Sad news: "Today we lost Richard Biggs"

[RCmodeler]

Originally posted by Jordan_Alexander
I hate to ask this but...I wonder how this will affect the B5 project.

Not much. Let's face it... the Doctor was not an important character. Subtract him from the Shadow War arc, and nothing really changes. (Sadly, the same is true for the doctors on the Star Treks too...except McCoy.)

[Omega]

Horrible.

Of all things to see posted at JMSNews.com, this was the last type of item I was expecting.

He was truly a fantastic actor who contributed so much to B5, even when his role wasn't always as involved. He made it stick.

I already feel terrible. He and his family deserve everything we as fans can offer them.

[circularREASON]

I have just seen this interesting little site which I don't know if any of you have checked out yet, but you might want to.

http://www.gilbert-boxleitner.com/

Rick will indeed be missed

[Nachtswerg]

I agree that Franklin's absence could be handled pretty easily in the movie, but I'm a little uncomfortable with his character being referred to as 'not important'. I understand what RC meant, but it read wrong.

The addiction storyline, along with the way that Biggs portrayed the character were very important to the overall story, if you ask me. It gave the grand tableau another piece of its intimate heart.

[greenone]

I am sadden by the news for his family esp. his children.

[Capt.Montoya]

He made the role of Dr. Franklin human, humane and rounded.

It will be sad watching B5 again and know he's gone.

It is sad that he's gone, period.
May he rest in peace.

[RCmodeler]

IRONY: First Doctor Franklin's dad dies.... than Doctor Franklin himself just 2-3 months later. Weird.

Also, what's up with actors dying from sudden blood bursts in the brain? Same thing happened last year with John Ritter.

And finally, I did not mean the Doc was unimportant. I too liked his Drug Addiction arc. I just meant that he could be written out of the story fairly easily.

[Lieutenant Keffer]

Originally posted by RCmodeler
Same thing happened last year with John Ritter.

i believe John Ritter had a severe heart attack and not an aneurysm in the brain.

but no matter how you slice it, they are both tragic losses and both will be missed.

[sixpence]

What a shock, I am at a loss.

Life is truly fragile.

Richard Biggs was a fantastic actor as evidant on B-5.

What a tremendous loss.

Richard Biggs, may you rest in peace with all eternal blessings, and may your family be comforted.

What a sad day!



PAX AETERNUM

[Radhil]

Originally posted by Lieutenant Keffer
i believe John Ritter had a severe heart attack and not an aneurysm in the brain.

John Ritter had a slightly torn artery in his heart, somewhat like an aneurism, that leaked blood and built up pressure over a short time. Wasn't a heart attack - as far as I knew his heart was healthy.

[Joseph DeMartino]

Subtract him from the Shadow War arc, and nothing really changes.

And if the Shadow War were all there were to B5 you might have a point, but it isn't.

Subtract Franklin from the from the Earth Civil War arc and lots of things change - mostly for the worse. Like maybe the Mars resistance doesn't join up with Sheridan, the Teepsicles don't get used as weapons and neither Garibaldi nor Sheridan might have makes it to the victory party. (They needed Garibaldi to save Sheridan, and only Franklin's intervention saved G's life.)

Franklin was critical in all those areas, succeeding with Number One where Marcus left her underwhelmed, and using her support to win over the other resistance leaders. (Not to mention going far beyond what Sheridan authorized him to say and lying his butt off to close the deal, something Marcus was unlikely to have attempted.)

Easy to forget what small moments great events can turn on.

Franklin is a friend and advisor to most of the non-Corps key players in the Teep War - to Sheridan and Delenn, to the Earth President, to Garibaldi and to Lyta. (He treated her much better than Sheridan did, and risked much to help the telepaths when he had nothing at all to gain for doing so - simply because it was the right thing to do.)

So I think that any way you slice it Franklin - as well as Rick Biggs - is going to be a noticable absence in the next B5 project, no matter what it is.

Regards,

Joe

[Capt.Montoya]

Interesting how the death of "Franklin's Dad" and "Dr. Franklin" will now be linked in many fan's memory, when the real relationships between the two actors was completely incidental...

The character of Dr. Franklin indeed participated in many pivotal moments.
Considering how Lyta's arc was transfered to Talia and back to Lyta and how Ivanova's arc was later split between Lochley and Lyta (among other things) I think that how the arc may have progressed without him could be an interesting speculation... but right now doesn't seem the time.

I think that both Franklin and Biggs fed of each other, as Bigss performed his role so well his character, Franklin, was given a bigger role, beyond the MedLab, giving Biggs a greater chance to show his acting talent.
He delivered.
B5 was better for it.
Dr. Franklin was a great character...

I also hope that B5:TMoS will feature an "in memoriam" for him.

[colonyearth]

Thank you Joe for saying that before I could.

Anyone who thinks that Dr. Franklin (and Rick Biggs) was a replaceable, superfluous, or in any way unimportant character in the B5 universe, needs to seriously sit down and watch all five seasons again. He was integral in each story arc...as was each character.

Franklin was always the humanist...the one fighting to preserve life and its sanctity. Now someone else will have to speak for him.

And if the CRUSADE arc was going to have anything to do with TMoS as JMS vaguely hinted recently might be the case, then his character might and probably well would have played an important part in the story. I've always contended that JMS will write very important roles for each of the original cast to play in TMoS so as to give the fans a sense that each and every beloved character was there in a big way.

I can't help thinking how much it will feel as if someone very important, an important voice if you will, will be missing when TMoS hits the theatres.

I know JMS will be able to re-write it and in such a way that we'll think it was always intended to be that way (he did it so many times during B5's run). But we will know why and what happened and we will know that one of the voices in the chorus that is the B5 cast is sadly missing.

We know that Dr. Franklin lived for many years...but from now on we will always have to write around his presence in all future B5 ventures. And that means that voice will always be silent, even when it would've been needed.

The impact of this is more important I think than some of you realize.

We are all truly diminished by this loss.

CE

[B5_Obsessed]

Memorium

Seeing how JMS lovingly eulogized Mr Kitty on Crusade, I'm sure Richard Biggs will merit a memorial message, assuming B5:TMoS really happens.

I always thought the memorial for the Challenger crew at the opening of Star Trek IV was a classy touch.

[colonyearth]

Re: Memorium

Originally posted by B5_Obsessed
Seeing how JMS lovingly eulogized Mr Kitty on Crusade, I'm sure Richard Biggs will merit a memorial message, assuming B5:TMoS really happens.

I always thought the memorial for the Challenger crew at the opening of Star Trek IV was a classy touch.

I'm certain there will be a dedication of the film to Rick.

What do you mean by "assuming B5:TMoS really happens"? Uh, it's a done deal and will go on...unfortunately without Rick, which will remind us of his absence yes, but will also be a celebration of his life and how he has touched us all.

CE