Kirk & Bones: The Great Ice Planet Adventure: Part 9: Beam Us Up Scotty

Kirk: Beam Us Up Scotty.

Scotty: Aye Captain, and where's Mr. Spock sir?

Bones: Funny, we were hoping you could tell us.

Mystery Babe: (whispering) Where are you Mr. Spock?

Babylon 5 The Complete Fourth Season: No Surrender, No Retreat

So there you have it, Babylon 5: The Complete Fourth Season: No Surrender, No Retreat. It was a terrific season as a whole and arguably the best to date. There were so many terrific moments along the way from the G'Kar/ Londo scenes in the first half to critical moments from Ivanova and Sheridan in the second half. Season Two and Season Three had exceptional episodes that rank among my favorites, but Season Four had a consistency to it that felt like a freight train running. Straczynski definitely had his groove on and there was no stopping its energy despite having to take a few shortcuts along the way in the event it might be the last season.

Understandably it also boasted the best special effects for the series to date and some sequences looked stunning for the period. Computer animation had clearly gained a foothold and was less blocky and digitized-looking in this fourth outing when compared to that dodgy Season One.
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The DVD box set has a number of special features. Most notably you will recieve an all-new Introduction by series creator J. Michael Straczynski, Audio Commentary on three episodes plus access data and personnel files as well as the Universe of Babylon 5. There is also a Gag Reel and the No Surrender, No Retreat DVD Suite. The one I enjoyed the most was a featurette called Celestial Sounds. It is a terrific feature focusing on the scoring with composer Christopher Franke. He is indubitably the unsung hero behind the scenes of each episode. His music enhances the performance, the emotions and it does its job because it's simply not obvious and it's not meant to be. You feel a sequence's power because the music complements the drama on screen. Some of the interesting points for me was the fact Babylon 5 included no 'pre-canned' music. Every episode received its own scoring. That's really amazing. Each show included roughly 25 minutes of original music and Franke composed it specifically for each moment along the way. It is an impressive undertaking and a significant milestone in his career to be sure. It's a real nice piece which includes input on Franke's work from writer/ director J. Michael Straczynski, John Copeland and Douglas Netter.

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Having four in the bag it's hard to argue for any one season being stronger than Babylon 5: The Complete Fourth Season: No Surrender, No Retreat. Season Four despite several strong marks from Season Two and Season Three, might be the most consistent in quality. A solid science fiction drama to date.

James Doohan: Beam Me Up, Scotty

"He's dead Jim." This is true Bones, which is why it wasn't easy attempting to learn more about this seemingly fine man.

My latest excursion into the literary world [The One To Be Pitied would beg to differ] would be this fairly difficult to find autobiography on the late, great Star Trek alumnus James Doohan as our friend Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott otherwise referred to simply as Scotty. Beam Me Up, Scotty: Star Trek's "Scotty" In His Own Words has been out of print for some time and save having to spend roughly 50 dollars on the book from someone it can be a tough find. I scored a fairly mint copy off an Amazon seller. I love Amazon. I love my local bookstore too, but they can't find gems like I Am Spock or Beam Me Up, Scotty and deliver them to my doorstep unfortunately. Additionally with the unfortunate death of Mr. Doohan and little interest surrounding his life on the whole by publishers looking to make a buck it would seem unlikely another opportunity to read about the man's life would come along. This would be about my only chance. So, since I missed the book upon its initial run in stores I had to get industrious. I probably had my hands full with tribbles upon its initial release.

I've seen some of the critiques out there on Doohan's book. Some folks have been brutal and particularly unkind. I certainly cannot attest to its sense of truth or dramatic license so I'll have to take it on face value. Something tells me he may have has a flair for the dramatic, but he was such an adorably charming fellow I have to give him the benefit of the doubt. Interestingly enough he co-authored the book with famed Star Trek comic book writer Peter David so it 'kenna be all that bad Captain'.

Here's how the ol' transporter worked for Scotty.

Introduction: James Doohan gives us a run down of his castmates on the set of Star Trek: The Original Series. It's a little awkward, but interesting to see things from his perspective rather than Leonard Nimoy or William Shatner for a change. His descriptions of his fellow actors are fairly terse and kind of cheeky. I can't say I learned alot from the intro but I was definitely thirsty for more. One thing I did not know was that Doohan was close friends with Gene Roddenberry. Fascinating. Overall first impressions on the writing style tends to lean toward the conversational. There's a folksy feel to it. It's not at all like Leaonard Nimoy's I Am Spock. Nimoy is a fine writer. Doohan clearly needs Peter David's help here and how much of it he receives I'm uncertain. Still, it takes a little getting used to, but I have a feeling Peter David had his work cut out for him.

Birth Of A Notion: Doohan discusses how the name of Montgomery Scott originated as a nod to his grandfather of the same name. Apparently Doohan had considerable input into the character of Scotty. We get a glimpse of life in Northern Ireland and Belfast and it does lend itself to some fantastic insights into the political climate of the day as well as the depressed state of his surroundings during his youth. He talks extensively about his talented, intelligent father whose talents excluded him from joining the military since he was needed on other fronts. There has always been a soft side to Doohan. It’s a side that’s easy to identify with considering what he endured as a kid. He speaks extensively about his father who suffered from alcoholism. He was unfortunately a violent man who affected those around him. There's a lot of identification here for me as my father suffered from alcoholism. I was fortunate in that my father was a gentle man who never exhibited a violent bone in his body. It’s a touching account and it’s not lost on me how affecting this type of stuff can be on a young mind. Eventually, Doohan’s family opted to get the heck out of dodge moving from Belfast to British Columbia to Ontario. It was an obvious improvement in living conditions. Sadly, James Doohan’s plight was at the hands of a violent and sometimes physically abusive drunkard of a father. It is disturbing to read his account of those terrible days as a young lad of eight years old. It had to be hard for him to recall such painful memories honestly. As if it couldn’t get much worse during those formative years, Doohan came down with Diphtheria and nearly died.

Planes, Trains And Automobiles: No this is not about John Hughes, Steve Martin or John Candy. Doohan reflects on his love for toy trains, a passion and hobby that lasted all his life. We offers more insights into the complicated relationship he had with his father. We glean a bit into the romantic, child-like wonder of Doohan's love affair with cars and trains. This is hardly riveting information to the Trek fan looking for Trek dirt, but I like how the book informs us about what makes the man the man.

That’s Entertainment: Scotty gets down and dirty by sharing his first sexual encounter with readers. Too much information? It was a bit like watching a train wreck. I kept thinking, ‘I can’t believe he’s sharing this stuff with us,’ but it's his autobiography. So, too much information aside, I was mildly intrigued and kept reading anyway. Doohan discusses other entertainment avenues like radio as a kid and the advent of television. It’s funny to hear him say something like “If someone had come to me from the future and told me I’d actually be spending a respectable portion of my life on that little screen, I wouldn’t have known what to make of it.” Doohan reflects on one of his greatest gifts, that of the accent. He chose an Aberdeen accent for Scotty. I actually spent a summer in Scotland once and had to do a paper on Scottish Nationalism for my British Politics class, which may explain some of my interest in the British-influenced James Doohan. For a period, I did everything I could to consume Scottish culture, Scottish women and the occasional Scotch. We learn about Doohan’s first love Kay Glynn, his love for the stage plus more on the pain of his relationship with his father. It should be noted Doohan’s mother was very nurturing and did her best to shower him with love to compensate for his father. Like anyone, he still yearned to capture the attention of his father's love. Still, Doohan’s father was isolating him and discarding him in the same way his grandfather had done it to his father decades earlier. History often offers a vicious cycle.

Giving Hitler The Finger: Useless fact of the day perphaps, but did you know Jimmy Doohan lost his middle finger? I did not. He kept it mostly obscured from camera during the filming of Star Trek: The Original Series. Fascinating until you make the point to The One To Be Pitied who quickly flaunts the fact she still very much has her own middle finger. This is why I share it with you. Anyway, you can note the missing finger in TOS Season One, Episode 15, The Trouble With Tribbles. He lost his finger during the invasion of Normandy on D-day. I’m a huge fan of history. You can learn much from it or choose to ignore it. It’s truly interesting to hear Doohan recall conversationally his memories of Hitler and the dictator's growing quest for power and domination. He remembers English Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain and how England and France declared war on Germany following Hitler’s usurpation of Poland. Canada wavered on remaining neutral, but did eventually join the war. Doohan quickly enlisted with the Canadian Army. Who knew they had one? For Doohan it was, oddly enough, a bit of a godsend to join the army to fight Hitler as it was an avenue to escape the oppression of home. Doohan gives a terrific account of how poorly prepared and trained the Canadian Army was back in the day. With the war upon him Doohan was forced to go his separate way from Kay for roughly five years.

You're In The Army Now: It's basic training for Doohan. He gets the snot kicked out of his ass to be accepted and learns Morse Code. It seems ironic he would be involved in communications even then not knowing he would become one of the world's most famous engineers.

Waiting For Action: This is a terrific remark referring to a bunk mate from Scotland after Doohan had arrived in England from Canada. "Some people make snide comments, saying that Scotty's accent is inaccurate, that it's not authentic. Believe me, if I did it the way Andrew from Aberdeen did, you too would not understand a damned word Scotty said. In fact, Gene Roddenberry, pulled me aside early in the series- several times, in fact- and said 'You mustn't make the accent so thick. No one's going to know what you're saying.'" That's perfect and it speaks volumes about why alot of actors deviate from the 'real' accent. Sure, some actors just plain can't act or just can't do a decent accent to save their life, not so for Doohan. On the war front, Doohan explains the waiting game in England before facing the encroaching Germans who were taking France. Doohan gives a vivid account of life in charge of his own regimen and the difficulties that accompanied that duty after just three years in the military. After four years in service he was about to make it to his fifth with Normandy.

D Day: Doohan vividly recalls some tension building moments leading up to D Day. I certainly cannot comment on the validity of his words, but I have no reason to doubt him. There is a stirring account of Doohan's nerve-rattling experience during the charge of Normandy Beach. It's a gripping tale and there is a genuine flow here that I can only believe Peter David helped coalesce. I can't say I've read an account of D Day, but if these weren't the words from the mouth of one of my favorite science fiction actors, I'd say this was a pretty astounding account of that day from one soldier's point of view. There's a down-to-Earth, regular guy kind of vibe as Doohan reflects on the little things that go through all of our minds before something difficult. Still, nothing comes close to what these young men had to handle on that fateful day. I am forever humbled by that day and Doohan's account reminds us why. This chapter served a detailed recollection of that day and it was a riveting read. Some critics have complained they did not get enough on Star Tek from this book. Remember, this is an autobiography and he spends a fair amount of time on his fairly lean upbringing and his time in the military. I really appreciated this window learning more about the man and the experiences that shaped him. In fact, more time could have been spent on this on this wrenching account. The book is a fairly quick read and merely scratches the surface of a number of topics. I also didn’t find his details surrounding D Day as being particularly self-aggrandizing as some have suggested. I mean Christ, the man stormed the beach at Normandy, was shot to hell, lost a finger from machine gun fire, got shot in the leg, shot in the chest, barely survived thanks to a cigarette case in his pocket that his brother gave him and lived to tell about it. For cryin’ out loud if the man lent any kind of writing embellishment in his recall of that day I’m okay with that. The man is still a hero just like everyone else who sacrificed so much that day against the Nazis. Not once did I feel Doohan made more of his sacrifice than was deserved and to be honest he could have written much more. Anyhow, it’s an astounding chapter and his penchant for telling a story shines through making it an entertaining portion to be sure. When I got to the end of it he mentions he had the opportunity to meet actor Van Heflin. It didn’t mean much to me, but then he mentioned he starred in Shane, which he really loved. I laughed. My father loved Shane. It was like the western to end all westerns for him. I even bought it for him on VHS tape long before DVD took off and he loved that movie. It is a good film. It just reminded me of my father, again, who was also served in the [United States] Army.

Junior Birdman: Doohan received mail from his love, Kay Glynn, only to learn she had moved on in her life with another man. Those are crushing letters and I’m sure we’ve all received letters like that in our lives at one time or another. To avoid having to deal with his father, yet again, Doohan took up flying instruction outside of London. He spent much time as an an airman working for the military. Later, the war in Europe may have ended, but the Japanese pulled him back for more. He continued flying in the war effort against the Japanese. You’ll recall they did not surrender as early as the Germans. He recalls US President Harry S. Truman’s decision to drop the atomic bombs on Nagasaki and Hiroshima. This was a fairly powerful and thoughtful reflection. “It’s become popular nowadays to second-guess Truman’s decision, but all I can tell you is that, while we were willing to fight on for however long it took no one was breathless with anticipation over continuing the war for year after year. The bomb ended the war. Unfortunately it also ended the lives of thousands of Japanese souls. Truman never wavered on the rightness of his action, and speaking as a possible beneficiary of his decision, I feel it was nice to have made it through the war, if not in one piece, then in a condition fairly close to it. Still, I’d be very surprised if the imagined screams of those thousands who died in the nuclear holocaust of Hiroshima and Nagasaki didn’t haunt Truman in his private hours.” I think those are pretty honest words from someone who was there. Doohan really endured some physical pain during the war. It's amazing how affable and light-hearted Doohan remained after all he'd been through. Given the fairly difficult path he would need to navigate, endure and overcome to get there, it's hard to believe he would become the man known as Scotty.

How You Gonna Keep 'Em Down On The Farm...?: Doohan returned home arriving in Montreal to see his family for the first time in six years. He also visited his old flame Kay briefly. So began his journey toward the vocation of acting, which lured him to New York City for a time. The one thing that Doohan seemed unable to put to rest, the scratch he couldn't itch, was his relationship with da. Doohan had an unbridled sense of anger toward his father. He let him have it before leaving again. He made certain he understood the sense of torture he felt as a child. It was the last time he saw him and he does regret that exchange. He knows the devil of alcoholism and what it did to his father. He clearly regrets his actions that day. Alcoholism has a pretty profound impact on a life and it is such a feeling of helplessness that you have no control over fixing the other person's troubles. I really feel for him here. Fortunately my father was a joy to have around despite his weaknesses. We all have them.

Treading The Boards: I found it amazing just how little experience James Doohan had in the field of acting. Despite his shortcomings he certainly took on the challenge with his usual vigor. He always rises to the occasion. Doohan points to an interesting fact that sort of accompanied him on his journey through life and was his internal desire to run away from facing issues at home. The ghost of his father often ruled Doohan's motivations and actions. It really played a part of who he was as a man. "When you get down to it, my entire acting ambition- which not only was I at a loss to grasp, but seemed to have sprung almost out of nowhere- was really an extension of everything that had happened in my life to that time. I'd spent my entire existence happening upon new ways of escaping- to other countries, to a war, to the air." And now acting had Doohan escaping to what he referred to as "another reality altogether." He talks to some extent about how acting requires you to be open and free with yourself, which was the complete antithesis to everything he had been doing all his life. He had been walling himself and running from aspects of his life. It was complete self-preservation and an approach he needed to change.

The Year That Was: Doohan talks of his flatmate John Fiedler from Star Trek TOS, Season Two, Episode 14, Wolf In The Fold. Further, he discusses what a bizarre period it was in his life in that he took up attempting a singing career with John and Tony Randall [The Odd Couple]. One of the things that struck me was just how much older Doohan really was back in the day compared to some of his eventual Star Trek cast mates. The other thing is, despite his many hardships, Doohan led a fairly clean lifestyle. But boy, did this man live. Apart from training in NY, Doohan even spent some time in Rhode Island with Theatre By The Sea and Jackie Gleason of all people. He uncomfortably recollects his miserable seventeen year marriage to Janet. They had four children and a terrible marriage. He doesn't mention much more than that. Let's put it this way he indicates Normandy being easier. Yikes!

Jimmy Hollywood: Doohan lost his fragile sister Margaret at the ripe young age of thirty-seven. He was there for her on that day and it's a heartbreaker. His Mom and Dad also pass on. It's the 1950s and Jimmy Doohan is beginning to hit his stride. Jimmy said goodbye to his greatest mentor Sandy Meisner striking out on his own. Doohan expresses some interesting scenarios behind-the-scenes regarding the whole House Un-American Activities period of the 1950s and the search for communists within the acting community. He lived it to an extent. So the war was over, the war with his wife that is. He finally left her and his children though he talks a bit about them and how hard it was to leave them. His old friend actor Leslie Nielsen took him in for a time in 1964. This took him to a short three season stint for some little known show called Star Trek.

Show-time: For fans of Star Trek this is certainly THE chapter to read for all things Scotty. The Star Trek Pilot [1965] was picked up in 1966 just as Doohan learns, “Thanks very much, but we don’t really think we’re going to need an engineer.” That's not exactly good news if you’re an excited Jimmy Doohan. His agent got the old wolf back in the fold. Doohan was in his mid-forties when he tackled the part of Scotty. He shares highlights and lowlights here by episode. I've included a few. The Corbomite Maneuver: Doohan gives his impressions on the strange-looking, but brilliant, actor Clint Howard. The Naked Time: Doohan remembers Bruce Hyde singing one of his favorite songs growing up in the form of I’ll Take You Home Again Kathleen. Classic Scotty line: “I canna change the laws of physics.” Doohan comments on the precedings with, “This was coming from an engineer aboard a ship that defies Einstein with its faster-than-light travel and has a matter transporter that flies in the face of the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle. Okay, okay maybe Scotty couldn’t change the laws of physics. But he sure could bend them a good ways.” The Galileo Seven: This is one of my very favorite science fiction episodes of all time. I almost named my blog after it. Anyway, Scotty attempts to fix the coolest shuttlecraft in the universe. It was the first time he really worked closely with Nimoy and speaks with great respect for him. The Squire Of Gothos: The first entry Scotty lent his voice to a number of characters outside his role as Scotty. He was the voice of Trelane’s father. He really enjoyed actor Bill Campbell. Tomorrow Is Yesterday: Doohan offers observations regarding the effects utilized for the episode and how primitive they might be in comparison to the effects of today, but they were cutting edge. There is such a great vibrating shot of Scotty during an Enterprise hit they re-used the shot for The Doomsday Machine. Space Seed: He speaks reverently on Ricardo Montalban’s dynamic performance. Funny enough, Doohan later enjoyed a guest role for an episode of Fantasy Island. The Menagerie: Doohan fondly remembers guest Susan Oliver who has since passed. Someday I hope to touch on some of these fine actors when I pay tribute to Star Trek. Devil In The Dark: "What a lovely show. I just thought it was one of the best." He really appreciated the sci-fi intensive script. City On The Edge Of Forever: The first script was drafted by none other than Harlan Ellison, but was apparently not used and legend has it he was unhappy with their final choice. Doohan likes Ellison but calls him a man with "diarrhea of the mouth." Nice. Operation: Annhilate: The episode features "creatures that look like flying omelets." I loved those flying omelets! It made such an impression on me. One of my favorite scenes as a kid included Spock taking it in the back by the flying flapjack alien. It was so scary when I was kid. Metamorphosis: Scotty's role was greatly reduced here. Friday's Child: A big example of Kirk ignoring the Prime Directive of non-interference. Julie Neumar guests and Scotty takes command of the Enterprise. The Doomsday Machine: This is a Doohan favorite. Wolf In The Fold: This is like a Doohan vehicle. Scotty is a suspect in a series of murders. Did you know he dated Tanya Lamani? Do you care? There's a sequence that calls for the scanning of Scotty's right hand and since that is the infamous hand with the missing middle digit, a stunt double was utilized for the actual hand. You just gotta love those behind-the-scenes details. Doohan takes to task the scriptwriter's decision to have Kirk dope his crew rather than trust their training and proceeds to discuss one of those reasons why we love Kirk. "Kirk- without missing a beat-immediately tries to talk Spock into beaming down to the planet with him to check out a 'place' with women so amazing that words are never found to describe them. Think about it: Kirk wants to leave his ship in the hands of 430 drunk drivers (Sulu is literally spinning in his chair) so he can go planetside and score. Kirk ultimately discards the idea, probably because he remembers that he has a ship full of a hundred or so females, all with great legs, miniskirts and all of whom will be in a extremely good mood for, according to McCoy, the next five hours. Why go out when you can order in?" The Changeling: Scotty is the dreaded recipient of those fateful words, "He's dead Jim." Doohan believed it was his final curtain call but it was simply part of the script. Mirror Mirror: The one episode Scotty refers to the Captain as "Jim!" The Trouble With Tribbles: Scotty got a beefy part in this one. Doohan enjoyed this fine script by David Gerrold, but also credits Gene Roddenberry and Dorothy C. Fontana for their input as well. Elaan Of Troyius: Doohan moves into the much-maligned third season of Star Trek and kind of falls in line with the general sentiment out there about its problems. Leonard Nimoy expressed much insight on the subject in the book I Am Spock. The third season was indeed problematic on many fronts. You get a sense of it with Doohan's episodic criticisms noting the lack of Roddenberry's steady hand at the wheel. The Savage Curtain: Scotty wears a kilt. Doohan hasn’t much praise for Season Three.

Family Album: Like some families, Doohan dishes it on his cast mates. He refers to Walter Koenig as “dour” and “depressed” the more he got to know you. He had a “dry sense of humor and quick wit.” I think his personality shines on Babylon 5. Doohan loved hanging with George Takei. He felt sorry for Nichelle Nichols because she was so completely underutilized and unappreciated as an actress. DeForest Kelley was an incredibly likeable fellow. Leonard Nimoy, again, was the consummate professional and gentleman who always put the show first. Then there is Bill. “As for Bill Shatner, well…I have to admit, I just don’t like the man.” This seems to be a common refrain from the voices of Star Trek's cast. He doesn’t have much to say about the man and I think that about covers his feeling on the matter. I think some fans would have enjoyed more dirt. He certainly respects his old friend Gene Roddenberry, but felt he was better at spotting talent for the show as far as scripting than possessing scripting talent himself. His secretary Dorothy Fontana was exactly that kind of talent. He was a terrific producer. Doohan reflects very favorably on the talent of Gene Coon who also played a significant role in the show’s success along with Fontana. When it comes to the third season Doohan holds Roddenberry responsible for its failure. He became very hand’s off compared to his work on the first two seasons and the product suffered for it. It was interesting to read Doohan’s refections on that period because they are different to Leonard Nimoy’s reflections on the causes for Roddenberry’s departure for Season Three in his own I Am Spock. Now, they may have seen two different things or been privy to different facts, but Doohan definitely felt Roddenberry should have stepped up to the plate to see it through properly. It’s definitely an interesting chapter in Star Trek lore. I am fascinated by what exactly transpired between Season Two and Season Three. Things went terribly wrong for some key players. Nimoy certainly vented his frustrations in his biography and Doohan does here to some extent while maybe not to the same degree or detail. He definitively felt Roddenberry abandoned his baby. I would gather there may be some element of truth to it, but it’s certainly Doohan’s perception and it is a unique perspective. Doohan was definitely disappointed with Roddenberry’s surrender of the third season to Paramount and notes it suffered badly as a result of his missing vision. The chapter rounds out with some terrific insights into the man that was Gene Roddenberry. It’s interesting to hear him talk about how fans looked upon him, while Roddenberry was unable to articulate himself in the same way Star Trek was able to articulate his vision philosophically for him.

Star Struck: Finally, life after Star Trek in the world of Hollywood typecasting. We learn how he met his third wife Wende. They inevitably married with Trelane [William Campbell] as his best man. Times were tough, but the swell and demand of a growing Star Trek fanbase kept Doohan afloat.

Fan Dancing: Doohan’s first convention experience is shared in fairly good detail and it’s pretty entertaining for it. Doohan discusses the knowledge fans have of the episode dialogue. You know you’ve done your job as a writer when fans can recite lines and know which episode the line is from. Doohan gives us the technical version of how the transporter scenes were filmed. This chapter amplifies what a generous and giving man James Doohan was to fans of all the Original Series stars. He wore his heart on his sleeve for the fans. There isn't a question about this man’s gratitude for them. He is indebted and sincere in expressing his appreciation for them. There’s a nice bit about the Official James Doohan Fan Club organized by a girl named Anna. Eventually she got so busy she had to pass the torch to someone else and she went to Doohan to tell him. Doohan sincerely loved the fan club and how Anna ran it. He said to her, “Nobody will run it like you did, Anna” and opted to close it down. He tells some strange stories, one in particular about a young lad who wanted a vile of his blood. Weird. He even has an unexpected reunion with old flame Kay in CT. His wife oKAYed the reunion. I'm not sure The One To Be Pitied would okay such a reunion.

The Continuing Voyages: Doohan offers his perspective on Star Trek: The Animated Series. He was not overly fond of the resulting product but he lends some great insight into that period. He shares a strange moment when he decided to call up Bill Shatner, but Bill was less than kind and was quite angry with Doohan and how he got hold of his phone number. Shatner is an odd, but entertaining, duck indeed. It's easy to see why he wasn't crazy about Shatner though. At the time of Star Trek: The Motion Picture there were plans to make a series [Nimoy covers it in his book a bit more], which mutated into the film. Doohan discusses that ordeal a bit. He mentions how the final product was a “snorer” and referred to as Star Trek: The Motionless Picture. Ouch. Then came Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan, which Doohan enjoyed, but felt a number of scenes were cut to shreds and left on the editing room floor. He does indicate the director chose to place those scenes back into a final director’s cut. Doohan, understandably, was quite pleased by the decision as he felt they left certain aspects of his character’s actions unanswered upon the original release. I've seen the film and I'm still scratching my head on some of those scenes. For Star Trek III: The Search For Spock Doohan had many fine things to say about Director Leonard Nimoy, but he did feel the film was lacking by the absence of Nimoy as Spock within the film and lacking in overall action. Doohan adored Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home and its beautiful environmental message. Shatner announces his plans to make a fifth film himself during the filming of the fourth and needless to say no one was overly inspired. When it came time to do Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, Doohan was less than enthused he had to walk down the corridor and bump his head. He saw the scene as something Bill Shatner designed just to put him down. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country is far and away Doohan’s personal favorite of the bunch directed once again by Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan helmer Nick Meyer. Star Trek: The Next Generation came along for Doohan and the episode dubbed Relics. Doohan, like many, was quite opposed to the concept of TNG initially, but was inevitably won over. There's his hysterical analysis on the technobabble used in TNG versus the dialogue utilized by Scotty in TOS. It's pretty funny. He recommends comparing the two someday. Perhaps we'll do a video comparison right here on The Sci Fi Fanatic. Doohan thought Scotty was retired until Star Trek: Generations arrived. Doohan's final words in the chapter said alot about his character and the creation of Scotty and why to some he seemed a fairly one note character. "So much of what made him unique came not from any great acting challenge, but instead were simply elements of James Doohan, and an accent." That's about it. That's exactly the charm of Scotty. He was an incredibly likeable character because James Doohan was incredibly likeable. He adds, "To me, Scotty is Scotty and was already a full human being as soon as I opened my mouth with a Scottish accent." Amen.

One Trek Beyond: Doohan enjoyed a brief stint in soaps playing a part oddly reminiscent of his own father, only this time he was playing the role of his father. So would Scotty do it all over? “Would I do it again?” He goes into detail about the many things he has achieved thanks to playing the part of Montgomery Scott Scotty. He met Wende and had two wonderful boys. The answer is clear. “I guess I do regret not having played all those other characters I know I would have played. But to do that, I would have to stop being Scotty. I’d lose the negatives…but the positives, as well.” I often wonder what if I went down this path or that path. What if I had done this or decided to do that or not this. Don’t we all wonder a little? There’s no question Doohan wouldn’t change a thing, but he does wonder about those other roles as an actor, but we all wonder about those other roles for ourselves.

Reflecting back on the book about a man I knew little about going into the read, my inclination is to say, I really liked this man. There were certainly old school, traditional things about the man's experiences that reminded me of my father. I enjoyed that reflection. My father was a simple man who enjoyed simple things. It's a rare thing today. I miss having him around for those things. Funny, I loved the book for Doohan's ability to tell a tale or recall a story and to learn things about him outside of Star Trek. I also liked the book for making me recall aspects of my father.

Beam Me Up, Scotty: B

Kirk & Bones: The Great Ice Planet Adventure: Part 8: Scotch Rescue

Bones: Boy we sure are glad to see you Scotty. I didn't see you beam down.

Scotty: Aye, good to see you boys. I beamed down over beyond the bushes there.

Kirk: Well Mr. Scott it's good to see you indeed. We've been freezing down here.

Scotty: Aye. The temperatures on the planet have really been messing with my transporter and my ability to locate ya can.

Bones: Well, I reckon we don't have long Scotty, the temps are dipping again.

Scotty: Aye.

Kirk: Scotty, you didn't happen to see a tall blonde woman on your way here.

Scotty: No sir Captain or the haggie'd be in the fire for sure.

Bones: Huh? What does that mean? Nevermind. I don't want to know.

Kirk: Bones, Haggis is a traditional Scottish dish of animal's intestines stuffed with sheep's heart, lungs, liver, minced onion, oatmeal, spices, suet, salt, stock and boiled into a explosive taste fiesta.

Scotty: Aye.

Bones: Jesus. You know how to ruin a guy's appetite.

Scotty: Well McCoy I canna' change the laws of physics.

Bones: What does that have anything to do with an animal's intestines?

Scotty: Aye. Not sure, but I like to say things like that.

Kirk: Gentlemen, perhaps we should remove ourselves from this lifeless rock and head back to the Enterprise before it's too late.

Scotty: Aye Captain.

Bones: Would you happen to have a tasty tenderized steak ready for us back at the ship?

Scotty: Aye McCoy, the haggie is in the fire for sure.

Bones: Damn it Scotty, would you stop that? Steak for God's sake man! Red-blooded, steroid-injected, good, old-fashioned steak! Am I not speaking English?

Scotty: Aye sir, haggie sir.

Bones: You are maddening.

Kirk: How 'bout a Scotch? Lead us home Mr. Scott.

B5 S4 Ep22: The Deconstruction Of Falling Stars

Bruce Boxleitner: Who knew this young little boy would someday be one of the key faces to lead Babylon 5, save the galaxy and aid in creating one of the top ten greatest science fiction sagas ever made?

It's a bit like the Love Boat with the rice and greetings at the beginning here with all of the happy couples. A steady stream of joy to be sure.

The Happy Couple.

It's a welcome home party for Delenn and Sheridan on Babylon 5. G'Kar and Londo follow their entry. Apparently marriages are quite sober and reflective on Centauri. G'Kar and Londo are turning into a bit of a comedic friendship through their differences. Could you ever imagine these two together like this?
*

The Other Happy Couple.

Babylon 5 has been the last best chance/hope for peace indeed. Here is the season finale of Babylon 5, Season Four, Episode 22, The Deconstruction Of Falling Stars. Stephen Furst returns for his second stint as director. Right away I'm less than excited, optimistic, what have you and expecting alot of static shots.
*

Ah yes, The Real Happy Couple. A flashback to happier times for John and Anna [a.k.a. Bruce and Melissa] would have been nice during the series pre-Z'Ha'Dum. It would have given their relationship a little more depth. We certainly weren't given the chance to care about her as much as we could have. As Boxleitner's wife Gilbert might have been available. I cared for her because I loved Laura Ingalls.

ISN reports on Sheridan's childhood and the various stages of his life and career. I loved the use of Bruce Boxleitner and Melissa Gilbert's wedding photo. It's convenient they married for real. It was the perfect union in real life, if not for the story here, apparently. A panel of political experts give their personal commentaries on the hero that is Sheridan, worthy or not. Watching the ANALysts fire back and forth at each other was a bit like watching one of today's news programs. One speechwriter is rabid in his criticism of Sheridan and it's no surprise he was a former loyalist and speech writer for the late President Clark. No agenda there. Most seem to agree John Sheridan has many hurtles to overcome and much to prove going forward. But you know what they say about opinions and every analyst has one.

A temporal rift interrupts transmissions of historical data taking us 100 years into the future. Date: 2 January 2362. The entire episode appears to be driven by the idea someone is accessing the historical database over a vast time period. There has been 100 years of peace and up next we have another panel of three experts to analyze. Oh boy, bend over, here it comes again. Delenn and Sheridan are placed under the microscope and analysts are not kind concerning their accomplisments. They are given little credit or recognition as the instruments to achieving lasting peace. A University professor from Tokyo also hints to an incident involving their son. It would appear they do have a son. In the span of time since the peace began Sheridan apparently created a "colony" of telepaths on Babylon 5 that would eventually turn against him. The professor believes that incident may have contributed to the Telepath War. The moderator exhibits footage from that period.

The footage extract is from 2262 and Garibaldi appears battered and bloodied and surrounded by a group of telepaths. Sheridan appears on an info channel requiring surrender. Garibaldi would meet his fate and be murdered on that date in 2262. Things are happening fast with the facts in this one and I'm trying to keep up the very best that I can.

The conversation continues as the professors argue the myth of Sheridan's myth since his death in 2182. Though it believed he died on Minbar they give the impression he fabricated another story to fortify his legend. Pundits really are a sick and screwed up bunch. They're almost as bad as politicians. Further, Delenn is still alive in 2262, but the commentators don't believe it to be true. Minbari live roughly 120 years and if she were alive in 2262 that would put her in the range of roughly 140 years. I think Osama Bin Ladin may be 120 years old. The two panelists do believe the Alliance was a force for good despite trashing Sheridan and Delenn's legacy. Nothing like playing the fence and being non-committal. I guess the Alliance just ran itself. Some journalists and some professors just suck! They can be so arrogant, pompous, elitist and completely agenda-driven with no standards of professionalism. An alarm sounds indicating a security breach.

Delenn enters the discussion room aged and gently walking with a walking stick, because walking sticks help you with walking. The make-up department really serves up a convincingly old Delenn. She walks in and tells them John Sheridan "was a good and kind and decent man." She's the best! Stand by your man! They are astonished she has spoken so few words, made such a long journey but is prepared to leave in short. "You came all this way just to say that?" "You came just as far to say less," she delivers. She is a truth teller. She points out how these people do not want the truth. They are self-satisfied in maligning a true hero. They have no comprehension of conviction and strength of belief. This is a great moment when Delenn looks on as if to say, "Shut your pie hole! Before I rip your balls off, chew 'em and spit 'em on your backside you fat bastard! You should be ashamed of yourself. You are a lowly, vile creature!" Okay perhaps Delenn wouldn't be thinking exactly those words, but she looked mighty displeased with those people. Yes I think that about sums up the moment. They cannot even look her in the eyes they are such despicable, clueless, agenda-driven, spineless, glory hounds.

Could someone send her back in time to speak with today's news people. Perhaps she could save them from themselves too and help them understand what the word 'news' means. Wouldn't it be nice to get honest news? Wouldn't it be nice to get information that didn't need to be filtered through our own bullshit scanners? It would be wouldn't it? Unortunately we no longer have news people, but people with political agendas, no class and no integrity for presenting the truth.

No sooner does the flash forward end and a new flash forward continues jumping ahead to 2 January 2762. We are quickly reminded of how truth is conveniently substituted with fiction in our history books. It would appear Babylon 5 was destroyed in 2282. I had my calculator handy to take care of all my mathematical calculations. A new government is rearranging the past to better influence the implementation of current Earth policy and agendas. It really, really is an ugly business. I have come to the conclusion in my current status to distrust Democrats and Republicans from ever doing the right thing. I truly feel we are alone out there. You cannot depend on the government to make your life better. Tax cheats. Liars. Alcohol abusers. These are elected leaders and they couldn't lead their way out of a paper bag though clearly they know what's best for you. A truly despicable bunch. Using holographic figures dfhfhffj [argh! that was The One To Be Pitied being a pain- leave the keyboard alone!]. Let try that again, using holographic figures of Sheridan, Delenn, Garibaldi and Franklin the government representative begins recreating the past into a production we call propaganda. I see alot of it today. The man is deconstructing the truth of our now fallen heroes or stars.

The evil lengths that men will go to. The government knows no bounds. Franklin is reconstructed next and comes off like a mad doctor experimenting on children. With all of the holograms in standby mode Garibaldi is the only one left talking the government rep's ear off. He is doing his damn near best to dissuade him from his actions. The man, Daniel, confides in hologram Garibaldi that war is being prepared to strike at the outer world colonies. The current Earth government of 2762 is planning to strike civilian population centers to demoralize the enemy. Casualties will range in the millions. Holographic Garibaldi hacks the system while delaying Daniel and broadcasts their conversation to the enemy on all available channels.

Jumping forward we arrive at 2 January 3262. Brother Michael visits Brother Alwyn. The two men are tasked with reconstructing the past and discovering truth. It would appear the technological advancements once so readily available and easily accessible have been laid waste by war. It's an interesting take on one possible path to history this entry. Brother Michael has read that one day The Rangers will return to rebuild the "cradle of Sheridan." It's like a postscript to religious text and questions faith without the true knowledge of fact. It's Biblical in approach here. It certainly reflects Christian faith and the work of Jesus and whether or not people believe or not. It questions one's faith. There does appear to be a belief in Valen. Brother Alwyn talks of rebuilding the Earth someday as he looks upon a Ranger uniform. It would seem Alwyn is a Ranger. They come in all shapes and sizes. It's like Friar Tuck the Ranger. It was an interesting segment and that was my take on it.

It looks a little like Twiki from Buck Rogers In The 25th Century.

Great ending. So who was the man with the goatee? He merged with a rather cool kind of Vorlon-type encounter suit that looked like the Twiki lovechild and then departed for the celebrations. Drakh? Vorlon? Technomage? Evolved Human? We're certainly left with some bit of question at this season's conclusion. Perhaps someone out there knows. When did Straczynski and friends learn they would be renewed for a Season Five? I liked Straczynski's final words of reflection through Delenn. Sheridan wonders if they or what they achieved would be remembered in one hundred or even one thousand years.

Delenn: "It doesn't matter. We did what we did because it was right. Not to be remembered. History will attend to itself. It always does." Exactly. Do the right thing and everything else falls into place. The same rule applies to hobbies. You should do things or collect things because you enjoy doing so not because you think they'll be valuable. That never works.
*

There is certainly a lot of exposition in this installment but it's well written and certainly incredibly thoughtful despite the dropoff in entertainment factor for me from the last four to five entries. Looking at the big picture, J. Michael Straczynski literally takes a peek at how the actions of a heroic few are deconstructed through the magnifying lens of people without all of the facts, but with plenty of hypotheticals and personal biases. The distance of history keeps them safe in their glasshouses. Straczynski lends us a parable of just how professors and media pundits can quickly change perceptions of history through personal deconstruction. The end result is the destruction of truth and it happens all the time. I bet you didn't know the holocaust never happened. Well it didn't, at least to some people out there and they're working hard at changing those facts with the passage of time. Just ask some of the Pope's bishop buddies or the Iranian President and his cohorts. Those planes that flew into the World Trade Center's twin towers- just an illusion. Everyone knows it was an inside job by the US government. Those planes weren't real. They're just part of your overactive TV imaginations, studio trickery of course. Pay no attention to the fellow behind the curtain holding the lever to the truth. It's shameful but there are plenty of seriously disturbed people out there, and frighteningly some who aren't, always willing to alter the facts and the truth. We do love deconstructing history. Please excuse my Christian Bale-like rant. Straczynski paints that kind of miscarriage of truth and it's wonderful to see him insert an aged Delenn in there to call all the weenies on it.
*

Still, as interesting and thought-provoking a final exercise as it was it's not the best. A pensive, good end to a solid season that finished very strong. There's a bit of happy and a bit of sad in classic Babylon 5 fashion here. Long-running character arcs [Garibaldi and Sheridan in particular] and questions [Delenn's past] were resolved over the course of a whole season. Garibaldi is back and getting laid again. Sheridan is feeling good and in the driver's seat, not to mention happily married to Delenn. G'Kar and Londo have become friends with potential. And thankfully Earth isn't in flames. On the other hand, Marcus is dead and Ivanova is lost and leaving us. So, not exactly your tailor made happy-ending, but plenty of resolution in the event a fifth season did not happen. Plenty of questions that could be left to the imagination if it ended here, but with the renewal of a fifth plenty to explore as well. Babylon 5 continues to defy expectations. My we've come a long way indeed.
*

Straczynski dedicated the episode "To all the people who predicted that the Babylon Project would fail in its mission. Faith manages." It must have been very satisfying to complete an epic story after four hard fought years after all. Straczynski was determined to make this thing happen and make it happen he did. Good for him. Well done.

Coming soon, Season Five and life after Ivanova and Marcus.
*

The Deconstruction Of Falling Stars: B-

Put It There

B5 S4 Ep21: Rising Star

What becomes of the broken-hearted? Is this the saddest sad luck girl ya ever did see? She just breaks your heart all over again and she's alive no less. This show is killing us!

It's a testament to this amazing series that I have received very little of my G'Kar and Londo fix over the last several episodes and yet the episodes themselves rank as some of my favorites in the entire series. I wouldn't trade some of the wonderful entries that have focused on G'Kar and Londo for anything, but these last few have been simply amazing despite their lack of involvement and input.

*

NOT Casper The Friendly Ghost! Rather Clark The Corpse.

How quickly the tide has turned. ISN reports conspirators involved in Clark's "reign of terror" will be brought to justice. Graphic images of Clark with a sheet over his body and a sign indicating "Traitor to Earth!" is posted around his neck. That's tasteful. I mean, you'd think the Justice Department who is in his office dusting the joint might have removed the sign before the media got in there. WTF? I mean, that's a bit strange. Granted, if it was placed there by an angry mob and it's part of the crime scene perhaps not. But then again, what the heck are the media doing in there trampling all over the crime scene?
*

Susan is just a mess. It's a very real scene with Dr. Franklin and could be on of her finest acting moments on the series to date.

Franklin races across space to stop Marcus from paying the ultimate price to bring back Ivanova. Don't tell Ivanova that one. Here we are back at Babylon 5 station with Season Four, Episode 21, Rising Star [formerly titled Marcus Gone, Ivanova Lost & Earth Is Saved From Going Straight To Hell]. By God, Ivanova is alive and well and extremely upset, curled up in a near fetal ball and in tears over what Marcus has done for her paying the ultimate price for her to live. Oddly enough, it's good to see her up and about and sort of unnerving at the same time. Boy, she's a mess the poor thing. Ivanova tells Franklin how she's always had trouble with relationships always ending in disappointment. Marcus just had a tough time keeping the other half of his relationships alive. He does it here though. Here's a really solid performance by a sobbing Ivanova.

*

That is yet another moving moment among many moving moments along the way. I couldn't help but think of all of Marcus' kind gestures to Ivanova along the way, especially those red roses. What a tragedy to have to lose one of Babylon 5's finest to keep the other breathing. There is certainly great sadness in my heart for Ivanova.
*

Ah, speaking of my two boys, G'Kar and Londo together again here. It was interesting to hear Londo and G'Kar both chastise Vir for being tardy in unison. "You're late." Hearing them say it in sync was symbolic of just how far they had come and how they were both very much on the same page for the first time. Londo tells Vir he is developing a "strange relationship" with G'Kar and he is rather enjoying it. Yeah, it's called a civil relationship with a little humor. It's actually normal Londo, but it's been awhile for you so we'll cut you some slack. Vir informs Londo that the Centauri Royal Court has chosen Londo as the next emperor. Londo is less than excited or pleased at the news. Just look at that expression. He has indeed changed for the better. He is no longer driven by that insatiable thirst for power and conquest, but rather enlightened by a spirit of cooperation. Londo is right, that is strange.

Sheridan is on Earth and meets with Bester privately. Sheridan calls Bester on his manipulation of Garibaldi. Bester doesn't take ownership. He also indicates to prove it in an Earth court Garibaldi would need a Psi Corps-certified telepath, which automatically eliminates Lyta from being an "ace in the hole" for Garibaldi since she is not a certified Psi Corps telepath. Sheridan totally has his number as you'll see and he is one of Bester's biggest threats and his greatest nemesis. Sheridan asks where the virus viles are that were taken from Edgars' facility. He also asks for Lise's whereabouts. Bester turns the tables and gets real serious asking if his "lover" was one of the telepaths used against the Earth warships. If she was, Bester insists, Sheridan will not leave the room alive.

Garibaldi is back in business taking names, numbers and crackin' heads. Good to have him back!

Such great stuff! There are so many references to the past in this episode. I like when Sheridan refers indirectly to losing his wife Anna Sheridan twice. Speaking of Garibaldi he is back on Mars looking for Lise. He interrogates one man and asks, "now do you wanna die fast or do you wanna spend the rest of your life eating all your meals through a straw." Garibaldi gets the best lines.

Londo and G'Kar meet with Delenn. She asks for their support and Londo laughs. A meeting of the League of Non-Aligned Worlds has been called. Londo amusingly tells them, "I hope you have brought a change of underwear. You'll need it after you read this." He holds the paper in question. Okay, Londo gets some great material too.
*

Back on Earth, Sheridan meets with acting President Susanna Luchenko. She is Russian and played not-so-convincingly by Beata Pozniak. She's too young for the part in my opinion. Earth Force is fairly split on their support of Sheridan. Some feel he should be given a medal while others feel he should be shot. He is given an ultimatum. He must resign and his entire crew will be given amnesty for their actions however justifed they may have been. Consequences must be applied she informs him. It's a "bitch" she says and she might know.

*

A couple of geniuses.

On Mars, Garibaldi rescues Lise from a bunch of crumbbums holding her hostage for a price. I loved the little exploding box with the Porky Pig voice "ebity ebity, that's all folks." BA-BOOM!

On a White Star, Delenn and Lennier head to Earth. She indicates all have voted on their proposal. Now it wasn't until this point I was certain whether Marcus was alive or dead. I thought it was left fairly ambiguous at the beginning when we first see Ivanova with Franklin. I thought perhaps he was in ICU and somehow they were attempting to save him. Of course, that was was simply wishful thinking on my part. So, I suspect it was not to be and that Marcus is indeed gone forever. Gosh, I really grew to like him. The impact of his loss does not hit me here in the same way it did to lose Ivanova initially. Then again, it has been a rollercoaster ride of emotions up til' now and perhaps I'm a touch desensitized to the depressing proceedings. It was interesting to see Delenn reference Marcus' past which is covered extensively in the book To Dream In The City Of Sorrows. Now, what I did not see coming was Lennier informing Delenn of Ivanova's words.

So Lennier has loved Delenn from afar for some time. Wow. I didn't see that moment coming. It was really good though. He really chokes back the emotions here. Honestly he puts on a super brave face. Delenn really is oblivious to many specific things. She is so smart and yet so naive to certain emotional currents around her. It's kind of funny. Still, Lennier has always been her protector and as much as he cared for her I hadn't realized he felt more for her in this way. That was quite touching and I suspect his love will remain, but that he will suppress it accordingly.
*

Later, on Earth, President Luchenko stands before the ISN cameras and begins repairing the wounds and bringing together the two sides of the Battle for Earth. Sheridan addresses the people and his love for Earth and being apart of something bigger than himself. He announces his resignation from Earth Force in the hopes of bringing people together. G'Kar, Londo and Delenn are in attendance and request an audience to announce what we don't, as of yet, know. G'Kar announces the dissolution of the League of Non-Aligned Worlds. I knew this might come. He indicates a new alliance. Delenn continues that a group of Minbari and humans, as The Rangers, shall protect and oversee. "Their goal is to create the peace not enforce the peace." They will be the eyes and ears and work equally with all races. The invitation for Earth is open.

Later, the President meets privately with Delenn, Londo and G'Kar and informs them of the skeptics that surround her in Earth Force. Delenn tells the President how the worlds can share technology. Delenn, Londo and G'Kar make up the advisory board. They shall report to an elected intergalactic President. That President will be President John Sheridan. Well, there you go, some doors close and other doors open as they say. "I guess the war finally taught them that we are better together than apart." Sheridan is quite self-satisified with the end result.

I absolutely loved when Sheridan stepped into the halls to find his father there waiting for him. That was a total choke up moment. Always good to see Rance Howard as David Sheridan. He also welcomes his new daughter-in-law to be, Delenn, to the family.



Garibaldi is back in business again in more ways than one.

ISN reports Earth has joined forces with the new Interstellar Alliance. Mars will become a free and independent world. Meanwhile Garibaldi and Lise finally get back together and share an intimate moment in the hay. Things worked out quite well as Garbaldi keeping up the alliance end. ;)

On Babylon 5, Ivanova is back at the helm and has been appointed to full Captain. Ivanova plans to leave the station. I knew she'd be going. I thought perhaps she might be going out horizontally, but it would appear to be vertically. Still, where is she going? I will miss that voluptuous wonder babe! Delenn and Sheridan marry on a White Star. G'Kar and Londo share a drink. This is quite a sentimental moment. It's really good to see them as friends who take joy in the humor of each other's differences and poking fun rather than hating one another for those differences. It's a real lesson to learn and remember for all of us.

I can't believe he did that with his eye. What a peeping G'Kar. Ha! The final moments we see Delenn and Sheridan in bed together. Everybody is boffing in this episode or wishing they had "boffed" in Ivanova's case. Delenn's narration hints of the fact that the creators may not have known whether or not Babylon 5 was moving forward with a Season Five at this point. I'm sure there is a great deal out on the web about this factor and why Claudia Christian was leaving the show. Feel free to share your thoughts. Certainly if it all ended here it would be a fitting end to a terrific story. She mentions several factors over the next twenty years occurring including a Telepath War, a wavering Interstellar Alliance which would indeed hold and a dreaded Drakh War. "What is built endures. What is loved endures. And Babylon 5... Babylon 5 endures." Lovely.
*

Rising Star: B+ [there were some exceptional moments]