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Text of *NEW* TV Guide RANGERS story

Thanks to crazybillyo for pointing this out. As it turns out, the July 7-13 print edition of TV Guide has a Rangers story that's completely different from the online story two weeks ago. Here's the text of the article:

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR>
BABYLON'S GOT BACK

When Sci Fi Channel asked
Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski if there were any aspects of his old show that he'd like to revisit, his biggest dilemma was picking just one. After all, for the sprawling, intricately plotted space drama that ran in syndication and on TNT from 1993 to 1998, Straczynski had backlogged stories from 1,000 years in the past to 1,000 years into the future. For the TV-movie Babylon 5: The Legend of the Rangers, premiering on Sci Fi later this year, he chose to explore the elite fighting force introduced in Season 3 of B5, "a 1,000-year-old alien military organization of warrior-priests that has reluctantly allowed humans to join," Straczynski says. In The Legend, the Rangers have been charged with defending the Interstellar Alliance as it attempts to rebuild civilization in the wake of the devastating Shadow War.

Legend is set two and a half years after the next to last episode of B5, "Objects at Rest," and a couple of years before Crusade, TNT's short-lived follow-up to the original series. It stars Dylan Neal (Dawson's Creek) as a young human Rangers captain. "I don't want this to be a ship-bound show," Straczynski says of the movie, which completed filming in Vancouver in early June. "These are covert kind of guys, and [their ship] the Liandra is designed to get them in and get them out, fast."

Andreas Katsulas, reprising his role as the Narn hero G'Kar (left, between Neal and Alex Zahara, before the High Council), is the sole original B5 cast member onboard. But if the planets align just right, he may meet up with some old colleagues down the road. While Legends is not an official pilot, Straczynski says there's a "very good possibility" that a Sci Fi Channel series based on the movie will follow in 2002. If so, expect another epic saga, Straczynski says: "I'm basically a Russian by blood and disposition, so I can't tell short stories."-Mark Nollinger
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

As the text indicates, there's also a picture of G'Kar, David, and Dulann before the Grey Council (which they erroneously call the High Council).

My fingers are tired from typing all that in (I don't see the article on TV Guide's website, so I couldn't cut and paste), but let me just say that this article has several interesting tidbits, like JMS's line "I didn't want this to be a ship-bound show", or the "expect another epic saga" line, which suggests that Rangers will have a story arc (which most fans have expected, by which I don't think has been confirmed).


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A JMS series without some kind of story arc would be like pizza without sauce(white pizza is an abomination), TNT without idiots, Christmas without a tree, New Year's Eve without drunkeness. They either don't exist or should not exisit. It's just not right.

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Bus
"The pink ones keep ya from screamin'." Grandpa
 
Chris, the council they refer to it something else . In the telemovie we visit the Ranger council tower. Also inside it has a "god room" much like on Minbari ships.

Gonzo... I don't have Christmas trees. In fact, I don't celebrate Christmas... I detest it.
smile.gif



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Dreg: "Most beauteous and supremely magnificent one, this dark spell I hold in my worthless and scabby hand is our gift to you, most tingly and wonderful Glorificus..."
Glory: "Please, call me Glory. And get up, looking at you is hurting my neck."
Dreg: "Forgive me, shiny special one. I beg of you to rip out my inadequate tongue."
Glory: "Gimme."
 
Antony,
Do you mean that what we saw in the picture was a type of Rangers Counci instead of the Grey Council?

If so, would they not be a little peeved at someone copying their look?

Just kidding.

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When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are all in a confederacy against him.
-Jonathan Swift
 
Thanks for the tidbit Antony. For those who haven't seen the picture, the High Council looks exactly like the Grey Council.

Another tidbit about this article that I just noticed. The JMS quote from the second paragraph really makes it sound like the Liandra would be featured in the series as well as the pilot, which I don't think has been confirmed until now.

Also, what the heck does the title of this article mean? Babylon's Got Back??!!??


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<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Chris Springob:
Also, what the heck does the title of this article mean? Babylon's Got Back??!!??
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Excellent question, Chris. I thought it was just me who didn't understand it...
shocked.gif


I thought at first that they meant the *five* Babylons... but then I noticed the apostrophe... the way I see it, they are trying to say that "Babylon has got a back" (back as in part of body)???

Whatever.
laugh.gif


As for the High Council looking exactly like Grey Council - well, perhaps it's just the Minbari way of organizing any councils?

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"It's animal magnetism. What can I say."
 
"Babylon's Got Back" is play on the title of perhaps the GREATEST RAP SONG OF ALL TIME, "Baby's Got Back"! by Sir Mix-A-Lot.

FYI: It's a song about shakin' that big ole butt.

And while I agree that would be an undignified position from which to command one of the Whitestar fleet, it's a little pop culture pun reflecting on the glorious news that Babylon 5 is INDEED back!

As JMS said himself, "Back with a vengance."


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"Draal gave Zathras list of things not to say. This was one. No, not good. Not supposed to mention 'one'... or 'THE one'... Mmmm. You never heard that."
 
I believe the Minbari have a council of elders, it might be called the high council. In ..Sorrows

<table bgcolor=black><tr><td bgcolor=black><font size=1 color=white>Spoiler:</font></td></tr><tr><td><font size=2 color=black>they judged whether or not Sinclair can be Anlashok Na.</font></td></tr></table>



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2466614
"Gideon says we all have things to hide."
"Does he? How unfortunate, I was hoping he'd come further than that. Well not that it isn't true of course, it's just that one simply doesn't have to say it."
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR> My fingers are tired from typing all that in <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

And that's exactly why I didn't do it the first time. (read: LAZY)
laugh.gif


Thanks for the info Antony. I didn't know the Rangers had their own "high command," or perhaps something else to that effect.
crazy.gif


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Sheridan: Are you trying to cheer me up?
Ivanova: No sir, wouldn't dream of it.
Sheridan: Good, I hate being cheered up. It's depressing.
Ivanova: So in that case we're all going to die horrible, painful, lingering deaths.
Sheridan: Thank you, I feel so much better now.
 
As far as looking like the Grey Council, that seems to be the Minbari equivalent of "Black Judicial Robes". Most judges, here and in England & Australia, still wear them. In fact, in the British courts, the lawyers still were them too, I believe.

Ceremonial robes.

The mistake that got Me was the phrase "Warrior Priests" to describe the rangers.

Mark Nollinger (writer of the article) evidently thinks of Priests when he sees the ranger uniforms.
crazy.gif


You'd think TV Guido would be able to find someone who has actually Watched the show to write about it.
laugh.gif




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Yes, I like cats too.
Shall we exchange Recipes?
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR>The mistake that got Me was the phrase "Warrior Priests" to describe the rangers.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Well, according to the article that phrase was used by JMS since it appears as part of a direct quote. And Ranger training does emphasize Minbari mysticism and religion. There does seem to be an echo of the Knights Templar and Hospitalier in the Rangers. JMS has always had an interest in the Middle Ages, and Minbari society very much reflects the social divisions of the period. (Society was divided broadly into "those who labor, those who fight and those who pray." Sound familiar?)

And JMS has described the series as an opportunity to explore Minbari ideas more. It will be interesting to see if this is really an element of the movie and/or show, or if the reporter just mangled a quote.

Regards,

Joe

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Joseph DeMartino
Sigh Corps
Pat Tallman Division

joseph-demartino@att.net
 

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