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677 lines
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677 lines
28 KiB
<h2><a name="OV">Overview</a></h2>
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<blockquote><cite>
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Sinclair's old flame, Catherine Sakai, arrives during a weeklong festival
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when humans and aliens demonstrate their religious beliefs. An old enemy
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sends an assassin to kill G'Kar.
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</cite>
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<a href="http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Kopache,+Thomas">Thomas Kopache</a> as Tu'Pari.
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<a href="http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Nickson-Soul,+Julia">Julia Nickson</a> as Catherine Sakai.
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</blockquote>
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Originally titled "Carnival!"
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<pre>
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Sub-genre: Intrigue
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<a href="/lurk/p5/intro.html">P5 Rating</a>: <a href="/lurk/p5/005">7.88</a>
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Production number: 108
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Original air date: February 23, 1994
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00006HAZ4/thelurkersguidet">DVD release date</a>: November 5, 2002
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Written by J. Michael Straczynski
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Directed by Jim Johnston
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</pre>
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<p>
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<em>Emmy Award</em> for Makeup Design
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<h3><a name="WF">Watch For</a></h3>
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<ul>
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<li> <a name="WF:1">Look closely at the statue of Li,</a> the Centauri
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goddess of passion. Something about it will be the subject of a
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humorous revelation about the Centauri in a later episode.
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</ul>
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<p>
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<hr size=3>
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<p>
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<H2><A NAME="BP">Backplot</A></H2>
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<ul>
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<li> <A NAME="BP:1">"Never fails," says Garibaldi when Catherine</A>
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comes aboard. Apparently he's known her and Sinclair for a very
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long time. They seem to run into one another every three years,
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though this is the first time in a while that they've both been
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available.
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<li> <A NAME="BP:2">Sinclair and Carolyn have drifted apart - he</A>
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wasn't willing to quit and go into business with her as a trader.
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(cf: <A HREF="../synops/000.html#carolyn-leave">"The Gathering"</A>)
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<li> <A NAME="BP:3">After he delivers G'Kar's death pronouncement,</A>
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councillor Du'Rog says, "This should come as no surprise to you
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G'Kar. You've ruined my family's name and humiliated me before the
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council. Retribution was inevitable."
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<li> <A NAME="BP:4">Later G'Kar explains to Na'Toth why he can't ask for</A>
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help: "...this would lead to some unfortunate revelations about my
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years on the council, revelations that could affect my position.
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Personally, I don't <em>care</em> if the information comes out. My
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only concern is that it might compromise our standing in the
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negotiations."
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<li> <A NAME="BP:5">The best assassins among the Narn are the</A>
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"Thenta Makur." They are well-organized and respectable in their
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own way. They leave a "death blossom" to give their mark time to
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get their affairs in order, and offer a solid guarantee: they will
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personally kill any assassin who betrays a commission.
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<li> <A NAME="BP:6">G'Kar has survived <em>two</em> prior assassination</A>
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attempts, but did not appear to have experience with the Thenta Makur.
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<li> <A NAME="BP:7">Vir explains the vivacious Centauri festival:</A>
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<BLOCKQUOTE>
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It's a celebration of life. It comes from a time in our
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world's history when two dominant species were fighting
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for supremacy: our people, and a species we called "Xon".
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At year's end, we count how many of our people survived,
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and celebrate our good fortune!
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</BLOCKQUOTE>
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</ul>
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<H2><A NAME="UQ">Unanswered Questions</A></H2>
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<ul>
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<li> <A NAME="UQ:1">Why is G'Kar, after serving 5 years on the Narn</A>
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council, now serving as the Narn diplomat to Babylon 5? Is this a
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move up, or down?
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<li> <A NAME="UQ:2">What "revelations" about his years on the council</A>
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does G'Kar want hidden?
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<li> <A NAME="UQ:3">Did Sinclair play a greater role in the Minbari</A>
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ceremony than was apparent? (<A HREF="#AN:10">see Analysis</A>)
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<li> <A NAME="UQ:4">When Catherine first enters Sinclair's quarters,</A>
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he's listening to <A HREF="/lurk/making/ulysses.html#become.name">
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part of Tennyson's "Ulysses."</A> "Which are you," she asks,
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quoting from elsewhere in the poem, "<A HREF="/lurk/making/ulysses.html">
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an idle king</A>, doling unequal laws unto a savage race, that
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hoard, and sleep, and feed, and know not you, or
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<A HREF="/lurk/making/ulysses.html#spirit">a gray spirit</A>,
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yearning in desire, to follow knowledge like a sinking star?"
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He leaves the question unanswered.
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</ul>
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<H2><A NAME="AN">Analysis</A></H2>
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<ul>
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<li> <A NAME="AN:1">The cross-species religious festival was Earth</A>
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Central's idea, and is consistent with Babylon 5's <I>raison
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d'etre.</I> The Minbari and Centauri participated willingly, but
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nothing was seen of Narn religion (cf: <A HREF="012.html">"By Any
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Means Necessary"</A>). No-one made note of this omission - perhaps
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it's taken for granted that Narn religion is not for outsiders.
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<li> <A NAME="AN:2">The Narn employ couriers on a weekly basis. They</A>
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also have FTL communications. Hence, they must not consider FTL
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secure.
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<li> <A NAME="AN:4">Na'Toth is cool-headed, with a sarcastic sense of</A>
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humor - for G'Kar a great improvement over the literal and
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over-enthusiastic Ko'Dath.
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<li> <A NAME="AN:5">When Lennier greets Delenn as "Satai," she rebukes</A>
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him: "No-one here knows of my connection. No-one must find out
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[...] it would lead to certain questions I don't want to answer
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just now." Apparently, it is well-known among the Minbari who are
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the members of the grey council. They are also greatly revered,
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judging by Lennier's reluctance to raise his eyes in her presence.
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<li> <A NAME="AN:6">Vir's</A> <A HREF="#BP:7">speech</A> is quite remarkable.
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What endured after the Centauri conflict with the Xon was a
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celebration of survival, rather than a mourning for those lost. This
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is notable both for what they chose to focus on (the joyous rather
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than the sad), and for its suggestion that the Centauri may have
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been nearly destroyed by the Xon (everyone was lucky to have
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survived each year).
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<li> <A NAME="AN:7">A theme of real Babylonian history: a stronger</A>
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race oppresses a weaker one, and generations of the weaker one grow
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up fighting for their lives. Eventually the once-weaker race
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becomes so hardened and energized in their own self-protection that
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they rise up and conquer their oppressors
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(cf: <A href="/lurk/ftp/History.Babylonia"> History.Babylonia</A>).
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<li> <A NAME="AN:8">This theme may be the very story of the Xon and</A>
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the Centauri, for the Centauri eventually destroyed them and didn't
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lose momentum until they were an empire spanning an entire quadrant
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of the galaxy (cf: <A HREF="000.html#BP:7">"The Gathering" </A>).
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This may also <em>become</em> the story of the Centauri the Narn: the
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Centauri invaded their homeworld and held sway for a hundred years,
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but now the Narn are free and bent on destruction, while the
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Centauri are on the decline.
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<li> <A NAME="AN:9">Among the many Centauri household gods</A> on the
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banquet table are Ben-Zan, god of food, Mo-Goth, god of the
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underworld and protector of front doors, and Li, goddess of
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passion. The golden statue of Li portrays her with both arms and
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one leg raised. Visible on her body are breasts, a very large
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<em>male</em> hair-crest, and three tentacles emerging from her
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hips on both sides. (cf. <a href="021.html">"The Quality of Mercy"</a>)
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<li> <A NAME="AN:10">A</a>
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<a href="005.ceremony.html">transcript</a> of
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Delenn's recital during the Minbari ceremony is available.
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<li> <A NAME="AN:11">This recital is very important, especially if</A>
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Sinclair is the incarnation of a figure in Minbari prophecy, for
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which there are indications:
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<ul>
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<li> <B>Minbari assassin:</B> "There is a hole in your mind."
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(<A HREF="000.html#AN:4">"The Gathering"</A>)
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<li> The coincidence of the Minbari surrender with their initial
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discovery of Sinclair. (<A HREF="000.html#UQ:7">"The Gathering"</A>)
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<li> <B>Delenn:</B> "I knew you would come - we were right about you."
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(<A HREF="002.html#UQ:7">"Soul Hunter"</A>)
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<li> Delenn's <A HREF="#AN:14">possible covert marriage</A> to him in
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this episode.
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<li> (see also: <A HREF="008.html">"And the Sky Full of Stars"</A>,
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<A HREF="009.html">"Deathwalker"</A>,
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<A HREF="013.html">"Signs and Portents"</A>)
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</ul>
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<li> <A NAME="AN:12">The giving of fruit to each of the main characters</A>
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coincided with particular parts of Delenn's recital. This could be
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literary foreshadowing, but it's unlikely that Delenn herself
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intended the juxtaposition.
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<BLOCKQUOTE>
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"From birth <I>{Londo}</I>, through death and renewal <I>{Vir}</I>,
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you must put aside old things <I>{Garibaldi}</I>, old fears
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<I>{Sinclair}</I>, old lives <I>{Ivanova}</I>. This is your death
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<I>{G'Kar}</I>, the death of flesh..."
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</BLOCKQUOTE>
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<li> <A NAME="AN:13">For the record, Londo and Vir eat their fruits,</A>
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Garibaldi declines, Ivanova puts hers down, G'Kar exchanges his
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with hers, Ivanova (unawares) then eats hers, and G'Kar gives his
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new fruit a distrustful sniff. Sinclair, under Delenn's compelling
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gaze, eats his as well.
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<li> <A NAME="AN:14">When Catherine hears about "red fruit" being part</A>
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of the Minbari ceremony, she asks if there was a serious exchange
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of looks. When Sinclair confirms this, she chuckles, "Oh it's a
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rebirth ceremony all right. It also doubles as a marriage
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ceremony. Depending on how seriously anyone took it, somebody got
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married the other day." Sinclair did not mention who was seriously
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looking at whom - he may in some sense now be married to Delenn.
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<li> <A NAME="AN:15">"You must put aside... old lives" reaffirms the</A>
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Minbari belief in reincarnation revealed in <A HREF="002.html#AN:2:2">
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"Soul Hunter"</A>, and suggests that the Minbari may have
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<em>conscious access</em> to their own past lives. Else what would
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they have to put aside? (cf: <A HREF="007.html">"The War Prayer"</A>)
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</ul>
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<H2><A NAME="NO">Notes</A></H2>
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<ul>
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<p>
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<li> <A NAME="NO:1"><B>G'Kar's song</B> (presumably translated from Narn):</A>
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<PRE width=50>
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I'm thinking of thinking of calling her right
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after my afternoon nap.
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I'm thinking of thinking of sending her flowers,
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right after Bonnie gets back.
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So many fishies left in the sea,
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so many fishies - but no-one for me...
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I'm thinking of thinking of hooking a love,
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soon after supper is done.
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</PRE>
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<p>
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<li> <A NAME="NO:2">Ko'Dath, G'Kar's previous aide (with whom he was</A>
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none too happy) died in an unexplained airlock accident a week before.
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<p>
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<li> <A NAME="NO:3"><B>Londo's joke:</B></A><br>
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Garibaldi: And what happened to the Xon?<br>
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Londo: Dead, all of them, and good riddance. Do you know what the last
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Xon said, just before he died? "AAAAARGH!"<br>
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Garibaldi (to Sinclair): Can I kill him now?
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<p>
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<li> <A NAME="NO:4"><B>Londo's toast</B> (and reprise):</A><br>
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"Valtoooo!"
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<p>
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<li> <A NAME="NO:5">Ivanova was the only non-Centauri who seemed to</A>
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be enjoying herself at their festival.
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<p>
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<li> <A NAME="NO:6">Na'Toth's "sponsor" for her position as G'Kar's</A>
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aide was Li'Dak, fifth circle. Li'Dak's sponsor was Du'Rog himself.
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<p>
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<li> <A NAME="NO:7">G'Kar's "reputed fascination with Earth women"</A>
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(cf: <A HREF="003.html#NO:1">"Born to the Purple"</A>) is
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well-known among the Narn ruling class.
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<p>
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<li> <A NAME="NO:8">Delenn's new assistant is Lennier of the Third Fane</A>
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of Chu'Domo, which has served with honor for 500 years. He has
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just gone from being a "simple novitiate" to serving one of the
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Grey Council - apparently quite a big jump.
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<p>
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<li> <A NAME="NO:9">There is consistency in the shape of Minbari</A>
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head-bones. The top edge of the female head-bone is a smooth curve
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back to a raised point in back, while the top edge of the male
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head-bone rises to several points on its way back.
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<p>
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<li> <A NAME="NO:10">There were nine participants in the Minbari rebirth</A>
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ceremony. All of the instruments visible were triangular, as was
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the table around which they stood.
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<p>
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<li> <A NAME="NO:12">In the lingo of the Free Traders, Earth</A>
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(or thereabouts) is "The Hub".
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<p>
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<li> <A NAME="NO:13">Sinclair has a brother, about whom he has not yet</A>
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spoken.
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<p>
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<li> <A NAME="NO:14">Sinclair has been caught on</A>
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<A HREF="/lurk/making/ulysses.html">Tennyson</A> since his
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academy years - "we find meaning where we can," he says.
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<p>
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<li> <A NAME="NO:15">G'Kar and Na'Toth both imply she enjoyed beating</A>
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him up.
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<p>
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<li> When this episode was broadcast in Malaysia in July 1995, the Centauri
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celebration was cut, probably because of its depiction of drunken
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behavior.
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<p>
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<li> A sign in the arrivals area:<br>
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Welcome to Babylon 5<br>
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Customer Section<br>
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Atmosphere Caution<br>
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<p>
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Six different atmospheres are currently available on B5. Others may be
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created by prior arrangement. Uncommon atmospheric makeups may be
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synthesized for encounter suits. For specific atmochemical breakdowns
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see monitor below.
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</ul>
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<H2><A NAME="JS">jms speaks</A></H2>
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<ul>
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<li>@@@846702224 Regarding making people laugh until their sides hurt...this
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is something I always go for. It's easy to go for the "well, that's
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amusing" stuff, but to make someone laugh out loud, or even until it
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hurts, is tough. In most (but not all) cases, I try to get one solid
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laugh per episode, one moving scene per episode, and one "head-conk"
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per episode. The first obligation of a writer is to make you *feel*
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something, and if I can do that in an episode, then I've done my job.
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<p>
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It helps in that I'm not generally a big laugher; when I go to plays
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or movies with other people, and they're comedies, afterwards I'll
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always get "Why didn't you like it?" "I did." "You didn't laugh."
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"I was just thinking about how funny it was." Usually I can see a
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punchline coming, and part of my brain is racing ahead to what it
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might be. (And half the time at least I'm right.) So I've adopted
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the philosophy that if I find something extremely funny, other people
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will laugh at it; if I'm so tickled that I absolutely laugh out loud,
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I know it'll probably kill several people. As a result, if I'm going
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for a funny scene, I don't leave it alone until I laugh at it.
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<p>
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When I thought about Londo passing out face first on the banquet table
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uttering "...but in purple, I'm *stunning*," I just about fell off my
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chair laughing. Sometimes I'm a little broad in my comedy, other
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times I go for something a little more literate or (one hopes) witty
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(most of these go to Ivanova, whereas the broad stuff tends to go to
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Londo in most cases). But I try to keep it varied.
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<p>
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Strangely enough, the comics that *do* manage to break me up are all
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the more assaultive ones...Jerry Lewis, Robin Williams, Buddy Hackett
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(who can reduce me to tears), and a few others.
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<p>
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<li> By the way...on the Kosh poisoning thread, which was originally to
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be discussed in "Parliament"...we ended up about 3 minutes long on
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"Parliament," and three minutes short on D.C. Fontana's "War Prayer."
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So we lifted that scene and inserted it into her episode, doing a
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small bit of ADR to facilitate the move. It's now quite seamless.
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<p>
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<li>@@@846702224 Bill Mumy came in to audition, same as eveybody else. It
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was known then that it was a recurring role (contrary to his
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recollection of things), and when he walked in the door, I knew he was
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right.
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<p>
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<li> BTW, this week will Bill Mumy's first week on B5, and he's done a
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very nifty job as Lennier. He brings a wonderful sense of absolute
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innocence...the proverbial innocent abroad...to Lennier's character.
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The Minbari prosthetics look great on him, enhancing the sense he
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brings to the character. He's also great with the cast, and keeping
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things up during shooting. At one point, as they're leaving camera,
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Delenn says to Lennier, who has just arrived at the station, "Now
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tell me of home; I have been away far too long." His ad-libbed
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off-camera response: "Beatlemania is back." (Another ad-lib for
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another shot: "Minimalls...they're everywhere," and "Well, we just
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got Pizza Hut and cable.")
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<p>
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<li> Regarding Catherine Sakai...believe me, this ain't a consort kind of
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relationship. It will be monogamous, but difficult in many ways.
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This has been an on-again/off-again relationship between them for
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years, made up of three parts passion and two parts teeth. It will
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be a very fiery relationship. And this is a woman with her own
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business, her own ship, who comes and goes as she wishes. You have
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to understand that I love writing strong female characters, and
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Catherine will be probably one of the strongest.
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<p>
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<li> Catherine Sakai is played by Julie Nickson Soul, an asian-american
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actor who's done quite a bit of work in high-profile films. Her
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character is never Cathy, only Catherine (occasionally Cath to
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Sinclair, but *only* occasionally). She's a planetary surveyer,
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working for one of the Earth corporations, looking for uninhabited
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worlds and asteroids for exploitation.
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<p>
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<li> We've shot our first scenes between Sinclair and his new love
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interest, Catherine Sakai (as played by Julia Nickson). This is a
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very, very strong character, and she brings a wonderful vibrancy to
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Sakai. They have a unique relationship that looks and sounds like
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a real relationship, with all its ups and downs and dumb moments.
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One way that I've reinforced this is that...well, in the first
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episode in which they meet again (they were involved before), just
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about every scene between them is lifted almost directly from
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personal experience.
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<p>
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And given some of the awkward, even painful conversations that take
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place, it was very, *very* hard to watch this being rehearsed.
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(Michael and Julia worked over a weekend with the director to get the
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nuances just right.) When it came time to shoot the scenes, much as
|
|
I wanted to be on-set, I just couldn't do it. My heart just kept
|
|
falling right down to my shoes. I can't wait for the first person to
|
|
say "I don't buy this as a real relationship" just so's I can whap
|
|
him upside the head. But I have a hunch that won't happen. It comes
|
|
across as very real, and as a very vulnerable moment for both
|
|
characters.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
"Write what you know," they said. Right. How about I just take a
|
|
power drill and stick it in my ear...it'd be faster, less painful,
|
|
and after a while I might even come to like it....
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> A parliament is a gathering of officials, of representatives, which
|
|
matches the story in terms of representatives of different places,
|
|
and beliefs. The dreams are the belief systems.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> The "stay put" line was ad-libbed by Andreas, because the crawfish
|
|
kept crawling off the table.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> Yes, definitely keep in mind the intent of the ceremony...but be
|
|
sure to remember *all* aspects of it. (<A HREF="#AN:10">see
|
|
Analysis</A>)<br>
|
|
Also, take a good look at Li, goddess of passion, in Londo's
|
|
ceremony. There's something about it that will be very funny
|
|
later. (<A HREF="#AN:9">see Analysis</A>)
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@832309099 The quote Delenn recited in "Parliament" was the quote
|
|
from Valen when he formed the first Grey Council.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> RE: the glasses...it's not something I've been able to figure out
|
|
how to mention, but the Narn pride themselves on their physical
|
|
perfection. Hence there is no market for physical aides; it's
|
|
something to be ashamed of. So they have to crib stuff from other
|
|
species, like glasses that have a prescription close enough to be
|
|
useful. I have *no* idea how to work that into a script, and am
|
|
not sure it is even a good idea to do so.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> The atheist was not only first in line, he was the best dressed and
|
|
smartest looking and nattiest one in the line.<br>
|
|
jm(what a coincidence)s
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> From a personal point of view, I'm very fond of "The Parliament of
|
|
Dreams," which is a very funny show, and at times a very emotional
|
|
show. "Parliament" is all over the place...it's got all of our
|
|
major characters, our ambassadors, their seconds, we see lots of
|
|
group scenes, we're all over the station, dipping in and out of
|
|
three different but interconnected stories...it's really a matter
|
|
of keeping a lot of balls in the air at one time, and I think we
|
|
pulled it off nicely.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> There's one truly remarkable shot we did for the current episode, shot
|
|
Friday evening. Generally, in any shot with a crowd, you need
|
|
about 20-45 people. That's usually enough to fill out the shot
|
|
in any set you can go to. More than that gets costly, and
|
|
isn't really noticeable unless you frame your shot just *so*.
|
|
Yesterday's shot has 160 extras. It's a very impressive, and
|
|
very moving shot. It appears in the tag of "the Parliament of
|
|
Dreams." It's the kind of shot you just don't see anywhere
|
|
else. We had some people from PTEN and a film crew for a
|
|
behind-the-scenes piece on hand, and they all commented on how
|
|
only this show would do this shot...and how significant it is.
|
|
(I can't tell you what it was, because that gives it away, and
|
|
I want it to be kind of a surprise; suffice to say you'll
|
|
definitely know it when you see it.)
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> The SkyDancer appears in the next episode. "See you next Wednesday"
|
|
is...well...it's when she's going to be back on the station. She has to
|
|
complete her run by Tuesday, and will be back on Wednesday. Sometimes a
|
|
cigar is just a cigar....
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> [G'Kar's] song is an original, by our series composer, Christopher
|
|
Franke.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> The "fishy" song was composed by Christopher Franke specifically for
|
|
that scene. I told him I wanted sort of a Narnish Gilbert and
|
|
Sullivan, and that's what we got.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> I would think that Londo and G'Kar might actually find something in
|
|
common in appreciation of Gilbert and Sullivan. In fact, G'Kar's
|
|
"little fishie" song in "Parliament of Dreams" was intended to be a
|
|
bit G&S in nature.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> One of my favorite exchanges, which never seems to show up, is from
|
|
PoD v.1, when G'Kar says to Tu'Pari, who has come looking for
|
|
Ambassador G'Kar, "This is Ambassador G'Kar's quarters. This is
|
|
Ambassador G'Kar's table. This is Ambassador G'Kar's dinner. What
|
|
part of this progression escapes you?"
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> Episode #5 is the two year anniversary of B5 going on-line; not two
|
|
years since the pilot movie. It took about a year and a half to
|
|
grow to this point, and for the final of the Big 5 ambassadors, Kosh,
|
|
to arrive, completing the group. It's now roughly six months after
|
|
that, into the new year.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> "So, I've been wondering who made up Londo's line in Parliament,
|
|
`but in purple, I'm stunning!'"
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Ummmmm.....the scriptwriter?
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> The Xon did evolve into fair amount of intelligence. There are a
|
|
very few land masses on Centauri Prime, separated by huge oceans.
|
|
The two species evolved pretty much separately, on different
|
|
continents that were absolutely unreachable until one or both sides
|
|
developed sufficient technology for extended sea travel...and that's
|
|
when all hell broke loose.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> There's a definite improvement arc in the show; the deeper we got
|
|
into production, the better the stories generally became, and the
|
|
better the production values. (With a few exceptions.) The biggest
|
|
change in the show came once we began writing scripts *after* we'd
|
|
begun shooting episodes, so that we/I could again see the actors and
|
|
find their fingerprints. "Parliament" is the first one I wrote after
|
|
we started filming; "Soul," "Infection" and "Midnight" were all
|
|
written prior to filming starting.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> You're seeing, btw, why this episode, much as it's a favorite,
|
|
couldn't be shown any sooner; there has to be some familiarity with
|
|
the characters for this to be most effective.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> Re: G'Kar being theatrical...that's who he is. I like theatrical
|
|
characters. I know many in real life that're much bigger than life,
|
|
very broad...and great fun. Not every character has to be sonorous
|
|
and serious and restrained. The whole point of *having* alien
|
|
characters is that they shuld act differently than the majority of
|
|
us.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> The Xon? Dead. All of them. And good riddance.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> The Xon weren't any more evil or good than the race that survived;
|
|
two equally sentient species emerged on the Centauri homeworld over
|
|
the course of evolution. They were more or less separated by
|
|
distance and land masses and oceans, so there was little contact
|
|
until either side developed the technology required to find the other.
|
|
It was the next best thing to a first contact situation, except it's
|
|
on their own world; they were very much alien to one another.
|
|
Somewhere along the line, it was decided that this world wasn't big
|
|
enough for both of them, so they began a campaign of slaughter against
|
|
each other. Londo's people won.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> Kosh was otherwise engaged....
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> Actually, many of the alien races do *not* have monolithic religious
|
|
beliefs. You'll note that G'Kar didn't take part in the festival
|
|
from the Narn POV. You'll see Narn beliefs in "By Any Means
|
|
Necessary," and there it's mentioned that there are many different
|
|
bliefs among Narns, G'Quon and G'Lan being the two larger systems.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> Sure, I could've gotten them into bed by the second act...but that
|
|
wasn't the point. What I wanted to show, what interests me, is the
|
|
give and take leading up to that moment, the feints and parries and
|
|
"how do we get past this?" That to me is some of the most
|
|
interesting stuff in a relationship.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> As to the interpretation of the final tag scene...my thought was that
|
|
it's a way of saying, "Our dominant belief is that ALL beliefs are
|
|
respected."
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> There was a follower of Islam; right next to the orthodox jew at the
|
|
front of the line. "Mr. Rashid, a Moslem." I made sure we put them
|
|
side by side.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> I didn't say that Earth was the ONLY one with diverse religions. I
|
|
don't understand why it is that when ONE thing is shown, it means
|
|
that's the ONLY thing. It's not. Narns, as we'll see in "By Any
|
|
Means Necessary," have several competing beliefs. The idea of the
|
|
festival wasn't to compare and contrast, only to show what *we*
|
|
(whoever *we* is) believes.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> Well, we're doomed...I just realized today that our first *really*
|
|
strong episode, "The Parliament of Dreams," airs the same night (in
|
|
most markets, the 23rd) as the Tonya Harding/Nancy Kerrigan face off
|
|
in the olympics.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Imagine a silence vast as space...that sound is neilsen ratings meters
|
|
stuck unmovingly on CBS....
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> Needless to say, though, we got *creamed* by the Tonya/Nancy Show.
|
|
Which got a 64 share, the 3rd biggest ratings for a sporting event in
|
|
history. But then, *everybody* got beat up by that one, so again
|
|
it's okay.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> The line, "See you next wednesday," was basically an offhand line,
|
|
slightly but not significantly based in the idea that in most markets,
|
|
B5 airs on Wednesdays. It was never meant to be a John Landis
|
|
reference, and if I'd known it was (I'd never heard it before),
|
|
would've changed it.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> I keep constantly fighting the urge to have G'Kar return from a trip
|
|
to the Narn homeworld with a limp, a cane, and a (temporary) eyepatch,
|
|
muttering, "Boy, the Thenta Makur have *no* sense of humor."
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
(Now we'll see how many get *that* one.)
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> BTW, re: Sinclair remembering all those names...we used many of the
|
|
real names of the people standing in line, many of whom *did* belong
|
|
to the religion they had come to represent. We went down this line
|
|
of 250 people, and went over their names *twice* with O'Hare. That's
|
|
all. After that, he got each name right every time; amazingly quick
|
|
memorization.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> This is something that Andreas and I discussed, and it's not so much
|
|
that G'Kar *has* to cook, but that he *likes* to cook. From the
|
|
singing, it's clear he's having a good time....
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> Ko'Dath met with an unfortunate accident with an airlock.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> Just learned that Babylon 5 won an Emmy for its Makeup Design, for
|
|
"The Parliament of Dreams." This is our second Emmy so far, our
|
|
first for the series. I'm determined that next year we get some
|
|
notices for our acting and other above-the-line areas.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
In any event, congratulations to our makeup and prosthetics design
|
|
people.
|
|
|
|
</ul>
|
|
|
|
<HR>
|
|
Originally compiled by Matthew Ryan <i>mattryan@pobox.com</i>
|