EpDis: And The Sky Full Of Stars

Time for And The Sky Full Of Stars.

Refresher Links:
Lurker's Guide Main Page for And The Sky Full Of Stars
Lurker's Guide Extended Synopsis for And The Sky Full Of Stars

"And The Sky Full Of Stars" is one of the major episodes of the first season. We get a lot more about the Earth-Minbari War and it's all good. And we get a buttload more of Sinclair's missing time.

That there are people back on Earth that are not content with Sinclair running Babylon 5 and with his story of what he remembers happening at the Battle of the Line is compelling. I like that there are people in power in Earth society and government that aren't pleased with Sinclair having the possition he has; it makes the government in the show seem more real.

I really like the scene in the beginning between Franklin and Delenn where she asks him what he did during the war and we learn that he destroyed all his data on Minbari rather than let Earth use it to make weapons. And the ever mysterious Delenn easily and simply shrugs off the question when Franklin asks what she did during the war.

But as we eventually learn, Delenn was there at the Battle of the Line as part of the Grey Council when they tortured and interrogated Sinclair. I love it that the mystery isn't solved by the end of this episode. We know more than we did prior, but we don't know the whole story (but will later), which I think is great.

With Delenn trying to talk Sinclair down in the large hallway near the end, we feel that Delenn is friendly toward Sinclair, but we also are given a worry that she might not be all that friendly at all. It was a very nice tone set to keep the mystery rolling.

Overall, I think it's a great episode.

This is one easily makes it into my top 5 episodes overall. It's almost the one where b5 stops being a show about a group of people trying to hold down difficult jobs in a tin can and starts to touch on the big epic stuff as well. It can really send shivers up and down my spine - the desparate image of a tiny wing of starfuries drifting past the moon before the big attack, the look of horror on Sinclair's face when the helmet floats past his cockpit, the whole idea of a battle so one-sided that only 1 in 100 (is that right?) survive, and of course Christopher Franke's requiem music.

I thought the actor who plays Knight 2 did a great job of bringing the character to life - it's hard to imagine Walter Koenig would be as good in the role (was it originally written for him?). It's a shame he never reappeared. And Knight 1 was in Star Trek 2..

A this is an excellant episode adds to the mystery of B5 and gives ua suspion about Delenn and what her real motives are for being on B5 in the first place that she may not be all that she seems to be.

I thought the actor who plays Knight 2 did a great job of bringing the character to life - it's hard to imagine Walter Koenig would be as good in the role (was it originally written for him?). It's a shame he never reappeared. And Knight 1 was in Star Trek 2..

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Let us be grateful for large mercies that Koenig got handed the role of Bester instead. Far more room to continue and grow.

What might have been best, however, is if Patrick McGoohan (sp?), from the Prisoner, had been in the country at the time. I'm told he read the script and loved it, but couldn't make it....

Damn! I would have loved to see him in B5! There WERE a lot of other good, well known Brits in it.

I thought the actor who plays Knight 2 did a great job of bringing the character to life - it's hard to imagine Walter Koenig would be as good in the role (was it originally written for him?). It's a shame he never reappeared. And Knight 1 was in Star Trek 2..

Click to expand...

Let us be grateful for large mercies that Koenig got handed the role of Bester instead. Far more room to continue and grow.

What might have been best, however, is if Patrick McGoohan (sp?), from the Prisoner, had been in the country at the time. I'm told he read the script and loved it, but couldn't make it....

Click to expand...

This is correct. Koenig was recovering from a heart attack at the time and couldn't accpet the role (his episode 'Mind War' was originally scheduled to run tenth, but WB was so pleased with it they asked that it be broadcast earlier). McGoohan did love the script, but was going to be out of the country and never did get a chance to appear.

This the episode where we see that B5 is trying to cover a much larger canvas then we first thought. Conspiracy upon conspiracy piles up and we wonder who's zooming who. This was one of the best episodes on the first season.

This episode finally seemed to be bringing in the whole major plotline, and I really enjoyed it.

I gave it a "B", just because it's hard to narrow these episodes down to one of 5 grades when a couple of them were just so great. I feel this episode was "A" quality, but I have to leave some point of differentiation for those few really great episodes, and can't justify giving this one the same grade as those.

Eek, I wouldn't want you as my professor; I hate grading on a curve.

Let us be grateful for large mercies that Koenig got handed the role of Bester instead. Far more room to continue and grow.

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I wonder if, in some alternate universe, Knight 2 as played by Walter Koenig is Babylon 5's most important recurring villain, while Bester is just a minor character who appears in only one episode..

Knight 2 would have to get his memory back for that to work.

What a wild coincidence, I am going through the second set of "Danger Man" DVD's now. It would have been great to see Patrick McGoohan in B5. That roll in particular would have been perfect for him.

Oh, well.

I gave it an 'A,' but not without reservation: who the fuck were the "Knights" actually working for?! That really bugs me.

Other than that, great ep, of course. One of my favorite things about B5's presentation is the scenery-chewing ham acting of the guest actors, and the knight in the VR with Sinclair was great at that.

For some reason, I've always been of the opinion that the Knights had a covert connection to the PsiCorps or Bureau 13.

Maybe the Knights were stooges for then Vice Pres. Clark.

Ultimately they may have been answserable to the Vice President, Clark. He would have already begun scheming at this stage, and fomenting hatred against the Minbari would have suited his agenda.

We both posted the same thought about Clark being in on it at the very same time!

We both posted the same thought about Clark being in on it at the very same time!

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Yeah, obviously great minds think alike..

I'm sorry, but I always say that if anyone thinks like me, it's scary!

New review,

http://worldsoforos.com/secondviews/2008/06/22/review-babylon-5-108/#more-463

Interesting that Delene was under orders to Kill Sinclair if he ever regained his memories, boy that would have been a mistake now wouldn't it. Whats interesting is the fact that the Mimbari in effect tortured the man who was Valen reborn.A rather interesting bit of irony there I'd also interesting that Delene just happened to pick the right ship to tractor in.