January Meme: Favorite B5 single one off episode character (who is not Timov)

[selenak]

Speaking of B5, the wonderful podfic version of my story In Vino Veritas, aka the first Londo/G'Kar slash story to exist (yep, still proud of that), which iamsab did back in the day, has been uploaded to the A03, and you can listen to it here. Sab's Londo and G'Kar voices are great, and as she herself is now so many years dead, it is incredibly poignant to me as well that this recording exists.

On to the subject of the day. A veritable challenge by wychwood, because of course Timov is my all time favourite "in one episode only" character, and I have written the fanfic to prove it. Other minor Centauri characters I love, like Virini, the poor Regent, are in several episodes; Adira is, too (courtesy of Neil Gaiman's season 5 episode Day of the Dead), and while I get a kick out of writing Mariel and Daggair, Londo's other wives, it would be cheating to nominate them for this particular spot. On the Narn side of the force, again, my faves other than G'Kar show up in more than one episode (I mean, the glasses-wearing Narn assassin in Parliament of Dreams is hilarious, but I hardly love him.)

Moving on to the human characters, again, candidates like Brother Theo are in more than one episode. Brother Edward, the character memorably played by Brad Dourif, definitely had a deep emotional impact on me, but that's not the same as character love. Then there's Michael York's character from A Late Delivery from Avalon, where I adored his scenes with G'Kar, but I'm not sure whether the solution the episode offers to the "is he or isn't he King Arthur?" question was the right way to go with this story, as opposed to leaving it a mystery. Another one time only human character with a great emotional impact on me was Zoe in Day of the Dead, but I'm not sure this was because of Zoe herself or the way Neil Gaiman managed to flesh out Lochley through her.

However, circling back to the Centauri, because let's face it, the Centauri are where it's at for me on B5 (well them, the Narn and Alfred Bester), an epiphany presents itself: a character who only shows up in one single episode, immediately comes across as three dimensional, is played very memorably and endearingly by his actor, and whose impact on the plot is considerable despite this one time only appearance: Emperor Turhan from the Hugo-awarded episode The Coming of Shadows. (The acting is as important as the script here, because Turhan has to deliver a lot of JMS style philosophical statements. When writing and actor match in this regard, you get G'Kar. When they don't, you get Byron.) Turhan's decision to make the unprecedented step of declaring repentance to the Narn, the one decision in his life where he breaks with tradition and expectations, and the profound tragedy that ensues (on every level, both political and personal) would be moving by virtue of plot, but Turhan Bey also endows him with great personal warmth and charm ("I should very much like to see a Vorlon"). At the same time, and this is easy to miss, as sympathetic as Turhan is, it's worth pointing out that he's been Emperor since the last years of the first Centauri Occupation of Narn, i.e. G'Kar's youth, and while, as Sheridan argues, he himself ordered the withdrawal and later offered several reconciliatory gestures before the one he intends to do in this episode, it is clear that despite being an absolute monarch, he did nothing to reform the Centauri Republic and society as a whole, which would have been as necessary as the acknowledgment of colonial guilt. This blind spot, and defaulting to "following tradition" until it is almost too late, is why Turhan isn't a saint, but a flawed person, and thus all the more real.

So yes, Emperor Turhan is my not-Timov one episode character choice, and I'll conclude the post with his most famous quote:

"So much has been lost: so much pain, so much blood--and for what? I wonder. The past tempts us, the present confuses us, and the future frightens us. And our lives slip away moment by moment in that vast terrible in-between. But there is still time to seize that one, last, fragile moment. To choose something better. To make a difference, as you say. And I intend to do just that."

The other days

Comments

[sovay]

aka the first Londo/G'Kar slash story to exist (yep, still proud of that)

Mazel tov!

One-off characters from Babylon 5 who made enormous impressions on me were Harriman Gray ("Eyes), Amis ("The Long Dark"), and Urza Jaddo ("Knives"), all of whom I can track by the fact that they got into terrible fragmentary filed-off fantasy or science fiction in high school. "Passing Through Gethsemane" imprinted me on Brad Dourif as an actor. I love Wayne Alexander's performance in "Comes the Inquisitor," but if I loved the character, I'd have different historical obsessions than I do. I always wanted to see more of Carolyn ("Ship of Tears") and I recall being disappointed with her fate in the Bester trilogy.

I love the Regent very much. He also got into terrible fragmentary filed-off science fantasy in high school. A lot of things did.

[selenak]

Same here: re: Carolyn. In general, I think the telepath trilogy did a better job than the Centauri trilogy at the writer fleshing out what they'd been given by JMS, but Carolyn was the rare exception, and her being unceremoniously killed off between novels felt like an excuse for the writer to provide Bester with a relationship with his OC instead. (Mind you, the pay off for that one was devastating, so I could see why he did it, but still.)

Urza Jaddo was great and tragic as well. And here I must plug andraste writing the very first Centauri/Centauri slash story, full stop, which was Londo/Urza, and in this she also coined the term "brachiarti" for Centauri tentacles.

[sovay]

Same here: re: Carolyn.

I expect follow-through from a setup like that, dammit!

Speaking of significant others, I was editing to mention that I read a fantastic fic in script form in '98 or '99 that dealt with the return of Lyndisti, accompanied now by her father, fancast with Derek Jacobi. I have no idea if I'll ever find that again. It was sent to me as a text file by the first friend I ever made over the internet, whom I found through Babylon 5. (Then they got into Sonic the Hedgehog and there I did not follow. Also they edited a fan essay of mine without my permission before posting it on their site and you can see that I'm bitter about that to this day.)

And here I must plug andraste writing the very first Centauri/Centauri slash story, full stop, which was Londo/Urza, and in this she also coined the term "brachiarti" for Centauri tentacles.

When and where were these all originally written and posted? I'm trying to figure out if I glanced off one or both of you in the mid-to-late-'90's.

[selenak]

t I read a fantastic fic in script form in '98 or '99 that dealt with the return of Lyndisti, accompanied now by her father, fancast with Derek Jacobi.

Ooooh. I really loved to read that, because the ending of Sic Transit Vir is my prime example of "episode drops the ball at the last minute for a cheap punchline".

The original story postings were on lj. I didn't write my B5 fanfic during the time it was originally broadcast, though I was avidly watching back then, but during the first big rewatch I did years later, when the DVDs were there. Andraste was a second generation fan, so to speak, who came on board during that time. I just found the original posting of the story again: here it is.

[wychwood]

Urza Jaddo is also a great choice! And Harriman Gray, my first though not last encounter with Jeffrey Combs.

[sovay]

And Harriman Gray, my first though not last encounter with Jeffrey Combs.

Same! I would have watched him read a phone book after that episode, and on occasion very nearly have.

[viggorlijah]

I remember again my deep passionate b5 love. It was The fandom for my kids back then and re reading all the wonderful tributes to the actors makes me think it’s time to rewatch it. It aimed so high and often landed among the stars.

[selenak]

It truly did. There is nothing quite like it, still.

[watervole]

Agreed. The first four seasons and occasional bits of the last one, were amazing. The interconnectedness and the attention to detail, as well as the depth of characterisation.

Also, the pacing. Some shows now move so fast that you never get to feel you're really there.

Timov was brilliant.

[wychwood]

Fabulous! I have also always loved Emperor Turhan, although I hadn't thought through how much he didn't do anything to fix before. He and Prime Minister Malachi are both great in that. Thanks :)

[selenak]

You're very welcome, and thank you for promting!

[kore]

That Timov story is amazing! I can't believe I never heard of it, but I wasn't into fanfic when I first watched B5 as it was airing.

[selenak]

Well, same here, i.e., I didn't start looking for fanfic and eventually writing it until my first big rewatch of the entire series. It wasn't a thing for me during the original broadcast. Also, thank you! I loved writing it.

[beatrice_otter]

I love Timov! Although my favorite species is the Minbari.

[selenak]

I warmed up to the Minbari through a combination of rewatching and lj fandom, which at the time included three people on my friends list deeply into Minbari characters and writing meta and stories, but I have to admit during my original first watching I basically thought "space elves" and shrugged. Now, I hasten to add, they definitely hold my interest, the way Delenn's relationship with Neroon develops in particular, but also via Sinclair's storyline, and all the implications of him becoming Valen.