The Babble On Project

Well, look at that. The sun’s coming up. Yes, it’s almost time to bid a final farewell to our last, best hope for geeks, but before JMS turns up to hit the self-destruct switch (well, after the jokes we’ve made about Delenn we’ve kinda had it coming) there’s still time for a whopping three hours and 20 minutes of podcast as Gillian and Matt discuss The Lost Tales and listen to your feedback for the last time. There will be laughter, there will be feels, and because this is us there will undoubtedly be songs. This is White Star 69… signing off. Matt and Gillian would like to thank all of our listeners and supporters for walking beside us on this incredible 65-episode, four-year journey. We couldn’t have done it – and wouldn’t have got this far – without you and the incredible Babylon 5 fan community. Thank you for listening, thank you for feeding back, and thank you for making us feel powerful enough to fight legends.  

In their penultimate episode, Matt and Gillian discuss The Legend of the Rangers, and find a surprising gem among the TV movies. Who do they ship? Who is Gillian’s new queen? What do they think of the weapons system? And of course, their appreciation for G’kar’s last Babylon 5 appearance knows no bounds. Plus! Another good Drazi, the wisdom of Lenny Kravitz and yet more stupid Minbari rules. Our next episode is our LAST EVER episode, discussing The Lost Tales. You can send feedback for those, or anything else you haven’t got round to saying, in all the usual places. Deadline for feedback is midnight BST on Tuesday 5th May.    

Gillian and Matt hear the siren call of naptime as they yawn their way through possibly the dullest, most pointless and certainly the most disappointing Babylon 5 TV movie to date: sequel series setup A Call To Arms. Meanwhile! Matt watches the first episode of Crusade, Gillian wastes C&C time and a listener invents some citrus-sharp epithets. Wake us up when you’re done…

Join Matt and Gillian as they enjoy a cruise down The River of Souls. Lovejoy and President Bartlett engage in a Crazy Eyes Off, and everyone takes a leaf from Sinclair’s book as they try to talk the baddies to death. Will our hosts like this better than Thirdspace? Will Gillian be able to place Neighbours in the Babylon 5 universe? Will the twitter intro finally break Matt? Plus! Soul Glo, Love Bats and the return of N’Grath (sort of).

Sometimes a movie comes along which is so insightful, so ground-breaking, so deep and meaningful that it transcends the medium and becomes that rare and beautiful thing: true, timeless art. As Gillian and Matt discover the hard way, Thirdspace is not that movie*. Will it end in fire? Or is ranting and inappropriate humour more likely? Strap in and find out! *SPOILER

Matt and Gillian kick off their coverage of the TV Movies with In the Beginning. Find out how the USS Good Ol’ Boy is to blame for everything. Minbari!Rabbi Koslov is as awesome as his human counterpart. Baby!Ivanova, Baby!Sheridan, Bab- ALL THE PRECIOUS BABIES.

It’s time for a bumper season fnarr-le episode, featuring listener feedbackageddon! Prepare for laughtears as Matt and Gillian discuss the sublime Sleeping In Light. Our second Grey Sector features a review of season five as a whole, and our third Grey Sector sees an overview of Babylon 5. Plus! Matt provides Gillian with a new ship. Why did John Sheridan really go back to Babylon 5? And it turns out that some friends are more reluctant than others to have their absence toasted. Don’t worry – we’re not going beyond the rim just yet. We still have the TV Movies and The Lost Tales to cover, and in our next episode we’ll be discussing In The Beginning. Keeeeeeeeep Babbling! Lacklustre Art Minbari’s theme music is “I Crush Everything” by Jonathan Coulton, and is used under the Creative Commons Licence. Visit www.jonathancoulton.com for more great music!

It’s the penultimate episode of Season 5! In Objects at Rest, Matt and Gillian learn just what could make both Tannoy Zack and Lacklustre Art Minbari lose their tempers. Wave goodbye to the Worst President in History, Delenn starts screening calls and Lennier becomes the Cherry Coke of traitors. Or something. Our next episode will cover the series finale, Sleeping in Light. Please send in your feedback on that, season 5 as a whole, and the series proper of Babylon 5, no later than Friday October 31st 2014. We love you bai bai! Lacklustre Art Minbari’s theme music is “I Crush Everything” by Jonathan Coulton, and is used under the Creative Commons Licence. Visit www.jonathancoulton.com for more great music!

Like a Sinatra fan with their iPod stuck on repeat, Matt and Gillian keep being reminded that the end is near – but before the final curtain is raised there’s still plenty to talk about! Is Sheridan still the Worst President Ever (TM)? Are glowing eyes really that offputting if you’re an dauntless romantic? Is G’Kar back on the cigs? What has Deputy Carl been up to this time? What, precisely, brings all the Narns to the yard? And who’s been recommendng techniques to Number One? Dive in and find out! Lacklustre Art Minbari’s theme music is “I Crush Everything” by Jonathan Coulton, and is used under the Creative Commons Licence. Visit www.jonathancoulton.com for more great music!

It’s two-partacular as Matt and Gillian reach Movements of Fire and Shadow and The Fall of Centauri Prime. Sob as Londo’s birds come home to roost! Gasp as Sheridan faces the end of the Alliance! Roll your eyes as Delenn avoids an awkward conversation… Plus! A visitor from the Whoniverse, censor bleep abuse, and Zack and Carl face their toughest assignment yet. Lacklustre Art Minbari’s theme music is “I Crush Everything” by Jonathan Coulton, and is used under the Creative Commons Licence. Visit www.jonathancoulton.com for more great music!

The Babylon 5 chocolate box contains assorted douchebag centres this week as Sheridan continues to be the worst President of anything ever, Garibaldi calmly kicks off Galactic War MMXXVIIIIV with a snooze and Fresh Air’s waiting staff go spoiling for a rumble. PLUS! A heartbreaking callback, another artistic Minbari debuts, and Garibaldi’s Fashion Express puts the willies up Tannoy Zack! Lacklustre Art Minbari’s theme music is “I Crush Everything” by Jonathan Coulton, and is used under the Creative Commons Licence. Visit www.jonathancoulton.com for more great music!

Byron? Byron who? We see a new side to Bester, and learn more about the PsiCorps in The Corps is Mother, the Corps is Father. Delenn discovers invisibility cloaks, and Matt and Gillian develop a new Captain Crush in Meditations on the Abyss. Plus! First time feedbackers, how to confuse Zack Allan, and just what is in a Pak’ma’ra’s hump? We apologise for the delay in releasing this episode – Gillian had a very bad reaction to an ill-advised late night McBari’s. Lacklustre Art Minbari’s theme music is “I Crush Everything” by Jonathan Coulton, and is used under the Creative Commons Licence. Visit www.jonathancoulton.com for more great music!

The Babblers face one of the most emotionally-intense stories that B5 has ever put to screen – and whilst they reel from Franklin accepting a job offer there’s some other stuff. Probably involving telepaths or summat. Nothing important though. Otherwise they’d have remembered. You know, like they did with the Markab. SHIT. PLUS! More listener awesomitude (shut up, that’s a word!), musical interludes, a sombre farewell, Tannoy abuse and a very special Thought of the Day!

The one-eyed man is king In the Kingdom of the Blind, as even Centauri women can’t resist G’kar’s charms. In A Tragedy of Telepaths he and Londo play dress up games, but who’s playing the Gaim (and the Drazi and the Brakiri)? Matt and Gillian find out whether they can possibly hate Byron any more than they already did, and their love for Lochley grows by the episode. Plus! The Lacklustre Art Minbari has some musical advice, Ansaphone Zack has discovered a new medium, and more listener suggestions are declared canon than ever before. Lacklustre Art Minbari’s theme music is “I Crush Everything” by Jonathan Coulton, and is used under the Creative Commons Licence. Visit www.jonathancoulton.com for more great music!

What does G’Kar keep under his slanket? What does Lennier do in his down time? Has Gillian found the perfect GIF? Has Byron been forgiven (SPOILER: no)? These questions and more are answered as our crew discuss Secrets of the Soul and Day of the Dead! Lacklustre Art Minbari’s theme music is “I Crush Everything” by Jonathan Coulton, and is used under the Creative Commons Licence. Visit www.jonathancoulton.com for more great music!

Finally we get some juicy Lochley action, and Matt and Gillian have a new best girl. There’s a fatality in the mercifully sixthformer-free Learning Curve, and in Strange Relations we find out who’s been raiding the bins out the back of Space!Ikea. Plus! Everything Wrong With Garibaldi, awesome Sechs and how do you solve a problem like the Pak’ma’ra? Lacklustre Art Minbari’s theme music is “I Crush Everything” by Jonathan Coulton, and is used under the Creative Commons Licence. Visit www.jonathancoulton.com for more great music!

Don’t worry, we’ve revised it! It’s BETTER! Yes, Gillian & Matt make a Declaration of Principles as they discuss “The Paragon of Animals” and “A View From the Gallery”. Do they like Bo and Mack? Who’s breaking Wheaton’s Law? WHAT DOES SPOO TASTE LIKE? These questions and more answered! PLUS HELMET GAGS! Lacklustre Art Minbari’s theme music is “I Crush Everything” by Jonathan Coulton, and is used under the Creative Commons Licence. Visit www.jonathancoulton.com for more great music!

New year! New season! New intro! New Captain! New Sixth Form poser! Babylon 5 rings in the changes for its fifth season – so what do our intrepid duo think? Meanwhile! Feedbackopalypse 2: The Feedbackening! Subtle dissection* of Byron’s character! An awesome new listener song! ORGS! Sheridan dickery! Garibaldi dickery! Lennier dickery! And a buttload of Centauri wang! *Assassination Lacklustre Art Minbari’s theme music is “I Crush Everything” by Jonathan Coulton, and is used under the Creative Commons Licence. Visit www.jonathancoulton.com for more great music!

It’s The Babble On Project Holiday Special! This year, in response to listener requests, we’ve collated all our ridiculous musical skits, and recorded a few new ones, too. We hope you enjoy it, or at least that your ears don’t explode! Our next regular episode, covering No Compromises and The Very Long Night of Londo Mollari will be recorded on 8th Jan 2014. You can submit feedback by the usual means. We love you bai bai! Track Listing (*new!) *Mike’s Favourite Things – Delenn/Lennier Take That Vorlon Out – The Army of Light Lovesick Bonehead – Lennier *Christmas Zacking – Zack My Eyes – G’kar/Londo Still Alive – Matt *The Star Fire Wheel – Delenn/Neroon Feedback If You Can – Dodgy Cher *John’s Beard – Matt Minbari Girl – Delenn Make Whoopee – Marcus/Lennier *(Do You Wanna) Date My Mate G’Kar? – Gillian (piano arr. by DuckDuckMusic) Transformed This Way – Delenn Hey Babblers – Matt Not the One – The Babble On Project Family Singers Many thanks to DuckDuckMusic for letting us use his gorgeous piano arrangement. You can find it, and his other work on his YouTube channel.

Matt and Gillian are joined a by very special guest – the immeasurably wonderful Peter Jurasik (Londo Mollari) –  to answer YOUR questions about Babylon 5, MacGuyver, Tron, teaching, fatherhood and absent friends.