Another plot puzzler

[l33tpenguin]

So, the Victory scored a coolster critical hit. Looked great on screen. Saved time in the story. Call it good.

But, that's a massive issue for me. The greatest thing Babylon 5 ever had going for it WAS story. The special effects were ok, the sets were cheap, the costumes often terrible, the acting fair to good. But it was the characters and the story that kept us watching for 5 years. We tuned in to see if Marcus was going to win over Ivanova, or how far down that path Londo was going to go. It was the story that drove Babylon 5. Take that 'oh cool, nice shot, we win' and compare it to the 'victory' at the battle of the line, which is like 3 years of plot to explain.

 

[David Anla Shok']

So, the Victory scored a coolster critical hit. Looked great on screen. Saved time in the story. Call it good.

But, that's a massive issue for me. The greatest thing Babylon 5 ever had going for it WAS story. The special effects were ok, the sets were cheap, the costumes often terrible, the acting fair to good. But it was the characters and the story that kept us watching for 5 years. We tuned in to see if Marcus was going to win over Ivanova, or how far down that path Londo was going to go. It was the story that drove Babylon 5. Take that 'oh cool, nice shot, we win' and compare it to the 'victory' at the battle of the line, which is like 3 years of plot to explain.

Sometimes you have to default to the K.I.S.S. rule.

 

[DM]

*Actually to highlight something you said, Modern Naval warships do have a single Point of Failure. Its Know as The Combat, Information or direction (dpending on what ship you are on) Center. You kill this portion of a ship it cant fight Period. no weapons No nothing. Its Blind and toothless."

Depends on how you design your combat system. Its perfectly posisble to have a main and secondary CIC / Opr Room, or go to a distributed architecture and do away with oversized cmmand spaces completely. Some navies have been doing it for years.

 

[l33tpenguin]

DMs avatar officially makes him the subject matter expert on all things naval related.

 

[David Anla Shok']

DMs avatar officially makes him the subject matter expert on all things naval related.

Really? Now I know who to sell that gallon of snake oil to... ;>

 

[dag'karlove]

*Actually to highlight something you said, Modern Naval warships do have a single Point of Failure. Its Know as The Combat, Information or direction (dpending on what ship you are on) Center. You kill this portion of a ship it cant fight Period. no weapons No nothing. Its Blind and toothless."

Depends on how you design your combat system. Its perfectly posisble to have a main and secondary CIC / Opr Room, or go to a distributed architecture and do away with oversized cmmand spaces completely. Some navies have been doing it for years.

well as i have been on some of your Navy's wonderful ships (The last being HMS Sheffield) I seem to only remember one Combat Information Center. And while some other navies may move all of thier crap around and have a secondary room (russians come to mind) I still proudly Serve The Earths Best most heavily Armed and well trained Navy as a weapons systems intelligence specialist. Its worked for us for quite a while, and it allows us to cram more bullets and beans on board. Just some food for thought

 

[Greg Smith]

But, that's a massive issue for me. The greatest thing Babylon 5 ever had going for it WAS story. The special effects were ok, the sets were cheap, the costumes often terrible, the acting fair to good. But it was the characters and the story that kept us watching for 5 years. We tuned in to see if Marcus was going to win over Ivanova, or how far down that path Londo was going to go. It was the story that drove Babylon 5. Take that 'oh cool, nice shot, we win' and compare it to the 'victory' at the battle of the line, which is like 3 years of plot to explain.

What about Tony Todd's character's suicidal ramming command to save his daughter from the monsters? And the Technomage manipulated positioning of Dureena aboard, so that they would know where to shoot? And the fact that A Call to Arms was the starting point of a whole new five-year story?

I tend to think of the defeat of the Shadow cloud as a bit Star Wars-y, but remember that it was ultimately a defeat - the Drakh used the cloud as a distraction to get their plague through.

 

[H]

*Actually to highlight something you said, Modern Naval warships do have a single Point of Failure. Its Know as The Combat, Information or direction (dpending on what ship you are on) Center. You kill this portion of a ship it cant fight Period. no weapons No nothing. Its Blind and toothless."

Depends on how you design your combat system. Its perfectly posisble to have a main and secondary CIC / Opr Room, or go to a distributed architecture and do away with oversized cmmand spaces completely. Some navies have been doing it for years.

well as i have been on some of your Navy's wonderful ships (The last being HMS Sheffield) I seem to only remember one Combat Information Center. And while some other navies may move all of thier crap around and have a secondary room (russians come to mind) I still proudly Serve The Earths Best most heavily Armed and well trained Navy as a weapons systems intelligence specialist. Its worked for us for quite a while, and it allows us to cram more bullets and beans on board. Just some food for thought

most heavily armed yes, best trained? you are living in a dream there I think.

 

[Zhai_ Morenn]

While we are comparing real world navies, I would like to toss out that I'm a fan of my great grandpappy's story about being a member of the Irish navy. Yes indeed,

"Back then, the navy was a buncha rowboats. One man to row, another to carry a rifle. And the boats were all painted red! Red made them go faster!"

back to topic:

I was not overly thrilled in the series with the rather Star Wars ish or Deus ex Machina result that we got with the shadow cloud in ACTA. Granted, it gave the resident thief something to do, a meaningful sacrifice on the part of the Victory's captain (why didn't he just use the Lightning Gun again?) But then again, I haven't heard any good alternative ideas as to how to kill the Shadow Planet Killer. Maybe Sheridan could have given one of those awesome speeches of his that goes along the lines of "You go on now! You get the hell out of my home world's back yard. And take your genocide cloud with you!" *shrug*

"There! That spot! Lock on, and prepare to fire on target of maximum plot convenience!"

 

[Greg Smith]

But then again, I haven't heard any good alternative ideas as to how to kill the Shadow Planet Killer.

Get the huge EA fleet inside it and blow up everything.

 

[wkehrman]

DMs avatar officially makes him the subject matter expert on all things naval related.

All the world trembles at the searing logic of your fiery intellect. :roll:

 

[Burger]

Does that make me an expert on all things Spam related? Like, spam spam spam eggs beans and spam?

 

[H]

I DON'T LIKE SPAM!!!

 

[lastbesthope]

Everything that is a Bab 5 novel in the stores right now is approved by JMS as canon.

Au contraire lesser mortal :lol: , of the first 9 non trilogy novels, only #9 is considered truly canon, with #7 being pretty much cannon. Some of the others even contradict on screen canon.

LBH

 

[Greg Smith]

Everything that is a Bab 5 novel in the stores right now is approved by JMS as canon.

Some of the others even contradict on screen canon.

But on screen canon does that too.

JMS wrote the outline for some of them, approved them, but doesn't consider them canon.

He wrote the story for one of the comics, which tells the story of how Garibaldi and Sheridan saw a Shadow ship on Mars and found the Psi Corps pin which appears in the show, but still doesn't consider it canon.

The only novel he still considers canon is the one written by his wife. I wonder why?
JMS: "Darling, I've decided that the novel you wrote isn't canon."
Mrs JMS: "What do you mean, not canon?!"
JMS:"It doesn't fit with my idea of the Babylon 5 universe."
Mrs JMS: "I spent 18months of my life working on that book! Right! You're sleeping on the couch."

 

[Burger]

JMS: But I always sleep on the couch, I like to sleep at 30 degree angle...

 

[dag'karlove]

Depends on how you design your combat system. Its perfectly posisble to have a main and secondary CIC / Opr Room, or go to a distributed architecture and do away with oversized cmmand spaces completely. Some navies have been doing it for years.

well as i have been on some of your Navy's wonderful ships (The last being HMS Sheffield) I seem to only remember one Combat Information Center. And while some other navies may move all of thier crap around and have a secondary room (russians come to mind) I still proudly Serve The Earths Best most heavily Armed and well trained Navy as a weapons systems intelligence specialist. Its worked for us for quite a while, and it allows us to cram more bullets and beans on board. Just some food for thought

most heavily armed yes, best trained? you are living in a dream there I think.

Lay Off The crack Pipe, wake up from the dream or start taking your anti Crazy meds again because whatever alternate world your are living in , its not this one.

 

[Burger]

whatever alternate world your are not living in , its not this one.

Well that is obvious, by definition of "alternate"...

 

[dag'karlove]

Yes I really Must learn how to review posts before hitting the submit button.

 

[David Anla Shok']

Does that make me an expert on all things Spam related? Like, spam spam spam eggs beans and spam?

Spammity spaaaam, spammity spaaaaam!