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Beauty in the Dark

S

Strifeguard

Beyond the rim
So, SciFi aired "There all the honor lies" today, and when I watched the scene where Kosh shows Sheridan "one moment of pure beauty" I made a "connection" that I'd never made before.

JMS always said that he knew what the last episode of the series would look like, but we don't really know exactly how much of it he had planned out. Regardless, during "Sleeping in Light" Vir tells a story of how the Pak'ma'ra get together on rare occasions and sing. Supposedly the sounds were so beautiful that they moved Londo (of all people) to tears.

So here's my hypothesis. The robed figures who sing during "There all the honor lies" are Pak'ma'ra. Now, I watched very closely, and went over the scene several times (I recorded it while I was at work, unfortunately I learned that I'm recieving season 2 on DVD as a gift and am therefore forbidden from buying it prior to my birthday) and if you watch, extreme care is taken never to show what the aliens under the robes actually look like.

That said, I believe the following observations support the "Pak'ma'ra theory"
a) The robed figures appeared to be "larger than average aliens"
b) Kosh believed that this was true beauty, and Londo (through Vir) equates the Pak'ma'ra chant to the voice of God, this seems to fit with what a Vorlon would "enjoy"
c) The aliens were all wearing drab robes, the standard "Pak'ma'ra garb" (yes the alien robes were orange and Pak'ma'ra robes are usually dark-gray, but the drab-robe-motif is definitely there)
d) We know that the Pak'ma'ra, as carrion eaters, would keep to the bowels of the station, and that they tend to live far away from others

I can make other connections, but they're far weaker (i.e. we learn that Pak'ma'ra are "travellers" who don't set up businesses, so it would make sense for them to take a donation, etc.)

I'm curious to hear what others think, or even what other theories might be on who the robed aliens were.
 
I don't even attempt to psychoanalyze the show that deeply, but you bring up some very good observations. And I think you might be onto something there.

Rommie ;)
 
Hmm. I never put much thought into it before, but it seems plausible.

Coincidentally, this was the first episode of B5 that I ever saw, and actually, I didn't see all of it. I picked it up just exactly at that part. During the time it took to get from there to the end of the episode, I was hooked.
 
I'm getting close to that episode with my DVD watching, I will have a better look at it. But like with all B5, there are layers upon layers and just as you think you have an idea, JMS says no it was really this.
 
We had a discussion about this a long long time ago. The song is in latin if i remember correctly. Some catholic chant. Anyone with a good memory should be able to recall.
 
I don't even attempt to psychoanalyze the show that deeply, but you bring up some very good observations. And I think you might be onto something there.

Rommie ;)
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I'm with Rommie. I just watch the show and forget about analyzing it.

But, you do make some interesting points, there Strifeguard. :)
 
I don't even attempt to psychoanalyze the show that deeply, but you bring up some very good observations. And I think you might be onto something there.

Rommie ;)
Click to expand...

I'm with Rommie. I just watch the show and forget about analyzing it.

But, you do make some interesting points, there Strifeguard. :)
Click to expand...

Although I do look for signs of continuity through the episodes. Seeing how they corrolate with other episodes. I am an intelligent viewer, but I am no Albert Einstein. ;)

Rommie ;)
 
Well I watched the episode, but couldn't really tell, it was however a really beautiful piece. I totally forgot that was the episode the Teddy Bear got spaces, talk about symmetry with 'Beauty in the dark'. :)
 
Well I watched the episode, but couldn't really tell, it was however a really beautiful piece. I totally forgot that was the episode the Teddy Bear got spaces, talk about symmetry with 'Beauty in the dark'. :)
 
I watched the ep last night, and it is hard to tell just who the rag guys really are.

But my question is this...

If they are Pak'ma'ra, how could they sing a Human song almost flawlessly? Even when they spoke using a translator, the English they used sounded kinda gutteral and grovelly like. If they were Pak'ma'ra, why doesn't that show up when they sing?
 
I watched the ep last night, and it is hard to tell just who the rag guys really are.

But my question is this...

If they are Pak'ma'ra, how could they sing a Human song almost flawlessly? Even when they spoke using a translator, the English they used sounded kinda gutteral and grovelly like. If they were Pak'ma'ra, why doesn't that show up when they sing?
 
I think the Pak'ma'ra as the singing "monks" is a very interesting theory and one I would like to believe.

As for RW's questions ...

People today learn songs in foreign languages without knowing that language. In particular I am thinking of opera singers but even when I was in choir way back when, we had to sing a song in Italian and with enough practice, we got the sounds down pretty well. ;)

Also, I think people's singing voices can sound much different than their speaking voices. ;)

PS: Hi Aenea! :D
 
I think the Pak'ma'ra as the singing "monks" is a very interesting theory and one I would like to believe.

As for RW's questions ...

People today learn songs in foreign languages without knowing that language. In particular I am thinking of opera singers but even when I was in choir way back when, we had to sing a song in Italian and with enough practice, we got the sounds down pretty well. ;)

Also, I think people's singing voices can sound much different than their speaking voices. ;)

PS: Hi Aenea! :D
 
Hey, just because the Pak'ma'Ra are singing in Latin, we must assume that its their native tounge. ;-)

Just like when you see two Narns speaking English, they're actually speaking Narn... why not extend that to other terran languages? ;-)

-Tim
 
Hey, just because the Pak'ma'Ra are singing in Latin, we must assume that its their native tounge. ;-)

Just like when you see two Narns speaking English, they're actually speaking Narn... why not extend that to other terran languages? ;-)

-Tim
 
If they are Pak'ma'ra, how could they sing a Human song almost flawlessly?
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I'm willing to chalk this up to "adaptation". That is, while the Pak'ma'ra probably wouldn't ever sing in Latin (btw, do we ever hear a Pak'ma'ra speak, other than that noise one makes when regurgitating Dr. Franklin's non-organic solution? I just can't seem to recall) But, the chant must be "beautiful" so it was represented for us as an ancient gregorian chant that viewers would inherently recognize as "beautiful".

It's not perfect, but of all the hats JMS has worn (author, director, producer, etc.) "composer" was never one of them. (as far as I know)
 
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