Re: What Did You Watch? 2025-01-28 (Tuesday)

On 1/29/2025 10:21 AM, Adam H. Kerman wrote:

Arthur Lipscomb <arthur@alum.calberkeley.org> wrote:
 

Babylon 5: In the Beginning (DVD)  1998 made for TV movie and prequel to
Babylon 5 TV series.  The prequel details the Earth / Minbari war.  I
have been planning to revisit the series ever since they released the
direct to video animated movie in 2023, and the Blu-ray upgrade of the
original series.  Originally, I wasn't going to get to this until a few
months from now, but I got tired of waiting.  The DVD quality was
horrible!  It looked so fuzzy I almost didn't bother to watch.  But it's
been, I'm guessing, 20 years since I last watched B5, so I pushed
through the fuzzy picture.

 I've said this many times, and K'll say it again: When Babylon 5 was
ending with Season 4 (due to the death of PTEN), it got a last-minute
renewal. TNT wanted 2nd-run rights, ordered the four made-for-tv movies,
gave J. Michael Straczinski a budget to re-edit the pilot episode, and a
season 5 22-episode order but with a 20% cut in production days of an
already inexpensive show.
 "In the Beginning" was SUPPOSED to be a good way to introduce TNT
viewers to the show. Instead, it's got a huge spoiler that's not revealed
till several seasons later: Delenn's guilt in sparking the Earth-Minbari
war. For broadcast viewers, this was not revealed till "Atonement",
season 4 episode 9.
 This was an unforgiveable decision to make the revealation to new
viewers so early on as the viewer's perception of Delenn is changed!
 In the series' main examinations of the prelude to war, war itself, and
its aftermath, why, she's almost as guilty as Londo! She regretted her
bad act earlier than Londo had but it's not like she was able to stop
the war the moment she stopped acting emotionally.
 Londo, of course, met a terrible fate. She wasn't punished.
 This was a huge mistake and no one who didn't watch the series should
watch this before watching "Atonement".
 

Babylon 5: The Gathering (blu-ray) 1998 pilot movie for the TV series.
About half the cast from the series is in this and the other half will
get replaced.  The plot follows everyone awaiting the arrival of the
mysterious Ambassador Kosh.  Kosh is poisoned upon his arrival and the
episode focuses on figuring out who poisoned him and why, while also
keeping the Ambassador's people from blowing the station up in
retaliation.  It was an OK pilot, but it was weird seeing G'Kar played
as a mustache twirling villain.

 Hey! Lyta came back!
 

I forgot she left until the pilot episode and there was someone else there.

G'Kar was a villain for a long time till Kosh, well, brainwashed him
into becoming Londo's protector. G'Kar was not going to become a hero on
his own.
 Similar comment: In the re-edit for TNT (which I assume is what you
watched) Straczynski couldn't resist revealing that Sinclair will become
Valen, not revealed till the two-part episode "War Without End" in
Season 3. But it's not as big a spoiler as Delenn's.
 

I didn't see it in the closed captions, but I think the audio of Kosh did say "Valen" when he met the fake Sinclair.  It would only make sense if you already knew who "Valen" is.  On the other hand, it wouldn't make since for Kosh to call Sinclair "Valen" when they first met.

As far as the picture quality goes, in spite of being on blu-ray disc
the picture quality was only slightly better than the DVD.  I then read
a review that explained "In the Beginning" is considered an extra.  And
the movie is on a separate blu-ray disc in the back of the case instead
of with the regular episodes.

 

"Midnight on the Firing Line" (blu-ray) Season 1, episode 1 of Babylon
5.  Finally, the picture quality looks good!  Bright, shiny and clear.
First up in the series proper, Commander Sinclair has to keep the Londo
from G'Kar from fighting after the Narns (G'Kar's people) launch attacks on Centauri (Londo's people) colony.  And once again G'Kar is written as
the villain.  It's going to be interesting watching his character grow,
and of course Londo's character fall.  Also notable is Delen's makeup
has been totally redesigned from the pilot.

 Delenn was intended to be androgynous in the pilot, but they rethought
the character and made her female. Mira Furlan was gorgeous and I think
this was the right chuice.
 

Yes.  And getting rid of the voice modulation too.

Hey! Stephen Furst as Vir is intrduced, everybody's favorite supporting
character! When I first saw this episode, I was sure that the character
was Flounder In Space. (He killed Neidermeyer's horse!) But there's a
wonderful story of Furst coming to the audition thinking he's blown it,
and the two producers casting him on the spot before he's read any lines
as he's truly the character.
 

. . .

Vir hit the ground running.  I keep seeing Bill Mummy in the opening credits, but so far I haven't seen him on screen.