tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1031498593064294214.post3190990857602279944..comments2024-03-13T14:53:58.150-04:00Comments on MUSINGS OF A SCI-FI FANATIC: B5 S4 Ep3: The SummoningSFFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04256589316922398158noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1031498593064294214.post-40512766812960984022008-10-09T20:05:00.000-04:002008-10-09T20:05:00.000-04:00Excellent and thorough as always....I will take on...Excellent and thorough as always....I will take on the first book then: To Dream In The City Of Sorrows. Looking forward to it.SFFhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04256589316922398158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1031498593064294214.post-37733697794118345852008-10-09T16:03:00.000-04:002008-10-09T16:03:00.000-04:00To start with the Drennan book is a good idea. "Th...To start with the Drennan book is a good idea. "The Shadow Within" would be a nice follow-up, as it deals with Anna Sheridan's expedition on the Icarus to Z'ha'dum. Alternatively the first two books of the Psi-Corps trilogy. <BR/><BR/>Not sure what to recommend for the technomage trilogy. The first two books are spoiler-free now, as I said, and the third will be in a couple of weeks (once you've seen ep. "Into the Fire"). The central character, though, is a technomage named Galen - a student of Elric, Londo's menace in the Drazi conflict episode - and he isn't introduced in the B5 series proper. He appears in "A Call to Arms", "Crusade", and "The Lost Tales". He's a great character, easily one of the top five in the B5verse, and the technomage trilogy is kind of his backstory. The trilogy also doesn't spoil anything for Crusade or the movies mentioned, and Cavelos IMO is the best writer of the bunch. But as you haven't met him yet, it might be a bit difficult to relate to him.<BR/><BR/>M.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1031498593064294214.post-14435427181715291152008-10-09T12:15:00.000-04:002008-10-09T12:15:00.000-04:00Great M! Thanks. I know you mentioned it once be...Great M! Thanks. I know you mentioned it once before I believe I just wanted to make sure. Cool.SFFhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04256589316922398158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1031498593064294214.post-56609364828660014842008-10-09T09:35:00.000-04:002008-10-09T09:35:00.000-04:00This one is spoiler-safe now, as well as the first...This one is spoiler-safe now, as well as the first two Psi Corps trilogy books, the first two technomage trilogy books, and "The Shadow Within". <BR/><BR/>M.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1031498593064294214.post-70458446727382941142008-10-09T08:38:00.000-04:002008-10-09T08:38:00.000-04:00Great segueway M... I've been really interested i...Great segueway M... I've been really interested in picking up one of the B5 books to read at night as I drift into la la land. Which one is SAFE to read at this point. I think I will read the one you mentioned to start. But yes, that Ulkesh is a nasty git.SFFhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04256589316922398158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1031498593064294214.post-63218435090069120942008-10-09T03:54:00.000-04:002008-10-09T03:54:00.000-04:00Being sucked dry from her life force may well be a...Being sucked dry from her life force may well be a side effect. And I don't think Ulkesh really cares if Lyta is there or not. She's a convenient means of transportation, but she's also a liability. Now that Sheridan has opened an "unexpected door", the humans aren't that important any longer. Plus Ulkesh isn't Kosh. In "To Dream in the City of Sorrows", which deals with Sinclair's stay on Minbar as an ambassador, Ulkesh is the Vorlon ambassador to Minbar. And I can tell you, He is the supreme annoyance throughout the entire book.<BR/><BR/>M.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1031498593064294214.post-70081860097892919282008-10-08T21:43:00.000-04:002008-10-08T21:43:00.000-04:00Interesting observation Ly. That means he's not e...Interesting observation Ly. That means he's not exactly the brightest Vorlon bulb in the bunch. I hope he ensure she had one of those top of the line mattresses at least. : )SFFhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04256589316922398158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1031498593064294214.post-1497503266966375272008-10-08T20:46:00.000-04:002008-10-08T20:46:00.000-04:00Well, actually Lyta ist not "being sucked bone dry...Well, actually Lyta ist not <I>"being sucked bone dry of her own life force by the vampiric like Vorlon, New Kosh, so that she may "carry" him."</I><BR/>Kosh ist taking back the part of himself, that she was carrying around.<BR/>Ulkesh is quite rough doing this, wich is - if you look at it in a logical way - not very clever.<BR/>As far as we know, Lyta is the only human who can serve him for this special purpose.<BR/>She is the only human who was at the Vorlon homeworld and was "changed", so she could serve/worke with Kosh.<BR/>If Ulkesh is too careless, he might loose her.<BR/>But I do not think, he is considering this point ;o)<BR/><BR/>greetings<BR/>LyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1031498593064294214.post-22837431907530854952008-10-08T14:57:00.000-04:002008-10-08T14:57:00.000-04:00As always a thoughtful post from Norway...Cowboy K...As always a thoughtful post from Norway...<BR/><BR/>Cowboy Kosh - that's funny.<BR/><BR/>Well put on the whipping scene by the electrical whip. It's hardcore and unflinching in its portrayal. It is amazing they were able to pull that kind of torture off on TV in some respects. Great story regarding politics and B5 shared with us there on its reception overseas. I always find stories like that fascinating.<BR/><BR/>The Garibaldi stuff is really one of the most intriquing threads in the series for me at this current point. I am very curious how this thing goes. Definitely don't give me any hints. The Ulkesh thing is no biggie at all. I just couldn't remember if I had missed that.<BR/><BR/>G'Kar/ Londo for President 2008! : )SFFhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04256589316922398158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1031498593064294214.post-12998237619833209782008-10-08T03:27:00.000-04:002008-10-08T03:27:00.000-04:00Hey!I don't think Ulkesh has been named as such in...Hey!<BR/><BR/>I don't think Ulkesh has been named as such in the series. But it is no spoiler so I guess it is useful to refer to it as such, along with other useful names such as 'Evil Kosh', 'New Kosh' and 'Cowboy Kosh'. :)<BR/><BR/>Ulkesh is not using Lyta for sexual pleasure, she is just carrying him around to places he couldn't otherwise go, at least not without being detected. But you are of course right in that the whole nature of their relationship is very much represented by the sexual undertones. Real Kosh was nice and caring, Ulkesh sees us more as ants to be used for his own purposes. Poor Lyta.<BR/><BR/>The whipping scene is one of the most memorable in all of B5 for me. Not because I'm squemish, but because you so rarely see something like that executed on television. It was brutal, it was evil, it was painful, and that's the way it is supposed to be. That's why we get to follow along all the way to 39 - no cutaways to something else. It's brutally effective. One of the political parties here in Norway (we have several, not just the two-party system that you have in the US, making fun political chaos for all to enjoy) actually spoke out against B5 in a national newspaper because of this scene. Of course, the fact that this political party is based on christian values and Babylon 5 being shown early Sunday afternoon didn't help - but they didn't really get any support for the idea of taking it off the air. And if they had tried that (in the age before downloading TV-shows was commonplace), us militant B5 fans would have picked up our PPGs and stormed something. :)<BR/><BR/>The Garibaldi themes in this episode have consequences far beyond the current plot and is a very interesting one from several angles. He himself does not know what is going on - and knowing our Garibaldi, this causes him no small amount of frustration. :)<BR/><BR/>Apart from the whipping, as mentioned in the comments for an earlier episode, the current G'Kar and Londo stuff is so strong that you can't help but feel for the both of them. Londo's respect for G'Kar is probably growing larger than he'd like to admit, while G'Kar gets to live out the sacrifice ideology he cooked up when Kosh showed him the nature of things. Believe me, after you've watched the series, you'll love going back to early episodes and see their hatred with a weird kind of joy. And perhaps with a little sadness.<BR/><BR/>Man I gotta convince my fiancé to start watching this show. An episode here and there just doesn't cut it. :)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04444376138297002474noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1031498593064294214.post-3335338596771382892008-10-07T20:27:00.000-04:002008-10-07T20:27:00.000-04:00Hey MHope all is well. Now I must say I don't bel...Hey M<BR/>Hope all is well. Now I must say I don't believe there has been any official reference to the Kosh replacement as Ulkesh. Am I correct in thinking that or did I miss something?<BR/><BR/>Also, I'm a bit slow to the sexual undercurrents apparently. : ) But they were definitely quite pronounced here.SFFhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04256589316922398158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1031498593064294214.post-7318597480776797662008-10-07T18:23:00.000-04:002008-10-07T18:23:00.000-04:00The 4th season definitely isn't for the squeamish ...The 4th season definitely isn't for the squeamish and depending on how old your kids are, I suggest you should watch the episodes first before showing them to them.<BR/><BR/>As for Lyta. Sexual overtones were there in her relationship to Kosh from the beginning, they just weren't abusive. They turned abusive when Kosh was replaced by Ulkesh. I still maintain the Vorlons don't need the humans; they're just a convenient vehicle to carry them.<BR/><BR/>M.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com