All posts by Chip

Episode 3: “Soul Hunter”

Babylon 5 takes a dip into the metaphysical as a stealer/liberator/preserver/destroyer of souls causes havoc on the station, threatens an ambassador, reveals secrets and chants annoyingly. We’ll talk about regular physics as well as the meta kind, compare the new doctor to the old one (as Doctor Who podcasters tend to do anyway) and argue whether this story concept should have been explored in the first place no matter how well executed.

“Soul Monkey (A Babylon 5 Parody in the Style of JoCo)” is based on Jonathan Coulton‘s song “Code Monkey,” which was released under a Creative Commons license (CC BY-NC 3.0), with new lyrics and vocals (and we use the terms loosely) by Chip Sudderth. You can buy Coulton’s music at his web store.

Episode 2: “Midnight on the Firing Line”

Now we’re cookin’ with phased plasma! The first season of B5 opens with “Midnight on the Firing Line,” which moves like a Ferrari compared to “The Gathering.” (Totally a Volvo: dependable and robust, yet slightly lacking in the zero-to-60s.) What do we think of the new faces? Are Ivanova and Winters a step forward or backward? Meanwhile, in spoiler territory, someone puts on his grumpy face over his co-hosts’ assessment of Commander Sinclair.

Episode 1: “The Gathering” (pilot movie)

And so it REALLY begins! Erika watched BOTH the original edit and the TNT-funded producer’s cut! Shannon mourned the Gravity Rings! (She wasn’t alone.) That’s right, we’re officially starting the Audio Guide to Babylon 5 with the pilot movie, “The Gathering.”

“Holla at MURDER, SHE WROTE. Woo!”

Episode 0: “And So It Begins”

Welcome to The Audio Guide to Babylon 5! Herewith our manifesto: this is a book club without books, an episode-by-episode walkthrough of one of the most influential and important modern SF series. Each podcast begins with a spoiler-free discussion of the episode for new viewers, then we give listeners a jumping-off point and switch to a discussion of how the episode fits into the five-year history of the show. Here’s our 000th episode, “And So It Begins,” where we tell new viewers why you should watch Babylon 5 and help you prepare for your journey.