100 Things: John Sheridan (Babylon 5)
This post is part of the 100 Things: A Blogging Challenge; please click here to learn more about the challenge and the full list of topics I've discussed.
CAPTAIN JOHN SHERIDAN (BABYLON 5)
And here we are at the first of some of my favourite characters from Babylon 5. All of the characters hold a special place in my heart but given the amount of space in my 100 Things meme I'll only mention a few. Here's one of my favourite male characters from the show: Captain John J. Sheridan. He's everything you want in a captain: he's confidant, friendly with a commanding presence and good-looking (you know the last is a requirement ^_~). I did not tune in to Babylon 5 until season 2 so he was actually the commander I was most familiar with from the start and watching him grow as a leader for the station and later on was really interesting.
Anyways, like before, if you're planning on watching this show at any point there's major potential spoilers ahead! as I will be talking about her character development from the first time she appeared in the show right up to her last appearance (though I do try to keep things purposefully vague so that you can still enjoy the way the story unfolds).
Suffice to say, the introduction of John Sheridan's character into the show really spruced things up, gave the show an injection of energy especially as the story was moving towards a particular and darker direction. Unlike his predecessor, Sheridan is louder (after a fashion), livelier (after a fashion) and dare I say (after a fashion) more commanding. Jeffrey Sinclair was also a commanding figure, but he always struck me as a more thoughtful, introspective character. His strength was different and I wouldn't go too far comparing the two characters because, while it's inevitable, they're different characters altogether. But with the way that the overall Babylon 5 story was headed, I felt you needed someone with that extra oomph to see through these massive obstacles and Sheridan was perfect. (As a side note, it's interesting to know that Sinclair was originally supposed to carry Sheridan's storyline as well but was split into two characters at the end of the first season; it's a good call, would've overloaded Sinclair's character too much if he was carrying all of those storylines on his own)
So it was fun to watch Sheridan go about the first half of season 2 wide-eyed about the station and the perks that come with the job. He certainly has that explorer spirit in him that's delightful to see; in a show that has that realistic edge and Babylon 5 being a port of commerce and governance, it's nice to see someone in command who has that sense of wonder in him (which he seems to have right up until the last episode you see him in; he's quite an optimistic person and that's nice to see too. When things get rough, you need someone like that heading the charge). You don't see it that often in the episodes and seasons to come as the responsibilities being to pile on his plate and he becomes more preoccupied with the larger problems. Plus, it cracks me up how often he kept on mentioning fresh oranges throughout season 2; I think even in season 5 you still see a platter of oranges set out in his quarters.
JMS often mentions that Sheridan's story arc is the hero's arc, of a man rising up to face the dangers and obstacles ahead of him and defeating them. I find that season 3 and 4 are crucial to this idea and Sheridan's character development, a real test of everything we know about him and what he values. He's a man who wants to do the right thing and you see him work towards doing what his conscience tells him and standing by his decisions. He's quite admirable that way and his determination to see things through, even when he's backed into a corner. The season 3 finale "Z'ha'dum" is a wonderful example of this arc, especially since it also marks a turning point in his character journey. I'll probably stop making sense if I continue talking about his character development/story arc because there's just so many facets to it, how he went from being a soldier to the head of a new interstellar alliance and quasi-religious figure far in the future. But in the end, as it was mentioned in the season 4 finale by one character, Sheridan was a good man who always sought to do the right thing.
Like many of the characters, I love that we learn quite a lot about his background and those important moments in his life that defined him as a person. I love that we got to meet his dad and how important his dad was in his life. While he was the "new guy" on the station at the start of season 2, by season 5 and his and Delenn's departure to Minbar the station has pretty much become a part of him and the people a part of his family. He may have his differences with them at times, like with Garibaldi and with Londo, but at the end of the day they're his family and his interaction with them were always fun to watch on screen. I love his friendship with Ivanova, the gradual development in his relationship with Delenn (more on that in a separate post), the complex relationship with Garibaldi, the way he deals with Londo, etc. Bruce Boxleitner's chemistry with the crew is just fantastic and I love how he portrayed the character.
So yeah, those are just some of the reasons why I love Sheridan's character. He has weathered every single thing that was thrown his way and has stuck to his principals through thick and thin. His story arc was not only compelling but also rather interesting--who knew he would be where he was at the end of the series? And his last episode was just ;_; Perfect.
Just to wrap up his post, here's a few of my favourite moments involving John Sheridan (sadly I couldn't find a clip of Sheridan's scenes from episode 4.13 when he basically played the League of Non-Aligned Worlds into his hands; it was the first time in a long time I've seen him in such a good, happy-go-lucky mood and playing the shrewd fellow for a change; his rapport with Londo in that episode was especially hilarious):
From the season 2 finale...I love how he used Mr. Welles' words and turned them around here in his "apology" xP
From episode 3.18; a powerful performance btw on Bruce Boxleitner's part given that it's Sheridan doing all the talking and Kosh trying to move away for the most part
From episode 4.06; I love the way he tells the Vorlons and Shadows where to go
From episode 4.08; lol Sheridan and Ivanova make a fantastic team
This entry was originally posted at http://caffeinatedlife.dreamwidth.org/396630.html. Please comment there using OpenID.
CAPTAIN JOHN SHERIDAN (BABYLON 5)
And here we are at the first of some of my favourite characters from Babylon 5. All of the characters hold a special place in my heart but given the amount of space in my 100 Things meme I'll only mention a few. Here's one of my favourite male characters from the show: Captain John J. Sheridan. He's everything you want in a captain: he's confidant, friendly with a commanding presence and good-looking (you know the last is a requirement ^_~). I did not tune in to Babylon 5 until season 2 so he was actually the commander I was most familiar with from the start and watching him grow as a leader for the station and later on was really interesting.
Anyways, like before, if you're planning on watching this show at any point there's major potential spoilers ahead! as I will be talking about her character development from the first time she appeared in the show right up to her last appearance (though I do try to keep things purposefully vague so that you can still enjoy the way the story unfolds).
Suffice to say, the introduction of John Sheridan's character into the show really spruced things up, gave the show an injection of energy especially as the story was moving towards a particular and darker direction. Unlike his predecessor, Sheridan is louder (after a fashion), livelier (after a fashion) and dare I say (after a fashion) more commanding. Jeffrey Sinclair was also a commanding figure, but he always struck me as a more thoughtful, introspective character. His strength was different and I wouldn't go too far comparing the two characters because, while it's inevitable, they're different characters altogether. But with the way that the overall Babylon 5 story was headed, I felt you needed someone with that extra oomph to see through these massive obstacles and Sheridan was perfect. (As a side note, it's interesting to know that Sinclair was originally supposed to carry Sheridan's storyline as well but was split into two characters at the end of the first season; it's a good call, would've overloaded Sinclair's character too much if he was carrying all of those storylines on his own)
So it was fun to watch Sheridan go about the first half of season 2 wide-eyed about the station and the perks that come with the job. He certainly has that explorer spirit in him that's delightful to see; in a show that has that realistic edge and Babylon 5 being a port of commerce and governance, it's nice to see someone in command who has that sense of wonder in him (which he seems to have right up until the last episode you see him in; he's quite an optimistic person and that's nice to see too. When things get rough, you need someone like that heading the charge). You don't see it that often in the episodes and seasons to come as the responsibilities being to pile on his plate and he becomes more preoccupied with the larger problems. Plus, it cracks me up how often he kept on mentioning fresh oranges throughout season 2; I think even in season 5 you still see a platter of oranges set out in his quarters.
JMS often mentions that Sheridan's story arc is the hero's arc, of a man rising up to face the dangers and obstacles ahead of him and defeating them. I find that season 3 and 4 are crucial to this idea and Sheridan's character development, a real test of everything we know about him and what he values. He's a man who wants to do the right thing and you see him work towards doing what his conscience tells him and standing by his decisions. He's quite admirable that way and his determination to see things through, even when he's backed into a corner. The season 3 finale "Z'ha'dum" is a wonderful example of this arc, especially since it also marks a turning point in his character journey. I'll probably stop making sense if I continue talking about his character development/story arc because there's just so many facets to it, how he went from being a soldier to the head of a new interstellar alliance and quasi-religious figure far in the future. But in the end, as it was mentioned in the season 4 finale by one character, Sheridan was a good man who always sought to do the right thing.
Like many of the characters, I love that we learn quite a lot about his background and those important moments in his life that defined him as a person. I love that we got to meet his dad and how important his dad was in his life. While he was the "new guy" on the station at the start of season 2, by season 5 and his and Delenn's departure to Minbar the station has pretty much become a part of him and the people a part of his family. He may have his differences with them at times, like with Garibaldi and with Londo, but at the end of the day they're his family and his interaction with them were always fun to watch on screen. I love his friendship with Ivanova, the gradual development in his relationship with Delenn (more on that in a separate post), the complex relationship with Garibaldi, the way he deals with Londo, etc. Bruce Boxleitner's chemistry with the crew is just fantastic and I love how he portrayed the character.
So yeah, those are just some of the reasons why I love Sheridan's character. He has weathered every single thing that was thrown his way and has stuck to his principals through thick and thin. His story arc was not only compelling but also rather interesting--who knew he would be where he was at the end of the series? And his last episode was just ;_; Perfect.
Just to wrap up his post, here's a few of my favourite moments involving John Sheridan (sadly I couldn't find a clip of Sheridan's scenes from episode 4.13 when he basically played the League of Non-Aligned Worlds into his hands; it was the first time in a long time I've seen him in such a good, happy-go-lucky mood and playing the shrewd fellow for a change; his rapport with Londo in that episode was especially hilarious):
Click to viewFrom the season 2 finale...I love how he used Mr. Welles' words and turned them around here in his "apology" xP
From episode 3.18; a powerful performance btw on Bruce Boxleitner's part given that it's Sheridan doing all the talking and Kosh trying to move away for the most part
From episode 4.06; I love the way he tells the Vorlons and Shadows where to go
From episode 4.08; lol Sheridan and Ivanova make a fantastic team
This entry was originally posted at http://caffeinatedlife.dreamwidth.org/396630.html. Please comment there using OpenID.