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

[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.