Recap and discussion of The Legend of the Rangers

This one was a bit of a mess, but it still might have made a decent series. Even though the Hand was the enemy in this movie, I think we might have been looking at an enemy from within again. I do wish we’d gotten some answers about PsiCorps in the actual series. I have read the books and stories, but I still think there was something more than just Bester and his lineage that JMS might have had in mind. He’s one devious dude when it comes to plotting.


Anyhow, we see the disgraced Ranger, David Martel, who chose to leave a fight rather than lose his crew. G’kar shows up to pull his butt out of the fire by requesting that he fly escort for the Valen, a ship going on a secret fact finding mission at Beta Durani 7. They give him a ship named the Liandra, a ship whose entire crew was lost on a previous mission.

They set out as escort. The telepathic Minbari officer sees ghosts. The Valen is attacked and all the ambassadors are brought aboard the Liandra, which is damaged badly. They start for home, with limited engines, weapons and shields.


G’kar is aboard and tells Martel that he and the ambassadors were going to Beta Durani 7 to investigate an archaeological dig in which evidence was found of a ‘good’ force that stopped an ancient evil called ‘the Hand of god’ from taking over the galaxy. The ships that attacked them represented the Hand. This evil force predates the Shadows by a million years.

Turns out that one of the ambassadors is in league with the allies of the Hand and through some trickery, Martel destroys both of the enemy ships that are left and gets his crew and the remaining ambassadors home safely. He is assigned the ship permanently and takes G’kar to Babylon 5 at the end of the movie.


There are NO words!

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A few comments:

We never do find out what killed the crew of the Liandra and I assume THAT was the real plot of the series that never got made, just like the Apocalypse Box(and a shadow government) was the real plot of Crusade.

The targeting and weapon thing had to be the WORST idea ever! No other comment needed!

I liked Dylan Neal and still do – I’d have watched show with him as captain.

G’kar was lovely!

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Quotes:
Martel: We live for the One, we die for the One, but we don't die stupidly.

G’kar: Every spacefaring race has two things in common. First, they have a food identical to what humans call "Swedish meatballs."

Tirk (on the origin of his name): My mother created it for me. It means "Don't touch me, I'm not having another child with you, ever."

G’kar: [about to leave the Liandra for Babylon 5] It's quite a place. A place of good times and bad, of pain and growth, but in the end a place of great hope. - But if you ever do come aboard, remember one thing: No one there is exactly what he seems. But then, who is?

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Questions:

1. Was it really that bad? Did you find some good points? What were they?
2. Speaking of bad, what did you think of the weapon thing?
3. Did it seem a little hurried?
4. Would you have watched a series from this movie?

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Sources:

The Lurkers’ Guide to Babylon 5: http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/countries/us/guide/117.html
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0280453/quotes/?tab=qt&ref_=tt_trv_qu
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babylon_5:_The_Legend_of_the_Rangers
The Babylon Project: https://babylon5.fandom.com/wiki/The_Legend_of_the_Rangers
B5 episode guide: http://b5epguide.tripod.com/rangers/index.html