Kosh's appearance (Spoilers_)

[B5JMS Poster]

Subject: Kosh's appearance (Spoilers_)
+  1: Oct 21, 1995: wh636 at freenet.Victoria.BC.CA (Nicholas Welch)
   2: Oct 23, 1995: tim at skidmark.mitre.org (Tim Monaghan)
   3: Oct 24, 1995: emery2 at ix.netcom.com (Emery Calame )
+  4: Oct 26, 1995: swd2 at po.CWRU.Edu (Steven W. Difranco)
*  5: Oct 27, 1995: straczynski at genie.geis.com

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From: wh636 at freenet.Victoria.BC.CA (Nicholas Welch)
Lines: 42


Spoiler warning.













Spoilers ahead!









It strikes me that Londo Mollari's inability to see Kosh 
could be explained fairly easily.  JMS has dealt with
religion in B5 in a way that other science fiction series
rarely do, and his knowledge of religion seems impressive.
The Centauri as a race are not atheists; they have a 
pantheon, and a Supreme Being of some sort (the "Great
Maker").  Londo himself is another question.  One of the
points C.S. Lewis occasionally dealt with in his religious
works (which JMS has probably read) is that the most 
unbearable torment suffered by the damned is that they
are "denied the sight of the face of God."  Couple that
with the dying Emperor's statement to Londo and Refa"
"You are both damned."  Londo, by his unscrupulous 
actions, has become a Lost Soul, irrevocably damned, and
can no longer perceive the messengers of God.  
-- 
Power corrupts.  Absolute power is even nicer.

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From: swd2 at po.CWRU.Edu (Steven W. Difranco)
Lines: 54


In a previous article, wh636 at freenet.Victoria.BC.CA (Nicholas Welch) says:

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>Spoilers ahead!
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>It strikes me that Londo Mollari's inability to see Kosh 
>could be explained fairly easily.  JMS has dealt with
>religion in B5 in a way that other science fiction series
>rarely do, and his knowledge of religion seems impressive.
>The Centauri as a race are not atheists; they have a 
>pantheon, and a Supreme Being of some sort (the "Great
>Maker").  Londo himself is another question.  One of the
>points C.S. Lewis occasionally dealt with in his religious
>works (which JMS has probably read) is that the most 
>unbearable torment suffered by the damned is that they
>are "denied the sight of the face of God."  Couple that
>with the dying Emperor's statement to Londo and Refa"
>"You are both damned."  Londo, by his unscrupulous 
>actions, has become a Lost Soul, irrevocably damned, and
>can no longer perceive the messengers of God.  
>-- 
>Power corrupts.  Absolute power is even nicer.
>

	Or, it could be that the Vorlons visited the other race on Centauri
	Prime, not realizing that the Londo types would exterminate them.
-- 
[Steven "Never work without a NET" DiFranco][No one is really who they APPEAR
to be][My universe runs on enlightened self-interest; Babylon-5; and 
Cheez-Whiz][My views DO belong to WEBCRAFT Data Resources (which is me)][My
other E-Mail address is swd at junior.wariat.org][All rights reserved,lefts used]

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From: straczynski at genie.geis.com
Lines: 6

     This is not a bad assessment, Nicholas.  And yes, I remember that
quote from CS Lewis, very evocative.  (Have read the Screwtape Letters,
Perelandra, That Hideous Strength and others.  He sometimes indulged in
straw-man logic, but always written entertainingly.)

                                                                jms