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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Mysteries Abound On Two Above-The-Curve Episodes Of Babylon 5!

The Good: Pretty wonderful plots, Good acting, Good character development, Excellent sense of serialization!
The Bad: Decent special effects, Somewhat simplified resolution to "Legacies"
The Basics: When Minbari arrive at the station banging war drums and Epsilon 3 appears not-quite-uninhabited, things change dramatically on Babylon 5!


Part of the fun of dusting off the old video tape collection is remembering how, before the advent of DVD, the production companies would try to really get a buck out of buyers. With Star Trek, the formula was simple: you want it, buy it, sucker! Every episode was a video tape that cost $12.95 (most places). Man, I love Paramount. They knew they had their audience and they weren't afraid to show it. Warner Home Video was a little bit more compassionate with Babylon 5; you got two episodes for about $9.99. But even then they had their ways of trying to get fans to buy more, like putting part one of a two-parter on one tape and part two on another! I guess that's just the way the episodes broke down in production . . . The latest one in my series of dusted off classics is "Legacies" and "A Voice In The Wilderness, Part I." I suppose one of the nice things about Babylon 5 is that it does not try frequently to disguise cliffhangers; when it's a two-parter, they let the viewer know right up front!

"Legacies" finds Babylon 5 playing host to a Minbari warship when one of the great Minbari warriors dies. The Shai Alit was the Minbari warrior who led the Battle of the Line, the battle which nearly wiped out humanity. He is brought to the station as part of a memorial tour to celebrate his life and greatness, raising tensions among the staff. While Sinclair deals with the edgy Minbari, made more so when the body of the Shai Alit goes missing, Talia and Ivanova discover a young orphan on the run, one who has just discovered she is a telepath . . .

"A Voice In The Wilderness, Part I" has the crew of Babylon 5 on edge when the abandoned planet below them, Epsilon 3, suffers groundquakes when it appeared to be stable. When an expedition is sent to investigate the geological mystery, it is fired on by weaponry from deep within the planet. Sinclair and Ivanova prepare to investigate as riots break out on Mars and an uprising there threatens the stability of the Earth Alliance. As Garibaldi tries desperately to contact his lost love on Mars, Sinclair and Ivanova discover that Epsilon 3 may not be what it appeared to be.

Both of these episodes do what much of Babylon 5 did right from the very beginning: they focus on character and they feature serialized plot and character elements. In "Legacies," understanding Ivanova's hatred for telepaths becomes clear when one has seen "Mind War" (reviewed here!), but otherwise is only vaguely discussed in the episode. Similarly, the Narn lack of telepaths is mentioned in the pilot episode "The Gathering," but not since. The Battle of the Line is heavily mentioned in "The Gathering" and is the obsessive pursuit of those who want to know what happened to Sinclair during it in "And The Sky Full Of Stars" (reviewed here!). In that same episode, it was revealed that a rift formed between the Religious and Warrior castes as a result of the abrupt end to the Earth-Minbari War and "Legacies" threatens to expand that rift. Delenn even implies that the disappearance of the body could cause a new war with Earth or start a Minbari Civil War.

Epsilon 3 has been largely neglected for the series thus far and its abrupt appearance as something of note (other than being simply a decent special effect behind the station in every episode) sets up future storylines. Similarly, the Mars Rebellion is the start of a huge series of plot events that resonate through the series. And Garibaldi's desperate search for Lise Hampton is an important character element for him. So, as you can see, these episodes are certainly enhanced by knowing the backstory of the characters and plots.

That is not to say they do not stand well on their own. Indeed, "A Voice In The Wilderness, Part I" is a remarkably well-contained episode, which is ironic as it is the first part of a two-parter. The episode introduces Gral, a mentor of Delenn's and serves as a launching point for future stories, not the least of which is "A Voice In The Wilderness, Part II!" And the nice thing is, by the time these two episodes come up, the special effects team has most of the kinks worked out in the special effects and much of the detail on the CGI work looks better than it has in the past.

But the essential elements are always the character elements and these episodes are rich with them. In "Legacies," the a-plot seems to focus on Sinclair, who is forced to play host to some of the very Minbari who were shooting at him a decade prior. He is on edge, but committed to peace. At one point, in speaking with Garibaldi, he admits that he has to keep reminding himself that the war is over. This is a wonderful touch and an essentially human and very true moment. Overcoming history, hatred and fear is not about repressing the thoughts that lead one to feel something about a supposed enemy, but rather about tempering those feelings with reason. In short, writer D.C. Fontana wisely recognizes that a decade after humanity was almost exterminated, the fear and hatred against the enemy still exists, but the actions taken are much more important and Sinclair is a man who is very much in control of his actions.

"Legacies" appears to be about Sinclair, but it takes an abrupt left turn near the end of the episode to focus on Delenn. I shall not ruin the plot/character surprises that come from that twist of attention, but I will say that while the resolution is satisfying on one level, it is a bit oversimplified on another and that might be why I find myself not rewatching this one as much. This episode also introduces Neroon, who is one of the leaders of the warrior caste and who will resurface throughout the series.

On the b-plot front, character may be even more important. Talia and Ivanova are characterized almost completely as opposites and this episode serves to push them together in an adversarial way yet again. While Talia tries to enlist the orphaned girl into the Psi Corps, as is law among humans, Ivanova tries to give the girl other options. Ivanova seeks to thwart Talia and prevent the Corps from gaining a useful asset. Over the course of the episode, the two manage to not pussyfoot around their hostility toward one another and they act like adults in how they attempt to resolve their differences. This is refreshing, even if their issues are not completely resolved.

"A Voice In The Wilderness, Part I" is a little more plot-focused simply because it is an ambitious first part that sets up a number of elements for the second episode. The main character elements focused on involve Gral's planned departure and Delenn's reaction to the "retirement" of her mentor and Garibaldi searching for the woman he loves from a distance among the complete chaos of political revolution. Garibaldi's story is one that is very vital and may be appreciated by anyone who has a friend in harm's way and is worried about them. But it also sets up Garibaldi as someone who has a heart, which has not been evident in his character before now. We know of his troubled past, the viewer had no real notion that he had not gone through all of it alone.

What works consistently in the course of these two episodes is that the acting is pretty solid. Outside the young woman who plays the orphaned telepath, the acting is all-around impressive. The performer who plays Gral only appears in this episode and the second part (the part is recast for subsequent appearances), but John Vickery, who plays Neroon, makes an auspicious debut and becomes one of the actors who shines as a guest star such that one looks forward to his next appearance.

The main cast is much more honed as well. Andrea Thompson plays Talia with much more consistency in these two episodes than she had in prior episodes. It seems like she has become more comfortable with performing in a science fiction environment, which did not always appear to be the case in earlier episodes. Michael O'Hare is able to explore more of his abilities as Sinclair. We finally see him excited and elated in "A Voice In The Wilderness, Part I." His performance (nothing in the script) infuses a sense of exploratory desire and adventure into the Commander that had not been present before now. It's a nice touch and it works quite well for him.

But the real winner in the two episodes seems to be Mira Furlan. Furlan, who impresses viewers with her recurring role of Rousseau on Lost (reviewed here!), gives two performances that establish her as a true master. Burdened by prosthetics that almost completely obscure her ability to make more expressive facial expressions (she cannot, for example, furrow her brow in frustration), she is forced to act through her voice and her eyes. She has the ability to bring steely resolve to her eyes that perfectly expresses her character's mood of guarded resolve. And in the second episode, we see her smiling for one of the few times in the first season and her performance alongside her mentor is delightful and strikingly different from many of her others, yet she still makes the performance feel like it is in character.

These episodes work best for fans of science fiction and especially those who like Babylon 5 already or are interested in committing to the five-year story arc. "Legacies" is an interesting episode for those interested in dramas involving the difficulties with being at peace with an old enemy. "A Voice In The Wilderness, Part I" is very much for fans of science fiction. But they are both worthwhile.

[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!]

“Legacies” – 6.5/10
“A Voice In The Wilderness, Part 1” – 8/10
VHS – 7/10

For other television reviews, please visit my specialized 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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