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Londo made a few bad choices in times of duress in ways that it's pretty easy to be sympathetic with, and then ended up spending the rest of the series paying for it, and even when his intentions were fully positive, there was nothing he could do to turn things around. Both his enemies and friends even conspired to isolate him and keep him in the dark. Which is also the inverse of G'kar, who when he makes all the bad choices for entirely unsympathetic reasons, he doesn't have to live with it as much because he fails every time. His impotence is his salvation. When he has his turn, it comes from so many people around him pressuring him. Despite Na'toth exiting the plot, he never has to grapple with being alone and isolated.
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Dec 30, 2022 16:48
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SlothfulCobra posted:Which is also the inverse of G'kar, who when he makes all the bad choices for entirely unsympathetic reasons, he doesn't have to live with it as much because he fails every time. His impotence is his salvation. When he has his turn, it comes from so many people around him pressuring him. Despite Na'toth exiting the plot, he never has to grapple with being alone and isolated. When G'Kar does make a bad choice for sympathetic reasons (leaving the safety of Babylon 5 to look for the missing Garibaldi), he suffers tremendously for it.
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Dec 30, 2022 18:48
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Irrespective of the choices Londo made the Centauri were already infiltrated (Refa) and on the path to destruction. Koshs' line: "the avalanche has already started, it is too late for the pebbles to vote" applies to Londo as well.
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Dec 30, 2022 18:58
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imma come out and say it all of tko is good
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Dec 31, 2022 00:41
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Just Another Lurker posted:Irrespective of the choices Londo made the Centauri were already infiltrated (Refa) and on the path to destruction.
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Dec 31, 2022 13:39
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Alhazred posted:Londo was given many chances to, if not stop the centauri being destroyed, then save himself from destruction. He rejected them all. Yeah, that negates my Kosh comment for sure.  ---- Is that JMS biography any good btw?
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Dec 31, 2022 13:47
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sinnesloeschen posted:i mean seriously I know that, like with Farscape, JMS liked it when they used unconventional sounds and instruments in the soundtrack. I still love that BWOOOOOM that drops when something dramatic happens. Just Another Lurker posted:Is that JMS biography any good btw? I haven’t read it but it’s got good reviews that boil down to “it’s JMS unfiltered, take that as you will” and that he really does have a fascinating and horrifying life story that explains why he’s such a nutcase (in an appreciative way). Luigi Thirty fucked around with this message at 14:34 on Dec 31, 2022 |
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Dec 31, 2022 14:28
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Just Another Lurker posted:
I liked it AND the audiobook is read by Peter Jurasik so it's worth picking that up. Centauri claim that they have no choice when they do- Turhan realized that at the last possible moment and at that point he literally was too late.
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Dec 31, 2022 16:01
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Clouseau posted:I liked it AND the audiobook is read by Peter Jurasik so it's worth picking that up. my shoes are too tight
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Dec 31, 2022 16:03
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I think Turhan was being honest when he said that he had no choices. He was born into prominence, probably spent most of his life as a minor player in the grand schemes of powerful aristocrats, and I think the show depicts the emperor as being a mostly powerless figurehead. Most of Cartagia's power seemed to come from his connections rather than directly ordering big things.Alhazred posted:Londo was given many chances to, if not stop the centauri being destroyed, then save himself from destruction. He rejected them all. He did the best he could with what he knew at the time. I feel like for him to do much different he'd need other people to change their actions. Most of the things that he did that were outright wrong were in season 2 when he was helping Refa start the war with the Narn. He should've been able to guess that Refa was plotting an assassination, and he purposefully turned a blind eye to Centauri warcrimes, but there was nothing he could've done when he was shut out of the loop of both the imperial palace and Babylon 5.
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Dec 31, 2022 18:27
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He was only shut out of the loop after he introduced the Court to Mr. Morden. If he'd rebuffed him to begin with, it's clear from his initial response that Morden probably wouldn't have gotten the time of day from anyone else. He was only able to pester Londo to begin with because Babylon 5 was so open.
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Dec 31, 2022 19:43
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27MXcQrZc1Y
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Jan 1, 2023 19:20
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That was from 1991, so why did it feel like O'Hare's line about the gag gift sound like it was cut off right before he could finish saying "Joe M(ichael Straczynski)"?
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Jan 1, 2023 23:56
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New year new annual post to announce B5 is the best sci fi show ever.
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Jan 2, 2023 06:00
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Payndz posted:That was from 1991, so why did it feel like O'Hare's line about the gag gift sound like it was cut off right before he could finish saying "Joe M(ichael Straczynski)"? The year is wrong - he was a featured guest at a Vulkon in Orlando in March 1993. The Gathering aired in late February.
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Jan 2, 2023 20:54
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I had never heard of this about Jason Carter before: My Dad Starred in a Hit TV Show with a Severe Brain Injury.
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Jan 2, 2023 23:23
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SlothfulCobra posted:I think Turhan was being honest when he said that he had no choices. He was born into prominence, probably spent most of his life as a minor player in the grand schemes of powerful aristocrats, and I think the show depicts the emperor as being a mostly powerless figurehead. Most of Cartagia's power seemed to come from his connections rather than directly ordering big things. My read is that the Emperor has a massive amount of power that is not exercised by convention and then Cartagia ignores that convention (more than a little familiar to US, UK types)
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Jan 3, 2023 13:20
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On like a legalistic level, I don't think there are actually all that many actions that Cartagia does that count as an abuse of power. The big things that happened under his tenure were the war with the Narn and alignment with the Shadows, which we know came from the Centaurum rather than the emperor. Maybe it was Cartagia's order that specifically gave the shadows an island base, but that on its own doesn't sound like a major use of power, just that it made things very thorny for the Centaurum to try to rescind permission for the base. I don't think there's constitutional provisions for what to do when an ancient more advanced race is coming to kill you. Possibly Refa also took apart a lot of the political balance that would normally be controlling things, which left a vacuum for Cartagia to exert his own power once Refa was killed. There's also the killing his detractors and keeping their severed heads in a room to talk with them, but I think that's explicitly secret and not supposed to be within his authority as emperor, and not something Turhan would've been very able to do.
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Jan 3, 2023 18:37
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SlothfulCobra posted:On like a legalistic level, I don't think there are actually all that many actions that Cartagia does that count as an abuse of power. The big things that happened under his tenure were the war with the Narn and alignment with the Shadows, which we know came from the Centaurum rather than the emperor. Maybe it was Cartagia's order that specifically gave the shadows an island base, but that on its own doesn't sound like a major use of power, just that it made things very thorny for the Centaurum to try to rescind permission for the base. I don't think there's constitutional provisions for what to do when an ancient more advanced race is coming to kill you. Regarding the spoiler, we see the Jester get beheaded on Narn, in public. By all indications, Cartagia just got irritated and ordered a guard to cut his head off, and that was it. Nor does Londo seem to require any due process to kill Morden, and he isn’t even officially Emperor yet. When Refa died, it sounds like the Shadows communicated directly with Cartagia, so any checks and balances that remained after Refa’s little coup likely went out the window at that point. If Cartagia wasn’t exceeding his authority, it’s because obedience to the Emperor is culturally instilled in Centauri. One presumes that Turhan set up some checks on the power of the Emperor during his reign, but that Refa’s faction dismantled them using the Narn-Centauri War as an excuse to consolidate power in their hands while distracting Cartagia with baubles and maybe an opportunity to indulge himself upon Refa’s enemies. Removing Refa almost certainly magnified the damage Cartagia could do.
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Jan 4, 2023 01:25
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Narsham posted:Regarding the spoiler, we see the Jester get beheaded on Narn, in public. By all indications, Cartagia just got irritated and ordered a guard to cut his head off, and that was it. Nor does Londo seem to require any due process to kill Morden, and he isn’t even officially Emperor yet. When Refa died, it sounds like the Shadows communicated directly with Cartagia, so any checks and balances that remained after Refa’s little coup likely went out the window at that point. Remember Londo's whole story about the guard standing in the middle of the Imperial gardens protecting a flower that hasn't been there in 200 years because the Emperor's daughter ordered it and no subsequent Emperor rescinded that order, when they find Na'toth and he explains why he can't just let her go.
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Jan 4, 2023 02:05
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okay y'all i need some handholding what the gently caress is up with sheridan one he gets back from khazaduum or whatever the gently caress? like he goes drat near as fasc as earthgov and to add to that, why is gary baldy suddenly like turbo-loving pissed all the time? i get that there was some.. mind? fuckery? but even with Our Pal Al's helpful exposition i am not understanding it but im also a moron, so
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Jan 4, 2023 02:09
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For the first one, Sheridan is now a Man on a Mission, and he wants these motherfucking snakes off his motherfucking plane. And the second part ties into the first one, since it's easy to see a Man on a Mission as someone with a Messianic complex. This isn't helped by rando civilians actually considering Sheridan "blessed" or whatever. Garibaldi was always a cynical skeptic, but Bester turned that knob to 11 because he figured Garibaldi's inherent mistrust of any authority would result in, well, hilarity from Bester's point of view. And it eventually did?
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Jan 4, 2023 05:02
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Narsham posted:Nor does Londo seem to require any due process to kill Morden, and he isn’t even officially Emperor yet. When he was Prime Minister, which in theory would be the more directly powerful office. As for the jester, he was essentially a nobody with nobody to stand up for him, and up to that point, we had already seen the political system of the Centauri devolve and return to the old ways where political murder was rampant. sinnesloeschen posted:okay y'all i need some handholding I don't really recall what you mean by fascist. Not really ringing a bell to me. He might act a bit weird, but he just died a little while back and all of a sudden had to deal with the Vorlon-Shadow war threatening to wipe out the galaxy. Very stressful. Garibaldi's always kinda been pissed with Sheridan. When Sinclair left, he and Ivanova kinda switched roles between which was friendly to the captain. Bester had him brainwashed to investigate what was threatening telepaths, which could have directly made him more distrustful or manufacture an excuse to leave B5 to go investigating, or it could've just been the brainwashing loosening his inhibitions to unleash all his latent frustration (especially since his inhibitions are loosened in other ways).
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Jan 4, 2023 05:24
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Clouseau posted:I liked it AND the audiobook is read by Peter Jurasik so it's worth picking that up. I just finished the Becoming Superman audiobook thanks to your recommendation, and boy what a ride. I had no idea how difficult (a big understatement) his early life had been. Well written to hold your attention all the way, and a great performance by Jurasik too.
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Jan 5, 2023 11:10
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Zat posted:and a great performance by Jurasik too. I wonder if he read the text before narrating. And if not, then hear the outtakes.
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Jan 5, 2023 12:39
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I remember back in the day there was a video floating around with Jurasik and Katsulas in full makeup in a car driving around LA with a map and Londo going "You cannot GET to the 405 from here!" I don't think I ever saw it, just heard other people's recountings of it, but it sounded hilarious
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Jan 5, 2023 15:09
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Data Graham posted:I remember back in the day there was a video floating around with Jurasik and Katsulas in full makeup in a car driving around LA with a map and Londo going "You cannot GET to the 405 from here!" It’s from the S1 blooper reel, doesn’t involve Katsulas, and they’re in the Centauri shuttle set. It’s from Voice in the Wilderness part 2, when Londo takes Drall, Delenn, and the original Great Machine operator down to the planet.
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Jan 5, 2023 16:02
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There is also Jurasik's story about driving home in full makeup, so it sounds like the two have been combined
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Jan 5, 2023 16:19
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i would spend at least ten dollars on a GPS that gave me directions in londo's voice
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Jan 5, 2023 16:21
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Turn right for the glory of the republic! meeeeeeeester lobster!
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Jan 5, 2023 16:49
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lobster shirt posted:i would spend at least ten dollars on a GPS that gave me directions in londo's voice 
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Jan 5, 2023 17:06
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Getting a londo filter for Alexa would be worth the money. Buddy of mine has shaq and its loving great.
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Jan 5, 2023 19:57
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MrL_JaKiri posted:There is also Jurasik's story about driving home in full makeup, so it sounds like the two have been combined Armin Shimerman and some others actors playing an alien also went home in various stages of makeup during filming of an episode of DS9 after an earthquake in LA. What I’m saying is that there’s nothing DS9 wouldn’t copy from B5.
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Jan 5, 2023 20:09
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MrL_JaKiri posted:There is also Jurasik's story about driving home in full makeup, so it sounds like the two have been combined There's also a pic out there of Jason Walker and Bill Mumy in a convertible while in makeup
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Jan 5, 2023 20:49
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Not sure if anyone’s seen this but this guy uploaded a bunch of B5 convention videos and some more gag reels I haven’t seen before.
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Jan 5, 2023 22:04
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I’m sorry to just leap into the thread with a question, but with Babylon 5 getting pulled from HBO max, is there a best digital version for sale anywhere? I’ve heard that the version on itunes has been converted to widescreen through some kind of reverse pan-and-scan that chops off the top of the frame. The hbo version is full-screen like nature intended. Is that version available anywhere?
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Jan 5, 2023 23:05
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I AM GRANDO posted:I’m sorry to just leap into the thread with a question, but with Babylon 5 getting pulled from HBO max, is there a best digital version for sale anywhere? I’ve heard that the version on itunes has been converted to widescreen through some kind of reverse pan-and-scan that chops off the top of the frame. The hbo version is full-screen like nature intended. Is that version available anywhere? The Amazon digital remaster is excellent. I've yet to see a better source, and I say that having grabbed copies ripped from every source out there and played them side-by-side on a nice big monitor for direct comparison.
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Jan 5, 2023 23:42
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Slyphic posted:The Amazon digital remaster is excellent. I've yet to see a better source, and I say that having grabbed copies ripped from every source out there and played them side-by-side on a nice big monitor for direct comparison. I got excited, until I found out that it's not available for purchase in Australia. Thanks for nothing, international rights bullshittery.
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Jan 6, 2023 01:19
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Cheap Trick posted:I got excited, until I found out that it's not available for purchase in Australia. Thanks for nothing, international rights bullshittery. Time for :files: ?
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Jan 6, 2023 09:15
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I AM GRANDO posted:I’m sorry to just leap into the thread with a question, but with Babylon 5 getting pulled from HBO max, is there a best digital version for sale anywhere? I’ve heard that the version on itunes has been converted to widescreen through some kind of reverse pan-and-scan that chops off the top of the frame. The hbo version is full-screen like nature intended. Is that version available anywhere? ITunes should have the same new 4:3 HD version now as Amazon and HBO Max do. Can't confirm by myself but that's what the internet tells me. For example, https://b5remasterissues.wordpress.com/ : "In January 2021 Warner Bros. released a new HD remaster of the ’90s TV sci-fi show Babylon 5 on the HBO Max platform for two years, as well as making it available for HD digital purchase in places like iTunes/Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, Microsoft Store/Xbox, Google Play Store/YouTube and Vudu (at least in the US, Canada, UK, France and Australia)."
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Jan 6, 2023 09:49
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