{"id":6981,"date":"2018-09-20T13:00:08","date_gmt":"2018-09-20T20:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/?p=6981"},"modified":"2018-09-01T08:47:21","modified_gmt":"2018-09-01T15:47:21","slug":"mark-watches-babylon-5-the-gathering","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2018\/09\/mark-watches-babylon-5-the-gathering\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Watches &#8216;Babylon 5&#8217;: The Gathering"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In the <i>Babylon 5<\/i> movie <i>The Gathering<\/i>, I begin my journey. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to start <i>Babylon 5<\/i>.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><!--more--><\/p>\n<p>Hello, hello, hello! For many, many years, this has been a heavily requested show for Mark Watches. It was put on the schedule, and then removed when I worried that I would have SPACE FATIGUE. (Which I now realize is ludicrous because I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m gay and we love space, sorry, don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t make the rules.) After some incredible help from the community at large and specifically from rukbat3, <a href=\"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2018\/09\/the-official-viewing-order-for-mark-watches-babylon-5-is-here\/\">I actually have a concrete viewing order for this show<\/a>! You can check <a href=\"https:\/\/calendar.google.com\/calendar\/embed?src=815s3sbr8clhdi9tn8k7r3tim4@group.calendar.google.com&amp;pli=1\">my Master Schedule<\/a> here as well, which will detail when all the reviews will go up.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>If you are new around here\u00e2\u20ac\u201dthere is always an influx of new readers as I start a new series\u00e2\u20ac\u201dI am going to ask you to read all of the following, as it will help you get an understanding of what I do here and why it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s different than just someone reviewing the show.<\/p>\n<p><b>1) Spoilers are not allowed in any form on Mark Watches<\/b>. Please refrain from ever posting (in normal text) any sort of spoiler or reference to future storylines or developments while commenting on this site. This rule is probably a lot more strict than you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re used to, so if you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re warned about spoilers or if your comment is edited because of it, trust me. This is for a reason. Please visit the\u00c2\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/about\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Spoiler Policy<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0for guidance.<\/p>\n<p><b>2) You may, however, post spoilers in rot13.\u00c2\u00a0<\/b>You will inevitably see what looks like gibberish in the comments. We use\u00c2\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/rot13.com\/\">rot13<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0to cipher all possible spoilers so that y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all\u00c2\u00a0<i>can<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0still have a conversation about each episode if you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve seen the entire show. Please cipher all spoilers.<\/p>\n<p><b>3) Please read the Site Rules before commenting<\/b>. My group of moderators and I try to make Mark Watches an exception to the rule when it comes to online conversations. This means that moderation is more evident here than other places. <a href=\"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/about\/\">Please review the rules<\/a>, as this is your only warning.<\/p>\n<p><b>4) Mark Watches videos are attached as a link at the end of the post.<\/b>\u00c2\u00a0They are $0.99 each, and you can download each video 15 times, meaning you can send them to friends or anyone else for free. The system is built to handle free downloads, so download away. The lovely folks over at Mark Spoils run a place called the\u00c2\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/markspoils.blogspot.com\/2015\/07\/the-black-market.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Black Market<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0where you can find extra downloads of videos in case you cannot afford them or don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want to pay for them. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s totally sanctioned (and adored!) by me, so go ahead! Test them out. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s basically me sitting and yelling at my TV, and I cry a lot because reasons.<\/p>\n<p>I do like to let folks know what I am aware of before I start a project, so here\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what little I know of <i>Babylon 5<\/i> before I started this movie:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>It is in space.<\/li>\n<li>It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s science fiction.<\/li>\n<li>J. Michael Straczynski is the creator and writer of the series.<\/li>\n<li>I vaguely remember someone who was on the cast for <i>The X-Files<\/i> being on this show?<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li>There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a person with weird hair? It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s like a shield?<\/li>\n<li>I DON\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T KNOW.<\/li>\n<li>It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s long?<\/li>\n<li>And complicated?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>HERE WE GO FRIENDS. Because I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know shit about the show itself. I just know it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s beloved, people have been yelling about it in my direction for years, and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122M READY. I was not even ten years old when this came out, and the series didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t hit my radar until I started going to science fiction\/fantasy conventions back in 2013. People had recommended it to me once Mark Watches had started, but I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t hear about it regularly until I got more involved in the community. So I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m coming into it with more knowledge of the genre than I had five years ago. Which I think is a good thing! It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s pretty easy for me to settle into the series because certain elements and tropes are familiar to me, and thus, I felt able to pay attention to more of the smaller details. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know how much of this film plays into the larger series either, but I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m hoping that it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s important because HOW DARE YOU LEAVE ME WITH UNANSWERED QUESTIONS.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>As a whole, this felt like more of an extended episode than a film, but it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a solid introduction to what I <i>think<\/i> will be the general aim of the series. Indeed, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the worldbuilding stuff that felt most exciting to me. The story itself is fine, but knowing how much I have ahead of me, I am going to be patient in terms of letting the show come into its own. So what did this film give me? How does it aim to introduce a new viewer to the world of <i>Babylon 5<\/i>? Well, more often than not, this film trusts the viewer. It accepts that you kind of know what you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re getting into with a science fiction story set on a diplomatic space station, so in terms of exposition, the movie never felt overloaded with it. It just <i>existed<\/i>, and the viewer gets to pick up on the details handed out to them.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m always fascinated by where stories begin, particularly since that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s something I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve struggled with in practically every story I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve ever written. I like worlds and characters that are rich with history, but as you construct them, you still have to choose where to begin telling your tale. <i>The Gathering <\/i>drops us in after the horrible war between the Minbari and Earth, after many failed attempts at bringing forth an alliance between the major alien species and humans, after <i>four<\/i> other <i>Babylon<\/i> stations were destroyed or lost. (AND YOU BETTER BELIEVE I WANT A WHOLE STORY ABOUT WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED TO <i>BABYLON 4<\/i>, DON\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T YOU DARE DO THIS TO ME.) There are hints of the old Empire of the Centauri, of the oppressive regime they had over the Narn. But JMS (and I hope it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s okay to refer to him as such, since I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve seen those initials a few times now online) chose to bring the audience into the fold as the fifth species, the Vorlons, finally decides to initiate negotiations to the Alliance. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a clever move because it allows him to show us an existing history that is complicated while putting us in the humans\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 shoes as they welcome a fifth species into the fold. (Which I theorized was the reason for the \u00e2\u20ac\u01535\u00e2\u20ac\u009d in the title, only to be proven wrong mere minutes later. I TRIED, OKAY.)<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>From that point, we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re given a story that isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t exactly groundbreaking but is <i>effective<\/i>. We meet the various members of the crew\u00e2\u20ac\u201dCommander Sinclair, Security Chief Garibaldi, Lt. Commander Takashima, Dr. Kyle\u00e2\u20ac\u201das well as some of the other major players on this station. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the Minbari ambassador, Delenn, who I found to be the most interesting character here. It helps that the film gave her a mystery right off the bat: why did her species stop a brutal war just as they were about to win it? Why is she willing to give Sinclair so many secrets? Why did she abstain from voting in favor of him during G\u00e2\u20ac\u2122Kar\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s ludicrous little hearing? WHO GAVE HER ORDERS?<\/p>\n<p>Coming up in a close second is Londo Mollari, who could have merely been here for comic relief if it weren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t for the seeding of his people\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s decline. That shit is fascinating, particularly since the first half of the movie sets up G\u00e2\u20ac\u2122Kar as an antagonist and Londo as\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 well, not really a <i>good<\/i> character so much as an entertaining one. And then, halfway through this film, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s all flipped. The Narn were oppressed by the Centaurians long ago, though <i>how<\/i> long ago is left unsaid. All we know is that the Centauri people were once part of a great and mighty empire, one that has more or less faded out of existence. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a hint of war crimes, which G\u00e2\u20ac\u2122Kar uses to blackmail Londo with, and it suggests how brutal this occupation must have been. Again: this film hints at things, does not give me them, and expects me to take the bait.<\/p>\n<p>I gobbled that bait up, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all. I WANT TO KNOW MORE. GIVE ME MORE! Why did Sinclair lose 24 hours of time between his imminent defeat and the Minbari surrender? Why was that specific Minbari so dead set on destroying the possible alliance between the Vorlons and the others? Because this was serious dedication, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all. That assassin had to do <i>so many things<\/i> just to get on board, and then they stole a changeling net (WHAT THAT\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S SO COOL), and then they set about to destroy <i>everything<\/i> through Ambassador Kosh\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s death. Oh god, I haven\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even talked about Kosh and Dr. Kyle yet. Y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all, WHAT THE FUCK ARE THE VORLONS? Are they just <i>light<\/i> inside those suits? (I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll repeat what I said on video: the design of the Vorlons is absolutely incredible.) What did Dr. Kyle see? I mean, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m inclined to believe he saw exactly what he said he saw, so\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 are there even <i>bodies<\/i> inside those suits? PROBABLY NOT. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even know that I <i>need<\/i> any confirmation, as my imagination works wonders with what little information I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got. But I also expect that the Vorlons will play a large part in the series to come, given that Kosh survives.<\/p>\n<p>We don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t learn all that much of the humans\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 pasts, though. Sinclair has a relationship with another human, Carolyn, that seems important; we know that Garibaldi has been passed from station to station and was \u00e2\u20ac\u0153difficult,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d though there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s no real explanation for that, either. Lyta might be a permanent character, but I wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t sure, and there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s virtually nothing in the way of a history for Dr. Kyle or Takashima. Which is okay! It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just the start, and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m eager to see what the series itself does with these characters. What else is in store for them? How significant are the events of this film to other story arcs? Will there be a time jump between <i>The Gathering<\/i> and the premiere? I HAVE LOTS OF QUESTIONS, clearly, but I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m willing to see them through.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Onwards I go, friends!<\/p>\n<p>The video for <i>The Gathering<\/i> can be downloaded here for $1.99.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Mark Links Stuff<\/b><\/p>\n<p>&#8211; <strong>My YA contemporary debut, <a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/AngerIsAGift\">ANGER IS A GIFT<\/a>, is now out in the world!\u00c2\u00a0<\/strong><strong>If you&#8217;d like to stay up-to-date on all announcements regarding my books, <a href=\"http:\/\/eepurl.com\/ey636\">sign up for my newsletter<\/a>! DO IT.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the Babylon 5 movie The Gathering, I begin my journey. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to start Babylon 5.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[694],"tags":[695],"class_list":["post-6981","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-babylon-5","tag-mark-watches-babylon-5"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6981","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6981"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6981\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6981"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6981"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6981"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<!-- WP Super Cache is installed but broken. 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