Born to the Purple." The first script NOT written by JMS.
It's thin on its own, but the A-plot works because Peter Jurassik is incredible, and Fabiana Udenio is so warm and likable that I truly believe she, too, was genuinely interested in Londo for Londo.
The B-plot was more effective for me on this re-watch. It's the first time I've watched B5 since my parents died, and I was on headphones. On past viewings I just thought Ivanova's father passed out from exhaustion. This time, with the headphones, I heard him flatline. Claudia did well with the scenes, as did Jerry Doyle. And... Well, this time... Yeah, it hit me hard (I've also, in the past couple of months lost my last Uncle/Godfather, and a cat with severe health issues whose care took a not inconsiderable amount of my time and attention, and - look, Uncle Tom was 89, and, while I miss him, he had a good run, and I was able to say what needed to be said. Closure achieved. Ghost was shocking, sudden, and I am NOT ANYWHERE NEAR being over the loss of my three year old beautiful, smart, sweet boy. Just typing this is triggering crying...). (For those reading this, condolences are assumed, and don't need to be given.)
*A few moments later*
Yeah, so Ivanova's Dad. Got me.
Trakis... Clive Revill? He's been a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company. He's done Broadway. He's well regarded in his native New Zealand. He's been nominated on multiple continents for all kinds of awards. Clive Revill isn't supposed to be boring.
But he's got no motivation, no backstory, and we don't even find out what species he is. Ok, he's Golian, but that's known only because it's a script note added to the relevant Wikis after B5 Books published the script volumes. It's a bit surprising because writer Larry DiTillio is usually great at backstory, and, as mentioned in "Soul Hunter," HE'S the guy who wrote the "Bible" on the League Aliens*.
*Yeah, I'm gonna say "aliens," because it's just easier to type than "non-humans."
Speaking of aliens, also last week I mentioned the show is still throwing things at the wall to see what sticks, and the aliens are in that phase. There's a whole bunch of non-human species floating around which will shortly vanish. That blonde with the "Venus Fly Trap Face" the horny pilot chats up? I don't think we'll ever see one of those again. The strippers in Dark Star? No clue what the silver one is, or the one in the background with the elongated skull. Soon enough we'll settle down and consistently see Brakiri, Pak'Ma'Ra, Abbai, Drazi, Gaim, Vree, etc... Technically that was a spoiler, but what's a list of species names between friends?
Ko'Dath... Mary Woronov insisted she was fine with prosthetics and contacts. Then she freaked out in the makeup chair and had a panic attack with the contacts. She was intended as a series regular. She will be replaced with Julie Caitlin Brown as Na'Toth. That's not a spoiler - she's in the opening credits. Na'Toth>Ko'Dath, anyways.
This is a good place to discuss a few of the day players who are less than stellar actors... B5 cast a lot of minor characters out of the tech crew for the show. That female C&C tech, the horny pilot, the voice of the computer, the C&C tech from the grapple scene in "Soul Hunter." The list goes on. B5 DP John Flynn will appear twice, and his scenes are actually funny. Eventually Stephen First will learn to talk around his teeth and Vir won't sound like he's lisping and about to drool phlegm.
But I do love that G'Kar and Ko'Dath TOTALLY steal his video game.
Garibaldi is reading a newspaper in his office. Especially for first time viewers, I'd recommend freeze framing any newspaper (or news screen) you see and reading headlines. Garabaldi's paper includes a note that the head of Homeguard went to trial and asks "Is There Something Living in Hyperspace?" Both headlines hint at things which will be more relevant later. As Simon said, almost everything is relevant. Even background details.
(If you ever see a data screen with a reference to Elvis Presley, that screen was done by artist "Mojo" Lebowitz. When JMS noticed a string of jokes he was not amused. He told Mojo's boss, Ron Thornton, "Get your man under control, or fire him.")
(In the post for "Soul Hunter," Simon discussed some of the actors who have passed away. I mentioned director Jim Johnston was also no longer with us - something I learned two days before typing my response. Well, B5 Visual Effects Supervisor (series 1-3) Ron Thornton is also gone. Ron's importance to the VFX industry cannot be overstated, because, to be blunt, B5 was the first show of any kind to do all effects digitally, and the pipelines and processes developed for B5 were taken to other studios and basically became the standard, which has only started being supplanted in the past few years with the rise of Virtual Production. Also, in the industry, VFX crew get treated like crap - it's about time VFX teams pushed to unionize - and Ron Thornton shouldn't have ended his life with a GoFundMe for medical care. I consider my own donation well spent, but Ron should have had another decade. I digress, but feel this type of thing needs to be said. Without Ron Thornton there would be no Babylon 5. Period. It's his work that made the show possible on a $400k/episode budget - compared to $4 million/episode for Trek: TNG, and his design notes which set up the style of B5's CG. He's someone I never had the opportunity to meet, and with his work on Blake's 7, Doctor Who, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Star Trek, Babylon 5, Spaceballs, and dozens of other shows and films, I'd have liked to shake his hand and thank him for the inspiration. Simon knows I used to work at a low level as a VFX artist/animator, but Ron Thornton inspired me just as much as people like Stan Winston, Dennis Muren, Phil Tippett, and John Dykstra.)
(Ok, enough of that. This is still me being maudlin over Ghost - especially since Fuzz is having a heart scan as I type, and I'm waiting for lab work on Scotty to find out how bad the diabetes is, and Loki (she predates the MCU) to find out how bad her kidney disease is...)
Sinclair's "terrible disguise." Quick, raise your hand if you recognize the mayor of your town offhand. Especially if you live somewhere with a population in excess of 100k. I thought not. This is a trope dating back hundreds of years - with "The Prince and the Pauper" being the obvious example. If you are a criminal on Babylon 5 you keep your eyes down, and try to be unnoticed. You aren't looking at faces, you're looking at the UNIFORM. It may SEEM like a terrible disguise, but it would work. As in "Prince/Pauper," MOST people in the kingdom aren't saying, "Wow, you look like the Prince!" The Prince is known for his fine clothes. Thus, the change of clothes allows the swap.
It's Londo's hood flopping flat around his hair crest which looks terrible. Side note: Londo's hair was supposed to be shorter. Of course you put long hair on and trim it down. Well, they brought JMS in to start trimming, and Peter Jurrasik said, "Oh, let's leave it long! It's so bold! I love it!" JMS said, "Ok," and left.
The scenes with Ivanova's dad got me as well; I don't remember if they hit me as hard back in '14, but since then my dad and an uncle have passed, so they definitely hit hard now.
Those scenes definitely hit harder than I remembered. I wondered also if it's because we're a much more video call-focused culture now, so those scenes feel less 'scifi'. The pandemic also had many reports of loved ones being unable to comfort relatives due to quarantine restrictions, and Ivanova being stuck light years from Earth, while still being able to watch in real time, was heartbreaking.
Ever since I heard Londo use the line "What do you want, you moon-faced assassin of joy?" on my first watch of this show back in 2014, I've wanted to use that in real life. Haven't had the chance yet, but here's hoping. I remembered generally that Adira was significant, but I'd forgotten the specifics of what happens.
OK,SPOILER TIME! (Substack made me split my comment)
And let's get the death triggering out of the way. Adira's future death is going to suuuuuck. Not just for Londo, but for the entire galaxy. Yup, the "one off" character will tie into the literal deaths of billions. Simon noted Adria as the first thing set up which pays off years down the line. I tap Simon on the shoulder and point at Lyta and Kosh in the pilot, AND Kosh greeting Sinclair in the pilot with the words "Entil'zha Valen." Also the pilot has the "Pleasure Threshold" scene which pays off on season 5.
Don't skip the pilot is what I'm saying. Yeah, it's shonky, but it sets up a lot of things for later - like Kosh telling you in the pilot EXACTLY what Sinclair's fate is. Of course, the word "Valen" doesn't come into the series for another couple of episodes, and Entil'zha "RANGER ONE" until season 2.
Just ignore the gravity rings. We'll never see those again.
Let's talk about Centauri sex. The original script draft had Londo's hair hanging limp. Sanity prevailed in the rewrites. "Parliament of Dreams" will show the statue of "Lir (hermaphrodite) Goddess of Passion." Later on we'll see Londo use his genitals to cheat at cards (ew). Vir will talk to Ivanova about the "6 bases" of Centauri passion. Come season 5, when Londo has his heart attack and needs de-fib, well, since no dialog is ever specifically spoken saying, "That's a penis!" the censors just ignored all the "Little Londos" crossed over his ribcage...
The makeup was created, Fabiana Udenio shot the scene, and it was cut in the edit. At the time it would have been out of context slits on her back. Only later would we have realized we saw waaay too much Centauri vagina. Especially for a show rated PG/12.
Londo's hair. The long hair got written into the backstory, and became a nice set of details that Centauri men "peacocked" their status, the women said, "This is stupid" and shaved their skulls, and we're knew Cartagia was decadant by having short hair.
Jerry Doyle joked that if he knew Londo would be the first character to get laid, he'd never have taken the job. Doyle would continue to complain Garabaldi never got laid through the next year. In GROPOS during season 2 Garabaldi was, in fact, supposed to sleep with Dodger... And Doyle refused to play the scene on the grounds of Garibaldi's attraction of and pursuit of Talia. That Garibaldi wouldn't just take a random tumble... Of course, at that point Doyle was married to Talia's actress, Andrea Thompson, while DODGER'S actress, Marie Marshall, was Doyle's ex.
For awhile JMS toyed with the idea of having G'Kar have a series of aides, all of whom died (Ko'Dath is pushed from an airlock between episodes). Presumably this was abandoned because 1) it's not THAT funny, 2) a series of Ambassadorial Aides being murdered becomes serious business, then Garabaldi has to do something about it.
Julie Caitlin Brown was a friend of JMS, and she stepped in as Na'Toth as a favor. This means she was the only front-credit performer in season 1 to not have a multi-year contract! At the end of the season she turned down a pickup. The prosthetic makeup and glue was damaging her skin, and an actor's face is their calling card. This is why Mary Kay Adams stepped into the role in season 2. Unfortunately, Adams has zero charisma or charm, and, after two episodes Na'Toth vanished, only to return in a single series 5 episode, again played by Julie Caitlin Brown. Still, Mary Kay Adams was contracted for seven episodes, so she got paid for five she didn't have to do.
Actors have unions to guarantee that sort of thing. VFX artists don't. Yeah, I'm rooting for the VFX industry to unionize.
Julie Caitlin Brown will appear in "There all the Honor Lies" in season 2 as Sheridan's lawyer.
Ah, Sheridan... This is my first re-watch since learning of Michael O' Hare's struggles with schizophrenia during season 1. I have my list of production order, and I admit part of me is analyzing his performances. I wonder if his degradation becomes obvious. Season 1 finale, "Chrysalis" was shot 12th of 24, meaning the production staff hadn't yet realized what was going on with him. I bring this up because Babylon 5 fans over the decades have been less than kind about his portrayal of Sinclair. To me he's always been a mixed bag. Sometimes Michael O' Hare is very good, indeed, and, at other times, you get really strange laughing in a strip club.
Thus far, O'Hare seems to be nailing his action scenes, while scenes where Sinclair is being philosophical, introspective, or devious fall flat. Look at the battle scene in "Midnight on the Firing Line," or the grapple sequence in "Soul Hunter." Sinclair is firm, commanding, crisp, and energized. His scene in the garden with G'Kar in "Midnight," "If you want me, you know where to find me," his scene with Kosh in the same episode, or the scenes in "Born to the Purple" dealing with the Euphrates treaty, are just... Boring.
We'll have to see how he hits the confrontation with the Ikarran War Machine play out in "Infection." Memory says he's way over the top.
He's just inconsistent. When Bruce Boxlitner comes in - he's rarely brilliant, but he's rarely bad. He's nice and consistent.
Londo and G'Kar agreeing that women are wonderful is a nice shading of their complex relationship. It also doesn't hurt that Peter Jurassik and Andreas Katsukas are easily the best performers on the show. It doesn't hurt that both are often broad characters, but both actors have great subtlety as well.
It's interesting how, at this point, Londo is the "(mostly) nice guy buffoon in a bad situation," while G'Kar is the "sneering villain." Of course, by the end of season 2 G'Kar will be broken and sympathetic, while Londo is out of control and power-mad... And then everything keeps flipping every season.
I mean, we know they will die at each other's throats, but who knew Londo would ask G'Kar to kill him to protect Sheridan, Delenn, and David, while the Keeper forces him to fight back against G'Kar's mercy?
I had no idea they'd shot, or at least planned that. I love the idea of B5 trying to get explicit sex onto primetime TV, and getting away with it because the censors wouldn't recognise the scifi twist.
Well, to be pedantic, it's not exactly "explicit sex," so much as the Centauri equivalent of full frontal nudity.
For "Born to the Purple," it was just an alternate angle when Adira gets out of bed in the "afterglow" scene.
But her stage outfit in the Dark Star club... Y'know, with all the oval cutouts along her sides... With what we've now discussed about Centauri anatomy, we can now note that's the Centauri equivalent of a G-string in terms of what's exposed of her ribcage area. Sneaky-sneaky. And well-played costume designer.
Of course, with what we've now discussed about Centauri anatomy, Londo's sleep shirt is, um... Impractical for the implied activity. There should be some snaps on the side. Heh.
SPOILERS INCOMING:
And, of course, it's "The Very Long Night of Londo Mollari finally features "full frontal."
Then there's the Crusade - B5's short-lived sequel series - episode "The Needs of the Earth. The IPX archeologist attached to Excalibur, Max Eilerson, accidentally gives Captain Gideon reports on a data crystal that he forgot to wipe the porn from. Yes, Gideon watches the porn. Yes, we get to see some of it.
It's still (US rating) PG.
Should you choose, the relevant clip is on YouTube. "Babylon Crusade - Who's Your Little Pak Ma'ra." It's actually quite a funny subplot, if unexpected (given JMS describes himself as a bit of a prude, and notes in the B5 S5 episode "Secrets of the Soul" there's a margin note for the Lyta/Byron sex scene... "What's most embarrassing, writing this reading this, or filming this."). The ship's Doctor gets the line, "As a Doctor, I have to say that is totally unrealistic. A Pak Ma'ra isn't biologically equipped to... interface with a human female in... that... way..."
Well, crap. I guess JMS DID try to sneak explicit sex into prime time!
I suspect that's less of an issue in the UK. B5 is actually something I've used to note different broadcast standards between the US and UK. Monty Python had bare-breasted (nipples!) females and male and female buttocks on-air in 1969-73, while the initial US broadcast of B5 had edits for violence. One example is "Gray 17 is Missing." When Marcus fights Neroon and Neroon puts Marcus down, then smashes him with his pike breaking Marcus's ribs, the rib breaking was cut from the UK airing. Too "brutal" to hit a man while he's down, especially with a weapon. Sure, that's also a pre/post watershed comparison, but, in the US there is NO time where a bare-breasted female (showing nipple) is allowed on a broadcast network.
Pretty sure on initial airing the close up of Vir sticking the needle into Cartagia was cut.
And the series "Vikings?" Most of its sex and nudity was cut for the US broadcast.
The US doesn't like sex, but broadcast networks can have Hannibal Lecter feed a man his own brain.
It's the US - founded by Puritans. US history says they "sought religious freedom." Everyone else knows they were assholes OLIVER FUCKING CROMWELL thought were too extreme.
Where is B5 available? I would love to do this if I can get my hubby to agree. Sci-fi is not exactly his thing, unless it involves Godzilla type monsters...
I'm not sure about streaming - I've some people mention that it's on Tubi in the US (I have no idea what Tubi is!). It was on Amazon in the UK for a while but seems to only be available to buy now, rather than stream. The digital versions are all the remastered HD versions I believe (though bear in mind 'HD' is a relative term here).
NON SPOILER STUFF
Born to the Purple." The first script NOT written by JMS.
It's thin on its own, but the A-plot works because Peter Jurassik is incredible, and Fabiana Udenio is so warm and likable that I truly believe she, too, was genuinely interested in Londo for Londo.
The B-plot was more effective for me on this re-watch. It's the first time I've watched B5 since my parents died, and I was on headphones. On past viewings I just thought Ivanova's father passed out from exhaustion. This time, with the headphones, I heard him flatline. Claudia did well with the scenes, as did Jerry Doyle. And... Well, this time... Yeah, it hit me hard (I've also, in the past couple of months lost my last Uncle/Godfather, and a cat with severe health issues whose care took a not inconsiderable amount of my time and attention, and - look, Uncle Tom was 89, and, while I miss him, he had a good run, and I was able to say what needed to be said. Closure achieved. Ghost was shocking, sudden, and I am NOT ANYWHERE NEAR being over the loss of my three year old beautiful, smart, sweet boy. Just typing this is triggering crying...). (For those reading this, condolences are assumed, and don't need to be given.)
*A few moments later*
Yeah, so Ivanova's Dad. Got me.
Trakis... Clive Revill? He's been a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company. He's done Broadway. He's well regarded in his native New Zealand. He's been nominated on multiple continents for all kinds of awards. Clive Revill isn't supposed to be boring.
But he's got no motivation, no backstory, and we don't even find out what species he is. Ok, he's Golian, but that's known only because it's a script note added to the relevant Wikis after B5 Books published the script volumes. It's a bit surprising because writer Larry DiTillio is usually great at backstory, and, as mentioned in "Soul Hunter," HE'S the guy who wrote the "Bible" on the League Aliens*.
*Yeah, I'm gonna say "aliens," because it's just easier to type than "non-humans."
Speaking of aliens, also last week I mentioned the show is still throwing things at the wall to see what sticks, and the aliens are in that phase. There's a whole bunch of non-human species floating around which will shortly vanish. That blonde with the "Venus Fly Trap Face" the horny pilot chats up? I don't think we'll ever see one of those again. The strippers in Dark Star? No clue what the silver one is, or the one in the background with the elongated skull. Soon enough we'll settle down and consistently see Brakiri, Pak'Ma'Ra, Abbai, Drazi, Gaim, Vree, etc... Technically that was a spoiler, but what's a list of species names between friends?
Ko'Dath... Mary Woronov insisted she was fine with prosthetics and contacts. Then she freaked out in the makeup chair and had a panic attack with the contacts. She was intended as a series regular. She will be replaced with Julie Caitlin Brown as Na'Toth. That's not a spoiler - she's in the opening credits. Na'Toth>Ko'Dath, anyways.
This is a good place to discuss a few of the day players who are less than stellar actors... B5 cast a lot of minor characters out of the tech crew for the show. That female C&C tech, the horny pilot, the voice of the computer, the C&C tech from the grapple scene in "Soul Hunter." The list goes on. B5 DP John Flynn will appear twice, and his scenes are actually funny. Eventually Stephen First will learn to talk around his teeth and Vir won't sound like he's lisping and about to drool phlegm.
But I do love that G'Kar and Ko'Dath TOTALLY steal his video game.
Garibaldi is reading a newspaper in his office. Especially for first time viewers, I'd recommend freeze framing any newspaper (or news screen) you see and reading headlines. Garabaldi's paper includes a note that the head of Homeguard went to trial and asks "Is There Something Living in Hyperspace?" Both headlines hint at things which will be more relevant later. As Simon said, almost everything is relevant. Even background details.
(If you ever see a data screen with a reference to Elvis Presley, that screen was done by artist "Mojo" Lebowitz. When JMS noticed a string of jokes he was not amused. He told Mojo's boss, Ron Thornton, "Get your man under control, or fire him.")
(In the post for "Soul Hunter," Simon discussed some of the actors who have passed away. I mentioned director Jim Johnston was also no longer with us - something I learned two days before typing my response. Well, B5 Visual Effects Supervisor (series 1-3) Ron Thornton is also gone. Ron's importance to the VFX industry cannot be overstated, because, to be blunt, B5 was the first show of any kind to do all effects digitally, and the pipelines and processes developed for B5 were taken to other studios and basically became the standard, which has only started being supplanted in the past few years with the rise of Virtual Production. Also, in the industry, VFX crew get treated like crap - it's about time VFX teams pushed to unionize - and Ron Thornton shouldn't have ended his life with a GoFundMe for medical care. I consider my own donation well spent, but Ron should have had another decade. I digress, but feel this type of thing needs to be said. Without Ron Thornton there would be no Babylon 5. Period. It's his work that made the show possible on a $400k/episode budget - compared to $4 million/episode for Trek: TNG, and his design notes which set up the style of B5's CG. He's someone I never had the opportunity to meet, and with his work on Blake's 7, Doctor Who, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Star Trek, Babylon 5, Spaceballs, and dozens of other shows and films, I'd have liked to shake his hand and thank him for the inspiration. Simon knows I used to work at a low level as a VFX artist/animator, but Ron Thornton inspired me just as much as people like Stan Winston, Dennis Muren, Phil Tippett, and John Dykstra.)
(Ok, enough of that. This is still me being maudlin over Ghost - especially since Fuzz is having a heart scan as I type, and I'm waiting for lab work on Scotty to find out how bad the diabetes is, and Loki (she predates the MCU) to find out how bad her kidney disease is...)
Sinclair's "terrible disguise." Quick, raise your hand if you recognize the mayor of your town offhand. Especially if you live somewhere with a population in excess of 100k. I thought not. This is a trope dating back hundreds of years - with "The Prince and the Pauper" being the obvious example. If you are a criminal on Babylon 5 you keep your eyes down, and try to be unnoticed. You aren't looking at faces, you're looking at the UNIFORM. It may SEEM like a terrible disguise, but it would work. As in "Prince/Pauper," MOST people in the kingdom aren't saying, "Wow, you look like the Prince!" The Prince is known for his fine clothes. Thus, the change of clothes allows the swap.
It's Londo's hood flopping flat around his hair crest which looks terrible. Side note: Londo's hair was supposed to be shorter. Of course you put long hair on and trim it down. Well, they brought JMS in to start trimming, and Peter Jurrasik said, "Oh, let's leave it long! It's so bold! I love it!" JMS said, "Ok," and left.
Peter was, of course, kidding.
The scenes with Ivanova's dad got me as well; I don't remember if they hit me as hard back in '14, but since then my dad and an uncle have passed, so they definitely hit hard now.
Those scenes definitely hit harder than I remembered. I wondered also if it's because we're a much more video call-focused culture now, so those scenes feel less 'scifi'. The pandemic also had many reports of loved ones being unable to comfort relatives due to quarantine restrictions, and Ivanova being stuck light years from Earth, while still being able to watch in real time, was heartbreaking.
Ever since I heard Londo use the line "What do you want, you moon-faced assassin of joy?" on my first watch of this show back in 2014, I've wanted to use that in real life. Haven't had the chance yet, but here's hoping. I remembered generally that Adira was significant, but I'd forgotten the specifics of what happens.
I might try that the next time my son wakes me up at 6.30 on a Saturday morning.
OK,SPOILER TIME! (Substack made me split my comment)
And let's get the death triggering out of the way. Adira's future death is going to suuuuuck. Not just for Londo, but for the entire galaxy. Yup, the "one off" character will tie into the literal deaths of billions. Simon noted Adria as the first thing set up which pays off years down the line. I tap Simon on the shoulder and point at Lyta and Kosh in the pilot, AND Kosh greeting Sinclair in the pilot with the words "Entil'zha Valen." Also the pilot has the "Pleasure Threshold" scene which pays off on season 5.
Don't skip the pilot is what I'm saying. Yeah, it's shonky, but it sets up a lot of things for later - like Kosh telling you in the pilot EXACTLY what Sinclair's fate is. Of course, the word "Valen" doesn't come into the series for another couple of episodes, and Entil'zha "RANGER ONE" until season 2.
Just ignore the gravity rings. We'll never see those again.
Let's talk about Centauri sex. The original script draft had Londo's hair hanging limp. Sanity prevailed in the rewrites. "Parliament of Dreams" will show the statue of "Lir (hermaphrodite) Goddess of Passion." Later on we'll see Londo use his genitals to cheat at cards (ew). Vir will talk to Ivanova about the "6 bases" of Centauri passion. Come season 5, when Londo has his heart attack and needs de-fib, well, since no dialog is ever specifically spoken saying, "That's a penis!" the censors just ignored all the "Little Londos" crossed over his ribcage...
The makeup was created, Fabiana Udenio shot the scene, and it was cut in the edit. At the time it would have been out of context slits on her back. Only later would we have realized we saw waaay too much Centauri vagina. Especially for a show rated PG/12.
Londo's hair. The long hair got written into the backstory, and became a nice set of details that Centauri men "peacocked" their status, the women said, "This is stupid" and shaved their skulls, and we're knew Cartagia was decadant by having short hair.
Jerry Doyle joked that if he knew Londo would be the first character to get laid, he'd never have taken the job. Doyle would continue to complain Garabaldi never got laid through the next year. In GROPOS during season 2 Garabaldi was, in fact, supposed to sleep with Dodger... And Doyle refused to play the scene on the grounds of Garibaldi's attraction of and pursuit of Talia. That Garibaldi wouldn't just take a random tumble... Of course, at that point Doyle was married to Talia's actress, Andrea Thompson, while DODGER'S actress, Marie Marshall, was Doyle's ex.
For awhile JMS toyed with the idea of having G'Kar have a series of aides, all of whom died (Ko'Dath is pushed from an airlock between episodes). Presumably this was abandoned because 1) it's not THAT funny, 2) a series of Ambassadorial Aides being murdered becomes serious business, then Garabaldi has to do something about it.
Julie Caitlin Brown was a friend of JMS, and she stepped in as Na'Toth as a favor. This means she was the only front-credit performer in season 1 to not have a multi-year contract! At the end of the season she turned down a pickup. The prosthetic makeup and glue was damaging her skin, and an actor's face is their calling card. This is why Mary Kay Adams stepped into the role in season 2. Unfortunately, Adams has zero charisma or charm, and, after two episodes Na'Toth vanished, only to return in a single series 5 episode, again played by Julie Caitlin Brown. Still, Mary Kay Adams was contracted for seven episodes, so she got paid for five she didn't have to do.
Actors have unions to guarantee that sort of thing. VFX artists don't. Yeah, I'm rooting for the VFX industry to unionize.
Julie Caitlin Brown will appear in "There all the Honor Lies" in season 2 as Sheridan's lawyer.
Ah, Sheridan... This is my first re-watch since learning of Michael O' Hare's struggles with schizophrenia during season 1. I have my list of production order, and I admit part of me is analyzing his performances. I wonder if his degradation becomes obvious. Season 1 finale, "Chrysalis" was shot 12th of 24, meaning the production staff hadn't yet realized what was going on with him. I bring this up because Babylon 5 fans over the decades have been less than kind about his portrayal of Sinclair. To me he's always been a mixed bag. Sometimes Michael O' Hare is very good, indeed, and, at other times, you get really strange laughing in a strip club.
Thus far, O'Hare seems to be nailing his action scenes, while scenes where Sinclair is being philosophical, introspective, or devious fall flat. Look at the battle scene in "Midnight on the Firing Line," or the grapple sequence in "Soul Hunter." Sinclair is firm, commanding, crisp, and energized. His scene in the garden with G'Kar in "Midnight," "If you want me, you know where to find me," his scene with Kosh in the same episode, or the scenes in "Born to the Purple" dealing with the Euphrates treaty, are just... Boring.
We'll have to see how he hits the confrontation with the Ikarran War Machine play out in "Infection." Memory says he's way over the top.
He's just inconsistent. When Bruce Boxlitner comes in - he's rarely brilliant, but he's rarely bad. He's nice and consistent.
Londo and G'Kar agreeing that women are wonderful is a nice shading of their complex relationship. It also doesn't hurt that Peter Jurassik and Andreas Katsukas are easily the best performers on the show. It doesn't hurt that both are often broad characters, but both actors have great subtlety as well.
It's interesting how, at this point, Londo is the "(mostly) nice guy buffoon in a bad situation," while G'Kar is the "sneering villain." Of course, by the end of season 2 G'Kar will be broken and sympathetic, while Londo is out of control and power-mad... And then everything keeps flipping every season.
I mean, we know they will die at each other's throats, but who knew Londo would ask G'Kar to kill him to protect Sheridan, Delenn, and David, while the Keeper forces him to fight back against G'Kar's mercy?
I had no idea they'd shot, or at least planned that. I love the idea of B5 trying to get explicit sex onto primetime TV, and getting away with it because the censors wouldn't recognise the scifi twist.
Well, to be pedantic, it's not exactly "explicit sex," so much as the Centauri equivalent of full frontal nudity.
For "Born to the Purple," it was just an alternate angle when Adira gets out of bed in the "afterglow" scene.
But her stage outfit in the Dark Star club... Y'know, with all the oval cutouts along her sides... With what we've now discussed about Centauri anatomy, we can now note that's the Centauri equivalent of a G-string in terms of what's exposed of her ribcage area. Sneaky-sneaky. And well-played costume designer.
Of course, with what we've now discussed about Centauri anatomy, Londo's sleep shirt is, um... Impractical for the implied activity. There should be some snaps on the side. Heh.
SPOILERS INCOMING:
And, of course, it's "The Very Long Night of Londo Mollari finally features "full frontal."
Then there's the Crusade - B5's short-lived sequel series - episode "The Needs of the Earth. The IPX archeologist attached to Excalibur, Max Eilerson, accidentally gives Captain Gideon reports on a data crystal that he forgot to wipe the porn from. Yes, Gideon watches the porn. Yes, we get to see some of it.
It's still (US rating) PG.
Should you choose, the relevant clip is on YouTube. "Babylon Crusade - Who's Your Little Pak Ma'ra." It's actually quite a funny subplot, if unexpected (given JMS describes himself as a bit of a prude, and notes in the B5 S5 episode "Secrets of the Soul" there's a margin note for the Lyta/Byron sex scene... "What's most embarrassing, writing this reading this, or filming this."). The ship's Doctor gets the line, "As a Doctor, I have to say that is totally unrealistic. A Pak Ma'ra isn't biologically equipped to... interface with a human female in... that... way..."
Well, crap. I guess JMS DID try to sneak explicit sex into prime time!
I suspect that's less of an issue in the UK. B5 is actually something I've used to note different broadcast standards between the US and UK. Monty Python had bare-breasted (nipples!) females and male and female buttocks on-air in 1969-73, while the initial US broadcast of B5 had edits for violence. One example is "Gray 17 is Missing." When Marcus fights Neroon and Neroon puts Marcus down, then smashes him with his pike breaking Marcus's ribs, the rib breaking was cut from the UK airing. Too "brutal" to hit a man while he's down, especially with a weapon. Sure, that's also a pre/post watershed comparison, but, in the US there is NO time where a bare-breasted female (showing nipple) is allowed on a broadcast network.
Pretty sure on initial airing the close up of Vir sticking the needle into Cartagia was cut.
And the series "Vikings?" Most of its sex and nudity was cut for the US broadcast.
The US doesn't like sex, but broadcast networks can have Hannibal Lecter feed a man his own brain.
It's the US - founded by Puritans. US history says they "sought religious freedom." Everyone else knows they were assholes OLIVER FUCKING CROMWELL thought were too extreme.
A society's attitude towards censorship and what is 'appropriate' often tells you everything you need to know.
Quite.
Where is B5 available? I would love to do this if I can get my hubby to agree. Sci-fi is not exactly his thing, unless it involves Godzilla type monsters...
The entire series just came out on blu-ray.
I'm not sure about streaming - I've some people mention that it's on Tubi in the US (I have no idea what Tubi is!). It was on Amazon in the UK for a while but seems to only be available to buy now, rather than stream. The digital versions are all the remastered HD versions I believe (though bear in mind 'HD' is a relative term here).
Hope you can join us! :)
Aha! Now I know what to ask for for my birthday!