“Please hold, a commanding officer will be able to assist you in a moment.” But it’s probably not the commanding officer you were expecting, if you were watching B5 without the benefit of the internet community that was anxiously awaiting/dreading this episode. A new season and a turning point begin in “Points of Departure.” If you’re reading this thread, you know where it led–so what do you think about how well this episode set up the future of Babylon 5?
All posts by Chip
Episode 22: “Chrysalis”
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The first-season finale is upon us! Joining Chip, Erika and Shannon to tackle “Chrysalis” in a bumper edition of The Audio Guide to Babylon 5 are B5 newcomer Steven Schapansky and longtime fan (and Adventures with the Wife in Space author) Neil Perryman. We talk about revelations and turning points, DVD mastering and pajamas.
Thank you all for joining us for the first season, and we look forward to picking up where we left off in two weeks with “Points of Departure” and another (returning) guest!
Zocalo: Spoiler-free Discussion of “Chrysalis”
Your co-host Chip here with a confession: I have no memory of what it was like to watch this episode without knowing what was coming. So I really envy those of you who have never seen Babylon 5 before and are coming into “Chrysalis” cold, and would love to know what you thought of it. Ditto our veterans: what did you think of “Chrysalis” on its own merits, without any spoilers for future episodes? (I’m being a little over the top on spoiler-copping this one, because, yeah, there are some big things coming that spin off of this episode that people are blissfully unaware of!)
Earhart’s: “Chrysalis” Spoiler Space
“Nothing’s the same any more.” Boy howdy, do we-who’ve-seen-the-whole-series know it. We know where this is all going, so let’s talk about how “Chrysalis” holds up in that light. Did you think it was monumental when you first saw it? Does Babylon 5 deliver on its promises, or does it underpromise?
Just be sure you don’t talk about [REDACTED] and [YOU KNOW WHO] and [YOU KNOW WHAT] in the spoiler-free thread!
Episode 21: “Legacies”
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It’s the penultimate episode of Season 1, the calm before the storm, in which the worlds of the Minbari warrior caste and Earth’s Psi Corps collide in the presence of a human teenager. We’re talking “Legacies,” complete with an “I was right” dance by Chip.
Zocalo: Spoiler-free Discussion of “Legacies”
Dorothy Fontana’s second script for B5 tells us more about telepathy among the non-human races and the lingering animosity between Earth and Minbar. Let’s talk about it here, but please take your spoilers to the other place.
Earhart’s: “Legacies” Spoiler Space
It’s the penultimate episode of Season 1, with a Minbari warleader, a brand spanking new telepath and a replacement for those damn gravity rings. Let’s talk about “Legacies” and everything that came after it.
Episode 20: “TKO”
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Erika, Shannon and Chip debate the finer points of mixed martial arts and wonder aloud what happens when you have an episode without a discernable “A” plot. Grab a Zima and sit back!
Zocalo: Spoiler-free Discussion of “TKO”
In this corner, weighing in at roughly half of the episode, Susan Ivanova grieves!
And in this corner, weighing in at roughly the other half of the episode, a new guy gets in a fight!
Shake hands, and come out discussing. But no spoilers about episodes beyond “TKO,” please.
Earhart’s: “TKO” Spoiler Space
This is the space where you can discuss all of the things that happened in “TKO” affecting the full arc of Babylon 5.
Really. Right here.