@@DivineFalcon we can blame social media for that, people don’t have long enough attention spans to stick with a show that doesn’t have drama and action scenes every 5 minutes
Exactly. It's one of a handful of TV moments that make me tear up. The others are all the Potential Slayers becoming actual Slayers in the Buffy finale "Chosen", and Aang using the blindsight he learned from Toph to survive his final battle with Ozai in the Avatar: The Last Airbender finale "Sozin's Comet". .
She WAS ISN... Until Clarke took it over. Seeing her return to the anchor desk was when I knew everything was going to be alright. INCREDIBLE episode, AMAZING series!!!
Something worth noting here: The guy who was next to her when ISN was attacked and shut down is not seen here, nor anywhere else on the show ever again.
@@exposingproxystalkingorgan4164 When tyrants appear, there's a high likelihood of journalists getting 'disappeared'. Considering how Clark unleashed the Scorched Earth directive, killing a few disagreeing journalists would have been peanuts to him compared to that.
Yes I remember thinking that they were probably killed when they stormed the station so it was really great to see her back and just another example of how well this show was planned out...for the most part.
@Anjelica Snorcket My understanding is the story lines in both season 4 and 5 were supposed to be spread across both seasons. All the 'A' plot got put into season 4 and after all that was left were 'B' and 'C' plots for season 5. The story was planned for 5 years but they were canceled after 4 but they were told in season 3 that season 4 would be last so they had time to plan some kind of ending. They had no way of knowing TNT would pick them up for season 5, which is why season 5 feels... lacking.
@Anjelica Snorcket I figured I just thought I would spell it out in case anyone else didn't know that. Anyway its really a shame when you think about it since the end could have been much better, its just that season 5 plots felt very anticlimactic after the Shadow war and all that, but knowing what we know that makes sense. I really would love to see a revival of this show, I feel like it has never gotten the respect it is due.
@@FJF1085 even season season 4 plots I don't think was in the order originally intended, I always suspect earth was suppose to be free of the shadow influence before the battle between the younger races, shadows and vorlons final batter happen. But they were so desperate to tell the end of the shadow/vorlon storyline they move it up in case they got their episode number cut for the season. They also never made it 100% clear that Psicorp was working with the shadows. I suspect we were suppose to have also seen Byron heavily involve in the war against the shadows. Which would then get us on his side more and that the galaxy really does owe the telepaths a huge debt but we never saw that.
@@DavidKnowles0 It's really a shame that we didn't get the story as it was originally planned because it was a fully planned story. That being said I still love the show and I think it is so underrated. You never really hear it discussed. But if anyone ever tells me they're into Sci-Fi this is one of the first shows I recommend.
I was very impressed by her skill in this scene. It reminded me of the newscaster who returned to the air after the Soviet army came and shut them down. I asked Maggie if she had seen that and used it as a guide on how to play the character. She said "No, I played it the way I would have felt if I was in her place." It was SPOT ON!
The way she hesitated and shakily nodded when she described how journalists had been tortured and killed added an awesome depth to her scene. Her captors must have told her nobody was being tortured or killed, and she was refuting the way they gaslit her.
People might remember that this was the anchor who was cut off and nearly decapitated by falling rubble. She is even wearing the same dress. Yet the expression on her face tells you something has changed her.
@@seppijessup9563 Yes, I was exercising a little psychological phenomenon called 'Suspension of Disbelief' to treat a high concept work as if it were real. You should try it sometime, I promise it will make any fictional story much more enjoyable 🙄
One thing I always loved about this show. Was they showed Step by step the slow fall into a dictatorship that can happen and the effects it can have on people even normal people just trying to live their lives.
Sometimes I think Babylon 5 should be taught in schools as preparation for people to understand REAL adult life and to understand why you NEVER give one person complete power over your life.
Well said. Although I think you meant 'preparation', not perpetration. Preparation is getting ready for the future. Perpetration is the action of committing a crime. Hope this helps.
And moments like this are why B5 cannot be topped. No other Sci-fi show manages to be so grounded yet entertaining as B5, and thats what i love about itm
The really cool thing about B5 compared to say StarTrek was, that it was focused on the station and the important figures there - but it never failed to give you glimpses and views of the everyday normal people. I just want to add the attack on B5 by some random alien force, watched throught the eyes of those two janitors.
I wonder if in that universe there would still be doubters saying that Sheridan was under alien control and that the defense grid being turned on Earth was "fake news"
Probably, I mean it even happened in the Star Wars Legends universe saying Endor didn't happen and in the Firefly universe saying the broadcast about Miranda was a fake.
Of course there would be. In the present day we have people who deny genocides, pandemic deaths, and twist themselves into pretzels trying to claim that the Capitol riot was just a peaceful protest. Humans in the B5 future have advanced *somewhat* from where we are at today, but not by light years. Some still have very reptillian brians, and some are still very easily susceptible to propaganda and misinformation.
I am in love with the silence. There is no background music, no commentary and no chatter. It has that somber tone of many major news stories of the past.
I found it a great touch to see this particular news anchor back on screen. I was actually like "Nice to see you again, Jane." And Maggie Egan did such a great job! Small but powerful scene, on a par with the best of them!
Just the little pieces of dialogue like this - with the raw emotion- reminds me of damn good this show was. Like [ most of ] the Star Treks , it wasn't really about hardware or monsters , it was about the human condition.
It's interesting that B5 showed culture on earth had progressed since the 19th century with scenes like ISN broadcasts and Delenn picking up the newspaper with the Eye on Minbar section. In Star Trek everyone is obsessed with 19th and 20th century culture; Picard and his classical music and classical literature, Paris and his obsession with 20th century America, Data and his violin concerts. There is very little evidence shown in Star Trek that culture and creativity has progressed at all.
Good point; I can get Picard on Shakespeare, etc., but the lack of "current" music, plays, etc. DID leave me with the impression that the writers had an imagination deficit in some areas.[ Actually, I STILL feel that way; with a whole universe of possibilities out there as a result of the first three spin-offs, what do they do ? Go back to Kirk & Spock or "back in the beginning" storylines.] We actually got a better glimpse of Klingon culture - incl. pop culture- than of Earth culture. We heard their version of opera, Klingon heavy metal [ remember the Voyager doctor's son?], and we saw B'lana Torres reading a trashy Klingon Historical romance novel.
I really liked the guy who made the propaganda report on B5. He did what he had to do, but he still managed to slip news about Sheridan's family to him through the report.
Storyline was so detailed. Much respect given to viewers and fans who spent hours watching. I personally have rewatched episodes, only to find new things that were made known once you understand the entire story.
Yep. That was the first thing Clark went after. Then he installed political officials in every part of Earth GOV and the military. Sounds familiar, just 4 years ago we went through the same thing
We are all sons and daughters of Earth and we must continue to remember that if we are to heal and move forward. Everyone was fighting for Earth, even if they didn't agree on what was best for Earth.
It's easy to forget that not everyone has the same information to form the same conclusions, too, especially when a particularly good propaganda machine that built up over time is involved.
I think he was using the past to imagine a future where a dictator could take over. Today and since about 2015, we've had a worldwide far-right movement to put authoritarians in power, who don't believe in truth, justice and democracy, but rather power and putting minorities of all kinds and women in their place.
He once said on Twitter that he didn't predict anything. He just knew these things come around in cycles, and the same old fight will eventually be renewed.
@@Brasswatchman Right. Had this come out 2010-2015 then it might be fresh in the public's mind and they might have been ready to deal with the far-right movement worldwide to elect authoritarians.
@@sandal_thong8631 Maybe, maybe not. If I've learned anything over the last decade, it's how frustratingly obtuse people can be to the reality happening right in front of them.
The Fake News MinbarISN will do and say anything to trash OUR PRESIDENT, who was removed from office in an illegal treasonous coup while he was trying to Make Earth Great Again!
@@williambrennan104 That's the the real threat of misinformation and rewriting history. Think about it. If say... a certain president became an autocrat, declared all other news sources fake, and started silencing all opposing media and banning elections. Yeah, that could be a reality if left unconfronted.
This part always gives me tingles and I tear up at the point where she repeats the quote from Sheridan 'We are alle sons and daughters of Earth!' Very moving writing.
Before it was taken over, ISN was very far from perfect. Its value was only made clear once it was gone (taken over to become an actual propaganda machine.)
@Phelan, when I posted the response, there were several posts comparing modern day American politics to Babylon 5's President Clark. Looks like they were thrown down the memory hole through deletion and/or editing.
This is why this production is greater that Star Trek. These characters were like people we knew in our own lives, they had faults, addictions, a truly human quality, Star Trek never had that quality to it.
Some characters of Star Trek dead. Garak is by far the closest to that level of vulnerability. That being said, I also feel that a large amount of the ensemble cast were amazing in their own right. Both series were remarkable, especially considering that Deep Space Nine was actually a direct rip-off of Babylon 5. I'm glad they resolve their differences while they ran, and actually had cameos between the two series.
@@saberiandream316 You're both right and wrong. They did in fact rip off the series Bible, and made their own thing with it. And the fact that they went their own way is the reason why both series are memorable to this day.
This is what makes me think any planned reboot is going to fall flat on its face. Even through no fault of their own, I just don't think there's anyway to catch this kind of work twice.
Lockley? Some remained loyal out of what they considered their duty despite any misgivings they might have had about the government. The series did cover this in some episodes.
Such an under-rated TV show. It stood out to me as the first major show to kill off main characters as part of the plot, and not just because an actor quit. The end of season 4 was the best part of the series, as they packed all the events of season 5 in as well, anticipating the show being canceled, which it was. But then another network picked it up for season 5 and there was no plot left. Season 5 was almost as bad as the last season of the original Roseanne. There was a whole lot of standing around with nothing happening.
The 1st half of season 5 was bad. The telepath storyline didn't work. But the 2nd half of season 5 was good, with the unwitting (and witting) centauris carrying on the shadow's master plan. There was LOTS happening in the season5 2nd half.
@@danielhaire6677Just got recommended this video and saw your comment same day as SCOTUS immunity ruling. Ouch, looks like we're in the bad timeline. Still enjoy the show but this scene hits different now.
"heal and move on". I hope Earthgov arrested every single police, military, secret police, that falsely arrested and tortured and killed civilians....every single one!
Powerful moment. I pray for Americans of the present age to come to have a reconciliatory mindset like hers. Nations can and do heal from civil wars, and the voices of those who suffered greatly but still call for reconciliation are some of the most powerful.
The only way the US will be healed is if certain oligarchic powers in our political institutions are removed. Doesn't matter what party they are from, they are driving the country ever closer to civil war.
Sadly, those who spewed Clark's lies and propaganda would likely get a fair trial before going to prison. Unlike those who were arrested during Clark's reign of terror.
While the show's future tech isn't perfect, paper is ok here. In 2019, SNL and late night talk shows still use cue cards and newscasts on every level & politicians making speeches still have back-up paper scripts all for one simple reason: teleprompters occasionally break. It's also a good directing choice: it gives her something to do with her hands to help convey the flood of complex emotions breaking through, and it gives the 1990s audience a familiar visual touchstone that - as noted above - still exists today.
One of the things B5 got so right, is the little moments like this. Most shows wouldn't go to the trouble of bringing back the same actor this way. Maggie Egan spent only a few minutes of her life over 8 episodes of B5 and 2 of Crusade but she left an indelible mark.
I just can't understand the mentality of those who, after the Earth Civil War, still criticized Sheridan for using military force to kick out Clark; how can they not see that Clark was clearly the bad guy when he turned the defense grid against Earth? How can anyone defend a man like that?
Can you not see the parallels between the conflict in the fictional Earth Civil War and actual non-fictional conflicts and nonfictional civil wars? People don't change their minds easily. People don't admit they were wrong easily. Some people will never admit they're wrong.
Its easy to forgive others for beeing wrong while you were right, but having to admit that you are wrong and apologizing is hard under normal circumstances. In this case they looked away from tyranny and opression around them because they felt safe or because they lacked the courage.
Look at neo Nazi's still strutting around today after the horrors of WW2 and you have your answer. His crazy gave a voice to theirs and made it feel wanted and justified. The US was foolish to blithely allow what Germany put down with a vengeance the last 3/4 of a century gone.
I far preferred the ghastly chumminess of the regime stooge after the ISN bloke blew the gaff and it was stormed. A masterclass in oleaginous-ness. ;O)
I do not think they are equally the sons of of Earth. Those serving in the armed forces under Clarck helped him at least with non-resisting. But I understand what wanted the sentence to communicate. I prefer more direct communication.
Per JMS, Earth Standard Time is just the coordinating time for military, government, and off-Earth activity. Earth still has time zones. jmsnews.com/messages/message?id=9334
How would an Earth Standard Time using AM & PM even work, though? It's a small detail, but they should've went with 24-hour time instead, or something else entirely.
The thing about "Scorched Earth" confused me. Why is he writing this? Did he end up being a keeper too? Or was it just "if I can't have it, nobody can have it"
@@Rgoid the argument that I can follow But I can still see the thought of the Drakh's first attempt at revenge on humans ... Maybe more like Durla then? The Drakh have many ways of doing something.
Per JMS, Earth Standard Time is just the coordinating time for military, government, and off-Earth activity. Earth still has time zones. jmsnews.com/messages/message?id=9334
While I understand the sentiment, especially in the context of maintaining social order post-rebellion, the notion that those who supported a totalitarian regime that had people killed or imprisoned, suppressed speech, restricted travel, demanded loyalty and conformity to new social norms, etc., are not equal to those who resisted such measures. The notion is very insulting to those who desire justice after such horrific violations.
Reading far too much into it. But wrong conclusions to a fictional story shows some willingness to think on your own. With the world the way it is now, that may be considered a virtue.
Somehow, I think I am not the only one to recoil in horror and disgust at the idea that that awful phrase "our thoughts and prayers go out to..." will still be with us in the 24th century!
I watched Babylon 5 without fail when it first aired. I remember this particular bit in J. Michael Straczynski's story arc, and I thought, "Once again, a powerful Science Fiction TV series is telling us about ourselves," just like Star Trek did when it first aired in the mid 60s. This particular episode is even more true now, a media that has been totally taken over by leftist thought leaders. Dangerous times, for sure.
@@OllamhDrab You think that the mainstream media is mostly right wing???!?!? You obviously understand and practice that 'sometimes before you can deal with a problem you have to . . . redefine it'
@@sminkycorp Well, the problem you just tried to redefine, you redefined by claiming I said something I didn't say. But yes, the Right has *hobbled* the corporate media, as well as via kamikaze appointees, much public media. Cause they're anti-democracy and only focused on short-term profits otherwise.
@@OllamhDrab By 'hobbled' you obviously mean that smaller media companies and citizen journos are having too much influence and you would like just the corporate media to have a say only. You do know the DEMOS in democracy means PEOPLE right??????
@@sminkycorp Again with the false claims. It's just they may as well be for normalizing this fascism, corruption, and incompetence, while not actually doing much to inform people who need to know.
So what if I was a commander that took part in a food shipment blockade and the reason I didn’t resist the orders was because I had family on earth that ’was being protected’ by night watch troops. I should face charges
and this is why your not a judge yah sure my actions killed folks, but it happened under fear and coercion of my family being executed and killed by the Clark regime
the ONLY thing that annoys me with this news report: The camera records they show to illustrate the battle are those that were meant for our eyes - the eyes of the audience. They CAN'T have been shot by any in-series camera or anything newsfeed-like. That mistake breaks immersion.
@@marsneedstowels on them - maybe freely orbiting them, at speeds and maneuvers equal to a Starfury? Unlikely. Plus I fail to see reason why a ship would carry cameras all over the hull...
@@gajustempus long range visual detection and tracking (Either directly or indirectly (aka a mysteriously straight and uniform line of stars blinking)? I know space is big, but, there are ways to hide ones heat and radar signatures (and other forms of technological detection too). It is much harder to hide from what amounts to someone (probably an AI of some kind that is looking for above mentioned suspicious patterns) looking out a window with built in zoom and enhance.
@@edwardteach3000 if there's one technical rule out there, then this one: If uses ANY kind of energy, it'll radiate said energy as well - be it even ever so low. That's what the Normandy of Mass Effect did right: They used a giant internal storage system to store all the waste heat and energy to disguise themselves from sensors - but that also lasted only a limited amount of time. Such a device requires space - hence it only practical in ships with a minimum size. Tiny drones may use less power, but they lack the space to "cloak" sufficiently.
@@gajustempus Indeed, but the devices would not have to be too large (especially if you take highly advanced technology into account) about the size of a high quality TV camera). And ships like the Normandy is exactly why you would still want said cameras (would have made the geth station in ME2 much harder to deal with).
I'm more cynical about this scene than other fans seem to be. ISN knew where its bread was buttered and gladly shilled for the fascist Clark administration when their bottom line depended on it. Now that Sheridan and his resistance forces won they can pretend like they were on the side of goodness and light all along. Earthgov got rid of Clark but it never learned any lessons about what led to Clark in the first place, evidenced by how quickly they got rid of Sheridan once he liberated Earth for them.
It is a diffrent ISN. All the people who were on the side of Sheridan were removed from ISN when Clark took over. Then when Clark was removed the people who were removed from ISN came back.
You know, I just saw this clip from your viewpoint tonight watching it. We have the benefit of global hindsight/omnipotence. We see what happened from the outside and can identify the winners, losers, and those who are right. Imagine living under Clarke for years, warned of the alien threat. Then earth is attacked and suddenly a "multi-planetary force" led by the same guy he told you was out to subvert the government shows up? Take the time to objectively remove yourself from the viewers standpoint and put yourself into B5. Did Clarke target the eastern seaboard with the defense grid? Or was it targeting the insurrectionists? Could you even tell? This is why Babylon 5 is the best.
remember when the us gov tried to make the ministry to truth lol. not in the show im talking about in real actual life in a world where babylon 5 already did it...
This show was so complex, with aspects of politics and religion that most shows wont dare to touch. This was one of the best sci-fi shows ever.
If any shows nowadays tries to be this complex, it gets axed in one or two seasons. It's all about the angsty space drama shit now, unfortunately.
@@DivineFalcon we can blame social media for that, people don’t have long enough attention spans to stick with a show that doesn’t have drama and action scenes every 5 minutes
They really grabbed that third rail and went full Jenkins with the first season episode “Believers.”
Ivonava is god (sorry about the gld thing)
Instant gratification is a disease
Maggie Egan didn't play the part. She WAS the part. Makes me cry every time I watch this.
I was just thinking that
Exactly. It's one of a handful of TV moments that make me tear up. The others are all the Potential Slayers becoming actual Slayers in the Buffy finale "Chosen", and Aang using the blindsight he learned from Toph to survive his final battle with Ozai in the Avatar: The Last Airbender finale "Sozin's Comet".
.
She WAS ISN...
Until Clarke took it over. Seeing her return to the anchor desk was when I knew everything was going to be alright.
INCREDIBLE episode, AMAZING series!!!
best performance by a bit player on the show
Something worth noting here: The guy who was next to her when ISN was attacked and shut down is not seen here, nor anywhere else on the show ever again.
He was of course killed.
@@KristerAndersson-nc8zo She wasn't supporting his actions at the time and was clearly terrified. He was brave enough but likely paid the price.
She did say that some of her colleagues were executed.
@@shamaliwije4872 dictatorships of all kinds do execute and intimidate many people who do not agree with them.
@@exposingproxystalkingorgan4164 When tyrants appear, there's a high likelihood of journalists getting 'disappeared'. Considering how Clark unleashed the Scorched Earth directive, killing a few disagreeing journalists would have been peanuts to him compared to that.
This was a fantastic bit of acting by Maggie Egan.
This was another moment where the writing and acting really shone. Bringing back this character really added a human/emotional touch
Yes I remember thinking that they were probably killed when they stormed the station so it was really great to see her back and just another example of how well this show was planned out...for the most part.
@Anjelica Snorcket My understanding is the story lines in both season 4 and 5 were supposed to be spread across both seasons. All the 'A' plot got put into season 4 and after all that was left were 'B' and 'C' plots for season 5. The story was planned for 5 years but they were canceled after 4 but they were told in season 3 that season 4 would be last so they had time to plan some kind of ending. They had no way of knowing TNT would pick them up for season 5, which is why season 5 feels... lacking.
@Anjelica Snorcket I figured I just thought I would spell it out in case anyone else didn't know that. Anyway its really a shame when you think about it since the end could have been much better, its just that season 5 plots felt very anticlimactic after the Shadow war and all that, but knowing what we know that makes sense.
I really would love to see a revival of this show, I feel like it has never gotten the respect it is due.
@@FJF1085 even season season 4 plots I don't think was in the order originally intended, I always suspect earth was suppose to be free of the shadow influence before the battle between the younger races, shadows and vorlons final batter happen. But they were so desperate to tell the end of the shadow/vorlon storyline they move it up in case they got their episode number cut for the season. They also never made it 100% clear that Psicorp was working with the shadows.
I suspect we were suppose to have also seen Byron heavily involve in the war against the shadows. Which would then get us on his side more and that the galaxy really does owe the telepaths a huge debt but we never saw that.
@@DavidKnowles0 It's really a shame that we didn't get the story as it was originally planned because it was a fully planned story. That being said I still love the show and I think it is so underrated. You never really hear it discussed. But if anyone ever tells me they're into Sci-Fi this is one of the first shows I recommend.
I was very impressed by her skill in this scene.
It reminded me of the newscaster who returned to the air after the Soviet army came and shut them down.
I asked Maggie if she had seen that and used it as a guide on how to play the character.
She said "No, I played it the way I would have felt if I was in her place."
It was SPOT ON!
The way she hesitated and shakily nodded when she described how journalists had been tortured and killed added an awesome depth to her scene. Her captors must have told her nobody was being tortured or killed, and she was refuting the way they gaslit her.
People might remember that this was the anchor who was cut off and nearly decapitated by falling rubble. She is even wearing the same dress. Yet the expression on her face tells you something has changed her.
She has been forced to look into the Abyss, and she didn't blink.
She couldn't have been free for more than a day, and the first thing she does is go back to the studio and report on what happened to them.
When the Russian coup under Yeltsin, this scenario happened
because she's a reporter and knew what her duty was
That's the difference between a mere paid job, and a calling.
You do know this was a tv show right?
@@seppijessup9563 Yes, I was exercising a little psychological phenomenon called 'Suspension of Disbelief' to treat a high concept work as if it were real. You should try it sometime, I promise it will make any fictional story much more enjoyable
🙄
This is, without a doubt, one of the most moving pieces of TV I can remember.
The bit where she's crying at the beginning - gets me every time
Kind of reminds me of today.
Same.
Very unprofessional for an anchor. No anchor cried during 9-11.
@@TheMrPeteChannel They weren't reporting on 9-11 after having spent the last year in gulag.
Me too!
One thing I always loved about this show. Was they showed Step by step the slow fall into a dictatorship that can happen and the effects it can have on people even normal people just trying to live their lives.
You mean like today in the United States.
@@censorshipsucks9493 stop it
@@garycannon4644 I'd like to, but I'm only one man.
@@censorshipsucks9493 sometimes all it takes to stop tyranny is one man to stand up instead of kneel, to say No not on my watch, no not in my name
@@catsi563 Truth is if I didn't have a wife, and family to support I'd try to be that man.
Sometimes I think Babylon 5 should be taught in schools as preparation for people to understand REAL adult life and to understand why you NEVER give one person complete power over your life.
Well said. Although I think you meant 'preparation', not perpetration. Preparation is getting ready for the future. Perpetration is the action of committing a crime. Hope this helps.
@@Debilitator47 Oops.
It's also important to understand that no one in this series saw themselves as the villain.
@Hoa Tattis Wow so deep... aren't you the guy his comments I just had to remove from my vids?
@Hoa Tattis And BTW, I'm Jewish and my family came from Germany you fuck, so please, don't tell me about human suffering on world war 2.
And moments like this are why B5 cannot be topped.
No other Sci-fi show manages to be so grounded yet entertaining as B5, and thats what i love about itm
The really cool thing about B5 compared to say StarTrek was, that it was focused on the station and the important figures there - but it never failed to give you glimpses and views of the everyday normal people. I just want to add the attack on B5 by some random alien force, watched throught the eyes of those two janitors.
I would say Deep Space Nine came close
Not even Battlestar Galactica?
@@cya2139
BSG(Battlestar Galactica)?
The only other show that came close was DS9 for the character development. FIrefly could have possibly.
I wonder if in that universe there would still be doubters saying that Sheridan was under alien control and that the defense grid being turned on Earth was "fake news"
Probably, I mean it even happened in the Star Wars Legends universe saying Endor didn't happen and in the Firefly universe saying the broadcast about Miranda was a fake.
I know this isn't the point, but there canonically were.
Of course there would be. In the present day we have people who deny genocides, pandemic deaths, and twist themselves into pretzels trying to claim that the Capitol riot was just a peaceful protest.
Humans in the B5 future have advanced *somewhat* from where we are at today, but not by light years. Some still have very reptillian brians, and some are still very easily susceptible to propaganda and misinformation.
Yes, remember the new President of Earth said to make everyone happy, she should give Sheridan a medal and then take him out back to be shot.
@@FynneRoke Yep. That comes later (in the Season 4 finale).
I am in love with the silence. There is no background music, no commentary and no chatter. It has that somber tone of many major news stories of the past.
And the newsy tune straight into solemn broadcast.
Reminds me of TDS right after 9/11
I remember watching that the first time and remembering just how happy I was to see her back on the air.
I met her at the reunion con in Galveston, TX. Wonderful person. I didn't know the huge body of work she has.
I found it a great touch to see this particular news anchor back on screen. I was actually like "Nice to see you again, Jane." And Maggie Egan did such a great job! Small but powerful scene, on a par with the best of them!
And that she is alone at that desk, when she always had her co-anchor before? Subtle detail, but speaks volumes..
Just the little pieces of dialogue like this - with the raw emotion- reminds me of damn good this show was. Like [ most of ] the Star Treks , it wasn't really about hardware or monsters , it was about the human condition.
It's interesting that B5 showed culture on earth had progressed since the 19th century with scenes like ISN broadcasts and Delenn picking up the newspaper with the Eye on Minbar section. In Star Trek everyone is obsessed with 19th and 20th century culture; Picard and his classical music and classical literature, Paris and his obsession with 20th century America, Data and his violin concerts. There is very little evidence shown in Star Trek that culture and creativity has progressed at all.
Good point; I can get Picard on Shakespeare, etc., but the lack of "current" music, plays, etc. DID leave me with the impression that the writers had an imagination deficit in some areas.[ Actually, I STILL feel that way; with a whole universe of possibilities out there as a result of the first three spin-offs, what do they do ? Go back to Kirk & Spock or "back in the beginning" storylines.] We actually got a better glimpse of Klingon culture - incl. pop culture- than of Earth culture. We heard their version of opera, Klingon heavy metal [ remember the Voyager doctor's son?], and we saw B'lana Torres reading a trashy Klingon Historical romance novel.
I think copyright is the most likely reeason for a lack of new culture in Star Trek.
This show was so freaking good and so ahead of its time
The pause at "interrogated" kills me
We all know what she meant. Unfortunately.
They were killed, too. She said it
Maybe she couldn't deal with the fact that SHE was among those who were tortured.
That brief tear of vulnerability. So understated....and brilliant.
She was amazing and the most memorable ISN member of staff.
I really liked the guy who made the propaganda report on B5.
He did what he had to do, but he still managed to slip news about Sheridan's family to him through the report.
I love how the ISN logo is derived from the same font as the B5 credit... same art department.
Storyline was so detailed. Much respect given to viewers and fans who spent hours watching. I personally have rewatched episodes, only to find new things that were made known once you understand the entire story.
She did a great job. Very sincere performance. Believable and forthright.
The first indication of loss of a Democracy is restricted Free Press. When become a crime to criticize or question policies of a Government.
Yep. That was the first thing Clark went after. Then he installed political officials in every part of Earth GOV and the military. Sounds familiar, just 4 years ago we went through the same thing
No. It's " the Party Line ".
So well written, so perfectly acted and still brings tears to my eyes so moving.
I love her gag reel clip.
"We now go, live, to Actor."
Cut
"Ahk'dor, I im noht an Ahk'dor."
She was brilliant in this role.
One of the most moving scenes I've ever had the pleasure to watch.
The REAL ISN---not that Clark-controlled madness!
Too little, too late.
Where is the Voice of the Resistance?
I’m never watching ISN again!
We are all sons and daughters of Earth and we must continue to remember that if we are to heal and move forward.
Everyone was fighting for Earth, even if they didn't agree on what was best for Earth.
It's easy to forget that not everyone has the same information to form the same conclusions, too, especially when a particularly good propaganda machine that built up over time is involved.
@@InfernosReaper there’s an episode that shows what people back on Earth were hearing about B5.
(The corps is mother the corps is father.)
@@Justanotherconsumer That's the one where Franklin decided going on Walkabout wasn't a good idea, right?
@@Justanotherconsumer Lyta: I'm an orphan.
Poor Lyta, she truly is at the end of the show - an orphan with a friend, but an orphan none the less.
Should be the qoute of 2021.
Straczynski is a talented man. I think he literally predicted our future.
Yes- that he most certainly is. He predicted the Ukrainian civil war.
I think he was using the past to imagine a future where a dictator could take over. Today and since about 2015, we've had a worldwide far-right movement to put authoritarians in power, who don't believe in truth, justice and democracy, but rather power and putting minorities of all kinds and women in their place.
He once said on Twitter that he didn't predict anything. He just knew these things come around in cycles, and the same old fight will eventually be renewed.
@@Brasswatchman Right. Had this come out 2010-2015 then it might be fresh in the public's mind and they might have been ready to deal with the far-right movement worldwide to elect authoritarians.
@@sandal_thong8631 Maybe, maybe not. If I've learned anything over the last decade, it's how frustratingly obtuse people can be to the reality happening right in front of them.
I still can't believe even after a news report outright told them that Clark turned the defence grid Earthwards...people still supported Clark.
The Fake News MinbarISN will do and say anything to trash OUR PRESIDENT, who was removed from office in an illegal treasonous coup while he was trying to Make Earth Great Again!
@@williambrennan104 The Drahk Plague is fake news, and they're using OUR TAX DOLLARS to send the Excalibur out to find a cure. Centauri Hoax!
@@williambrennan104 That's the the real threat of misinformation and rewriting history. Think about it. If say... a certain president became an autocrat, declared all other news sources fake, and started silencing all opposing media and banning elections. Yeah, that could be a reality if left unconfronted.
@@vguyver2 strange ... it seems the opposite to me . That the press was taken over a couple of decades ago and the fight is ongoing.
White people, right?
B5 was simply the most believable sci-fi future that has ever been portrayed on TV. We are blessed it had its full run!
This part always gives me tingles and I tear up at the point where she repeats the quote from Sheridan 'We are alle sons and daughters of Earth!'
Very moving writing.
I met her at a con in Galveston TX. Wonderful person with a huge list of credits.
Journalists with integrity, nice.
Before it was taken over, ISN was very far from perfect. Its value was only made clear once it was gone (taken over to become an actual propaganda machine.)
@@travcollier Twenty-some-odd-years later, Babylon 5 as prophesy
Great show B5 was simply brilliant
This show is for the thinking awake.
@Phelan, when I posted the response, there were several posts comparing modern day American politics to Babylon 5's President Clark. Looks like they were thrown down the memory hole through deletion and/or editing.
The woke, you mean?
And this is why I love B5. It didn't have the best CGI but damn did it have the best storytelling and world building!
For the time the cgi was quite good, it was the mid 90's after all and that's when cgi started to take off.
this one of the best sci fi shows ever
This is why this production is greater that Star Trek. These characters were like people we knew in our own lives, they had faults, addictions, a truly human quality, Star Trek never had that quality to it.
@@saberiandream316 it's okay to have an opinion, right?
Some characters of Star Trek dead. Garak is by far the closest to that level of vulnerability. That being said, I also feel that a large amount of the ensemble cast were amazing in their own right. Both series were remarkable, especially considering that Deep Space Nine was actually a direct rip-off of Babylon 5. I'm glad they resolve their differences while they ran, and actually had cameos between the two series.
@@saberiandream316 You're both right and wrong. They did in fact rip off the series Bible, and made their own thing with it. And the fact that they went their own way is the reason why both series are memorable to this day.
This is what makes me think any planned reboot is going to fall flat on its face. Even through no fault of their own, I just don't think there's anyway to catch this kind of work twice.
You're right
Im sooo glad i bought the full DVD Boxsets back then.. 20 bucks per season, best 100€ i spend on "movies" ever!
Shame on Earthforce officers and troops for siding with Clark.
Lockley? Some remained loyal out of what they considered their duty despite any misgivings they might have had about the government. The series did cover this in some episodes.
a heart wrenching performance by Maggie she held emotions of anger loss and journalistical manipulation to deliver a message worth a standing ovation
"Our thoughts and prayers" ...... ISN did it first \o/
Joking aside, that scene was awesome.
Yeah, but they actually meant it and followed up with substantive action.
This scene is always such a gut punch
Such an under-rated TV show. It stood out to me as the first major show to kill off main characters as part of the plot, and not just because an actor quit.
The end of season 4 was the best part of the series, as they packed all the events of season 5 in as well, anticipating the show being canceled, which it was.
But then another network picked it up for season 5 and there was no plot left. Season 5 was almost as bad as the last season of the original Roseanne. There was a whole lot of standing around with nothing happening.
He didn't quit, he got sick
They made you feel bad about the "death" of a muppet.
The 1st half of season 5 was bad. The telepath storyline didn't work.
But the 2nd half of season 5 was good, with the unwitting (and witting) centauris carrying on the shadow's master plan. There was LOTS happening in the season5 2nd half.
China Beach did that on purpose before B5 but it was not and still is not a common occurrence.
There'll be blue birds over the white cliffs of Dover...
This show honestly hits home. We literally had our own Clark.
Still got him (if we’re talking about the same person) and have another one likely incoming as well
Hopefully the courts revoke Conman Don's "Teflon" status in the upcoming months.
@@danielhaire6677Just got recommended this video and saw your comment same day as SCOTUS immunity ruling. Ouch, looks like we're in the bad timeline.
Still enjoy the show but this scene hits different now.
A message from the future...
History teaches us the mistakes we've made in the past.
Science Fiction teaches us the mistakes we're about to make.
This speech always reminds me of Churchill’s radio address for the surrender of Nazi Germany.
"heal and move on". I hope Earthgov arrested every single police, military, secret police, that falsely arrested and tortured and killed civilians....every single one!
You know it never happens.
Powerful moment. I pray for Americans of the present age to come to have a reconciliatory mindset like hers. Nations can and do heal from civil wars, and the voices of those who suffered greatly but still call for reconciliation are some of the most powerful.
The only way the US will be healed is if certain oligarchic powers in our political institutions are removed. Doesn't matter what party they are from, they are driving the country ever closer to civil war.
No. It's over. America and I are getting an anulement. Not even a divorce.
Certain "news channels" today could follow this for a tip or two on journalistic integrity...
“We are all Equally sons and daughters of earth”
Aliens that died freeing earth: “Wöt?”
They only came in late in the war to fight the defense grid. And this message is too the humans not too them.
Sadly, those who spewed Clark's lies and propaganda would likely get a fair trial before going to prison. Unlike those who were arrested during Clark's reign of terror.
"On both sides"
This is the future. We have paper for our news anchor.
While the show's future tech isn't perfect, paper is ok here. In 2019, SNL and late night talk shows still use cue cards and newscasts on every level & politicians making speeches still have back-up paper scripts all for one simple reason: teleprompters occasionally break.
It's also a good directing choice: it gives her something to do with her hands to help convey the flood of complex emotions breaking through, and it gives the 1990s audience a familiar visual touchstone that - as noted above - still exists today.
Jeffrey O. Gustafson i didn’t expect a reply on my comment 🤣 kudos to you good sir ☝🏻
One of the things B5 got so right, is the little moments like this. Most shows wouldn't go to the trouble of bringing back the same actor this way. Maggie Egan spent only a few minutes of her life over 8 episodes of B5 and 2 of Crusade but she left an indelible mark.
I just can't understand the mentality of those who, after the Earth Civil War, still criticized Sheridan for using military force to kick out Clark; how can they not see that Clark was clearly the bad guy when he turned the defense grid against Earth? How can anyone defend a man like that?
Can you not see the parallels between the conflict in the fictional Earth Civil War and actual non-fictional conflicts and nonfictional civil wars? People don't change their minds easily. People don't admit they were wrong easily. Some people will never admit they're wrong.
Its easy to forgive others for beeing wrong while you were right, but having to admit that you are wrong and apologizing is hard under normal circumstances. In this case they looked away from tyranny and opression around them because they felt safe or because they lacked the courage.
YOu still have to ask, under this administration?
Look at neo Nazi's still strutting around today after the horrors of WW2 and you have your answer.
His crazy gave a voice to theirs and made it feel wanted and justified.
The US was foolish to blithely allow what Germany put down with a vengeance the last 3/4 of a century gone.
When ISN went black, they were not kidding!
I far preferred the ghastly chumminess of the regime stooge after the ISN bloke blew the gaff and it was stormed. A masterclass in oleaginous-ness. ;O)
Captain Sheridan this is Rear Admiral James T Kirk I'm here at Deep Space 87 STARFLEET is Ready to Help
It stays relevant.
Well done
greatest sci fi drama ever.
ISN is back on the news. Now lets hear commentary from these 5 talking heads......
that was 80 years later
I do not think they are equally the sons of of Earth. Those serving in the armed forces under Clarck helped him at least with non-resisting. But I understand what wanted the sentence to communicate. I prefer more direct communication.
1:45 AM Earth Standard Time ... Are time zones no longer a thing in the future?
Per JMS, Earth Standard Time is just the coordinating time for military, government, and off-Earth activity. Earth still has time zones. jmsnews.com/messages/message?id=9334
There is the same concept in todays military. "ZULU TIME" is used to coordinate military activities. It uses Greenwich mean time.
If I had to guess, it's probably Earthdome time.
How would an Earth Standard Time using AM & PM even work, though? It's a small detail, but they should've went with 24-hour time instead, or something else entirely.
The 90s, when the news was important and noble..
I'm surprised the set is still intact.
Clark repaired it so his goons could use it to spread propaganda.
I feel we’re in this era now isn under Clark I feel is our media 2021
"Martial" law.
I wished I remembered the name of the actress. She really was good
It's listed in the video description.
The thing about "Scorched Earth" confused me.
Why is he writing this?
Did he end up being a keeper too?
Or was it just "if I can't have it, nobody can have it"
The latter.
The keepers were for the Centauri as punishment for turning on the former masters of the Drakh.
@@mnomadvfx Yes the Drakh don't want to take revenge on Sheridan and Human,
because of the driving away of their masters?
IMO Clark, as far as HE was concerned, would rather see Earth destroyed than under alien control.
@@Rgoid the argument that I can follow
But I can still see the thought of the Drakh's first attempt at revenge on humans ...
Maybe more like Durla then? The Drakh have many ways of doing something.
He may have been telling himself that it was better than letting the aliens take over.
Earth Standard Time- One time zone for the whole planet?
Per JMS, Earth Standard Time is just the coordinating time for military, government, and off-Earth activity. Earth still has time zones. jmsnews.com/messages/message?id=9334
It was probably Grenade Mean or Zulu Time.
@@jeffreyo.gustafson7626 Earth standard time is probably the time for Earthdome.
I guess it's like GMT now
While I understand the sentiment, especially in the context of maintaining social order post-rebellion, the notion that those who supported a totalitarian regime that had people killed or imprisoned, suppressed speech, restricted travel, demanded loyalty and conformity to new social norms, etc., are not equal to those who resisted such measures. The notion is very insulting to those who desire justice after such horrific violations.
Reading far too much into it. But wrong conclusions to a fictional story shows some willingness to think on your own. With the world the way it is now, that may be considered a virtue.
I wish that first part was real
Somehow, I think I am not the only one to recoil in horror and disgust at the idea that that awful phrase "our thoughts and prayers go out to..." will still be with us in the 24th century!
I watched Babylon 5 without fail when it first aired. I remember this particular bit in J. Michael Straczynski's story arc, and I thought, "Once again, a powerful Science Fiction TV series is telling us about ourselves," just like Star Trek did when it first aired in the mid 60s. This particular episode is even more true now, a media that has been totally taken over by leftist thought leaders. Dangerous times, for sure.
YOu're incorrect about the wing currently hobbling the media and owning the supposed 'President.'
@@OllamhDrab You think that the mainstream media is mostly right wing???!?!?
You obviously understand and practice that 'sometimes before you can deal with a problem you have to . . . redefine it'
@@sminkycorp Well, the problem you just tried to redefine, you redefined by claiming I said something I didn't say. But yes, the Right has *hobbled* the corporate media, as well as via kamikaze appointees, much public media. Cause they're anti-democracy and only focused on short-term profits otherwise.
@@OllamhDrab
By 'hobbled' you obviously mean that smaller media companies and citizen journos are having too much influence and you would like just the corporate media to have a say only.
You do know the DEMOS in democracy means PEOPLE right??????
@@sminkycorp Again with the false claims. It's just they may as well be for normalizing this fascism, corruption, and incompetence, while not actually doing much to inform people who need to know.
Show me the real ISN.
No, I said the REAL ISN.
Weather or not this is the real ISN depends on what you want to believe.
the ppl who carried out clarks orders the commanders generals should be charged. not forgiven
So what if I was a commander that took part in a food shipment blockade and the reason I didn’t resist the orders was because I had family on earth that ’was being protected’ by night watch troops. I should face charges
Connor Lonergan. you should face serious charges. possibly the death penalty for murder of all those poor ppl
and this is why your not a judge yah sure my actions killed folks, but it happened under fear and coercion of my family being executed and killed by the Clark regime
But as I said it was under coercion not of my own free will there is a complete diffrence
Not everyone fully backs the concept on ”needs of the many over the few”
Maggie Egan, eh? Kinda cute. Have to watch out for her.
I weep not for the journalist
the ONLY thing that annoys me with this news report: The camera records they show to illustrate the battle are those that were meant for our eyes - the eyes of the audience. They CAN'T have been shot by any in-series camera or anything newsfeed-like. That mistake breaks immersion.
Why wouldn't ships have cameras on them?
@@marsneedstowels on them - maybe
freely orbiting them, at speeds and maneuvers equal to a Starfury? Unlikely.
Plus I fail to see reason why a ship would carry cameras all over the hull...
@@gajustempus long range visual detection and tracking (Either directly or indirectly (aka a mysteriously straight and uniform line of stars blinking)? I know space is big, but, there are ways to hide ones heat and radar signatures (and other forms of technological detection too). It is much harder to hide from what amounts to someone (probably an AI of some kind that is looking for above mentioned suspicious patterns) looking out a window with built in zoom and enhance.
@@edwardteach3000 if there's one technical rule out there, then this one: If uses ANY kind of energy, it'll radiate said energy as well - be it even ever so low. That's what the Normandy of Mass Effect did right: They used a giant internal storage system to store all the waste heat and energy to disguise themselves from sensors - but that also lasted only a limited amount of time.
Such a device requires space - hence it only practical in ships with a minimum size. Tiny drones may use less power, but they lack the space to "cloak" sufficiently.
@@gajustempus Indeed, but the devices would not have to be too large (especially if you take highly advanced technology into account) about the size of a high quality TV camera). And ships like the Normandy is exactly why you would still want said cameras (would have made the geth station in ME2 much harder to deal with).
*martial law
I'm more cynical about this scene than other fans seem to be. ISN knew where its bread was buttered and gladly shilled for the fascist Clark administration when their bottom line depended on it. Now that Sheridan and his resistance forces won they can pretend like they were on the side of goodness and light all along.
Earthgov got rid of Clark but it never learned any lessons about what led to Clark in the first place, evidenced by how quickly they got rid of Sheridan once he liberated Earth for them.
What do you think they should have done? When one might have had a 'gun to one's head' or everyone were replaced by people loyal to the regime?
It is a diffrent ISN.
All the people who were on the side of Sheridan were removed from ISN when Clark took over.
Then when Clark was removed the people who were removed from ISN came back.
@@catprog Oh. Makes sense.
I would hardly call troops bombarding the station headquarters as them "gladly shilling".
You know, I just saw this clip from your viewpoint tonight watching it.
We have the benefit of global hindsight/omnipotence. We see what happened from the outside and can identify the winners, losers, and those who are right.
Imagine living under Clarke for years, warned of the alien threat. Then earth is attacked and suddenly a "multi-planetary force" led by the same guy he told you was out to subvert the government shows up?
Take the time to objectively remove yourself from the viewers standpoint and put yourself into B5.
Did Clarke target the eastern seaboard with the defense grid? Or was it targeting the insurrectionists?
Could you even tell?
This is why Babylon 5 is the best.
👍
no longer fakenews lol
remember when the us gov tried to make the ministry to truth lol. not in the show im talking about in real actual life in a world where babylon 5 already did it...
🤔🤔🤔
Very unprofessional anchor right their. Too emotional.
She'd spent the previous year in constant fear for her life.
Cut her some slack.
she just got out of prison