Babylon 5 vs LOTR

[jack]

I'm not saying Babylon 5 is a LOTR copy, but with all productions, I enjoy deciding which characters correspond to which LOTR characters. My first effort came from a conversation with I and vyvyan at House:

* Sheridan = Frodo

I mean, duh. Chubby, affable, the least mythic character who carries the weight of the universe on his shoulders, brave but slowly forced reluctantly into the roll of leader.

Also, he goes on a long and difficult journey, shedding companions, until he reaches the centre of the evil empire, where he defeats evil by jumping into a big and mysterious dark pit.

* Sinclair = Aragorn

It's almost worth having Sinclair replaced so he can grow into his mysterious mythic ex-soldier role. He's not one of the old ones -- but he's still the Dad of all the real mortals.

* Kosh = Gandalf

* Delenn = Elrond

* Garibaldi = Sam

I wasn't sure about the other hobbits. Garibaldi holds everything together. He's strong and brave, but fits naturally into a serving role, and he's just always there invisibly propping up all the other characters. Also, he cooks.

* Franklin = Pippin

Ever notice how he gets all the girls?

* Ivanova = Merry

Merry from the books, not the films, the Merry who always has to be the responsible one, a sense of humour bent by having to chivvy the others about.

The second

But, since this is just a game, and an exercise in spotting themes, completely different mappings are justified.

* Londo = Bilbo, Vir = Frodo, G'Kar = Gollum
* Londo = Gollum, G'Kar = Bilbo

For that matter, you can correspond any two characters who undergo a rebirth, if you want to.

[1] Hm. I think I've asked this before, but is there anyone I know who hasn't read LOTR but is going to?

Comments

[robhu.livejournal.com]

If Sinclair is Aragorn then who is Marcus Cole¹?


¹ who you might not have encountered yet...

[simont]

I assume, since Jack describes Sinclair as "the Dad of all the real mortals", that he's got as far as War Without End and hence met Marcus some time ago.

Anyway. The B5 Rangers certainly dress too much like the film-LotR Rangers to be lightly dismissed as their closest analogue. I'm not sure Marcus himself qualifies as Aragorn, though; that's surely still Sinclair, in his capacity as leader of the Rangers! Marcus is just a competent (if awkward) underling.

[robhu.livejournal.com]

I never thought Sinclair had the right stuff to be a Ranger, never mind the leader of the Rangers. Perhaps it's because he's too 'perfect'.

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Oh, I thought he was way cool. Rangers *should* be a bit mythic. I thought like Aragorn, he's a bit reckless and a bit weighed with responsibility, iyswim.

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Thank you! Though as a matter of fact, that was just coincidence in my phrasing, I meant, of the mortals, he was the one who was Dad; excluding Maia and Vorlons and Beornings and Minbari who know what's going on but are busy manipulating you behind your back rather than explaining, he's the one who knows what's going on, and fighting our corner, and we can all subscribe to him and rally behind him.

[megamole.livejournal.com]

Marcus is Halbarad.

Brave noble and fearless and DIES chiz.

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

LOL. Good point, there's a lot of rangers about. But somehow he didn't seem quite as much changing the course of the universe through force of will, so I was just sort of forgetting about him and assigning him to be one of the interchangeable backup rangers.

FWIW, I have seen that, but was basing my comments mainly on what I've seen this month (first season and half of second) and what I remember, so it'd be different if I'd been watching Marcus recently.

[mair_in_grenderich]

is there anyone I know who hasn't read LOTR but is going to?


mmmmmmmmmmaybee.

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

:) Then I've probably spoiled some of it :)

[mair_in_grenderich]

Well I didn't read this post as I've never seen b5 either, but I did see the lotr movies, so it may be spoiled already :P

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Oh, then yes. Nevermindy. I should have said "Or has already found out everything that happens through LOTR being used in metaphors, films, references in other books, etc" :)

[bugshaw.livejournal.com]

Z'ha'dum and Khazad-dum, Lorien and, well, Lorien...

[megamole.livejournal.com]

When I have to explain B5 to those who have not watched it, I usually save time by explaining it's LOTR in space.

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Yes. (Which I think JMS might object to, as it's not *just* that, but in terms of that being a big compliment, and giving the general idea without going into all the details of what's great and what isn't, it's a good place to start :))

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

:)

[ladyshrew.livejournal.com]

I was thinking about this the other day. Delenn actually shares a lot of Arwen characteristics too, except she is infinitely better (sort of like Eowyn at times, even).

And Londo has his Frodo aspects too. ;-) I mean, you really could read the entire story as his failed hero cycle.

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Delenn actually shares a lot of Arwen characteristics too, except she is infinitely better (sort of like Eowyn at times, even).

Oh yes. But while Minbari are definitely elvish it felt like a cop-out to just make Delenn the female elf. There is the whole relationship with Sheridan, and she she has some of Eowyn's kick-ass-ness and even a touch of her destruction, maybe. But "Traditional bastion against the dark, slowly abandoned by true immortals, and being superseded by johnny-come-lately guung-ho humans, trying to keep the breaks on the end of the world from a safe place while everyone else is running around", one of the Big Elves makes senses to me :)

Or maybe Galadriel. In fact, can you really distinguish between Elrond and Galadriel in terms of Mythos? They serve very similar roles.

And Londo has his Frodo aspects too. ;-)

Oh yes, certainly. I see I stopped before saying that, but all three hobbits have a lot in common, I should have done.

He's lovely. The first time watching B5 it's painful, but it's nice to see a villain you really like, who's truly redeemed. To see the understandable slide, rather than simply a random bad guy with a few words of backstory thrown in to justify it.

[ladyshrew.livejournal.com]

Well I was going for the less cop-out and more literal connection that Delenn had part human blood, whether or not she knew it, and that she in the end chose to be human and live with the humans at the cost of not being able to be with her own kind anymore. ;-)

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Ah, ok, good point.

[diet-coke-teddy.livejournal.com]

Perhaps there should be separate entries for Gandalf?
Gandalf the Grey = Kosh Naraek !
Gandalf the White =?= Lorien

And one of the hobbits has to map with Z'athrus? (I'm probably spelling that horribly wrong, but the worker on the planet below)