love Ivanova’s threats! “Knock it the fuck off or I’m putting you in the fusion reactor.” I’ll help.

I appreciate Ivanova doing a little recap.

Oh, dang, that’s more abrupt than I thought Sinclair’s departure would be. Just a Gold Level message that, fyi, he left sometime in the last 8 days and he won’t be back. Bye guy.

That’s great rationale. The Minbari want Sinclair, so they get him. But we’re sending the guy who kicked the Minbari’s ass to command B5, since the Minbari picked their fave for the last one.

And Delenn never got to tell Sinclair the Super Secret Info!

Sooooo the Sheridan/Delenn endgame is going to be Enemies to Lovers?

LOVE Ivanova’s second recap. She should recap everything that needs recapping.

I can’t believe we just found out about vibe showers but haven’t gotten a single, sexy vibe shower scene. This is the 90s. Can I expect a titillating Susan/Talia life-saving co-showering scene?

Good set-up for Sheridan being a sympathetic, likeable figure. Ivanova did not enjoy running the station by herself for over a week, and anyone she’s stoked to see, I’m stoked to see!

Oooo. Betrayal and Minbari on Minbari violence. Sheridan the Star Killer! What a name!

Ivanova: I’ll say a prayer for [Garibaldi] tonight. Dr Franklin: He’s agnostic. Ivanova: Then I’ll say half a prayer.

That’s the friendly Ivanova vs Garibaldi antagonism I’ve always loved so much.

Kalain is going to be a problem, but I’m not sure how, precisely. Or how it’s going to help wrap up any of those many, many plot threads dropped last episode or this one so far.

Hostility! Sheridan vs Minbari: may it bring much interesting viewing. And Sheridan’s just super casually name dropping the Grey Council and Minbari cultural knowledge when that stuff seemed to have been extremely under wraps last season. A shift in worldbuilding, or proof of Sheridan’s Super Secret Classified Knowledge for character building? Questions, questions.

NO, you can’t hurt Lennier, he’s too adorably sweet. Even with that hilarious two-finger martial arts (??) stance. Indisposed is a way to describe Delenn’s condition, but considering how unsure she and Lennier seemed to be of her survival, very sweetly optimistic.

Yeah, where’s the Trigati? 

Oh shit! Lennier is about to drop some Super Classified Minbari Info?! Fuck yea.

I’m SO MAD that HBO is currently ahead of Firefox’s plug-ins so I can’t gif every second of Delenn in front of all those explosions.

The horrible truth is...humans are Minbari? Sort of?

This is a step up in the mysticism! I love it! How totally bonkers. So bonkers, it feels like a real religious belief. The Greater Minbari Souls aren’t reincarnating well into Minbari babies, and new Minbari have seemed lesser recently because, for some reason, they’re reincarnating into humans. What the fuck, I mean, did JMS do way too many shrooms in the 80s?

Ahhhh maybe don’t talk about the super secret Minbari-Human soul exchange in the middle of the crowded bridge, though?

OK, I now have worldbuilding answers, but way more questions. I’ve been wondering forever if they have faster-than-light communication, and they do - Sheridan sends a message through the jump point. But then he says the Minbari warship looking for the Trigati was waiting in hyperspace. A...space outside of normal space that the jump points send ships through and brings them back into normal space in other locations?

Oof, And Sheridan can’t win with the Minbari. They’re mad at him for this, too.

Ivanova: I learned awhile ago that there’s enough guilt in the world without grabbing around for more.

Nice exposition, Lennier. But how will the Earthers discover this on their own? I’m intrigued by both that, and by how Delenn’s chrysalis keeps growing. And the weeping, and the cracking.

I appreciate that, although Sheridan feels too superstitious about his speech to not give it, he just goes and gives it to an empty command dome.

Going to miss Sinclair. But I like Sheridan so far.

next episode

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[kaelio]

JMS had literally shopped it to that studio in 1989 and Paramount maintained his production bible, and they're far more than similar. I'm happy that both got made, but I don't think it's credible that DS9 didn't pull major and significant plot, setting, and character points from Babylon 5. I don't think it's ultimately a huge deal, and JMS agreed, but having seen both multiple times it's really hard to ignore (especially where DS9 backed itself into stupid corners for no reason because what B5 was setting up, DS9 couldn't execute on for structural reasons DS9 could not foresee).

(And it goes on.)

You can make two good shows with this premise, and I think ultimately that's what happened, and that's what was best for Babylon 5 and for Star Trek. But in no way was this just so inherently the logical thing for Star Trek to start doing coincidently right after getting B5 shopped to it like two years earlier.  I also think it's hard for people to get in the mindset of what Star Trek was like before Deep Space 9 came out, so now it doesn't feel that weird that Star Trek would go that direction, but you also need to think about what a radical departure that was from the original series and from TNG at that time.

But what I actually think is most damning is how many things deep space nine had to cobble together at the end very very awkwardly because it didn't have the right things set up to pay off those arcs in a satisfying way. Like they are lost with what they'd introduced. We all like to pretend that the finale isn't bad, but it seems to be pretty bad, I don't see people generally reference anything from it except for damar, weyoun, and garak in any kind of positive way. 

honestly it makes infinity more sense for DS9 and TNG not to be canon to each other because all those TNG movies are supposed to be happening during the DS9 timeline but they can just grab Worf for whatever they wanna do while DS9 is mired in the Dominion War. just doesn't make a lot of sense. more importantly, does this mean TNG canon Bashir is gay while DS9 canon Bashir is bisexual

in Insurrection, picard wanly refers to the dominion war, and it's fucking crazy because he's dicking around on a beige little farm planet with like, radically more important shit going on