"Midnight on the Firing Line" discussion [spoilers]

[ruuger]

This is the discussion post for the episode 1X01 "Midnight on the Firing Line". Spoilers for the whole of the series, including the spin-offs and tie-ins, are allowed here so newbies beware.

Extra reading:

The article for "Midnight on the Firing Line" at Lurker's Guide.

Comments

[madrona.livejournal.com]

Darth G'Kar FTW!
Space Gun Teapot!
Commander Ayla: Not Earth's Children!

I feel better now. Anyone else notice how relatively sparse Londo's quarters are, compared to what they become within the space of one season? I think it's deliberate myself...shows how his fortunes rise.

Also, long lived Narn is long lived. If the conflict ended a hundred years ago, and G'Kar *fought* to free Narn, even as a youth, then does this pretty much mean humans are the Mayflies of the B5 universe? It seems so.

[dqbunny.livejournal.com]

Commander Ayla: Not Earth's Children!

*spits out sushi all over keyboard at this one*

[vjs2259.livejournal.com]

I liked all the open trunks in Londo's quarters...was he waiting for Vir to arrive and unpack for him? (My god, that almost sounds right!) Let's talk interior decorating later...it's one of my favorite things about the show!

I thought the Narn were slaves for a hundred years, not freed a hundred years ago. *is confused*

Confession: I am a Geek. I looked it up. The Centauris invaded Narn 2109 0r 2113. G'Kar was born 2201 0r 2182, and Narn is freed 2209 or 2228 or 2231. JMS and chronology; not close friends.
The humans are still mayflies however. I still haven't gotten over Delenn's being such a cradle-robber...

[madrona.livejournal.com]

Oh, gosh, if my brain were less mushy I'd look up the length of time between the Gathering and Midnight, and I'd have some idea if that was reasonable or not.

They keep saying a hundred years ago in the episode. But you're right, JMS and chronology are *not* close friends.

[vjs2259.livejournal.com]

He's not bad once the series starts. Every season a year, January to December pretty much. The station goes online 2256, The Gathering is 2257, MotFL begins 2258, and so on.
I tend to write long complicated B5 epics, and timelines drive me mad. I appreciate shortcuts like that. Every place is three days travel apart. You can communicate instantaneously, and you hand-wave the time differences. Yay.

I think it's one of those collective memory things for G'Kar, or maybe the royal 'we'. It's one of the things you notice about both Londo and G'Kar; their people's history is not past to them. All their grievances are viewed as current, and they can't move past them.

[madrona.livejournal.com]

G'Kar has a story about his father and mother being slaves to the Centauri while he was growing up, so no, it's not the royal we.

Also, I've noticed that Centauri Prime is very close to Babylon 5 (Londo sitting upright in a transport that looks very much like the coach section of a plane indicates a quick trip) and while the Grey Council ship is not far, Minbar is quite further. I always thought that the Narn homeworld was pretty close, too, considering the amount of meat G'Kar eats, as is the Markab homeworld, although the Markab homeworld isn't on route to anywhere else, so it's just a little side pocket in space.

Earth is hard to judge, because our ships are crap, so travel time might be exacerbated by that.

But if it takes an episode or two in a top of the line Minbari ship to get somewhere, a la Delenn's visits to homeworld? Yeah, that's far.

[wychwood]

No one ever says the conflict ended a hundred years ago - that seems to be when it started. Ragesh III has been Centauri for a century; the Narn spent a century fighting for freedom. They've been free for a few years now, but not all that many...