The babylon project was our last, best hope for peace

Balefuego · June 2011

I love ASOIAF a lot more than I love B5

RoyceSraphim · June 2011

DivideByZero wrote: »

More than the ship design I dig the Newtonian physics.

But yeah there is just something special about those Earthforce destroyers with the rotating crew sections. They look decidedly human in a galaxy where every alien race is driving something that looks like a flying saucer or giant fish. I love that in B5, humanity is quite a ways behind most of the other races technologically; they have no luxuries like artificial gravity and just got their asses demolished in a massive interstellar war. It sets the stage for the sense of inferiority felt by many humans (especially in the government) and the resultant attitudes and policies that serve to shore up humanity's collective ego at the expense of increasing tentions with alien races.

A far more likely or realistic scenario than the utopian Federation in Star Trek if you ask me.

My roommate and I had this discussion and he boiled it down to Star Trek being the optomistic view of the galactic community while B5 kept the human emotions and instincts.

Say what you want about the pilot and the first season, you have to be a eunich to not laugh at

Commander Sinclair wrote:

I wouldn't. You know the rules about crossing species. Stick with the list.
Man: What are you, a bigot or something?
Sinclair: No. But obviously you've never met an Arnassian before. After they finish, they eat their mate.

Also, big spoiler in the very first episode, I mean, really big.

Spoiler:

DivideByZero · June 2011

RoyceSraphim wrote: »

DivideByZero wrote: »

More than the ship design I dig the Newtonian physics.

But yeah there is just something special about those Earthforce destroyers with the rotating crew sections. They look decidedly human in a galaxy where every alien race is driving something that looks like a flying saucer or giant fish. I love that in B5, humanity is quite a ways behind most of the other races technologically; they have no luxuries like artificial gravity and just got their asses demolished in a massive interstellar war. It sets the stage for the sense of inferiority felt by many humans (especially in the government) and the resultant attitudes and policies that serve to shore up humanity's collective ego at the expense of increasing tentions with alien races.

A far more likely or realistic scenario than the utopian Federation in Star Trek if you ask me.

My roommate and I had this discussion and he boiled it down to Star Trek being the optomistic view of the galactic community while B5 kept the human emotions and instincts.

I can agree with that. I likes me some Trek, too, but there are times when the relentless optimism just breaks my suspension of disbelief. Like in First Contact when Picard is giving that speech about how humanity has moved beyond motivations like greed, pride, selfishness, etc. Psheah, right. B5 always seemed the more plausible scenario, like this is how the future might actually end up, with a humanity largely similar to the way we are today, rather than this enlightened and whitewashed utopian society. Like if you took Earth today, transplanted it into the future, gave it FTL and ansibles, and let it play around with a bunch of alien races.

B5 handled religion pretty well on the whole, especially that closing scene in S1 when Sinclair is leading the alien ambassador down the endless column of people representing each of Earth's religions.

(and I am unable to read any Londo quote without doing his voice in my head.)

DivideByZero · June 2011

jkylefulton wrote: »

Looking at the episode listings, I forgot about the season 5 episode "The Corps Is Mother, The Corps is Father". That was a good episode as well.

That was Bester & the Psi-Kids, right? Loved that one.

Devote a whole episode to trying to squeeze some humanity out of one of your major villains and he ends up coming out of it looking like an even bigger dick than before.

<3 Bester