#citizen g'kar

[deepspacedukat]

I made a thing...

@horta-in-charge You know what I mean. The thing...the statement he makes...I'm dying.

[bacchanal5]

[maliwart]

Look I needed to get it out of my system... Please enjoy another 5-10 years before I draw a mlm couple again.

(Based on a pic of Peter and Andreas)

[Image ID: A digital painting of Londo Mollari and Citizen G'kar from Babylon 5. Londo is standing on the left with a glass of wine in his hand. He's facing to the left with a little grin on his face, his centauri teeth visible. His left arm is bent at the elbow and G'Kar is leaning on his shoulder. G'kar's eyes are closed and he has a soft smile on his lips. G'kar's hand is resting on Londo's elbow. The background is a mottled blue. End ID]

[woodsfae]

B5 s03e09 Point of No Return table of contents • previous chapter

Londo demonstrating some politic thinking and also 

"Intelligence has nothing to do with politics!"

True and depressing. Poor Vir. Is he getting that nap or not? The Emperor's third wife, Lady Morella is coming for a visit!

President Clark just pulled a coup! Fired the senate, arrested a bunch of them. 

"Everything's gone to hell, John. God help us all; you're on your own." 

How promising! 

The communications blackout of Babylon 5 is an incredibly intelligent move. Removes the possibilities of moles. Or at least makes the moles' tasks harder. Reduces misinformation. Clarifies chain of command on Babylon 5 and distances Earth. 

A General Hague has gone rogue and wants to do a counter strike, but needs to gather military allies. And he's Sheridan's contact in the military. He might be coming near Babylon 5. dun dun! 

Zack Allen is pushing back a little tiny bit against the Nightwatch guy calling a meeting tonight. hooray *waves world's tiniest "you only collaborated a medium amount" flag*

Lady Morella, the Centauri is a seer, and Londo reeeallly wants her to visit so he can ask her about the future, and to assure him he's made the right choice. 

But as a seer, she seems pretty surprised at the unusual circumstances she's walked into. No pomp, no ceremony, no Earth officials to greet her. 

Sheridan and Babylon 5 are getting their official orders from the President's staff. And they're terrible. All of Sheridan's security staff must be Nightwatch. 

Meanwhile, Zealous Nightwatch Guy is giving a terrible speech. 

"From this moment...Babylon 5 belongs to the nightwatch."

Please let them overthrow the nightwatch this episode. Extended spying and counter-intelligence sounds stressful. 

G'Kar, who is free three weeks early, thanks to Garibaldi preferring to assign his security staff to more useful activities than guarding G'Kar in prison, has plot! His allies stand ready, and G'Kar has plans, it seems!

Zack Allen. is failing his moral checkpoints again. He's trying to convince nightwatch people from resigning from the nightwatch. Garibaldi is going to physically fight them, right as Lady Morella is about to take her tour with Londo! Should be fun.

Ah, Lady Morella is the widow of the late Emperor. The one who died and told Londo with his last words that they were basically doomed, and Londo unfaithfully repeated as the empire will be glorious or something. 

Will this, finally, be a turning point for Londo? He wants to see if he has any choices left, and if they're worth choosing. And Lady Morella has agreed to give him a reading! Exciting. 

Jerry Doyle just gave Zack Allen a speech! And now he's giving the nightwatch a speech, but they're not buying it like Zack Allen, who seemed to waver a bit. fucking Zack is the new security head. laaaaaame. He's so laaaame. 

G'Kar is all into transformative meditations to turn himself into a calm being right now. The telepathy drug experience did a number on him. Gave him a fervor with a directed clarity. Ta'Lon is not impressed. 

Humanity is the key, and G'Kar and others will turn the key. And on the other side is "salvation for all of us." 

Sheridan, stop going along with this. Just go overthrow the nightwatch. Garibaldi will be working it from one end, to be sure. 

Londo!! The audacity! He took Lady Morella's arm and tried to stop her from going to where she was going (to see the human breaking news). General Hague the rogue general has had a daring escape and the nightwatch broke up the cheering crowd. Cue citizens vs nightwatch brawl!  

Great work putting Sheridan's calm announcement of martial law over the brawl. With Zack Allen standing uselessly by as nightwatch fascists beat civilians with batons. 

Dr Franklin thinks that going along with the orders will help buy enough time for General Hague to gather allies, the Senate to reconvene, and "beat this whole thing."

Sheridan's attention to detail and rules-lawyering is coming into play! The orders he got came from "the political office" but Sheridan is only obliged to obey orders from the Commander-in-Chief. Which is the President Wanna-Be-Dictator. So his orders would be bad. But the orders didn't come from him, they came from "the political office."

Lady Morella had a vision while doing Vir's hair! It appeared to be Londo, old, and slumped on a throne-like ornate chair. 

Zack Allen is reporting that Babylon 5 staff are bringing a ship of Narns in to replace the nightwatch. I wonder if this is a play. I'm hoping that Sheridan et al is running a play on him and the nightwatch. Because if they decided to trust in his moral fiber, they're bound to be sadly disappointed. He's cosmically bound to always make the worst choice. 

G'Kar has a plan, and plea to his Narn network. Can't wait to see how that plays out. 

John Sheridan is getting ready for something Very Srsly. And he's already up and ready to go when his alarm went off at 2:30 am so I'm taking it as proof of the Sheridan et al are playing the nightwatch theory. Zack could be acting shady because he's in on it, or...ope, he was in on it! What a dive out the gate. He landed on the right side at the eleventh hour. Now lovebomb him so he doesn't falter, I guess? 

Sheridan's stalling, more or less per Franklin's advice. The information about the Narns was real! Sort of. The Narns were already on board! This must be G'Kar's plan blooming? Cool! 

Londo has three opportunities to avoid the fire that awaits him at the end of his journey, and has already missed two. And a lot of other things I'll need to look up and copy at some point. 

Lady Morella: "You will be Emperor. That part of your destiny cannot be avoided. You will also be emperor. Why are you laughing?" Vir: "I thought you were joking." Lady Morella: "We do not laugh in the face of prophecy, Vir."

ominous! And Vir will be Emperor, huh? That's wild. And Londo will be Emperor! That's interesting. He fails upwardly so hard he eventually lands in the hot seat he doesn't know he doesn't want, eh? I never knew that. Y'all are really good at keeping spoilers secret.

Oh dang!! She's sharing the lift with Ta'Lon, who smiles so politely at her! Adorable. She is not impressed in the slightest. 

Yeah, G'Kar! He wants in. Sheridan playing dumb is honestly so disingenuous. Their anti-Shadow alliance has been so dismissive of the Narn and G'Kar, but they're literally the best allies the humans could be making right now. Because like Zack Allen, human earth command has been making all the worst decisions and backing the wrong ponies. 

And now Londo doesn't trust Vir to not be trying to kill him all the time! Vir is hilarious teasing him about it. At least, I think he's teasing. 

General Hague is in a bad way. Four out of five of his ships have been shot down and he's fleeing in the last one. Humanity's not making awesome decisions, ongoing. Well, the high political offices, anyway. I can't blame the future's citizens for their dystopia from my position in my dystopia too harshly.

vamanos

[eighthworldpodcast]

Eighthworld Podcast Episode 6: 5 Sci-Fi & Fantasy Quotes for Inner Peace...

[spockvarietyhour]

How’d that work out for ya?

[bygone-age]

"No dictator, no invader, can hold an imprisoned population by force of arms forever. There is no greater power in the universe than the need for freedom. Against that power, governments and tyrants and armies cannot stand. The Centauri learned this lesson once. We will teach it to them again. Though it take a thousand years, we will be free."

Citizen G'Kar, played by the late Andreas Katsulas (words written by J. Michael Straczynski from Babylon 5, Season 2, Episode 20 - The Long Twilight Struggle)

One of the finest speeches ever written for television, spoken by an incredible actor, who is much missed.

[alternatemodalityavatar-blog]

And I would do anything for love...

... totally including that. As mentioned before, That Person. Has been watching the show “Babylon 5″ to which I introduced them. And saw a scene of what looked like... well, how did they write it? “:( I guess this is the result of Londo basically swearing revenge on Refa for killing Adira.“ ... how best to explain. ... when I’m realising that I have to watch what I’m typing, because the eyes keep blurring, because I keep wanting to cry, because I wish I wish I wish I could tell That Person I feel for them like Londo does for Adira. ***** BASICALLY!? ... I'm not sure you get it. I hope you do. I thought you would. I wish to be absolutely sure you absolutely do. This goes beyond hate. This goes beyond revenge. The only reason I wouldn't say this goes beyond human possibility is because a human wrote this. I would be both afraid and glad to know what happened to JMS for him to be able to write this. Londo was ready to do anything for Adira. A N Y T H I N G. Londo cared about himself. Well, a little. Not a lot. Okay, not much at all. Originally, no major problems trying to gamble and drink himself to death. Liked nothing about his life. He cares about Vir a little more. He cared about the Empire more still. More still when instead of being a drunken gambler, he realised he had the power to do something. More accurately he cared more still about the Centauri people, even having a hand in killing an Emperor to save the Centauri people. And remember the Centauri Empire is like the Roman Empire - powerful, then decadent, then rotting from the core; but also even before the Caesars, the Romans had the idea of the Imperial Cult, that their emperors were something akin to divine. For a Centauri citizen to kill an Emperor... Londo was already a drinking, gambling, end-of-his-useful-life joke of an Ambassador to a post nobody cared about; coming from a society where royalty, ego and social status are *paramount*. Listen closely. Just by nothing more than being Adira, just by being there, she made him more. He cared about Adira more than anything else in his life; and he would bend anything he had to Adira, for Adira. Sex? Who cares? Powerful Ambassador, now. Three wives and any number of possible indiscretions in the Zocalo or Down Below, not to mention half the men or women around the Centauri Royal Court. Beauty? Pfah! Every artisan would give a year of their lives to sculpt, make-up, dress and present anyone to parade before the growing, powerful House of Mollari. And yet. In a social status society like the Centauri Republic, he would throw anything away for a lone, nobody-to-miss-her, enslaved, young, owned, nobody dancing girl piece of property Londo simply could have bought and kept. He didn't just take her to bed, use her, dispose of her. His bed, to which he never forced her, never compelled her, never lured her, asked her and she agreed and chose him, was absolutely nothing but one single mere sign of a fraction of what he felt for her. ... ... why did Sebastian let Delenn go from the torture? Because as he demanded, she answered the question "who are you?"? She didn't. Not in words. Neither did Sheridan. He let Sheridan go from his torture because Sheridan was ready to die lost, alone, unsupported, unheralded, unknown in the dark to save Delenn. He let Delenn go because Delenn was ready to die in the dark to save Sheridan. And Lennier. And Minbar and the humans. Because she would give herself to what needed to be done, for another. ... Londo let his own life and his political secrets and his power be risked in order to free Adira. And not just, not simply, merely to free her from servitude to someone else, then take her himself. Once she was free, he let her go. He let her leave. No spies to follow her, no demands, not even a begging on his knees to stay, no promises of the wildest of riches and lives that the brightest of rising stars near the heart of the entire Centauri Empire could give her. She had to take the next ship out, so he didn't even try to stop her. He gave her money for the travel, to support her afterwards; a promise of a place always with him, that he would ever and forever love her, not one other woman, not one other love for Londo ever again not even after she died not even when he became Emperor, not even until the day he died on the throne. He saw her off to the next ship. Not a plea, not a curse, not one hand to stop her, not even to beg her. ... What else would Londo do after Adira was destroyed? ANYTHING EVERYTHING He didn't just have Refa killed. He didn't even kill him with a blade the way he did his old sparring partner (for different reasons, but it proves he has the skill). This is old-school revenge straight from the depths of Satan's own screaming nightmares that should leave anybody lying in bed in the middle of the night so afraid they couldn't ever sleep in a room with a door or a window again. He stripped Refa's defences and left him surrounded by Narn, learning that Refa's guards were in fact Londo's. Londo's message started with knowing that Refa was going to die because dying was going to be the EASY part of all this. And the next thing is that every single support and safety Refa relied on was taken away from him, leaving him completely alone, unarmed, vulnerable, alone, helpless. And there was no escape and the rest of the message was just going to be additional torture. "It is not enough for me to simply kill you, Refa. I could do that at home or here. But through your death on Narn, I will discredit your House and all opposition in the Royal Court." And that last bit isn't just "and I'm going to be in charge, haha". That's not even about Londo's position at all. This isn't even about Londo at all. Yes, Londo is Refa's opposition, but it doesn't matter that it's Londo. It could've been G'Kar, for all Londo cared. It could've been the crawling bug in Londo's quarters, for all Londo cared. Londo probably would've made G'Kar the next Centauri Emperor if that was what it took to make this happen. What matters is that it's Refa's Opposition who has so thoroughly destroyed Refa, shamed his house permanently, removed every last trace of Refa's influence, power, family, official history, legacy; and to seal that fate, it will be Refa's opposite, Refa's Opposition, who will then rule the Centauri Empire afterward. And not even the death of Refa's Opposition, the new Emperor, would ever restore Refa's House to the throne, or even the Court, or even anything other than disgrace forever. In a society where social standing and politics are at least as important as family. That Londo will discredit all his opposition in the Court... is not even that Londo will take pleasure in his new power. He will not even care one whit for the power. He already knows; his future is sealed, twice by prophecy, he is fated, he is _cursed_ to rule the Centauri Republic as Emperor; and he will not find peace, nor joy, for he will stretch out his hand and hear the cries . It has nothing to do with the power. It may sting Refa to know that Londo will rise as Refa's House falls. But it doesn't matter that Londo shall rise. Profit doesn't matter. Influence and power do not matter. What matters is that Refa, Refa's life, power, legacy, history, reputation, family, House, will be worse than nothing; and Londo cares only... that it be done. Just the psychology of it. Running desperately for escape through a stone labyrinth; yet the rock cried out, "no hiding place". Just the biology of it. > His head and face left untouched. Refa's brain would remain beyond the end, feeling every signal from every nerve - every last fear, every last sound, every last red Narn eye, every last snarl, every last scream of rage and hate, every blow, punch, slice, cut, fist, rock, dagger, tearing finger, wrenching grip by a people faced by the monster who killed five million of their families, friends, beloved; humiliated, unhomed, starved, decimated, poisoned, wrecked, experimented on, tortured, enslaved billions more. > And Londo made sure Refa would know; after the end, Refa couldn't even control that his head, his Centauri hair, his face, would be shown, exposed, paraded, mounted on a pike to show everybody who walks past the Palace on Centauri Prime! "Here! Here in this row of disgracers, this row of traitors! Look, children! Those who would dare such as to fall from the Court of the Divine Emperors and be traitor to the heart of all the Republic! Every misfortune to befall the Empire since then comes from his House! Jeer! Hate him, children! Spit on his head! Stone him, young ones! Know that this is the lowest of everything! Not one thing in all of the Empire, all of the Galaxy, not one beggar, not one Narn, not one monster, not one alien, not one creature, not one disease, nothing is lower, more base than Refa! Remember this, children! Tell your children, tell their children! Never let the fate of traitors be forgotten! Never let the evil of Refa be forgotten!" Death becomes nothing. Death becomes barely a relief. This is not decimation. This is not decimation tenfold. This is annihilation. Perpetual torture that not even death will relieve. > Why? Because Refa killed Prime Minister and friend Malachi? ... Londo already had blood of the court and his friend on his hands. Because Refa killed Narns? ... Londo once congratulated Vir for what he thought was Narn-killing. Vir's wife Lindesty was a fine upstanding belle of Centauri society with a lauded skill know offworld in personally killing Narns. Because Refa had endangered the beloved Empire with insane multi-front wars? ... Londo had already dealt with that. He removed Morden. He pre-poisoned Refa to separate Refa and Morden and pull back the armies. It was done. Why had Londo brought a destruction upon Refa worse than anything God brought upon Job or Judas? ... Adira. The woman he loved.

[itmightrain]

G’kar + TV Tropes

[koroa]

“We are all the sum of our tears. Too little and the ground is not fertile and nothing can grow there; too much, the best of us is washed away.” G’Kar

 I’m in no mood for anything lately, but when sad draw reptilian aliens 

[rmbmedia]

I can drink again, yay. had to come off the meds because all they was doing was making me worse. lots of things have changed. i may have walked away from the meet with a slightly improved outlook on life... I think I'll thank Citizen G'kar for that one.

[gentle-antagonist]

[spockvarietyhour]

[frozencapybara]

B5 Rewatch, S2E20: The Long Twilight Struggle

(administrative note: Changed the spoilers tag to "#b5 spoilers" for clarity.)

I had so much trouble choosing a screenshot for this post. The episode is shot so beautifully there are just too many to choose from.

I'm not going to recap the episode, just a few notes:

It's a nice touch that Londo is the first one to use the title "Citizen G'Kar", given that it becomes an honorific later. 

You know your government is out of line when the Vorlons start complaining.

There are four shadow ships this time. Their numbers are increasing. Wonder where they're digging them up - I don't think they're coming from Syria Planum or Centauri Prime yet.

While the scenes between Londo and G'Kar are nearly physically painful to watch, I don't want to let the scene between Londo and Garibaldi go unnoticed. It's a small moment, but so important. Londo's actions have lost him the one friend he had on the station, and he knows it.

Draal! Also, ZATHRAS.

Also, Rangers! One tiny spot of hope in an otherwise bleak episode.