Babylon 5

Top 10 Women of Sci Fi – Part 8

May 16, 2014 — Leave a comment

itb_delenn

Delenn

(Babylon 5)

I have written about how it took me years to watch Babylon 5 because I naively thought that Star Trek was in the end all be all when it came to science fiction television. Babylon 5 had many fascinating characters including number 8 on my list: Delenn.

Delenn was the Minbari Ambassador on the Babylon 5 station. The Minbar were an interesting species who divided their society three separate castes: Warrior, Spiritual and Working classes. Delenn belong to the spiritual caste but she was so much more that a spiritual being. She starts out as a very mysterious but well-respected figure on the station. During the course of the series she undergoes a major transformation and not just a physical one. She becomes one of the most important people in the class and along with Captain Sheridan, G’Kar, etc helps transforms the known universe.

If you haven’t seen the series, do yourself a favor and check out the wonderful world created by J. Michael Straczynski.

Babylon 5 – an appreciation

December 2, 2012 — Leave a comment

I have to admit that I am a Sci Fi snob. When Babylon 5 premiered in 1994, I refused to tune in because it wasn’t Star Trek. In my continuing effort to expand my science fiction horizons, I have recently started watching it. Well, I discovered that it was my loss, it’s a fantastic show! I’m in the middle of season two and I am thoroughly enjoying it. Babylon 5 has the best qualities of top notch television: complex characters; interesting story arcs; and plot threads that weave through the entire series.

Babylon 5 is a neutral space station established after the last great war between Humans and the Minbari; A place where different species can live, work and resolve their differences in a relatively secure environment. Five species sit on the ruling council where they work with the league of non-aligned worlds: Humans, Minbari, Narn, Centauri and the Vorlons are the main aliens.

Strong writing lays the foundation for a great show. Each season has a main theme but the show had a specific arc planned over its entire run. J. Michael Straczynski created fully realized alien races and complex social structures for each one. Some science fiction rely on makeup and prosthetics to create alien species with no thought to a social structure. Babylon 5 creates recognizable religious believes, societal relationships and governmental forms for each of it’s main alien species.

I’m enjoying the ride and can’t wait to see where the show takes me next.

For an interesting discussion of the show, check out Women Talk Sci Fi