Babylon 5 at 20 years QUOTES: G'Kar

[terminotaur]

What to say, this was a show I really loved. Perhaps just a little ahead of its time, it really pushed the idea of a series as a story arc. Something that would become more popular with DVD box once they became common and cheap

Comments

[yasha_taur]

Agreed about B5. Started watching the first season, and almost gave it up as it seemed to be 'all over the place'. Then the Shadows showed up, and many of the seeds that JMS had sown in the early stories started to make sense.

They story arc was great, like you say, it was ahead of it's time. And seeing what JMS was going through in his posts to the Internet was an education about 'how a TV show is made'.

BTW, along that last bit, did you know that JMS had pitched the B5 idea to Paramount (Trek), who rejected it. But then later (about the same time as B5) they did a show (DS9) about a space station near a wormhole, with a lot of politics and intrigue, and a war. Hmmm.... JMS noted the similarities at the time, but basically said "that's just the way Hollywood works".

Also did you know that JMS did a 'one off' sequel DVD to B5 called 'The Lost Tales' that had two episodes with some of the original cast. Nothing essential, but nice to see the characters later in their journeys....

[terminotaur]

I did in fact see "the Lost Tales" and have it. :)

Agreed on the first season. It was more episodic, then the second season came along and then some of the disparate parts began fitting into a picture. The 5th season was so-so, but that was probably in large part the fact that they were fighting to stay on the air so many years and didn't know they were going to get that season.

I really do wish Sierra had gone through with creating the B5 game though. I was soo looking forward to that.

[wolphin]

The first season was apparently originally written like that because they weren't sure if they were going to be renewed, so he wanted to put some things in place, but also make it watchable. Then they got renewed for four more seasons and the story arc really kicked into gear, but then just as they were shooting season 4, apparently they got told they were going to be dropped before season 5, so he re-wrote it and crammed the story arc into the last of the season which is why season 4 suddenly gets really cramped

[terminotaur]

Actually as I recall by season 3 there were a lot of rumblings of cancellation. I remember this because they were trying to get the fan base to speak up and save the thing. I remember being very happy when Season 4 was given the go-ahead.

I do hope to get to do some quote posting from the others, one at a time. One of my favs is still Ivanova threatening.... well, most of the time, but when she said she'd arrange accidents. She had a pulse cannon that said so.

No boom today. Boom tomorrow. There's always a boom tomorrow.

[porsupah]

I wonder if there's someone at Warner who's noticing the anniversary, and thinks it'd be a fun time to announce an HD remastering.. ^_^ After all, whilst it would certainly be a huge undertaking to recompose all the effects shots, that's hardly impossible - I'd be surprised if, across the fandom, there weren't versions of models for all the major elements. The live action, meanwhile, was caught on film, not video, so that'd be a more conventional remastering process, assuming they do still have it all.

The cast, of course, was instrumental in making it rise above the norm - Andreas Katsulas was simply brilliant as G'Kar, able to project that mournfulness and fury with frightening sincerity.

[terminotaur]

For delivery I always liked Claudia Christian and Peter Jurasik, but the deeper/spiritual stuff went to G'kar. Some of those, particularly the last one I posted really made me think for some time

[nauta]

I've been watching this again at work ironically.