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75 lines
3.9 KiB
75 lines
3.9 KiB
"The First Lady of Star Trek"
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Makes A Royal Visit to "BABYLON 5"
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The Week of February 26, 1996
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(Syndicated: check local listings)
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For years, Majel Barrett had appeared among the esteemed celebrities at cult
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science fiction conventions -- both as "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry's
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widow and for her recurring roles in all three "Star Trek" television series
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and two of the six motion pictures.
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And each time she mentioned what many consider "Star Trek's" key rival --
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the Emmy Award-winning TV series, "Babylon 5" -- the response, Barrett
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remembers appreciatively, were shouts of "Bravo!" and "Hooray!," followed by
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applause.
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Then finally, last fall Barrett's intergalactic path fatefully converged at a
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sci-fi convention in England with that of JMS -- as "Babylon 5's" revered
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creator, J. Michael Straczynski, is known by his legions of on-line internet
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fans.
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It seems that word had reached Straczynski that "The First Lady of Star
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Trek" would welcome an invitation to appear in his compelling space saga, in
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which the competing interests of five diverse races (four of them alien)
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threaten to escalate into an interstellar holocaust.
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So upon meeting Barrett, Straczynski extended an invitation for her to
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appear in a pivotal guest role. She graciously accepted. The script was
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delivered to her hotel the next morning. "And six weeks later we shot the
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show. It was just that simple. Just that easy," she delightfully recounts.
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"It's the most incredible thing I've ever seen. This is a big, important
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drama which is playing out over a period of five years, and Joe (Straczynski)
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knows exactly where this story is going to go and how it's going to get
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there," Barrett says of the show's unique continuing storyline.
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Adds Straczynski: "We're very pleased to have Majel appearing on 'Babylon
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5.' Because as the wife of 'Star Trek' creator Gene Roddenberry, her
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appearance on our show will help dispel the notion -- held by some -- that
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one cannot be a fan of both series.
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"Majel and I discussed this between us, and we both view this rivalry as
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unproductive. We are both extending our hands across our respective fictional
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universes in a show of solidarity. So we're very happy that she has chosen
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to endorse 'Babylon 5' in this way, and hope that science fiction viewers of
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all stripes will check out the series."
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For "Babylon 5," Barrett guest stars as Lady Morella, a seer and widow of
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the recently-slain Emperor of the Centaurian Republic, who provides a
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devastating vision of the future for the ever-scheming Centauri Ambassador,
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Londo Mollari (Peter Jurasik), and his aide, Vir (Stephen Furst). The
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episode, entitled "Point of No Return," will air during the week of February
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26, 1996 (check local listings for date, station, and time).
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Besides her recurring role as Lwuxana Troi in "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine"
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(and previously in "Star Trek: The Next Generation"), Barrett starred as
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Christine Chapel in the original series and the films, "Star Trek: The
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Motion Picture" and "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home." She is also the
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familiar voice of the computer on all three "Star Trek" series and the
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animated television show of the 1970s.
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Currently in its third season, "Babylon 5" has been the recipient of two
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Emmy Awards (for visual effects and make-up) and three Emmy nominations; The
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National Foundation Award for Best Vision of the Future; and a Hugo
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nomination from the World Science Fiction Association; among other honors.
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"Babylon 5" stars Bruce Boxleitner, Claudia Christian, Jerry Doyle, Mira
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Furlan, Richard Biggs, Bill Mumy, Jason Carter, Stephen Furst, Jeff Conaway,
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Andreas Katsulas and Peter Jurasik. Douglas Netter and J. Michael
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Straczynski are the executive producers, and John Copeland is the producer.
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Eminent science fiction author Harlan Ellison serves as a creative
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consultant.
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Produced by Babylonian Productions, Inc., the series is syndicated through
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Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution.
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