# Finding The Lord of the Rings in Babylon 5



## ReadWryt

Ok, call me nuts...and probably only the die hard serious Bab5ers will understand all of this, but here goes...

Mimbari=Elves

Delen (Gives up her racial purity to become more Human)= Arwen (Gives up her Elvishness to become Mortal)

Vorlons=Miar

Kosh ("Angelic being" who everyone is lead to think is crucial to the success of the mission, but is killed)=Gandalf ("Angelic being" who everyone is lead to think is crucial to the success of the mission, but is killed)

Both stories have intrinsic to their theme the concept that Humans are the "Future" of their world.

Z`hadum...Kazad Dum (They just both sound like such ULGY places!)

Rangers...Rangers

LOTR (Lord of the Rings)...LOTR (Legend of the Rangers)

Grey Council....White Council

Three Elven Rings...Three Mimbari Castes

...that's all for now. If I go on my head will explode...


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## laura

I love Bab5. Every time Z'hadum was mentioned in Bab5 I thought of Moira and what lay hidden, and of course the Rangers were very obvious. I'll have to think about your other points. I'm afraid I can't remember a lot of Bab5 - the memory is definitely shot


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## Mad Adski

Hmm... a conspiracy me thinks...


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## ReadWryt

Kind of off topic,

I just got through playing with my new 3D Studio model of the Whitestar (Silmaril?) and created this picture...so I thought I would share it with any Bab5ers out there...


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## Gothmog

Not really a die hard Bab5er but some thoughts.

Three Mimbari Casts - Three Eldar Peoples:-
Vanyar - Religious
Noldor - Warrior
Teleri - Worker

Three Elven Rings - The Tri-luminary(sp)

What do you think.


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## laura

Glad you didn't have what's his name as Aragorn - the one who married Delen - he really irritated me at times. (I told you the brain cells were shot, I can't even remeber his name in Bab5, but the part played by Bruce Boxleitner... can't even spell his name). It's been such a long time. Channel 4 did start to repeat it at abour 4 in the morning but then they just gave up on it. Did you start watching Excaliber? That just disapeared and what happened to Earth: Final Conflict. It really gets my goat when these series are bought and then the stations don't buy all the following series. Sorry about the sound off 

Laura


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## ReadWryt

Laura,

You refer to Babylon 5: Crusades, and there is a long and convoluted story involved with that series. When J.M.S. created Babylon 5 it was designed to last only 5 seasons, and the entire 5 season series had a beginning, a middle and an end. Each season was to have these as well, but when it got around to the end of season 4 there was some question as to if the series would have the production budget to complete the last season, so they altered the story line and shot as if there might not be a 5th season just in case, but leaving the door open for a last season just in case.

Media Mogul Ted Turner went to Strazynski and told him that not only would he fund the last season but he would pay for the production of two TV movies as well and perhaps pick up a new series if the ratings were good enough for the show on his TNT cable network. He started showing the series from the begining on a daily basis as well as running the new season one night a week, and all was good...

Then they started work on "Crusades". J. Micheal Strazynski, creator/producer on the first series and director/writer on much of it as well, signed on and wrote for the series cautiously...You see, J.M.S. had worn all of those hats on this series, not because he WANTED to as he is happiest simply WRITING for television, but because he cared for Babylon 5 as a project and didn't want outside influences changing it mid-stream as had happened to him on other projects like the "Ghost Busters" animated series. (They actually came to him and said "The kids really like that Slimer character, can you give him some lines and have him working more with the guys?". This idea of taking an insignificant character and making it more significant because of toy sales was repugnant to J.M.S. and he quit writing for it. Two years later the series was called "Slimer and the Ghost Busters".)

One day someone from Turner Broadcasting contacted J.M.S. and said something to the effect of "You know, WWF Wrestling is really doing well in the ratings for us, do you think you could insert some wrestling into the series?", so because he wisely had whittled his job title down to Creator/Writer he was able to simply quit as before.

Now he was approached by USA Networks who has had tremendous response to their rebroadcasting of the Series and T.V. Movies as well as the few (I think it was 8) episodes of Crusades and they funded the production of "Babylon 5: Legend of the Rangers", a T.V. movie set someplace between the end of Crusades and the end of Babylon 5...it's ratings were very good and it looks like the new series will be greenlighted, but I think J.M.S. has enough evidence of how screwed up the series could get if there is any strong-arming from outside network people, and the SciFi Channel (USA Network) is pretty darned good about taking a hands off approach...so hope springs eternal.


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## laura

Now we really know my brain cells have had it! Can't even get the series right!! Thanks for all the info. I'll just live in hope.


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## PRH

Lothlorien = Lorien (homage, not similarity)

Shadows = "In the land of Mordor, where the shadows lie"

End of the 3rd age

First Ones = Bombadil?

Saruman = Molari (sort of)(corrupted good guy)

Shadows/Vorlons/First Ones leaving the universe = Eldar leaving Middle Earth

Sheridan leaving the universe = Frodo (or Sam) leaving Middle Earth

the quote somewhere "Wizards are subtle and quick to anger" = Gildor's similar quote

Vorlons influencing other races = Elves influencing event of Middle Earth (sort of)

and of course:

reclaiming Earth from President Clark = Scouring of the Shire


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## Rangerdave

*LOTR B5*

And of course the technomages anr Istari.

"do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, for the are subtle and quick to anger"

I forget the episode name, (second season) but it does'nt get any better than that.

I tip my hat to JMS for drawing from (but not stealing from) such powerful mythology to create his future vision.

RD


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## ReadWryt

JMS is a BIG Joseph Campbell fan, and a bit of a student of Jungian Archetypes as well. I'm almost tempted to subscribe to Showtime to see his new series...


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## laura

Crusade is being repeated over here at about 4.00 in the morning, so I have to tape it - but at least i get to watch it.


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## Ancalagon

Just had to dig up this old thread when I found this particular Website;
http://www.jumpnow.de/b5lotr/b5lotr.php?op=char

Now since ReadWryt doesnt start too many threads, it's only proper that we encourage the ones he does


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## Darth Saruman

Babylon 5 is an homage to LOTR. It was a very enjoyable show. The only thing wrong with it was the mediocre special effects.


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