Vorlon enigmas

[DeMonk]

Why are the Vorlons taken by surprise by Sheridan's action at Z'ha'dum? After all, they had his mettle tested in "Comes the Inquisitor". And Kosh had begun to teach him. Kosh KNEW he was going to Z'ha'dum.
Or did I misunderstand? Their change of tactics was due to Sheridan's action, wasn't it?
Did they expect him to do something else?
If so, then WHAT?

Why does the piece of Kosh inside Sheridan actually help to defeat Kosh2?
Because he knows that Sheridan has them all figured out (and he is somewhat proud of his pupil)?
Because of the presence of Lorien he's ashamed of what the Vorlons and Shadows are doing to the younger races?
He decided that the coming of age of the younger races was worth giving his life for?

Any grey cells for sale in the Zocalo?

[Jan]

Why are the Vorlons taken by surprise by Sheridan's action at Z'ha'dum? After all, they had his mettle tested in "Comes the Inquisitor". And Kosh had begun to teach him. Kosh KNEW he was going to Z'ha'dum.
Or did I misunderstand? Their change of tactics was due to Sheridan's action, wasn't it?
Did they expect him to do something else?
If so, then WHAT?

I never thought that Kosh knew that Sheridan would go to Z'ha'dum. Quite the contrary, he did his best to convince him NOT to. I think they expected him to lead the combined fleet, not go to Z'ha'dum. And he probably wouldn't have if Anna hadn't shown up.

Why does the piece of Kosh inside Sheridan actually help to defeat Kosh2?
Because he knows that Sheridan has them all figured out (and he is somewhat proud of his pupil)?
Because of the presence of Lorien he's ashamed of what the Vorlons and Shadows are doing to the younger races?
He decided that the coming of age of the younger races was worth giving his life for?

Any grey cells for sale in the Zocalo?

I'd say it was the last one. He'd realized when Sheridan infuriated him that it was time to let go of the younger races and stop manipulating them. This cause his death but also put that piece of him into Sheridan to help 'protect' him against the rest of the First Ones if needed. Which it was.

IMO, of course.

Jan

[vacantlook]

I would say that most of the Vorlons' opinions of the humans and other younger races were different than Kosh's opinions of them. I think while Kosh came to know Sheridan in a way that all of the rest of the Vorlons never even bothered to try to see. With the way that most all the Vorlons looked up on the younger races as little more than their own tools to be used against the Shadows, I would say that Sheridan's going against them (getting them involved in the war itself in "Interludes And Examinations" and then going to Z'ha'dum all on his own in "Z'ha'dum") surprised them to a degree because of how much the Vorlons were attached to extreme order. The more Kosh came to know Sheridan, the more he understood that Sheridan's way of seeing and reacting to everything would cause him to go to Z'ha'dum, but though Kosh saw this doesn't necessarily mean the other Vorlons could see it in Sheridan. I think they pretty much just expected Sheridan to do whatever they told him to do.

As for why Kosh fought against Ulkesh, I'd say it's because Kosh eventually did come to see the value of the younger races as more than just tools of the Vorlons. Kosh grew to see Sheridan almost as if Sheridan was his son (thus the taking on of the guise of Sheridan's father in the dream in "Interludes And Examinations"), and so he was going to do what he could to protect his surrogate son from the arrogant Ulkesh who, from what I've been given to understand, Kosh always thought was too aggressive and militant.

[DeMonk]

It makes sense

Thank you, at least it's beginning to make sense now.

Don't laugh, I only discovered Babylon 5 last august when a collegue lent me a box of season 1. I'm still puzzling some things out.
Just in time for the scripts... isn't that serendipity?

[Jan]

Oh, you lucky thing, to be still discovering it! Have you seen the entire series and Crusade already?

Feel free to ask anything you like. You may have points of view that we haven't considered. That keeps things lively and fun.

Jan

[DeMonk]

Discovering... yes definitely

Well, yes, I have seen it from beginning to end... 4 times already. My homework, my reading, my wallet... they are suffering.

But with each viewing, it improves!!! and so I'm still mesmerized.

Found Legend of the Rangers today, Neil Gaimans script arrived today, got confirmation of shipment of the first scriptbook yesterday...

I am in heaven

Crusade will have to wait I'm afraid. My wallet is reeling under the blows.

[Jan]

Well, yes, I have seen it from beginning to end... 4 times already. My homework, my reading, my wallet... they are suffering.

WOW!

But with each viewing, it improves!!! and so I'm still mesmerized.

Isn't that cool? Many of us have noticed the same thing.

Found Legend of the Rangers today, Neil Gaimans script arrived today, got confirmation of shipment of the first scriptbook yesterday...

I am in heaven

Crusade will have to wait I'm afraid. My wallet is reeling under the blows.

What about the short stories? The trilogies? There are a couple of other novels worth reading....

Jan

[DeMonk]

Books

Well, I got you beat there.
The ones that are obtainable ... I ordered.
Some I already got. The 3 trilogies, in the beginning, the 5 season guides

I liked JMS's way of telling and so went for some of the comics too. Hardcover RISING STARS, found only the first 2 of supreme power, midnight nation.

Tales from the New Twilight Zone; Straczinsky unplugged.

Demon Night and Othersyde : Amazon asked if a delay of 2 months was OK.

But Tribulations, they couldn't find it anymore.

So, can you guess why I'm a bit behind with my reading?
The stack simply gets higher.

Thank God I had an excellent English teacher.

[Jan]

Here are some listings for Tribulations.

Jan

[DeMonk]

Done

The stack is going to hit the ceiling.

Just ordered

[Jan]

The stack is going to hit the ceiling.

Just ordered

I've got a book with me at all times. I read in traffic jams (when you're at a complet stop for minutes at a time), in long lines in restaurants when I'm on my own...I usually have about 3 books going at once.

Oh, and if you can find the trade paperback of Midnight Nation you *won't* be disappointed.

Jan

[DeMonk]

Oh, and if you can find the trade paperback of Midnight Nation you *won't* be disappointed.

Jan

What is a trade paperback?

Mine is ISBN1-58240-460-7

2004-SECOND PRINTING - with an afterword by JMS on page 271
Black cover with a light shooting upwards from the I of Midnight

[Jan]

Yes, that sounds like it. In comics, when they gather up multiple issues into one big book, that's a trade paperback.

Jan

[AaronB]

I've got a book with me at all times. I read in traffic jams (when you're at a complet stop for minutes at a time), in long lines in restaurants when I'm on my own...I usually have about 3 books going at once.

Oh, and if you can find the trade paperback of Midnight Nation you *won't* be disappointed.

Jan

There are traffic jams in Orlando?

[Jan]

Oh, sure! There's the parking lot affectionately known as I-4 and the ONE road I can use to get home becomes a parking lot at the smallest fender-bender.

Of course, it's *always* a tourist's fault! <g>

Jan