The Babylon 5 Rewatch Thread

[Jon AS]

Not to mention that when it's moving under power, the crew would be standing on the walls.

Good point. Obviously one would have to skip the Omega class and go straight for the Warlock or Victory, complete with technobabbly artificial gravity.

[Ran]

Wert,

JMS was asked about the shot that seemed to "miss", and his response was, "What makes you think they missed?" It'd be a really weird CG error, and the fact that the Vorlons would shoot twice to impress people seems odd, so I do think that it may be our very first hint that the Shadows are out there.

[Gerold Hightower]

Technically, neither do the Omegas. They have simulated gravity. They also have a ridiculous design. I know they're based on the Leonov from 2010, but it's still silly. Not only does it prevent any large guns being mounted on the hull, and present a huge bloody target, it generates so much momentum the ship would barely move at all! Not to mention that when it's moving under power, the crew would be standing on the walls.

I don't remember 2010 that well, but a rotating design would make sense there. The engines only fire during the launch and for the final braking maneuver, which IIRC was rather unpleasant. One would probably have two wheel-like structures rotating in opposite directions, though. Hard to start and stop the rotation otherwise.

As for Babylon 5, they do the same as all space operas when it comes to space flight: ignore physics. So the design silliness of the Omega doesn't really matter.

[Jon AS]

As for Babylon 5, they do the same as all space operas when it comes to space flight: ignore physics. So the design silliness of the Omega doesn't really matter.

Well not quite. The Starfuries for example are a pretty nifty and possibly useable design, so instances where they did make mistakes or just chose to ignore that something is impossible stand out all the more. I still like the Omega design though, much more memorable than the somewhat generic looking Hyperion.

[fgalkin]

Well not quite. The Starfuries for example are a pretty nifty and possibly useable design, so instances where they did make mistakes or just chose to ignore that something is impossible stand out all the more. I still like the Omega design though, much more memorable than the somewhat generic looking Hyperion.

This is why I like the Nova. It's essentially the Omega with the rotating section replaced with Big Guns.

Although the Earth ships still don't look as cool as the alien ones- the Narn G'Quon cruisers, the Centauri Vorchans, the Whitestar, the Vree Flying Saucers, and, of course, the Shadow Battlecrab.

Have a very nice day.

-fgalkin

[Sad King Billy]

I'm partial to the Omega-X class myself.

[Ser Warpechowski]

The Omega´s are pretty cool. They seem like this big piece of steal on space purely designed for war, not for show. While the mimbari have ships that look like fish, the humans designed their ships with whatever resources they had so they could have a fighting chance.

And the funny thing is that earth ships are suposed to be good. I feel bad for the narns.

[Xanrn]

Yeah B5 has some of the best starships ever designed.

Starfuries just rock, Whitestars are cool looking, nothing beats a jumpgate opening and Omega class coming in firing.

[Lord of Oop North]

The Starfury is quite possibly, the single greatest spacecraft ever designed for science-fiction.

<--- Starfury nerd. I have a bunch of models

[Ser Warpechowski]

You´re not the only one, the starfury is liked by many. In fact I like all of earth´s force ships, even the corvetes.

I liked the Starfury way more than the Thunderbolt.

For those of you like me that are not rewatching, but would like to see some of babylon´s 5 greatness:

Severed Dreams Battle Part 1

Severed Dreams Battle Part 2

[fgalkin]

Especially the corvettes, my friend.

As far as episodes go, Severed Dreams was not that good- I've liked the earlier Messages from Earth a lot more- they decide that to do what's right they must actively work against their own government, they take on and destroy a battlecrab, they almost get blown away by the Agamemnon, and we've got to see the Sol system (the closest we were to Earth at that point). But as far as space battles go, nothing beats Severed Dreams and its HUGE space battle.

Have a very nice day.

-fgalkin

[Shryke]

The Starfury is quite possibly, the single greatest spacecraft ever designed for science-fiction.

NASA also "bought" the design. Sorta.

From how I remember the story going, JMS let them use the design for space craft, but only if they name them Starfuries.

[Lord of Oop North]

NASA also "bought" the design. Sorta.

From how I remember the story going, JMS let them use the design for space craft, but only if they name them Starfuries.

I heard that too. Way too cool.

The ship is just so simple and logical. Its awesome.

Oh, about Deathwalker, it should be noted that when the Vorlon ship comes in to blow her out of space, the ship fires _twice_ -- once seemingly at empty space. It's generally been taken to mean that there was a Shadow vessel lurking, perhaps interested in snatching up Jha'dur so as to be able to spread her knowledge. Her anti-agapic is pure, unadulterated chaos.

I think this explanation makes the most sense. I'm highly anticipating Werthead's revelation about Signs and Portents versus Deathwalker that he mentioned in response to this

[Werthead]

I watched four eps yesterday as I didn't think I'd get time to watch two tonight, and it looks like this being the case.

I'll try to get Signs and Portents at least watched a bit later on. I don't think I can face an episode as terrible as TKO right before bed.

[fgalkin]

Babylon Squared.

Awesome episode, second best of the first season. I had completely forgotten about the whole Delenn sub-plot and that this the first episode we see the Grey Council. She also gets the Triluminary in this ep.

And of course, the main story, the tie-in to War Without End. The best time-travel story caught on screen. Even the change of Sinclair to Sheridan couldn't kill it. Although the Delenn hand at the end does break continuity somewhat.

Ivanova: Well, if it appears again, then I'm going and Garibaldi is staying.

I just love things like that.

Have a very nice day.

-fgalkin

[Werthead]

1.13: Signs and Portents

A pretty major episode. To use JMS' terminology, the show's first WHAM! episode that jaunts the viewer out of their seat and makes them go, "WTF?"

The episode basically works by employing a number of tropes that have already become standard in the first dozen episodes: Londo and G'Kar at odds, Raiders causing trouble, some vague mutterings about the Minbari up to something with Sinclair. However, new elements are introduced that suddenly makes the audience shift in their seats. The show you are watching at the end of these 45 minutes isn't quite the same show as when you started. It was a fairly interesting and revolutionary trick when B5 pulled it back in 1994 - DS9 took until the final episode of Season 2 to reach the same point, for example - although today Lost and BSG do it every other episode.

Anyway, intriguing stuff. Who is this 'Morden' and why does he keep asking people "What do you want?" Why does G'Kar's answer not satisfy him but Londo's does? Why does Delenn freak out when he's in her quarters. What happened between him and Kosh? We know the answers now, sure, but at the time it was pretty heady stuff. Up until this point all I'd heard about B5 was that it was a space station show with an ongoing storyline about the commander's amnesia from the war. This was the first time that JMS stepped up and showed us the canvas he was unveiling was much, much bigger than just that.

Establishing of intriguing mysteries aside, this episode is notable for its excellent dialogue (especially from Katsulas and Jurasik in their dealings with Ed Wasser as Morden) and the show's first major space battle, although watching this battle again now exposes a huge number of flaws. Most of these are too pedantic to go into now, save the total absence of Zeta Wing is not explained and neither does Garibaldi explain why he turned round and attacked the fighters right after acknowledging an order to go after the Raider command ship. But, frankly, some very minor niggles there. This is a very entertaining episode and the most significant in the show up until this point.

The best moment is Londo making his fateful wish, which would go on to have catastrophic consequences:

"I want a renaissance of power! I want it all back the way it used to be!"

[Ser Warpechowski]

1.13: Signs and Portents neither does Garibaldi explain why he turned round and attacked the fighters right after acknowledging an order to go after the Raider command ship.

Yeah, I noticed that too. That was very weird. One moment Sinclair tells him to go, the other the entire squadron comes back and finish the job.

[gryphon strike]

Nice go on the B5, Wert. I'm sketchy at best on virtually all of this, having only watched most of seasons 3-5. B5 is absolutely something I want to get in a boxed set at some point...

You and me both, all I have is a few old videos

still better than nothing when you need a fix.

[Ser Warpechowski]

Youtube is my fix.

I´m eager to get the boxes too. They are damn hard to find out here.

The first thing I would do if I were to travel to the US would be to get all seasons in the best DVD quality avaiable.

[gryphon strike]

Err sorry but I have to ask the EA ships with thier "simulated gravity" what makes you think they are not built with "decks" in proportion to the movement?

I mean it is a massively unneccessary adition so I would tend to think that during combat the crew is in the rest of the ship and its only quarters that are in the spinning section.

Either way its a great show and even years later I am still a big fan.