Babylon 5-Legend of the Rangers (2002)

Editor's Note In 1994 STAR TREK had to take a back seat to this science fiction series, created by Michael Straczynski. In the 23rd century, the Babylon 5 space station has become an interplanetary peaceful negotiation center where humans and aliens attempt to settle differences under the stewardship of President John J. Sheridan (Bruce Boxleitner). THE LEGEND OF THE RANGERS is a two-hour BABYLON 5 special commissioned by the Sci-Fi channel. Set in 2264, a group known as the Rangers have been set up to maintain the peace between Earth and the other planets. But they face a stern test of their resolve when a hostile alien race threatens them.

	Alex Zahara
	Andreas Katsulas
	Dylan Neal
	Myriam Sirois
	Christopher Franke - Original Music By
	Douglas Netter - Executive Producer
	Henry Chan - Cinematographer
	J. Michael Straczynski - Writer
	Michael Vejar - Director
	Ron McLeod - Producer
	Stein Myhrstad - Editor

Revolution: Science Fiction 8 of 10
Some nice points worthy of comment: The actors: Unlike Kirk and Picard, men who have arrived at the high point of their careers as starship captains, Dylan Neal's David Martel is clearly a junior officer still trying to make his career. He gives a low-key but convincing performance of a man who has been somewhat disillusioned by the politics of his organization but still remembers the ideals that motivated him to join it. Andreas Katsulas' G'Kar is a delight, and a welcome link back to the original series; it would not be inappropriate for him or other members of the Babylon 5 cast to make occasional appearances in the future. The rest of the cast looks promising, though we have seen too little of them yet to be sure. The aliens: Babylon 5 always gave us more than the forehead theater of Star Trek aliens and that continues on this show. The standard for sheer alien weirdness, however, is still being set by Farscape. Makeup artists Bill Terezakis and Julian Vit could do worse than learn from Henson Associates. Bottom line: I haven't seen any ratings and so can't venture a guess as to whether this will be picked up as a series. Despite a few missteps, it shows great potential, certainly much more than the ill-fated Crusade. I certainly look forward to a further exploration of JMS's universe of Rangers, techno-mages, and promised Lovecraftian horrors. - Robert R. Chase