Minbari Mondays, Chrysalis, and Recognizing…

This is the continuation of our fictional letter (reviewing each film and episode of Babylon 5) that I receive each week from Ranger Mayann.

Here is her 24th report:

—

Nih sakh sh’lekk, sleem wa, Greetings from Tuzanor:

In this report, in the end of your Earth year 2258, it is also the end of the second year of operation of the station. The Anla’Shok claims not to know very much, concerning the events surrounding the great Delenn, in this incident, but we have much intelligence to offer related to the other important events on the station during this terrible day. We do know, though, that she asked a crucial question of then Commander Sinclair, regarding our most sacred relic from Valen. We also know that she then used that relic to make a transformation that was not approved by our Gray Council of that time, yet, she took the risk of helping to fulfill what indeed did bring out the better in us, eventually.

From the city of  Tuzanor, on Minbar

Earth year 2278,

Anla’Shok Mayann

–

  Addendum to Ranger Mayann’s report, by Shira: This episode is easily the most dramatic of season 1, and is full of foreshadowing to the next season. Quadrant 37’s situation is changing dramatically, as will that of Ms. Sakai and Commander Sinclair, shortly.

I love Londo’s question to Vir on just how many of their gods he must have offended to have to give territory to the Narn, whom Sinclair accuses of acting “like abused children who’ve grown big enough to do it to someone else.”

Then there is Garibaldi’s heroic trip to warn the others, coming too late to save the human beings the tears of an assassination, as Lenier sheds tears for Delenn, while the Narn have a terrible day of their own, most unexpectedly, as Londo believes his fortunes to be turning to the good, although he is quite wrong, of course. And then the politics, as Commander Sinclair is ordered to maintain silence on what really looks like evidence of an important cover-up.

“And so, it begins…”

Last week, next week: That was part of Ranger Mayann’s letter on the history of the Babylon Project.  

-Shira Destinie

Action Items:

1.)  Share your thoughts on the many means of recognition, and how important it can be to recognize each side of a particular truth as such.

2.) Share your thoughts on how we Human Beings might start to build a more fully inclusive society for all of us, and how this episode of Babylon 5 could help that process.

3.) Write a story, post or tweet that uses these thoughts.

4.) Please see Neatnik’s excellent review of this episode and tell us what you think.

Dear Readers, ideas on learning, especially multiple #LanguageLearning, on-going education and empathy-building, to #EndPoverty, #EndHomelessness,  #EndMoneyBail & achieve freedom for All HumanKind?

Support our key #PublicDomainInfrastructure  & #StopSmoking for COVID-19:
1. #PublicLibraries,
2. #ProBono legal aid and Education,
3. #UniversalHealthCare, and
4. good #publictransport
Read, Write, Vote, Teach and Learn (Lesson Plans offline) 

Nih sakh sh’lekk, sleem wa. and my Babylon 5 review posts, if you like Science Fiction, and a proposed Vision on Wondering Wednesdays: for a kinder world…    

Shira Destinie A. Jones, BsC, MAT, MPhil

our year 2021 CE =  12021 HE

(GED lesson plans: Day 1 … Day 5)

Stayed on Freedom’s Call
(free copies at: https://archive.org/details/StayedOnF…)
includes two ‘imagination-rich’ walking tours, with songs, of Washington, DC. New interviews and research are woven into stories of old struggles shared by both the Jewish and African-American communities in the capital city.

Shared histories are explored from a new perspective of cultural parallels and parallel institution-building which brought the two communities together culturally and historically.

-one can read Stayed on Freedom’s Call for free.  Please leave a review, if you can make a bit of time, on the GoodReads page.

Shira Destinie Jones is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Minbari Mondays, The Quality of Mercy, and Lying to Save Someone Else’s Honor?

This is the continuation of our fictional letter (reviewing each film and episode of Babylon 5) that I receive each week from Ranger Mayann.

Here is her 23rd report:

—

Nih sakh sh’lekk, sleem wa, Greetings from Tuzanor:

In this report, in your Earth year 2258, it is nearing the end of the second year of operation of the station. Due to the nature of the technology and the tragic end of one of our own, due to events made possible by an object in this incident, the Anla’Shok has forbidden me to write a letter this week, but you will be informed of what you need to know, when you need to know it, concerning these events.

From the city of  Tuzanor, on Minbar

Earth year 2278,

Anla’Shok Mayann

–

  Addendum to Ranger Mayann’s report, by Shira: This episode has some great material for later events, some fun information about poor little Lennier, about whom Delenn will not inquire, out of respect, and a great line from a guest star, Dr. Rosen:

“Hear that? He’s a dreamer! Try not to let him wake up…”

Beautiful!

A fuller review of this episode is done by Neatnik.

Last week, next week: That was part of Ranger Mayann’s letter on the history of the Babylon Project.  

-Shira Destinie

Action Items:

1.)  Share your thoughts on why it may be important to help save face for someone else.

2.) Share your thoughts on how we Human Beings might start to build a more fully inclusive society for all of us, and how this episode of Babylon 5 could help that process.

3.) Write a story, post or tweet that uses these thoughts.

Dear Readers, ideas on learning, especially multiple #LanguageLearning, on-going education and empathy-building, to #EndPoverty, #EndHomelessness,  #EndMoneyBail & achieve freedom for All HumanKind?

Support our key #PublicDomainInfrastructure  & #StopSmoking for COVID-19:
1. #PublicLibraries,
2. #ProBono legal aid and Education,
3. #UniversalHealthCare, and
4. good #publictransport
Read, Write, Vote, Teach and Learn (Lesson Plans offline) 

Nih sakh sh’lekk, sleem wa. and my Babylon 5 review posts, if you like Science Fiction, and a proposed Vision on Wondering Wednesdays: for a kinder world…    

Shira Destinie A. Jones, BsC, MAT, MPhil

our year 2021 CE =  12021 HE

(GED lesson plans: Day 1 … Day 5)

Stayed on Freedom’s Call
(free copies at: https://archive.org/details/StayedOnF…)
includes two ‘imagination-rich’ walking tours, with songs, of Washington, DC. New interviews and research are woven into stories of old struggles shared by both the Jewish and African-American communities in the capital city.

Shared histories are explored from a new perspective of cultural parallels and parallel institution-building which brought the two communities together culturally and historically.

-one can read Stayed on Freedom’s Call for free.  Please leave a review, if you can make a bit of time, on the GoodReads page.

Shira Destinie Jones is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Minbari Mondays, Babylon Squared, and Unstuck in Time

This is the continuation of our fictional letter (reviewing each film and episode of Babylon 5) that I receive each week from Ranger Mayann.

Here is her 22st report:

—

Nih sakh sh’lekk, sleem wa, Greetings from Tuzanor:

In this report, in your Earth year 2258, it is nearing the end of the second year of operation of the station. Due to the nature of events and persons in this incident, the Anla’Shok has forbidden me to write a letter this week, once again.

From the city of  Tuzanor, on Minbar

Earth year 2278,

Anla’Shok Mayann

–

  Addendum to Ranger Mayann’s report, by Shira: This episode has some great Garibaldi quotes:

“…it’s ok: I finally understand. This is the moment I was born for.”

and then we finally find out more about… Babylon 4!

Then there is a cool breakfast gag, poor Ivanova, and Garibaldi: hide!

A fuller review of this episode is done by Neatnik.

Last week, next week. That was part of Ranger Mayann’s letter on the history of the Babylon Project.  

-Shira Destinie

Action Items:

1.)  Share your thoughts on the many means of service, and how they can give life meaning.

2.) Share your thoughts on how we Human Beings might start to build a more fully inclusive society for all of us, and how this episode of Babylon 5 could help that process.

3.) Write a story, post or tweet that uses these thoughts.

Dear Readers, ideas on learning, especially multiple #LanguageLearning, on-going education and empathy-building, to #EndPoverty, #EndHomelessness,  #EndMoneyBail & achieve freedom for All HumanKind?

Support our key #PublicDomainInfrastructure  & #StopSmoking for COVID-19:
1. #PublicLibraries,
2. #ProBono legal aid and Education,
3. #UniversalHealthCare, and
4. good #publictransport
Read, Write, Vote, Teach and Learn (Lesson Plans offline) 

Nih sakh sh’lekk, sleem wa. and my Babylon 5 review posts, if you like Science Fiction, and a proposed Vision on Wondering Wednesdays: for a kinder world…    

Shira Destinie A. Jones, BsC, MAT, MPhil

our year 2021 CE =  12021 HE

(GED lesson plans: Day 1 … Day 5)

Stayed on Freedom’s Call
(free copies at: https://archive.org/details/StayedOnF…)
includes two ‘imagination-rich’ walking tours, with songs, of Washington, DC. New interviews and research are woven into stories of old struggles shared by both the Jewish and African-American communities in the capital city.

Shared histories are explored from a new perspective of cultural parallels and parallel institution-building which brought the two communities together culturally and historically.

-one can read Stayed on Freedom’s Call for free.  Please leave a review, if you can make a bit of time, on the GoodReads page.

Shira Destinie Jones is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Minbari Mondays, A Voice in the Wilderness, Pt. 2, and Service

This is the continuation of our fictional letter (reviewing each film and episode of Babylon 5) that I receive each week from Ranger Mayann.

Here is her 21st report:

—

Nih sakh sh’lekk, sleem wa, Greetings from Tuzanor:

In this report, in your Earth year 2258, it is nearing the end of the second year of operation of the station. Due to the nature of events and technologies in this incident, the Anla’Shok has forbidden me to write a letter this week, as last week.

From the city of  Tuzanor, on Minbar

Earth year 2278,

Anla’Shok Mayann

–

  Addendum to Ranger Mayann’s report, by Shira: This episode has some great Ivanova quotes:

it’s a good thing I’m Russian: We’re used to hopeless situations.”

and then there is that “worst case of testosterone poisoning” she has ever seen!

Then there is an older Minbari, ready to die but wanting to live to serve, saying that:

“There is no higher purpose than to live for others and if necessary, to die for others.”

“Let my life have meaning.”

Last week, next week: That was part of Ranger Mayann’s letter on the history of the Babylon Project.  

-Shira Destinie

Action Items:

1.)  Share your thoughts on the many means of service, and how they can give life meaning.

2.) Share your thoughts on how we Human Beings might start to build a more fully inclusive society for all of us, and how this episode of Babylon 5 could help that process.

3.) Write a story, post or tweet that uses these thoughts.

*****************

Click here to read, if you like:

B5, Hakan: Muhafiz/Protector,  Lupin, or La Casa de Papel/Money Heist Reviews

Holistic College Algebra & GED/High School Lesson Plans,

           or Long Range Nonfiction, or Historical Fiction Writing

Thoughtful Readers, please consider reading about #ProjectDoBetter.

Shira Destinie A. Jones, MPhil, MAT, BSCS

Shira Destinie Jones’ work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Minbari Mondays, A Voice in the Wilderness, Pt. 1, and Hope for Our Inheritors

This is the continuation of our fictional letter (reviewing each film and episode of Babylon 5) that I receive each week from Ranger Mayann.

Here is her 20th report:

—

Nih sakh sh’lekk, sleem wa, Greetings from Tuzanor:

In this report, in your Earth year 2258, it is just past the middle of the second year of operation of the station. Due to the nature of events and technologies in this incident, the Anla’Shok has forbidden me to write a letter this week, and next.

From the city of  Tuzanor, on Minbar

Earth year 2278,

Anla’Shok Mayann

–

  Addendum to Ranger Mayann’s report, by Shira: This will be the start of it all, and this episode has one of my favorite Delenn quotes

Without the hope that … our inheritors will have a life that is fuller and richer…”

and I love the Third Principle of Sentient Life (the capacity for self-sacrifice). It is such a Minbari way of looking at things!

Then there is Ivanova’s Babylon 5 Mantra: Ivanova is always right, and if you defy her orders, she will rip your lungs out! That is probably not as Russian as the detailing of stupid things before doing something stupid, which she agrees that

“I know, I know: it’s a Russian thing!”

Last week, next week

That was part of Ranger Mayann’s letter on the history of the Babylon Project.  

To see a far more traditional review of this episode, go to Neatnik’s review.

-Shira Destinie

Action Items:

1.)  Share your thoughts on the many means of Service, and what gives your life meaning.

2.) Share your thoughts on how we Human Beings might start to build a more fully inclusive society for all of us, and how this episode of Babylon 5 could help that process.

3.) Write a story, post or tweet that uses these thoughts.

Dear Readers, ideas on learning, especially multiple #LanguageLearning, on-going education and empathy-building, to #EndPoverty, #EndHomelessness,  #EndMoneyBail & achieve freedom for All HumanKind?

Support our key #PublicDomainInfrastructure  & #StopSmoking for COVID-19:
1. #PublicLibraries,
2. #ProBono legal aid and Education,
3. #UniversalHealthCare, and
4. good #publictransport
Read, Write, Vote, Teach and Learn (Lesson Plans offline) 

Nih sakh sh’lekk, sleem wa. and my Babylon 5 review posts, if you like Science Fiction, and a proposed Vision on Wondering Wednesdays: for a kinder world…    

Shira Destinie A. Jones, BsC, MAT, MPhil

our year 2021 CE =  12021 HE

(GED lesson plans: Day 1 … Day 5)

Stayed on Freedom’s Call
(free copies at: https://archive.org/details/StayedOnF…)
includes two ‘imagination-rich’ walking tours, with songs, of Washington, DC. New interviews and research are woven into stories of old struggles shared by both the Jewish and African-American communities in the capital city.

Shared histories are explored from a new perspective of cultural parallels and parallel institution-building which brought the two communities together culturally and historically.

-one can read Stayed on Freedom’s Call for free, described on this GoodReads link: Please leave a review, if you can make a bit of time.

Shira Destinie Jones is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Minbari Mondays, Legacies, and Gifts to Community

This is the continuation of our fictional letter (reviewing each film and episode of Babylon 5) that I receive each week from Ranger Mayann.

Here is her 19th report:

—

Nih sakh sh’lekk, sleem wa, Greetings from Tuzanor:

In this report, in your Earth year 2258, it is just past the middle of the second year of operation of the station. Satai DeLenn has spoken of how we Minbari believe that a gift, or gifts, should be used for the benefit of the community, which makes sure that the needs of the person are met, so that that person may use those gifts to the benefit of all. The diversity of gifts among you Humans led even the great Warrior Neroon, long before he became Religious caste, to admit that “perhaps there was some small wisdom in letting your species live.”

Perhaps it was true, given that Sinclair’s wisdom was eventually correct: “The future in exchange for the past…very workable.”

From the city of  Tuzanor, on Minbar

Earth year 2278,

Anla’Shok Mayann

–

  Addendum to Ranger Mayann’s report, by Shira: This will be the start of a very Russian friendship, I’m afraid, for Talia and Ivanova, as she loses gracefully to the Minbari, and a Human telepath comes to adulthood in a very different place from where she began.

Last week, next week…

That was part of Ranger Mayann’s letter on the history of the Babylon Project.  

-Shira Destinie

Action Items:

1.)  Share your thoughts on the many means of Service.

2.) Share your thoughts on how we Human Beings might start to build a more fully inclusive society for all of us, and how this episode of Babylon 5 could help that process.

3.) Write a story, post or tweet that uses these thoughts.

Dear Readers, ideas on learning, especially multiple #LanguageLearning, on-going education and empathy-building, to #EndPoverty, #EndHomelessness,  #EndMoneyBail & achieve freedom for All HumanKind?

Support our key #PublicDomainInfrastructure  & #StopSmoking for COVID-19:
1. #PublicLibraries,
2. #ProBono legal aid and Education,
3. #UniversalHealthCare, and
4. good #publictransport
Read, Write, Vote, Teach and Learn (Lesson Plans offline) 

Nih sakh sh’lekk, sleem wa. and my Babylon 5 review posts, if you like Science Fiction, and a proposed Vision on Wondering Wednesdays: for a kinder world…    

Shira Destinie A. Jones, BsC, MAT, MPhil

our year 2021 CE =  12021 HE

(GED lesson plans: Day 1 … Day 5)

Stayed on Freedom’s Call
(free copies at: https://archive.org/details/StayedOnF…)
includes two ‘imagination-rich’ walking tours, with songs, of Washington, DC. New interviews and research are woven into stories of old struggles shared by both the Jewish and African-American communities in the capital city.

Shared histories are explored from a new perspective of cultural parallels and parallel institution-building which brought the two communities together culturally and historically.

-one can read Stayed on Freedom’s Call for free.  Please leave a review, if you can make a bit of time, on the GoodReads page.

Shira Destinie Jones is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Minbari Mondays, Eyes, and Honor as Health

This is the continuation of our fictional letter (reviewing each film and episode of Babylon 5) that I receive each week from Ranger Mayann.

Here is her 18th report:

—

Nih sakh sh’lekk, sleem wa, Greetings from Tuzanor:

In this report, in your Earth year 2258, it is just past the middle of the second year of operation of the station. The Anla’Shok have ‘borrowed’ part of the official EarthForce archives, given the importance of Ivanova to our order, for this report.

An  inspector from someone in your EarthForce arrives on the station with, as you Humans say, an axe to grind.  We find this incident to be especially important to the Anla’Shok due to the way it pushed Lt. Commander Ivanova to grow in her dealings with those able to see into another person’s mind, and with those unable to see the honor of another.  We Minbari take particular pride in her willingness to serve with us, when insulted by your own Human officers, by her own EarthForce.  Commander Sinclair again shows his wisdom in reading the fine print of the regulations and also in showing the liaison telepath that no one is above suspicion.

From the city of  Tuzanor, on Minbar

Earth year 2278,

Anla’Shok Mayann

–

  Addendum to Ranger Mayann’s report, by Shira: Excellent Ivanova quotes!

“Mr. Gray … As for fear, if you enter my mind for any reason I will twist your head off and use it for a chamber pot.   “

Beautiful use of “fear,” Lt. Commander!  Even Mr. Garibaldi fears a fight with her, wanting “to live to see the future!”

And then there is the

“very Russian ending”

of her career, or so, at that point in the episode, Ivanova fears.  Commander Sinclair, obviously, figures out a way around the problem, saving both of their careers.

I also love the use of historical names, like naming the ship the Von Braun, and the allusion to Anne Frank, in the name of the admittedly over-the-top villain of this episode.  I’ve never been comfortable watching most of the scenes with this guy, and it feels vaguely unsettling, in some of the implications, but it is still a good episode.

That was part of Ranger Mayann’s letter on the history of the Babylon Project. It can be seen from another point of view by watching the Babylon 5 Season 1, Episode 16, which I  highly recommend seeing!! 

Neatnik has a more standard type of review of this episode, with summary and all.  Don’t forget to come back and do the Action Items below!

 

See Ranger Mayann’s report from last week on Seeking, and next week on preparing Our Future, kids as our Legacies

To see all of her reports as an on-going PDF version: B5EpsThr10.

-Shira Destinie

Action Items:

1.)  Share your thoughts on the many ideas of Honor.

2.) Share your thoughts on how we Human Beings might start to build a more fully inclusive society for all of us, and how this episode of Babylon 5 could help that process.

3.) Write a story, post or tweet that uses these thoughts.

Dear Readers, ideas on learning, especially multiple #LanguageLearning, on-going education and empathy-building, to #EndPoverty, #EndHomelessness,  #EndMoneyBail & achieve freedom for All HumanKind?

Support our key #PublicDomainInfrastructure  & #StopSmoking for CCOVID-19:
1. #PublicLibraries,
2. #ProBono legal aid and Education,
3. #UniversalHealthCare, and
4. good #publictransport
Read, Write, Vote, Teach and Learn (Lesson Plan Book)! 

Nih sakh sh’lekk, sleem wa.

and my Babylon 5 review posts, if you like Science Fiction,

and

a proposed Vision on Wondering Wednesdays: for a kinder world…

   

Shira Destinie A. Jones, BsC, MAT, MPhil

our year 2021 CE =  12021 HE

(Day 1 … Day 5)

Stayed on Freedom’s Call
(free copies at: https://archive.org/details/StayedOnF…)
includes two ‘imagination-rich’ walking tours, with songs, of Washington, DC. New interviews and research are woven into stories of old struggles shared by both the Jewish and African-American communities in the capital city.

Shared histories are explored from a new perspective of cultural parallels and parallel institution-building which brought the two communities together culturally and historically.

-one can add Stayed on Freedom’s Call for free via this GoodReads link. Please leave a review, if you can make a bit of time, on the GoodReads page.

 

Shira Destinie Jones is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Minbari Mondays, Grail, and Health as a Quest

  (update:  since the image that I featured, and    love, for this post, is too small to show up in the Top Posts, I am replacing it with this one above, which expresses my sentiments for this episode…

Shira)

    This is the continuation of our fictional letter (reviewing each film and episode of Babylon 5) that I receive each week from Ranger Mayann.

Here is her 17th report:

—

Nih sakh sh’lekk, sleem wa, Greetings from Tuzanor:

In this report, in your Earth year 2258, it is just past the middle of the second year of operation of the station. The Anla’Shok have used part of the official Minbari ambassadorial archives, some of which were salvaged from the fires during the Civil War, for this report.

An Honored Seeker from your world came to the station in search of a cup known to you Humans as the Grail.  So much conflicting mythology seems to swirl around this object that it is very difficult for a Minbari to grasp the significance of the object itself, but the search that it represents was well understood by Satai Delenn, who welcomed your Seeker in her role as ambassador from our planet, to Babylon 5.  I am pleased to report that this Seeker, derided though he was by you, his fellow Humans, found a worthy successor, as he was on the point of death, allowing him to  Go to The Sea in tranquility.

From the city of  Tuzanor, on Minbar

Earth year 2278,

Anla’Shok Mayann

–

  Addendum to Ranger Mayann’s report, by Shira: Excellent ending: Aldus dies, but his search, and his order, continues.  Thus, his essence lives on.

 And Sinclair’s character arc, from Garibaldi’s ‘blaze of glory’ talk to Delenn’s “then, you do not know yourself…seeking” talk, we now start to see a bit of what the Commander might be seeking.  Stay tuned for next season…

Oh, yeah, and:

this is a great episode for Lt. Commander Ivanova quotes, and for showing her perspective on perspective!

“…somebody’s got to have some damn perspective around here.

Boom.

Sooner or Later… Boom!“

– Ivanova to Garibaldi and Sinclair

“

Beautiful perspective, Lt. Commander! 

Garibaldi’s part of the episode illustrate the problems law enforcement has in protecting witnesses long enough to make sure that justice gets done.

That was part of Ranger Mayann’s letter on the history of the Babylon Project. It can be seen from another point of view by watching the Babylon 5 Season 1, Episode 15, which I  highly recommend seeing!!

 

See Ranger Mayann’s report from last week, Minbari Mondays, TKO, and Health Defense: physical and spiritual on questions and context…

and the next week was https://shiradest.wordpress.com/2021/06/21/minbari-mondays-eyes-and-honor-as-health/  

-Shira Destinie

Action Items:

1.)  Share your thoughts on the many possible forms of seeking.

2.) Share your thoughts on how we Human Beings might start to build a more fully inclusive society for all of us, and how this episode of Babylon 5 could help that process.

3.) Write a story, post or tweet that uses these thoughts.

Nih sakh sh’lekk, sleem wa.

 

Shira

 

 

*****************

Click here to read, if you like:

B5, Hakan: Muhafiz/Protector,  Lupin, or La Casa de Papel/Money Heist Reviews

Holistic College Algebra & GED/High School Lesson Plans,

           or Long Range Nonfiction, or Historical Fiction Writing

Thoughtful Readers, please consider reading about #ProjectDoBetter.

Shira Destinie A. Jones, MPhil, MAT, BSCS

Shira

Shira Destinie Jones’ work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Minbari Mondays, TKO, and Health Defense: physical and spiritual

This is the continuation of our fictional letter (reviewing each film and episode of Babylon 5) that I receive each week from Ranger Mayann.

Here is her 16th report:

—

Nih sakh sh’lekk, sleem wa, Greetings from Tuzanor:

In this report, in your Earth year 2258, it is just past the middle of the second year of operation of the station. The Anla’Shok has no official records related to the private life of Lt. Commander Ivanova at this point in the station’s history, although the title fight related to the Sho Rin Gior and Walker Smith of Earth is, of course, a matter of interstellar record.  While the two incidents which I have been asked about are undoubtedly important as individual experiences for both Humans, they are considered private, and thus not a matter for discussion, nor reporting.   Nevertheless, we Minbari consider rituals of this nature to be sacred.  Leave-taking rituals, such as sitting Shiva, and terror-facing rituals, like that of The Sands of Blood, as they call the arena of the Mutai.  Our Religious and Warrior castes both have many rituals, some like these two.  All rituals serve a purpose.

From the city of  Tuzanor, on Minbar

Earth year 2278,

Anla’Shok Mayann

–

  Addendum to Ranger Mayann’s report, by Shira: What the Rangers did not report on was one of the very few and very best examples of religion being dealt with extremely well in science fiction television, and I always cry my eyes out at the end as Ivanova says Kaddish (the Mourner’s Prayer), after so much resisting.  As Walker Smith needed Gior to show him where his heart was, so Susan needed her Uncle Yossi, R. Koslov, to show her where her heart was.

Before that, though, she shares an anecdote about her father, for whom she has finally being persuaded to sit  Shiva, which provides a fascinating glimpse into what she was like as a growing and inquisitive young teenager.  With, I must add, some rather exquisite language!

“…out of diapers.

… and I’d been out of diapers for many years, but the quality of his writing had yet to rise above the contents of those garments!”

Beautiful retort!

This is a fundamental episode for the Lt. Commander, as we see more of why she is so private, how she tends to deal with things.  We’ll see her strength really start to shine in the next year or so, sadly, being polished like a diamond after the pressure of years in a coal pit.  And we see a bit about Garibaldi, and more about the often uncomfortable relationships between Earth and the other worlds in the galaxy.  This episode in particular feels like Earth standing in as a proxy for critique of the US regarding our relations with developing countries, especially. 

This episode has always been a very uncomfortable one for me, but still a very fulfilling one, oddly enough.

That was part of Ranger Mayann’s letter on the history of the Babylon Project. It can be seen from another point of view by watching the Babylon 5 Season 1, Episode 14, which I  highly recommend seeing, with two boxes of tissues at the ready!

 

See Ranger Mayann’s report from last week on questions and context, and next week will examine Quests, Seeking, and Seekers…

To see all of her reports as an on-going PDF version: B5EpsThr10.

-Shira Destinie

Action Items:

1.)  Share your thoughts on the many possible forms of physical vs. emotional (or spiritual) self-defense, and the difference, and then:

2.) Share your thoughts on how we Human Beings might start to build a more fully inclusive society for all of us, and how this episode of Babylon 5 could help that process.

3.) Write a story, post or tweet that uses these thoughts.

Dear Readers, ideas on learning, especially multiple #LanguageLearning, on-going education and empathy-building, to #EndPoverty, #EndHomelessness,  #EndMoneyBail & achieve freedom for All HumanKind?

Support our key #PublicDomainInfrastructure  & #StopSmoking for CCOVID-19:
1. #PublicLibraries,
2. #ProBono legal aid and Education,
3. #UniversalHealthCare, and
4. good #publictransport
Read, Write, Vote, Teach and Learn (Lesson Plan Book)! 

Nih sakh sh’lekk, sleem wa.

and my Babylon 5 review posts, if you like Science Fiction,

and

a proposed Vision on Wondering Wednesdays: for a kinder world…

   

Shira Destinie A. Jones, BsC, MAT, MPhil

our year 2020 CE =  12020 HE

(Day 1 of GED lesson plans…)

Stayed on Freedom’s Call
(free copies at: https://archive.org/details/StayedOnF…)
includes two ‘imagination-rich’ walking tours, with songs, of Washington, DC. New interviews and research are woven into stories of old struggles shared by both the Jewish and African-American communities in the capital city.

Shared histories are explored from a new perspective of cultural parallels and parallel institution-building which brought the two communities together culturally and historically.

-one can add Stayed on Freedom’s Call  for free via this GoodReads link.  Please leave a review, if you can make a bit of time.

 

Shira Destinie Jones by ShiraDest is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Minbari Mondays, Signs and Portents, Questions and Context

This is the continuation of our fictional letter (reviewing each film and episode of Babylon 5) that I receive each week from Ranger Mayann.

Here is her 15th report:

—

Nih sakh sh’lekk, sleem wa, Greetings from Tuzanor:

In this report, in your Earth year 2258, on the dates from Wed 3rd – Fri 5th August, 2258, to be precise, it is the second year of operation of the station.  From this  incident will be born the workings in preparation for the next great war, which for you Humans in your dominant culture’s Earth year 2021, is still to come.  You Humans have a word for this: Machiavelian.  It is a word that well describes the forbidden question, asked by one of your people who worked against his own interests and those of us all, even if he did not understand this until it was too late.

And now, Londo Mollari will begin to go down the path of accepting the first of many favors without asking the questions which could have saved us all from such pain, his own people most of all.   For all of their gifts of seeing into the future, the Centauri people, led by their pride and their thirst for renewed glory, continued to misread their visions and to ignore the warnings of the Seers, as Lord Kiro did, and as Londo Mollari did for too long.

Yet, the pain suffered by the Narn under the yoke of Londo’s people, which Mollari would see restored, also played a part in the events to come, and was also fully awakened by the events in this report.  Our own people, in insisting that Commander Sinclair be placed in charge of the station, continued to guard a great secret that also contributed to the pain to come.  Perhaps, had our Grey Council then been more wise, much of what was later to come might have been avoided.  Yet even Satai Delenn was still groping dimly in the darkness at that point, even as she prepared for the great change she would make, to help all of us come together.  At the cost of much pain for herself. 

And Sinclair, showing more of the strategic and tactical skill that he later and earlier (this will become clear next year…) teaches to our people, grows even further in wisdom as he guides Garibaldi, his best resource for ferreting out hidden information, as you Humans would say, and Lt. Commander Ivanova, his best resource for ferreting out hidden enemy fighter craft, and blowing them from the sky.  Wisdom, in choosing and placing people in the positions where they will shine most brightly, and wisdom, in knowing when not to pursue, and when to pursue.

From the city of  Tuzanor, on Minbar

Earth year 2278,

Anla’Shok Mayann

–

  Addendum to Ranger Mayann’s report, by Shira:  This is where it all begins!!  We finally meet the famous Mr. Morden, one of the most complex and fascinating villains I have ever seen, asking the one question that all Minbari are taught to avoid:

“What do you want?“

Ranger Mayann, as a Minbari, refuses even to pronounce those words, yet claims that one should always follow the “calling of your heart.”  What is that, if not what you want?  So why refuse to ask that question?  Why fall back on duty, on obedience, and on faith, rather than using reason to illuminate the path?

But they are right in that what you want cannot be, must not ever be, the whole story.  The darkness in each of us wants only what it wants, rather than the ‘higher good,’ as some people call it.  And that is something that each person must take into account.  I want to eat that chocolate lava cake, but if I do, there will be a price down the line, both in terms of lasting “a lifetime on the hips” and also of a temporary setback to my immune system.   As someone whose family has a very very strong history of diabetes, I also know that the price I could eventually pay for too much lava cake includes an embarrassingly preventable death.  So, I abstain, except for one day per week, giving me the chance to celebrate my good fortune of being able to afford and enjoy the taste and smell of chocolate, while using self discipline, as the Minbari teach, to keep my duty to society and my honor, for I do not know for certain that this chocolate has not been picked by enslaved children far from where I live, clean.

Oh, and not to forget, of course, excellent fighter pilot and leadership skills by Lt. Susan Commander Ivanova!!  🙂  Later on, those skills will have grown to outstanding levels, and enable her to pull off near military miracles, at great personal cost.

And I love the way so many breadcrumbs are laid down now, starting a trail that we almost can’t even see, yet.  For Sinclair, for Londo, for G’Kar, for Delenn, and even for Ivanova, it all starts here.   Each of their paths now lies before them, and each has stepped onto that path definitively as of the end of this episode, even if we the readers, er, sorry, viewers, cannot see those paths and much less to where the paths lead: yet!

We also see the crucial importance of context, in this episode.  Yes, the station will indeed be destroyed at some time in the future, but only the context can tell us if it will be a good thing, or a bad thing.  A key Adulting skill.

And, G’Kar, be careful what you wish for…

And, just when you thought it was all getting perhaps a wee bit too heavy, here comes one of the funniest moments in the first season!

That was part of Ranger Mayann’s letter on the history of the Babylon Project. It can be seen from another point of view by watching the Babylon 5 Season 1, Episode 13, which I most highly recommend seeing, at least twice!

 

See Ranger Mayann’s report from last week on means and interpretations, and next week on spiritual defense…

To see all of her reports as an on-going PDF version: B5EpsThr10.

-Shira

Action Items:

1.)  Share your thoughts on the many possible forms of discomfort that a question can provoke, but why that question should be asked anyway, if you will, and then

2.) Share your thoughts on how we Human Beings might start to build a more fully inclusive society for all of us, and how this episode of Babylon 5 could help that process.

3.) Write a story, post or tweet that uses these thoughts.

Dear Readers, ideas on learning, especially multiple #LanguageLearning, on-going education and empathy-building, to #EndPoverty, #EndHomelessness,  #EndMoneyBail & achieve freedom for All HumanKind?

Support our key #PublicDomainInfrastructure  & #StopSmoking for CCOVID-19:
1. #PublicLibraries,
2. #ProBono legal aid and Education,
3. #UniversalHealthCare, and
4. good #publictransport
Read, Write -one can read (for free) Stayed on Freedom’s Call and review it via  GoodReads :

Nih sakh sh’lekk, sleem wa.

and my Babylon 5 review posts, if you like Science Fiction,

and

a proposed Vision on Wondering Wednesdays: for a kinder world…

   

Shira Destinie A. Jones, BsC, MAT, MPhil

our year 2020 CE =  12020 HE

(Day 1 … Day 5)

Stayed on Freedom’s Call
(free copies at: https://archive.org/details/StayedOnF…)
includes two ‘imagination-rich’ walking tours, with songs, of Washington, DC. New interviews and research are woven into stories of old struggles shared by both the Jewish and African-American communities in the capital city.

Shared histories are explored from a new perspective of cultural parallels and parallel institution-building which brought the two communities together culturally and historically.

Please leave a review, if you can, on the GoodReads page.

 

Shira Destinie Jones by ShiraDest is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.