Babylon 5, a comparison to the current political climate.

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Babylon 5 came out in 1994, created by a will regarded comic book writer, J. Michael Straczynski. He wrote for Spider-man, Thor and many others in the Marvel universe. On top of writing for popular TV shows, including He-man, The Twilight Zone of the 80s and Murder She Wrote.

This show was ground braking in many ways. It had a road map from day one. Planed out were the plot line of the show would end up with key plot points. Strong character arcs. Top of the line visual effects for the time, replacing physical models with computer generated images. First TV show I know of that was filmed in HD aspect ratio.

What hit me the most was the politics of the Babylon 5 universe. The nature of political intrege. Secret combinations, secret groups with in the government acting for their own ends and for their masters. Not caring what happens to people around them. The ends justify the means.

One of these groups would be the PSi Corps. A government department set up to regulate and control people with telepathic ability. Sort of like the department of Native American Affairs in the US. Who control and micro manage the liberty of a group of people.

The PSI even have a uniformed service called the PSI cops. They run secret operations for the government. Acting much like the NSA and the CIA of our times. All operating in secret. In this case it is for president Morgan Clark.

Now Morgan Clark when the starts is the vise president of the government, Earth Alliance, to the president Luis Santiago. The vise president in a secret operation carried out with the help of the PSI Corp, assassinates Luis Santiago, by blowing up the ship he was traveling on.

Once Morgan Clark is in power he enacts new policies. More power grabs, much like what Obama did when he came into office. Clark enacts the institution of loyalty oaths to him not to the law of the land.

This comes into play with the military throw the Black Watch organization, a military corp with in the the military operating on its own terms. A another secret shadow group. All acting for a one world order . Government control of every person on the planet. No chance for liberty.

It comes to a head on the Babylon 5 station. Run much like a colony. With a military governor in charge. In his case a man named Captain John Sheridan. A life long military man. A man who loves duty to god and nation. Lives to serve. Who is a unlikely political figure.

The Babylon 5 project was setup to run as a neutral place to work out treaties and to do trade. A safe place for people to do their legal business of all kinds. A Switzerland of the galaxy.

when the Black Watch tries to create a coup and take over station security and oust John Sheridan. Who is awaking to what is happening around him. Seeing liberty taken away day by day. With the help of his friends in the military. They uncover some very dark secrets to take away what people love, freedom.

Lucky for the commander he a able to prevent this take over. He does something that is unexpected. He declares Babylon 5 a independent state, braking away from Earth Alliance. Saying they will only come back when law and liberty is reinstated and Morgan Clark is gone from office. Based on the concept of freedom

While this is all happening things are happening in the shadows, departments with in the governments, like the PSI Corps running with foreign governments to get more power and taking away peoples freedoms. In this case it is a alien race called the Shadows.

The Shadows base their entire philosophy on chaos. The idea you can only advance your self with chaos with war, political chaos. You name it. Much like the communist anarchists of today. There is no such thing as respect for rule of law. It is what ever they want it to be for that moment of time.

This is happening all in the secret like many groups now. The Bilderbergers, the CFR. The counsel of Rome. Even our own state department and CIA. Then the World Bank and the central banks of the nations.

These Shadows don’t only have their fingers in Earth Alliance. They have them in many of the nations in the world of Babylon 5 or trying to. The nations they can’t control, they try to destroy. One of these are the Narns.

Centauri Prime a government who aliened them selves with the Shadows to gain greater power and glory. Very much like France who is always trying to recapture past glories. The man who starts all of this is a man named Londo Mollari. The Ambassador to Babylon 5. A man who seeks his legacy, at all costs. Honor can only come from ones legacy of glory.

Aligning with a Shadow agent named simply Mr Mordon. A human recruited to work with the Shadows. To be their voice to the outside world. A PR guy. Slime does not start to describe this man. Think of a used cars salesman times 10.

Flash back to the Narn. They had the Shadows as occupiers a 1000 years before. Saw what happen to them. The destruction and the loss of agency. The massive death tolls. They don’t want this to happen again from any one.

In the end the Shadows attack with support of Londo Mollari. The Narn government falls and a puppet government is put in its place. And killing people of the old government. People who could be the opposition to the new power structure.

Leaving Ambassador G’Kar, of the Narn high and dry. A man who started out for only revenge against past deeds committed on his people by the Centauri. He comes to a religious awaking. A road to Damascus moment. Life is so much more then revenge for past deeds. It had to amount to more. In this case it is the fight for freedom, for his people and the peoples of the galaxy.

Captain Sheridan sees these secret combinations. He starts his own coalition of freedom loving peoples and nations. Being on top of the list. Freedom loving Narns like G’Kar. The nation of Minbari a very religious nation, the Minbari. A group that gives this new alliance a very spiritual grounding in what they have to do to free the nations of the galaxy.

Doing this all in public not truing to hide their motives. Unlike the Shadowy groups who they are at war with. They stand for freedom from those who would take it away.

What happens in the end they win against the shadowy figures. With the awaking of the public to their awful situation. Gaining friends as they go. People who believe in freedom. While uncovering a neo freedom nation, in the form of the Vorlons. A race just as powerful as the Shadows, but set them selve up as the race to save the galaxy from the evil, the Shadows.

Very much like we see from Neo Cons of today. They are out to save us from the evil of big government. But in reality they are the part of the same coin. Just on the flip side. Also operating in secret. The only one from the this race who brakes the mold is one named Ambassador Kosh. A Ron Paul of his people.

He a person who cares about what happens to the peoples of the galaxy and forms a close bond to John Sheridan. When he is assassinated, his replacement also named Kosh. The people of Babylon 4 wake up to who the Vorlans are like. They are not all like the original Kosh, who care about what happens. They are just out for their personal gain.

Lucky for our hero wakes up to this and win freedom. Do we have the same thing happening? Do we have the bravery to do the hard things to win our freedom from the Shadows.

I would encourage everyone to watch this show. It applies to a lot of things that art happening to day in out world. Encourage Warner Brothers to expand upon this. J. Michael Straczynski wants to build upon this foundation. He is awaiting on Warner Brothers.

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• Jeff Conaway ‘50 - ‘011 (laith.wordpress.com)