for some reason i just couldn't come into Episodes after this episode. i don't know why.

Good Things:

-new Trance tidbits. now i actually have a plausible theory of what she is! (i'll tell you it later).

-Tyr character development: finally.

-It was kinda fun seeing Harper upside down (kind of upside down).

-Interesting Slipfighter graphics.

-the music with tyr on the planet and his big gun shooting everyone. heeheehee...

-This episode get more than Cui Bono because:

a. It's not boring
b. It has more of a plot
c. I'm actually willing to see it again on my tape of S3 Drom episodes.

Bad Things:

-Why were Beka and Dylan picking on Tyr and Tyr saying he "wasn't on top of his game"? did i miss something?

-what was the point of tyr going around and around a lot, causing his slipfighter to break apart?

-even though dylan sorta explained the title, what is with the title? it would have made more sense if it were called "Slipfighters: The Dogs of War".

Weird Things:

-the Commonwealth bites. why is it so corrupt? why doesn't dylan just run for third Triumvir? in every episode will the commonwealth be a problem for him? why doesn't he just pull a Mal Reynolds and go where there is no Commownealth government?

now for my theory of trance:

-she (her purple self anyway) has a sun tattoo. (key word is sun)

-she is "allergic" to high levels of voltarium used to blow up stars (key words are used to blow up stars)

-she kinda eats fire. (key word is fire)

-she can't die (key words are can't die)

and the main thing:

-one of her friends die (wait for it) about the same time there's some guy going around BLOWING UP STARS!!

i think trance is the spirit/human form of a star!

quote:

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Originally posted by szhismine:
i think trance is the spirit/human form of a star!

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A Frank Herbert reference??!

I wouldn't put it past RHW.

- Chris (paid-up member of BuSab)

[Edited to add link]

[This message has been edited by Belbo (edited October 31, 2002).]

The antithesis of a sun/star?

Black hole.

Enigma.

S

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Frank Herbert's book Whipping Star may actually be just what we're looking for. The basic plot is that extradimensional beings called Calebans manifest themselves in our universe in several forms, one of which is as stars. They provide a number of services to other sentient beings, including communication and teleportation between solar systems. The communication method requires the participant to enter a mental state known as, er, "sniggertrance".

The main Caleban character turns out to be a manifestation of the star Thyone, which is in the star cluster Pleiades. It's in the constellation Taurus, which is right next to Gemini - honest!

(EDIT - Actually it's in the Hyades cluster; still in Taurus, though).

The book's out of print in the US, but you can probably find it used through Amazon using the link I gave above.

(Caliban is also a character in The Tempest, referenced by Ethlie for TPTWHE).

- Chris

(unleashing his dreaded bouncing beachball attack)

[This message has been edited by Belbo (edited October 31, 2002).]

The biggest reason is it is the freaking CLIFF NOTES verson of B5!!!

*sob*

I better pull out my DVD verson of ADDB again to remind myself of the happy days when Trance was more then just a (bad) Plot Device.

enTranced

quote:

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Originally posted by enTranced:
No offense guys, but as a former Trancer i really, REALLY hope this is not the case!

The biggest reason is it is the freaking CLIFF NOTES verson of B5!!!

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None taken. But it gets worse - Whipping Star (as you might have guessed from the title) has an underlying theme of bondage and S/M! Please God, don't let RHW have been responsible for introducing that!

Oh well, at least we avoided "Trance Taurus"! Now that really would have been bull.

- Chris

(Herbert says Pleiades, Google says Hyades - anyone want to clear that one up?)

quote:

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Originally posted by Belbo:
Please God, don't let RHW have been responsible for introducing [b]that!

- Chris

[/B]

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I don't think you have to worry about that. The last Pure RHW Trance episode was way back in PATS.

RHW's Trance was mortaly wounded in LCATBH and killed off in Ouroborus.

I'm still waiting for NuAndromeda to die because RHW said he would talk about his plans for Andromeda after it was gone.

I especialy want to hear about the REAL his season two finale that was killed to make room the horror of Tunnels&Wheels.

enTranced

quote:

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Originally posted by Belbo:

(Herbert says Pleiades, Google says Hyades - anyone want to clear that one up?)

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The Pleides are riding the back of the bull, hence they are in Taurus.

• The Calebans manifest themselves to humans within "beachballs", large metal spheres whose interior glows purple(!).
• The interstellar teleportation takes place via "S'eye jumpdoors"; S'eye later tranpires to be an abbreviation of "Star Eyes" (watch the end of PATS carefully!).
  

The villain of the book (who is systematically abusing and destroying Caleban, causing them to withdraw from our universe) is, BTW, called "Mliss Abnethe" - does that mean anything to any multilingual folks out there?

(Other than the "Sin? Blame Seth!" anagram, of course )

- Chris

But I'm really worried about STDOW, considering my views on Bush and the condition in the middle east.

quote:

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Originally posted by Chipper:
Amazing theory.

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Well, we'll probably not know exactly what RHW had in mind until the series ends, and even that's assuming he still cares enough by then to tell us. It sure is fun to speculate, though.

quote:

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Originally posted by Chipper:
But I'm really worried about STDOW, considering my views on Bush and the condition in the middle east.

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From the discussion in mosley's thread it sounds seriously dodgy - scary to think you may actually be at war by the time this ep reaches us in the UK.

It's difficult to tell from Maigrey's screencaps, but would I be correct in thinking the Mardukkers are portrayed as being of a particular ethnic origin? Maybe one that frequently fails the "swarthometer" test and gets Gestapo-ised in US airports, perhaps?

If so, this may well cause a firestorm when shown in the majority of the 150+ countries that KS likes to boast about! And, though it's really sad to have to say this, Joe's rather Jewish-sounding surname probably won't help matters either ....

- Chris

quote:

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Originally posted by Belbo:
A Frank Herbert reference??!

I wouldn't put it past RHW.

- Chris (paid-up member of BuSab)

[Edited to add link]

[This message has been edited by Belbo (edited October 31, 2002).]

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Sounds more like something out of A Wrinkle in Time to me. Either Mrs. Who or Mrs. Whasit (can't remember for some reason) was a star.

quote:

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Originally posted by Julie:
Sounds more like something out of A Wrinkle in Time to me. Either Mrs. Who or Mrs. Whasit (can't remember for some reason) was a star.

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Yes, I noticed that Michelle had brought that one up in her review,too. I'm not familiar with Madeleine L'Engle's work, so I can't really comment on comparisons there. Except to note that perhaps "Robert Engles" isn't just a snafu after all.

The idea of stars really being people is probably as old as homo sapiens sapiens - it features in the majority of anicent mythologies, after all. Nor is it new in SF/Fantasy - C.S.Lewis's Narnia books end with a similar revelation, and doubtless early pulp SF had the idea too.

What struck me about Whipping Star were some of the (possible) subtextual references, although of course (like my literary namesake) I may be painstakingly constructing a false text here.

- Chris

Or you can check your local public or college library.

quote:

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Originally posted by Belbo:
The idea of stars really being people is probably as old as homo sapiens sapiens - it features in the majority of anicent mythologies, after all. Nor is it new in SF/Fantasy - C.S.Lewis's Narnia books end with a similar revelation, and doubtless early pulp SF had the idea too.

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Actually, Narnia had stars as people in as early as The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. (Nitpicky, I know.)

Hm... I don't think I can help but like any idea that was in the whole Wrinkle in Time triology and The Chronicles of Narnia, since those were my two favorite series as a kid...