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The Official Babylon 5 Season 2 thread

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The Official Babylon 5 Season 2 thread

Old 05-12-03, 08:59 AM
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The Official Babylon 5 Season 2 thread

Since I suggested and Bandoman agreed, let's start an official B5 discussion thread.

In order to keep this grounded in the TVTalk forum and not moved to DVDTalk, let's keep the discussion limited to what SciFi has played as of the day (so anything up to including episode 29 is fair game for today's discussion). I'll post the episode name and title on a daily basis. It shouldn't take long to catch up to where most people are. And if you aren't this far yet, why not?

Today's Episode: Soul Mates

Summary: Londo summons his three wives to Babylon 5 so he can divorce two of them, Talia gets a visit from her obnoxious ex-husband - the only man ever to leave the PSI Corps... and Delenn has her first bad hair day.
Old 05-12-03, 09:01 AM
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Ah ... the return of the B5 thread. I don't know how many times we did this already, but there's always room for more.

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Old 05-12-03, 09:30 AM
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And I'm starting to get these strange...cramps...
Old 05-12-03, 09:33 AM
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Some information on this episode from Peter David (writer of the script):

Daggair is Pestilence, Timov is Famine, and Mariel is Death.

At first I was going to have all their names be reflections of the titles "assigned" them by Londo, but I decided that would be too cutesy. The only holdover from that idea is Timov, whose name backwards is, of course, Vomit. (I'll never forget Jane Carr coming over to me the fifth day of shooting and saying in that accented voice of hers, "Peter...did you *know* that my character's name is vomit spelled backwards?" Uhhhh...well, yeah...)

You all realize, of course, that Londo is--by process of elimination-- War.
link
Old 05-12-03, 09:56 AM
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That kind of stuff is very cool, especially for those of us too lazy to do the research. Please continue. I think it adds something to the discussion.



Also interesting:
*I* didn't get "bitch" past the censors. I just put it in the script.
My, how things have changed in just a few years.
Old 05-12-03, 10:03 AM
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I knew right away that he was going to pick Timov.

I like how everyone was asking Sheridan if he was settled in yet.
Old 05-12-03, 10:45 AM
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I mentioned this page in the other thread, but since this one will hopefuly be around a while, I'll do so again here.


If you havent had a chance to check out the Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5 , you must do so at once.

The Lurkers Guide breaks down each episode with plot summary for all 5 seasons, the TV movies and the spin-offs (beware spoilers). However it also gets into notes and analysis, unresolved plot threads and includes comments from JMS about the episode pulled from newsgroups while the show was in production.
Old 05-12-03, 10:53 AM
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The Lurker's Guide is fantabulous! (thanks to das for giving the lonk last week). You have to be carefuly to avoid spoilers, although they are pretty well marked.
Old 05-12-03, 11:27 AM
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Originally posted by Chew
Some information on this episode from Peter David (writer of the script):
This the same Peter David who wrote "The Hulk" for a few years -- up till they ended the first series?
Old 05-12-03, 11:37 AM
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Originally posted by Tuan Jim
This the same Peter David who wrote "The Hulk" for a few years -- up till they ended the first series?
You are correct sir! Also writer of several Trek novels.

He also has another second season episode coming up.
Old 05-12-03, 02:06 PM
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If you ever read the Centauri Prime trilogy you'll learn just what happens when someone like Londo divorces a wife. They may get some money still, but their social/political lives are dead which in Centauri society makes them pretty much equivalent to lepers.
Old 05-13-03, 06:06 AM
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Today's episode: A Race Through Dark Places

Summary: Bester returns to Babylon 5 to shut down an underground organization that smuggles rouge telepaths out of the PSI Corps reach. Meanwhile Sheridan has some disagreements with Earthforce over the rent of his quarters.

Yes, originally, "Soul Mates" was to air after "Race." At that time, PTEN was initially going to show just 6 new episodes, and we would have come in after the rerun break with "Race," then "Soul." When the ratings came in and looked good, they didn't want to interfere with the growth, and indicated they wanted to show 7 new eps in the first batch. "Race," as you can see, was a very complex episode visually, and the only way to get it ready to run #7 in the first batch would've been to compromise the integrity of the show, and we simply won't do that for ANY reason. "Soul Mates," on the other hand, required very little in the way of post production, so that was moved forward into the #7 slot.
No repeat of Bester's salute from "Mind War"
Also, bear in mind that Bester's parting shot in "Mind War" was exactly that, in essence an "Up yours" but subtle. There was no reason for that to be given to anyone in "Race."
link

If you've seen The Prisoner, you should be very familiar with the "parting shot" discussed above.

Exactly how does one pronounce "Apesanahkwat" [ Telepath #1 ] anyway?

Has Talia completely given up on Psi-Corps? And just how powerful is she now? No longer a P5?

HHH*

*universal heh-heh-heh sign-off
Old 05-13-03, 06:31 AM
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Third season DVD release news!

Rounding out today's news are specs for a couple of Warner Home Video upcoming releases. That show about aliens with funny heads returns on withBabylon 5: The Complete Third Season on August 12th. Specs match that of past season sets, with each episode presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen and Dolby Digital 5.1 surround, with introductions by series creator J. Michael Straczynski, audio commentaries on select episodes, multiple featurettes, an audiovisual archive and maybe even an easter egg or two. Retail is $99.95.
I would post the boxcover image, but don't want to spoil anything for anybody by showing who's on the cover.

Link
Old 05-13-03, 08:36 AM
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Can't wait for season 3!

I just finished "Acts of Sacrifice" last night. Ivanova was hilarious.
Old 05-13-03, 08:50 AM
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Originally posted by Bandoman
Can't wait for season 3!

I just finished "Acts of Sacrifice" last night. Ivanova was hilarious.
Soooo, maybe the whole "tie-to-Sci-Fi channel" plan isn't working as envisioned. Oh, well.

Did you catch the none-too-subtle jab at Trek's Prime Directive in Acts of Sacrifice? The aliens acted very superior and refused to intervene in alien cultures, even if they could help save a life.

There's another Trek jab coming up in a few episodes.
Old 05-13-03, 08:56 AM
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No, no, I'll stick with the "tie-to-Sci-Fi channel" plan. Sorry.

What did Bester sense as he was leaving? He turned around a looked questioningly toward Talia. If he sensed she was witholding something, why wouldn't he stay and figure it out? Or did he sense something about her new powers (whatever they may be)?
Old 05-13-03, 09:10 AM
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The corps is mother, the corps is father.
Old 05-13-03, 09:28 AM
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Originally posted by Bandoman
No, no, I'll stick with the "tie-to-Sci-Fi channel" plan. Sorry.

What did Bester sense as he was leaving? He turned around a looked questioningly toward Talia. If he sensed she was witholding something, why wouldn't he stay and figure it out? Or did he sense something about her new powers (whatever they may be)?
The Talia questions will become clear sooner rather than later.

In other words, you already "own" the answers and won't have to wait for August


Oh, and no need to apologize. It just seems you're our only B5 newbie in this discussion.
Old 05-13-03, 06:51 PM
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Yeah, but B5 newbies are *fun*. I love watching their jaws drop, telling us that the last episode they saw was amazing -- and then they watch the next one, and the next one....

(Well, at least until they get to "Grey 17 is Missing," but we ignore that one....Joe's allowed a stinker every 20 episodes or so.)
Old 05-13-03, 08:31 PM
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Hey, I like that one.

I like the part where Garibaldi is mumble mumble mumble and then Willie shows up and mumble mumble and – well maybe I better not say…
Old 05-14-03, 06:08 AM
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Today's episode: The Coming of Shadows

Summary: The aging Centauri emperor travels to Babylon 5 despite his failing health. Refa sees this as an opportunity to have Londo publicly embarrass the emperor, while G'Kar prepares to assassinate him.

Londo's dream, which has been foreshadowed from day one ("Midnight on the Firing Line") contains a lot of information, if it's to be taken literally.

The hand seems a clear reference to the "great hand, reaching out across the stars" as seen by Elric in "The Geometry of Shadows." If so, the hand is Londo's. Presumably it is a metaphor for his expanding power and influence.

Londo stands in the middle of fine sand, a desert (or perhaps decimated ruins; witness the dead vegitation and patterns in the sand) and watches several Shadow ships fly overhead. This appears to be on Centauri Prime. He is dressed in his ambassadorial uniform and appears to be roughly the same age as in the present. One implication is that the Shadows will either attack Centauri Prime or (more likely) come to its defense. It should also be noted that Londo has never seen a Shadow ship in the present. One reader suggests that Londo's expression can be interpreted as Londo looking on, helpless, as a great evil is done; for the first time realizing who's really the pawn in his relationship with the Shadows.
Link

Londo's dream is very important. That's all I can say....

This is the episode where the true plot of B5 is kicked into high gear.
Old 05-14-03, 08:51 AM
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One thing I'm looking forward to in the DVDs is to watch Londo's clothes change colors over the course of the series. A JMS post about that is on Lurkers somewhere.
Old 05-14-03, 08:54 AM
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Yeah, his clothes get darker and more military.

Londo said in a previous episode (I forget which one) that he foresaw his death, with he and G'Kar's hands around each other's throats. The dream also shows this.
Old 05-14-03, 09:41 AM
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I think the waters are muddied on that one (or clarified, depending on how you look at it) in “Signs and Portents.” No resolution until Season Three, IIRC.

Or, should I just say…
Old 05-14-03, 10:23 AM
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Originally posted by Bandoman
Londo said in a previous episode (I forget which one) that he foresaw his death, with he and G'Kar's hands around each other's throats.
I believe that was Season 1 Ep 1. JMS started firing that gun from the very beginning.

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