Nov 29 2001

Peter Travers Understands

Peter picks Fellowship as #1

And so… it begins…

…and that’s not all…… the early Oscar buzz has started to change a lot
since the screenings this week! People are reacting with more and more
enthusiasm so that now New Line is beginning to realize what they’ve got on
their hands! Looks like a whole big campaign for Oscar voters will soon kick
in.

YEAH BABY!

Nov 28 2001

New Calendar Feature

On this day…

There’s a new set of links at the bottom of the calendar. They point to the current day in previous years and give you a glimpse into the history of this site. You never know what you might find 🙂

OK… so you probably won’t find much. There’s a lot there, but it’s quite scattered. The reason is that it used to be a pain for me to add things to my site, but with Vanila I can do it from anywhere.

This feature was shamelessly stolen from [[Scripting.com]]. I hope they don’t mind!

Nov 27 2001

The Deconstruction of Falling Stars

Fourth season finale. A look back at the impact of Babylon 5 from 100, 500, 1000, and 1000000 years in the future.

##Overview

##Plot Points

Some people on Earth are highly skeptical that the Interstellar Alliance will work, and distrust Sheridan’s motives and ability.

The station will be under the command of a Captain Lochley in 2262.

With Sheridan’s permission, a colony of telepaths will be established on Babylon 5 sometime in 2262. Eventually they will turn against him.

Garibaldi will be held hostage, possibly by the telepaths, in 2262. The hostage situation will end in gunfire.

Babylon 5 will be destroyed (though under what circumstances isn’t clear) in 2282.

Sheridan will die in 2282 under mysterious circumstances that will still be debated 80 years later. Popular opinion will hold that he died on Minbar, but not everyone will agree.

Later legend will hold that he was carried bodily into heaven.

Delenn will live until at least 2362, though she’ll spend many of the intervening years out of public view, leading some to wonder if she’s still alive.

In 2762, Earth will again be divided into two factions, one in favor of breaking away from the Interstellar Alliance and another in favor of remaining. The two sides will launch a

devastating war, rendering the surface of the Earth nearly uninhabitable.

In 3262, the survivors of that war, now known as the “Great Burn,” will largely have lost all records of the time before the war. At least one order of monks, marginally part of

the Roman Catholic Church, will work to gather and preserve historical records. They’ll be aided in secret by agents of the Rangers, who will slowly “discover” pieces of

pre-Burn technology to inch Earth’s people back toward the stars.

The Rangers will still exist in some form a million years hence, and will still consider Sheridan and Delenn to be their founders. They will be involved in the building of something

called “New Earth,” though what that is isn’t clear.

One million years in the future, humans will apparently have evolved into noncorporeal entities (like Lorien, [[Into the Fire]]) and will make use of Vorlon-style encounter suits

and organic ships.

Earth’s sun will go nova in a million years.

##Unanswered Questions

Is Garibaldi back on B5 to stay? What about Lise?

Who were the people holding Garibaldi hostage? The telepaths?

Who, if anyone, did Garibaldi’s captor shoot? Or was the shot fired by someone else?

What was the incident with Sheridan and Delenn’s son?

What happened to Mars and Earth’s other colonies during the Great Burn?

Why did the sun go nova? As the sun isn’t expected to do so naturally for billions of years, if at all (according to 20th-century astrophysics, anyway) did someone or something

cause it to happen?

##Analysis

Among the crowd greeting Sheridan and Delenn as they returned to B5 was a man holding a sign reading, “Sic transit gloria mundis.” That translates approximately to,

“Worldly glory/fame is transitory.” That could be viewed as a negative comment, expressing the opinion that whatever they build will be temporary. On the other hand, that’s

also the Latin phrase spoken to a newly elected Pope after the ballots are burned and the ashes dropped before him, a reminder that a greater purpose is being served and any

individual’s contribution is small in comparison. In any case, it appears at least one human agrees with Londo’s opinion that marriage celebrations should include somber

reflection.

The historical origin of the phrase is of note, given Sheridan’s recent victory against Earth. Whenever a Roman general returned from a successful campaign, a great parade or

Triumph would be held for him. The general would ride in a chariot, face painted red and in purple robes. Behind him, a slave would hold a golden crown of laurels and whisper

the phrase into his ear.

Though the implication was that the gunshot at the end of the video clip in 2362 was directed at Garibaldi, that’s not certain. It could as easily have been someone else firing at

one of his captors to prevent his death.

The 2362 historians’ interpretation of the outcome of Sheridan allowing telepaths to set up a colony of Babylon 5 — the worst mistake of his career, they claimed he as much

as said — may have been shaded by their less than charitable views about Sheridan. The actual events may have been much less disastrous than they implied.

It’s possible Delenn’s appearance in 2362 wasn’t entirely a coincidence. The moderator appeared to be sympathetic to her point of view (though he could have just been

playing devil’s advocate to spark discussion) and may have warned her of the upcoming broadcast and its likely tone.

The holographic simulation of Franklin was trying to create alien/human hybrids, the same accusation that was leveled against B5 by the Clark administration’s propagandists

([[The Illusion of Truth]].)

The Ranger said he still had time to join “the celebration” before the sun went nova. What was being celebrated? The Earth’s destruction? New Earth’s creation?

Londo said when he came aboard the station that jubilant celebration was how Centauri celebrated a funeral. Perhaps the humans of a million years hence took up that

custom, and were celebrating the death of their homeworld Centauri-style. If so, it would provide a subtle symmetry between the beginning of the episode and the end.

The Ranger’s rush to send the records to New Earth would seem to imply that the sun going nova wasn’t an expected event, which in turn implies that it was artificially

induced. If the nova were a natural event, there would presumably have been years — more likely centuries — of warning, plenty of time to evacuate people and historical

records.

The Ranger’s effort to preserve Earth’s history echoes Sinclair’s comment in [[Infection]] that all of humanity’s accomplishments would be lost when the sun died unless people

took to the stars.

The Ranger’s parting line, “This is how the world ends. Swallowed in fire, but not in darkness,” echoes Kosh’s reply to Emperor Turhan ([[The Coming of Shadows]]) that the

situation would end in fire.

One other event was predicted to occur in a million years: it’s when Jason Ironheart said he’d see Sinclair again ([[Mind War]].) Coincidence, or does Ironheart (or Sinclair)

play some part in whatever is happening in the distant future? The Ranger appeared to be noncorporeal, implying perhaps that the rest of humanity took a million years to catch

up to Ironheart’s level of development.

##Notes

The 2262 newscast referred to Sheridan’s visit to the Dalai Lama in Tibet. But the picture shown was of a group of Buddhist monks with golden robes, typical of the Golden

Triangle area (Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia.) Tibetan Buddhist monks wear maroon robes. Of course, it’s possible that changed between the 20th and 23rd centuries.

The first question in the 2362 sequence was asked by someone named Ray Winston. This may be a reference to the cartoon “The Real Ghostbusters,” on which JMS served

as producer. Ray and Winston were the names of two of the characters.

The insignia on Daniel’s uniform in 2762 was nearly identical to the logo of the Nazi SS organization.

Daniel’s language (e.g. “realfacts” and “goodfacts”) is a reference to George Orwell’s “1984,” which introduced terms such as “doublespeak” and dealt heavily with the

relation between language and propaganda.

Daniel also made a brief mention of “psychohistory,” which is a reference to Isaac Asimov’s “Foundation” novels. In the novels, psychohistory is a science that can predict

large-scale human societal behavior.

It’s possible Garibaldi is responsible for the Great Burn. The war between Earth’s two factions might have proceeded the same way with or without Garibaldi’s subterfuge.

But it’s not inconceivable that if Daniel’s superiors had made the first strike, the other side might have capitulated, or the war might have been over more quickly for other

reasons. Of course, it’s also possible that it would have been even worse, perhaps wiping out Earth altogether.

The 3262 sequence may be a nod to Walter Miller’s novel “A Canticle for Leibowitz,” about an order of monks trying to preserve the knowledge of the past after a devastating

war.

During the 3262 sequence, the Roman numerals in the lower left corner appear to be camera numbers; they corresponded to the different angles from which the scene was

shown. Presumably the cameras were all well-hidden.

The caption under the picture of the Ranger in the book Brother Stephen is illuminating appears to say, “Rangers eis nomen est,” which translates to, “Their name is Rangers.”

Although this episode is part of the fifth-season production run, it’s actually the fourth-season finale. The fifth-season finale, [[Sleeping in Light]], was shot during the

fourth-season production run because it wasn’t clear that the show was being renewed; once the renewal was announced, another episode had to be substituted. For some

reason the onscreen credits at the end of the episode don’t reflect that; they list a production number of 422 rather than the more accurate 501.

The title sequence was changed slightly from the regular season four sequence. A clip of the Agamemnon flying through the explosion of the defense platform in [[Endgame]]

was inserted just before the cast credits, and Claudia Christian’s name was removed from the cast list.

The episode’s dedication: “Dedicated to all the people who predicted that the Babylon Project would fail in its mission. Faith manages.” This is probably a dig at pundits on

Usenet and elsewhere who confidently said every year that B5 wouldn’t be renewed for another season.

Shooting began August 18, 1997.

Nov 27 2001

Rising Star

Earthgov decides Sheridan’s fate. Delenn makes a remarkable proposition to the League of Non-Aligned Worlds. Garibaldi searches for Lise. Denise Gentile as Lise.

##Overview

###Guest Stars

Rance Howard as David Sheridan. Beata Pozniak as President Luchenko. Walter Koenig as Bester.

###Lurk

http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/synops/087.html

##Plot Points

Delenn has overseen the coming together of the nonaligned worlds, the Centauri, the Minbari, the Narn, and Earth into a new Interstellar Alliance, and Sheridan has been
elected its first president. The Alliance, which among other things promises to share advanced technologies like artificial gravity with Earth, is a confederation whose members
retain most of their sovereignty, aside from certain rules of conduct. Its armed forces are the Rangers and the White Star fleet, and its temporary headquarters are on Babylon
5 until permanent facilities are built in the Minbari city of Tuzanor (novel “To Dream In the City of Sorrows”.)

Sheridan only used 30 telepaths out of 100 to attack the destroyer fleet ([[Endgame]].) The rest, including Bester’s lover Carolyn Sanderson, remained on Babylon 5.

Clark has been succeeded by President Susanna Luchenko of the Russian Consortium.

Ivanova has been promoted to captain and reassigned to shake down an experimental new Earth military vessel, a Warlock-class destroyer, for one year.

Londo has been asked to return to Centauri Prime; the Regent is ill and after his death the royal court plans to name Londo the next Emperor.

Garibaldi and Lise are together, and she has apparently inherited some or all of William Edgars’ money.

Sheridan and Delenn have been married.

Sheridan’s father has been released; Clark’s forces never captured his mother.

##Unanswered Questions

Did all the nonaligned worlds join the Alliance?

##Analysis

Delenn’s reply to Lennier’s comment about unrequited love can be read either of two ways: that she is indeed oblivious to his feelings for her (“Ceremonies of Light and
Dark”) or, more likely, that she loves him too, albeit not in the same way she does Sheridan. The latter interpretation seems to have been lost on Lennier if true.

Sheridan knew about the telepath virus ([[The Face of the Enemy]], among others.) How many more have been told? Will its existence become common knowledge, and if so,
will the fact that it’s known to be possible prompt enemies of the Corps to start trying to duplicate it?

Bester goaded Sheridan about Garibaldi by telling him that only a scan performed by a member of Psi Corps would be admissible in Earth court if Garibaldi’s memory were
used as evidence. The implication was that since Bester controls the Corps to some degree, no Corps telepath would cooperate. But Lyta is now a Corps member, officially
anyway ([[The Exercise of Vital Powers]]) and is certainly no friend of Bester’s. To refute her credentials in court, he’d have to reveal the deep-cover program he’s using to
give her the appearance of Corps membership.

Sheridan told Bester he knew what it was like to lose someone, only to find them again and lose them again, clearly a reference to Anna ([[Z’ha’dum]].) He said he’d never wish
that on anyone. But in a sense, he’s putting Delenn through the same ordeal over a much longer timespan: she lost him at Z’ha’dum, got him back thanks to Lorien, and knows
that in 20 years she’ll lose him again ([[Falling Toward Apotheosis]].)

The Alliance was most likely what Delenn was referring to in [[War Without End part 2]] when she told Sheridan that they’d built something that would endure for a thousand
years. Whether that figure was just a generality on her part or reflected additional knowledge about the future isn’t clear.

Sheridan and Londo have followed similar paths: both of them rose up against their own governments to fight Shadow influence, and both were helped in their quests by
resistance movements working against those governments (the Mars resistance in Sheridan’s case, the Narns in Londo’s.) Both of them arranged to have the captive
populations freed after defeating the old order. Are their fates going to be similar as well? Londo sacrificed himself to kill his Keeper and allow Sheridan and Delenn to escape
([[War Without End part 2]].) Will Sheridan make a similar sacrifice to save someone? One could argue he already has, by dying on Z’ha’dum to save Centauri Prime
([[Z’ha’dum]].)

All the major ambassadors on Babylon 5 have been offered leadership roles of some sort, in fact. In addition to Sheridan and Londo, G’Kar was offered leadership of his people
in [[The Long Night]]. Delenn was elected leader of the Minbari in [[Babylon Squared]]. And Sinclair became leader of the Minbari of 1000 years past in “War Without End part
2”. Kosh is apparently an exception, though for all anyone knows, he already was the leader of the Vorlons.

Perhaps not coincidentally, all the major ambassadors have been willing to sacrifice themselves for the greater good. Delenn was willing to die to stop the Minbari civil war
([[Moments of Transition]].) Londo was ready to give up his life to save Centauri Prime from the Vorlon planetkiller ([[Into the Fire]].) Sheridan ordered a suicide run to stop
Earth from being razed by a defense platform ([[Endgame]].) G’Kar offered to return to Narn and face certain death to save the families of the Narn on Babylon 5 ([[A Day in the Strife]].) Kosh forfeited his life when he arranged for the Vorlon fleet to attack the Shadows ([[Interludes and Examinations]].)

Ivanova apparently only gets promotions when her commanding officers leave: she went from Lt. Commander to Commander when Sinclair left Babylon 5, and from
Commander to Captain when Sheridan resigned Earthforce.

Has Babylon 5 reverted to Earth ownership? If so, who’s in command now that Sheridan is no longer a member of Earthforce? Presumably Corwin is in charge temporarily
until a new commander is assigned.

##Notes

Both Clark and Sheridan were succeeded by Russian women after their deaths (though Sheridan didn’t remain dead.) Both women have similar first names.

President Luchenko’s comment about “the better angels of our nature” was a reference to the last line of Abraham Lincoln’s first inaugural address, in which he urged the
United States not to lapse into civil war.