The Deconstruction of Falling Stars. ( *Spoilers* )

[B5JMS Poster]

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From: babylon at nauticom.net (JB)
Date: 4 Nov 1997 23:54:12 -0500
Lines: 89

Spoilers for The Deconstruction of Falling Stars.

























	Ok, I am going to totally disregard "The Deconstruction of
Falling Stars" as a "here is what is going to happen in season 5 and
beyong" episode.  I am also going to dispense with the Monks/Canticle
reference, and even the reference to the character named Exeter (This
Island Earth).
	Rather, I want to let you know what I saw as the underlying
theme:

	First of all, many seemed angry that Sheridan and the others
were not treated fairly by history. That made these people extremely
angry and distressed. Obviously these folks weren't seeing the episode
as a whole:

	Yes, at certain parts of the future you showed us, there were
factions (government and academic alike) that seemed to want to
undermine the Alliance and especially Sheridan/Delenn. This, of
course, is something that has gone on for years; in school textbooks
and government propaganda.
	But, in the end, none of that mattered. As in the time of the
monks after the "Great Burning" and after that, when Earth was
awaiting the Sun to go nova, the history books were irrelevant.
Everyone who had read those history books and government slander were
now dead.

	The monks (at least those who were Rangers) knew the truth.
Whatever was written before to undermine Sheridan and the others was
quite lost and forgotten. And in the future after that, the Rangers
were preparing to base their "new world" on everything that the
Alliance, Sheridan, Delenn, et al, stood for. Their legacy was
complete. 

	I saw this entire episode as a lesson. 
	Do what you will; do what you feel is right. The future may or
may not treat you fairly, but that does not matter. I think that it is
a Universal human emotion to want to be remembered. But few of us are.
But perhaps, through our actions, we may change the world just a
little bit. We may not be remembered for our actions by name, but
hopefully our actions will spawn something bigger and greater than
ourselves. Which is really a message I've heard Sheridan and Delenn
speak of constantly.

	Sheridan, Delenn, and the Rangers eventually became the ideal
behind whatever new world was being built. The true record of who and
what they were was going to be the basis of that world.

	Depressing? Not in my book.

	Lesson: Live and do what you feel is right. Like Sheridan, you
may wonder if you will be remembered for your actions. And like
Sheridan, we will never know. But it does not matter. We will not be
around in the end to see. What does matter is what we do with the time
that we do have.

	Is this what you hoped we would get from this episode? I don't
know. It is what I got from it. And that is what true SF is supposed
to do. Make you think. And if the story is complex enough to send
people spiraling-off into a hundred different directions trying to
understand it, then fine. You have done your job.


Jeff Bauer
Keeper of Jeff's Babylon 5 Update Page
http://www.nauticom.net/www/babylon

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From: jmsatb5 at aol.com (Jms at B5)
Date: 5 Nov 1997 16:33:13 -0500
Lines: 5


You hit it dead on the nose there every time...great and insightful message.


 jms
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