As many of you know, Babylon 5 is one of my all-time favorite television series. And within that series G’kar is one of my favorite characters. His transformation as a character is truly stunning. Here’s a scene that helps mark the beginning of his transition away from who he was at the start of the series.
I was struck by the following line: “Everything out there has only one purpose: to distract us from ourselves, from what is truly important.”
I don’t know if J. Michael Straczynksi realized how profound he was, but in light of my personal system of beliefs, it’s incredibly so. The biggest challenge we face in life is remembering who we are and why we are here. We are under constant attack aimed at making us doubt who we are and what we can become, making us forget what is most important.
We are so much more than the labels others would put on us. We are so much more than we even realize ourselves. Our potential is bounded only by ourselves, by what we allow others to impose, and by what distractions we entertain.
We can learn much from silence.
This is one of my favorite moments from the series. It is a masterpiece. I love how he pulls back into the shadows at just the right moment. Masterful. There is much to be learned from Babylon 5. If it weren’t so long, I would say it should be required viewing in school. Except it takes a level of maturity to really catch it all.
It IS profound, and as often as not for what it leaves unsaid instead of what it actually says. I love G’Kar’s vision while on the drug, and “Comes the inquisitor” is … astounding.
It is often said that what people loved most about Star Trek (the original series, anyway) was Roddenberry’s optimistic view of the future. I think one of the things I love most about Babylon 5 is, while its vision of the future isn’t exactly optimistic, its vision of humanity–at least at the individual level–is incredibly optimistic.
They characters are ALL flawed, even the super advanced Vorlons … sometimes the Vorlons seem even MORE flawed. But, everyone shows the ability to grow and be better.
I must be an ogre, because I like the layers upon layers. Every time I watch it, there is another layer to uncover and enjoy. Walkabout is one of my favorites. Absolutely love Dr. Franklin and his path to destruction juxtaposed against Garibaldi and his redemption. And then his getting kicked in the teeth by everyone’s favorite baddie.
The thing is, all of the characters are so … likable. As a story arc, that was well done, but I ached for both Garibaldi and Franklin.
And Londo.
The arc of Londo is … heartbreaking.
Clearly we need a Babylon 5 fest! We need to hijack one of the SLC ComiCons and have a B5 reunion. Caitlin Stratton would be in heaven… until we show Claudia Christian the video of Caitlin under the wisdom teeth drugs. Hee hee hee. And a good time was had by all!
She wasn’t substituting herself into the “Ivanova Mantra” was she?
Sorry, but Caitlinova would be brain-breaking…
I was hallucinating that shadows were in hiding in all the corners. Is that explanation enough?
Okay, but if you start going around asking people what they want, I’m kicking you off the station.
Sheesh, NOT “Come the Inquisitor”, “Passing Through Gethsemane”. So INCREDIBLY thought provoking.