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unny how the passage of time doesn't dull the thrill of seeing old friends and familiar storylines come to life once more. It's been far too long since the delicately contoured, ridged profiles of the Minbari graced our TV screens; likewise the fierce intensity of the Narn and the familiar determination of humans faced with adversity. All of these and more are classic elements of Babylon 5, and the creator of the innovative sci-fi series that debuted nearly a decade ago has carried them over into the new movie The Legend of the Rangers—To Live and Die in Starlight.
Set in 2264, after the events of the Shadow War in the original Babylon 5, The Legend of the Rangers stands on its own, yet ties into the events of the B5 universe. The movie's title is a misnomer, though, since it doesn't deal with the origins of the elite military peacekeeping force founded by the Minbari and now open to those willing to pledge their lives to The One. The Rangers have a strict code of honor, and David Martel (Neal) defies one of those sacred rules by choosing to stand down from a battle and keep his crew alive rather than pursue the enemy and face certain death. As his fate is being decided by the Ranger council, G'Kar (Katsulas) is intrigued by the human's fortitude and intervenes on his behalf.
Capt. Martel is given command of a small, 20-year-old ship, the Liandra, which has seen its share of battle and is purportedly haunted to boot. His first mission is supposed to be a simple getting-your-feet-wet exercise, but early on things go awry and the Liandra finds itself in the heat of battle with an unknown, powerful and very lethal enemy.
G'Kar's trek: The Next Generation
That familiar line from the original Babylon 5—We live for The One, we die for The One—is just part of the creed of the Rangers. As Capt. Martel tells us, "We walk in the dark places that no one else will enter. We stand on the bridge, and no one may pass." And indeed, the crew of the Liandra walks in dark places—the shadowy, dark lighting of the ship can be more distracting than effectively spooky at times.
There are other criticisms of this telefilm—but they're few and far between, which is a rarity for telemovies that pull double as series pilot. The production values are high, yet there are moments that seem rough-hewn—most notably in the opening credits sequence. The visual effects are largely eye-catching, but with 300 effects shots, this movie is the most ambitious of the B5 movies to date, and some sequences succeed better than others. For example, the inventive approach to the kung-fu-style gunnery pod is both striking and jarring, and the shots of the Liandra rising from the landing pad like an old jalopy lack polish, but one of the final scenes with the enemy ship is simply dazzling, and the ghost effects are surprisingly startling.
The fast-paced story starts out with a big battle, then scales back briefly to introduce the characters (in a clever Naming of Names ceremony) and set up the action. There's the occasional stilted dialogue, and one clichéd scene with the generic angry mob of diplomats, but other than those transgressions, Straczynski's script is well written and engaging and filled with dry humor (to wit: a classic scene between G'Kar and covert ops specialist Malcolm Bridges [Marshall]). It's also populated with characters that are fleshed out and not just two-dimensional. The ensemble cast of characters is instantly likable, and the core group—Katsulas, Neal, Sirois and Zahara—has an immediate chemistry together.
Katsulas is the only returning Babylon 5 regular, and as such he was faced with the unenviable challenge of bridging the gap between old and new while not stealing the thunder of the young, new cast. Not only did Katsulas prove up to the task, but he shines as G'Kar, seamlessly picking up where he left off three years ago—while still evolving his delightful characterization of G'Kar to reflect the Narn's life experiences.
Although Neal's boyish good looks make it easy to wonder if he should be captaining a ship, the actor proves himself more than capable of carrying the movie on his shoulders. From the outset, Neal is comfortable in his role, and he shows he can move from casual humor to drama to in-the-trenches action with ease. Also spot-on is Zahara as Dulann; unfortunately, Zahara spends too much time in scenes with little for him to do.
Ultimately, any unevenness in this production will fade as the story progresses. And the final scene is a real treat, especially for fans of the original series.
Throughout Babylon 5's existence, there have been comparisons made to the long-standing mainstay of sci-fi television, Star Trek,—and this movie, which comes in the same TV season as the latest Trek series, Enterprise, will be no different. The bigger-budget Enterprise pilot may have looked more polished, but The Legend of the Rangers feels as if it has more substance; by comparison, it was the more exciting pilot of the two. Legend not only stands on its own, but lays the groundwork for future. — Melissa
Also in this issue:
Brotherhood of the Wolf (Les Pacte des Loups) and
Mad Max Special Edition DVD
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