Babylon 5s plots and characters were complex and nuanced like no other show of its time. No simple labels can be used to describe any of them regardless of whether those labels are seen by us as being positive or negative. But I believe JMS wanted us to be challenged by the show, not think of it or the characters he created simply as 2 dimensional poster children for a particular characteristic or archetype. Thats why the story and so many of the characters underwent transformations throughout the series - to show us how easy it is to believe one thing, and then have that belief over-turned when our knowledge & understanding increases. He did this throughout the show, and I believe he had the last laugh at us viewers in the final credit run of Sleeping In Light, where it says that the entire show was an ISN Special Documentary (at about 3:15 in the clip below). That could either be seen as a bit of humour, or it could be seen as a challenge by JMS to us viewers, to look at the whole show as a wonderful piece of propaganda (edit: instead of propaganda, maybe coloured by the personal and political affiliations of the organisation publishing the material would be a better description)- a challenge to review everything we thought we understood and see if we might have been duped into thinking about things from a single fixed perspective. Personally, I have no firm belief one way or the other. I loved the show for what it was: a great story with great characters, but I love it more for the _possibility_ that it was so much more than that: something to keep challenging us to see things from every perspective. What do other members think? Id be especially interested in the thoughts of Thomas Barton, Ian Jd Andrews, Gary Fowler, Odas Glaser, Michael Johnson, Adam M Dunphy, Sionainne OReannachain Mkcc, Rich McFall, Ady Brown and Ed Murphy, all of whom, in the year that I have been a member here, have at one time or another, expressed strong and well reasoned arguments both ways. But Id welcome everyones thoughts equally. https://youtube/watch?v=znNciln7qwY
Posted on: Sun, 25 Jan 2015 12:36:13 +0000
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