Comes The Inquisitor

Episode 44: Comes the Inquisitor  (Season 2, Episode 21)

Synopsis: In which the Vorlons send a sadistic mass murderer to judge whether Delenn and Sheridan are worthy, and G’Kar attempts to secure some help for his people.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0517638/?ref_=ttep_ep21

http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/countries/master/guide/043.html

“From Hell” is an amazing comic series from Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell focusing on the Jack the Ripper murders and, Victorian society, and mystical geography of late 19th century London. Incredibly detailed, very challenging.

“Letters from Whitechapel” is a really great logic/deduction boardgame. https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/59959/letters-whitechapel

The Prisoner’s “Once Upon a Time” where Number 2 attempts to break Number 6 using “degree absolute” https://tv.avclub.com/the-prisoner-once-upon-a-time-1798207352

Legion https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5114356/?ref_=nv_sr_1 An amazing show with an almost breathtaking presentation of telepathy and identity.

David Lee Roth’s “California Girls” The first minute or so of the video, before the song actually begins, has that same fisheye lens closeup technique we see in this video. It’s very unsettling in both contexts. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GMoLENWsSk

DS9’s “Empok Nor,” directed by Mike Vejar http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Empok_Nor_(episode)

The Long, Twilight Struggle

Episode 43: The Long, Twilight Struggle (Season 2, Episode 20)

Synopsis: In which the Narn/Centauri war comes to a tragic close.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0517709/?ref_=ttep_ep20

http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/countries/master/guide/042.html

Battlestar Galactica’s “33”: http://ew.com/article/2015/01/14/battlestar-galactica-anniversary-decade-33-pilot/

It it nearly impossible to find an article on whether the decision to use the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in order to bring a quicker end to World War II was the “right” decision without the article having a bias toward one answer or the other, or that doesn’t devolve into “you are all idiots!” So in the end you get a wikipedia page https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debate_over_the_atomic_bombings_of_Hiroshima_and_Nagasaki  One could easily spend a lifetime analyzing the rationale for that one decision.

The Andromeda Strain is a fantastic film that 47 years later remains chilling https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Andromeda_Strain_(film)

Star Blazers !!!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5oniErmeuE

John Schuck is a national treasure https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0775870/

Divided Loyalties

Episode 42: Divided Loyalties (Season 2, Episode 19)

Synopsis: In which Lyta Alexander returns to expose that someone on the station is not what he or she seems.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0517645/?ref_=tt_ep_pr

http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/countries/master/guide/041.html

The Ultra-Humanite, the best mind-transferring ape villain ever, on the cover of one of my favorite comics issues ever.

The Traveller returns. Not what you’d call a good episode. http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Journey%27s_End_(episode)

“Your stupid minds! Stupid! Stupid!” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qro7oBzUBos When this is the vibe your evil character is giving off in their gloating, it’s time to go back for another draft.

To go along with our discussion on paper in Babylon 5, here’s how to make a papercraft Omega-class Destroyer: http://www.papercraftsquare.com/babylon-5-very-detailed-omega-class-destroyer-free-paper-model-download.html

(no, my googling didn’t give me anything useful about why paper is so persistent in the B5-universe)

Patricia Tallman in Army of Darkness https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gSf5UMZ8ms

Confessions and Lamentations

Episode 41: Confessions and Lamentations (Season 2, Episode 18)

Synopsis: In which an epidemic brings about the end of the Markab people.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0517639/?ref_=tt_ep_nx

http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/countries/master/guide/040.html

“Your glasses are intact, you’ve got some books…” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_Enough_at_Last

“The Outcast” episode of TNG. What a stinker of a Very Special Episode. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Outcast_(Star_Trek:_The_Next_Generation)

“The Cloud Minders” episode of original Star Trek. Based on a story by our beloved David Gerrold. I (Chris) am not sure I’ve ever seen this episode. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cloud_Minders

Mary Douglas Purity and Danger: An Analysis of the Concepts of Pollution and Taboo https://www.amazon.com/Purity-Danger-Analysis-Pollution-Routledge/dp/0415289955

Perdo Zamora: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedro_Zamora

A discussion of the Diff’rent Strokes “Bicycle Man” episode: https://tv.avclub.com/a-very-special-diff-rent-strokes-that-s-terrifying-fo-1798240170

Here’s an article on “Maude’s Dilemma” from 1992, fairly close to the time B5 was on the air: http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1992-11-13/features/9204130017_1_mothers-as-donna-reed-messy-family-life-maude-findlay

“A Taste of Armageddon” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Taste_of_Armageddon Such a good episode.

“Far Beyond the Stars” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Far_Beyond_the_Stars (based on a story by Marc Scott Zicree, writer of B5’s “Survivors”)

Do we really need to link to Space: Above and Beyond again? I didn’t think so.

“Edith’s 50th Birthday” from All in the Family https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edith%27s_50th_Birthday Again, Norman Lear showing how it should be done.

Family Ties’ “Speed Trap” http://familyties.wikia.com/wiki/Speed_Trap They all look so young!

No shortage of “War is Hell” messages http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WarIsHell

Dammit, I (Chris again) said Norman Mailer instead of Norman Lear. TWICE! Bad liberal, no cookie!

Sense8 is (was) such a wonderful show, cut down too soon.  Imagine if, like B5, JMS and the Wachowski sisters had gone into the show with a five-year story planned out and had gotten the chance to tell it.

“You’ve wasted another perfectly good hour listening to Car Talk” goes the line. The only show where the hosts laugh at their own jokes more than we do.

In The Shadow of Z'ha'Dum

Episode 40: In the Shadow of Z’ha’dum (Season 2, Episode 16*)

Synopsis: In which Mr Morden has Captain Sheridan’s undivided attention, and the secret history of the Shadows is revealed.

*It would be weird to have “Knives” after this episode. Sheridan’s reaction to seeing Anna’s ship would be VERY different.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0517657/?ref_=tt_ep_pr

http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/countries/master/guide/038.html

“Coming to you live from the Kingdom of Nye in the High Desert of the Great American Southwest” - the intro of the legendary Art Bell (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Bell), who passed shortly before we recorded this episode. He wasn’t without his issues but there was no one like him and he defined a genre of radio - and possibly podcasting.

Tolkein’s Legendarium: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tolkien%27s_legendarium The world is so much larger than the story you’re reading. A key element to any Mythic-level fantasy (or sci-fi).

The Vir Wave: https://i.imgur.com/NzWbswx.gif

Knives

Episode 39: Knives (Season 2, Episode 17*)

Synopsis: In which an old friend of Londo comes seeking a significant favor and once again strange things are afoot in Sector 14.

*The Lurker’s Guide notes that JMS says this episode should have come before “In the Shadow of Z’ha’dum” but was actually broadcast after it because it demanded so many special effects.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0517662/?ref_=tt_ep_nx

http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/countries/master/guide/039.html

The Forms of Kanly have been obeyed! http://dune.wikia.com/wiki/Kanly

Another great example of an honor-bound society with ritual combat: Wakanda. There’s a terrific dissertation in the treatment of ritual/honor in genre fiction and how it evolves over time to reflect the “current” world.

KJ Parker is a pseudonym for author Tom Holt. Jon and Chris cannot recommend Parker’s works enough.

Here’s a decent piece on Parker’s works for a new reader: https://www.tor.com/2015/08/18/starting-with-first-principles-where-to-begin-with-k-j-parker/

Devices and Desires, the first book of the Engineer Trilogy, was where we started. Pick it up and take a read and let us know what you think.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002B9MHPY/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Devices-Desires-Engineer-Trilogy-Book/dp/1841498769/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1524784591&sr=1-2

Ellen Kushner’s Swordspoint Smaller “world,” more focused on a handful of characters. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000XUDHHA/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

Joe Abercrombie’s First Law series book 1. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TOT9LDK/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

Later books that spin out and explore more pieces of the world are fantastic as well. Another really terrific example of worldbuilding.

Carmen Argenziano. Where the heck have I seen this guy? https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0034492/?ref_=tt_cl_t13

And Now For A Word

Episode 38: And Now for a Word (Season 2, Episode 15)

Synopsis: In which an ISN reporter comes to the station for a special feature on the Babylon project.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0517627/?ref_=tt_ep_nx

http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/countries/master/guide/037.html

I went looking for Dateline clips from 1995 and came across this promo and wow, this is exactly the sort of thing that JMS is banging on about here, and frankly which hasn’t changed much in 20 years. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iiq9wotRL2M

WCVB’s Chronicle  - your home for rustic New England nostalgia http://www.wcvb.com/chronicle

Christian Science Monitor https://www.csmonitor.com/

Revisionist History’s episode on Churchill http://revisionisthistory.com/episodes/15-the-prime-minister-and-the-prof

Churchill and India: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/02/03/the-dark-side-of-winston-churchills-legacy-no-one-should-forget/?utm_term=.bf2c150b8e29

Alec Baldwin’s Here’s the Thing with Kyle MacLachlan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqI2w48raxs

From the Psi Corps commercial. What the heck is with that lamp???

There All The Honor Lies

Episode 37: There All the Honor Lies (Season 2, Episode 14)

Synopsis: In which Captain Sheridan is accused of murdering a Minbari civilian and a gift shop opens on the station.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0517718/?ref_=tt_ep_nx

http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/countries/master/guide/036.html

Peter David tells the story of the bear in this episode and how it became a long running back and forth between him and JMS: https://www.peterdavid.net/2012/03/26/the-bear-story/

From that piece I learned that the gift shop story was supposed to end with a bit about a toy gun being mistaken for a real gun, so it was not wholesale inserted by JMS simply to space the bear.

Mea culpa.

Simeon Stylites -  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simeon_Stylites  You know, 37 years on the top of a pillar sounds pretty good some days. As long as it gets wifi and I can get Chinese food delivered..

Carlin Barton’s Roman Honor: The Fire in the Bones https://www.amazon.com/Roman-Honor-Bones-Carlin-Barton/dp/0520225252/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1523891944&sr=8-1&keywords=roman+honor+by+carlin+barton

The Art of Manliness podcast episode with Prof. Barton. Well worth a listen. https://www.artofmanliness.com/2014/06/28/art-of-manliness-podcast-74-ancient-roman-honor-with-dr-carlin-barton/

w/r/t/ Gary Indiana https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XihLS-jA_Dg

The Expanse also seems to use Mandarin/banded collar shirts as a shorthand for “the future.”

And Garibaldi’s shirt definitely has the Mandarin collar.

Hunter/Prey

Episode 36: Hunter, Prey (Season 2, Episode 13)

Synopsis: In which a doctor with important information about the death of President Santiago is hiding on the station, and Kosh begins to educate Captain Sheridan.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0517655/?ref_=tt_ep_nx

http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/countries/master/guide/035.html

The Expanse novel series: https://www.goodreads.com/series/56399-the-expanse

Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure remains one of the better time travel movies out there. Also, San Dimas football rules!

Supreme #41 by Alan Moore and Joe Bennett

The Noble Eightfold Path http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/8foldpath.htm We’ll have to read some more about this and get a more solid footing before we dive any deeper into the Buddhist flavorings of the Vorlons and the side of Light.

The Return of Garibaldi’s Chess King Shirt!

Acts of Sacrifice

Episode 35: Acts of Sacrifice (Season 2, Episode 12)

Synopsis: In which the Narn/Centauri war spills over onto the station, and a strategically significant alien ambassador makes great demands of Commander Ivanova.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0517624/?ref_=tt_ep_nx

http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/countries/master/guide/034.html

Paul Williams is basically the voice of our youth. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0931437/?ref_=tt_cl_t13

Ivanova’s dance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ADGYli7418

Max the Wonder Cat shows up early this episode at 2:30.

Birds of Prey promo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aJg_RFw3JI

Quark and Garak discuss root beer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWIVEuK5ATw

All Alone In The Night

Episode 34: All Alone in the Night (Season 2, Episode 11)

Synopsis: In which Captain Sheridan gets old-school alien-abducted, and General Hague initiates a cabal against EarthGov and the PsiCorps.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0517625/?ref_=tt_ep_pr

http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/countries/master/guide/033.html

Robert Foxworth (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0289343/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t17) also voiced Race Bannon in The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest, which by itself would make him a top shelf actor in our book.

The Babylon 5 RPG from Mongoose Games is out of print but copies can be found if one looks hard enough. They produced an extensive line of sourcebooks (https://index.rpg.net/display-search.phtml?key=system&value=Babylon+5+d20)

Max the Wonder Cat sighting at 27:14!

Hondo Ohnaka, legendary pirate: http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Hondo_Ohnaka God, we hate him.

Numenera RPG: https://www.shutupandsitdown.com/rpg-review-numenera/

GROPOS

Episode 33: GROPOS (Season 2, Episode 10)

Synopsis: In which an Earthforce infantry division under the command of Dr Franklin’s father is staged at Babylon 5 in preparation for a dangerous assault.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0517652/?ref_=tt_ep_nx

http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/countries/master/guide/032.html

Paul Winfield was a force of nature http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0934902/?ref_=tt_cl_t13

The Flash episode that infuriated Chris (and his wife Ali) beyond words: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt6741960/?ref_=ttep_ep14

Babylon 5 Wars boardgame: https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/3765/babylon-5-wars

Babylon 5: A Call to Arms miniatures space combat game https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/13455/call-arms-babylon-5-space-combat

Babylon 5 Micro Machines. I believe I have the first 2 sets somewhere. http://m2museum.com/Babylon5/Babylon_5.htm

The Coming of Shadows

Episode 32: The Coming of Shadows (Season 2, Episode 9)

Synopsis: In which G’Kar and Londo both see great opportunity in the Centauri Emperor’s visit to the station and the last, best hope for peace is destroyed.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0517697/?ref_=tt_ep_nx

http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/countries/master/guide/031.html

Not a lot of notes this week (the episode was edited during a blizzard in which Chris had no power/internet)but you can hear more of our dear friend and special guest Brian Ries on the Inside MTV’s Siesta Key podcast: http://www.insidemtvsiestakey.com/ Although as we note, the overlap of fans of B5 and that show is probably fairly slim.

A Race Through Dark Places

Episode 31: A Race Through Dark Places (Season 2, Episode 8)

Synopsis: In which Mr Bester returns to hunt down an “underground railroad” for rogue telepaths, forcing Talia to make some hard decisions. Meanwhile Sheridan also makes some hard decisions on where to sleep.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0517618/?ref_=tt_ep_nx

http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/countries/master/guide/030.html

For those outside the U.S. (and probably some within), the Underground Railroad was a series of routes and safehouses for helping African-Americans escape from slavery in the pre-Civil War U.S. to freedom in free states and Canada. http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/underground-railroad

Power Girl and the infamous “boob window”

Soul Mates

Synopsis: In which Londo is visited by his three wives, and Talia is visited by yet another mysterious man from her past.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0517693/?ref_=ttfc_fc_tt

http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/countries/us/guide/029.html

Peter David: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_David  I’ve always felt like I should like his stuff but for whatever reason it never clicked for me.

The drawbacks of watching the episodes in broadcast order strike again. We comment about how abrupt Talia’s mistrust of the Psi Corps seems in this episode, but next week’s show, “A Race Through Dark Places”, was supposed to come before “Soul Mates,” and that one DEFINITELY sets up her issues with the Corps.

Max is a very lovey cat.

The Lion in Winter (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0145284/?ref_=tt_cl_t4) is our favorite Christmas movie. Take that, Die Hard!

Keith Szarbajka http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0843775/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t13  Seriously folks, we’re not going to shut up about Profit or Space:Above and Beyond so if you’re with us for the long haul you may as well go watch those so you know what we’re talking about.

Carel Struycken http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0835393/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t17

A Spider in the Web

Episode 29: A Spider in the Web (Season 2, Episode 6)

Synopsis: An assassination threatens to scuttle relations between Earth and Mars, and Sheridan begins to smell a rat in EarthGov and/or PsiCorps .

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0517619/?ref_=ttep_ep6

http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/countries/us/eplist.html

We mention two shows featuring Leonard Nimoy in this episode...COINCIDENCE???

The evil futurecorp from Space: Above and Beyond (and Millennium) was AeroTech http://spaceaboveandbeyond.wikia.com/wiki/AeroTech

(Chris bought the full run of In Search Of on DVD just after recording this episode)

Richard Hoagland and the Moon Landings: Here’s some stuff on Hoagland’s lunar structures in general. I can’t find anything on his claim that the landings were faked but I definitely heard him say it on Art Bell’s short lived Midnight in the Desert show back in 2013.

The Disappearance of the Roanoke Colony: http://www.history.com/news/ask-history/what-happened-to-the-lost-colony-of-roanoke

The Titanic Insurance Scam: https://social.shorthand.com/TitanicMystery/jCPyIbzzPVc/did-the-titanic-really-sink-or-was-it-olympic

Betty & Barney Hill’s alien abduction: http://www.library.unh.edu/find/archives/collections/betty-and-barney-hill-papers-1961-2006

Velikovsky’s New Chronology: https://www.velikovsky.info/Ages_in_Chaos

The Phantom Time theory: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phantom_time_hypothesis

D.B.Cooper:https://www.cbsnews.com/news/db-cooper-mystery-investigators-claim-new-revelations-about-infamous-hijacker/

https://xkcd.com/1400/

Here’s an overview of Andrew Basiago’s deal. https://www.outerplaces.com/science/item/17819-presidential-candidate-andrew-basiago-time-traveled-mars-barack-obama But really, you should track down some of the old Coast to Coast AM episodes he was on or some of his other long-form speaking clips. He doesn’t have the kind of crazy undertones you’d expect from someone making these claims; he’s calm and collected and sounds perfectly rational. It makes it even weirder.

Shroud of Turin: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shroud_of_Turin

Kensington Runestone: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kensington_Runestone

Vinland Map: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinland_map

Voynich Manuscript: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voynich_manuscript

Piri Reis Map: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piri_Reis_map

Lexicon Games are a type of collaborative writing project and a ton of fun: https://web.archive.org/web/20080617213627/http://www.20by20room.com/2003/11/lexicon_an_rpg.html  

The Long Dark

Episode 28: The Long Dark (Season 2, Episode 5)

Synopsis: A sleeper ship from a century ago arrives at the station with an uninvited guest, and a Lurker suffers from Lovecraftian PTSD.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0517707/?ref_=tt_ep_pr

http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/countries/us/guide/027.html

Dwight Schultz: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0776239/?ref_=tt_cl_t14

Matt Frewer: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001242/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Jon’s recasting

Sheridan - Jeffrey Combs http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001062/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Ivanova - Kristen Cloke http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0167028/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Garibaldi - Jared Abrahmson http://www.imdb.com/name/nm4245462/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Franklin - Keiynan Lonsdale - http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2920533/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Winters - Michelle Forbes http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000405/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Londo - Peter Capaldi http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0134922/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Delenn - Tilda Swinton http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0842770/?ref_=nv_sr_1

G’Kar - John Noble http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0633604/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1

Vir -Haley Joel Osment  http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005286/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Lennir - Aaron Douglas http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0234928/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Na’toth - Maisie Williams http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3586035/?ref_=nv_sr_2

Kosh - Doug Jones http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0427964/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Chris’s recasting

Sinclair - James Morrison http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0607175/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Sheridan - Idris Elba http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0252961/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Ivanova - Gal Gadot http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2933757/?ref_=nv_sr_1 (alternate Tessa Thompson http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1935086/?ref_=nv_sr_1)

Garibaldi - Donal Logue http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0006610/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Franklin - Cas Anvar http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0031679/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Winters - Tuppence Middleton http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3095562/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Londo - Wentworth Miller http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0589505/?ref_=nv_sr_2

Delenn - Anna Torv http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1396022/?ref_=nv_sr_1

G’Kar - Clancy Brown http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000317/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Vir - Nick Frost http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0296545/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Lennir - Jimmi Simpson http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0801051/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Na’toth - Jennifer Spence http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0817780/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Kosh - Doug Jones http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0427964/?ref_=nv_sr_1

A Distant Star

Episode 27: A Distant Star (Season 2, Episode 4)

Synopsis: In which Captain Sheridan questions his fitness for his new position, a daring rescue attempt is made, and Dr Franklin puts everyone on a diet.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0517616/?ref_=ttep_ep4

http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/countries/us/guide/026.html

The EAS Cortez alongside B5. An un-cited wikipedia note claims the Explorer class is 6km long, where the station is 8km long.

Dropfleet Commander: https://www.hawkwargames.com/collections/dropfleet-commander

Sadly I (Chris) was not able to get the demo of the game I’d hoped for.

Full Thrust: https://shop.groundzerogames.co.uk/rules.html A great little miniatures starship combat game from the 1990s.

Russ Tamblyn: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0848560/?ref_=tt_cl_t13

Jon’s Miscast

Sheridan - Matthew Broderick http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000111/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Ivanova - Valerie Bertinelli http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000933/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Garibaldi - John Travolta http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000237/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Franklin - Arsenio Hall http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002119/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Winters - Joan Collins http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001058/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Molari - John Colicos http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0171475/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t5

Delenn - Bea Arthur http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0037735/?ref_=nv_sr_2

G’Kar - William Windom http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0934750/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Vir - Burt Ward http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0911431/?ref_=nv_sr_7

Lennir - Parker Stevenson http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0829017/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Na’toth - Mindy Cohn http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0169934/?ref_=nv_sr_6

Kosh - V.I.N.C.E.N.T. from The Black Hole (character voiced by Roddy McDowall http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001522/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t8 )

Chris’s Miscast

Sheridan - Tommy Wisseau http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1382072/?ref_=nv_sr_1 or Tony Randall http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0709704/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Ivanova - Zooey Deschanel http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0221046/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Garibaldi - Charles Nelson Reilly http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0717650/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Franklin - Bill Cosby http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001070/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Winters - Cameron Diaz http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000139/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Molari - Danny DeVito http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000362/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Delenn - Rhea Perlman http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0674231/?ref_=nv_sr_2

G’Kar - Arnold Schwarznegger http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000216/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Vir - Carrot Top http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005488/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Lennir - Peter Lorre http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000048/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Na’toth - Tracy Scoggins http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001712/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Kosh - The Unknown Comic http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0486717/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1

The Geometry of Shadows

Episode 26: The Geometry of Shadows (Season 2, Episode 3)

Synopsis: In which Londo plays stupid political games with a mysterious Technomage, and loses, while Commander Ivanova tries to sort out the even stupider political games of the Drazi

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0517704/?ref_=ttep_ep3

http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/countries/us/guide/025.html

The big list of Roman Emperors for the first couple hundred years, referenced in the show. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Roman_emperors#The_Principate

Jon’s guess of Domitian is close to the mark, but Domitian’s father Vespasian was proclaimed Caesar in the dreaded Year of the Four Emperors (69 C.E) when Domitian was already 18 years old (and his older brother Titus, who preceded him, was 30).  

Antoninus Pius was not a child of Hadrian at all, but was adopted in his fifties.

There are very few films Chris hates as much as Gladiator. He nearly walked out of the theater in the first scene when the Romans had stirrups. Can you imagine what it must be like to live with someone like that?

The first listener to identify the “ROME ROME RUBBISH RUBBISH!” quote gets, well, a keen sense of satisfaction I suppose.

Revelations

Episode 25: Revelations (Season 2, Episode 2)

Synopsis: In which we get the old band back together, we learn the tragic story of Captain Sheridan’s wife, and strange things are afoot out on the rim

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0517682/?ref_=ttep_ep2

http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/countries/master/guide/024.html

The episode Chris was struggling to remember was of course Signs and Portents. #amateurhour

Netflix’s Travelers https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Travelers_(TV_series)

Ancient Aliens: The Narn Version. Would that be hosted by a human, or maybe a Minbari? Did we each get another race’s Ancient Aliens show by mistake?

This episode was directed by Jim Johnston, who brought us season 1 favorites like Babylon Squared and Parliament of Dreams, as well as...less favorites like Soul Hunter, By Any Means Necessary and Survivors.

The more relaxed and deferential relationship between Franklin and Sheridan may be explained by their prior mission together documented in “In The Beginning.” Was JMS already thinking of this prior relationship while writing season 2? Or was that developed later to explain the closer bond between the two men?

HAIRWATCH: Level Theta

Level Delta