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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mallus" data-source="post: 917616" data-attributes="member: 3887">Yes, that's true. But that's a characteristic of a lot of SF. Its a genre that trades in both anxieties about the future and an overall hopefullness about it. But I still think that B5 is substantially different in its assessment, and frequent celebration of human {well, Western} cultural values. A fascist cabal takes over the dominant democratic Earth government. Even  before that the governments treatment of its colonies, not to mention its telepathic citizens bordered on abhorent. Even technologically, Earth was backwards compared to the other spacefaring races. Our saving grace was consensus building, an openess to new ideas, the sense of wonder at the universe {which wasn't shared by the majority, not by a long shot}.Using alien cultures in an allegorical fashion is one of the pillars of SF. I think its a strength shared by Trek and B5. Casting these issues in term of made-up cultures gives a safe, comforting sense of distance from the actual. It keeps people's tempers in check.And what I took away from the kid/surgery ep. was that Frankin {and with him human rationalism} was dead wrong in that case. The parent's had no logical way to know that the surgery had been performed. But they did. And I was left believing the kid's soul was really gone. It was one of my favorite scenes in any SF show.  Sure. I agree. But my central complaint is that the Star Trek franchises have become dull, lifeless, as dramatic as empty space. And this goes beyond the characters into the universe they inhabit.But human culture isn't good to the bone. Neither are alien cultures. The human created Alliance collapses, and it certainly begins fraying a scant few decades after its inception. The shows basic point is a heroic take on history: at critical moments the actions of a few individuals can shape the tide of history --a tide in a sea of prejudice, fear, greed, and naked grabs for power...You know, I'm not a orthodox member of the Cult of Joe, either. In the end I think DS9 is a better show. But I do think there's a lot to admire in B5.</blockquote>

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