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3 years ago @ Mark Watches - Mark Watches 'Babylon ... · 4 replies · +4 points

The case for not exterminating Earth's telepaths would be a lot stronger if virtually every telepath we've ever seen (with the exception of Ivanova, who, being main cast gets an exception from the 'all humans are irredeemable' message that the series propagates) didn't feel free to flagrantly violate the rights and mental integrity of normal humans without justification. The teeps are unwilling to accept a live-and-respect-others solution and that makes for an us-vs-them scenario where Edgars is entirely right to want to kill them.

Cyhf, vs Rqtnef unq rkgrezvangrq nyy uhzna gryrcnguf jr jbhyq unir orra fcnerq Oleba, naq gung jbhyq or n uhtr obba va naq bs vgfrys.

4 years ago @ Mark Watches - Mark Watches 'Babylon ... · 0 replies · +2 points

That was...underwhelming.

The Minbari civil war ran a mere two and a half episodes, was ended using two deus ex machinas built on premises which were not previously established to be part of Minbari culture, relies on the villain being a one-dimensional sheet of cardboard, and, was written with all the meaningful choices and character development in Neroon's hands without giving Delenn any further character development or the opportunity to make any meaningful choices.

4 years ago @ Mark Watches - Mark Watches 'Babylon ... · 0 replies · +6 points

I agree. There's a lot wrong with this plot beat. Getting the League to agree on anything is a big deal, but it's treated as a comedic beat where the League races are treated as the (motor)butt of the joke.

It's also a case of the writing trying to elevate Sheridan further towards deification by tearing his opponents down. Unfortunately it backfires because it isn't even remotely laudable to con a group of people who genuinely seem to have developmental deficits.

A protagonist needs to face adversaries of comparable skill for their achievements to mean anything.

4 years ago @ Mark Watches - Mark Watches 'Babylon ... · 0 replies · +4 points

In addition, why didn’t Garibaldi fire the instant he saw that guy’s head?

My interpretation is that the teeps put Garibaldi's mind on pause so he wasn't able to shoot them.

4 years ago @ Mark Watches - Mark Watches 'Babylon ... · 1 reply · +9 points

The idea of an open society isn't particularly strong in B5-the-show. B5-the-station has been independent for around a year now, but the idea that just maybe it might be a good time to introduce some kind of democracy hasn't even crossed Sheridan's mind. The station is a military dictatorship for all intents and purposes. As you say, the idea of a free press isn't even on the radar.

4 years ago @ Mark Watches - Mark Watches 'Babylon ... · 0 replies · +8 points

Delenn has never been good at foreseeing the consequences of her actions until those consequences are staring her in the face. I don't think it's out of character for her not to imagine breaking the Grey Council causing civil war as she's never foreseen any of her previous actions ending badly. Lack of foresight is an unfortunate character trait for a character who is supposed to be wise, but it is a character trait she was built with.

There are definitely some consistency problems with Delenn's character but I don't think this is one of them.

4 years ago @ Mark Watches - Mark Watches 'Babylon ... · 0 replies · +8 points

I don't disagree that Delenn's reaction was natural. I suspect most people would react the same way under the same circumstances.

However, in a fictional world where everything is built up at the whims of the writer, having single examples of under-represented groups demonstrate behaviors that echo real-world prejudices is a choice. It's a bad choice. It wouldn't be right for the only Muslim character in a work of fiction to be a terrorist; it wouldn't be right for the only Jewish character in a work of fiction to be a con artist (insert other anti-Semitic stereotype here); it's not right for the only woman in power to be too emotionally unstable to be fit for the job.

4 years ago @ Mark Watches - Mark Watches 'Babylon ... · 0 replies · +7 points

For whatever reason Delenn gets away with a lot.

Yes. Much of JMS commentary gives the impression that Delenn was very much a writer's pet character. That's probably why she gets away with so much.

4 years ago @ Mark Watches - Mark Watches 'Babylon ... · 0 replies · +8 points

I agree that this episode, or at least its core revelation, ought to have been placed sooner. There's a good case to be made that we ought to have found out about Delenn's culpability in Babylon Squared: suppose the Grey Council ridiculed her for weeabooing humanity on the grounds that she's speaking out of guilt rather than out of rationality. That would give the Grey Council a good reason to marginalize out Delenn instead of just being cliche obstructive superiors. Further down the line, Neroon would have had another reason to mock Delenn for becoming half-human. Etc. Atonement just comes too late.

As for the wisdom of Dukhat's choice, consider it one more data point in the premise that nepotism does not make for good government.

4 years ago @ Mark Watches - Mark Watches 'Babylon ... · 0 replies · +5 points

What?

Reading that I'm left wondering if JMS is writing about the same script that the rest of us saw.

By JMS' definition, atonement involves admitting to a mistake in the knowledge that admission could lead to rejection. I don't see Delenn as having done anything in Atonement that meets that definition. She didn't tell Sheridan--or any other human--and Lennier's forgiveness was never credibly in question to anyone who knows the character.

There's no atonement here; just Delenn being her usual manipulative self and keeping secrets to extract ongoing relationships from multiple humans who might have other ideas if they knew the whole truth.

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