A Smart Premiere And An Inconsequential Second: Babylon 5’s “Midnight On The Firing Line” And “Soul Hunter!”

The Good: Good establishment of characters, Good plots, Most of the effects
The Bad: Frequently stiff acting, “Soul Hunter” has no lasting consequences, Medium issues
The Basics: Split between one surprisingly good pilot episode and a scary, but meaningless episode, the video of “Midnight On The Firing Line” and “Soul Hunter” is distinctly mixed


Every now and then, I am surprised by how, even for a serialized series, early episodes of a television show can be startlingly erratic. This is true even for Babylon 5, which developed into an astonishingly good show episode after episode. With "Midnight On The Firing Line" and "Soul Hunter," the erratic nature of early Babylon 5 is illustrated.

"Midnight On The Firing Line" picks up after the events of "The Gathering" and already has the station’s first officer replaced. When the Centauri outpost at Ragesh is attacked, the uneasy sense of peace in the galaxy is instantly upset. The new first officer, Ivanova, uses the chaos engulfing the galaxy outside as an excuse to avoid the new telepath sent by the Psi Corps. As Earth’s Presidential election nears, tensions on Babylon 5 rise when it is revealed that the Narn were responsible for the attack on the Ragesh agricultural colony.

When Londo receives a directive to not move for sanctions against the Narn, G’Kar tries to extort him with information about his family’s dark past and the Centauri Ambassador tries to let the other representatives do his dirty work for him. Commander Sinclair gets a directive not to move for sanctions either, but he decides to leave Babylon 5 to lead a mission against raiders in a nearby sector in order to avoid directly disobeying the Senator’s order. With the political threat causing a menace of all-out war, Londo prepares to assassinate G’Kar in his rage!

A "Soul Hunter" arrives on Babylon 5 on his severely damaged ship, which Sinclair rescues out in space. The new doctor, Franklin, nurses the alien back to health, though Delenn makes an attempt to kill the alien when she sees it in the medical bay. Delenn reveals that the alien is a Soul Hunter and his type arrives only at moments of great importance to take the souls of influential people. Dr. Franklin disbelieves her story until a civilian is stabbed in the down below and the Soul Hunter is able to sense it happening from the medical bay. The situation gets worse for Delenn, though, when the Soul Hunter abducts her and tries to add her Minbari soul to his collection!

Both of these Babylon 5 episodes have important character elements to them, though “Midnight On The Firing Line” has stiffer acting than one would hope, even for a pilot episode (which the episode essentially is). “Midnight On The Firing Line” provides essential information about the characters of Londo and Ivanova, with a great deal of history for the Babylon 5 Universe being thrown into the episode. “Soul Hunter” serves as a far less useful episode, though it is essential to understanding the eventual Babylon 5 film River Of Souls (reviewed here!), though it has a lot of characterization for Delenn.

Londo is characterized in “Midnight On The Firing Line” as a patriot and not just an unsuccessful politician. He has a deep love for both his family and the Centauri Republic. That affection for his people and their history (however destructive) owes a lot to the performance of Peter Jurasik. Jurasik infuses his lines when talking about the fall of Centauri with so much passion that it seems like he is talking about a real place. Even with G’Kar’s angry protestations about how his people were treated under the Centauri, it is impossible not to empathize with Londo due to Jurasik’s portrayal of the ambassador.

Unfortunately, Claudia Christian is incredibly stiff in the same episode. Christian’s Ivanova is presented not as efficient or particularly Russian, but as an actress who was thrown into something she did not understand, playing a character she was not ready to make nuanced. Watching “Midnight On The Firing Line,” especially after having seen how good Claudia Christian’s performances can be, it is hard not to cringe while Ivanova is on screen and speaking.

As for “Soul Hunter,” the implication about Delenn from “The Gathering” is made explicit when the Soul Hunter outs Delenn as a member of the Minbari’s ruling body, the Gray Council. The Soul Hunter knows that Delenn is both a woman of destiny and that she was present at the death of the great Minbari leader, Dukat. In her scenes, Mira Furlan sells the menace of the Soul Hunter and her terror is enough to convince the viewer that her character is in mortal peril. “Soul Hunter” may not have a lot of lasting consequences, but it allows Sinclair to rescue Delenn in a way that makes their burgeoning relationship seem plausible.

While “Soul Hunter” is, ultimately, a simple horror episode, “Midnight On The Firing Line” is smartly-written and illustrates just how difficult establishing peace can be. War has consequences and immediately in the saga of Babylon 5, writer J. Michael Straczynski works to develop themes built around the importance of negotiating peace and struggling with the ramifications of racism and war. These two episodes make for a great start and a fair continuation of Babylon 5.

[Knowing that VHS is essentially a dead medium, it's worth looking into Babylon 5 - The Complete First Season on DVD, which is also a better economical choice than buying the VHS. Read my review of the debut season by clicking here!
Thanks!]

For other works with William Morgan Sheppard, be sure to visit my reviews of:
Star Trek
Transformers
The Prestige
"Bliss" - Star Trek: Voyager
Gargoyles - Season 1
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
“The Schizoid Man” - Star Trek: The Next Generation

“Midnight On The Firing Line” – 8/10
“Soul Hunter” – 4.5/10
VHS – 5/10

For other television reviews, please be sure to visit my Movie Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2013 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Dr. Franklin's Medical Mysteries With "Deathwalker" And "Believers" On Babylon 5!

The Good: Excellent moral dilemmas, Decent character development, Mostly good acting
The Bad: Simple plots, Some shaky acting
The Basics: When medical ethics issues are brought to Babylon 5 in the form of war crimes experiments and religious zealotry, Babylon 5 does not shrink away from exploring the consequences!


Babylon 5 is not Star Trek. Never was, wasn't trying to be, didn't even enter into the equation. Yet, as a die-hard Star Trek fan, I find that Babylon 5 has a lot to offer and because it isn't bound by the conventions of the Star Trek universe, the cultures are distinct and the menace posed by threats is often quite real and binding with a permanence that Star Trek often lacks. Indeed, the great cited death in the Star Trek universe would have to be that of Tasha Yar from Star Trek: The Next Generation in "Skin Of Evil" (reviewed here!). As a result of death being a somewhat permanent condition in the Babylon 5 universe, the situations have an ability to take a turn toward the fatal and unexpected. Nowhere is this more true in the first season than with "Deathwalker" and "Believers."

Na'Toth is waiting for a transport to arrive when suddenly she assaults a woman who is boarding the station, yelling "Deathwalker!" The last of the Dilgar, the biogeneticist Jha'dur is nearly killed by Na'Toth before the Narn is dragged away. Jha'dur is Deathwalker, a corrupt scientist whose experiments on living beings has led to the development of an elixir that offers nothing less than immortality. While Na'Toth schemes for a way to kill Jha'dur, the races aboard Babylon 5 vie to obtain her research. Meanwhile, the Vorlon Ambassador, Kosh, has a scheme of his own in the works, a series of senseless negotiations requiring the presence of Talia Winters.

"Believers" finds Dr. Franklin caught in an ethical bind when the religious beliefs of a child's parents prevent the doctor from performing a simple lifesaving surgery on their son. When the child takes a turn for the worse, Dr. Franklin is forced to make an official request for Commander Sinclair to intervene. While the parents approach the various ambassadors aboard the station to prevent Sinclair's intervention, Ivanova is sent to escort in a passenger ship full of civilians that has been left adrift in Raider territory. But of course, the time comes when Sinclair has to rule . . .

As I said, this isn't the Star Trek universe, so medical dilemmas are not always handled with happy results. While Star Trek: The Next Generation explored end of life issues with shows like "Half A Life" (reviewed here!), only Star Trek: Deep Space Nine truly agonized the death of a character on screen with "Life Support" (reviewed here!). "Believers" pits religion versus science and Dr. Franklin's arrogance is in the assumption that his way is the right way. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the dilemma is that Dr. Franklin is one of the more spiritual characters on Babylon 5 and his belief in the power of medicine makes for an interesting dilemma that is hardly as black and white as a simple faith versus science argument. And the result is an episode that does not have any simple answers.

But it does have consequences. In fact, both "Believers" and "Deathwalker" are big on consequences. And those consequences are illustrated in painful detail right on screen; Babylon 5 does not tiptoe around them. Instead, Jha'dur gets beaten while we watch, Commander Sinclair's gambit to simply follow orders and extradite her to Earth is thwarted by an alien ambassador, and Deathwalker's revelation of the consequences of creating her serum are all unapologetically explored on screen. It makes for a poignant pair of episodes that resonate with anyone who wishes to explore medical and scientific ethics. Both episodes focus on the strengths and limitations of science and the exploration of medical science. With "Deathwalker," the viewer is treated to an argument exploring uninhibited research. Jha'dur's methods are easily considered barbaric and cruel. In "Believers," the episode explores the nature of intense restrictions on medical practices and many will find the prohibitions and mannerisms of the parents to be almost as barbaric or cruel.

Babylon 5 does not get excessively preachy about the issues, though, either. Instead, the consequences of the moral dilemmas are kept couched in character terms. Dr. Franklin's decision does not become a broad statement on medical ethics, nor does the willingness of every "civilized" planet in the galaxy to use Jha'dur to continue her research. And the character studies are compelling.

One of the very cool aspects of "Deathwalker," for example, is the use of character limitations for Commander Sinclair. He is not all-powerful and in "Deathwalker," he finds himself out maneuvered by one of the ambassadors from the League of Nonaligned Worlds. When the ambassador rounds up a posse on her own to blockade the passageways Sinclair finds himself unable to execute his orders and forced to grant the League a hearing for extradition of Deathwalker.

It's nice to see even the leaders of the galaxy limited by obstacles that equally smart and driven individuals scheme up. But moreover, Sinclair's determination not to use force in the situation to resolve it makes for a compelling character stroke as well. He becomes a man of principle who sticks to the principles, even when it is not easy.

Both b-plots have their merits as well. Talia's trial at the (proverbial) hand of Kosh is easily one of the most memorable b-plots in the entire series. The peculiar negotiations she is sent to monitor make for a series of intriguing scenes that are initially confusing but end up making perfect sense. In "Believers," the plot that has Ivanova confronting Raider ships keeps the nebulous enemy alive in the mind of regular viewers despite its somewhat inconsequential nature within the episode. It gives Ivanova something to do and that's always nice.

"Deathwalkers" highlights just how wonderful first season Babylon 5 can be on the acting front. Jha'dur is played with icy menace by Sarah Douglas. Douglas is probably best known in mainstream culture as one of the villains in Superman 2, though I fondly remember her as the Visitor commander Pamela from V: The Final Battle (reviewed here!). Douglas has two strengths she brings to bear in the role of Jha'dur. First, she proves that she can act around the extensive prosthetics and make-up she is given as a Dilgar. Even though she is covered in latex, she is able to emote and create a memorable character. Second, as someone who is accustomed to playing villains, Douglas is charged with making Jha'dur distinct and different. She does this by using a sense of understatement that she does not usually bring to her roles. Instead of playing Jha'dur as an outright villain, she plays her as a quiet scientist who simply did what she was trained to do. It's a nice twist and it works to create another memorable villain notch in her belt.

"Deathwalkers" also features Robin Curtis as an alien ambassador. Curtis, perhaps best known to genre fans for her role as Saavik in Star Trek III: The Search For Spock (reviewed here!), has to match wits and stature with Michael O'Hare to convincingly lead the plot to a standoff and she does it beautifully. Curtis has very emotive eyes and she is able to stare down O'Hare in a way that freezes him . . . and the viewer.

Michael O'Hare, for his part, does well being jerked around in "Deathwalker" and playing complete discomfort in "Believers." While Franklin has a pretty sound ethical dilemma - made more complicated by Sinclair's actions in the pilot episode - Sinclair is in murky legal waters. O'Hare plays Sinclair smartly; not as a man who cannot make up his mind, but a man who does not want the burden of a decision that sets such dangerous precedent.

Richard Biggs (Dr. Franklin) gives a solid performance that establishes his character as a determined and self-actualized healer.

Sadly, the performers playing the alien parents and the alien child are just plain terrible in the roles. Sure, they are supposed to be stiff and conservative, but half the time they look like they've forgotten their lines and are simply lost. And the child actor is, well, a child actor. This does not serve the episode well. Virtually every scene they are in is a weird combination of Biggs delivering flawless, emotional, poetic lines abruptly meeting with their stiff delivery of their parts. It just does not sit right.

The special effects in both episodes are among the better effects in season one with the CGI ships looking more real and less animated.

[Knowing that VHS is essentially a dead medium, it's worth looking into Babylon 5 - The Complete First Season on DVD, which is also a better economical choice than buying the VHS. Read my review of the debut season by clicking here!
Thanks!]

“Deathwalker” – 6.5/10
“Believers” – 5/10
VHS – 5/10

For other television reviews, please be sure to check out my index page on the subject by clicking here!

© 2012, 2007 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Poetic Titles Reveal The Enduring Questions And Concepts Of Babylon 5!

The Good: Great character moments, Moments of acting, Plot issues, Moments of effects, Themes
The Bad: Moments of effects, Why are villains so dumb?, Some predictability.
The Basics: With two very good episodes of Babylon 5 that tackle race issues in the unique universe of the show, this tape has some enduring value to it!


As I plod through the few Babylon 5 videos I can find, it occurs to me that there has not been a show on television that has such consistently poetic episode titles as Babylon 5. With the old VHS tape for "The War Prayer" and "And The Sky Full Of Stars," I found myself thinking of the importance of episode titles and the potentially beautiful poetics of them. Here again, Babylon 5 lives up to a higher standard!

"The War Prayer" finds Babylon 5 taking on more ambassadors and an old lover of Ivanova's arriving on the station. Ivanova's friend turns out to be an Earth-only racist with an agenda of ridding Earth outposts of alien influence. Seeing an opportunity to harm the Home Guard and learn its agenda, Sinclair and Ivanova attempt to infiltrate the organization while Londo sorts out a lover's problem between two young Centauri who are eloping.

"And The Sky Full Of Stars" finds the question that was asked in the beginning of the series resurfacing. What happened at the Battle of the Line; why did the Minbari surrender instead of wiping out humanity? And what happened during Sinclair's missing day? Two knights arrive on Babylon 5, abduct Commander Sinclair and attempt to wrest from his mind the truths they believe are locked there!

For a change, the episodes paired on the VHS tape are thematically similar, allowing the buyer/viewer a chance to capitalize on similar forms of drama. The knights that capture Sinclair are Earth-only extremists, like Ivanova's old flame. This tape, then, features some of the racial politics of the Babylon 5 universe and asks the big questions about how everyone there gets along. This opens the door for the Home Guard, an Earth-based extremist group that resents "alien influences" on humans and seeks to eliminate them.

It is that same hatred that motivates the knights in "And The Sky Full Of Stars." On some level, the knights are convinced that Sinclair has been compromised by the enemy, the Minbari. Though the Minbari are no longer the enemy of the humans, the war that nearly wiped humanity out left its mark and their abrupt end to hostilities is a mystery that has captured the imagination of the galaxy for the ten years since the war ended. Learning the truth to that mystery and how it relates to Sinclair motivates the knights. The interesting aspect here is that many of the most noble characters - Garibaldi, Sinclair - and the least noble - the racist knights - share the same goal, they are motivated to find the truth about the same mystery and that makes for an interesting character dynamic.

Less intriguing is the b-plot in "The War Prayer." The eloping couple allows the viewer to understand more about Centauri culture, but is mostly just filler. Sure, it gives Vir a chance to express himself and in that regard, the b-plot hints at future developments with Vir. Vir may be the aide to Londo, but he is not a carbon copy. Where Londo is motivated to better his people by attempting to reclaim the past glories of the Centauri, Vir is motivated by the desire to help people and he is willing to work for change in order to do that. In this way, "The War Prayer" begins to explore his character and gives actor Stephen Furst more airtime and a chance to establish his character.

The only real character faults in this pair of episodes come in the villains. In "The War Prayer," the lead villain - Ivanova's former lover, is just a complete idiot. Writer D.C. Fontana smartly devises the plan by which Sinclair may appeal to the racist and it makes sense. Sinclair fought the Minbari, so he could be seen to have a secret hatred of them and that's a pretty clever way to allow the character to roll. The problem I have is that the Home Guard bigot buys it. He swallows the bait big time and I would think members of a secret hate organization would be a little less trusting and a little more suspicious. After all, every club that works in secret does an extensive background check on its members (just look at the CIA!). The message is a good one; that conversation and understanding are stronger than racism and secrecy, but I find myself wishing the villains were just a little smarter.

In the case of the second episode, the villains are plenty smart and I like the side plot of the security officer who has gambling debts. In "And The Sky Full Of Stars," the station rules are established for how much security officers can gamble and that's a brilliant touch. With Garibaldi's officer bought due to his debts we see the reasonable purpose behind such rules and the attempt by Sinclair and Garibaldi to give the officer the chance to get right speaks volumes to their characters.

Genre fans will be delighted to see Judson Scott playing one of the knights. Judson Scott is well known as a character actor to fans of science fiction, notably appearing in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (reviewed here!) and the final episodes of the terrible television series V (reviewed here!). Here he adds to his repertoire with a cold, efficient performance as the bigoted Knight One. He was well cast for the roll and he lends an air of brutal efficiency to the part that makes the bit role seem well fleshed out.

Both of these episodes heavily reference the Earth-Minbari War and those who have not seen "The Gathering" (the pilot episode for Babylon 5) may be a little lost with the allusions. Outside that, the shows are very straightforward and they tend to focus on Commander Sinclair and begin to establish more of a relationship between him and Minbari ambassador Delenn. This is a nice pairing and the resolution to the second episode asks more questions than it answers. It's a great episode to sucker viewers into coming back for more!

It is in these episodes that Michael O'Hare seems to truly come into his own as Commander Sinclair. O'Hare plays a rather sublime, calm character and at times that has come across as stiff in prior episodes. Until "Mind War" (reviewed here!), when he was playing off Julia Nickson, he did not have a very natural chemistry with anyone outside Jerry Doyle's Garibaldi. In these episodes, he seems less stiff and more comfortable within the role, even when his character is distinctly uncomfortable. He loosens up some when appropriate and when he has to play bewildered, shocked and hurt - especially in "And The Sky Full Of Stars," it works wonderfully. He is able to convey confusion and suspicion with a masterful sense of body language.

And finally, Mira Furlan, of late recurring as Rousseau on Lost (reviewed here!), finally comes into her own, even though neither episode focuses significantly on her character. Delenn is a rather formal character and in the early episodes, it's hard to tell how much of her character's awkwardness is in the character and how much is Furlan learning to work around her extensive prosthetics (she has a pretty big headpiece!). In these two episodes, Furlan seems quite confident with her role and what her character is doing. She brings a grace to the role, especially in "The War Prayer" where Delenn's poet friend is assaulted, that is the embodiment of kindness, calmness and rationality. She steals the scenes she is in. And in the second episode, Furlan has possibly the best part, forcing so many questions into the light.

These are wonderful episodes, but they feel very much like they are a part of the larger whole and not as self-sufficient as some might like. They are, however, excellent for fans of general drama, even those who are not so big into science fiction. "The War Prayer" especially used very little in the way of science fiction conceits and holds up well, even despite the stupidity of the antagonists.

[Knowing that VHS is essentially a dead medium, it's worth looking into Babylon 5 - The Complete First Season on DVD, which is also a better economical choice than buying the VHS. Read my review of the debut season by clicking here!
Thanks!]

“The War Prayer” – 6/10
“And The Sky Full Of Stars” – 7/10
VHS – 6/10

For other television reviews, please be sure to visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2012, 2007 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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One Good (“Born To The Purple”), One Abysmal (“Infection”) - The Pointless Two-Episode VHS Babylon 5 Reviews!

The Good: "Born To The Purple" is real good
The Bad: "Infection" is unspeakably bad
The Basics: One good episode of Babylon 5 and one true lemon - one of the few for the series - combine to make an unsatisfying video release.


One of my favorite television series's is Babylon 5 and for a while before the advent of DVD, Warner released episodes on VHS with two episodes per tape. They are collector's items now! Given the expense of the series on DVD (though it is worth it!), finding the old videos for a song may be a great, inexpensive way to get into the show before committing to the whole set (the entire series set is reviewed here!). The problem, of course, with reviewing the two-episode tapes is made perfectly evident with the video for "Born To The Purple" and "Infection;" the former is a good, solid episode, the latter is easily one of the worst five episodes of the series.

For those unfamiliar with Babylon 5, the first season takes place in the mid 23rd century on space station Babylon 5. It is essentially a U.N. Building in space in neutral territory, charged with helping bring peace to the troubled galaxy by inspiring communication between the five major races (and a host of lesser ones).

"Born To The Purple" is a solid story about Londo Mollari. When he falls in love with an exotic dancer, Adira Tyree, the Centauri Ambassador becomes vulnerable. As a slave, Adira is beholden to her owner, who wants Londo's secret blackmail files on the Centauri royalty. In the wrong hands, the information Londo possesses could embarrass or crush the government and when Adira is forced to steal them, Commander Sinclair sees an opportunity to un-stall some negotiations between the Centauri and the Narn.

"Infection" is a pretty pathetic episode wherein an old friend of Dr. Franklin's arrives at the station from an Interplanetary Expeditions mission. He comes bearing an ancient organic technology that is newly unearthed from a distant world and that technology soon releases itself upon an archaeological assistant who is turned into pretty much the ultimate killing machine. Sinclair and Garibaldi track the supersoldier through the station as its weaponry becomes more powerful and threatens to destroy everything.

There are a number of comparisons made between Star Trek (especially Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) and Babylon 5. Usually, those comparisons are a stretch and are based on weak logic, threads that do not hold up under careful scrutiny. In the case of "Infection," though, the episode bears a striking resemblance - especially in its resolution - to the terrible Star Trek episode "The Changeling" (reviewed here!). Indeed, the final gambit devised by Dr. Franklin and Sinclair is almost identical to the one developed by Kirk and Spock in the classic Star Trek episode. And in getting there, there is a sudden influx of information that seems to be derived from a real stretch of scientific logic.

As Babylon 5 was just starting out, the terrible special effects are almost forgivable in "Infection." But the special effects are pretty bad, making them often look like they were created in the '60's as opposed to the '90's. Worse than that, the lighting in many of the scenes is awful, giving the series a darker and grainier look than it ought to have had. "Infection" is an all-around bad episode and in large part it is because it is so plot driven.

"Infection" involves almost no character development. Dr. Franklin is supposedly tempted by his former mentor's offer to join him in exploring the galaxy, but it never clicks, it never seems genuine. Add to that, the giant killing machine running around the station simply takes over the complete attention of the entire crew. The episode degenerates into a series of attacks that are not smart, nor impressive, nor even particularly consequential. The plot becomes a big, noisy distraction for an hour.

Babylon 5 usually succeeds because it is heavily serialized; it is telling one long story over the course of its five year arc. "Infection" is one of the rare bottle episodes that does not advance any of the plot, nor the characters. All it does is set up the thread that Interplanetary Expeditions is somewhat corrupt and willing to bend the rules of scientific ethics and station import procedures to turn a profit.

The only redeeming factor of "Infection" (it would be one star in my ten point system) is that its actors are decent. David McCallum guest stars as Franklin's associate and while he is not stretched as an actor in the role, he performs the part adequately. Similarly, Richard Biggs is given a lot of technobabble which he works his way around with competence and grace throughout the episode, even if he does not significantly grow his character. And Michael O'Hare is given the chance to play action hero - a role he is not given often on his brief tenure on the series.

But O'Hare does perform magnificently in "Born To The Purple." Sinclair's role is primarily to be an administrator and in "Born To The Purple," he finds himself at an inevitable and unfortunate impasse in negotiating between the Narn and the Centauri. This gives O'Hare the opportunity to infuse some genuine leadership and negotiation qualities into his character. He does it quite successfully, while also infusing a wry wit that will please a lot of the viewers; he has a great ability to emote with his eyes. In "Born To The Purple," he does that admirably.

It is, primarily, Londo's episode, though and actor Peter Jurasik does a pretty magnificent job. Until now in the series, Londo has been full of bluster or overcome by feelings of worthlessness as his assignment is largely treated as a joke to those back home. In this episode, Londo experiences love and Jurasik transforms the character with a wonderful portrayal of pure joy. Jurasik infuses energy and zest into his performance to enhance the character while still playing the reticence needed to not make the character suddenly seem like a parody of himself.

But "Born To The Purple" has several of the elements of what Babylon 5 does best. Namely, the story is character-driven and it illustrates well the actions the characters take having consequences. The chain of consequences for Londo and Adira resonate because it is largely their prior decisions that put them into the predicament they find themselves in. For fans of the series, the resolution to the episode has consequences that reverberate into the fourth season. It's a small episode, but thematically, it embodies much of the best of what Babylon 5 tries to present over its run.

As important, "Born To The Purple" establishes Londo as a vital character. Adira is an interesting character and for a guest character to be given a huge role and the main decision of the episode is very generous for the writers and producers (it's one of the few episodes not written by J. Michael Straczynski!). But Adira's choice between love and the life she is enslaved in makes for a compelling character conflict that works well for her. The viewer empathizes with her struggle as she is forced by her owner to betray a man she loves.

And because the episode is character-driven, it feels much more like it is resolved by the wits and skills of the show's protagonists rather than by random chance. That makes for great television. Fans of political drama - in addition to those who like science fiction - are liable to enjoy "Born To The Purple" quite a bit. Sadly, I'm not entirely sure who would enjoy "Infection" as it represents hard science fiction and seriously overdone science fiction at that.

[Knowing that VHS is essentially a dead medium, it's worth looking into Babylon 5 - The Complete First Season on DVD, which is also a better economical choice than buying the VHS. Read my review of the debut season by clicking here!
Thanks!]

"Born To The Purple" – 7/10
"Infection" – 1/10
VHS – 3.5/10

For other television reviews, please be sure to visit my Television Review Index Page for an organized listing of all the t.v. episodes, DVD sets and series’ that I have reviewed!

© 2012, 2007 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Back To The Beginning And Back Before That: "The Gathering" And "In The Beginning!"

The Good: "In The Beginning" is a great story
The Bad: "The Gathering" looks very pilot-ish
The Basics: The clunky acting and pilot nature of "The Gathering" pulls down the refined, if overly revealing "In The Beginning" on this very simple DVD release!


One of the things that blows - and no, there is no better term for it than that - about all of the Babylon 5 multipacks and DVD boxed sets featuring the various seasons of Babylon 5 is that none of them include the pilot film, "The Gathering," which is alluded to a fair number of times, especially in the first season. Indeed, despite being an amazing collection, The Complete Babylon 5 (reviewed here!) does not have the integral pilot movie, which aired almost a year before the series began and was enough to get the television show green-lit.

"The Gathering" also establishes the big mystery of the first season, which is not answered in that first season. It follows various characters around, asking how and why the Earth/Minbari War actually ended. Given that those events are hundreds of years in the mythical future of the universe of Babylon 5, it is perfectly natural for viewers to ask, "What's the big deal about the Earth/Minbari War?" That is where "In The Beginning" comes in. "In The Beginning" tells the full story (almost) of the war between Earth and Minbar, with a few new, never-before-alluded-to episodes thrown in for fun and edification.

On DVD, "The Gathering" and "In The Beginning" appears with no frills as a single double-sided DVD intended to inexpensively offer fans and viewers a chance to start the series properly with "The Gathering" and to flashback when it is done (there is a HUGE amount of debate among fans as to when "In The Beginning" ought to be watched; I tend to fall on the side of after the fourth season, myself) with "In The Beginning."

For those who like DVD frills and are fans of Babylon 5, a better deal is Babylon 5: The Movies, a five disc set review pending. That set includes both "The Gathering" and "In The Beginning" and it adds commentary tracks and a few featurettes, plus has three more films to accompany these two. But for those who just want the essentials, there is this DVD.

"The Gathering" is the recut pilot episode for the Babylon 5 series and it is pretty much essential for fans or newcomers to watch before attempting to view the series. Introducing all of the major players in the universe, station commander Jeffrey Sinclair must deal with the arrival and subsequent assassination attempt on the Vorlon ambassador, Kosh. In the process, Sinclair himself becomes a target, inspiring the question that will rule the entire first season of the series.

"In The Beginning" is a prequel movie which tells the story of the Earth-Minbari war. Here we see more than what the series has told us previously, including Dr. Franklin's role, Londo Mollari's interventions and John Sheridan's victory against the Minbari as well as a secret mission to try to end the war.

"The Gathering," being the pilot, is awkward in comparison to the polished look of the rest of the series and the rest of the movies. But, as it is the beginning, we know the universe will not end. Similarly, "In the Beginning" is the story of a war which has a known outcome. Fleshing it out is certainly interesting and while it is perhaps the best of the Babylon 5 films, the story falls mostly along known lines.

"The Gathering" looks like a pilot and between the costumes, props and hair styles, it seems like no one knew quite what to make of the endeavor. It does, however, establish the dark and gritty universe of Babylon 5. The main races and players are introduced with the Centauri, Narn, Minbari, Vorlons and telepaths all making appearances. There is a ridiculous amount of exposition, but it is a necessary evil. In fact, "The Gathering" works better in context; it seems almost like a dramatis personae for some of the essential characters and an outline of themes for the forthcoming television show.

This is not to say that it is not entertaining; it is. "The Gathering" is an attempted murder mystery and it sets up a number of questions that take years in the Babylon 5 universe to answer. And because this is a science fiction setting, there are things like ridiculous magical rings (fortunately never seen again after this movie) and other conceits that make finding the potential assassin a real treat.

But far superior to the clunky acting and poor lighting of "The Gathering" - which, admittedly is harder for fans of the series to get into because station Commander Sinclair is replaced at the climax of the first season - is "In The Beginning." An unabashed war story, "In The Beginning" combines footage from throughout the Babylon 5 series to tell the story of the Earth-Minbari War from the perspective of Londo and all he has pieced together by the time he dies. It illustrates the Minbari perspective and the human one as Earth and Minbar struggle to relate after a chance encounter and a mistake trigger a war that leads humanity to the brink of extinction.

And then it ends and no one knows why . . . and for that, one needs Babylon 5. "In The Beginning" is entertaining and engaging for all audiences, but it should not be watched by casual viewers because it does rob the thunder from some of the most impressive and enduring surprises of the Babylon 5 television series.

"In The Beginning" also has the benefit of both the refined special effects and better acting than "The Gathering." "The Gathering" has a few recognizable characters and actors, like Michael O'Hare as Commander Sinclair, Jerry Doyle as Garibaldi, and Patricia Tallman as Lyta Alexander. Also present are Andreas Katsulas as G'Kar, Mira Furlan as a far more androgynous and spotty D'elenn and Peter Jurasik as a much balder Londo. None of them shine in "The Gathering" and there are notable cast members absent.

"In The Beginning," on the other hand, has the full Babylon 5 cast and everyone is in their prime and running at stride. Bruce Boxleitner and Richard Biggs flesh out the cast as Captain Sheridan and Dr. Franklin, respectively. As well, Claudia Christian has some wonderful scenes as Ivanova.

But basically, this is a single, no-frills DVD featuring a science fiction mystery and a science fiction war story. They bookend the television series and while "The Gathering" is very much a set-up, "In The Beginning" stands quite well on its own. Ultimately, my "not recommend" only comes down to preferring the full movies boxed set and thinking that that is a better value for fans of Babylon 5. If, however, one just wants a cheap science fiction adventure, this DVD set will fit the bill.

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V
Tin Man
Quatermass

5/10

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© 2012, 2008 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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The Important Difference Between "Haven" and Heaven

The Good: Moments of humor, Acting, Character Development
The Bad: Plot, Predictability
The Basics: While it fails often in the clunky dramatic moments, the humor and character development in "Haven" make it worth viewing.


Taking a break from having so much attention on Captain Picard and Tasha Yar, who pretty well dominate the first three episodes of Star Trek The Next Generation, comes "Haven." "Haven" was produced rather early (as the fourth episode), but aired significantly later, as observed by the somewhat erratic order the DVDs are in. Out of order, the episode seems especially weak for such details as Deanna Troi referring to Commander Riker as "Bill" (later she adopted the nickname "Will," like everyone else on the Enterprise). "Haven" is pretty much the classic "a-plot/b-plot" storyline and while the plot is a bit dull, pointless, and predictable, it still delivers one of the first Star Trek The Next Generation episodes worth watching.

While in orbit around the planet Haven (not, it's important to notice, Heaven), Counselor Troi receives word that the arranged marriage that was planned for her as a child has come time to occur. Not at all excited, Troi reluctantly meets Wyatt, her fiance, who goes a bit of a ways to alleviating her fears about the experience. Then, Troi's mother, Lwaxana, appears and Troi's life is made far more complicated. Add to that that a plague ship from a race thought long dead appears in orbit around Haven and threatens the population of the peaceful planet with its very presence. Troi's life, complicated by her mother, is also plagued by her unresolved feelings for Commander Riker, who is forced to deal with those feelings himself. As the marriage approaches, the Enterprise seeks a peaceful solution for the victims of the plague ship, which conveniently involves Wyatt.

And you know it's first season Star Trek The Next Generation" by the fact that the tractor beam is used on the plague ship as opposed to firing warning shots or such. The first season of Star Trek: The Next Generation is largely an odyssey of philosopher kings. Here we see a planet that has no defense systems and that's a worthwhile concept and the menace of a ship carrying a disease is a very real threat. It's a pretty tidy episode and there's not a lot to recommend it, except . . .

. . . Well, it's funny. And the humor stands up over repeated viewings. The interactions between Lwaxana and Wyatt's parents are downright funny and easily outshine the dramatic moments. Lwaxana is the embodiment of the free spirit (though ironically, she clings to many of the conservative traditions of her planet, which is very progressive) while Wyatt's mother is especially conservative. So, for example, the dinner scene where both families are interacting, becomes a humorous conflict between conservative and liberal philosophies and the show pulls it off fairly well.

Add to that that the characters are good. Troi faces - what she believes - is a real dilemma and she handles it with realism, like a person, instead of a character on a television show. So while we, the viewer, have a pretty good idea that Troi will be back next week not married to Wyatt, Troi doesn't appear to. In fact, as Troi deals with the ramifications of leaving the Enterprise, she makes some of the compelling arguments (outside "our parents arranged it") for leaving the ship, which lends some credibility to the character journey. As well, Troi adapts to the resolution of the episode with some realism and the viewer has the impression the character is actually feeling something.

Part of that credit deserves to go to Marina Sirtis, who plays Troi. She breathes life into an otherwise absurd part in the first opportunity she has had to do something other than declare what others are feeling. It's a welcome change. Sirtis plays Deanna Troi as realistically conflicted and there are moments she changes her whole body language to sell the transformations and dilemmas her character is going through. As well, she wonderfully expresses herself without speaking when Troi sees her mother. I've never seen an actress who can roll their eyes with their body language like Sirtis can.

Other acting kudos must go to Majel Barrett Roddenberry, who plays Lwaxana Troi. She plays her with such precision and annoyance that it's easy to see why Troi gets so upset with her. Majel is kooky as Lwaxana and her over-the-top portrayal makes the character. In short, Roddenberry gives the strong sense that Lwaxana has a history long before this episode. We get the impression, from her performance, that Lwaxana has been elsewhere before, annoying other people. She conveys this with the ease with which the character comes to her. Her performance is dramatically different from her serious role of Number One in the pilot episode of Star Trek ("The Cage") and very different from her serious role on Babylon 5.

The nice thing is that this is the first time the relationship that Troi and Riker had before the series began is explored. Faced with Wyatt, Riker must suddenly either make his move or prepare to lose Troi. It's nice to see the backstory explored. Part of what makes this episode worth seeing is that it moves the Riker-Troi backstory from something that is hinted at to something that becomes actionable, something to be explored in the future.

In all, "Haven" is a usually fun episode that is very accessible to anyone, as opposed to fans of Star Trek The Next Generation. And hey, if your ex-partner has an overbearing mother, this is a good episode to send them on their next birthday.

[Knowing that VHS is essentially a dead medium, it's worth looking into Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Complete First Season on DVD, which is also a better economical choice than buying the VHS. Read my review of the debut season by clicking here!
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6/10

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© 2010, 2007 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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