Babylon 5: Lost Tails

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

I do find it interesting, though, that by far the best actors on the show were the alien ambassadors. I've yet to find anyone who disagrees that Andreas Katsulas, Peter Jurasik, and Mira Furlan were the top three actors on that show.

(Of course, now that I've posted it on the net, someone will disagree in 5... 4... 3...)

2..1.. Honestly, I was never certain about Mira Furlan. But maybe the only thing that irked me might have been her character (and maybe some of the dialogs she got?)
But then, I also seem to be one of the few that preferred Sinclair over Sheridan.

But I wholeheartedly with the first two. The actors and their characters were great.

 

[Blastin]

Gotta agree with the Mouse...those three were my favorites, along with Veer.
I always thought that was one of the things that separated B5 from other scifi shows: The alien characters were VERY important, and some of the best characters, and there were ALOT of them, not just the token alien...

 

[Meloncov]

I do find it interesting, though, that by far the best actors on the show were the alien ambassadors. I've yet to find anyone who disagrees that Andreas Katsulas, Peter Jurasik, and Mira Furlan were the top three actors on that show.

(Of course, now that I've posted it on the net, someone will disagree in 5... 4... 3...)

Right on schedule, I'd put Stephen Furst ahead of Mira Furlan.

 

[danzig138]

Boxleitner seemed better at delivering it than Scoggins, though.

Which is why I associate it as a Sheridan trait - Boxleitner has his own way of doing the speeches that I just get a kick out of. He's the only one who when doing them, radiates that he likes his own voice.

I actually grew quite fond of Scoggins in the 5th, even though I was miffed about her initially. But The Lost Tales was not her best B5 performance.

While I do agree that Jurasik and Katsulas (rest in peace) were the best actors on the show by far, I don't think I can agree on a third. Furlan and Boxleitner were pretty equal in my eyes in terms of delivery, and the guys who did Lenier, Garabaldi, and Vir were all pretty good most of the time. Overall, I think the entire cast was pretty good. The acting weak spot on B5 seemed to be the guest stars.

 

[Mouseferatu]

Furlan and Boxleitner were pretty equal in my eyes in terms of delivery, and the guys who did Lenier, Garabaldi, and Vir were all pretty good most of the time. Overall, I think the entire cast was pretty good. The acting weak spot on B5 seemed to be the guest stars.

Jerry Doyle (Garibaldi) is a perfect example of what I meant about people on that show growing into their roles, given time. Frankly, he was barely adequate--with occasional dips into awful--in the early part of season 1. But by the middle of the series, and all the way through the end, he was one of the strongest actors on the show, shy of the three I mentioned earlier.

And as far as the guest stars, I guess it depends who you mean. Some of the guest stars were pretty pathetic, yeah. OTOH, many of the guest stars--including, but not limited to, Ed Wasser (Morden), Wortham Krimmer (Emperor Cartagia), Wayne Alexander (a bunch of aliens), and of course Walter Koenig (Bester)--definitely held their own with the main cast.

 

[Rackhir]

Vir did have the single greatest moment in B5.

Spoiler

Londo tells Vir that he has a surprise for him and tells him to go out side. Where he goes and looks up, where upon it suddenly cuts to a scene from a couple of seasons earlier.

Mr. Morden: What do YOU want?

Ambassador Vir Cotto: I'd like to live just long enough to be there when they cut off your head and stick it on a pike as a warning to the next ten generations that some favors come with too high a price. I want to look up into your lifeless eyes and wave like this.
[waves]

Ambassador Vir Cotto: Can you and your associates arrange that for me, Mr. Morden?

At which point it cuts to him looking up at Morden's head on a pike and he waves like just like that.

 

[Brakkart]

And as far as the guest stars, I guess it depends who you mean. Some of the guest stars were pretty pathetic, yeah. OTOH, many of the guest stars--including, but not limited to, Ed Wasser (Morden), Wortham Krimmer (Emperor Cartagia), Wayne Alexander (a bunch of aliens), and of course Walter Koenig (Bester)--definitely held their own with the main cast.

And not forgetting Tim Choate (Zathras) now also sadly deceased in a motorbike accident. Wayne Alexander's most notable roles are Lorien and also Sebastian (The Inquisitor). But yeah of the guest stars Morden, Cartagia and Bester were by far the best characters.

Of the main cast I'll add in some praise for Jason Carter as Macus Cole, a really charismatic character who was also tough as nails when he needed to be.

 

[Mouseferatu]

And not forgetting Tim Choate (Zathras) now also sadly deceased in a motorbike accident.

He is?!?!



I hadn't heard that. That really, really sucks.

And yes, I should've included him. A fantastic performance, granting an element of personality and even (in a few instances) gravitas to what could've been a purely campy comic-relief character.

 

[Plane Sailing]

Jerry Doyle (Garibaldi) is a perfect example of what I meant about people on that show growing into their roles, given time. Frankly, he was barely adequate--with occasional dips into awful--in the early part of season 1. But by the middle of the series, and all the way through the end, he was one of the strongest actors on the show,

I seem to remember that he had almost never acted before B5 (he was a stock market trader or something, and... oh, I've found it on his official site:

At the height of a successful ten-year career on Wall Street, Doyle decided on a new challenge. "I was 35 years old and in a position to take a shot at whatever I wanted to try," says Doyle. "The Air Force said I was too old to fly fighter jets. I thought about becoming a fishing boat captain, before deciding that acting seemed pretty cool," said Doyle.

In 1991, he packed up and headed to Hollywood. With no prior acting experience, Doyle hit the streets and phones with a vengeance. Within weeks of arriving in Los Angeles, he landed his first job. He was hired as a "day player" on The Bold and the Beautiful, this role lasted almost a year. He then went on to star in the long-running sci-fi series Babylon 5.

Probably explains why he was a little ropey in season 1, but grew into it

 

[Blastin]

Of the main cast I'll add in some praise for Jason Carter as Macus Cole, a really charismatic character who was also tough as nails when he needed to be.

Ohh...I'll second that one....I really liked his character....was a bit miffed when they offed him, but it did fit perfectly with his character's history.