Random musings

[wiseheart]

I've rewatched the 3rd season Babylon 5 episode "And the Rock Cried Out, No Hiding Place" yesterday, and a funny thought occurred to me.

Tolkien, who was a devout Catholic, consequently left out any aspects of an organized religion from his work, even though there are, of course, clear parallels.

JMS, who's a declared atheist, can't stop dealing with religious stuff in B5. Really, it reminds me a little of how straight women keep writing male-on-male slash. Something about the forbidden fruit and all that... only the other way round.

Rabid B5 fans have been raving about Star Trek inferiority for uncounted years, their main argument being that Trek lacked originality. Plus, they raved about DS9 being a shameles rip-off of B5, just because both series took place on a space station. Some equally stupid Trekkers riposted that B5 was ripping off DS9.

Now, I happen to like B5 a great deal (even though I'm a devout Trekkie), but I always found it amusing that nobody seems to address the actual rip-off... cuz, let's face it, JMS has ripped off Tolkien, big time. Starting with naming the homeworld of the Shadows Z'Ha'Dum (Moria anyone?) and even giving a techno-mage Gildor's sentence about wizards being subtle and quick to anger. And there are many other examples.

I for my part do find this amusing.

Comments

[jen-rock.livejournal.com]

I've always wondered why so many people have to put down one show or another.
I loved Babylon 5. I love Star Trek and DS9 especially. Why is it so hard to like both? There was such a silly rvialry going on when B5 was on the air and people who were fans of one show but not the other were saying all sorts of negative things about the other. It was so childish. I was glad when Majel Barret-Roddenberry guest-starred on that one episode in an effort to quiet the rivalry.

And I liked that JMS included religion in the show. I don't think the Trek view of a humanity that "outgrew" religion(as Picard said) was very realistic. Religion plays a role in the lives of the vast majority of the planet and I don't think they would abandon their beliefs so easily even after the huge WWIII event that happened in the Trek past. One of my favorite B5 episodes was "Passing Through Gethsemane" with Brad Dourif. I remember reading that JMS showed that episode to a group of nuns and then they all discussed it afterwards. That amused me.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

To be perfectly honest, the B5 fans started it - but Trek fans should have been mature enough *not* to pick up the glove... Personally, I find DS9 better, although that show, too, has glaring mistakes in my eyes, but that's really a matter of taste.

I think the greatest mistake was making Sisko one of the prophets... well, sort of... just because they didn't have the balls to allow a Starfleet officer to remain kind of a religious leader. So yes, Trek deals with religion in a fairly cowardly and stupid way (just like with homosexuality), at least the newest shows do. The original series had the occasional stupid episode in that area, too, but all in all, it was a lot more open-minded, IMO.

"Passing Through Getsemane" was a good episode. I generally like Brother Teo and his bunch of Trappist monks - although, of course, Trappists are sworn to silence and living in isolation, so I don't think the choice of the order was the right one. What I don't like in B5 is the whole messianic overtones re: both Sheridan and G'Kar. At least I like G'Kar, though. Sheridan, I absolutely detest.