Amph For Justice, For Peace, For the Future- We Have Come Home: Babylon 5 (The Road Home animated film)

Yeah, basically JMS had already decided that humanity would become First Ones like the Vorlons in a million years and teased it.

Talia’s gift was a backdoor for her to become Lyta’s replacement in the story and gain her “nuclear teep” powers in place of Lyta’s Vorlon manipulation. When they were able to get Lyta’s actress back around the same time the Talia actress left, that backdoor for Talia wasn’t needed anymore.

The Minbari ceremony was two fold- at first, the “marriage ceremony” line was meant to distract from the “rebirth” part, which was setting up Delenn’s preparations throughout the season for her metamorphosis.

But, in the original plan for the series, Sinclair was supposed to be the main character for the entire show, and would have ended up with Delenn- thus tying back to the marriage angle. But when O’Hare had to leave, the backdoor for his character was used to bring in Sheridan instead, leaving the marriage line as just a distraction.

 

And once Lyta was back, Talia would have gone down a different arc if the actress had wanted to return. The Vicker recording Kosh made of her would have been used as a means of restoring her personality from Control and allow the character to return down the road. Presumably further developing her romance with Ivanova at some point.

 

Yeah, that's kinda the fun part of going back and rewatching B5. Noticing details you really haven't see or realized or would have made sense before.

 

Yeah, Signs and Portents is such a significant episode. Unsurprisingly, the episodes that carry the title of each season usually end up that way. It's the first time we get a taste of the show really going beyond the standard Star Trek formula. The first time those Shadow Battlecrabs appear and take out Kiro is just such a shock. And Morden's Rod Serling vibes make him instantly intriguing as a mysterious figure. Even the "A Plot" of the episode being used to wrap up the raiders as a threat, using visible strategy that you didn't often see in sci-fi on TV due to budget limitations that B5's CGI approach was less constrained by.

When you watch The Gathering, Morden's actor actually appears as a C&C technician. He's not Morden in disguise or an origin or anything like that, but it can make you do a double-take if one is watching or rewatching the pilot after having watched the series.

 

"Morden is never alone!" -Delenn, Season 2

 

Yeah, outside of the obvious guest stars, you get a lot of working actors at the time who appeared on both franchises. Infamously led to the incident where the actor that plays General Hague got double-booked for both B5 and DS9 and chose the latter.

Though speaking of Trek guest actors that might not be so obvious- that Techno-Mage, Elric, is played by Michael Ansara, who played Kang on TOS, DS9 and VOY, in addition to Mama Troi's baby daddy in another DS9 episode. He's also the voice of Batman TAS's Mr. Freeze.

Of note, because I don't think it is ever said on screen later on, but Elric was also the master to the Techno-mage Galen from Crusade. Which makes for a nice link to this single episode dealing with them and the larger lore for them explored in Crusade and the ancillary works.

 

Ah, that's right. Tron's wife v1.0. I don't think I recognized her as Tasha's sister.

And wasn't sure if Ansara had been what you were referring to. His voice is memorable, but Kang isn't usually the first to come to mind for folks when they think of OG Klingons (with Kor being more front and center).

 

Sorry- Battlecrabs4eva.

 

He was sort of the background support actor that slowly grew more popular. I think he gets main credits for River of Souls, since it's mainly him and Lochley left on the station of the main cast after the Objects episodes.