I'm looking forward to this more than 'Enterprise' I think.
Posted by Eclipse (Member # 472) on :
The Legend Of The Rangers The Lord Of The Rings
Posted by Mr. Christopher (Member # 71) on :
Guess JMS's getting more and more influenced by Tolkien, eh? Don't get me wrong, I love B5, but after finishing LotR, the similarities between the two are uncanny: fighting off the great evil, rebuilding your home after prolonged abscence, leaving for a better place, etc.
Posted by Aethelwer (Member # 36) on :
And the whole Lorien thing. Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
Ah... No wonder the thread title confused me...
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
I do not think Babylon 5 is without merit.
But JMS has a sizable hurdle to get over.
Posted by Vogon Poet (Member # 393) on :
Wow, that's the least anti-B5 thing Sol has ever said! Must be mellowing now he's a graduate. Care to walk us along this hurdles track, Simon? 8)
Posted by Zor Prime (Member # 527) on :
If you want to see where got his B5 storyline from, check out a series of books by E.E. Doc Smith from 1934 calles the Lensman series. First book is called Triplanetary. It's all there. The 2 old races fighting, using the young races as fodder, etc etc. I like B5, don't get me wrong, but everything seems to come from somewhere. (PS. the copy I read even had a quote from JMS saying he "cut his teeth" on Doc Smith's books.
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
Oh, I don't think JMS ripped off the Lensmen. No Lens, for one thing.
Anyway, the hurdle I speak of is Crusade, primarily. And most of the TV movies he made for TNT. Perhaps albatross would be a better word.
Posted by AndrewR (Member # 44) on :
Re Crusade etc. (it was ok) but it was interesting in an article I was reading at b5lr.com where basically JMS admitted to the interviewer that Crusade was doomed from the start - since he was totally burnt out after doing the 5+ years of B5... and then straight into Crusade. It's true. Crusade - it was good, but it could have been a WHOLE lot better. Maybe this is why I am looking forward to B5:LotR... he's had time away from the universe. We've had time away from the universe.
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
It's not just Crusade. It's Crusade, plus River of Souls, plus Thirdspace, plus the dodgy bits of season 5.
Posted by AndrewR (Member # 44) on :
Yes, exactly - I just didn't mention those extra movies...
I'd say he hit a peak with SiL and then In the Beginning... and then blew a fuse.
Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
Personally, I kinda liked Thirdspace. Maybe it was just having Ivonova in it again, maybe it was because I watched it after having seen a few season 5 episodes, and it bought back memories of happier times, when Sheridan was clean-shaven and less ginger. Maybe it was because it tried to just be a straight out action-movie. ItB was excellent, but quite in-depth. Thirdspace was, comparitivly, light and simple (not light in a "fluffy" kind of way. Just light in the way that you knew it wasn't important, and they'd get out of it). River of Souls was light, but in a bad, bad way. And I still haven't seen A Call To Arms, but I've had a few people saying "It's awful! And the music's shit", and a few others saying "It's excellent! And the music's shit!"
I do think it's a bit unfair though how JMS always gets the "oh, he took that from such a such", and "That happened in this thing". Most modern TV has influences in past literature. And since B5 was one of the closest (mildly) successful series to essentially do a "novel for television", then it's going to be more apparent that other shows. But, if you were cronically bored, you could point out all the influences in many Trek shows.
JMS can be up his own arse at times though.
Posted by Shik (Member # 343) on :
The music for "Thirdspace" was great if only for the fact that JMS ordered Chris Franke to put in a theremin. Genius.
Posted by Aethelwer (Member # 36) on :
Some of my friends built a theremin once. It's the most fun you can have with a Schmidt trigger.
Posted by Vogon Poet (Member # 393) on :
Damn! My mum made me chuck my Schmidt Trigger out! I TOLD her I'd find a use for it someday! B(
