On Monday 11th April 2010 I saw again the first of the Babylon 5 films In the Beginning. I say saw again because of the memory of an aging Londo telling two children, he encountered, in the palace the story of Babylon 5 prior to the start of the first series. Much of what he says has already been explained during the first four seasons but we are presented what purports to be an accurate and comprehensive account.
Londo has boarded all the windows of the Palace because he cannot bear to look out on the destruction outside. He is also alone with the being, called the Keeper, who controls him within his body. It is thirty five years since the outbreak of the war between the Minbar and earth and therefore five since the ending of the life of Sheridan, or is it!
We find Delenn acting as a replacement on the Grey Council of nine, three from the Warrior caste representing a third of the population, three from the ordinary people, the second third and from the religious educated and cultural class.
The Council is led by Duhkat, Delenn’s mentor and their primary concern is to strengthen the role of the Rangers who have been kept going to keep an eyes and ears open for evidence of the return of the Shadows who according to the prophecy would challenge their survival again in 1000 years time, about now. There are rumours that they have returned to their original home world of Z’ha’dum and the decision is taken for Duhkat and Delenn to go on a mission to investigate, as the Warrior caste does not believe the prophecy and is reluctant to go on the mission alone.
Meanwhile the earth alliance embolden by defeating the Dilgar have become anxious about the position and intentions of the Minbar, a race with whom they have had no direct contact and only know the basics. They have trading relations with the Narn’s and the Centauri who they approach for advice and are warned to leave well alone as the Minbar do not welcome strangers or those who pry into their world and its defences. Nevertheless earth decided to send a small mission, to observe and report rather than make contact and Sheridan, as an up and coming officer is invited to participate, but rejects the offer out of loyalty to his present captain and because of concern that the person appointed has a reputation as a hot head. This is a new insight and in my judgement a flaw because it is unlikely that any government having decided not to begin contact would send someone likely to do so, and in some way which could create problems, if not as happens, disaster. I would have had no hesitation in those involved being tried for war crimes.
What happened is that they encounter Duhkat and Delenn on their mission to Z’ha’dum on much the same basis as the Earth’s mission to Minbar and unfortunately the expeditions are unable communicate, go to battle stations and the Earth vessel opens fire killing Duhkat, resulting in Delenn behaving out of character, and crying out for vengeance and destroying the Earth expedition without mercy. In my judgment she is even more responsible for what happens than the Earth craft because she knows better and is responsible for giving the Warrior class their head. Thus the two nations go to war although even on Earth to this day individual incidents of themselves do not lead to all out war involving civilian populations. Over the first month earth warships and defensive outposts are destroyed without losses on the part of Minbar. This again is odd because one would have assumed that faced with obliteration earth would have attempted an attack on the Minbar home world.
There are then developments which are post hoc ad hoc with no indication of their existence prior to the film and with evidence to the contrary. The first is that that Molari and G’Kar are official ambassadors/Contacts with Earth over ten years before Babylon 5 is created. Earth recognising inferiority is space craft and weapons approaches Londo and then G’Kar for help. London refuses concerned about the consequences for his people, fully justified in the circumstances while G’Kar sees this as opportunity to get at Centauri by selling at a high price to earth, captured Centauri technology, in the hope that this will lead to the Minbar attacking the Centauri. This again is morally indefensible.
Following the death of Duhkat a shrine is created to him and the head of the Rangers advises Delenn to visit at the earliest opportunity when she finds the Vorlon Kosh, The Vorlons and the Minbari were allies in the previous war against the Shadows and the Minbar Rangers have been looking out for them for information and to re-establish an alliance. Kosh advises Delenn that the war with Earth should be ended quickly because the human race is important in the war to come, but does not explain why, which is puzzling. Again there is no evidence that Delenn had any contact with Kosh prior to his appointment on Babylon 5.
We see the young Ivanova saying goodbye to her brother as he joins the battle knowing that to date there are always losses. Dr Franklin is arrested and imprisoned because he refuses to release the information he gained on his travels meeting up with the Minbar who he was unable to help when those contacts needed attention. He refuses to pass on the information as to do so would be contrary to his ethical standards although it is pointed out the future survival of humanity is at stake. More post hoc ad hoc.
As Earth’s losses mount an attempt is made to broker peace with the head of the Rangers, Lennon is asked by Delenn to meet a deputation from earth which includes Dr Franklin and Sheridan who meet on Narn with G’Kar the meeting broker.
Sheridan is there because he has become an Earth hero. His craft is badly damaged and his captain dead he takes over and rather than await to be destroyed he deliberately sends out a distress signal knowing it will attract the enemy, having placed his remaining three nuclear warheads on nearby asteroids, detonating them as the enemy approach and destroying the Minbar flagship, the Black Star. This is greeted with acclaim on earth and with horror on Minbar who experience their first losses. However there is no previous evidence that Sheridan knew Franklin or G’Kar prior to his arrival on Babylon 5. More post hoc ad hoc.
Moreover the susceptibility of the Minbar to this kind of offence does not appear to be used again.
The peace meeting fails because Molari finds out and concludes that the craft is an arms shipment arranged by G’Kar and arranges an attack in which Lennon is killed and the war escalates with the population of earth facing extinction. Molari as the guilt ridden and controlled President tells the children that he therefore was responsible for the subsequent deaths before the war ended, however he was doing the right thing, given that he had found out about the intention of G‘Kar to cause Minbar to attack the Centauri. The consequences is that the war intensifies although it is surprising that G’Kar who can communicate with the Minbari and has formal relations did not explain that they had been attacked by a third party. What there appears to be a well thought out and coherent back story is in my view significantly flawed
The remaining Earth pilots are asked to volunteers to give their lives while Earth arranges to get as many people as possible of the planet as refugees to other worlds. For every ten minutes the pilots survive another 700 humans escape. It is during self sacrificing gesture that Delenn on impulse arrange to capture a pilot to find out more about a race prepared to go into battle knowing they will lose. This is the famous moment of series when Sinclair is captured as he attempts to ram a Minbar craft and during the investigation it is discovered that he has a Minbari soul and Minbari do not kill Minbari, well at that point they do not. The war is ended to the amazement of Earth and Minbar warrior caste. Earth decides to start to build the Babylon 5 stations as a means to prevent such a situation happening again in future. That Earth has the technology to do is also surprising, as well as the resources to build five such stations in the ten year period. Thus Molari ends is story and then we are given a peek into the situation which we have seen before in World without End Part 2, Sheridan and Delenn are imprisoned on Centauri Prime. He is drinking heavily to get his Keeper drunk and to sleep so he get enable Sheridan and Delenn to escape.
Episode 501, The Deconstruction of Falling Stars, the first of the final episodes is a look forward in contrast to the previous look back. 100 years have passed since the founding of the Alliance with Sheridan as the first President, and Earth historians debate his role and that of Delenn, with one arguing that Sheridan had no part in getting rid of Clark and his fascist regime, while another claims he was a megalomaniac It is Delenn who then appears, some 80 years a widow who demonstrates that some of the historians have fabricated facts to fit their interpretation and provides them with information on what happened and why.
500 years later we find earth in turmoil again with a repetition of what happened before and a Fascist anti alien leadership and movement in which the Babylon heroes have become war criminals. Original film is used in holographic form to turn situations inside out but the creations behave as they would in real life reminding of situations in the Star Trek series, and Garibaldi acts in a way which results in the anti fascist movement getting information and carrying out a sneak attack on the military base in which the propaganda creator operates. He is destroyed. However this is not the end of earth divided.
1000 years later the civil war which developed between humans 500 years before has reduced earth to medieval times from which it has only commenced to recover Babylon 5 heroes have become mythological figures written about in illuminated manuscripts by monks. The Rangers at work again, on earth, determined to help create a civilization which is not anti alien or anti technology.
One millions later humans have evolved into First one beings and need Vorlon type suits and with two glowing eyes. The Vorlons have one. They are leaving earth because the sun is to exploded despite our knowledge this will happens only millions of years into the future.
In the Very Long Night of Londo Mollari 503 he has a near fatal heart attack and we are given insight into his dream world. Mollari is at the crossroads between his past misdeeds and the full realization of what has been the outcome. He expresses regret to G’Kar and there is movement forward in their personal relationship thus confirming the bonds which can develop between former political enemies who work in close association. The episode also sees the departure of Lennier as the devoted assistant to Delenn. Whatever he says about trying to find himself, he cannot cope with the love of his life marrying Sheridan. No one with human form characteristics can be that saintly all the time There is an ancient Centauri saying that sometimes an angelic soul can be trapped inside a body that has done great evil and can kill its host in an effort to break free and inhabit another body. Presumably the opposite is also true, although I believe neither in the form presented
In the Paragon of Animals, 504, we begin to see the emergence of G’Kar as a Guru spiritual leader. He has been writing a book which he had allowed Garibaldi and others to see passage in order to understand what was happening with the Shadow based on his study of the past and thinking about the future. He is chosen by Sheridan to write the principles upon which he new Federation is to operate. The title comes from Hamlet What piece of work is a man.... the paragon of animals. An interesting line in its time context before Darwin had published the Origin of the Species.
The programme also sees the development in the role the Telepaths are to have in the series. With the help of Lyta a group of breakaway telepaths led by Byron have been allowed to make Babylon 5 their home. In addition to the Minbari telepaths which are used in an open and carefully controlled way, the Centauri have used them as part of the military for 300 years. G’Kar has attempted to recruit Lyta to provide genetic material to establish telepaths in the Narn world and has also indicated carnal designs on Lyta. Lyta has been realising that her powers are developing since she was altered by the Vorlons through her association with Ambassador Kosh. She has been trying to read into two individuals at the point of death, something which Bester also has attempted in order to try and find out what happens to human consciousness after the body dies. Does human awareness really end when the brain is declared dead?
Garibaldi has persuaded Sheridan to agree to using two of Byron’s telepaths to help finds out what the Drazi race is up to and what is going on in the station in general. The Drazi have been recruiting raiders to attack minor worlds in their planetary system and their behaviour undermines the role of the new federation. The deployment of the two telepaths helps to stop this practice.
In my view the least successful of the Babylon 5 characters is the new head of station Elizabeth Lochley, who it emerges was married to Sheridan during an early period in their military careers. Their relationship appears as unlikely as his with Delenn. Nor is she convincing when later she reveals to Garibaldi her troubled past. She is no substitute for the always engaging Ivanova. She remained loyal to the Earth regime against Sheridan’s breakaway during the Clark reign as a fascist dictator
G’Kar writes
The Universe speaks in many languages but only one voice( oh if this was so)
The language is not Narn or Human, or Centauri, Gaim or Minbari.
It speaks in the language of hope. It speaks in the language of Trust.
It speaks in the language of strength and the language of compassion. It is the language of heart and the language of the soul. But always it is the same voice.
It is the voice of our ancestors speaking through us
And the voice of our inheritors waiting to be born. It is the small still voice that says we are One.
(The last paragraph is important because it communicates something fundamental in my set of beliefs viz that we are more clones of our ancestors than we presently understand bringing forward their memories and understanding into our subconscious and presently unused and undeveloped parts of our brain).
G’Kar then says
No matter the blood, no matter the skin,
No matter the world, no matter the star
We are One.
No matter the pain, no matter the darkness,
No matter the loss, no matter the Fear
We Are One
(My only observation is that he ought to have said we should be one)
He continues, Here, gathered together in common cause, We agree to recognise this singular truth and this singular role
That we must be kind to one another.
Because each voice enriches us and ennobles us,
An each voice lost diminishes us.
We are the voice of the universe, the soul of creation,
The fire that will light the way to a better future.
We are One.
Alas no one truly lives up to these fine words in the series
And in life as we know it, Jim.
Londo has boarded all the windows of the Palace because he cannot bear to look out on the destruction outside. He is also alone with the being, called the Keeper, who controls him within his body. It is thirty five years since the outbreak of the war between the Minbar and earth and therefore five since the ending of the life of Sheridan, or is it!
We find Delenn acting as a replacement on the Grey Council of nine, three from the Warrior caste representing a third of the population, three from the ordinary people, the second third and from the religious educated and cultural class.
The Council is led by Duhkat, Delenn’s mentor and their primary concern is to strengthen the role of the Rangers who have been kept going to keep an eyes and ears open for evidence of the return of the Shadows who according to the prophecy would challenge their survival again in 1000 years time, about now. There are rumours that they have returned to their original home world of Z’ha’dum and the decision is taken for Duhkat and Delenn to go on a mission to investigate, as the Warrior caste does not believe the prophecy and is reluctant to go on the mission alone.
Meanwhile the earth alliance embolden by defeating the Dilgar have become anxious about the position and intentions of the Minbar, a race with whom they have had no direct contact and only know the basics. They have trading relations with the Narn’s and the Centauri who they approach for advice and are warned to leave well alone as the Minbar do not welcome strangers or those who pry into their world and its defences. Nevertheless earth decided to send a small mission, to observe and report rather than make contact and Sheridan, as an up and coming officer is invited to participate, but rejects the offer out of loyalty to his present captain and because of concern that the person appointed has a reputation as a hot head. This is a new insight and in my judgement a flaw because it is unlikely that any government having decided not to begin contact would send someone likely to do so, and in some way which could create problems, if not as happens, disaster. I would have had no hesitation in those involved being tried for war crimes.
What happened is that they encounter Duhkat and Delenn on their mission to Z’ha’dum on much the same basis as the Earth’s mission to Minbar and unfortunately the expeditions are unable communicate, go to battle stations and the Earth vessel opens fire killing Duhkat, resulting in Delenn behaving out of character, and crying out for vengeance and destroying the Earth expedition without mercy. In my judgment she is even more responsible for what happens than the Earth craft because she knows better and is responsible for giving the Warrior class their head. Thus the two nations go to war although even on Earth to this day individual incidents of themselves do not lead to all out war involving civilian populations. Over the first month earth warships and defensive outposts are destroyed without losses on the part of Minbar. This again is odd because one would have assumed that faced with obliteration earth would have attempted an attack on the Minbar home world.
There are then developments which are post hoc ad hoc with no indication of their existence prior to the film and with evidence to the contrary. The first is that that Molari and G’Kar are official ambassadors/Contacts with Earth over ten years before Babylon 5 is created. Earth recognising inferiority is space craft and weapons approaches Londo and then G’Kar for help. London refuses concerned about the consequences for his people, fully justified in the circumstances while G’Kar sees this as opportunity to get at Centauri by selling at a high price to earth, captured Centauri technology, in the hope that this will lead to the Minbar attacking the Centauri. This again is morally indefensible.
Following the death of Duhkat a shrine is created to him and the head of the Rangers advises Delenn to visit at the earliest opportunity when she finds the Vorlon Kosh, The Vorlons and the Minbari were allies in the previous war against the Shadows and the Minbar Rangers have been looking out for them for information and to re-establish an alliance. Kosh advises Delenn that the war with Earth should be ended quickly because the human race is important in the war to come, but does not explain why, which is puzzling. Again there is no evidence that Delenn had any contact with Kosh prior to his appointment on Babylon 5.
We see the young Ivanova saying goodbye to her brother as he joins the battle knowing that to date there are always losses. Dr Franklin is arrested and imprisoned because he refuses to release the information he gained on his travels meeting up with the Minbar who he was unable to help when those contacts needed attention. He refuses to pass on the information as to do so would be contrary to his ethical standards although it is pointed out the future survival of humanity is at stake. More post hoc ad hoc.
As Earth’s losses mount an attempt is made to broker peace with the head of the Rangers, Lennon is asked by Delenn to meet a deputation from earth which includes Dr Franklin and Sheridan who meet on Narn with G’Kar the meeting broker.
Sheridan is there because he has become an Earth hero. His craft is badly damaged and his captain dead he takes over and rather than await to be destroyed he deliberately sends out a distress signal knowing it will attract the enemy, having placed his remaining three nuclear warheads on nearby asteroids, detonating them as the enemy approach and destroying the Minbar flagship, the Black Star. This is greeted with acclaim on earth and with horror on Minbar who experience their first losses. However there is no previous evidence that Sheridan knew Franklin or G’Kar prior to his arrival on Babylon 5. More post hoc ad hoc.
Moreover the susceptibility of the Minbar to this kind of offence does not appear to be used again.
The peace meeting fails because Molari finds out and concludes that the craft is an arms shipment arranged by G’Kar and arranges an attack in which Lennon is killed and the war escalates with the population of earth facing extinction. Molari as the guilt ridden and controlled President tells the children that he therefore was responsible for the subsequent deaths before the war ended, however he was doing the right thing, given that he had found out about the intention of G‘Kar to cause Minbar to attack the Centauri. The consequences is that the war intensifies although it is surprising that G’Kar who can communicate with the Minbari and has formal relations did not explain that they had been attacked by a third party. What there appears to be a well thought out and coherent back story is in my view significantly flawed
The remaining Earth pilots are asked to volunteers to give their lives while Earth arranges to get as many people as possible of the planet as refugees to other worlds. For every ten minutes the pilots survive another 700 humans escape. It is during self sacrificing gesture that Delenn on impulse arrange to capture a pilot to find out more about a race prepared to go into battle knowing they will lose. This is the famous moment of series when Sinclair is captured as he attempts to ram a Minbar craft and during the investigation it is discovered that he has a Minbari soul and Minbari do not kill Minbari, well at that point they do not. The war is ended to the amazement of Earth and Minbar warrior caste. Earth decides to start to build the Babylon 5 stations as a means to prevent such a situation happening again in future. That Earth has the technology to do is also surprising, as well as the resources to build five such stations in the ten year period. Thus Molari ends is story and then we are given a peek into the situation which we have seen before in World without End Part 2, Sheridan and Delenn are imprisoned on Centauri Prime. He is drinking heavily to get his Keeper drunk and to sleep so he get enable Sheridan and Delenn to escape.
Episode 501, The Deconstruction of Falling Stars, the first of the final episodes is a look forward in contrast to the previous look back. 100 years have passed since the founding of the Alliance with Sheridan as the first President, and Earth historians debate his role and that of Delenn, with one arguing that Sheridan had no part in getting rid of Clark and his fascist regime, while another claims he was a megalomaniac It is Delenn who then appears, some 80 years a widow who demonstrates that some of the historians have fabricated facts to fit their interpretation and provides them with information on what happened and why.
500 years later we find earth in turmoil again with a repetition of what happened before and a Fascist anti alien leadership and movement in which the Babylon heroes have become war criminals. Original film is used in holographic form to turn situations inside out but the creations behave as they would in real life reminding of situations in the Star Trek series, and Garibaldi acts in a way which results in the anti fascist movement getting information and carrying out a sneak attack on the military base in which the propaganda creator operates. He is destroyed. However this is not the end of earth divided.
1000 years later the civil war which developed between humans 500 years before has reduced earth to medieval times from which it has only commenced to recover Babylon 5 heroes have become mythological figures written about in illuminated manuscripts by monks. The Rangers at work again, on earth, determined to help create a civilization which is not anti alien or anti technology.
One millions later humans have evolved into First one beings and need Vorlon type suits and with two glowing eyes. The Vorlons have one. They are leaving earth because the sun is to exploded despite our knowledge this will happens only millions of years into the future.
In the Very Long Night of Londo Mollari 503 he has a near fatal heart attack and we are given insight into his dream world. Mollari is at the crossroads between his past misdeeds and the full realization of what has been the outcome. He expresses regret to G’Kar and there is movement forward in their personal relationship thus confirming the bonds which can develop between former political enemies who work in close association. The episode also sees the departure of Lennier as the devoted assistant to Delenn. Whatever he says about trying to find himself, he cannot cope with the love of his life marrying Sheridan. No one with human form characteristics can be that saintly all the time There is an ancient Centauri saying that sometimes an angelic soul can be trapped inside a body that has done great evil and can kill its host in an effort to break free and inhabit another body. Presumably the opposite is also true, although I believe neither in the form presented
In the Paragon of Animals, 504, we begin to see the emergence of G’Kar as a Guru spiritual leader. He has been writing a book which he had allowed Garibaldi and others to see passage in order to understand what was happening with the Shadow based on his study of the past and thinking about the future. He is chosen by Sheridan to write the principles upon which he new Federation is to operate. The title comes from Hamlet What piece of work is a man.... the paragon of animals. An interesting line in its time context before Darwin had published the Origin of the Species.
The programme also sees the development in the role the Telepaths are to have in the series. With the help of Lyta a group of breakaway telepaths led by Byron have been allowed to make Babylon 5 their home. In addition to the Minbari telepaths which are used in an open and carefully controlled way, the Centauri have used them as part of the military for 300 years. G’Kar has attempted to recruit Lyta to provide genetic material to establish telepaths in the Narn world and has also indicated carnal designs on Lyta. Lyta has been realising that her powers are developing since she was altered by the Vorlons through her association with Ambassador Kosh. She has been trying to read into two individuals at the point of death, something which Bester also has attempted in order to try and find out what happens to human consciousness after the body dies. Does human awareness really end when the brain is declared dead?
Garibaldi has persuaded Sheridan to agree to using two of Byron’s telepaths to help finds out what the Drazi race is up to and what is going on in the station in general. The Drazi have been recruiting raiders to attack minor worlds in their planetary system and their behaviour undermines the role of the new federation. The deployment of the two telepaths helps to stop this practice.
In my view the least successful of the Babylon 5 characters is the new head of station Elizabeth Lochley, who it emerges was married to Sheridan during an early period in their military careers. Their relationship appears as unlikely as his with Delenn. Nor is she convincing when later she reveals to Garibaldi her troubled past. She is no substitute for the always engaging Ivanova. She remained loyal to the Earth regime against Sheridan’s breakaway during the Clark reign as a fascist dictator
G’Kar writes
The Universe speaks in many languages but only one voice( oh if this was so)
The language is not Narn or Human, or Centauri, Gaim or Minbari.
It speaks in the language of hope. It speaks in the language of Trust.
It speaks in the language of strength and the language of compassion. It is the language of heart and the language of the soul. But always it is the same voice.
It is the voice of our ancestors speaking through us
And the voice of our inheritors waiting to be born. It is the small still voice that says we are One.
(The last paragraph is important because it communicates something fundamental in my set of beliefs viz that we are more clones of our ancestors than we presently understand bringing forward their memories and understanding into our subconscious and presently unused and undeveloped parts of our brain).
G’Kar then says
No matter the blood, no matter the skin,
No matter the world, no matter the star
We are One.
No matter the pain, no matter the darkness,
No matter the loss, no matter the Fear
We Are One
(My only observation is that he ought to have said we should be one)
He continues, Here, gathered together in common cause, We agree to recognise this singular truth and this singular role
That we must be kind to one another.
Because each voice enriches us and ennobles us,
An each voice lost diminishes us.
We are the voice of the universe, the soul of creation,
The fire that will light the way to a better future.
We are One.
Alas no one truly lives up to these fine words in the series
And in life as we know it, Jim.
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