|
Anonymouse Mook posted:Which, the lager or the IPA? Dudebros aren't drinking IPAs, even if they are trash.
|
#
?
Jun 17, 2020 16:15
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 19, 2024 12:41 |
|
|
The_Doctor posted:Dudebros aren't drinking IPAs, even if they are trash. Josh the Zorlon is a little more (other)worldly, and enjoys a cool Sam Adams now and then.
|
|
#
?
Jun 17, 2020 16:20
|
|
|
Finger Prince posted:Josh the Zorlon is a little more (other)worldly, and enjoys a cool Sam Adams now and then. In this way, we are all Josh.
|
|
#
?
Jun 17, 2020 19:14
|
|
|
S2Ep02 - Revelations “Weep for the future, Na’Toth. Weep for us all.” New Na’Toth! Her voice isn’t as strong as Mk1. G’kar is away escaping baby versions of the big ‘shadow’ ships. The sound effect work on them is excellent. The sound mix on this scene with Dr Franklin and Sheridan is weird, the jazz is front and centre, and the whispering is barely audible. Might be my issue rather than the episode. “Hi big brother!” This is one of my writing peeves, because no-one actually talks like this. It’s such a clunky shorthand. Are these the 2200s Folgers kids? The way they’re holding hands in the restaurant later, is this his sister or an old flame? Morden’s ‘One thing at a time.’ is surprisingly chilling, and Londo’s face dropping in reaction is amazing. However, the following scene with the Sheridans’ dinner is clearly filmed on the exact same set, just mildly redressed, and it’s very obvious. Shame the scene can’t distract from it by being good, instead it’s horribly awkward and clunky. But ok, dead wife. I appreciate they’ve got to do a lot of background building for Sheridan where everyone else has already had a season’s worth of episodes to build on. Then we get Dead Wife scene 2 later on, and it’s just as yawn-worthy. This doesn’t feel earned yet. We don’t have much of Sheridan’s character as he is right now, why should I care about his past woes? At the moment he’s still bland and smiley. Just let Garibaldi go into the long night. No one will mind. G’kar sleeps on a bed made of rock, it seems. I guess the Narn are lizard-based? His speech of the encroaching darkness he found is spellbinding. He seems a changed man. I’ve missed you, G’kar. His passion and fear of what’s coming falling on deaf ears is almost certainly going to bite everyone in the butt soon. Could B5 not send a couple of starfuries to Z’ha’dum to check it out? A warship being destroyed seems like it would warrant at least some investigation. Could Garibaldi’s would-be assassin be any more obvious? Was he really going to shoot him right there in medlab? Wouldn’t that have just made it super obvious who he was?! Also, why not just surreptitiously kill him at some point in the last few weeks while he was in the coma, just to be sure? Leaving him alive makes no sense to the conspiracy. And it’s Psicorps behind it all? They’re in charge of something more space racist than regular Homeguard? Now is Clark actually in charge of himself and the government, or a mere mental meat puppet at Bester’s hand? The assassin going missing the moment Clark asked for his transportation was obvious. That helplessness in the face of a government that doesn’t care about your issue because it’s very intent on not caring never fails to not be timely.
|
|
#
?
Jun 17, 2020 22:10
|
|
|
S2E2 I totally missed them holding hands, lmao. I agree with your points but forgot to save my notes when I watched this episode a while back. About to start S2E3 though! it's only been a couple weeks but I'm excited to start up again
|
|
#
?
Jun 17, 2020 22:20
|
|
|
The_Doctor posted:Are these the 2200s Folgers kids? The way they’re holding hands in the restaurant later, is this his sister or an old flame? Non Babylon 5 spoiler context for anyone who didn't cough milk through their nose with laughter at how  The_Doctor's description here is:That Foldgers comercial Also hell yeah Morden's "one thing at a time," it's really impressive how chilling that character can be.
|
|
#
?
Jun 17, 2020 22:24
|
|
|
The_Doctor posted:S2Ep02 - Revelations Reminder that he had an orgy with three human women on that slab of rock
|
|
#
?
Jun 17, 2020 22:30
|
|
|
Sanguinia posted:Reminder that he had an orgy with three human women on that slab of rock Their poor knees. Maybe he put down a futon or something. 
|
|
#
?
Jun 17, 2020 22:33
|
|
|
The_Doctor posted:Their poor knees. Maybe he put down a futon or something. Who said that he wasn't on bottom?
|
|
#
?
Jun 17, 2020 22:38
|
|
|
TraderStav posted:Who said that he wasn't on bottom? great now I'm wondering what Narn genitalia is like. it can't be nearly as bad as Centauris
|
|
#
?
Jun 17, 2020 22:42
|
|
|
TheAardvark posted:great now I'm wondering what Narn genitalia is like. it can't be nearly as bad as Centauris I think the canon is that the Narn physiologically are marsupials, so enjoy that.
|
|
#
?
Jun 17, 2020 22:48
|
|
|
TheAardvark posted:great now I'm wondering what Narn genitalia is like. it can't be nearly as bad as Centauris A lot of reptile genitalia like turtles as an example, the erect dong is like 1/4 the length of turtle's entire body probably tied with the Centauri.
|
|
#
?
Jun 17, 2020 22:50
|
|
|
S2ep03 - The Geometry of Shadows “You don’t frighten easily.” “I work for Ambassador Mollari. After a while, nothing bothers you.” So the Centauri are also trying to depose their leader. Seems to be flavour of the month. Vir’s little ‘how dare you?!’ look made me lol. Technomages sound like a properly wanky concept, cribbed out of a Shadowrun manual. All their magic appears to be holograms and computer programs, so... what? Walking around in long robes quoting Tolkien like a bunch of nerds. Oh god, they’re LARPers running on Clarke’s 3rd Law. Ivanova going through the Drazi conflict was hilarious as she slowly works out how the faction system happens. The solution seemed a little pat, but sure. “14 words to make someone fall in love with you” - ‘14 words’ seems like a bad choice of phrasing there. 😬 Sheridan seemed better and more likeable this episode. He’s hitting a lot of the same notes Anson Mount’s Captain Pike did in ST:Discovery. Mainly he’s being decent and supportive of his people, all topped off with a layer of easy charisma. And I guess Chief ACAB is back on the job or something. Londo leaving with the imps on his back reminded me of this shot/jokefrom the Real Ghostbusters cartoon, which coincidentally JMS wrote a bunch of episodes for: 
|
|
#
?
Jun 18, 2020 01:27
|
|
|
In regards to Believers, it's not that great an episode, but you do have to keep in mind that it aired for the first time in 1994. While the ending isn't that shocking once you've seen a lot of what aired in the 2010s, the only reference that we had for science fiction on television was Star Trek, and you know their writers would've tied up everything in a neat little bow if they'd been given that setting. It's one of a few things that I think JMS did to establish that B5 was not Star Trek, and even if he did go a little far, it was necessary at the time.
|
|
#
?
Jun 18, 2020 01:59
|
|
|
S2E3 Did they overdub Dr. Franklin's lines? I like getting some Centauri politics Technomage LOL COMMANDER Ivanova's hair is down in uniform, she kept it in her uniform last season didn't she? Vir getting philosophical on us Haha get owned Ivanova. This is a great bit of alien political thinking with the colors. drat Vir has some balls on him! Also these technomage people sure are something. That was a weird bit about puberty from Ivanova. I guess hinting she's asked for pain meds from Franklin for PMS and been turned down? Hahaha Londo getting wrecked by that recording of Vir. This lead technomage reminds me of Carl Sagan or Rod Serling. Haha Narn opera, great payback. Oh God drat it this is a terrible resolution to the Ivanova plot. Londo getting called out on colluding with the shadows.. drat. AARD VARKMAN fucked around with this message at 03:08 on Jun 18, 2020 |
|
#
?
Jun 18, 2020 03:05
|
|
|
Sanguinia posted:Reminder that he had an orgy with three human women on that slab of rock That slab wasn't the only thing that was rock hard  ,
|
|
#
?
Jun 18, 2020 03:39
|
|
|
TheAardvark posted:This lead technomage reminds me of Carl Sagan or Rod Serling. The lead technomage was played by Michael Ansara, one of the great "hey, it's that guy!" actors of the 50s, 60s and 70s, played one of the OG Klingons (and replayed the same character in DS9 years later) and if you grew up with Batman the Animated Series, you probably know him best as Mr. Freeze. A man with a godly voice.
|
|
#
?
Jun 18, 2020 04:45
|
|
|
Blindeye posted:I think the canon is that the Narn physiologically are marsupials, so enjoy that. A lot of marsupials have two-headed dicks. I don't think we ever learn anything about Minbari dicks, but it's entirely possible that humans are the only losers in the B5 universe with only one set of genitals. TheAardvark posted:
So, the scene where Ivanova gets her leg broken? The actress had actually broken her leg the day before, so it was written into the episode - and, as a result, the resolution had to be rewritten to account for her being unable to walk.
|
|
#
?
Jun 18, 2020 05:27
|
|
|
ultrafilter posted:In regards to Believers, JMS hired David Gerrold (wrote Trouble With Tribbles and the writer's bible for TNG, a lead writer for two seasons) specifically to write that story. You're drat right it was a reaction to Star Trek.
|
|
#
?
Jun 18, 2020 06:10
|
|
|
The Technomages might just be the worst part of Babylon 5, and they perhaps date the series to the 90s more than any other part.
|
|
|
#
?
Jun 18, 2020 07:41
|
|
|
On paper, they shouldn't work, but Michael Ansara brought enough gravitas to the role that they feel genuinely impressive, and let you overlook the fact that they're basically stage magicians crossed with LARPers.
|
|
#
?
Jun 18, 2020 08:00
|
|
|
I thought they were dumb when the show was new but as I got older I came to, well, they're still pretty dumb but I'm down and I can see why they'd exist in the setting. I agree that Michael Ansara does most of the heavy lifting for the entire concept though. I think they play well into the sense of wonder the show often goes for, like it figures that some humans would build themselves up to be the hand holding the strings with that even if the reality is computer expert that also LARPs.
Neo Rasa fucked around with this message at 13:34 on Jun 18, 2020 |
|
#
?
Jun 18, 2020 13:23
|
|
|
The technomage novels were pretty good. I wouldn't recommend reading anything about those until you've finished the series, though.
|
|
#
?
Jun 18, 2020 15:31
|
|
|
S2E4 A Distant Star New Delenn still feels weird to me. Dr. Franklin sicking some fascism of his own on Garibaldi. Sheridan being "Johnny" sounded wrong. Sheridan making GBS threads on Garibaldi too. Interesting hearing something about their FTL (hyperspace) and the exploration and building of gates. Big Picture stuff too! Wtf is Franklin doing this episode? oh God "but with very nice borders" Sheridan experiencing testosterone poisoning Haha I love this guy on the Cortez's hand movements on the consoles. And.. acting in general drat the shadows are fuckin' with hyperspace. Within a jump of B5 I like the Cortez's massive design, I guess for making its own jumps? We're all made of star stuff. Thanks Delenn, and also Carl Sagan. This pilot is definitely under the control of the shadows now. I hope he doesn't cause too much damage. Not a bad episode, new type of ship/a look at how humans are exploring. Also a step forward in the shadows plot. Kind of.
|
|
#
?
Jun 18, 2020 21:06
|
|
|
S2ep04 - A Distant Star “I am the expanding Russian frontier.” The long shots of the Cortez as it slowly rumbles across the camera really give it a sense of scale and mass. That side by side shot makes it look basically as long as the station? That’s a massive ship. Also, cowboy boots aren’t a good look with the Earthforce uniform. The walk and talk between Captains Sheridan and Maynard really works in giving the station some size too. Lots of people, lots of corridors and spaces. I have to imagine they’re basically walking one end of the set to the other and crossing over themselves a few times without the camera calling attention to it. The story of something living in hyperspace intrigues me in all the right ways. It’s like old sailor talk of sea monsters and half-glimpsed things in the deep. Sheridan’s excited interest in the mystery helps broaden his character a little. It’s the first time he’s seemed actually into something. That said, I’m hoping not every one of these mysteries turn out to be the shadow aliens. The B plot of Franklin’s food plans for the senior staff is surprisingly funny, especially his scene with Ivanova, although it borders on the deeply unprofessional: “But with very nice borders.” Ivanova and Sheridan’s scene after the Cortez leaves is also shaking up his character a bit too by displaying more emotions. This time it’s frustration! I can see his point on a couple of things. I’d be a little mad too that my friend was off exploring the unknown on his fancy big ship while I had to stay put. Also, it seems odd that the commander of B5 has to act as the Earth ambassador to the other worlds, as well as run the station. It’s all a pretty thankless job. The starfury pilots and their jaunty cravats.  Two thoughts: How does Delenn’s hair work under the Minbari crest? I have to assume there’s now a gap or something? How does hyperspace work exactly? I’m guessing it acts as a general shortcut parallel dimension that overlaps our own space but much smaller to cross or something? I guess in the same way my own show has the Time Vortex, just murkier. It’s very good from a storytelling point of view. A swirling mass of mists and shapes, easy to get lost in, analogous to the sea. A place of passage and danger, a liminal space where monsters reside. I’m guessing there’s no way to set up signposts or buoys in hyperspace to guide ships. I really love the feeling of mystery this episode sets up. Yes, it resolves the Cortez issue with relative ease, but raises the possibility of more things adrift out there, interstellar Marie Celestes and the like, all alone in the mists. EDIT: Huh, I didn’t consider the pilot being under their control, I just accepted his story of following them out. Now you say it, he did make it sound a little easy. Hmm. The_Doctor fucked around with this message at 22:04 on Jun 18, 2020 |
|
#
?
Jun 18, 2020 22:01
|
|
|
I really like the slightly mysterious nature of b5 hyperspace, like mostly it just gets you from place to place but sometimes...
|
|
#
?
Jun 18, 2020 22:06
|
|
|
The_Doctor posted:S2ep04 - A Distant Star I may be completely full of it with that theory, to be fair. He said it felt like someone walking over his grave, right? And we don't know whether the Shadows are creating these people or taking over existing people, exactly.
|
|
#
?
Jun 18, 2020 22:13
|
|
|
Hyperspace is another dimension where distances are different, basically. You're traveling at the same sort of sublight velocities as you do in normal space but Sol to Epsilon Eridani in hyperspace is I dunno, a week's journey instead of a hundred years. There's no terrain or anything so the beacons they reference are how you navigate. Hyperspace also has a flow that will pull you in one direction if you lose your engines. So if you have no power and lose track of the beacons, bad times. Jump points are one-way portals between hyperspace and normal space. Many large ships can create their own jump points, most smaller ships have to use jumpgates.
|
|
#
?
Jun 18, 2020 22:14
|
|
|
sebmojo posted:I really like the slightly mysterious nature of b5 hyperspace, like mostly it just gets you from place to place but sometimes... Mod edit: Future spoilers In one of the movies/Excalibur, isn’t there a hyperspace being that just goes around humping ships? (USER WAS PUT ON PROBATION FOR THIS POST) Somebody fucked around with this message at 23:44 on Jun 18, 2020 |
|
#
?
Jun 18, 2020 22:15
|
|
|
atomicpile posted:sshh This is a rigorous spoiler free zone for our newbie b5 friends, so nothing about future stuff please, even in spoilers. The B5 thread over in TVIV is a free fire zone so head over there if you want to discuss.
|
|
#
?
Jun 18, 2020 22:29
|
|
|
sebmojo posted:This is a rigorous spoiler free zone for our newbie b5 friends, so nothing about future stuff please, even in spoilers. The B5 thread over in TVIV is a free fire zone so head over there if you want to discuss. at this time, we cannot comment on the existence or potential significance of a hyperspace joe biden
|
|
#
?
Jun 18, 2020 22:40
|
|
|
Hodgepodge posted:at this time, we cannot comment on the existence or potential significance of a hyperspace joe biden HYPERSPACE JOE BIDEN is a good user name
|
|
#
?
Jun 18, 2020 23:20
|
|
|
Would he be a Zorlon, too? edit: Goddamnit, I thought I was better than this Bell_ fucked around with this message at 02:07 on Jun 19, 2020 |
|
#
?
Jun 19, 2020 00:09
|
|
|
Bell_ posted:Would he be a Zorlon, too? loving spoilers man! Come on!
|
|
#
?
Jun 19, 2020 00:11
|
|
|
sebmojo posted:HYPERSPACE JOE BIDEN is a good user name ON BABYLON 5 I LEARNED A LOT. AND I LEARNED THAT IT MAKES A DIFFERENCE. THIS WAS THE DAWN OF THE THIRD AGE, AND I WAS ONE OF THE GUARDS, AND THEY WEREN'T ALLOWED TO - IT WAS A 3-SECTOR BOARD. AND IF YOU FELL OFF SIDEWAYS, YOU LANDED IN THE drat, ER, DARN BROWN SECTOR OVER THERE. AND CORN POP WAS A BRAKIRI. AND HE RAN A BUNCH OF BAD BOYS, AND I DID AND BACK IN THOSE DAYS - TO SHOW HOW THINGS HAVE CHANGED - ONE OF THE THINGS YOU HAD TO USE, IF YOU USED POMADE IN YOUR CREST, YOU HAD TO WEAR A BULB COVER. AND SO HE WAS UP ON THE BOARD AND WOULDN'T LISTEN TO ME. I SAID, "HEY, BULBHEAD, YOU! OFF THE BOARD, OR WE'LL DRAG YOU OFF" WELL, HE CAME OFF, AND HE SAID, "I'LL MEET YOU ON THE ALIEN HABITAT DECK." MY SHUTTLE THIS WAS MOSTLY, THESE WERE ALL ALIEN HABITAT QUARTERS BEHIND US - MY SHUTTLE, THERE WAS A BULKHEAD NEAR THERE. I LANDED MY SHUTTLE OUTSIDE THE BAY DOORS. AND I - HE SAID, "I'LL BE WAITING FOR YOU." HE WAS WAITING FOR ME WITH THREE GUYS WITH KNIVES. NOT A JOKE. THERE WAS A NARN NAMED BILL WRIGHT MOUSE THE ONLY GREEN GUY AND HE DID ALL BLUE SECTOR. HE WAS A MECHANIC. AND I SAID, "WHAT AM I GONNA DO?" AND HE SAID. "COME DOWN HERE TO BLUE SECTOR, WHERE MECHANICS - ALL MECHANICS - WHERE ALL THE BLUE SECTOR BUILDERS IS." YOU KNOW THE PARTICLE PROJECTION GUN, THERE USE TO BE A PARTICLE PROJECTION GUN THAT WENT ACROSS THE DEEP END. AND HE CHARGE UP A PARTICLE PROJECTION GUN, AND FOLDED IT UP AND HE SAID, "YOU WALK OUT WITH THAT PPG, AND YOU WALK TO THE SHUTTLE AND SAY, "YOU MAY CUT ME MAN, BUT I'M GONNA DISPLACE THE MOLECULES AROUND YOUR HEAD." I SAID, "YOU'RE KIDDING ME," HE SAID, NO IF YOU DON'T, DON'T COME BACK TO BLUE SECTOR." AND HE WAS RIGHT. SO I WALKED OUT WITH THE PPG. AND I WALKED UP TO MY SHUTTLE, AND IN THOSE DAYS, YOU REMEMBER KNIVES, YOU HAD TO DIP THEM IN DILGAR BLOOD TO GET'EM RUSTY, PUTTIN' EM IN THE FUEL BARREL, GETTIN' EM RUSTY? AND I LOOKED AT HIM, BUT I WAS SMART, THEN. I SAID, "FIRST OF ALL," I SAID, "WHEN I TELL YOU TO GET OFF THE BOARD, YOU GET OFF THE BOARD, AND I'LL KICK YOU OUT AGAIN, BUT I SHOULDN'T HAVE CALLED YOU BULBHEAD, AND I APOLOGIZE FOR THAT. I APOLOGIZE. THE MOLECULES OF YOUR BODY AS THE SAME MOLECULES THAT MAKE UP THIS STATION, AND THE NEBULA OUTSIDE, THAT BURN INSIDE STARS THEMSELVES. WE ARE STARSTUFF. WE ARE THE UNIVERSE MADE MANIFEST, TRYING TO FIGURE ITSELF OUT. AND AS WE HAVE BOTH LEARNED, SOMETIMES THE UNIVERSE REQUIRES A CHANGE OF PERSPECTIVE. I APOLOGIZE." BUT I DIDN'T KNOW THAT MINBARI PHILOSOPHY WAS GONNA WORK. HE SAID, "YOU APOLOGIZE TO ME?" I SAID, "I APOLOGIZE BUT NOT FOR THROWING YOU OUT, BUT I APOLOGIZE FOR WHAT I SAID." HE SAID "OK," CLOSED THE KNIFE, AND MY HEART BEGAN TO BEAT AGAIN.
|
|
#
?
Jun 19, 2020 02:21
|
|
|
That's a real good onion story
|
|
#
?
Jun 19, 2020 02:53
|
|
|
This is a very good thread. Babylon 5 is a very good TV show. Please continue to post more very good reactions.
|
|
#
?
Jun 19, 2020 04:01
|
|
|
sebmojo posted:This is a rigorous spoiler free zone for our newbie b5 friends, so nothing about future stuff please, even in spoilers. The B5 thread over in TVIV is a free fire zone so head over there if you want to discuss. It might be helpful to note the Zero Tolerance spoiler policy in the thread title and/or OP.
|
|
#
?
Jun 19, 2020 05:49
|
|
|
1-10 Believers Again, all my episode recaps are me jumping forward to post, then jumping back to 'read along with the thread' so I am excited to get back to everyone and also read any info about what I have posted when I get to my posts (if that makes sense). OK this one Lady VG was sat with me watching it. She and I have a dynamic by which our presence elevates anything we watch because the pair of us make unwitting noises and comments, which when I am alone go into the ether, but when we are together amp us up. She and I were getting so riled up by this episode and I know stuff like religious wishes vs medical wishes has been done a lot since 1994, but I feel like if I had watched this at the time it would have been even more mind blowing than it was. She and I were going "No! He will die!" and "No Franklin! You might start a diplomatic war!" and other such things. We really got into it and when it dawned on us what the parents were going to do, it really struck us. Babylon 5 is so much more grounded and realistic than other shows of this nature. I think when the casual public say they want gritty tv and films, they are talking about an episode like this. There was not one easy decision or a definitively good stance. Dr. Franklin is right to save lives no matter the cost. Sinclair is right to take the side of the parents in order to help peace. The parents are right to their alien belief system because they are their own people and humans do not get to dictate what they are over everyone else. There was no winning here. There was simply a conflict and a resolution and it was what it was. I like the fact that the show chose to make everything about this a struggle. I really cannot think of many other shows in the early 90s that would have ended with the child being sacrificed like that. Seeing the ambassadors act the way they did all felt so very true to their characters. In fact, nobody here felt as though they were acting out of what their characters would do. I believe their actions with how they have been portrayed up till now. It was more interesting and better written than a lot of other shows I have seen tackle this kind of episode. That last shot of Franklin was a heart breaker too! Biggs totally acted his heart out and learning that he did all this stuff while deaf just makes me appreciate him even more. So far I am most enjoying the fact that even the more bottle like episodes have got originality and something to say rather than just being filler.
|
|
#
?
Jun 19, 2020 09:58
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 19, 2024 12:41 |
|
|
The image of you and lady vg !!??ing over this is v 
|
|
#
?
Jun 19, 2020 10:08
|
|