Stargate SG-1 S1 Ep2: The Enemy Within

"Permission to barge in sir?" -Colonel Jack O'Neill-

Echoes of the Alien chestburster and other body horror elements resonate throughout the Stargate SG-1 mythos thanks to the delightful enemy that is the Goa'uld [my simple mind has always found that name awkward]. Stargate SG-1, Season One, Episode 2, The Enemy Within gave me the opportunity to write about science fiction adventure without getting overly complicated. This brief look back at the third installment is more in keeping with my original idea for looking back at the Stargate SG-1 series. Unlike my close inspection of the pilot for the series, Children Of The Gods the original and final cuts, I wanted to focus more specifically on the humor of one Richard Dean Anderson in his role as Colonel Jack O'Neill. Anderson brought so much to the legacy of this lasting series and rather than get caught up in the minutia of each adventure's installment I wanted to hit some of the highlights from the mind of one Jack O'Neill to be labelled on Musings Of A Sci-Fi Fanatic as the World According To Jack O'Neill. Anderson infused the character with a dry, irreverent sense of humor and wit. It's clear to see the character was unrelentingly loyal, but managed to bring his own brand of the comedic to the military environment in which he served. Richard Dean Anderson was a big reason why I loved that series so much.
 

Thus close analysis will be provided to those entries deserving of close scrutiny, but with over 200 episodes I wanted to see if we could look at the highlights featuring Richard Dean Anderson, my favorite character in the series, and also capture some of the very best images from each episode without laboring through its ten season run. Are you with me?
 

O'Neill brings levity to the idea of each team's need to commit to memory the numerically-applied naming system to each of the Stargated planets. This is classic O'Neill with a terrific, commanding turn by Don S. Davis as the straight man or heavy who still manages to compound the humor in an already funny O'Neill moment.

Next, we have O'Neill weighing the possibility of saving his colleague and friend, Major Charles Kawalsky, who has been infected by a Goa'uld symbiote. Teal'c informs the group of the Goa'uld's gift of genetic memory.

Additionally, the character of Colonel Kennedy also shares insights into the nature of the military industrial complex during his Carter Burke [played by Paul Reiser in Aliens (1986)] moment, when Kennedy discusses the idea of saving the alien specimen essentially for strategic purposes. Only O'Neill could deliver his frustration with government bureaucracy and red tape lunacy with comic perfection.

Actor Alan Rachins, as Colonel Kennedy, was positively brutal and brilliant as Douglas Brackman, Jr. on Steven Bochco's L.A. Law [1986-1994] for its remarkable eight season run. Fellow L.A. Law actress Michele Green also appeared on Stargate SG-1 for Season Three, Ep17, A Hundred Days. Finally, O'Neill makes a tender request of his dear colleague while in the infirmary. O'Neill, even in the darkest moments, manages bring levity and joy to the final hours of Kawalsky's life. Would we expect anything less?

It would be fitting that new member, Teal'c, would replace the old guard, Jay Acovone's Kawalsky, from the film by taking his life and taking his place on the SG-1 team. The Enemy Within is by no means exceptional but remains a solid outing from the inaugural first season. You knew the series was in good hands with Richard Dean Anderson's personal world view to guide Stargate SG-1 and the team. How time flies. It seems like only yesterday he looked this young.

The Enemy Within: B. Writer: Brad Wright. Director: Dennis Berry.

Virginia Beach

Where the heck have you been? Hello folks. I took a bit of a break at Virginia Beach. I had hoped to still have some time to post but it really didn't work out that way. So it was a beautiful break. It was even cloudy at times which I welcomed. It's funny how the blog just sits there. Like a garden it's much more alive when given attention and tended, but the kids come first.

Actually getting back into the swing of things is taking some effort as well. I lost a little momentum there. Just a little too relaxed I suppose.

Well, just to share, there were loads of nice moments along the way. Mr. Pibb. Busch Gardens. The Verbolten. Apollo's Chariot. Smoked chicken. Colonial Williamsburg. The Boardwalk. Endless military jets. Leaking hotel room. Broken elevator. Pocahontas Pancakes. Catch 31 with a fish head on my plate. Driving and more driving. Traffic. Loads of laughing. Crashing the waves. Schools of Dolphins jumping. Good people. These were just some of my experiences over the week and the things that immediately spring to mind. I thought I'd record them before it all becomes another wonderful, but vague memory.

The One To Be Pitied instructs and work lured her to Falls Church, Virginia which was the springboard for a diversion. I turned it into a much needed vacation. Did you know Virginia is for lovers? That always cracks me up.

I spent time reading Elisabeth Sladen: The Autobiography while looking at the ocean. The late but always lovely Doctor Who actress' autobiography is a splendid read by the way and she spends a large portion of the book on her years with Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker. Her insights with the two men are fascinating. Some of her quotes will make future posts here. Funny enough, I'm a terribly slow reader and read at my best pace while on a holiday, but get back to reality and it all comes to a screeching, turtle-like halt. It's quite unfortunate.

So I've been consumed of late with classic and new Doctor Who. I can't seem to get enough of the series. I haven't spent a whole lot of time writing about it, but rather just enjoying the madcap nature of the series' quirky lead and the many unpredictable turns in story. Christopher Eccleston's version of the Doctor has been a howl and his work along with companion Billie Piper has inspired me to prep some Series 1 for a future entry, because I can't just watch and enjoy. I must write now. I'm compelled to do so. I can't stop myself. Russell T. Davies' modern riff and makeover of the classic series is a clear winner and it's easy to see why it launched into a thriving second life. Davies was the right man at the right time and it's clear he was such a fan. The spirit of the originals is updated, alive and well. Listen, I never said I was on the cutting edge and I'll always be terribly behind the times with so much delicious science fiction television with which to invest my time. But I'll always try and bring you the best stuff out there and make it special and Doctor Who is no exception.

Well, I guess that's about all I have for the moment, but hope to get my groove back soon. The images were taken from the same camera I use for all of my science fiction images. As you can see I even tried that panoramic sweep option. It was a lovely spot on the big blue planet, but it's good to be back. Time to get back on the horse.

Dinky Toys [Gerry Anderson's Alternate Diecast Universe]

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away... the wonderful world of Gerry & Sylvia Anderson was commandeered by an empire called Dinky Toys and Space:1999, UFO and Thunderbirds would never be the same. Alternate designs were made to the amazement of children everywhere.

It's FAB FRIDAY people where all things green are blue or white are green and nothing is ever what it seems. Yes, once upon a time, Dinky Toys took liberties with those classic vehicles of yesteryear, The Eagle Transporter [1975], The Eagle Freighter [1975], The Interceptor [1971] and Thunderbird 2 [1967]. Dinky Toys was in no short supply of blue and green paint at their disposal and they were going to make damn sure that one day these children's toys would become fabulously collectible.

I had the blue Thunderbird 2 complete with plastic yellow Thunderbird 4 many yarns ago. I recall a chance at purchasing The Eagle from an antique shop outside of Bath, England way back when too, but the price then was too exorbitant for my shallow pockets to justify.
Yes, this was like art or commerce imitating life. It was Star Trek: The Original Series' Mirror Mirror meets the world of metallic toys. In fact, even the original Klingon Battle Cruiser [1977] wasn't safe from those merciless Dinky spray guns.

Dinky Toys, which beat Corgi Toys to the licensing deal with Anderson on diecast fun, was established in 1931 and was based in Liverpool, England. How fitting that Dinky should also be from the home of the FAB four, The Beatles, and land a deal to make all things FAB for the Andersons.

Well, Dinky Toys also made Lady Penelope's FAB 1 [1967], Ed Straker's Car [1971], S.H.A.D.O. 2 Mobile [1971] and the USS Enterprise [1971], though the company was more faithful in its representation of the iconic designs... sort of.

Details and designs were certainly simple but these highly sought after vehicles still remain popular. Finding items in mint condition can prove difficult to be sure, but they do exist even though Dinky Toys closed its doors in 1979.

For more faithful productions of some of these classic vehicle designs be sure to look out for castings from Product Enterprise, Ltd., a company that has designed vehicles for UFO and Space:1999 at great cost. It won't be long before those vehicles are suffering paint loss like those vintage Dinky. Saying Dinky is even FAB. Dinky.

Farscape S1 Ep13: The Flax

We return to the crazy insane universe of Farscape. Case in point, D'Argo is frustrated and fuming over the fact Moya, their ship, is heavy into her pregnancy, as first revealed in Farscape, Season One, Episode 10, They've Got A Secret, and the ship's changes are affecting his quarters. On its face, it's sold as normal enough and that's no small challenge, but we're talking about arguing aliens aboard a living vessel that's expecting. Yes, we're a long way from Star Trek: The Original Series here and you have to love its irreverence. I love the fact the creators let it all hang out, take risks and dive into adventurous concepts and stories, like Moya's pregnancy, from day one, Season One. The creators wasted no time establishing Moya as a living vessel, and now throw a wrench immediately into the works with her pregnancy and make it a ship in trauma as a result. Now that is risky scripting. Farscape is a truly absorbing place and a 'verse simply filled with colorful characters alive with emotion and feeling. It's wonderful stuff even if it's not always successful in delivering an entirely compelling story. The Flax is one such example.

There are a number of technical achievements in The Flax to be sure, and while it may not be the strongest episode of Season One it has its highlights and offers a turning point for the characters that is substantial. Welcome to Farscape, Season One, Episode 13, The Flax.

The Flax [a great name], is essentially a web, a "magnadrft mesh" in space established by the Zenetans for looting and piracy.

John Crichton and Aeryn Sun pilot a transport pod in open space so Crichton might grow more familiar with bio mechanical technology a la Moya. Sun doesn't understand Crichton's southern expression "slicker n' snot." She chalks it up to her microbes failure to translate reminding us this is how the aliens communicate to one another aboard Moya first established in Farscape opener, Premiere.

Crichton equates his piloting training in open space to that of a teen driving in a mall parking lot on a Sunday morning. Do you remember those days? We had a wide open, essentially vacant, military base we used when I was a teen. We were stopped typically by the military police, but a quick answer and a simple wave of my Mom's hand a la Obi Wan Kenobi as she leaned across my body from the passenger's side and we were Scott-free to go. Then fifteen and I was off terrorizing the natural inhabitants of a deserted military base. Good times. Innocent times. A time when the military police would just say "be careful" and send you away with a smile. Can you imagine that? Talk about far out.

Aboard Moya, Zhaan, Rygel and Ka D'Argo are getting testy. There seems to be an almost natural influence by Moya and her pregnancy on the team like an ornery mother in discomfort and in need of pickles or chocolate.

Crichton and Sun are caught in the web of The Flax and the episode essentially establishes the setting for a relationship-building exercise between Sun and Crichton for the duration.

An unidentified vessel is scanned for weapons and allowed to attach to Moya. A rascally scoundrel type, a Zenetan pirate named Staanz, pays a visit complete with tattoos, body markings and, if you look carefully, grease under the finger nails. He's essentially a scavenger or garbage collector or as Staanz puts it, a garbologist. There are loads of great details in Farscape along with terrific establishing shots, mattes and colors employed on shots of Moya floating through space.

Zhaan suggests they not pass judgment, but D'Argo scans the Peacekeeper data files and determines Staanz was a former Peacekeeper prisoner with a lengthy record. Remember Moya was a Peacekeeper-utilized vessel. Zhaan implores D'Argo not to make a hasty judgment about Staanz as they too were once prisoners and those Peacekeepers were not above recording character fabrications into their data files.

D'Argo roughs up Staanz who admits to once being a pirate and a Zenetan gang member who ran The Flax.

Zhaan's conversation with Staanz speaks to the very heart of Farscape and its thematic elements of the dysfunctional and modern family. Zhaan asks Staanz if he intends to help two of their "complement" stuck in The Flax.

Staanz: "They're not family?" Zhaan: "No." Staanz: "Good. There's nothing worse than losing family."

While Zhaan suggests they are not bound by blood, she is indeed developing ties to the group and her concern for them is indeed the natural response of a non-traditional family. In point of fact, socially the group is her family despite her words and she knows this to be true.

Meanwhile, efforts to break free of The Flax for Crichton and Sun continue to be futile. Crichton says waiting for the others to rescue them might be the best option, but level heads prevail and they get back to work.

D'Argo requests Staanz help him reach a downed Luxan deep space voyager for some vital map information. After D'Argo's departure from Moya with Staanz, Zenetans arrive aboard Moya. The race indicates their scanners secured information that the Leviathan was pregnant. The Zenetans won't harm her and also point out that any efforts to commandeer a Leviathan typically end up in the death of its attackers. In fact, eighty Zenetans once died in such an attempt. How exactly? We don't know. Nevertheless, we have an idea as clear evidence exists that Moya, or any Leviathan, will find ways to protect itself. They've Got A Secret and Exodus From Genesis are both exceptional examples of the lengths to which a Leviathan will go. They prove that Moya will utilize any means necessary, like anti-bodies, to self-preserve. Zhaan adds, "a mother will protect her child," underscoring the series maternal and feminine component. The intolerable, insufferable Rygel simply can't keep his yap shut and challenges the Zenetans to a game inviting them to stay longer than expected to Zhaan's dismay. With friends like Rygel who needs enemies. Rygel is without question my least favorite character.

On the transport pod, events lead to Crichton falling atop Sun prostrate for the continued establishment of their physical and emotional chemistry. I'm an unabashed supporter of these kinds of relationships, a shipper to a degree, of romantic or sexual relationships in science fiction. Crichton and Sun, Carter and O'Neill [Stargate SG-1], Mal and Inara [Firefly], T'Pol and Tucker [Star Trek: Enterprise], and Starbuck and Apollo [Battlestar Galactica, uh, the new series] to name a few. A little romance or sexual tension never hurt anyone. So with Crichton and Sun the attraction is indeed there and there is a delicious interplay between them. But things go from bad to worse as the pod begins to lose life support and the duo will need to de-pressurize. With just one space suit functioning, the one that fits Sun, Crichton will need to be given a chemical injection, a "kill shot," normally used on Peacekeepers/Sebaceans to slow the heart, while a second injection is to be applied to hopefully revive him. Crichton demonstrates the "lo-tech" CPR technique that humans use in the event basic Earth revival methods are required.

D'Argo ad Staanz wind up caught in The Flax themselves as the episode alternates between three different threads. Eventually they break free.

Before Sun gets to work, Crichton and Sun share an interesting character moment. You know these intimate exchanges tend to be among my favorites.

Claudia Black is a sexy, stunning beauty. Crichton is out cold after the injection. He has roughly four minutes before expiration.

Elsewhere, a frustrated Rygel loses to the two Zenetans he confesses he knows of Staanz' whereabouts. Rygel loses and gives up their location in shame, but he is a petulant creature prone to irrational behavior and whim unfamiliar with self-discipline and restraint where required. As it turns out, in this instance, he bluffs the nasty Zenetans, lies to them, and sends them far, far away [to another galaxy maybe]. Zhaan is impressed. Thus our original belief that this once great king wielding great power over a great many minions now reduced to a cowardly toad is once again foiled by his clever move against these marauding buffoons.

Staanz finds the Luxan Assault Piercer. D'Argo dreamt of serving aboard a ship like that as a boy. D'Argo is torn between his newfound family and thoughts of the one he misses dearly, but makes the very mature decision to save Crichton and Sun rather than satiate his own selfish desires demonstrating true honor in his heart and genuine commitment to this newly established makeshift group or family.

Sun is unsuccessful in repairing the transport pod with just thirty minutes of breathable air remaining. As the pod grows cold, a now alert Crichton and Sun snuggle for warmth. Sun asks if Crichton saw anything approaching an afterlife following the kill shot. Surprisingly, he indicates he saw nothing. Why? Why didn't he lie given their circumstances to alleviate Sun's fears or at least assuage the dire circumstances of their situation? Nothing like death staring you in the eye to bring out true feelings. The twosome have landed in one another's arms on more than one occasion, but this is the first official kiss with potential as far as I can remember.

D'Argo rescues his comrades. And in a strange twist it is revealed that Staanz is apparently the female of the species with eyes for D'Argo declaring "I love you." Bizarre as it might be it's quite funny.

Despite making the right call, D'Argo is upset with his decision this day in another sobering character moment. It's certainly easy to empathize with D'Argo, but it's not a Catch-22. Nevertheless he is disturbed not only by the fact he may never see his son, but also the indecision of a warrior's heart.

The final moments are shared between Sun and Crichton as Crichton humorously confirms Sun's sex. With all that's transpired with the alien female you can never be sure. They smile. The scene itself takes place in a bubble atop Moya against a green screen and that set was apparently established for future use. It proved an awkward location for storytelling according to the Farscape companion book for Season One apart from this moment of intimacy. It was also expensive. It was then scrapped, and thus the set was implemented just once for The Flax.

The Flax never centers completely on the downed transport pod and Crichton and Sun's efforts to survive like so many in a long line of genrific, classic tales including Galileo Seven [Star Trek: The Original Series], Sub-Smash [UFO], The Last Sunset [Space:1999], The Uninvited [Thunderbirds]to some degree The Gun On Ice Planet Zero [Battlestar Galactica], You Can't Go Home Again [Battlestar Galactica new] and many more. The Flax is good, but not as successful as many I've mentioned here because it distracts away from the survival tale with activities on Moya and other threads. More specifically though it never captures the sense of life and death in play here that some tales have done much better. The urgency is not conveyed as successfully as one might hope. Thus The Flax never quite achieves nirvana in that way.

Funny enough, designer Rick Eyres notes his fondness for the transport pod he created in Farscape The Illustrated Companion. He likens his design to Thunderbird 2 "but cooler!" Therein lies a great example. It's a pretty cool-looking pod, but playfully adapting a response from the now classic Vice-Presidential debate of 1988 between Democrat Lloyd Bentsen and Republican Dan Quayle. "Designer, I grew up with Thunderbird 2: I played with Thunderbird 2; Thunderbird 2 was a friend of mine. Sorry, your transport pod is no Thunderbird 2." It's just not the same kind of iconic, classic design that captured the imagination so perfectly that it could ever stand the test of time. Shape, color, design functionality and cool - these are all factors that played into the perfection of T2. The pod, like The Flax isn't a devastating classic, but it interesting and does offer enough attributes to carry the day. By the way, doesn't mentioning Thunderbird 2 qualify this entry for FAB FRIDAY? And honestly that was an accident.

The Flax: C+. Writer: Justin Monjo. Director: Peter Andrikidis.

Pop culture reference: John Crichton: "This is fun. This is Top Gun. This is the need for speed."

Science Fiction Non-Fiction: Bruce Boxleitner [Babylon 5]

"When you're a new father and mother, you have all kinds of fears come up because suddenly this other thing takes over, where you don't think so much about yourself anymore. It's amazing how that energy goes to this little child, and you're not so worried about certain things; the only thing you're worried about is whether you're going to be around long enough."

-Bruce Boxleitner, who played John Sheridan on Babylon 5, Babylon 5: The Wheel Of Fire companion book, Jane Killick, 1999, [p.156]-

Babylon 5: The Wheel Of Fire

"The meaning of a certain line of dialogue or a certain scene became more profound precisely because it was all planned ahead of time. It was an intricate story in which every detail could have significance, where watching and rewatching the episodes could provide new insight." -Jane Killick, author of the Babylon 5 companion books-

Book 5: The Wheel Of Fire.

I've been remiss in completing my look at the Babylon 5 companion books. After an extraordinary run through the five season series a little Babylon 5 fatigue had set in. Well, having enjoyed a bit of distance from the series and a bit of a break I found myself curious to discover the remaining contents of Author Jane Killick's Babylon 5: The Wheel Of Fire companion book to Season Five. This is essentially a summary of thoughts, reflections and points of interest that appealed to me while reading the guide. Since my coverage of Babylon 5 I have moved to incorporate aspects of these books directly into my coverage of science fiction films and television.

Looking Back Over Five Years: Series creator and writer J. Michael Straczynski discusses his plan for the series' phenomenal five-year arc, his planned mission of this epic story. As many comments here at Musings Of A Sci-Fi Fanatic had mentioned in the past, Straczynski planned for unexpected developments to occur inside the arc of his story. He built-in a series of "trap doors" for every one of his characters that were delivering his story, but it was the story that was central. No one person would have a deathgrip on telling that story. Andrea Thompson played Talia Winters. She exited and was replaced. Claudia Christian played Ivanova. She left and was replaced. Sinclair was replaced by Sheridan, but the Sinclair character, like the others, still remained vital to the story. Nothing would divert Straczynski from telling the tale of Babylon 5. Straczynski established many details to foreshadow the five year arc. The series is all the better for it and a pleasure to mine for those willing to invest their time.

Truth is it's something of a minor miracle the creator pulled off his dream. He planned five years and apart from a brief hiccup at the end of Season Four with cancellation lingering, Straczynski got his five. Clearly, the merits of Season Five are debatable and remain a part of the conversation. Was it successful? Is it the weakest season? It can certainly be argued that it was necessary, if not as engaging as those first four years. Some have indicated here part of what made the fifth season feel disjointed was owing to the fact missing scripts were lost or stolen by/from Straczynski and the fact that the fourth season felt rushed in the event Babylon 5 was cancelled. All of this may bear some responsibility or at least stand to reason.

Mostly though, along the way, we have pay off, after pay off, after pay off. Babylon 5 offered smart, literate science fiction and unlike so many television shows [never mind science fiction], there was a beginning, a middle and an end. It made sense and it never cheated its audience unlike plenty of series that shall go nameless. Straczynski respected viewers. How many science fiction shows can claim this? Killick points out the series had a "respect" for "the tradition of the written genre."

At the heart of Straczynski's story were massive moral implications for its characters. He invited us, forced us perhaps, to look at ourselves and ask what choices we would make if we were given a similar set of circumstances. This happened with all of the characters and certainly none more profoundly than Londo Mollari. "Choices have consequences that bring responsibility." As Killick writes, the arc of the story is the arc of the characters. The two go hand in hand. In that, Straczynski has written a carefully woven epic,a novel in motion for the ages to uncover.

Babylon 5's Fifth Season: Perhaps it was reading this book that made me realize certain truths about the unfortunate rhythms of Season Five. With the axe hanging over the head of J. Michael Straczynski he was forced to speed up his five-year arc to bring the series to certain satisfactory resolutions. As a result, Season Four suffered for it, and Season Five resulted in an entirely different vibe. There was a stride about Season Two and Three that felt so right and so perfect. Despite the climactic rush of Season Four it still easily ranks among the series best. "Season Five was going to be slower and more reflective." Season Five was definitely slower, arguably more reflective, but also less interesting on a number of fronts. The groove was indeed missing. Claudia Christian departed. The Season was less effective with her absence. The "mundanes" and "normals" story arc was, well, sadly mundane. It felt that way to me with a few exceptions. The Byron character was truly atrocious. It was like a Harlequin romance figure brought to life with a name directly referencing the Romantic movement. On the whole the material just wasn't as strong as the previous four seasons surrounding Valen, the Vorlons and the Shadows. Killick points out how Straczynski builds the questions surrounding some of his new stories in Season Four to pay off in Season Five, but the material simply wasn't strong enough.

Season Four was looking for a sense of "closure" and a "satisfactory ending." Exactly, after three strong seasons with one building upon another Season Four felt slightly compromised. It would have been better if it played out as intended. Fans can certainly understand Straczynski's circumstances, but had to note the compromises. There were external forces working against him and fans could certainly understand and respect his position. Unlike Firefly, at least Babylon 5 had a coherent, complete story by the end of it all. Killick pointed to the "mystery" and "discovery" of the build in those first two seasons. It was that mystery that drove us and enthralled us pulling us in like the mysteries of Alien [1979] and the space jockey.

I've probably beat up on Season Five enough, but I'm not done. Byron the telepath and the United Nations-styled politics just come off verbose like the politics in the Star Wars prequels. Babylon 5 has always been political by its very nature but it was just too much in Season Five. Killick calls Season Five a season working at a "gentler pace." Killick refers to Season One as "episodic," Two as arc-prominent, Three with Babylon 5 "fighting back," Four as "fast," perhaps rushed, and Five working at a "tamer pace." Overall Season Five was hamstrung with problems.

Killick points to Season Five as character-centric stories. She suggests the G'Kar and Londo elements are some of the strongest. I too would argue they are indeed the best aspects of Season Five worth watching.

Killick discusses in detail the complex relationship between G'Kar and Londo and where their relationship lands them in the fifth season. The two characters are Season Five's greatest strength.

Killick discusses the Lochley character. As much as I really wanted to like Tracy Scoggins in the role of Ivanova's replacement, she ultimately failed in selling the character. Killick refers to Day Of The Dead as a fan "favorite" episode. Written by Neil Gaiman, Day Of The Dead was one of my least favorites and I thought the storyline felt forced. Killick points to the Lochley portion as an emotional highlight and this is an example of my detached participation in Season Five. I felt very little emotional connection to the Lochley character and to many of the events in Season Five. She concludes by mentioning Sleeping In Light, which easily could have concluded Season Four on a strong note. Killick calls Season Five "difficult" and a "challenge," but never resoundingly calls it a successful one, but rather points to the series on the whole as successful. I think that is partially by design, because I don't believe most could give a rousing endorsement of Babylon 5's final season.

The Deconstruction Of Falling Stars: Although this closed Season Four, it was ultimately a fast decision and never made the cut of the Season Four companion book. Directed by Stephen Furst, the "monk scene" is my favorite portion of the episode. Straczynski considered removing the scene because it bore a resemblance to Author Walter M. Miller Jr.'s A Canticle For Liebowitz which is apparently about an order of monks preserving records for posterity following a nuclear holocaust. Fortunately he retained the scenes which could easily exist as an homage to that book. Straczynski enjoys writing "lengthy dialogue" and Season Five had no shortage. Babylon 5 moved from a seven day shooting schedule to a six day schedule which may lend further evidence as to why the fifth season suffered. The episode reflects on the idea that war shall always persist and to achieve peace within your own sphere of influence is the best one can hope. The final scene in the episode echoes this thought when Sheridan wonders about the legacy of what they have achieved. Delenn reflects one cannot worry about tomorrow, "history will tend to itself."

No Compromises: It's an ironic title as opener to Season Five. No matter how much Killick attempts to persuade us that "any doubts... are swept away" concerning Scoggins as a replacement for Christian I'm not exactly sure she delivered or that I was ever convinced. Scoggins does a serviceable job in her one and only season aboard Babylon 5 but she was presented with a fairly unenviable task. Still, I prefer ScogginS over Robin Atkin Downes playing Byron any day. Still, even Christian felt a bit wooden in her first season to be fair. With only one season to blossom the cards were definitely stacked against Scoggins and she performs admirably. Furthermore, I've heard much hullabaloo about Christian's departure yet here Killick downplays her departure as nothing more than an opportunity to work in film. Was it that simple? I'm not so sure. As for Downes, no matter how hard they tried to sell that character, I simply couldn't get past the whole Fabian vibe. No Compromises was clearly all about compromise.

The Very Long Night Of Londo Mollari: This is hands down one of the highlights of Season Five. Having said that, it still does not rank among my favorites. The role reversal of G'Kar and Londo is an ingenious move. The story redresses Londo's unconscionable choices that led to the destruction of G'Kar's homeworld. I love the focus of the episode and the redemptive nature of Londo's position in G'Kar eyes and the forgiveness afforded by G'Kar. How easy is it to say those words, "I'm sorry." Well, given the strong writing here it's always alot harder than it might seem. Director David Eagle calls the episode "a very very dark" one both figuratively and literally. Londo navigates his way from death with G'Kar acting as his "conscience" as actor Andreas Katsulas put it. Despite the dark tenor of the episode it ends on a fairly positive, powerful close once again delivering one of those classic J. Michael Straczynski arc moments. The bridge of forgiveness and understanding between Londo and G'Kar would propel their story in a new direction. Their relationship is the strength of the season. The five year arc of their connection is really something to experience.

The Paragon Of Animals: This was a Byron-centric piece and the character, despite Straczynski's fondness for Shakespeare in his writing is quite simply a bore.

A View From The Gallery: This is a solid, left-of-center attempt by Straczynski to shake things up. He made every effort to do things differently and this installment was one of the best. Best quote from the chapter: “One of the things I always do is look for ways to turn the series format on its head and show us our characters from other perspectives, since perspective is so much at the heart of the show.”

Learning Curve: Straczynski discusses his efforts to change things up, but ultimately Season Five did not work on the whole for me. “One of the things I wanted to do was try new things. It’s the fifth year, I can experiment. They can’t do anything to me if I do experiment, they can’t throw me into jail, they can’t cancel my show.” Straczynski adds, “What’s the worst thing that will happen? That an episode won’t work- that’s about it.” [extracted from Dreamwatch #45]. Well, that’s true. You said it, not me. All in all, you can respect his efforts. His reasons are sound.

Strange Relations: “The main plot of the episode… deals with the telepaths. By allowing them to live on Babylon 5, Sheridan created a dilemma for the station, which is under Earth jurisdiction. By Earth law, all rogue telepaths have to be handed over to Psi Corps.” Law, jurisdiction… therein lies the big yawn. These are the dramatic problems with which Season Five is saddled. With G’Kar now Londo’s assigned bodyguard, given their long, combative history we’re suppose to fully appreciate the irony of their new relationship. I guess. We understand, but it’s simply not as compelling.

Secrets Of The Soul: Majorities, Minorities, biases and prejudices are a significant part of the fabric of the season’s telepath thread. I think ultimately it comes off a little too preachy for my taste. It’s not as subtle as earlier writing. We also have the character of Byron embodying a kind of Christ-like figure who practices Satyagraha a la Ghandi. The episode was more than verbal intercourse between Byron and Lyta. Jane Killick's final thoughts gave me pause. Perhaps "by alienating rather than embracing telepaths, the Human race is setting itself up for problems further down the road." I couldn't help but consider American relations with Muslim Americans or the Japanese following World War II. It's certainly a generation issue.

In The Kingdom Of The Blind: "Raider activity" sent me into a tailspin. That's it I thought. We went from hardcore Shadows forces to raiders. The raiders simply didn't have the same punch. Okay, the Drakh were much better, but even that outfit never quite took off. The Drakh was a terrifically nasty new enemy, but never quite filled the shoes of those nasty Shadows. Byron's desire for a telepath homeworld brought to mind politics in the Mid-East. Once again, more telepathic-heavy storylines balanced with the more interesting Londo/ G'Kar thread. There is no question Straczynski was able to explore aspects of these characters he wouldn't have previously, but the whole vibe was a like a different animal and thus the flow of the series changed in a direction not entirely welcomed for me. Viewers certainly reacted negatively, and some moreso than me, which prompted a response from Straczynski. It's interesting but I don't agree with his remarks. "The problem is on the one hand you have a lot of adrenaline junkies who think that unless there's a whole lot of stuff blowing up, nothing's happening, and those who think that unless they know in advance that this is an arc episode, it's not an arc episode, unless you telegraph it literally and they dismiss it." Those remarks were clearly unfair to a lot of fans. There is indeed a percentage out there who enjoy the action of any series, but let's be honest, if you were watching Babylon 5 for things blowing up, I think there were better outlets. Most enjoyed Babylon 5 for its characterization, writing, exchanges, plot twists and honesty, not for the action, at least not this fan. So I think his remarks, out of frustration perhaps, were a bit unfair. It final season offered a different tone so the set-up/build and pay off formula was unique here from the previous four seasons. I wish I could be a Drakh's advocate.

A Tragedy of Telepaths: It was a tragedy alright. The episode was directed by actor/ director Tony [Leave It To Beaver] Dow. Nevertheless, Killick interviewed him for the chapter and he indicated he was concerned about the level of violence. Gee Wally, I don't know. The G'Kar/ Londo thread saving Na'Toth was good. I also recall being disappointed by Na'Toth's return. It was a bit of a letdown to see the character so underutilized.

Phoenix Rising: It's the last we see of Robin Atkin Downes and his Byron character.

Day Of The Dead: I was not a fan of Gaiman's chapter in the Babylon 5 saga, but it had moments and I wouldn't necessarily fault Gaiman for it. The Londo segment with Adira proves how far he had come. Morden returns to portend that Lennier will betray the Anla'shok. This does happen and it's a great bit of continuity. I do recall thinking the Morden/Lennier connection was an odd choice. Marcus and Lennier would have been a nice choice. I didn't feel enough of a connection to the Scoggins character to fully appreciate her segment. Regarding the appearance of Penn and Teller, Bruce Boxleitner reaffirms my own distaste for the two comedians. "They aren't my favorite comedians." He adds that Penn was "arrogant beyond belief." I couldn't agree more with Boxleitner as Penn and Teller continue to remain an overrated pop culture presence but to each his own.

The Ragged Edge: Producer John Copeland shed some light on the efforts everyone made to make Babylon 5 stand apart from other space classics. Computer technology had a lot to do with Babylon 5's ability to create new worlds. "What we felt we wanted to try was to not do what everybody else has done. This is not just Star Trek or Space:1999 or Space: Above And Beyond. Whenever they do a location on another planet, they go out to Vasquez Rocks (in Southern California). I mean it's been in a million westerns over the years, it's been in many episodes of Star Trek, it's featured in Starship Troopers."

The Corps Is Mother, The Corps Is Father: Directed by actor Stephen Furst, it was his third outing on the series behind Season Four's The Illusion Of Truth and The Deconstruction Of Falling Stars. The entry focuses on Bester as portrayed by Walter Koenig, a character I never warmed to or fully appreciated, but as Straczynski points out in Killick's book, "Bester is not a nice guy." In fact, he's a Psi-Corps snob who looks down his nose at mundanes clearly superior to all around him. The episode looks at the "unpalatable" character through the eyes of fellow Corps members who idolize him and presents an unsavory view of the man many of us quickly grew to hate. Koenig said, "God knows I hate to draw this as a comparison because if there was anybody in history in my lifetime that was a total abomination it was Adolf Hitler, but, you know, Adolf Hitler loved dogs." That's an unsettling but accurate comparison to the evil character.

Meditations On The Abyss: Bill Mumy reflected on just how terribly ill he was during the filming of this episode and several of his supporting roles in his eight episode season. He likened his fighting style in the entry to that of Green Hornet and Kato. Mira Furlan noted a strong relationship with Mumy while working on the series and found it fascinating that both could come from such strikingly different worlds and upbringings as people and yet find so much in common. "It's so strange and actually so moving, so great, to find somebody like that who grew up in totally different circumstances, but who shares so much with you."

Darkness Ascending: Killick makes a terrific point regarding the juxtaposition of Lennier's focus here and where Garibaldi is heading in stark contrast. It's also worth noting Lennier's own unique character arc over the course of five seasons. His "wide-eyed innocence" when reflecting back to Season One has been replaced by an almost severe and extreme personality shift given his mission and his relative status with Delenn. This hardening of the Lennier character is also in direct contrast to G'Kar's great story arc. Lennier went from a religious figure to a warrior, while G'Kar from warrior to religious icon.

And All My Dreams, Torn Asunder: The episode is probably best known as Mira Furlan's husband's directorial debut stateside. The Serbian born director, Goran Gajic, couldn't have asked for a more appropriate title considering he and Furlan's flight from historic war torn Serbia/Yugoslavia. Efforts by Joe Straczynski and others won him a spot under the TNT banner after being rejected the first four years due to his excessively artistic approach to film.

Killick notes Furlan's approach as she channels her personal experience from her war experience into the character and the arc of war presented in Babylon 5. As Furlan noted, Straczynski "writes these beautiful things."

Movements Of Fire And Shadow: Peter Jurasik called the entry the closest Babylon 5 got to an X-Files episode. With regard to Londo and G'Kar's relationship and the classic imprisonment scene, Killick explained these were two people who "on the surface" hate each other, "but underneath share a friendship." Jurasik added correctly, "They're well beyond friendship, they're starting to mirror each other and see themselves in each other."

The Fall Of Centauri Prime: J. Michael Straczynski calls the final episodes of the season "some of the very best work we've ever done, maybe even the best work we've done." He stated the first portion of this season allowed for these final episodes to have a much greater impact. This episode was among the very best of Season Five.

The episode is best recalled for the fate of Londo and the fateful words of Lennier to Delenn, "I love you." The relationship between Lennier and Delenn is at its most complex emotionally. Additionally, it is best remembered as the final goodbye between G'Kar and Londo. Jurasik recalled "It was a very powerful scene to do." Both actors were "keenly and acutely aware" it was the final goodbye. It was the end of an incredible partnership in science fiction. "We were saying good-bye to each other as characters, and also as actors, as friends." Katsulas admitted it was "good-bye old friend. It was very emotional." It underlines the tragic end for our beloved Londo. In film, this would be anything but a Hollywood ending and the same holds true here on the small screen. It's positively brutal.

The Wheel Of Fire: Jerry Doyle recalled the scenes with Boxleitner were emotional. Boxleitner discussed the changes in his character and how he had become more "compassionate" and less "judgmental." That's true. There was indeed a softening in Sheridan's character, a wisdom that came along with that beard and with experience. Speaking specifically to the beauty in those dramatic exchanges Boxleitner gets it right. "I didn't have any techno-babble, I didn't have any strategic, galactic stuff to say, it was just two people talking and that's where I think the really good drama happens."

It was also director Janet Greek's farewell before returning for The River Of Souls starring Ian McShane. Greek points out a number of key shots within the episode that pay homage to earlier episodes and shots within earlier seasons. Fans will get a kick out of seeking these comparisons out.

Actress Patricia Tallman offered some final thoughts on the fate of her character, Lyta Alexander. She correctly asserted, "Lyta is a walking time bomb, a nuclear bomb ready to go off. She's got so much power in her, she can destroy everything. ... with that kind of power what else can you do with the character except kill them or have them go away?" And go away she does.

Objects In Motion: Andreas Katsulas pondered the send off of Lyta and G'Kar, a conclusion to their characters and threads that worked brilliantly for me. Katsulas, too, felt it was a wonderful way to close the book on these two remarkable characters. "There's so much left to the imagination, it was a good way to wrap it up." Straczynski likened the break up of this band of warriors, so to speak, to Lord Of The Rings essentially seeing his players "scattered to the four winds."

Objects At Rest: This was the final episode of the series since Sleeping In Light was in the can during Season Four. Yet, Straczynski and the cast found it to be the saddest goodbye and the hardest and most genuine to perform.

All of the farewells, endings and new beginninngs aside, Straczynski definitely wrote in bittersweet moments for Lennier and Londo. Peter Jurasik liked that the creator did not bend the characters "too much to sentiment." As he notes about Londo, "The leopard kept his spots to the end." Straczynski intended for viewers to see that all new beginnings wouldn't necessarily start with rose-colored glasses. Finally, the Sheridan character establishes the set up for Sleeping In Light.

Sleeping In Light: Killick eloquently captured her impressions. "It is a deeply moving tribute to the show's five-year history, with a sense of reflection and overwhelming sadness as the destruction of the Babylon 5 space station and the death of Sheridan bring the phenomenal series to a close." Amen. And of course, this was the result of Straczynski's directorial hand, so there is a great deal of insight into that particular event from the perspective of writer, producer AND first time director.

Boxleitner waxed poetic on the subject saying they were shooting for "romantic." Boxleitner gets the approach right too. "Very sad.... That was a tough one. Overdramatic as hell, but fun. I'm never afraid to be sentimental. I think people want sentimentality, I really do. I think in those kind of scenes, if you're going to play them, play them, don't be afraid." It essentially ended sad twice in the end.

So there you have it, some unfinished business and closing thoughts on Babylon 5 Season Five. This one goes out to the fans of that series. I continue to hold out hope that one day Straczynski will revisit his masterwork and remaster it for Blu-Ray so that we can all revisit the series once again with a new wisdom, new eyes and a new appreciation. Until then, stay tuned for a look at the fifth Babylon 5 film, A Call To Arms.

Philip Madoc & Suzanne Neve

The late Philip Madoc and the lovely Suzanne Neve were the special guests of UFO, Episode 8, A Question Of Priorities. The Welsh actor and English actress both had respectable careers in film and television over the years particularly Madoc.

All aboard people! It's the FAB FRIDAY love train! Welcome to the locomotive that is all things fabulous in the world of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson!

Philip Madoc [1934-2012] passed away just a few months ago sadly in March 2012. Madoc had a tremendous run of film and television programs especially with the BBC and in the UK in general.

Fans of the genre would be pleased to know that Madoc featured in a number of science fiction roles. Those roles included a part in the Doctor Who film Daleks-Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D. [1966] opposite the late, great Peter Cushing [Star Wars IV: A New Hope]. Madoc later appeared in the long-running Doctor Who series. He figured opposite the Second Doctor, Peter Troughton, in The Krotons [1968-1969] and The War Games [1969]. One of my strongest, personal memories is of the Fourth Doctor, Tom Baker, episode The Brain Of Morbius [1976] whereby Madoc played the role of Doctor Solon. This was a terrific, classic installment in the Fourth Doctor series and a magnificent riff on the whole Dr. Frankenstein story. Madoc was later interviewed for a DVD documentary extra for The Power Of Kroll release dubbed Philip Madoc - A Villain For All Seasons. It was an obvious retrospective for his work on Doctor Who which concluded with his guest spot in The Power Of Kroll [1978].

The same year Madoc featured in The Brain Of Morbius, he also had a prominent role in the British TV series Survivors for Series 2, Episode 9, The Chosen.

Earlier though, Madoc guested in the now classic UFO, Episode 8, A Question Of Priorities and also guested on UFO, Episode 20, Destruction for a different part as Captain Steven. A few years later, he also played a bit part in the pilot episode for Space:1999, Breakaway, as Commander Gorski whom Martin Landau's Commander John Koenig would replace to begin Year One of the classic Anderson series.

Finally, before Space:1999 and UFO, Madoc had a support role in Gerry Anderson's Doppelganger [1969] or as it was known in the USA, Journey To The Far Side Of The Sun. Of course, as FAB FRIDAY fans know, other Anderson UFO notables Ed Bishop, George Sewell and Vladek Sheybal all appeared in that film.

Meanwhile, Madoc's A Question Of Priorities counterpart has proved a little more elusive. Suzanne Neve [1939-present] did enjoy success on the BBC and enjoyed the sterling recurring spot as Commander Ed Straker's ex-wife on UFO, Mary Rutland. Mary was remarried to Madoc's Steven Rutland.

While Madoc has since sadly passed and Neve appears to enjoy life outside of the spotlight, once upon a time these two delightful actors were indeed FAB. Yes, Madoc and Neve could proudly declare as George Harrison once wrote, "long time ago when we was FAB!"