Review of Babylon 5: The Lost Tales - Voices In The Dark
I vaguely remember hearing that J. Michael Straczynski, the creator of Babylon 5, was a fan of the original Twilight Zone series. He even chose Ed Wasser for the role of Mr. Morden because he resembled Rod Serling.

In Babylon 5: The Lost Tales – Voices in the Dark, Straczynski has two stories that have the style and feel of two vintage Twilight Zone episodes, set in the popular Babylon 5 universe. Part of it is because of the very obvious low budget. There is no C & C, no Zocalo, and precious few extras. Except for a few special effects and CGI which is far superior to that of the original show, these episodes could have been part of a stage performance.

The subject matter of the stories feel ripped directly out of Rod Serling’s playbook. The first of the two loosely-linked segments features Colonel Elizabeth Lockley (Tracy Scoggins) dealing with Christian theology in the edge of space. In particular, it is a story of possession by devils and the role of religion in an era where mankind has already ventured into the heavens and found it devoid of angels, but instead sees wonders far surpassing a burning bush. I’ve always respected how Straczynski – a proclaimed atheist – deals very sensitively with religion and theology. This episode is no exception. The “Exorcist In Space” overdoes it on the voice modulation effects and weird camera angles, but otherwise tells a thought-provoking story

The second segment deals with a popular moral quandary. If you had the chance to save millions (or, in this case, billions) of lives by going back in time and killing a child who would eventually grow up to become an epic villain (like Adolf Hitler), would you? President Sheridan (Bruce Boxleitner) of the Interstellar Alliance finds himself facing this very decision, courtesy of technomage Galen (Peter Woodward). But he also takes the time to abuse an INS reporter and to vent at Galen about his methods and the technomages in general.

The lack of many extras, other characters, secondary plots, and general “bustle” of the show was surprisingly disconcerting to me, as a long-time fan of Babylon 5. They deliberately set the stories in places where you wouldn’t expect many people to be, but it still felt “off.” These are smaller, more intimate, and definitely lower-budget stories. Once again, they invoke the memories of old Twilight Zone episodes, where the entire episode might only consist of two sets and three actors, a single plotline, and lots of dialog.

For me – it worked. It was a pleasant return to the Babylon 5 - superior to most of the TV movies made after the original five-season run. I think some fans might be put off by minimalist presentation and quieter, more introspective tales. But Babylon 5 was always much more of a cerebral, character-based show than one of spectacle. More than one episode in the original series devoted much of the time to very few characters locked in a metaphorical box together. I think many fans of the series will enjoy In Babylon 5: The Lost Tales – Voices in the Dark if they aren’t expecting a full-blown return to season 3.

If you are unfamiliar with the series, I don’t think these stories would provide a great introduction to the show. Rent the movie “Babylon 5: In the Beginning” on DVD if you want a low-commitment introduction to the series. Just don’t come crying to me when you get hooked!

There are future installments of “Babylon 5: The Lost Tales” planned, the next one focusing on Michael Garibaldi (Jerry Doyle). Whether or not we’ll see them depends on the success of this first DVD. Call me a fanboy, but I’m really hoping to see more. Voices in the Dark wasn’t what I expected, but it is a worthy addition to the Babylon 5 series.

Labels: Movies

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