Babylon 5 Love

I was looking through my files on my hard drive and I found this one. Hope you enjoy.

( A Short History of Interstellar Baseball )

MY favorite episode is Sleeping in Light - and I can hardly bear to watch it.

I am a sap for a sad story, but this story isn't really sad. It's just that, as Tony Stark said in Endgame: Part of the journey is the end.

For John, this is the end. He got his extra 20 years and the time has come to say goodbye. I cry just thinking about it.

There are very personal reasons this episode tears at my heart as well.





What is YOUR favorite episode?

Instead of writing an essay about B5, I decided to talk about how I got into B5 and what it means to me.

It had to have been sometime around 1999, I think. I was fairly new to the internet. Hubby resisted us getting it for a long time. We had dialup and one phone line, too. Some of you younger people may not even know what that was like.

My internet bestie was constantly sending me VHS videos of stuff she liked. She sent me season 1 of Babylon 5 home recorded video along with photocopies of Season by Season Guides. Here is the first one. SciFi (as it was then) was showing a new episode at 7 pm every night. We dove in.

Nothing was ever the same. Having a television show with an actual story arc was an amazing thing.

I started hunting B5 stuff on the internet and found a group at the old chat platform at Delphi. A guy named Make Helba had a B5 group there and I joined and helped him run it. We had lots of fun talking endlessly about B5. I was just getting into fanfiction writing in those days and I wrote a lot of stuff. Most of it is still on my hard drives.

Then 2 more things happened.

I got Crusade from Ebay. It was wasn’t on VHS or DVDs yet and there was no other way to see it. I paid something like 80 dollars for homemade VHS tapes but they were pristine. I watched them over and over and fell so in love with that short little show. I still hate that we didn’t get any more of it. I adored Max Eilerson! He was so funny.

I joined Livejournal and this was back in the day when you had to get a code to join it. I found Ruuger there with her B5 stuff and when she decided that she wanted to hand off some of her groups, I took them. I have been doing Universe Today for at least ten years and B5 Revisited for at least that long. I think we have been through 2-3 rewatches there. There is also B5 Love Month and I have a small little group at Facebook and I post links to my updates and our rewatches at Tumblr and Pillowfort.

The odd thing is I never get tired of the show. I rewatch it and still see things I missed. I still love Sinclair and Sheridan, I still wish there were more of it. There are always new fans coming into the fold and seldom does anyone ever leave completely once they get into it.

Babylon 5 has everything: romance, mystery and intrigue, surprise, character development, tragedy, and comedy. Yes, it’s a space opera but so what?

As Citizen G’kar said: I believe that when we leave a place a part of it goes with us and part of us remains. Go anywhere in these halls, when it is quiet and just listen. After a while you will hear the echoes of all of our conversations, every thought and word we've exchanged. Long after we are gone, our voices will linger in these walls for as long as this place remains. But I will admit that the part of me that going will very much miss the part of you that is staying.

This is Babylon 5!

How did you all get into it? I’d love to know!



As a bonus, I found some quizzes here: https://www.funtrivia.com/quizzes/television/babylon_5_universe/babylon_5_universe_alphabetical.html

This was written for the [community profile] intoabar
challenge. I got Steve Rogers from MCU and Londo.

Summary:

Steve Rogers travels to 2258 with the Pym particles and meets an interesting man.

Notes:

For rhe community, Into a bar.
For Steve Rogers, I got Londo Mollari of Babylon 5.

Steve knew he should have known better than to let Tony use him to play with the time travel device. They had stolen a large cache of Pym particles and Tony was feeling adventurous. He would, he wasn’t the one sent to God knows where and when.

Steve checked his GPS as soon as he arrived. The year was 2258 and he was at a place called Epsilon III in the Epsilon Eridani system. He appeared to be on some sort of ship.

He retracted his space suit and was dressed in jeans and t-shirt from his own time. He looked around and didn’t seem to look that different from the people who weren’t in uniform. Oh my god! Not all the people were human! Not even humamoid!

He decided that he was in some sort of marker type area. There were shops and kiosks selling all sorts of things. He saw restaurants and bars, what appeared to be ATM type machines. And people stood around news monitors much like in his own time. Everyone seemed to be in a hurry, just like home.

He saw a place called the Dark Star. He went in. There were all sorts of aliens and humans sitting around, drinking and watching women dance. The women’s attire was pretty skimpy and became more so as he watched. The featured dancer was a beautiful woman with no hair except for a ponytail on the back of her head. She was voluptuous and very little of her clothing was left on. He stared.

“Stunning, is she not?” He turned to see who the man with the odd accent was. It turned out that his accent was not the only thing odd. He appeared to be maybe in his fifties. He was dressed in a uniform that looked almost Napoleonic to Steve. His hair was the thing though – it was fanned like a peacock’s feathers, standing up a good five inches on the man’s head.

“She is.”

“You are new to the station? Come, sit and we will watch her dance. A beautiful woman is a joy to behold, no?”

Steve sat on the stool beside the man.

“I am Londo Mollari, Centauri ambassador to this circus.” He waved to the bartender. “Bring this man one of I’m drinking and put it on my tab.”

“Steve Rogers.”

The drinks arrived and Steve took a sip. Wow! It was stronger than Thor’s Asgardian stuff. He’d have to be careful not to drink too much of it. He’d be flat on his face.

“Are you here with Earthforce?” Mollari asked. Steve had seen the insignia on several of the military uniforms he’d seen walking through the area.

“Nope. Just visiting.”

“You’re a big one, Mr. Rogers. I’ll bet the ladies never leave you alone.”

Steve laughed. “So far, most have ignored me.”

“I find that hard to believe, my young friend.”

“So why is an ambassador hanging out in a strip club?”

“This place is a desert in the middle of space. I was sent here because I am annoying old man, always talking about the grand days of the Centauri Republic. I am irrelevant.”

Steve certainly felt that way even now at home, being over a hundred years old and having the body of a man in his thirties. Some of the things the others talked about were still things he didn’t know, even after all these years.

He nodded and sipped his drink.

“You’re too young and virile to know what I mean. I’ll bet you’re never alone.”

Steve had been alone so long that he could barely even remember what love was like. It felt like his time with Peggy was a sort of surreal dream that never really happened at all.

“You might be surprised, Ambassador Mollari.”

“Your drink is almost gone. Let me get you another.” Mollari ordered them both another one. Steve was feeling the buzz himself and it appeared that the ambassador had several drinks in him before Steve sat down.

“Let me tell you something. Live your life for love and friendship, not duty. I have three wives. I call them famine, pestilence and death for they are truly that. I married them out of duty, not love. Well, I loved Timov but she thinks I’m a horse’s ass, so that doesn’t count.” He drained his drink and smacked the glass on the bar. Steve was surprised that it didn’t break. “Another!” he shouted and was served yet another.

Mollari looked at Steve. “Where was I? Oh! Marry for love. Have a house full of little humans. Dance! Never forget to dance, my boy!”

Steve sipped his drink and looked at the new dancer. She was human and every bit as beautiful as the Centauri woman had been. She was quite tall and curvy with red hair that reminded him of Natasha’s. She caught his eye and smiled at him. He smiled back.

“She likes you. For a small price, you can spend some time alone with her, if you like.”

“I’m good.”

The young Centauri woman who’d been dancing a few minutes before came up to Mollari and sort of attached herself to his side. “How are you, tonight, Ambassador? Will your new friend be joining us?” She looked over Steve like she would love for him to do just that.

Mollari smiled at her. “No, my dear. I find I want you all to myself. He is young. He can find his own companion.”

She kissed Mollari’s cheek and he stood.

“It was nice to meet you, my friend Steve. Remember what I told you.”

“What was that?”

“Do as I say, not as I do, and you’ll have a fine life.” He took the young woman’s arm. “Though one night of fun couldn’t hurt either, could it?” The two of them left the bar.

Steve smiled and sipped his drink, watching the woman remove most of her clothes. He was not unaffected by her grace and charm. She left the stage and another Centauri girl took her place. Steve started to get up when the redheaded dancer came up to where he sat.

“I’m Maria.”

“Steve.”

“Would you like to come with me? We can talk in a more private place.”

He pulled his empty pockets out. “Sorry but -”

“That’s all right. The ambassador covered that.” She held out her hand to him. “Follow me?”

He stood and took the proffered hand. It was only one night. Why not?

*

Garibaldi stopped by the Dark Star late. The crowd was thinned out and the shows were over for the night. He sat down and ordered a soda.

“Mr. Garibaldi, Ambassador Mollari said to give you this,” the bartender said and handed him a piece of paper. He opened it. Damn Mollari! It was a bill for a large number of drinks and ‘other entertainment’. He was going to have to have a talk with that rascal!

When he left the bar, he stopped at the banking kiosk and paid the bill. At least someone had some fun tonight, he thought as he’d noticed that Londo had paid for two companions.

Some guys had all the fun.

HI all -

This is not going well... I havent' had time to post on the days no one chose and we've hsd one no show as well... so let's just redo this in August! I will repost my posts and everyone else can change to the same date in August. If you can't post yours in Agugust, just send it to me and I will.

I'm alexcat here or alex _cat _45 at yahoo.com

Alex

Untitled by kanadka - ‘A collection of Sinclair & Neroon moments that weren't Legacies.’
Random Icons by alexcat - 5 icons free for all to use.
Video: Russian Winter | Where the Light Goes by janetcarter - A video featuring Susan Ivanova and Talia Winter.
Sorting Hat chats by hamsterwoman – what HP House your favorite characters sort into
Fanart – Lyta and Delenn by janetcarter - The women are gorgeous in tuxedos!
Banners by independence1776 - Two Friends and Access Only banners.
110 icons and a story too! by sysann - A ton of wonderful icons and Calling of the Heart.
Story: A Short History of Interstellar Baseball by alexcat - Delenn thinks David should learn Earth sports.
Babylon 5 TTRPG Classes by bluebaron - Sorting into D&D 5e classes.
Marcus Cole and My Favorite Quote by alexcat.
FIC: Lips on Sweet Lips by muccamukk.
A Moment with Bester posted by alexcat.
Icons from Seasons 2 and 3 by sysann.
VALENtines! by janetcarter (Some are NSFW).
Meta – Statistically Speaking: The Women of Babylon 5> by muccamukk.
Essay: A Selection of Works Babylon 5 Was Strongly Influenced By by justanorthernlight.
Crafts – Delenn Sock Doll by nenya_kanadka.
G’kar on Freedom posted by alexcat.
Zack Allan – B5 Everyman by alexcat.
Ivanova memes posted by alexcat.
Icons by independence1776.
Icons from Seasons 4 and 5 by sysann.
Fanvid and Fanart by janetcarter.
Drabble by teasugarsalt.
Essay (ish) on Minbari Language, Two Glosses, and/or a Drabble by kanadka.
FIC: Change by rivendellrose.
Fanvid and Fanart by janertcarter.