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Post by B5Erik on Jan 23, 2021 8:11:10 GMT
 If you had told me in 1994, when Babylon 5 first became a regular series, that within 27 years SEVEN members of the main cast would be gone I would have said that you were crazy. One or two, sure, that happens - it's an unfortunate truth that some people die before their time. I would have believed that without any problem, even though that meant that those cast members would have died short of 60 (or just barely past 60). Three or four? That would have been pushing it. Maybe if there were a combination of accidents and illnesses, it would have been possible. But seven? That's almost half of the regular cast. Statistically, given their ages in 1994, that was just not likely. At all. Not even close. But that's what has happened. Too many of our friends from Babylon 5 are gone. Seven regular cast members, and two major recurring actors. And a boatload of guest stars and behind the scenes people. And that's just as of January, 2021. One shudders to think about the next shoe to drop. It hardly seems fair, too. These people put in so much hard work and effort to make Babylon 5 a reality when so many people in the industry said it couldn't, or wouldn't, work. Babylon 5 was just a pipe dream that would never be produced. Then, once in production, it was said to be doomed to failure after one season. But, instead, their efforts made Babylon 5 not only a reality, but something that reached a level of excellence that few television shows have approached. And the ratings? The ratings were far better, and the show was far more successful, than anyone in the industry predicted. These people who helped make that happen should never be forgotten. Of course, it is the passing of the wonderful Mira Furlan at age 65 that has prompted this discussion. She was always known for being kind, friendly, engaging, generous - just a great person. And, oh, by the way, she was really good when it came to acting, too. Her passing has hit the Babylon 5 family (both those who worked on the show and the fans) extremely hard. This has been a crushing blow (after several other crushing blows over the last 17 years). The loss of Mira Furlan has just opened up old wounds. Starting with the sudden, shocking passing of Richard Biggs, every couple of years it seems we lose someone else from the cast. It's heartbreaking. It's frustrating. And, to a certain point, it's infuriating given the inherent unfairness of it all. JMS (J. Michael Straczynski to the uninitiated, or just Joe, to his friends) himself posted comments in 2016 after the passing of Jerry Doyle that showed his own frustration and anger about how unfair the losses that the Babylon 5 family has had to endure have been. I think that's how all Babylon 5 fans felt at the time. And what happened after that? The Babylon 5 family lost two more members of the main cast, the first just a year after JMS wrote those words above. The universe wasn't listening. Or, if it did listen, it just gave him the finger. It sure feels that way, at least. Well, at the Babylon 5 Alliance those people will not be forgotten, nor will they be forgotten by the fans and their fellow cast and crew members. The universe may have chosen to take them away from the family, but they will be remembered for who they were as people, and the great work they did on Babylon 5. Never forget Richard Biggs, Andreas Katsulas, Jeff Conaway, Michael O'Hare, Jerry Doyle, Stephen Furst, and Mira Furlan, as well as recurring actors Tim Choate and Robin Sachs. May their memory live on forever. |
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Post by B5Erik on Jan 23, 2021 8:23:42 GMT
Remembering... Richard Biggs - Dr. Stephen FranklinNo one could have been better in this role. Frankly, I don't think anyone could have been that good. He WAS Stephen Franklin. Richard Biggs brought Stephen Franklin to life in a way that no one else could have. He was just perfect for the part. Like the rest of the cast, not only did he give great individual performances, but when you look at his scenes as a whole he has amazing chemistry with everyone else in those scenes. Thanks in large part to Richard's great performances, Dr. Franklin was the heart and soul of Babylon 5. He was the conscience of the group, alternating between stern and loveable. His loss was probably the most tragic. A heart defect ended his life ridiculously prematurely at the age of 44. This one still hurts (and always will), because of how young he was, and how much more he could have done.  Richard Biggs: March 18, 1960 - May 22, 2004 |
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Post by B5Erik on Jan 23, 2021 9:05:00 GMT
Remembering... Andreas Katsulas - G'KarPerhaps the most celebrated member of the Babylon 5 cast, Andreas Katsulas was a force of nature on the show. He could be calm, tranquil, and serene, or he could be a raging hurricane - whatever the scene called for, he could deliver. Brilliantly. His take on the scene in the elevator with Londo is legendary among B5 fans. It wasn't written to be played humorously, but Andreas knew G'Kar would react that way - with glee, almost giddy at the thought of Londo receiving some poetic justice! He injected just enough venom along with a stern calm when the lines called for it to make that scene work perfectly. And that was just one scene out of dozens that were memorable thanks to the performances of Andreas Katsulas. He enabled JMS to give G'Kar the kind of character arc that has rarely been attempted, and even more rarely been done successfully. Usually that drastic a change in a character comes across as abrupt or contrived, but because JMS wrote those little nuggets in the first season that hinted at where G'Kar would go (for those paying attention), and because Andreas played those parts just right, the character went on an amazing journey. So much has been said about Andreas Katsulas, and it's all true. He was a brilliant actor, and arguably the brightest light in a cast that shone line the sun. He has been missed for so long that fans have gotten used to missing him. It's just accepted that it's part of life as a Babylon 5 fan that there is a deep sense of loss when it comes to Andreas Katsulas. He had so much more to give, so many more brilliant performances, but it was not to be. The loss is ours. And it was, and still is, a great loss.  Andreas Katsulas: May 18, 1946 - February 13, 2006 |
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Post by B5Erik on Jan 23, 2021 18:09:59 GMT
Remembering... Jeff Conaway - Zack AllanThe casting of Jeff Conaway came out of left field. Sure, he was a very talented actor, and had a solid resume. A major supporting role in the 1978 megahit Grease, and a role in the hit TV series Taxi, among many others, made him a noteworthy actor. But his style seemed to lean more to comedy and light drama than the often dark style on Babylon 5. However, bringing him on the show was a stroke of genius. It was not dissimilar to Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne/Batman. Or, closer to Grid Epsilon, Stephen Furst as Centauri Diplomatic Attache Vir Cotto. Even Bill Mumy as Lennier was slightly outside of the box. All three were VERY talented actors, and all three were perfect for their roles. They all brought different voices to the show, giving it more depth. Casting so many actors on the show with wildly different styles actually fit one of the themes of the show - that building communities with differences makes the whole stronger. And that certainly was the case on Babylon 5 when it came to the cast. Jeff Conaway came to the show with baggage. He had been fired from Taxi due to drug use. He was considered to be something of a loose cannon, and a bit of a risk when it came to regular series work. When he was cast on Babylon 5, however, he left that baggage at home. On set, he was the consummate professional. He showed up on time, all the time, and he was always prepared. He knew his lines, and gave great performances that just screamed JEFF CONAWAY. He stood out in every scene he was in. But he also fit right in with every scene he was in. The brilliant out of the box, left field casting of Conaway worked to perfection. Zack Allan wasn't Garibaldi-lite. He was a completely different character, with a completely different voice - just like everyone else on B5! And the rest of the cast seemed to love him, personally. None of them knew the depth of his personal problems. They had to have an idea of the pain he was in from a back injury on the set of Grease in the 70's that left him in near constant pain ever since, but they didn't know just how serious his problems were. Issues from his childhood led to drug and alcohol problems as a young adult, then when he might have had a chance to get on a better path he had that back injury that left him addicted to painkillers - which led back to more drugs and alcohol. His story is tragic, and his death was predictable, but that's not all that he was. He was a good friend to the cast members, and he was a total pro when it came time to do his job on set. His performances as Zack Allan are some of the best of his career, and Babylon 5 was better for his involvement.   Jeff Conaway: October 4, 1950 - May 27, 2011 |
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Post by B5Erik on Jan 23, 2021 23:36:08 GMT
Remembering... Michael O'Hare - Jeffrey SinclairIn a cast filled with tragic endings, one of the most tragic is that of Michael O'Hare. Cast as commanding officer Jeffrey Sinclair, Michael O'Hare gave performances laced with nobility and reason and humanity. He wasn't as boisterous as Bruce Boxleitner would be when playing John Sheridan (and playing him AMAZINGLY well, too), but that wasn't O'Hare's style. He wasn't flashy, he wasn't larger than life - he was down to earth. Some people loved that, others didn't. But he was right for the role. His style reflected who Jeffrey Sinclair was in a way that no one else would have quite captured. And he worked well with the cast. On screen, his chemistry with Jerry Doyle was outstanding. It was easy to believe that those two characters were great, long time friends. The nobility he carried in his performances just made his character stronger. Jeffrey Sinclair wasn't just another military commander. He was thoughtful and dignified. Despite moments of rage, he usually carried a sense of inner peace and calm. That worked for the part. Very well. What wasn't working, as we found out decades later, was his mental health. He was suffering from serious mental illness while filming the first season of Babylon 5, falling prey to paranoid delusions. It almost shut the show down halfway through the season. But O'Hare insisted on finishing out the season rather than putting so many people out of work. With help he made it through the season, and relinquished command to Bruce Boxleitner. He got help, and got his life turned around - for a while. He made a brief cameo appearance in Season 2, and a full blown guest starring appearance in the two-part War Without End in Season 3. That closed his character arc out (in a shocking way). For a while, he did fairly well. Sadly, at some point he relapsed, and fell victim to mental illness again, and never really overcame it after that. He died at 60, just like Jerry Doyle, and only months older than Andreas Katsulas was when he passed. It was another tragic end for a beloved Babylon 5 actor. But his performances live on, and many of those who criticized his work in the 90's came to appreciate it years or decades later. That's a pretty strong statement as to the quality of what he did.   Michael O'Hare: May 6, 1952 - September 28, 2012 |
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Post by B5Erik on Jan 24, 2021 0:12:10 GMT
Remembering... Jerry Doyle - Michael GaribaldiJerry Doyle notoriously thought he was a terrible actor. Based on his work on Babylon 5 that simply wasn't true. Now, maybe his range was limited, maybe there were things he couldn't do convincingly, but none of that really showed on Babylon 5. In fact, Jerry did such a great job with Michael Garibaldi that it's hard to imagine anyone else in that role without the show suffering. Part of that is because JMS wrote for Jerry's strengths, and part of that is because he incorporated some of Jerry's own personality into the role, true. But part of that is because Jerry became Michael Garibaldi in front of the camera and gave outstanding performances that made the viewer believe that this really was a man named Michael Garibaldi, and that he really had gone through all the stuff you heard about from his backstory. There was an honesty and a reality to Jerry Doyle's performances as Garibaldi that just made you love the character! He was a real person, or he sure seemed to be! And, like all the other cast members, his chemistry with the other actors on the show was amazing. His work with Peter Jurasik and Andreas Katsulas was outstanding, and his work with Michael O'Hare, Bruce Boxleitner, Claudia Christian, and Richard Biggs was just as good. After B5 he became a radio talk show host, and even ran for U.S. Congress. He lived an interesting life - never boring. Sadly, one of the things about Jerry that JMS incorporated into Garibaldi was his drinking problem. Alcohol ended up killing him at the age of 60. Doyle never found a way to beat that demon that Michael Garibaldi did. That's the difference between real life and TV sometimes. But no matter his differences with the other cast members (usually over politics), everyone loved him. Why? Because he was a loveable guy! And he always had their backs! Remember the story about that time a guest star showed up unprepared and didn't know his lines, wasting everyone's time? Jerry was having none of that and got a little physical and VERY loud verbally in berating the guy for not being professional and prepared. That actor showed up ready to go, with his lines fully memorized after that. Jerry took his job VERY seriously. In the end, Jerry was a much better actor than he gave himself credit for, and he gave Babylon 5 fans five years worth of great performances. Michael Garibaldi is the favorite character of many B5 fans, and with good reason!  Jerry Doyle: July 16, 1956 - July 27, 2016 |
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Post by B5Erik on Jan 24, 2021 18:31:18 GMT
By this point in time I, like almost all B5 fans, was both sad AND angry.
To quote Captain John J. Sheridan, "Enough is enough."
Joe's words I quoted above in the first post echoed what I was thinking, and what I imagine that the entire fanbase as a collective was thinking.
How could this be happening? How could so many wonderful actors who helped make Babylon 5 so great be gone so early? Too early. WAY too early. It just wasn't fair - it wasn't right. Most of us never got to meet these people, but they felt like family, anyway. This huge sense of loss was becoming overwhelming. It was becoming frustrating.
I was angry. And Joe's words above resonated with me because of that. The universe was kicking us while we were down. Bad enough that Warner Brothers treated B5 like some ugly, misbehaving, underachieving stepchild, but then to have so many of the people who were a part of our lives from 1993 onward pass away prematurely? If it doesn't kill you it makes you stronger? Sometimes. And sometimes it just wears you down.
The hope was that we wouldn't see another loss any time soon.
So much for that idea...
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Post by B5Erik on Jan 24, 2021 18:52:12 GMT
Remembering... Stephen Furst - Vir CottoArguably the most out of the box, out of left field bit of casting on Babylon 5 was that of Stephen Furst. It's not that he couldn't act - he was a fantastic comedic actor who showed he could do light drama as well on St. Elsewhere. It's just that his image - that of a slapstick comic, more or less - seemed out of place on a serious, often dark, science fiction show like Babylon 5. But it worked. Yes, he was used largely for comic relief, but just when you started to think that was all he would be used for he would be given a rather dramatic bit of dialogue in a serious dramatic scene, and he'd handle it beautifully. The fact that this serious dialogue was coming from a character (and actor) that was usually there for comic relief gave those scenes even more impact. Vir was Londo's conscience. He was the one trying to keep Londo from following that path that would lead to his downfall. Sure, there were other actors who could have done a great job in that role, but none of them would have captured the innocence and idealism that Stephen Furst brought to the character. Furst went on to direct three episodes of Babylon 5 before it was over (as well as two episodes of Crusade), and he did a great job with those episodes. His contribution to the Babylon 5 universe was huge. Sadly, his family history of diabetes impacted him, and while he lived with it for decades, it eventually ended his life. But while he was here he made a big impact on the B5 family, and in a very good way.  Stephen Furst: May 8, 1954 - June 16, 2017 |
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Post by B5Erik on Jan 24, 2021 20:40:24 GMT
Now, this one's hard. Remembering... Mira Furlan - Ambassador DelennHey, universe? #@*& you! Ok, maybe that's not the classiest way to start this memorial tribute, but it really encapsulates the feelings of an awful lot of Babylon 5 fans, producers, writers, directors, and actors. This was a cruel blow. Yes, this quote definitely applies...  She made it out of war torn Yugoslavia with her husband, Goran Gajic, and started a new life in the United States. She had been a successful actor in her home country, and immediately set out to find work in America. It wasn't too long before she was sent to audition for a pilot for this science fiction show called Babylon 5. She later called it a miracle that she got the role so quickly after coming to this country. Babylon 5 fans and producers would probably call it a miracle that they found her. Mira Furlan perfectly embodied who and what Delenn was supposed to be. Strong, wise, caring, enlightened - she was the ideal to which all others should aspire. And Mira just nailed that. She could have a stern look on her face that would make you want to melt into the background, but she also had a smile that could warm your heart and fill you with joy. She wasn't big, but she was imposing when she needed to be. She had gravitas. A ton of it. And, apparently, she was all of those things in real life, too. Especially the wise, caring, enlightened part. Oh, and she has been reported to have had a great sense of humor, too. So both on screen and off she was warm and caring and funny and fun and strong and wise and - I think you get the idea. She was a great person. And I'm having a really hard time keeping it classy when it comes to my anger and frustration with the universe right about now. I really want to tell the universe what it can do with itself, but I will refrain from doing so. For now... Babylon 5 has endured more than it's share of losses. The first may have been the most cruel of all. (Richard Biggs, dying at only 44 years old? You have got to be kidding me!) Maybe that set the tone, I don't know. But this... This was a cruel blow to a family (the extended B5 family of fans, cast, crew, producers, writers, and directors) that has seen more than it's share of losses. Mira was loved by everyone in this family, and this loss is felt deeply by everyone in this family. Over time, we will learn to deal with this loss and the pain that brings, but right now it just hurts. Mira - we are starstuff, indeed. And you may have been the brightest star in our sky.   Mira Furlan: September 7, 1955 - January 20, 2021 |
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Post by B5Erik on Jan 26, 2021 7:31:21 GMT
Remembering...
Tim Choate - Zathras (all of them)
It's a funny line, the one in the video above. Delivered perfectly. Memorably.
Unfortunately, it was also prophetic.
Tim Choate was wonderful as Zathras. If you watch the video below, and hear (and see) him talking as Tim Choate, you'd never believe that's Zathras if you didn't already know it to be a fact. He became Zathras, and that was far more than just the makeup. It was his mannerisms, his accent, his voice - he transformed himself into Zathras completely.
There's a reason why most B5 fans LOVE Zathras, and it's probably 25% words on the page as written by JMS. The other 75% is all Tim Choate. It's hard not to love that quirky alien. He is selfless, caring, and dedicated. And he's funny as hell! Bordering on slapstick, Tim Choate and JMS created this character that just barely fit in with Babylon 5, but he fit in just enough to work brilliantly.
Sadly, Tim Choate did have a very sad death - tragic. And so young, too. It was so senseless, so pointless. It shouldn't have happened.
But it did, and the world was robbed of a great talent.
We do have his work on Babylon 5 (among other performances) to remember him, though. Some of the most memorable work of the entire series.
Tim Choate: October 11, 1954 - September 24, 2004
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Post by B5Erik on Feb 15, 2021 8:29:46 GMT
Remembering... Robin Sachs - Narn and MinbariRobin Sachs was a fantastic actor. Perfect for TV, but could have done anything and done it well. He is known by many as Ethan Rayne on Buffy The Vampire Slayer (one time friend of Rupert Giles, and seller of magic/cursed Halloween costumes and magic/enchanted band candy), but fans of Babylon 5 know him as the Minbari, Hedronn, as well as the Narns Na'Kal and Na'Tok. He was in a total of six episodes of Babylon 5, two for each of those characters. He was also in the Babylon 5 prequel movie, In The Beginning, again playing a Minbari - this one named Coplann. Each time, he was excellent. And that's what Robin Sachs was probably best known for - giving excellent performances that fit in with the series he was guest starring on. He seemed to fit in well with the cast, and had good chemistry with everyone in his scenes. Prosthetic make-up, no prosthetic make-up, it didn't matter - he was reliable and consistent - consistently good! His work on Buffy was top notch as well. Ethan Rayne, Giles' best friend from his youth, is deliciously unscrupulous. He's a schemer and a manipulator and he absolutely, positively cannot be trusted. He's a scoundrel, and a coward, but he's a joy to watch. Well, he was good in everything he did. He was one of those actors who could be counted on to come in to a series as a guest star and knock it out of the park. As much work as he got, it's a little surprising he didn't get even more. And he was another member of the Babylon 5 family who died early. A heart attack took him just four days short of his 62nd birthday. It was shocking news then, and is still hard to believe now.   Robin Sachs: February 5, 1951 - February 1, 2013 |
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