Minbari Mondays (B5:s4e15) “No Surrender, No Retreat” and Another Lesson in Practical Empathy

Empathy has very practical real life applications, like making it possible to understand the motivations of the captains on the opposing side, and adjust strategy accordingly.

The result? Keep reading!   🙂

On the 2^nd of September, 2261, the drums beat for war, and the time has finally come to rescue Earth from a dictator. While Captain Sheridan plays steal-a-car prep, Londo hopes for forgiveness. Too soon. As G’Kar himself said about acknowledging change and redemption in another, and Brother Theo put in different words:

 “Forgiveness is a hard thing.”

Meanwhile, at Proxima 3, the fate of the war hangs on a man’s decision not to be a hypocrite, when it may well cost him his life:

“What does your conscience tell you?”

The result?

“Negative, Fleet Command. The Vesta will not engage in support of illegal orders.”

And, in tears of joy and wonder, mingled with not a little bit of fear, “here ends the lesson.”

Outstanding!!  

Last Monday’s review was s4e14: Minbari Mondays (B5:s4e14) “Moments of Transition” On Following Illegal Orders?  ,

and 

then 

Next Minbari Monday will review: s4e16: …

  …

Nih sakh sh’lekk, sleem wa.

I come in peace, I am your friend.

 

Action Prompts:

1.)  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.

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

***************** 

Click here to read, if you like:

B5, Hakan:Muhafiz/The Protector, Sihirli Annem, Lupin, or La Casa De Papel/Money Heist Reviews,

Holistic College Algebra & GED/HiSET Night School Lesson Plans,

           or My Nonfiction  & Historical Fiction Serial Writing

Thoughtful Readers, please consider reading about #ProjectDoBetter.

Shira

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

Terrible Review in Honor of Al Bester: The Stars My Destination

JMS has been trying to get a Babylon 5 related hashtag trending today, for the reboot, which reminded me of a book I read, and disliked, which was mentioned somewhere as the reason for the  name of the villain in the series whom we all love to hate. 

Secretes -Babylon 5 as Devil’s Advocate (PsyCorp villian ‘Al Bester takes opposite tack from end of Bester’s book)?

***

   I read it, but really had to force myself to finish it, since it was just not my style or cup of tea.  Not sure where the rumor comes from that this is where Bester of the PsyCorps gets his name.

Shira

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

Click here to read, if you like:

B5, Hakan:Muhafiz/The Protector, Sihirli Annem, Lupin, or La Casa De Papel/Money Heist Reviews,

Holistic College Algebra & GED/HiSET Night School Lesson Plans,

           or My Nonfiction  & Historical Fiction Serial Writing

Thoughtful Readers, please consider reading and sharing about #ProjectDoBetter.

Shira

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

Minbari Mondays (B5:s4e14) “Moments of Transition” On Following Illegal Orders?

“You don’t.”

That is the short answer to Sheridan’s question to his old Academy professor. This is also, imho, the brightest shining moment of this series: a service member is required to refuse to obey illegal orders. That will never be easy, nor popular, but it remains correct.

This is also the amazing conclusion to the Minbari civil war, as Delenn steps into the Circle of Fire to retain her caste’s right to be part of a governing coalition that she now re-balances as a new Grey Council, still “The 9,” but not 3×3 anymore.

The worker caste:

“They built the temples we pray in, the ships you fight in. … But prayers are fleeting, and wars forgotten. What is built endures. … Religion and war must act in the service of the people, not the other way around.”

So now, the Grey Council is 2, 2, and 5. And at last, understanding is required, rather than blind obedience, no?

 

Excellent.

    Except for poor Lyta, literally. She’s interviewing for jobs, and failing miserably due to the system, which Bester, of course, exploits to full advantage. This part had me in tears for her misery, and how isolated she becomes, through no fault of her own.

And then more bitter tears are shed for the “Ten thousand civilians” murdered in cold blood.

“Any crew that executes an order like that is guilty of war crimes.”

And at last, there will finally be consequences.

Side SciFi note: Delenn’s reform of The Grey Council (this episode could easily have made three separate episodes, if JMS hadn’t been forced to squeeze two seasons into season 4…) and later creation of the InterStellar Alliance in this series is, apart from the end of the dystopian Brazilian series The 3%, the only show that actually presents system change, like what Project Do Better is working toward.

Are there others??

Last Monday’s review was s4e13: Minbari Mondays: (B5:s4e13) “Rumors, Bargains, and Lies” Shows How A Little Knowledge is Very Dangerous ,

and

Next Minbari Monday will review: s4e15: Minbari Mondays (B5:s4e15) “No Surrender, No Retreat” and Another Lesson in Practical Empathy …

  …

Nih sakh sh’lekk, sleem wa.

I come in peace, I am your friend.

 

Action Prompts:

1.)  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.

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

***************** 

Click here to read, if you like:

B5, Hakan:Muhafiz/The Protector, Sihirli Annem, Lupin, or La Casa De Papel/Money Heist Reviews,

Holistic College Algebra & GED/HiSET Night School Lesson Plans,

           or My Nonfiction  & Historical Fiction Serial Writing

Thoughtful Readers, please consider reading about #ProjectDoBetter.

Shira

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

Minbari Mondays: (B5:s4e13) “Rumors, Bargains, and Lies” Shows How A Little Knowledge is Very Dangerous

… or Deadly.

Talk about half-baked group-think! I’d have expected better from the Religious Caste, who are supposed to spend so much time learning, thinking, and meditating.

And Lenier, again nearly dying to save others:

“Have we fallen so far that we cannot trust even ourselves?”

I love his words about Delenn, perhaps the best words of wisdom he speaks, spat out with such venom from his hospital bed at his fellow caste members who nearly killed them all, in their stupidity:

“In her world, … we are better than we are… we act with compassion.”

So, with the Minbari as on B5, trust, solidarity, and the whole truth can indeed overcome half-truths and leaps to wrong conclusions, if you live long enough!

 

Truth Matters.

 Trust Matters.

Empathy Matters.

Last Monday’s review was s4e12: Minbari Mondays: “Conflicts of Interest” (B5:s4e12), and Lifting Every Voice ,

and

Next Minbari Monday will review: s4e14: Minbari Mondays (B5:s4e14) “Moments of Transition” On Following Illegal Orders?  …

  …

Nih sakh sh’lekk, sleem wa.

I come in peace, I am your friend.

 

Action Prompts:

1.)  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.

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

***************** 

Click here to read, if you like:

B5, Hakan:Muhafiz/The Protector, Sihirli Annem, Lupin, or La Casa De Papel/Money Heist Reviews,

Holistic College Algebra & GED/HiSET Night School Lesson Plans,

           or My Nonfiction  & Historical Fiction Serial Writing

Thoughtful Readers, please consider reading about #ProjectDoBetter.

Shira

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

Minbari Mondays: “Conflicts of Interest” (B5:s4e12), and Lifting Every Voice

 

Tears of joy right at the start of this episode!

and then,

Garibaldi now has a clear conflicting issue from his past, while B5’s Voice of the Resistance     needs power from a source whose perception may be in conflict, depending on your point of view: Epsilon 3.

The captain’s words ring loudest and true:

“If we do nothing, their blood will be on our hands.”

History Matters.

                     Truth Matters.

                                             Action Matters.

 

Last Monday’s review was s4e11: Minbari Mondays: Two Lessons From “Lines of Communication” (B5:s4e11) On Precedents ,

and

Next Minbari Monday will review: s4e13: Minbari Mondays: (B5:s4e13) “Rumors, Bargains, and Lies” Shows How A Little Knowledge is Very Dangerous …

 

  Neatnik gives a more thorough and traditional review of this episode.

 

  …

Nih sakh sh’lekk, sleem wa.

I come in peace, I am your friend.

 

Action Prompts:

1.)  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.

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

***************** 

Click here to read, if you like:

B5, Hakan:Muhafiz/The Protector, Sihirli Annem, Lupin, or La Casa De Papel/Money Heist Reviews,

Holistic College Algebra & GED/HiSET Night School Lesson Plans,

           or My Nonfiction  & Historical Fiction Serial Writing

Thoughtful Readers, please consider reading about #ProjectDoBetter.

Shira

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

Minbari Mondays: Two Lessons From “Lines of Communication” (B5:s4e11) On Precedents

1.) The  erosion of long-held protections is bad for civilizations,

and

2.) Precedents, and the stability they provide, must be taught, discussed, and built upon, Grey Council.

The Minbari find, as we are finding now in American society, that it is important to talk with those we live near, rather than talking at each other. Back on Earth, Human society has found that communications have become an Orwellian scramble of propaganda and double-talk, now recognized as gas-lighting.

The captain’s solution: Ivanova, once the Voice of B5 during the Shadow war, now becomes the Voice of the Resistance,    in the build-up to Earth’s civil war.

Yes, just like during WWII. Yet another reason I love this series.

 

History Matters.

 

  Neatnik gives a more thorough and traditional review of this episode.

Last Monday’s review was s4e10:

       Minbari Mondays: Two Lessons From “Racing Mars” (B5:s4e10) On Practical Empathy ,

and

Next Minbari Monday will review: s4e12: Minbari Mondays: “Conflicts of Interest” (B5:s4e12), and Lifting Every Voice …

  …

Nih sakh sh’lekk, sleem wa.

I come in peace, I am your friend.

 

Action Prompts:

1.)  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.

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

***************** 

Click here to read, if you like:

B5, Hakan:Muhafiz/The Protector, Sihirli Annem, Lupin, or La Casa De Papel/Money Heist Reviews,

Holistic College Algebra & GED/HiSET Night School Lesson Plans,

           or My Nonfiction  & Historical Fiction Serial Writing

Thoughtful Readers, please consider reading about #ProjectDoBetter.

Shira

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

Minbari Mondays: Two Lessons From “Racing Mars” (B5:s4e10) On Practical Empathy

1.) Putting yourself in the shoes of the guy wearing his winter coat while sweating profusely would tell you that something is wrong,

and

2.) Never trust someone who refers to himself in the third person, especially if he offers you food -he’s trying to tell you something!

This is the second time we’ve seen beef something being eaten in space.

Ivanova, Marcus, and even the Resistance get some great quotes in this episode, which I will leave Neatnik’s review to show, this week.

 

Last Monday’s review was s4e9: Minbari Mondays: Two Lessons “Atonement” (B5:s4e9) Teaches On Transportation ,

and

Next Minbari Monday will review: s4e11: Minbari Mondays: Two Lessons From “Lines of Communication” (B5:s4e11) On Precedents …

 

    We can really Do Better.

  …

Nih sakh sh’lekk, sleem wa.

I come in peace, I am your friend.

 

Action Prompts:

1.)  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.

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

***************** 

Click here to read, if you like:

B5, Hakan:Muhafiz/The Protector, Sihirli Annem, Lupin, or La Casa De Papel/Money Heist Reviews,

Holistic College Algebra & GED/HiSET Night School Lesson Plans,

           or My Nonfiction  & Historical Fiction Serial Writing

Thoughtful Readers, please consider reading about #ProjectDoBetter.

Shira

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

Minbari Mondays: Two Lessons “Atonement” (B5:s4e9) Teaches On Transportation

 

1.) Marcus is the very entertaining model of a modern major general, on a new form of semi-public transit!

2.) We do not have to atone for our multi-racial heritages.  But we do have to transport our ways of thinking to a higher level.

Ivanova is still Drazi leader on the station, and Lenier has gotten taller, while Garibaldi has gotten balder.

Interesting, how Delenn’s motives can be questioned, after all this time, but are those questions in good faith?

“We want to help you … convince us on other grounds … you may find that you have the wrong reasons.”

Luckily for her, she finds grounds that even these xenophobes cannot negate, since the Triluminary turns out to be a DNA reader, confirming her genetic link to Sinclair/Valen:

“after his change, … Valen married … his children returned to Minbar … human DNA entered our race…”

A reason even these racial purists could not deny.

And finally, Marcus is  “very well acquainted with the square of the hypotenuse!” 

🙂

 

As  Neatnik’s review points out, in different words but the same vein:

Secrets have power,

and

Honesty Matters…

 

Last Monday’s review was s4e8: Minbari Mondays, Two Lessons “The Illusion of Truth” (B5:s4e8) Teaches On Looking Deeper ,

and

Next Minbari Monday will review: s4e10: Minbari Mondays: Two Lessons From “Racing Mars” (B5:s4e10) On Practical Empathy …

 

    We can really Do Better.

  …

Nih sakh sh’lekk, sleem wa.

I come in peace, I am your friend.

 

Action Prompts:

1.)  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.

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

***************** 

Click here to read, if you like:

B5, Hakan:Muhafiz/The Protector, Sihirli Annem, Lupin, or La Casa De Papel/Money Heist Reviews,

Holistic College Algebra & GED/HiSET Night School Lesson Plans,

           or My Nonfiction  & Historical Fiction Serial Writing

Thoughtful Readers, please consider reading, and writing a review, about #ProjectDoBetter.

Shira

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

Minbari Mondays, Two Lessons “The Illusion of Truth” (B5:s4e8) Teaches On Looking Deeper

1.) Things are not always as they seem, Mr. Garibaldi and Lenier,

and

2.) One must always take a deeper look at what is presented as news, no matter who is presenting it.   Follow the sponsors and look at the outcomes.

Reporters forced to make propaganda are even worse than Torquemada’s daughter. So the main news network has been taken over by a dictator bent on persuading the population that the Babylon station is full of bad people who must be stopped.

As Neatnik’s review points out, this is just the warm-up…

 

Last Monday’s review was s4e7: Minbari Mondays, ” Epiphanies” (B5:s4e7) & Loose Ends, or, “Attention To Detail” ,

and

Next Minbari Monday will review: s4e9: Minbari Mondays: Two Lessons “Atonement” (B5:s4e9) Teaches On Transportation …

  Can we learn, ourselves, to look beneath the surface and find the truth, however uncomfortable?                

    We can Do Better.

  …

Nih sakh sh’lekk, sleem wa.

I come in peace, I am your friend.

(adding larger image for Pin…)    

 

Action Prompts:

1.)  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.

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

***************** 

Click here to read, if you like:

B5, Hakan:Muhafiz/The Protector, Sihirli Annem, Lupin, or La Casa De Papel/Money Heist Reviews,

Holistic College Algebra & GED/HiSET Night School Lesson Plans,

           or My Nonfiction  & Historical Fiction Serial Writing

Thoughtful Readers, please consider reading about #ProjectDoBetter.

Shira

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

Minbari Mondays, ” Epiphanies” (B5:s4e7) & Loose Ends, or, “Attention To Detail”

 

1.) The end is not always the end,

and

2.) Never throw away those who’ve sacrificed for your cause.   It could be bad for your health.

On the station, Delenn is watching, with Captain Sheridan, from above, as the ‘commoners’ revel, celebrating their survival and the war’s end. The captain thinks maybe they are right to celebrate:

“Give me tomorrow and I will be happy.”

But back on earth, at PsyCorps HQ, they wonder about the something that had rattled their lead tyrant “big time” -I guess even they were kept in the dark about those Shadowy associates of Mr. Morden. Too bad they didn’t take all of their consequences with them…

G’Kar, meanwhile, is also back on the station after his torture at the hands of the Centauri, and now suffering from phantom eye syndrome. He explains the relationship to what power does, and what power costs, saying that:

“The one is never equal to the other.”

This seems to be a lesson that the B5 leadership has yet to fully learn, as they are already starting to forget the help and sacrifices of one that they never really trusted to begin with.

This cannot lead to a Happily Ever After…

Last Monday’s review was s4e6: Minbari Mondays, Two Lessons ” Into The Fire” (B5:s4e6) Teaches On Sacrifice ,

and

Next Minbari Monday will review: s4e8: Minbari Mondays, Two Lessons “The Illusion of Truth” (B5:s4e8) Teaches On Looking Deeper …

  Can we learn, ourselves, not to disregard those who have contributed, just because they are not like us?                

    We can Do Better.

  …

Nih sakh sh’lekk, sleem wa.

I come in peace, I am your friend.

 

Action Prompts:

1.)  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.

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

***************** 

Click here to read, if you like:

B5, Hakan:Muhafiz/The Protector, Sihirli Annem, Lupin, or La Casa De Papel/Money Heist Reviews,

Holistic College Algebra & GED/HiSET Night School Lesson Plans,

           or My Nonfiction  & Historical Fiction Serial Writing

Thoughtful Readers, please consider reading about #ProjectDoBetter.

Shira

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