I stand between the candle and the star…..

When I was a teenager I graduated from Star Trek TNG on to Babylon 5. The premise felt more grown up. It was very political, and there were no absolutes in black and white. The characters were complicated- every one likeable in their own way, but often deeply flawed and capable, if not guilty, of terrible things. With strong foreshadowing of what’s to come from the very outset, there were multiple strands to the story line, and it was the first show I was ever aware of that had an all encompassing story arc (originally intended to run for 5 years).

Recently I started re-watching Babylon 5 from the beginning, after first seeing it half my lifetime ago. It has aged surely, but the budget increases with each season, and you can see the over all quality of the show improve with it. A hugely misunderstood show, this one was for the geek’s geek. Yes, it looks like the space 80’s, and yes the budget was low. But the prosthetics and creature design were great, and often too was the writing. With influences from Tolkien, Morte D’Arthur and Dune amoung others, this show knew its own roots in sci-fi and fantasy literature, and regularly quoted, referenced and name checked the classics that had gone before it.  Thematically it was historically reflective, humanitarian, and spiritual- in the absolute widest sense of the word. I encountered well worn fantasy tropes, like the ‘leaving of the magic’, here for the first time, as well as many of the philosophical ideas of Carl Sagan. Suffice to say, it meant lots to me.
The powers of Light and Dark ask in turn, “Who are you?” and “What do you want?”

Probably my favourite character from all of Babylon 5, the inimitable G'Kar

I was pleased to find that two of my favourite science fiction characters of all time, Londo and G’kar still break my heart. Two sides of the same coin, who could/should have been friends but for fate and history, their story is at the heart of B5 for me. It is a tribute to the late Andreas Katsulas who was such a fantastic actor, that even in the demonic Narn make-up your heart bleeds for Ambassador (and later Citizen), G’Kar. And perhaps being from Northern Ireland I was always going to find the Narn more sympathetic than most.

I was also amused to find that I still get a thrill from the rather lovely Marcus’s hair. I smile every time I hear his incongruous clipped English accent. Ah, be still my giddy teenage heart…..lol……. Every show could benefit from a bearded, Shakespeare quoting Space Robin Hood.