Keep Calm and Take CONTROL

[marajade]

Ok, I’m going to go on rant….don’t really care if I’m the only one that feels this way (especially about a short lived secondary character) but I finally binged watched B5 and absolutely loved it. I really was into the Psi Corp episodes especially! With that said, the Talia Winters story arc bugged me. I actually liked the character. She started out so docile, ended up receiving hard core Telekinetic and Telepathy super powers (i.e. embedding a penny into a wall and blocking Bester) and started becoming dis-enfranchised with the Psi Corp. Clearly building her character up for the role Lyta took over. Alas, though it was short lived. The character was built up for two years and was dropped, with me (as a viewer) scratching my head. Even though Lyta, took over the telepath arc, I LOVED the ice queen known as Control!! The actress did such a great job of portraying that character and brought a different countenance to Talia 2.0. So when 3rd season rolled around, I was thinking "a hard core character like that would be showing up again for sure"….nope, then season 4…..nope….lost hope on Season 5. I totally did not believe Bester when he said she was dissected, especially since personnel for Department Sigma (formerly Bureau 13) were marked as deceased anyway and Bester actually does care about “his” telepaths. Besides, it would be just plain stupid to takeaway a loyal psi corp teek. :brickwall:
So (in the real world) I finally read some excerpts that JMS and the actress had a “falling out” back in the day and he would never “have the character show up in his universe again”. I know Andrea Thompson has since retired from acting and has taken up realty.

With that said, looking forward to the new Babylon 5 in production, I am actually holding out false hope that he will create it around the Telepath War and am hoping that a whole 20 years later, let frickin’ by gones be by gones and if AT would be willing to go back into acting for one final bru-ha-ha to give the character a worthy send off.

Talia/Control could follow a whole other arc and be the dark side of power over Lyta’s power of light and give her a run for her money. A trained teek by the corp and with Control’s hate…were talking a mix of Sylar (Heroes - TK surgery) + Starkiller (Force Unleashed bringing whole ships down out of the air) + Nick Scryer (Psi-Ops – Mind Drain) + The Movie Chronicle with some TK flight and maybe sprinkled with some John Shepard (Mass Effect – singularity creation) = Telekinetic Bad @ssery! Not to mention her enhanced telepathy, along with her “stunning” personality. That would bring a new dimension to the Telepath War and go figure…put the characters amorphic fate to rest. The takeaway - She would mess folks up something horrible, especially her fighting alongside Bester. Talk about a tag team!! :devil:

The only way they could stop a powerhouse like that…would be maybe Kosh’s crystal? Who knows….I think there could be a lot to work with.

Okay, Okay I even read the Psi Corp trilogy (which I think is at least 90% canon) and her fate was left questionable there too. Where Garibaldi, with all of his $$ and resources, never really knew the fate of Talia or even found her.
Even though this is how it goes in the entertainment industry, as a viewer, it was hard to get invested in a character (and loved the Control twist), to see where it was going, just to drop it.
Any way…there is my rant…signing off and yes I feel better now! #bringbacktaliawinters #controlTKbad@$$

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[Springer]

So (in the real world) I finally read some excerpts that JMS and the actress had a “falling out” back in the day and he would never “have the character show up in his universe again”. I know Andrea Thompson has since retired from acting and has taken up realty.
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It wasn't a falling out as such, from what I understand.

Andrea Thompson wanted more screen time, but JMS wasn't willing to bend the story for her, so Thompson asked to leave to pursue other acting opportunities and JMS granted it. I don't know whether there were any plans to bring Talia back, but Andrea Thompson then got a regular role on NYPD Blue, and later became a news anchor so she might not have been available to come back anyway. I've never read JMS say Talia would never be mentioned in the story again, at least not out of spite - maybe out of practicalities if she was busy doing other things. Plus she was married to Jerry Doyle - were they in the process of getting divorced when she left, or was that after? That may have contributed to it a little, I don't know. But Andrea Thompson was at the 20th anniversary reunions with JMS and Jerry Doyle.

But I agree with you, I think we're in a minority amongst B5 fans but I really liked Talia's character and the actress more than Lyta (although in an ideal world they would have both stayed on the show).

 

[hypatia]

I never saw the two as being exclusive of each other. There's room for all kinds of people in the show, and both characters were excellently played, and had interesting stories. Works for me. :bolian:

 

[marajade]

Yes, the divorce was after she left B5 (I think like 1997). I too read that she wanted more screen time and JMS just couldn't give that to her.

You are absolutely right though, Thompson has been super supportive of the fans and B5. I know she did many comic-cons and saw she was at the 20th anniversary reunions with those folks, so things might be better than I thought. Plus, a lot of time has gone by.

I am glad to know that there are other B5 fans out there like you that feel the same. The fact that I constantly find posts similar to mine let's me know it annoyed other folks too. I think the character never had a chance to come to fruition and now with the main story arc done, won't in the old sense. However, new life could be given to Talia/Control. At this point, I will take a book/comic, whatever but the best, if she could come back in the new B5. One can only hope! :dancing:

Side Note: Andrea Thompson was good in NYPD Blue as well.

 

[marajade]

I never saw the two as being exclusive of each other. There's room for all kinds of people in the show, and both characters were excellently played, and had interesting stories. Works for me. :bolian:

I second that! That's why I think it would be awesome to see the Telepath War. One is a powerhouse for light and the other dark. :thumbsup:

 

[Jan]

JMS may have said that Talia wouldn't be back but that doesn't mean that he was holding a grudge against Andrea Thompson. There's no indication of that back in the day and definitely none in the B5 script books where he talks about the split and Pat Tallman's return as Lyta.

Whatever the future B5 movie is, we do know it's a reboot. JMS did talk about using some of the original cast as other characters, though, which I think would be really interesting.

Jan

 

[marajade]

JMS is going to use original cast members in the reboot? Cool! :bolian:

 

[Jan]

JMS is going to use original cast members in the reboot? Cool! :bolian:

I don't seem to have finished that sentence. What JMS mentioned was using original cast members *in other parts*. The one example he gave was that Bruce Boxleitner would be great as the Earth Alliance president...but he didn't say *which* Earth Alliance president!

Jan

 

[vorlonlovechild]

I think BB would make a great evil president. Look at how he played his holgramatical evil twin in DOFS.

 

[Springer]

I think BB would make a great evil president. Look at how he played his holgramatical evil twin in DOFS.

I'm not sure I could take it seriously if he was cast in such a role in the reboot. It would feel a bit too much like a nod and a wink to the fans. That's going to be the danger with this. It either has to have strong links with the original series, or be something brand new.

 

[Jan]

I'm not sure I could take it seriously if he was cast in such a role in the reboot. It would feel a bit too much like a nod and a wink to the fans.

JMS is really good at casting against typecasting, though. Remember the reaction to 'Chekov' on Babylon 5? I think it would be great for the cast to have meaty roles in the reboot rather than cameos. That's what I'm hoping for, anyway.

Jan

 

[Springer]

I'm not sure I could take it seriously if he was cast in such a role in the reboot. It would feel a bit too much like a nod and a wink to the fans.

JMS is really good at casting against typecasting, though. Remember the reaction to 'Chekov' on Babylon 5? I think it would be great for the cast to have meaty roles in the reboot rather than cameos. That's what I'm hoping for, anyway.

Jan

I absolutely agree, they should have meaty roles, but I think they've got to be carefully chosen so they are playing a real character, not a pastiche or pandering to fans and fan-fiction.

 

[Wulf]

I can see both sides.

If any of the old cast are in cameo roles I can easily see myself not being able to look at them as anything but their original character, but if they have a more substantial role where they can establish themselves as a new character I could probably look past it fairly quickly (assuming they did it well enough).

Of course, it's been 20 years, any returning cast probably won't have to try very hard to look like somebody new.

 

[marajade]

Hopefully one of those cameo roles is Control!! Sorry, couldn't help myself again!:rommie:

 

[Mororless]

I can see both sides.

If any of the old cast are in cameo roles I can easily see myself not being able to look at them as anything but their original character, but if they have a more substantial role where they can establish themselves as a new character I could probably look past it fairly quickly (assuming they did it well enough).

Of course, it's been 20 years, any returning cast probably won't have to try very hard to look like somebody new.

I would preffer all of nothing personally, cameo's are distracting because its more of a wink rather than a chance for an actor to play a role of depth.

I think that if JMS wanted a Londo like character involved Jurasik would actually still be able to play him. He was aged a bit via makeup in the original and really unlike the human characters I don't think Londo is naturally a "young" character, indeed quite the reverse.

As far as how effective Talia and Lyta were as characters I would say both had there strengths. Talia was IMHO more effective playing off of the Psi Corps as her relationship to them felt a lot deeper. Lyta on the other hand for me seemed to be more effective when playing off of the Vorlons/Shadows.

 

[marajade]

As far as how effective Talia and Lyta were as characters I would say both had there strengths. Talia was IMHO more effective playing off of the Psi Corps as her relationship to them felt a lot deeper. Lyta on the other hand for me seemed to be more effective when playing off of the Vorlons/Shadows.

Yes, I agree with this. I think those characters arcs played those off well. Now of course to get my plug in for some new arcs....bring in some telekinesis terror with Control!! :drool:

I'm sorry...I just can't help myself!

 

[Karajorma]

I'm not sure I could take it seriously if he was cast in such a role in the reboot. It would feel a bit too much like a nod and a wink to the fans. That's going to be the danger with this. It either has to have strong links with the original series, or be something brand new.

Well someone has already mentioned Bester but I'll also point out Tom Zarek in the new BSG as an example. I don't think anyone saw him and thought "It's Apollo!"

As long as it's done well, I'd love to see the old gang appear.