Babylon 5

The direct reason for the surrender, yes. The reasons behind that weren't really answered until War Without End in season 3.

And then the full payoff of that didn't come back until Atonement in Season 4.

Sinclair was suspected of being the Dr. Breen of the B5 universe. It all seemed too convenient, him being the survivor and not having any memory of his dealings with the Minbari.

I love amnesia stories. If Sinclair had stuck around, my idea would have been that he'd brokered a deal with the Minbari and been mind-wiped. The deal was very damaging to the long-term interests of Earth, but he'd have no recollection of it.

edited 18th Jul '14 4:44:47 AM by johnnyfog

Given that the other long-term options were "Minbari nuke the earth"...

Though they are probably enough EA Politicans who are in the "if I were in charge back then" camp.

No, the reasons were given in Season Two, Episode One. Lennier explained how they discovered that Minbari souls were being reborn in human bodies. And that is why they surrendered. True, there was further payoff on this later on, particularly in War Without End ( revealing which particular soul Sinclair had) and Atonement ( following through with the cultural implications amongst the Minbari regarding the mingling of their own bloodlines / soul lines with those of humans), but that is merely elaboration upon things.

To give a more clear, but hypothetical example:

Let us say there is a show in which a character is killed in episode one, and who killed this character is a big mystery in season one. The main characters, and along with them, we the audience, definitively find out who the killer is in the first episode of season two.

The murderer is put on trial, and there's a big two-part episode in season three where the trial culminates and a verdict is brought down. Finally, in season four we see the killer imprisoned. Now certainly, the trial and seeing the now convicted killer going to prison are important elements of the consequences of the mystery having been solved, and it is all good and compelling storytelling, But as for the basic question of who the killer is, is there any doubt that the mystery was solved back in episode one of season two?

edited 18th Jul '14 10:12:49 AM by Yotsuyasan

And then nine years later, a Kickstarter campaign will drag the main character kicking and screaming back to their home town to prove that the guy they had a dysfunctional relationship with didn't murder his girlfriend, while we get to see what became of everyone she went to school with.

Actually, the timeline is about right for when The Lost Tales came out, bringing Sheridan back to B5

...and now I kind of imagine Lost Tales era Sheridan at a High School Reunion. Because he'd totally the type who'd enjoy that genuinely.

edited 18th Jul '14 5:44:45 AM by 3of4

Hah.

"So, what are you doing now?" "Oh, I'm an assistant manager at the grocery store, you?" "President of the Galaxy." "Ah. I'm Employee of the Month."

And then there is the conservative town crazy who thought "Clarke had some good idea's."

I just found the B5 Scrolls site - interviews with the VFX guys, designers, etc about who designed what and how, as well as some behind-the-scenes details.

Some freaking brilliant Londo fanart.

“I see a great hand reaching out of the stars. The hand is your hand. And I hear sounds–the sounds of billions of people calling your name.”

"My followers?"

"Your victims."

Ah, Londo, Londo...

I'm glad I wasn't there when they brought Arthur. Every time he introduces himself, I can't help but laugh and snicker, and and wonder where his dress is.

EDIT: "I have friends..." 'THAT'S ALRIGHT! SO DOES HE!'

edited 24th Aug '14 4:00:37 PM by TheHandle

No moral ambiguity, no hopeless battle against ancient and overwhelming forces! They were the bad guys, as you say, and we were the good guys. And they made a very satisfying thump when they hit the floor.

Which online service has Bablyon 5, if one has it at all?

Watch Jojos Bizarre Adventure, Part 1: Phantom Blood. It's exactly this kind of satisfaction, drawn over twelve episodes.

Tam: Dunno about online, but the US DVD season sets are pretty affordable at around $20 or less a pop (at least for Amazon in the US, dunno about overseas).

If Treasure Island's traditional pound-dollar parity rate is still the same, then that twenty dollar US price could well turn out to be twenty pounds sterling, or damned near forty dollars effective.

I'mma see if any of them are available pre-owned on Amazon or Ebay.

You know what they say about assuming ...

All five seasons are on Amazon UK right now for less than twenty quid each - less than a tenner in some cases. Admittedly, a couple are only available second-hand.

Or you can buy the complete collection - all five seasons, Crusade and all the TV movies - for fifty-odd (about a pound cheaper than buying the five seasons individually at the "headline" price.

edited 26th Aug '14 12:58:07 AM by AndrewGPaul

And uh.. what is that in Metric money?

Who cares? Tam's in the UK, as am I. £1 Sterling is about $1.50 - $1.60 in Monopoly money. He's being a bit optimistic if he thinks you can get two dollars to the pound these days.

And now all the ads here are for B5 DV Ds from Amazon.

I just ordered the whole series plus the movie set (and Wonderfalls) off Amazon.ca due to a minor windfall, and because they were all on sale. Together they were like 60$ Canadian. So, soon I'll be watching Babylon 5! (After I finish Wonderfalls of course.)

I'm getting acquainted with the Emperor.

He's such a puppy-kicker, even Vir doesn't want to try reasoning with him.

He's pretty awesome at it, really has a lot of villainous panache.

Sheridan: "I was dead. I'm better now."

edited 28th Aug '14 2:08:09 PM by TheHandle

Yeah, Cartagia was *awesome* in how crazy evil he was :D

Like his "Pain Technician" line.

I never understand the Hair Fan rules. The emperors (aside from Londo) have close cropped hair. But the toadies have giant hair....?