#008 - B5 1.07 - "The War Prayer"

03/31/22 • 53 min

1 Listener

Discerning Lurkers Portal: A Babylon 5 Podcast

This week, our shoes are too tight, and we have forgotten how to podcast. Just kidding, we remember, as we review the Babylon 5 episode 1.07 "The War Prayer."

What real-world social issues did the co-hosts feel this episode held up a mirror to?

What elements of the pilot TV movie got a mention in this episode?

What physical trait of the Minbari did one co-host notice for the first time? Is it a natural feature, or do Minbari women wear this type of make-up too?

Which co-host went through a weird phase of watching soap operas during high school and college?

What else is Danica McKellar known for?

What are the interesting nicknames Londo gives his wives behind their backs?

What kind of plant life gets mentioned in both Green Sector and Brown Sector?

What line of dialogue did one co-host appreciate for being funny & aggressive at the same time.

What complaint did one co-host have about the tone of the episode?

What line of dialogue was not delivered in the best way?

Which character is not nearly as good an actor as the actual actor playing that main character?

What kind of details did one co-host have about the preparation & process that went in to D.C. Fontana writing this episode?

And, which episode coming soon is one co-host particularly looking forward to reviewing?

Listen now for the answers to these & other discerning questions as we speak about "The War Prayer."

Personal Note: Please bear with us if the release schedule of this podcast or our other podcast, the Discerning Geeks Portal, is affected by a profound loss we have experienced recently. David T., a founding co-host of Discerning Geeks Portal, and our friend & brother for far longer than we have been podcasting, passed away recently after his eight-year battle with cancer. At the time I'm posting this, his funeral was three days ago, and we are still settling in to a "new normal" without him. We hope to somehow honor & memorialize him after discussing the best time & method. Prayers & positive thoughts are appreciated as we process this loss privately for now. In the meantime, reviews of "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" and "Spider-Man: No Way Home" were both recorded before his passing...but still without him, sadly. The first of those may be coming soon, but I don't know when. Dave and I hoped to start a weekly schedule for the B5 reviews going forward, but we now need to catch up on recording those too. Thank you for understanding.

If you'd like to contact us, our e-mail is [email protected].

We might have separate Facebook & Twitter accounts soon, but for now, you can also check us out at the sites for our "parent" podcast, The Discerning Geeks Portal, where we take a discerning look into other geeky topics with two additional co-hosts and with a frequent focus on movie reviews.

Facebook: Discerning Geeks Portal

Twitter: @DiscerningGeeks

Public domain music used in this episode...

Intro / Transition Into Spoiler Zone / Outro: "Putin's Lullaby" by Alexander Nakarada via FreePD.com (Note: I know with current events going on around Ukraine in March 2022, a song with "Putin" in the title is unfortunate, but I can't help it. That's the name of the song, and the song was picked out weeks ago when the first half of it sounded perfect for a Babylon 5 intro...with a few "swoosh" sound effects added to the end of the intro for added punch.)

This week, our shoes are too tight, and we have forgotten how to podcast. Just kidding, we remember, as we review the Babylon 5 episode 1.07 "The War Prayer."

What real-world social issues did the co-hosts feel this episode held up a mirror to?

What elements of the pilot TV movie got a mention in this episode?

What physical trait of the Minbari did one co-host notice for the first time? Is it a natural feature, or do Minbari women wear this type of make-up too?

Which co-host went through a weird phase of watching soap operas during high school and college?

What else is Danica McKellar known for?

What are the interesting nicknames Londo gives his wives behind their backs?

What kind of plant life gets mentioned in both Green Sector and Brown Sector?

What line of dialogue did one co-host appreciate for being funny & aggressive at the same time.

What complaint did one co-host have about the tone of the episode?

What line of dialogue was not delivered in the best way?

Which character is not nearly as good an actor as the actual actor playing that main character?

What kind of details did one co-host have about the preparation & process that went in to D.C. Fontana writing this episode?

And, which episode coming soon is one co-host particularly looking forward to reviewing?

Listen now for the answers to these & other discerning questions as we speak about "The War Prayer."

If you'd like to contact us, our e-mail is [email protected].

Facebook: Discerning Geeks Portal

Twitter: @DiscerningGeeks

Public domain music used in this episode...

Previous Episode

#007 - B5 1.06 - "Mind War"

1 Recommendations

This week, we get our first appearance of Star Trek's Walter Koenig as Psi-Cop Alfred Bester in the Babylon 5 episode 1.06 "Mind War."

What did Dave S. & Todd think about this episode overall?

Which aspect of the show is a "weak link" for one co-host?

Is recurring actor Walter Koenig as Alfred Bester in more episodes than any actors that are in opening credits of whole seasons? And, which recurring character (not introduced quite yet at this point in season 1) has been in just barely more episodes than Alfred Bester?

What are the statistics on telepaths & telekinetics among humans?

What view of the station interior in this episode did one co-host appreciate?

What P-ratings are instructors and Psi-Cops in Psi-Corps?

What is the behind-the-scenes reason Walter Koenig appeared in this episode as the start of a recurring run rather than as a one-shot in a different episode?

Which Talia Winters quote did one co-host like, and why did the other co-host not totally like that same quote?

Which Ivanova quip did both co-hosts particularly appreciate?

Does G'Kar have possibly the best moments of the episode, an episode that barely has anything to do with him? (Note: If the answer is yes, it might become a trend.)

Does Garibladi have a thing for women in conservative suit jackets?

What gesture and line of dialogue are homages to the 1960s British TV show, "The Prisoner"?

To what is the name Alfred Bester an homage?

And, what did the cast do at lunch during filming to honor Walter Koenig's involvement?

Find out the answers to these and other mind altering questions as we get probed & scanned by "Mind War."

Personal Note: Please bear with us if the release schedule of this podcast or our other podcast, the Discerning Geeks Portal, is affected by a profound loss we have experienced recently. David T., a founding co-host of Discerning Geeks Portal, and our friend & brother for far longer than we have been podcasting, passed away recently after his eight-year battle with cancer. At the time I'm posting this, his death was three days ago, his funeral is still two days ahead, and we are still quite shaken. We hope to somehow honor & memorialize him, but we need to discuss how & when to properly do so in this public forum. Prayers & positive thoughts are appreciated as we process this loss privately for now. In the meantime, reviews of "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" and "Spider-Man: No Way Home" were both recorded before his passing...but still without him, sadly. The first of those may be coming soon, but I don't know when. Thank you for understanding.

If you'd like to contact us, our e-mail is [email protected].

Facebook: Discerning Geeks Portal

Twitter: @DiscerningGeeks

Public domain music used in this episode...

Next Episode

#009 - B5 1.08 - "And the Sky Full of Stars"

1 Recommendations

This week, there is a hole in our mind, but we're still ready to review Babylon 5 episode 1.08 "And the Sky Full of Stars."

What were the co-hosts' overall feelings about this episode?

Was the big revelation of this episode really that big a revelation?

What does one co-host feel about what he calls "psychobabble" episodes?

Just how desperate was the Battle of the Line?

Which moment of Garibaldi & Ivanova dialogue did one co-host enjoy?

Which character did one co-host like best in this episode?

Which Sinclair line did one co-host particularly like?

Which character had a couple over-acted moments, including a moment where he sounded like Gollum from "Lord of the Rings"?

What were some of the other nitpicks from this episode?

Which actors were originally supposed to play guest roles Knight One and Knight Two?

What were some of the articles about from the newspaper Garibaldi was holding?

Why did JMS portray San Diego as a bombed wasteland in the Babylon 5 universe?

What improvised, practical object had to substitute for a special, expensive camera lens that was inadvertently rented to a different production?

And, which co-host still has a landline phone as if it's still 1994?

Listen now for the answers to these & other psychobabble questions as we probe into a hole in the mind... "And the Sky Full of Stars."

If you'd like to contact us, our e-mail is [email protected].

We might have separate Facebook & Twitter accounts soon, but for now, you can also check us out at the sites for our "parent" podcast, The Discerning Geeks Portal, where we take a discerning look into other geeky topics with an additional co-host and with a frequent focus on movie reviews.

Facebook: Discerning Geeks Portal

Twitter: @DiscerningGeeks

Public domain music used in this episode...