12 votes

Babylon 5 S01E03: “Soul Hunter” - Episode Discussion

12 comments

  1. [3]
    DefinitelyNotAFae
    (edited )
    Link
    Ahhh ok so this is not my favorite episode BUT I love that this does something that sets Babylon 5 apart from Star Trek early. Edit 2 things! We got souls! And reincarnation. And irreconcilable...

    Ahhh ok so this is not my favorite episode BUT I love that this does something that sets Babylon 5 apart from Star Trek early. Edit 2 things!

    We got souls! And reincarnation. And irreconcilable deeply held religious beliefs not just from our species of the week, but from one of our regulars. To the Minbari the capture of souls is true death. To the hunters not capturing them is true death

    Who's right? Yes. (To quote Kosh)

    Of course this soul hunter is also doing serial killing so this one is specifically a problem

    #2: poverty and violence on our station. It's not so clean here, and people are left behind in this universe.

    Sinclair does continue to the SF trope of the commander/captain putting himself on the front lines. He's such a pilot. (JMS mentions he has to keep his flight hours current to maintain his status but that sounds like plot convenience to me)

    I like N'grath as an alien underworld figure.

    This episode asks some bigger questions - well not necessarily bigger than souls, but more plot-y questions. Why is Delenn there if she's so important? What is up with Sinclair?

    Ivanova quote of the week.

    "You're a pessimist"
    "I am Russian... We understand such things."

    4 votes
    1. [2]
      KapteinB
      Link Parent
      I have mixed feelings about souls being canon, maybe because I don't believe in souls in real life. But I am curious if the writers will do something interesting with it. As a side-note, my...

      I have mixed feelings about souls being canon, maybe because I don't believe in souls in real life. But I am curious if the writers will do something interesting with it.

      As a side-note, my favourite sci-fi writer made a book series where souls of the long dead possessing living bodies drives the plot. Al Capone takes control of an entire planet and gets access to antimatter weapons. Highly recommended.

      2 votes
      1. DefinitelyNotAFae
        Link Parent
        I will say that this idea is not dropped and shows up in several different ways, done well IMO and not in a Christian or otherwise preachy paradigm. I'm not sure that I believe in souls but I do...

        I will say that this idea is not dropped and shows up in several different ways, done well IMO and not in a Christian or otherwise preachy paradigm.

        I'm not sure that I believe in souls but I do think there's something about us in this meat bag that is a person. Are we the sum of our meat parts? Could we be uploaded into a computer and be a person still? Be the same person? If I can be uploaded could I be put in a magi-tech glass ball instead? What would we call that part of us? Franklin thinks souls are preposterous, and maybe he's right too. Maybe it's an echo or a copy.

        Idk. I'm an unwilling agnostic. I want to believe in things but don't.
        But B5 does explore the mystical and the scientific and the intersections of the two; which I appreciate because I think people as a population don't quit believing in one for the other.

        I've read some Hamilton but it's been a long time, I'll have to check these out, thanks!

        2 votes
  2. moocow1452
    Link
    Finally the episode has gone up on YouTube. https://youtu.be/7sz9YWMHlc4 I'm willing to wait for YouTube to put up the next one, but if it's going to be less than reliable, we may want to go off...

    Finally the episode has gone up on YouTube.
    https://youtu.be/7sz9YWMHlc4

    I'm willing to wait for YouTube to put up the next one, but if it's going to be less than reliable, we may want to go off on our own.

    3 votes
  3. [6]
    moocow1452
    (edited )
    Link
    Fun Fact: This episode should be Episode 2, since the gathering was a pilot movie. Fun Fact 2: This episode should be up on YouTube on the Clipzone channel by now, but what is being called the...

    Fun Fact: This episode should be Episode 2, since the gathering was a pilot movie.
    Fun Fact 2: This episode should be up on YouTube on the Clipzone channel by now, but what is being called the full episode is just a clip.

    2 votes
    1. [5]
      cfabbro
      Link Parent
      Since they messed up the release on YouTube, here it is on dailymotion instead too: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8h1hfd

      Since they messed up the release on YouTube, here it is on dailymotion instead too:
      https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8h1hfd

      4 votes
      1. [4]
        KapteinB
        Link Parent
        Huh... Looks like this one user has uploaded much (maybe all?) of the series on Dailymotion. I assume it's pirated, but... Has it gone unnoticed? Do the rights-holders just not care because...

        Huh... Looks like this one user has uploaded much (maybe all?) of the series on Dailymotion.

        I assume it's pirated, but... Has it gone unnoticed? Do the rights-holders just not care because Dailymotion is so insignificant to them? Does Dailymotion not care about piracy on their platform?

        Either way; great! Let's keep linking Dailymotion as an alternative to YouTube. It means us outside the USA won't have to torrent the episodes or buy a VPN to join the discussions. And I'm always happy to give my traffic to a European alternative to Big Tech.

        2 votes
        1. cfabbro
          Link Parent
          Yeah, Dailymotion is home to a lot of older and foreign, pirated, TV show content. They're owned by Canal+ so AFAIK they will actually comply with copyright takedown requests if they receive them,...

          Yeah, Dailymotion is home to a lot of older and foreign, pirated, TV show content. They're owned by Canal+ so AFAIK they will actually comply with copyright takedown requests if they receive them, but a lot of stuff flies under the radar there.

          p.s. As for posting Dailymotion video links in the B5 discussion topics, I can do that if people want me to.

          2 votes
        2. [2]
          moocow1452
          Link Parent
          I was kinda into the weekly format to gather around the fire and talk about the "new" episode, and while we could do that with Dailymotion if we stagger it out, it gets into gray stuff about...

          I was kinda into the weekly format to gather around the fire and talk about the "new" episode, and while we could do that with Dailymotion if we stagger it out, it gets into gray stuff about linking directly to compromised material that I'm not sure the powers that be would appreciate.

          1 vote
          1. DefinitelyNotAFae
            Link Parent
            I link in the comments (from non-canadians?) seems fine based on the archive policies? But if not folks can hang onto the link from here for now.

            I link in the comments (from non-canadians?) seems fine based on the archive policies? But if not folks can hang onto the link from here for now.

            2 votes
  4. [2]
    winther
    Link
    A good example of a seemingly standalone story that is still vital for long spanning character arc. Here especially Sinclair and Delenn. The dilemma is interesting with two very opposing views on...

    A good example of a seemingly standalone story that is still vital for long spanning character arc. Here especially Sinclair and Delenn. The dilemma is interesting with two very opposing views on how handle the dead, though the soul hunter is clearly an extremist for his species.

    2 votes
    1. DefinitelyNotAFae
      Link Parent
      Yeah it's key that Delenn and Minbari in general oppose any of his species with the same vehemence, and even that other races want little to do with Soul Hunters if only for superstitious reasons....

      Yeah it's key that Delenn and Minbari in general oppose any of his species with the same vehemence, and even that other races want little to do with Soul Hunters if only for superstitious reasons.

      I love realizing that no episode is truly standalone.

      1 vote