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<title>Captain John Sheridan</title>
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<h1>Captain John Sheridan</h1>
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<h4>As written by series creator J. Michael Straczynski</h4>
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<dl>
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<dt>
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A quick sketch
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<dd>
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Since this has just been released by PTEN, and will be
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on the news wires shortly (and is probably already there),
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I can now announce this here.
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<p>
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The new Commanding Officer for Babylon 5 is Captain John
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Sheridan, former captain of the Earthforce military starship
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Agamemmnon. It was Sheridan who won what is arguably Earth's
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only real victory during the Earth/Minbari War, destroying the
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Minbari war cruiser Black Star and several accompanying
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vessels. He has been appointed to Babylon 5 over the strenuous
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objections of the Minbari Government, by the president's
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insistence that Babylon 5 has had too much influence from the
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Minbari and must begin to pull back and consider Earth's
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interests; Sheridan is a symbol of that desire because of his
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record, which is the reason for his assignment.
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<p>
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Captain Sheridan will be portrayed by the well-regarded
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actor Bruce Boxleitner, known to many as the series lead in
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"Scarecrow And Mrs. King." He has also starred in numerous
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TV movies, miniseries and feature films. He is also a solid
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SF fan (media *and* print), and is very excited about coming
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onto the Babylon 5 team. We're equally excited to have him.
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<p>
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<dt>
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Have any of the other officers served with Sheridan before?
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<dd>
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Only Ivanova has served with him before; Garibaldi
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doesn't know him from Adam, and this will lead to some
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awkwardness and questions of trust down the road.
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<p>
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<dt>
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How does Sheridan regard the Minbari?
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<dd>
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Sheridan is a soldier. A soldier is told, in wartime,
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THIS is your enemy. You kill the enemy or your enemy kills
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you. Afterward, you're in the same position American soldiers
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were in after the end of WW II when it came time to reconcile
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with the Germans and the Japanese. It can sometimes be very
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awkward...and sometimes reconciliation takes a while.
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<p>
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<dt>
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Sheridan ought to add some tension to the series.
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<dd>
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[...] And you're right about the situation providing some
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tension and story line possibilities; it ties into where
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the story is going, and ups the ante on several emotional
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levels, some personal (Garibaldi), some diplomatic (the
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Minbari don't much like him).
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<p>
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<dt>
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Random additional information.
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<dd>
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Yes, Sheridan is descended from Gen. Philip John Sheridan of the
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Union Army.
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<p>
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<dt>
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Response to an allegation that Sheridan is another Captain Kirk.
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<dd>
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For what it's worth, Sheridan is neither a "space cowboy" nor a
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"gung ho type." This description has nothing to do with the character,
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and I'm not quite sure where you got this. Certainly I never said or
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implied it.
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<p>
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Captain John Sheridan is a war hero, of sorts; he squeaked out the
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only real victory of the Earth/Minbari War. (Which means the Minbari
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don't generally like him a lot.) He did what he did because that's his
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job. He's a professional soldier. For the last two years, he's been
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commanding the Agamemmnon, a high-visibility Earthforce starship on deep
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patrol. As such, he has had to learn to work with a number of different
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races and species.
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<p>
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In some ways, his character is somewhat more well-rounded than was
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the case with Sinclair, over whom a general sense of doom often seemed to
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hang. Sheridan is often very thoughtful and introspective; at other
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times, he can be just a bit eccentric; he leads by respecting those who
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work under him, and giving them room to grow; like any career officer, he
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HATES the bureaucracy with a passion, and this is the one thing that can
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drive him nuts; he knows that commanding B5 is a great opportunity, but
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he also knows that his presence brings certain complications with it, and
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he's very ambivilant about that aspect; he's the son of a diplomatic envoy
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who disappeared on his 21st birthday, running off to see (of all things)
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the new Dali Lama being installed; he has a very easygoing manner, and a
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great sense of humor. He quickly re-forms a friendship with Ivanova, for
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whom he has great respect and professional admiration. (For a time she
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served under him at Io.)
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<p>
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He is, actually, a fascinating and intriguing character with a lot
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of different shadings...none of which have *anything* to do with being a
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"space cowboy" or "gung-ho type."
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<p>
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Anyway...point being...when it was announced that there was going to
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be a new Lieutenant-Commander, a number of folks went ballistic and said
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the show would now be ruined. I said, in essence, look...I created
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Takashima; I can create an interesting character to replace her. And I
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thunk up Ivanova, who according to the rec.arts.b5 poll is the most
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popular character on the show. When it was announced that Sinclair would
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be STAYING with the show, after the pilot, a number of folks said this
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was bad, he was wooden, he stunk, get him off...and ended up being very
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enamored of him. My only reply now about Bruce...give him, and me, a
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chance. I genuinely think you will like what you see a *lot*.
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<p>
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In the course of the first season, Ivanova, Garibaldi, G'Kar, Londo,
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Delenn, others...they've exploded into strong characters. You need an
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equally strong character designed to hold his own, and be memorable, in
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that august company. Sheridan was designed knowing we had a much
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elevated playing field around the character.
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<p>
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Obviously, clearly, and irrefutably, an actor brings a *lot* to any
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role. No question. But it tends to begin with what is created. I've seen
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it said here, repeatedly, that none of the characters are uninteresting;
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they all have lives, and agendas, that make them fascinating to watch:
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Londo, Morden, G'Kar, Delenn, Garibaldi, Ivanova...what those characters
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are came out of my head, in terms of who they are, what they say, what they
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believe, where they came from and where they're going. Why would I invent
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a new character that was any less involving, or interesting, o
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multifaceted? Particularly knowing that he's going to be a central
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character?
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<p>
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Speaking as someone who's been in fandom a long, long time, I know
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there is always a tendency for panic, to assume the apocalypse is upon
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us, that something is never going to be the same again. I heard this after
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the Enterprise was destroyed in "The Search for Spock." I've heard this
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a lot over the years. It's generally over-reaction and worry before anyone
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has even seen a frame of film.
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<p>
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Bottom line being...wait and see, then judge. I've tried very hard
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not to let you down, and I think so far I haven't done so...I have no
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intention of starting now. Bruce is doing an absolutely *brilliant* job
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as Captain Sheridan, bringing a thoughtfulness and intensity and
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charm and intensity to the part that is a joy to behold. Give him a
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chance.
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<p>
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<dt>
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Why replace Sinclair?
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<dd>
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Sheridan, or more specifically the need for someone *like* Sheridan
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began to get through clearly toward the latter part of last season, as I
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began planning out season two's progression, and kept looking at elements
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of the story and trying to find ways to get Sinclair into the heart of
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them. They felt contrived, for the most part; and the other characters,
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like Londo and G'Kar and Delenn, were *really* moving forward in a big
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way. The role of Sinclair was becoming primarily that of a "problem
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solver," and when that happens, a sort of glass bell falls down around the
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character, and you can't do much with him.
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<p>
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So what the writer has to do is break that bell in one way or another;
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do something totally unexpected to him, and bring in someone who has a
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direct, personal connection with the storyline emerging in season two, so
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it's not contrived or forced.
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</dl>
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<pre>
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</pre>
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<p nowrap>
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</nobr>
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<h5>
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Last update:
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October 8, 1995
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</h5>
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