Babylon 5 Season 4 NO SPOILERS

[Wizz]

Ah...Season 4. More answers, more questions. Just keep in mind that we're avoiding spoiling for folks just tuned into Babylon 5 (Although she's out riding a motorcycle and will miss the first week's worth)

[Wizz]

Hmmmm...so far, the three ladies have gone off to Za'ha'dum in search for a dead man, Garibaldi shows back up, but has definately been tinkered with (mentally), Lorien takes part in the death of a Vorlon along with Sheridan and what ever was left of the original Kosh. Then, to make matters worse, Sheridan orders the death of a Ranger in charge of a White Star. Compounding on that (Oh, yes! There's more!!!), everyone shows up at Coriana 6 with all their planet killers and the like, the Shadows and the Vorlons plead their case, and Lorien says it's "Time for us to go" or something like that, and all the first ones bail out of the galaxy.

Talk about topics for discussion!</p>

Uh...where?</p>

Tonight, we get "Illusion of truth", where the press does an extraordinary job of taking things out of context. Earth is in the throes of what I recall as "McCarthyism", where if we weren't sure, then everyone next to you was probably a communist. Only, this time it's alien influence.
I have to admit, I didn't like the story. Oh, the episode was good. There've been a couple of times in my life where I've seen the "press" work a story so that it's a story, rather than report what happend. But, sheesh!...taking the original story, then seeing what was broadcast you can see how easily "editing" can present almost any view to the audience. Makes me wonder once again, how much influence is there over the news media? And, how often do we ask ourselves, "Is this for real, or do I have to go out and dig for the truth?" For example, what <u>is</u> the reality concerning Osama Bin Laden?
Just a question, just a question.

[ProfCrash]

OK let me ratn abit.

The idea that the younger races won through an intellectual process and not through physically beating the Shadows adn Vorlons is cool. I like it, I think that it was well set up and very cool.

The idea that the Shadows and Vorlons were reduced to scared children needing Lorien to reassure them that they will be ok if they go beyond the Rim was nausiating. (sp)

OK, being afraid of that I can see. Moving is always an unsetteling process. I can understand that giving up the massive amount of power and influence you had weilded as a race for thousands of years would be hard to do. But the way the Shadows and Vorlons were portrayed was more then a bit problematic, at least for me.

Top that off with the corniest line ever uttered in Science Fiction history "Get the hell out of my galaxy" and I have a real problem with the end of the Shadow War. Not the conceptual ending but how it was portrayed.

[ProfCrash]

OK, Attonement. This was a great episode. talk about a plot twist. Valen had kids. Delenn is a child of Valen. Sinclair was her great great great great great (you get the idea) Grandfather. WOW

I like the way that all of this was revealed. Slowly, peeling of layers to finally hear Dukhat. Forcing Delenn to face her past actions and their consequences all tog et to her ability to carry on with her life today.

I wonder if she will ever tell Sheridan what happened on Minbar. Will she ever admit that she was a part of the faction that authorized the Earth Minbari war?

And then I wonder how Sheridan hasn't asked her about that. I know its the past but it is a huge part of Sheridan's past. His actions in the war are what caused his rapid promotion. The destruction of the Blackstar is remembered by the Minbari. Sheridan knows that Delenn was a part of the Grey Council. I believe he knows that she was mentored by Dukhat, or I would hope that he has asked about her life enough to know how her mentor was.

OK, Delenn is a member fo the Grey Council. The Grey Council is the ruling body of Minbar. The Grey COuncil declares war. ummmm I think the pieces of the puzzle are there to figure this one out.

I would like to think that knowing that your loved was part of the faction that declared war on your race would not influence Sheridan's feelings for Delenn. But reality says that knowing that my lover is partially responsible for the near destruction of my world might influence my feelings about siad person. Which is why Delenn tells Sheridan nothing about her trip, what she remembered, what she saw, what she learned, and why she went to Minbar.

[Wizz]

"Endgame" was on tonight. I'm convinced that Sheridan's success thru out the whole series is basically due to Lyta Alexander. And his speach(es) tonight. Man, the dude just loves to hear himself talk! Chowderhead? Maybe...definately annoying.
And another thing (oh, damn...you mean there's more?) Franklin <u>has</u> to be outside the jammer range within a short time, and he still can't contact Babylon 5. Or, since ISN is broadcasting once again, just send a piggy-back a signal on ISN to B5. I know they were able to receive ISN there. Coulda got to Marcus sooner that way.

Sheesh...

[MerleZ]

Wizz, I thought the speach was a little lame, too. Not nearly as passionate as Susan, eh? "God sent me." Love that. But it nearly brings me to tears when Sheridan orders the Agamemnon to ram the platform.

I've always had a question about general what's his name. Was he always on the rebels' side, or did he just figure out all that was good and righteous after the teep took out his communications? Or was he ambivalent to the whole process? Did he intend to turn sides in the battle? Not clear at all to me.

And speaking of the teep, in B5 it seems awfully darned easy to sneak things in under people's noses. Londo snuck the nukes onto the island the Shadows were using on Centauri home world. Sheridan snuck nukes right into Z'ha'dum (maybe shadows cant detect nukes, LOL!). Now the rebels sneak the teepsickles onto the Earthforce destroyers. How in hell do you do that? Hey we coulda won WW2 so easy. Ike to FDR, "well, what we do is sneak two million troops into Berlin and capture the German government." Um, great plan, Ike. How do we do the sneaking?

As for the jammers, um, Wizz, wouldn't they have turned those off as soon as the PPG in Clark's fist stopped smoking? Why couldn't they get a message to B5? Plot hole, me thinks. And since Marcus jumped the battle during the battle itself, and I think Earth is a two day journey from B5, well, there's another issue. Shoulda taken Marcus two days to return, putting the doc in easy comm range if he is only a few hours behind.

I still love that ep, though, and am willing to suspend my disbelief in favor of enjoying the drama of it all.

------------------
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Indicate preciseley what you mean to say, Yours sincerely, wasting away!
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[AsIs]

I think General What's his name was loyal to earthgov and the military.

When Clark turned the defense grid *on* earth, there were no *sides* anymore. Everyone was for saving earth from the now obviously traitorous President Clark. That single act showed he was evil or controled by evil.

[Sycamore Evenstar]

Merle--re turning off the jammers: Nobody knew where the switch was?!

[AsIs]

Ok, I waited as long as I could.

Byron is a twit! A spoiled rich boy who thinks the world should hand him whatever he wants on a silver platter.

Ever since they arrived these telepaths who have done nothing for anyone on the station have acted like their s*it doesn't stink.

Yeah, their life was tough. But the station didn't owe them anything.

The station owes Lyta a ton, but not the other teeps.

While I am ranting. They way Sheridan and company have treated Lyta the entire series is shameful. LOL, and I don't like her since she is reponsible for triggering the latent personality in Talia *sniff* I liked Talia!

But still, Lyta put herself out for them time and time again and they kicked her out of her quarters, etc.?

[Wizz]

Ya know, I always thought that Lyta got the short end of the stick. In her little meeting with Zack, she more or less told him that, and cited the part she played and the rewards she got. She should have told Sheridan if they wanted her help, to make sure she got reasonable quarters and some credits from time to time just to live. You know what, though? She's doing it again. Off on another crusade to help someone, this time with Byron. Too bad she really blew off Zack, though. Too blind to see reality, but that's life. I'm not saying that Zack and Lyta would have run off together into the sunset, but she would have had a good friend and ally, even if all she had done was give him the five minutes, and thank him for genuinely caring. Too bad she didn't scan...she probably would have been shocked.

You know what I can't follow? Byron's position that the League of Non-Aligned Worlds owe them a place, a planet of their very own. I mean, yeah...the Vorlons tinkered with them without permission and all that, but why does everyone "owe" them anything, other than the Army of Light more or less ran the Vorlons out of the galaxy. I guess the script called for a confrontational situation, and going after the League for the actions of the Vorlons makes as much sense as anything.