Two (Mostly) Detached Episodes Of Babylon 5 Make For A Disappointing Volume: “Survivors” & “By Any Means Necessary”

The Good: Moments of character, “Survivors,” Themes of “By Any Means Necessary.”
The Bad: Frequently stiff acting, “By Any Means Necessary” is clunky and filled with stereotypes, Very little character development, Medium issues
The Basics: The video of “Survivors” and “By Any Means Necessary” has two episodes that are awkward early episodes of the series, neither of which has truly lasting consequences.


As I go through Babylon 5 with my wife (her first pass through the epic series), there are a few episodes where I find myself cringing at some of the episodes. It is hard to make her sit through the episodes that are far less compelling or connected to the rest of the series. "Survivors" and "By Any Means Necessary" are two such early episodes that make me appalled for how they fail to connect to the rest of the otherwise highly-serialized television story.

"Survivors" is the first episode that focuses primarily on Security Chief Garibaldi and works to flesh out his alluded-to tragic backstory that led him to take the position on Babylon 5 that has been characterized as his last chance to make good. As a follow-up to the Presidential Election on Earth in “Midnight On The Firing Line” (reviewed here!), the newly re-elected President Luis Santiago is on a goodwill tour of the galaxy. In advance of his coming, EarthForce Security sends Major Lianna Kemmer and her security force to secure the station for his arrival. Kemmer is bitter over her “Uncle Mike” and his role as chief of station security of Babylon 5. When there is an explosion in one of the Cobra Bays, Garibaldi begins an investigation. Soon, though, it appears that Garibaldi was paid off . . . by the Centauri and Kemmer hunts Garibaldi into down below. As she follows him on a relentless pursuit of personal vengeance, Garibaldi tries to find who the real culprits were in sabotaging the station and planning to assassinate the President.

In "By Any Means Necessary," a Narn ship visits Babylon 5, where the dockworkers have been overwhelmed by the demands of the job and the cuts in the Babylon 5 budget. When the Narn ship makes a maneuver, against Ivanova’s orders, the damage leads to casualties and damage to the station. The union leader for the dockworkers quickly organizes the beleaguered workers, including the brother of the worker who died. They approach Sinclair to resolve the understaffing and overworking problems.

As EarthForce sends in Zento, their top negotiator, to prevent an illegal strike of the dockworkers on Babylon 5, G’Kar has his own fallout from the near-destruction of the Narn transport. The cargo ship was carrying an exceptionally rare flower, the black G’Quan Eth, a flower he needs for a religious ceremony he has to perform. When the Centauri virtually enslaved the Narn homeworld, they left the planet virtually unable to grow the rare flower. Londo, however, has a G’Quan Eth of his own, which he wants to use for its hallucinogenic effect in his drink. After trying to buy the flower and have Na’Toth steal it for him, G’Kar turns to Sinclair for intervention.

“Survivors,” in addition to having an incredibly awkward and obvious bluescreen shot that makes the monorail look super cheesy, is a rare Babylon 5 episode that lacks a b-plot of any significance. While Garibaldi struggles with his past and his battle with alcoholism, “Survivors” works hard to belabor that with the relationship with Kemmer. Garibaldi is given a decent reason for Kemmer to go after him; her father was a good friend of Garibaldi’s and his death left Lianna fatherless. Lianna grew up, after Garibaldi left in disgrace, to become an integral part of EarthForce.

Unfortunately, the character arc for Lianna is exceptionally predictable and formulaic. At least as important, it is never followed up upon, robbing it of even marginal importance in the overall Babylon 5 Saga. Given how the first season ends, it is disappointing that Kemmer’s fate after this episode is never addressed. Elaine Thomas, who played Kemmer, is stiff, though her role required some emotional distance to make the part work.

John Snyder in “By Any Means Necessary” is not given a compelling character hook for why his character of Zento seems inhumane. Snyder seems to be simply trying to trade on his good looks and he delivers a performance virtually identical to, and as passionless as, his one-shot on Star Trek: The Next Generation’s “The Masterpiece Society” (reviewed here!). Unfortunately, “By Any Means Necessary” is thematically heavy-handed. The dock worker is the only Latino character viewers see in the Babylon 5 Saga and the union leader is little more than a baiting brawl-organizer who acts as a loudmouth without really presenting an enlightened view or an articulate argument.

It matters little, though; “By Any Means Necessary” is referenced once more and never again. “Survivors,” which should have been more integral to the overall arc of Babylon 5 is not afforded that courtesy, even though the Home Guard does pop back up multiple times. As a result, “Survivors” becomes a somewhat tedious character study that suffers from any number of “early episode” problems and is harder to truly care about.

[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!]

“Survivors” – 5/10
“By Any Means Necessary” – 2.5/10
VHS – 3.5/10

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

© 2013 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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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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Crusade - The Complete Series: Utterly Average Science Fiction Blah.

The Good: Moments of concept and character, DVD bonus features are fine.
The Bad: Awkward acting, Inconsistent character elements, Generally predictable plots, Soundtrack
The Basics: A surprisingly dismal outing in the Babylon 5 universe, Crusade dies a quick death, after wasting thirteen hours of our life.


Before I (potentially) start cheesing people off left and right who might be fans of Crusade, it is worth noting that I am a big fan of Babylon 5. It is one of the series' that has taken a prominent spot in my permanent location and I have positively reviewed the entire series here. In fact, I so enjoyed Babylon 5 that when given the chance to check out the first season of Jeremiah (reviewed here!), I enthusiastically did. Now, years later, I have gotten my hands on Crusade, the first spin-off to Babylon 5 and . . .

Yuck. Just yuck. I know, this is not the most professional term a reviewer might use when describing the quality of a television show but . . . yuck. I stand by my yuck. If anything, I was biased going into Crusade and I made a nightly event of watching the episodes. I was psyched, in part, because I had recently met Tracy Scoggins at a convention and after several days of sitting next to her and chatting, I felt it was time to pick up some other work of hers. Crusade seemed like such a good idea, especially considering it had been years since I had sat down and watched Babylon 5: A Call To Arms, the final film in the Babylon 5: The Movies boxed set (reviewed here!). It helps to see that movie before one sits down and endures Crusade, a thirteen episode television series that was designed to flesh out the galaxy of Babylon 5 and provide a whole new adventure for five years. Prematurely canceled (at least in terms of storyline), Crusade remains an unfinished work and when the opportunities have risen for J. Michael Straczynski to bring some closure to the story, he has not bothered. I can understand; it's hard to get excited about this one.

With Earth under quarantine from the Drakh plague, Earthdome sends its best ship - the Excalibur - into the galaxy on a mission to find a cure. The Excalibur is staffed by a maverick captain named Gideon who has racked up an extensive list of first contact encounters that seems to make him ideal for exploration with this particular mission guiding him and his crew. Gideon is accompanied by a thief, a technomage, an irate archaeologist, and his main crew, which includes a telepathic first officer. With the crew assembled and their mission clear, the Excalibur heads out into the galaxy.

There they discover aliens that take possession of their bodies, technophobes, and an ancient resting place for honored dead. Exploring the galaxy uncovers no shortage of dead civilizations and while exploring for a cure to the plague, the crew of the Excalibur encounters paranoid aliens, religious fundamentalists and PR agents who insist on changing the uniforms so the folks back home have more hope. The ship and crew frequently come under attack or learn about the presence of powerful races that have all died horribly, foreshadowing the fate of Earth if the crew fails in their mission.

Crusade is a fairly ambitious idea, but it is one that fans will have a real difficult time getting excited about, for several reasons. The first is that the viewer knows from the opening frames of the first episode - when the stakes are laid out - that Earth will not die. The entire population will not be eradicated by the Drakh. We know this not because it is too ambitious a premise, but because episodes of Babylon 5, most notably the fourth season's finale, illustrate future events on Earth. So, the viewer knows that the plague is going to be cured; it is simply a matter of how and when.

Second, anyone who does an even preliminary examination of this series will quickly learn that it is in no way complete. This DVD set does not include A Call To Arms, necessitating the purchase of another boxed set just to understand the plot, ship capabilities and to be introduced to the characters of Dureena Nafeel and Galen.

Third, the ambitious idea that motivates Crusade makes little sense and is for a concept that is hardly cinematic. Have you ever wondered why there are no television series' that spend years in a medical community performing trial and error experiments with the goal being to eliminate a virus? It's not great television. Trial fails, trial fails, trial fails, trial fails, trial succeeds, the series ends. Without delving into a melodrama to support such a concept, the television show's idea alone cannot sustain itself as an entertaining premise. But more than that, the overall concept: exploring the galaxy to search for a cure, makes little overall sense. The virus was released by the Drakh, it stands to reason they have stockpiles of the plague somewhere. But the show does not confront the Drakh so directly. Ironically, this also guts the point of what is ultimately the series finale because that episode's premise (running an experiment to actually find the plague virus) makes little sense. For sure, the viewer can understand and accept the idea, but rather than risking lives to see how it spreads, wouldn't it have been just as easy to invade Drakh space, steal their sample and find the virus that way? After all, one of the principle members of the Excalibur crew is a thief!

Finally, the crossover characters from Babylon 5 tend to be treated remarkably blandly. Captain Lochley and Babylon 5 make appearances in multiple episodes (remarkably few considering actress Tracy Scoggins receives second billing right below Gary Cole!), but her role is much more that of a fish-out-of-water and the arc between her and Gideon is surprisingly obvious and she is hardly given enough to do to justify her presence in the episodes.

Rather strangely, Crusade has a remarkably inconsistent crew, even for a young series. Gideon, naturally, is in all of the episodes, but Galen flits in and out, as do Dureena and Max. Dr. Chambers similarly bounces between being one of the lead characters and being relegated to a complete nonentity.

Even though the series is rather limited and the characters seem to appear and disappear for stretches throughout, it is handy to know who the principles are. In Crusade, the main characters are:

Captain Matthew Gideon - A cold, risk-taking commander of the most powerful ship in the Interstellar Alliance, he was once abandoned in space and rescued by Galen. Devoted to saving Earth, he has agreed to scour the galaxy looking for clues that might lead him to a cure for the emerging plague. He has a strange relationship with an entity kept in a box in his quarters, which might be a parasite or an ancient race,

Lieutenant John Matheson - A telepath who survived the Telepath War, he is open about his abilities and more or less restricted from using them. Matheson saves the crew by projecting images into the minds of invading aliens to disarm them, but otherwise serves as a support to the captain when Gideon leaves the ship,

Dr. Sarah Chambers - the ship's physician and an adept research scientist, she and Eilerson clash frequently, though they come to find merit in one another,

Max Eilerson - An expert in communications and archaeology, Eilerson works for Interplanetary Expeditions. Sarcastic and deeply gifted, Eilerson is a grudging member of the crew and often puts profit before the welfare of the ship,

Galen - A technomage (one who uses technology to simulate the effects of magic) of great skill, he once rescued a dying Gideon. Now, he joins the captain and Excalibur on its mission whenever he feels like it and he and Dureena strike up an intriguing friendship based on the fact that both are the only members left of their kind,

Dureena Nafeel - a thief and a powerfully intuitive member of the crew, she seeks to learn Galen's ways, largely because she wishes to extract revenge upon the Drakh,

and Captain Elizabeth Lochley - she shows up from time to time, like when the Excalibur docks at Babylon 5. Despite not wanting to get into any form of serious relationship, she and Gideon clash, until they realize their passions for one another are not merely aggressive.

The characters seem to have their moments, but with such a small cast of characters, it quickly becomes a weird collection of undertows that compel them to pair off. Gideon and Lochley, Galen and Dureena and Eilerson and Chambers all develop friendships with a strong romantic undertone or (in the case of the captain and Lochley) an actual romance. Strangely, for such a small group of characters, they are presented in such a way that it is difficult to care about them. For example, there is never a moment when Matheson is in any jeopardy such that the viewer actually cares whether the character lives or dies.

As for the acting, there is quite a range there as well. Marjean Holden isn't given much to wow the audience with and if she is attempting to, she fails. Far too often, she seems like she's uncomfortable in the setting or mouthing the technobabble. Similarly, Daniel Dae Kim, who is usually one of my favorites, manages to portray Matheson surprisingly blandly.

Scoggins, David Allen Brooks, Peter Woodward and Carrie Dobro each give their best in their roles as Lochley, Eilerson, Galen, and Dureena, respectively. Galen and Dureena are instantly interesting characters and Woodward and Dobro (who both appeared in A Call To Arms) flesh them out well in Crusade.

Gary Cole stars as Matthew Gideon and unfortunately, this is not the best part he has ever had. In fact, while his character on the fifth and sixth seasons of The West Wing (reviewed here!) was often criticized as boring, Cole never actually played the character that way. On Crusade, he is more listless than cerebral, more bland than contemplative and more dull than driven. Cole has the ability to be charismatic and intriguing and he fails rather significantly at that in the role of Gideon. Instead, watching him episode after episode becomes more and more painful, even to fans of the franchise!

Even more painful is the soundtrack. Evan H. Chen provides a distracting electronica soundtrack that is often at odds with the visual sensibilities of the series.

But more than that, Crusade feels like it is distracted from its own mission, like when it takes a break for the penultimate episode to do a spoof of The X-Files. On DVD, Crusade looks good and includes a commentary track on two of the episodes. As well, there are two featurettes, one on the making of Crusade and one on how the Excalibur was designed. None of these bonus features are worth enough to bump the series up into the territory where I could recommend it.

Fans of Babylon 5 seem to be split on this show: I came to it psyched about the concept and ready for something new and instead I found a wandering, listless, very obviously science fiction series. At least, now that I've seen it, I'll know any allusions to it in subsequent Babylon 5 universe productions, but I'll be even more happy that I can save some shelf space when I get rid of this.

For other works with Daniel Dae Kim, please visit my reviews of:
Lost
Crash
Spider-Man 2
Hulk
Angel

4.5/10

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

© 2012, 2008 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.

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Expanding The Universe Of Babylon 5: Babylon 5: The Movies

The Good: Generally good special effects, Interesting stories, Good acting, Decent extras
The Bad: Inconsistent character elements, Inconsistent movie quality
The Basics: While a must for fans of the Babylon 5 series, the self-referential nature of some of the movies make this a difficult sell to newbies.


When Babylon 5 moved to the TNT network, they were commissioned to make films to make an event of the move. In addition to recutting the pilot for the television show, the producers were given the chance to make four additional films. They are now collected in one boxed set which is the Babylon 5 Movie Collection.

"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.

"Thirdspace" - This problematic sidenote to the main Babylon 5 storyline revolves around the discovery of an immense alien artifact which seems to hold the key to a new form of travel. It telepathically affects many of the crew and threatens ruin on the station.

"The River of Souls" explores the philosophical questions initially raised in the first season episode "The Soul Hunter" by bringing Soul Hunters back to the station. This standalone film is fairly pointed and it makes its point well.

Finally, "A Call To Arms" puts the Earth under attack by the allies of the Shadows as a precursor to the series Crusade, the Babylon 5 spin-off. "A Call To Arms" feels like a Babylon 5 endeavor in terms of characterization and plot, though it works to pass the torch to a new crew.

What works with the Babylon 5 movies is that they flesh out the universe of Babylon 5 exceptionally well. These stories fill in gaps, make richer the known events, and give some opportunities to characters that we have not seen before.

The main problem with these movies - up until "A Call To Arms" is the lack of a credible threat. "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 real insult in this department is "Thirdspace." At the height of the action of the fourth season of Babylon 5, the station faces a deadly threat that could wipe out everything. But, of course, it doesn't. Why? Because there's the rest of season four and season five coming. "Thirdspace" is like watching a horror film when one knows there is a sequel and which stars have already been cast for it. The menace is diminished. Therefore, the threat represented by "Thirdspace" is never real. We know no one we care about will die, be altered and there are no ramifications from this on the series. This insults the larger tapestry by diminishing one of the fundamental notions of the Babylon 5 universe; all actions, all choices, here have a consequences.

"River of Souls" works mostly well as does "A Call To Arms." Where "River of Souls" fails to work is - again - in the big picture of the Babylon 5 universe. At the end of the fifth season of Babylon 5, the station is turned over to a new crew. While "River of Souls" gives Captain Lochley the chance to completely command the station, we never see her new doctor, nor any of her new staff that she likely came to depend on.

What keeps "River of Souls" in the winners circle is the acting. Martin Sheen portrays the Soul Hunter with his usual excellence and it's a shock to see such a prestigious actor in a made-for-television movie. He rules each of his scenes and it's easy to see why he was drawn to the role. The truth is, all of the movies have pretty great acting and the characters are interesting, as they always have been.

This set has remarkably few extras, basically each film has an introduction and commentary track.

Who will like Babylon 5 the movies? Fans of Babylon 5. It's a treat that illustrates that this universe J. Michael Straczynski created still has so many more stories to tell. It, as he notes in the boxed set's notes, fills in the gaps and it does it well. But more than that, the first two movies may give people not familiar with the Babylon 5 universe a chance to see if its somewhere they would like to invest their time and money (nothing is lost by watching the first two films, then going and watching the series). I suspect it's a way to get some new people interested in one of the greatest television series' of all time.

6/10

For other television reviews, please visit my Television Review Index Page for an organized listing of all the films I have reviewed!

© 2012, 2006 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.

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Garibaldi Searches For Lochley's Truths In Two Mediocre Episodes of Babylon 5.

The Good: Moments of character, Moments of performance
The Bad: Mediocre special effects, Fairly recycled plot, Some truly lame moments, Predictability
The Basics: With two mediocre episodes of Babylon 5, this video sinks, regardless of how essential the plots of the episodes are to the bigger story.


As I nab the final Babylon 5 VHS tape I had to review, it occurs to me how unfortunate it is that Babylon 5 ended on such a shaky note, that its final season was so uncertain. I wonder how much - honestly - had been intended as part of the five year planned arc by series creator, writer J. Michael Straczynski. With the fifth season episodes "Learning Curve" and "Strange Relations," with their peculiar mix of necessary plot and character moments and the recycled sense that the viewer has seen them before, it certainly is enough to make one at least question if Straczynski was desperately fleshing out the final season.

"Learning Curve" finds a new crime boss taking over Down Below on Babylon 5 and a series of murders, as messages to his competitors, confounding security. As Garibaldi continues to investigate and badger the station's new commander, Captain Lochley, a pair of Ranger teachers and their Ranger acolytes come to the station to provide Delenn with a status report. While there, one of the Rangers is beaten by the new criminal leader as a sign and left for dead. Supposedly terrorized, Delenn intervenes with station security and Lochley to help use the righting of this violence as a lesson for the Rangers.

"Strange Relations" returns the telepaths to the forefront when Bester and a Bloodhound Unit arrive on the station to hunt down the rogue telepaths given sanctuary on Babylon 5. When Garibaldi is finally told why Sheridan selected Lochley for the position of station commander, he is placated some, but forced to sit out intervening with the villainous Bester. As Sheridan and Lochley look for a way to prevent Bester from taking the rogue telepaths, Lyta becomes more involved with Byron and his movement. And Londo's planned departure for Centauri Prime is delayed by an assassination attempt, prompting him to take on a bodyguard.

Both "Learning Curve" and "Strange Relations" have some serious problems that make them difficult, if not impossible, to recommend, especially to a general audience. As a fan of Babylon 5, there is a troublingly familiar quality to "Learning Curve." In the first season of Babylon 5 (reviewed here!), there was an episode with a nervous character who was terrified of leaving the station and who slowly came into his own throughout the course of the episode. "Learning Curve" feels much like that episode and the problems of the nervous character notwithstanding, there is something unsettling about how familiar the two episodes feel to one another.

Mentoring younger characters and teaching them a lesson is not new in drama or science fiction. Indeed, Star Trek: Voyager has an episode involving teaching the next generation also entitled "Learning Curve.” The fundamental problem with the Babylon 5 episode by the same name is this: the latter half of the episode simply does not work. The Ranger who intervenes and stops an informant from getting killed is beaten to a pulp by the crime boss and his associates. As he lays near death in the medical bay, his mentors announce that he is terrified. The Minbari can't speak, can't really move and his wounds are being held together with small stitches and a lot of hope. I'm not sure he's even conscious enough to be terrified!

The point here is that writer J. Michael Straczynski asks the viewer to take on faith a condition just because two characters on screen say it is so. One says he's terrorized and therefore terrified and Straczynski expects us to all sit up and say "okay, I guess he is!" The truth is, the Ranger acolyte does not look like he is even able to hear his mentors at that point. So when the latter half of the episode degenerates into one young Minbari's quest to overcome his own feelings of terror, it's much more told than shown. And the message has to continue to be repeated to the viewer so that the actions of the Rangers rise to something above a streetfight. I'm not entirely certain it succeeds in getting there, even after multiple viewings.

And this whole plotline is so weak that by the end of the fourth act, it is over. The rest of the episode picks up the thread of Alliance Covert Security Chief Michael Garibaldi trying to figure out why Sheridan chose Lochley to succeed him as captain of Babylon 5. Delenn beats him to the truth and that leads to some tension between Delenn and Sheridan.

Garibaldi receives the truth he has sought, finally, in "Strange Relations." This second episode on the video is somewhat better than "Learning Curve" and is part of the essential Babylon 5 because of the plot elements that occur. Bester's return is of great interest to fans who were enthralled by the fourth season of Babylon 5 (reviewed here!) because he manipulated Garibaldi and almost cost Sheridan his life. So, it's natural for Garibaldi to want to settle the score and it is strangely satisfying to see him make a spectacle of himself in the attempt. No, this is not Garibaldi's best episode.

It's also not the high-water mark for Lochley or Bester. Indeed, outside the character elements of Lochley's revelations to Garibaldi about her past with Sheridan and the very minor G'Kar/Londo subplot, this episode is strangely devoid of interesting character development. One might point to Lyta, who is slowly pulled farther and farther away from the Psi Corps in this episode. This is not much of a development, as she was reluctant to work for the Psi Corps and always hated Bester anyway. Given the choice between the kindly and pacifistic Byron and the sadistic hunter Bester, the choice seems fairly easy and obvious to those who have an affinity to Lyta. Or anyone human.

The result is a Bester episode that is strangely unsatisfying. Lochley is content to work with the Psi Cop and the tension this causes between Sheridan and Lochley is surprisingly minimal. The only truly inspired element of the episode is that it is Lochley who solves the problem, thus bolstering the idea in the mind of the fans that she belongs as captain of the station. "Strange Relations" is not bad, it's just pretty blandly average.

Part of the problem - in both episodes - is the acting. Tracy Scoggins, who arrived in the season premiere "No Compromises" (reviewed here!) still seems a little uncomfortable with the role. She is unable to play passionate and angry without being loud and melodramatic. There is a soap opera quality to her scenes with Garibaldi that ring false and are even painful to watch for their somewhat hammy presentation of how a fiery woman speaks.

Similarly, in "Learning Curve," most of the Minbari are played by actors who do not seem quite at home within their characters. Ironically, when watching two of the Minbari joking with one another, Garibaldi has the epiphany that Minbari never walk away from a fight, whereas most viewers will have the epiphany that Minbari actually have a sense of humor. Actually, the banter in both episodes is decent with the rifts between the Warrior and Religious castes being healed in the Ranger movement and G'Kar and Londo coming to terms with one another even more than before. It is gratifying to watch the show attempt to portray some characters having normal balance with humor amid episodes where people are being hunted down and beaten.

And as far as the telepath plot goes, the idea is not a bad one, though the idea that Byron is something of a cult leader is troubling, even if it might be accurate. The problem there becomes that Byron does not seem to be attracting more people to his flock; the station has not become inundated with telepaths the way it becomes overrun with Narn when G'Kar reaches legendary status later in the season. The point here is that the idea of Bester arriving to hunt down the telepaths and even Lochley's willingness to let him do it, is not a bad idea, but it does ring flat and seem awkward, especially to a fan of the series.

And honestly, I'm not sure this pair of episodes is accessible to those who are not fans of the series. "Learning Curve" is just boring for those not invested in the Rangers. And "Strange Relations" hinges on extensive backstory, especially of the entire telepath subplot that began back in the first season. As a result, it's a shaky two pack.

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

“Learning Curve” – 3/10
“Strange Relations” – 5/10
VHS – 3.5/10

For other television and movie reviews please click here to visit an organized listing of all the film works I have reviewed!

© 2012, 2007 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Another All Right, Another Abysmal Episode Makes For Another Split Babylon 5 Tape Review

The Good: One good idea, Decent character development and plot, Good acting, Great special effects
The Bad: One truly lousy execution, Terrible characters, Insipid plot/alien race tailored specific to one episode
The Basics: Babylon 5 tries a change in narrative technique that fails and sucks another, already derivative episode down with it on this video!


There's something truly disturbing about some of the old VHS tapes with two episodes. Every now and then one comes along that has an episode that is good or excellent paired with an episode that I wouldn't even let my cats use for litter (if they were inclined to use VHS tapes in their litter boxes). One of the most poignant examples of this regrettable phenomenon was in the Babylon 5 season five episodes where "The Paragon Of Animals" was paired with "A View From The Gallery." At least the tape starts out strong; following that first episode, though, it goes bad real quick.

"The Paragon Of Animals" returns the telepaths to the forefront when Sheridan finds that getting the races of the newly formed Interstellar Alliance to adopt the Declaration of Principles is much harder than it initially seems. When his head of covert intelligence, Garibaldi, suggests using the rogue telepaths aboard the station to spy on the local alien races, Sheridan is reluctant. When a peaceful planet on the edge of Drazi space is nearly bombed out of existence by raiders and Sheridan is compelled to use the White Star fleet to save them, he begins to open up to more extreme measures to get the needs of the Alliance met. This puts Lyta on a collision course with Byron, leader of the rogues and the Drazi in a position where their culpability may become undeniable.

"A View From The Gallery" follows Mack and Bo, two maintenance workers who keep Babylon 5 up and running as their mundane tasks overlap with the prominent station personnel's jobs. With Babylon 5 under attack from an alien race that is intent to feel out weaker races that are ripe for conquest, Captain Lochley finds herself being given a trial by fire and a running commentary on how the station is run by two depressingly uninteresting characters.

I am all for trying new things and exploring the lens through which a show is seen. Star Trek: The Next Generation did an episode similar to "A View From The Gallery" called "Lower Decks" (reviewed here!). The episode was interesting and illustrated a mission the U.S.S. Enterprise was on through the eyes of junior officers who were vying for a promotion. The fundamental difference in the two episodes was that the plot was not concocted in a way that made it seemed tailored solely for the episode (i.e. the plot could well have been done from the standard perspective) and the characters were interesting.

I don't usually comment on the end of episodes, but "A View From The Gallery" is so bad that it inspires me to break from my usual tradition and style. As the denouement to the episode, Mack shouts out to Captain Lochley, "Hey! You're all right in my book!" and the thing is, we don't give a damn. This is such a terrible self-referential episode with the obvious goal being to establish Lochley as a credible character that fans feel welcomed to like - something similar was done when Bobby Simone joined NYPD Blue in the second season (reviewed here!) of that show - that writer J. Michael Straczynski oversells it. Mack is such a dull, ridiculous character that his endorsement of Lochley has the exact opposite effect; we feel more unnerved by Lochley. It's like when someone who one knows has terrible taste in food endorses a restaurant; their lack of credibility from one source taints all future evaluations.

Mack and Bo are basically stereotypes of blue-collar workers and the farce that is established to have them interact with virtually all of the main cast is just that. The circumstances that push Mack and Bo into proximity to G'Kar and Londo having a deep character-intensive discussion about their childhood is ridiculous. How the main crew, like Dr. Franklin and Ambassador Delenn interact with the workers becomes almost a parody of Babylon 5 with them lecturing these blue-collar folks like they are yokels. Now, they are, but that's a separate problem; the way Dr. Franklin talks down to Mack and lectures him like a child is very much a departure from his character in other episodes.

But the whole plot idea for "A View From The Gallery" is a ridiculous contrivance. Babylon 5 is beset by an alien force unique to this episode. They pop up to give the station a good pounding and then are never seen from again. Were the show episodic, this would not be so much of a problem, but Babylon 5 is largely serialized; things have consequences and the loyal viewer want elements of every episode to have consequences. This episode lacks them and given the nature of the presentation - through the workday of mundanes Bo and Mack - the episode ultimately has an air of being completely inconsequential. In other words, fans of the show are going to feel like they wasted their time after sitting through this one. Fortunately, it comes second on the tape so those not looking to be bored and troubled by the stupidity of what amounts to a filler episode, never have to watch it!

But "The Paragon Of Animals" is worth watching and it actually improved with the second viewing. The first time I watched "The Paragon Of Animals," I was troubled by its similarity to an episode in the fourth season (reviewed here!) where Sheridan essentially tricks the nonaligned worlds into accepting the White Star Fleet on their borders by insinuating nothing is wrong and letting the paranoia of the League members overcome them. "The Paragon Of Animals" has Sheridan facing a similar dilemma and his methods are not entirely dissimilar to the prior episode. As a result, the manipulating the nonaligned worlds to his will plot seemed a bit overdone.

With time and a little distance, though, "The Paragon Of Animals" holds up better because the episode seems to focus more on the telepaths. The rogue telepaths allowed a colony on Babylon 5 in "No Compromises" (reviewed here!) resurface, as does Lyta Alexander. Lyta is working for the Psi Corps and has been tired for some time been tired of feeling used. When she aids Dr. Franklin by scanning a Ranger before he dies - and thus managing to deliver his message about the planet under siege by Raiders - she begins to truly question her purpose and she finds herself in the presence of Byron who seems to have a legitimate interest in bettering the lives of telepaths.

Robin Atkin Downs seems much more comfortable in the role of Byron than he did in his first outing and he and Patricia Tallman play off one another quite well. It's easy to see why Downs was cast and now that he is coming into his own as the character, he and Tallman are able to start developing some on-screen chemistry and it works!

What works a little less well is the sheer amount of comic relief the episode seems to want to rely on. I like that G'Kar and Londo have taken up more of a camaraderie and their attitude toward one another is friendly, but in "The Paragon Of Animals," it is somewhat ridiculous. G'Kar makes jokes about Londo repressing someone else, which seems a bit soon as it is less than a year since his eye was plucked out by an oppressive Centauri. Similarly, G'Kar's appearance near the end with the revised Declaration of Principles and Sheridan's reaction to it, just reeks of a writer having fun at the expense of the bigger body of work.

That said, the performances in "The Paragon Of Animals" are decent. Peter Jurasik and Andreas Katsulas seem like they are having fun as Londo and G'Kar. Mira Furlan has a great deadpanned demeanor to counter their silliness with and Jerry Doyle infuses Garibaldi with a decent sense of paranoia throughout the episode.

But it is Bruce Boxleitner who once again sells the episode. Boxleitner has a quality few would expect to be truly presidential and in this episode he seems less like a leader trying to strategize to win battles and a complicated mind attempting to work his way around the intricacies of developing peace. It's a decent performance and it keeps his character fresh and watchable.

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

“The Paragon Of Animals” – 6/10
“A View From The Gallery” – 1/10
VHS – 3/10

For other television reviews, be sure to check out my television and movie review index page by clicking here!

© 2012, 2007 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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A New Beginning, Fraught With Consequences, Marks A Decent Babylon 5 Video!

The Good: Established cast is wonderful, Interesting plots, Great character development, Decent effects, Resolutions, Serialization
The Bad: Awkward acting with new performers, especially the telepaths, Similarly awkward writing in "No Compromises."
The Basics: When a new Captain takes over Babylon 5 and Londo lays near death, transitions and consequences conspire to make an interesting video set.


It was a rocky road that concluded the saga of Babylon 5. After two seasons that were intense, driven and heavily serialized, the network the show aired on collapsed and the fifth season was a crapshoot as to whether or not it would be made. A cast member left, the show radically altered its direction and new characters arrived that required time and attention. The plot was a bit more shaky and there was a lack of a strong sense about where the series was going. And yet, the show managed to complete its fifth year. But it started with "No Compromises" and continued with one of the best episodes of the season, "The Very Long Night Of Londo Mollari."

"No Compromises" finds Captain Elizabeth Lochley, John Sheridan's hand-picked successor, arriving at Babylon 5 to take command of the station. Efficient and brusque, she isolates some of the staff almost immediately. As John Sheridan prepares to be sworn in as President of the new Interstellar Alliance, he finds himself the target of death threats. While G'Kar works to establish the inaugural oath, Garibaldi investigates who might be hunting Sheridan. Lochley, dealing with the change in command, finds herself approached by rogue telepaths request asylum; a request she does not seem inclined to grant.

"The Very Long Night Of Londo Mollari" is a very simple pair of character studies that explore the serious consequences of the actions of two of the main characters. Londo's left heart gives out, threatening to kill him well before a replacement can arrive on the station. While Dr. Franklin works to save his life, Londo enters the dreamlike state near death where he is forced to admit the wrongs he has done against the Narn, specifically G'Kar. While Londo lays near death, Lennier decides it is time to move on and he leaves Delenn to join the Rangers.

These two episodes, which share the same video tape, are a great example of the strengths and weaknesses of Babylon 5. The first is that Babylon 5 tells a highly serialized story. "No Compromises" finds that story very much in transition following the climactic events of the fourth season (reviewed here!). "The Very Long Night Of Londo Mollari" is almost all about consequences. As a result, viewers who do not know the history of the character will be almost entirely lost. The episode heavily references events between Londo and G'Kar, most notably the torturing of G'Kar in season four by Emperor Cartagia. Again, lacking the backstory, the episode is a bit hard to grasp for all its nuance. Sure, one is clubbed over the head with the idea that "Guy who's done bad things lays dying, feels some remorse," but that's nowhere near as sophisticated as the show actually is.

Indeed, the character moment that defines the episode, the apology the spectral forces in Mollari's mind all seem to be demanding, may be predictable, but the payoff is still amazing for fans of the series. Fans of the series will be excited to see Londo's moment of epiphany and remorse, regardless of how it might be foreseeable.

In "No Compromises," the intriguing elements are all character related. Lochley is replacing Ivanova, who was set to take over Babylon 5 when Sheridan was muscled out of EarthForce and selected as President of the new Interstellar Alliance. Sheridan's choice of her - as defined in this episode - is partly symbolic, a healing gesture, which prompts Garibaldi to hound her about which side she was on in the Civil War back home. That Lochley does not necessarily agree with Sheridan's approach to ousting President Clark, makes for a wonderful character trait that clearly establishes her as someone different in the Babylon 5 universe. She is not a mouthpiece for the viewer's expectations and that makes her interesting to watch.

Similarly, from her first episode, Lochley establishes herself as more of a by-the-book, law and order type than many of the characters who have lived on Babylon 5 for years. As such, she takes a dim view of rogue telepaths and has less ambiguity about their presence on what is now her station. It's an interesting twist and a niche - arguing that telepath ought to be part of Psi Corps or on the sleepers - that has been empty in the principle cast since the departure of Talia Winters.

Lochley, then, leaps right in as an interesting enough character. She is played by Tracy Scoggins, who is a very nice person in person. I had previously only been familiar with her work from the episode "Destiny" from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (reviewed here!) where she managed to perform fairly well around some serious prosthetics. Scoggins seems a little stiff in her first episode, like she's stepping into an all-boys club and is aware she's the only woman in the room. While her character is intended to start as direct, strong and principled, she seems a little awkward with the role initially and seems more stiff than commanding.

This acting problem is exacerbated by the appearance of Robin Atkin Downs as the telepath Byron. Downs is thrust into the role of a telepath, a fairly awkward role for one not accustomed to such things and he, too, has an initial stiffness. Unfortunately for him, unlike Scoggins who just seems to have some normal fitting in problems, Downs is given some truly terrible lines to deliver. When he introduces his little band of merry rogue telepaths to the new station commander, his names and descriptions for them are just a collection of really bad, lines, plain crummy dialogue, and his performance does nothing to improve what is on the page.

Conversely, the principle actors who have been around, do a wonderful job in the episode. Andreas Katsulas is wonderful as G'Kar and Bruce Boxleitner takes on an added inner strength that makes him seem, well, presidential.

"The Very Long Night Of Londo Mollari" is a wonderful example of what happens when great actors play great characters in a series that is not afraid to deal with consequences to actions. Peter Jurasik gives a wonderful performance - often on his back - as a deeply wounded and remorseful Londo. Gone is the pride and arrogance and in its place is a character whose life hangs on his willingness to make amends. He gives an astonishingly good and nuanced performance.

Andreas Katsulas gives one of his most diverse performances in the episode as well. Stern, serious and commanding one moment, he takes on the parody role as the Emperor in a reversal of the torture done to him the prior season. And he makes it work. It's an impressive performance and he pulls it off like the pro that he is.

Supporting actors Stephen Furst and Bill Mumy give decent performances as Vir and Lennier. Vir has always represented Londo's conscience and as that external role is internalized by the Centauri Who Would Be Emperor, Furst plays it quite naturally. Mumy, who played Lennier for seasons with a sublimated love for Delenn, manages to understate the obvious torment the character feels now that the woman he loves is married to another. Mumy is excellent at creating a performance that is nuanced and conveys what does not need to be said with his body language. Despite his b-plot in this episode, he manages to steal the scenes he is in.

But for the most part, these episodes are for the fans of Babylon 5 only. The series is heavily serialized and the feeling of transition in the first and the heavy references in the second make for an oppressive or confusing tone for those attempting to leap into the series at this awkward junction. It's the beginning of the final season and while the transition might create a new series for some to get into, it's a tough sell. Strangely, the heavily referential second episode is more universal with its character struggle that can be understood by anyone who has wanted forgiveness for the wrongs they've done in this life.

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

“No Compromises” – 6.5/10
“The Very Long Night Of Londo Mollari” – 9/10
VHS – 7.5/10

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

© 2012, 2007 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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The Wheel Turns To The End With Babylon 5 The Complete Fifth Season

The Good: Good character development, Interesting plots, Special effects
The Bad: Inconsistencies with prior seasons, "Tacked on" feel.
The Basics: "The Wheel Of Fire" finishes the story of Babylon 5, often after it is already ended.


The problem with Season five of Babylon 5 is that it brings outside (off-camera) issues into the series. Apparently, when season four was winding down, the network collapsed and the producers of the show were told to wrap the stories up. J. Michael Straczynski, creator and executive producer of the show, obliged and finished his five year novel-on-television at the end of year four. The series was then picked up by TNT, a new season finale was shot for the fourth season and the fifth season tried to get the momentum back that it had been forced to compromise with the ending of several significant storylines in season four.

The President of the Interstellar Alliance, John Sheridan, is sworn in on Babylon 5 shortly after turning control of the station over to Captain Elizabeth Lochley. Lochley and Sheridan have a past history, which Garibaldi becomes keen to learn about. While Sheridan and Delenn work to get the new Alliance headed in the right direction, a colony of telepaths is established aboard the station. While conflicts between mundanes (non-telepaths) and telepaths under the influence of Byron, the colony's leader, begin to erupt on the station, out in the vastness of space, shipping lanes are being attacked by raiders. Raiders who will forever change the destiny of soon-to-be-Emperor Londo Mollari of the Centauri Republic.

The stories that deal with this main plot work fairly well. The problem is, there's not enough to stretch those plots to a full season and with the addition of the new Captain, some time is spent dealing with things that have little relevance. Take "A View From The Gallery." The season's fourth episode finds Babylon 5 inexplicably under attack by a scouting party of aliens that we've never seen before and will never see again. It's the story of two maintenance workers who weave in and out of the lives of the main crew. Reminiscent of Star Trek The Next Generation's "Lower Decks," "A View From The Gallery" fails because Mack and Bo - the workers - aren't interesting and the story that revolves around them feels very forced. Coming on the heels of big character episodes like "The Very Long Night Of Londo Mollari" and "The Paragon Of Animals," that episode falls woefully short of maintaining interest, much less contributing to the overall narrative of Babylon 5. Sadly, it is not alone.

The telepath plot is an interesting one. Byron, a guest character, makes for an interesting addition and gives Lyta Alexander a purpose now that the Vorlons are gone. Byron becomes a blurred mix of leader and cult fanatic and his story is an interesting one, even if it feels a little drawn out. And, unfortunately, because of the season four finale, fans of the show know that the main purpose behind this whole arc is to lead to the Telepath War, which we do not see in the series. And amid all of the telepath stories in season five, we never learn what happens to the telepaths still in cold storage on Babylon 5.

The biggest loss in this regard is that of the character of Ivanova. When actress Claudia Christian left the show at the end of the fourth season, the well-developed character of Ivanova was lost. Her antipathy toward telepaths would have made the story so much more interesting and added some real conflict between her and Sheridan. With Lochley as captain, too much time is spent establishing the character to allow for such moments that seem to have been hinted to in the past. Again, the off-camera issues altered the story we see.

The other half of the plot, the alien force attacking the shipping lanes, sets up the final arc for Londo Mollari and that is fairly well done. The problem there is that it feels somewhat rushed. Centauri Prime has been undermined by the Shadow's allies, the Drakh, which was alluded to in season four. The rushed feeling comes in understanding the time line. The Drakh take control of elements around Centauri Prime for their own purposes, resulting in the planet getting bombed extensively. That's fine. Londo makes a supreme sacrifice to become Emperor and rebuild Centauri Prime. That's fine, too. However, in the film In The Beginning (reviewed here!), which has Mollari telling the story of the Earth-Minbari War in his last hours of life. Centauri Prime is burning in that and the question I have to ask is, who is attacking it then?! Is that the end of the Drakh War we hear alluded to at the end of Season 4? It's an annoyance only a fan of the story would actually make, but it illustrates the problems season five seems to have with making it feel like it's part of the story we've enjoyed all along.

That's not to say it is all incongruent or rushed. No, there is much here that works quite well. However, most of that is either character related or in the latter half of the season. So, it is prudent to see where our characters are in this final act:

John Sheridan - Now President of the Interstellar Alliance, Sheridan finds his duties much more broad and his ability to adapt tested by the needs of many minor alien races,

Delenn - Leading the Rangers and organizing the Interstellar Alliance leaves her often busy and political, neglecting her spiritual side,

Michael Garibaldi - Recovering from his run-in with Bester last season, Garibaldi finds his life spiraling out of control and into old, familiar patterns of addiction while trying to make it as the Alliance's new head of Covert Intelligence,

Dr. Franklin - Often neglected, the Doctor becomes the new head of xenobiological research for the Alliance and has the chance to study the various alien races,

Lennier - Feeling without purpose now that Delenn and Sheridan are married, Lennier leaves to become a Ranger,

Vir Cotto - Now representing the Centauri as Ambassador to Babylon 5, Vir finds himself having to deal with issues from a position of power now,

Zack Allan - Still Security Chief, Allan mans the fort while the telepaths cause problems around the station,

Lyta Alexander - Taken in by Byron, Lyta begins to explore her powers and identity, with consequences that threaten her life,

G'Kar - Being raised to the status of a religious icon after becoming Londo's bodyguard, G'Kar finds himself frustrated by how people treat his writings,

Londo Mollari - Now Emperor, Londo makes the choice to sacrifice everything for his people, which results in drastic and tragic consequences for him,

and Captain Elizabeth Lochley - A newcomer to the station and on the other side in Earth's recent Civil War, Lochley is tough-as-nails as the new commander of the space station.

The only character elements of note involving what we have seen in the past is that there seems to be no passion between Delenn and Sheridan this season. Yes, they're married, but all of the romance between them seems gone. C'est la vie. Everything else seems to follow fairly predictable character lines for where the characters have been and where they've been going.

The acting is all good, as usual. The entire cast works quite well, especially considering that most of the time, they are working opposite bluescreens.

All in all, though, this is a coda to a show that has pretty much already finished its story. It's not bad, but it's not for newcomers and it does not resonate with the same pop that the earlier seasons possessed. The DVDs have decent commentaries and that is a treat to the viewers. It would be impossible to recommend this to anyone who is not already a fan and, sadly, there is little essential to those who are fans. Though "Sleeping In Light" does nicely end the series, it's a very basic and straightforward end to the series.

For a (slightly) better idea of the specific episodes in this season, check out my reviews on the first six episodes (which are on the first two discs of this boxed set) at:
No Compromises / The Very Long Night Of Londo Mollari
The Paragon Of Animals / A View From The Gallery
Learning Curve / Strange Relations

6.5/10

For other television reviews, please visit my Television Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2012, 2007, 2006 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.

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We Love Babylon 5, But The Lost Tales Could Have Remained Lost!

The Good: Interesting concepts, DVD bonus features, Moments of special effects
The Bad: Lack of characters/character development, Thumbnail plots, Obvious matte shots
The Basics: Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski returns to the universe he created to flesh it out a little, but misses the spice and originality of his original venture.


The more I have experienced as I have progressed through this life, the more I have begun to believe the old adage "more is not necessarily better." It seems like, largely, whenever a series I love is added onto years after the prior installments, its return is always an inferior, limited and fundamentally different production from whatever originally brought me to the work in the first place. As one who fell in love with Babylon 5 (reviewed here!), I was the target audience for the straight-to-DVD work Babylon 5 The Lost Tales - "Voices In The Dark." Sadly, this one-disc addition to the Babylon 5 universe did not come close to satisfying even die hard fans like me.

For those looking for a bottom line right up front, it is fairly easy to provide: the "average" rating I give this disc is more the result of considering the DVD bonus features and the toss of a coin than the program alone. "Average" for the primary program would be generous. Such generosity comes not from a lowering of standards on my part, but rather the fact that "Voices In The Dark" suffers mightily from a multiple personality disorder; one story is terrible and lame, the other is better but underdeveloped and obvious.

Colonel Elizabeth Lochley, commander of Babylon 5, finds herself in the awkward position of having to requisition a priest when a man comes to the station, apparently possessed by a demon. As the priest works to confirm the nature of the demon possessing the man, Lochley wrestles with her faith and the implications of demonic possessions in spacebound humans. As the priest prepares to perform and exorcism, Lochley reasons out how and why the creature has appeared on Babylon 5 and what it would mean to let such hellspawn roam among the stars!

Meanwhile, Interstellar Alliance president John Sheridan makes a trip to Babylon 5 to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the creation of the Interstellar Alliance. En route to the station, he is plagued by a reporter and after looking back on his life, he goes to sleep, where he is visited by Galen, the technomage. Galen shows Sheridan a wasteland, revealing that it is Earth's future in approximately thirty years. The cause, he notes, is a single Centauri, the man third in line to ascend to Emperor within the Centauri Republic and Galen warns Sheridan that unless the Centauri is dealt with, he will mount an attack on Earth that will destroy it in order to help the Centauri reclaim their "rightful" place in the galaxy. Upon meeting with the Centauri, Sheridan and Galen set into motion a plan to kill him and make it look like an accident in order to prevent the dark future from coming into being.

The first story, "Voices In the Dark" is a fairly lackluster tale. While viewers of Babylon 5 might enjoy seeing Lochley again (and I did!), the story is not one of the most impressive or compelling. The gimmick and reasoning behind the possession and the implications of it are terribly unsurprising (indeed, anyone who has seen the film Dogma is likely to figure it all out before Lochley and the priest do) and the idea was clearly one that was never strong enough to flesh out an entire episode. The result is a vignette that is more blase than at all incredible or interesting.

What truly makes this first "episode" suffer is the lack of characters. When Babylon 5 was at its peak, it was a complex narrative packed with characters who each had their own motivations and ideas and directions. In "Voices In The Dark," the story is just Lochley's and while Lochley is certainly an interesting and compelling character to focus on as the subject of her own film, this is not the story to attempt that with. The result is that Babylon 5 feels much like it is shown in the movie: a corridor or two and perhaps one giant bay.

There is no sense of scope or crew to this incarnation of Babylon 5. In other words, when the series departed from the space station at the climax of the fifth season, it was commanded by Lochley and she had assembled a new staff. They were given a dramatic exit shot and a theme that implied that they would be a new crew, give the place a new start until the station was decommissioned or destroyed. In The Lost Tales - "Voices In The Dark" the station is Lochley and we are not privy to her relying upon that command staff. This is disappointing even in the lack of references to known crew; the possessed man is locked up aboard the station and security chief Zack Allen is never even mentioned! There are more references to the prior (familiar) main crew in the Sheridan storyline than there are in the Lochley episode.

Ultimately, the first half feels like a weak attempt to remind viewers that they once loved Babylon 5 and milk them for a few extra bucks without recreating the depth or breadth of the universe that attracted viewers to it in the first place.

The second half - referenced on the Menu page as "Over Here" and "Over There" - is better executed, but still conceptually too weak to hold its own as a full episode within the Babylon 5 universe. While Sheridan and Lochley have an exchange, the stories do not actually come together and their dialogue is more of a chance to reference the beloved (and absent) characters fans would likely like to know about. So, this too is a fairly solitary story with Sheridan working on his own to solve a problem.

Of course, he is not entirely on his own. Sheridan is accompanied by Galen, the technomage introduced in the Babylon 5 movie A Call To Arms. In fact, viewers will have a sense of deja vu much the way Sheridan has one when Galen comes to him through his vulnerable sleeping state. Galen reveals to Sheridan a devastated Earth and pinpoints a cause and posits how to prevent it. It is a lot of exposition and it sets up a practical and compelling obstacle for Sheridan to deal with.

The real problem here is that the viewer has seen this, too. In fact, it was the subject of A Call To Arms and the whole "Earth is going to be destroyed" concept was the whole point of the spin-off Galen appeared in, Crusade. Sheridan is not even given the chance to roll his eyes, reference the Drakh plague from Crusade and mutter something like "Didn't we just go through this?!" After all, it might have been a decade since Crusade flopped, but in the Babylon 5 universe, the Drakh plague was a huge thing that was never resolved on-screen. A little note that "yeah, the series was canceled, but you (Galen) and the crew that were out trying to save Earth sure came through for us!" would have been appropriate.

No such luck, though. Again, the sweeping sense of Babylon 5 history is cut down to a thumbnail for the purpose of selling DVDs. And for those of us into the minutiae, what kind of guy is Galen who would keep imposing upon Sheridan with giant, crushing decisions that might alter the fate of the galaxy and billions of lives without ever saying, "Hey, you've done a lot for us, you ought to know that urn Londo gave you to give to your son has a Keeper in it and you might want to kill that before it takes him over." For all his cool parlor tricks, Galen is kind of a jerk for not helping Sheridan save his son before his son becomes possessed by a parasitic organism that wants to use him as a pawn.

Outside that, Sheridan's conflict is a decent and compelling one. He must weight the life of one man against that of the billions of people on Earth that will be killed when that man ascends to a position of power. The problem here is that while Londo is referenced and intuitive and perceptive viewers of the television series will put together that Cartagia's son - the Centauri in question - is playing into the overall plan of keeping the Centauri weak and dependent upon the Drakh so they might have a new homeworld and become the power in the galaxy the Shadows promised them they would be, this is never put into any form of explicit or clever fashion. Moreover, the final solution is never rephrased in a way that might allow the Centauri to actually overcome and overthrow their silent Drakh overlords.

The result is an "episode" that is short, underdeveloped and tied together poorly. The special effects range from new and improved beautiful jumpgates and ship designs (the Valen-class cruisers are very cool) to poor bluescreen shots and a terrible matte shot of Lochley where she is inserted into a digital background with such shadowing one wonders how the producers let it be included in the movie.

The acting is fine: Bruce Boxleitner, Tracy Scoggins and Peter Woodward effortlessly fall back into the roles of Sheridan, Lochley and Galen in ways that are instantly recognizable and fun to watch. More than those roles, the candid conversations on the DVD bonus features are worth the viewing. On those segments, Babylon 5 series creator J. Michael Straczynski, Boxleitner, and Scoggins discuss returning to the Babylon 5 universe and the deaths of Andreas Katsulas and Richard Biggs. It is unfortunate that for those tributes only from the actors working on The Lost Tales were included.

Still, the DVD bonus features are good. But they are not enough to solve the problems in the primary programming, leaving viewers ultimately underwhelmed. Even fans of the franchise will be able to pass on this one. After years of waiting to see it, I am already clearing the space on my shelf where The Lost Tales occupied to fill with something else. As a fan, that saddens me.

4.5/10

For other television episode reviews, please check out my movie review index page for a complete list of television and film reviews I have written!

© 2012, 2009 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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