(OT) B5: Legend of the Rangers (spoilers)

The_lone_gunman · Jan 20, 2002

Is it just me or did you guys find the Rangers to be not as bada** as you would think they should be? I mean just think about our special forces, here you have a "team" that is basically 1k years old or more, composed of the finest warriors from several spacefaring races, and their newest, most advanced ship gets destroyed in it's first encounter? That seems lame to me....

Also, I didn't particularly like the way they did the targeting system. I mean, they had the retina targeting system and such, why couldnt it just be thought controlled? The weapons officer looked like a damn power ranger.......

I was impressed by some of the acting, the captain and first officer especially. There seems to be some interesting dynamics between all the crew members. The story line was pretty predicatable, but for a pilot it was pretty good.

TLG

Villano · Jan 20, 2002

Overall, I found it to be a bit disappointing. One of the biggest problems I've had with the B5 spin-offs is that they seem to have wandered away from B5 into Star Trek territory. With only slight changes, either B5:LotR or Crusade could just as easily be airing on UPN as a Star Trek series.

My complaints about the show:

As many people have said before, the weapons system as it stands now is just, well, dumb. I hope it's changed if/when a series comes about. It a Lucas-ism (We'll use it because it's a cool looking special effect, it doesn't matter that it's stupid). When I first saw the promos, I thought we were looking at telepathic combat. Remember the telepaths vs the Shadow ships in B5? I thought that we were watching what goes on in a telepath's head as they attack.

The Drazi clearly falls into the area of "movie logic". C'mon, this guy appears to be borderline retarded. He got into the military the same way that military men in action movies can break the rules and put themselves and others at risk yet not face any reprecussions: It's in the script.

The Hand. Haven't we seen this before? Oh, yeah, they were called the Shadows then. Even the starships look alike. A little originality wouldn't hurt.

The lead actor really seemed to fall short with me. I don't know what it is. Maybe because he's so young. He looks like he stepped out of a WB series.

Ranger Logic. "You only had partial speed and no weapons and you ran from a fight? Get out!" That was just logic-defying.

What I liked:

G'Kar. Just a fun character to watch. BTW, is it just me, or could you picture Vincent Price in the role (especially in the speech he gives to the ambassadors)?

The fact that the captain wasn't given the biggest, best ship in the fleet, but a rundown piece of junk. With all emphasis placed on the Valen, I was certain that the producers were going to go the cliched route and give him command of that ship. (Although for an incredibe, state of the art ship, the Valen went down pretty fast, didn't it?)

Overall:

I hope that it's given the greenlight to go to a series, albeit with some modifications. There is precedent for this. Just look at the changes in B5 from pilot to series with half the cast replaced and Delen becoming a female (according to Mira Furlan, Delen was male in the pilot).

I also hope they don't go the Star Trek/Crusade route. What made B5 great was the political and far reaching storylines. The starship traveling around with stand alone, independent episodes has been done to death.

Chairman_Kaga · Jan 20, 2002

Anything B5 is better than the trash that has passed itself off as science fiction the last 5 years.

LightPhoenix · Jan 20, 2002

Some of the Ranger idiocy can be chalked up to Minbari stubborness. They're just like that. But I too wonder how the Rangers survive when they're supposed to be suicidal.

As for the Drazi... I got the impression that the entire race is borderline retarded. They certainly have a much lower average intelligence than the other starfaring races. Though one point to note is that nobody was going to take Turk... and while some of it may be chalked up to racism, I don't think that was the case for Turk. I really would have liked to seen them take the Pak'ma'ra.

As for Crusade... all I have to say is not to knock it unfairly - JMS hadn't even begun to tell the story he was going to when Crusade was axed by TNT. And yes I can say that confidently - the end of season one would have changed everything. I'm hoping the same is true of Rangers.

Btw, if you can find the last two scripts for Crusade online, definitely read them!!! The site they were originally at, bookface.com, closed down, so I'm not sure where they'd be. I do know that you can't find them legally online anymore, but that's not saying you couldn't find them. Just don't post them here.

LightPhoenix

Hand of Vecna · Jan 20, 2002

Villano said

G'Kar. Just a fun character to watch. BTW, is it just me, or could you picture Vincent Price in the role (especially in the speech he gives to the ambassadors)?

Hell yes!!! Then again, I personally think the late, great Vincent Price is one of the best actors ever to grace stage or screen...

love the Captain USA .sig, by the way

Aaron L · Jan 20, 2002

I really hope it gets turned into a series too.

Hand of Evil · Jan 20, 2002

I enjoyed the show and yes I thought Sarah was the weakest character. That combat interface has to go, I found it got old real quick.

I would love to see more B5 and hope this show is picked up.

Anyone know what the time period is, how many years have passed between the end of B5 and this show?

LightPhoenix · Jan 20, 2002

Many thanks to www.b5lr.com for the info...

Legend of the Rangers takes place in late 2265, three years after "Objects at Rest", and right after the Telepath War. This also puts it two years before A Call to Arms and Crusade.

LightPhoenix

Villano · Jan 21, 2002

LightPhoenix said:
Many thanks to www.b5lr.com for the info...

Legend of the Rangers takes place in late 2265, three years after "Objects at Rest", and right after the Telepath War. This also puts it two years before A Call to Arms and Crusade.

LightPhoenix

So if the series runs two seasons, they'll be able to do all the episodes they had originally intended for Crusade? Do you think that was intentional?

Hand of Vecna said:
Hell yes!!! Then again, I personally think the late, great Vincent Price is one of the best actors ever to grace stage or screen...

love the Captain USA .sig, by the way

I totally agree with you, Hand of Vecna. Price is one of my all time favorites. In May, there's a company that's going to release a special dvd interview with the man that has never been seen before. The interview focuses solely on his horror work. I've got to look through some of my "Favorites" sites to find it, but I'll post more info about it when I do.

And Commander USA was the greatest! I wish someone would release his stuff on dvd/video like the MST3K films.

EDIT: Here's the info on the Price dvd from Allday Entertainment:

"In May, look for this deluxe collector's edition honoring the great Vincent Price on his birthday. A never-aired 60 minute TV interview of Price by film historian David Del Valle, conducted in 1987, is the centerpiece of the disc, which also includes an additional 40 minute audio interview with Price and Del Valle covering Vincent Price's earlier stage career. Two half-hour TV shows are also included: Half Hour to Kill, a dramatic anthology show hosted by and starring Price, and an episode of Shindig! covering the deleted musical numbers from Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine (yes! Vincent Price sings and dances with groovy bikini babes, with all the original broadcast commercials!). And that's not all--you also get a 30 minute radio drama starring Vincent Price, and a photo archive section covering 200 rare and never-published photos. A true fan's dream."