[B5JMS] Nuke's humble opinion on B5:LOTR:TLADIS

[b5jms-admin at cs.columbia.edu]

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
From: The Nuclear Marine <nuke-marine at home.com>
Date: Sun, 20 Jan 2002 22:13:04 GMT
Lines: 93

spoilers
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1

It's still a damn long abbreviation (in itself a long word).

Overall a descent pilot.  It worked poor as a stand-alone movie for
which I'll get to later.

The good:  
Variety in cast-once again a great assembly of characters each providing
stomping grounds for future character driven eps. 

Energy -  Everyone seemed to be having fun doing this movie.  Definately
brought it up a notch.

Potential - like Crusade you have a ship that can go anywhere but
without the need for it to be specific to finding a cure or a burial
spot.  A haunted ship that suggests the Rangers may need to look more to
themselves for internal problems.  Another ancient race looking to cause
its own brand of mischief which may be related to the Thirdspace
species.  That these are set-up in the pilot take away from it being a
good stand-alone movie.

G'Kar - Sadly, his energy made the rest of the cast look comatose.

Hyperspace jumps - It just keeps getting better.

The Music - I liked Crusade's music, and I like this ones.

The bad:  
The Acting - I am not an actor but many of the lines lacked emotions. 
The Narn, the Captain, and the Turrel excepted.

The Ship - This looks nothing like the Minbari ships that fought on the
line.  It did not look Minbari.  I know its small but I found it hard to
guestimate its size also which made all the fighting seem to be by
models.

Timing - how is it humans who join the Rangers mere 3 years ago can get
control of major ships (the Captain was in line for the Valen, yes?). 
Even Sheridan and Ivanova needed 10 plus years to get anywhere close to
commanding warships.  The Captain seemed too young at first, but I could
make out the age lines, perhaps a beard would have improved and given a
harder warrior-monk look to him.

Hyperspace - what the hell happened to my pretty, hynotic hyperspace?  

The ugly:
Gun Pod - I know, its probably the most effeciant human control but it
took us away from the space battle and made the ship look that much
smaller.  I cannot tell where weapon ports were and how it was decided. 
As for why she was doing martial arts, I will just revision that she
wanted her controls that way.  A minbari would go for the subtle finger
point but the gunnery officer likes her fights to be more physical. 
Perhaps if she had a partner it would be easier.  Regardless, it took
away from the need to tactically maneuvor the ship which was some of the
fun for B5 battle (whitestars had to face those they fought, this ship
somehow had 360 degrees coverage).

Navigations officer - Too calm, would not have noticed if he
disappeared.

The Mantra - We live for the one, we die for the one.  It is in danger
of becoming a Ranger shot rule.  On a good note, the entire movie seemed
based on that line so great job there Joe.  

The Valen - A flying brick that someone apparently forgot to add
weapons.  At least the words "ramming speed" weren't added (Fifth
occurence of this tactic in the B5 universe, yes?)

Overall, its a good pilot.  Now we need a series to follow up all those
pretty little threads jms left dangling in front of us, drawing us into
his pretty web.

Nuke - caught in jms' web for 10 years (maybe more if you count Captain
Power and The Real Ghostbusters).



=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
From: jmsatb5 at aol.com (Jms at B5)
Date: 21 Jan 2002 07:29:15 GMT
Lines: 35

>The Ship - This looks nothing like the Minbari ships that fought on the
>line.  It did not look Minbari.  

The Liandra is a Ranger ship.  The Rangers, if we recall our history from In
the Beginning, were not directly involved in Earth related hostilities during
the Minbari War.  The EM war was under the aegis of the Warrior caste.

It is also, by design, a small, fast (crew of maybe 20) patrol ship designed to
go on the edge, it's not meant to go out there and pulverize fleets.  It would
have been instantly outgunned and destroyed in the EM war's bigger battles.

(One thing I'm curious about is the assumption that we've seen all of the
Minbari ships.  We've literally seen only a handful.  Go to Jane's books on
military weapons, planes in particular, and you get all *kinds* of
variation...from ospreys to f16s to cargo jets to hovercraft...why should there
be less variation in a more advanced society like the Minbari?)

>The Valen - A flying brick that someone apparently forgot to add
>weapons.  

Yes.  That was the intent.  That's why David made fun of it on the balcony. 
Nobody likes it, it was a compromise between Humans and Minbari (which Dulann
also mentions), more politically motivated than structurally sound.  We won't
be seeing its kind again.  

 jms

(jmsatb5 at aol.com)
(all message content (c) 2001 by synthetic worlds, ltd., 
permission to reprint specifically denied to SFX Magazine 
and don't send me story ideas)