Totally agree with you. I was in my late teens/early twenties when this show was on the air. It was this show and other sci-fi movies/shows that opened my eyes, and helped prepare me. But it was Babylon 5, that for me, went a little more in depth with the subtleties of politics, media control/manipulation, and societal monitoring that provided me with greater insights. And it also gave me a greater appreciation of another little known program called Yes minister/Prime minister. It has allowed me to have a clearer vision with what is going on now and what will come in the future. JMS, you have given us a classic that has aged very well. Thank you.
@@JMHCLash Yeah...about what I thought...you people are either monsters or you have the self awareness of a houseplant. But maybe 4 years of the demented old man and the town pump might make a dent...but somehow I doubt it.
When I first saw this scene I thought she was being sarcastic when she said “when we rewrote the dictionary” but now I know she was being deadly serious!
@@jewsownthemedia3811 I can't imagine a Christian God would view you very highly - considering all the negative aspects your account name implies. After all, the Hebrew people were the Chosen tribes before Christ ever was man. And the whole hate aspect you seem to favor...
@@colinmerritt7645 You blame Trump while your own side is the ONLY one taking steps towards eliminating the Constitution, and they've been doing it OPENLY for the last 50 years, but you're still too blind to see it.
2:42 "You are empowered to examine station publications to ensure that they are ideologically correct...certain individuals will be purged from their government positions for sedition, immoral conduct..." Now I understand what's happening in today's media and politics in general. She could have been talking about DEI and cancel culture.
I'll raise you one higher; sci-fi has always been prescient not by looking to the future but to the present and immediate past. 1984 was influenced heavily by Orwell's work as a policeman in Burma and fighting for the communists in Spain and Stalin's Regime. DS9's bell riots were taken from a newspaper article about LA putting up homeless districts. Even this episode has heavy parallels in the many totalitarian regimes of the past, like Facist Germany. Because it is fiction, we can agree with the premise and follow through with less ideological baggage, so that when reality does start to arrive, we realize what is really going on, and what will happen next.
This shows the steps that are taken towards a Totalitarian state perfectly. It starts with claiming that certain problems 'don't exist', and re-attributing blame for said problems towards designated scapegoats. Then it continues with trying to suppress any criticism levied against the administration and its actions, along with claiming that any news that calls out the wrong-doings of the administration as "lies" (which is not shown in this clip when the political officer is talking about the footage of Clark discussing the assassination of Santiago). It reflects a number of administrations in the present day quite well.
I'm Canadian, so I didn't have a say in what Americans voted for. The Democrat party in the US does have its fair share of problems, but the Republican party also has those same problems, only to a much greater extent, with a whole set of other problems that the Democrats don't have due to those who are manning the administration. It is not my fault that Republican voters voted for Trump. This even goes for Republicans who didn't vote for him: you hear only what you want to hear; you want things to reaffirm your beliefs (e.g. your demonization of the Obama administration), all the while you are also trying to pass off the blame for your own political party's failings onto other people, and/or the wrong-doings they have caused. Your denial is understandable, but also misguided. Trump less addressed issues people are suffering from, and more only told them things THEY WANTED TO HEAR; things which re-affirmed their pre-established beliefs. Pre-established beliefs which includes Far-Right and Neo-Nazi rhetoric. And because of that, Republican voters chose to give power to Trump, and they're already paying for it. Looking through your responses to others here, you seem to have a very strong "ideological purity", one that forces you to deny anything wrong on your side, while demonizing anyone and anything on the opposite political wing. That comes across very clearly in what I saw was a hate-filled rhetoric with little substance.
@@Catalyst375 You lost all credibility with me when you said 'it's not my fault.' Doesn't have much to do with the subject matter, but BOY I looked at the rest of your post with nothing more than an expectation of bigotry and blind hate, as well as regular hate and hysteria. Note the anxiety-ridden use of the word 'demonization'. Obama fucked up. Plain and simple. And he got called on it. Nothing as complex and romantically dramatic as 'demonization'. Have a nice day. PS: Trump got in because people like you abused and degraded people who acted, looked or thought differently. I don't actually expect you to do anything but scream at the top of your lungs at me or daydream about punishing me, maybe turning me into a civilizational leper, but maybe in a few more years, you'll look back and belatedly have it sink in.
"With our basic freedoms at stake no response can be too extreme..." It's interesting to contrast DS9 and Babylon 5, both sister shows (out of a turbulent birth, mind), but for all of the rest of Star Trek complaining about how DS9 was too dark, it was in reality the most optimistic of the shows, in that placing humanity in a situation where the enemy literally might be among them (shapeshifters), they chose freedom over security, and won the war (though not without a heavy cost). Babylon 5 does away with the optimism entirely and is far more realistic in its portrayal of just how eager some people are to seize power for themselves, and how a nominally republican government can become totalitarian, if not overnight, then in stages as depicted in the show. Here, they chose security over freedom, or rather it was chosen for many of them, and the standard tactics of scapegoating and fearmongering means that everything proceeds as expected. I love both shows, and it's precisely because they are different and offer two very different views on the same issue.
Indeed they are examinations of different things, different types of heroism in a way. DS9 is about good people being thrust into a horrible situation where they have to make hard choices, and their principles are tested to the extreme. But they persevere and maintain their virtue, winning in the end in large part because their ideology of diplomacy and co-operation proves to be more powerful than the Dominion's rule by fear. Although they nearly loose, make some mistakes and have to make some compromises and some dark choices, in the end they don't abandon their core values. In B5 it's more about being the little guy surrounded by vastly larger and more powerful (although initially hidden and insidious) structures that desire or expect total control (Earth under Clarke, the Shadows, the Vorlons) and brook no argument as to their ideology being the only correct one. The heroes are the ones that take a stand and choose freedom, they fight the impossible fight because it's the right thing to do and would rather choose destruction than submit to totalitarian control no matter who it is who would hold the leash. And oh my do I love both stories.
The corp behind DS9 tried to kill B5. This is why you see some familiar themes from each franchise. J. Starczynski was the One-Man-Band with B5, lawsuits were proposed, but if that happened Neither show would of been completed.
@@armandovanhaaren9823exactly. She is in a high enough position for the best perks. She's just filtering the slop to those willing to hear and abide by it.
MYchannelKBBB I recently been rewatching some of B5 and in terms of It's writing and themes alone it was such a great show. Very dark but with a little hope. Wish there were shows on today that were this good and honest.
Edward mulholland it was that hope that gave the show life. Sure the characters were in an awful situation, but it didn't feel like they were powerless against the situation and at the mercy of the universe's plot.
The interesting thing to me is how everybody commenting below thinks only the people they consider "other side" are capable of doing this. And no, that's not true. For leftists, this character was based in part on the tactics of the Soviet politburo. For right-wing folks, the government she was working for was based in part on Nazi Germany and other fascist states. Nobody is immune to this kind of thinking, and the people who think "my side would never do that" are the folks that are most susceptible.
@@bbgun061 They called themselves socialists because at the time the Socialist parties were very popular in europe and Hitler took hold of that popularity to get into power... once that charade was successful he showed his parties true colors... really he wasnt all that deceptive, but aping the most popular political ideals of the major populace and throwing in heavy nationalistic ideals into it is a heady brew.
"Crime?" "Yes there is some, but it's all caused by the mentally unstable." It just stood out to me that she's completely ignoring the all the other too-human tendencies that cause people to commit crimes. Greed, anger, fear, desperation are all things that can drive people to commit criminal activities. To simply wave your hand and say "oh, their just mentally unstable" is to deny human nature, and to try and set yourself up as basically being perfect, a God in not so many words. And people who think that they are Gods are in for a harsh correction sooner or later.
thats not the point.. the administration is trying to pretend everyone is happy .. nobody has "anger" or "unhappyness" problems.. if someone causes problems is "obviously" mentally unstable and so must be "interned"
It's simple politics of control - criminals have rights, have to be arrested, accused, given a trial, sentenced and kept in a prison with oversight. The Mentally ill can just be hospitalised and medicated for their own good.
Columbine, Sandy Hook, Texas Tech... All the "mentally unstable". Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Nicaragua, Yugoslavia, Yemen... was that really done by mentally stable people? And if not, who put them in charge there? What about their mental stability? Back in the days a people elected a known megalomaniac as their leader. This lead to 12 years of suffering, 6 years of war, unbearable atrocities and the world is still not fully healed from it. The sad thing is its all coming back. The aggressiveness, the redefining of words, the mixing of morality and legality, the dehumanisation of people who's only fault is being different, "them and us", "if you're not for us you're against us", the fear mongering,. And it's both sides. Was 60 million people not enough? Do we really need to go back down that road again? Will we be satisfied eventually when everyone is dead? Because everyone is different in a way. I have a dream. How strong a sentence. I have a dream too. I have a dream that every time someone declares to be superior to another that person gets laughed out of the building. Looking at you, Ben Shapiro, Donald Trump, Ann Coulter, Anita Sarkeesian, third wave feminists, smug progressives, Tesla drivers, "America is the greatest country in the world", Nazis, gun nuts, Muslims, Christians, smug atheists, all of you. Nobody is better than anyone else. Nobody is worth more than anyone else. Our time here on this planet is limited so let us not waste it on irrelevant squabbles about who's better. Let us try to make tomorrow a better day than today. And slowly we make the world a better place for everyone. Because I have been to the mountain top and I have a dream too.
@@emanymton7184 You're comment was interesting because I feel like I can agree with a good bit of what you said in spirit, but I also found a good few things I disagree with. I do get the feeling that you're trying to be a centrist, or go with the idea that everyone is equally to blame, or even that it's mostly radicals on both sides. Good on you, I disagree in some ways, but that's my opinion. Though, your opening statement seems to think that my comment was stating that there is no crime in the real world that's the result of mental illness. It wasn't, it was responding to the video. It was specific to this series, not a statement on the world at large (except perhaps the last sentence). In any event, hope you have a good day.
I also think that, in a clever writing twist, Julie Musante's (Shari Shattuck's) beauty and attractiveness is used efficiently here. While she does sound dictatorial and totalitarian, there's something sinister and devious about her character. We are often "preconditioned" (for lack of a better word) to accept things more readily when they are being said from a pretty face.
Swift remarked that satire is a special mirror in which people only see everyone else. Amazing how people watch this and only see their political opponents.
Does that surprise you? Self-reflection is a very difficult concept for many people. Every person has "their truth" and trust me when I say I've actually heard that specific phrase even within my own family before when two people had an argument - "this is my truth". And the bigger the stakes become regarding power, influence and believes the more it becomes unlikely to balance things out. How can you find balance between two or more completely opposed ideological believe systems when any concession made will be considered as absolutely evil by the side that has to make a concession. And unfortunately in my opinion we've reached that point in various western countries. Attempts are being made to push for absolute control by various political parties and to shut down any opposition. This is causing conflicts and then gives the people in power excuses to become even more aggressive in shutting the opposition down. And please I specifically avoided pointing the finger at any particular group.
@@nodlimax political entities vying for control is not something that should be treated as conspiracy theory Armageddon - it’s just what they do. That we believe the craziest straw man stories about our political opponents is where it gets dangerous - because sometimes when people get treated like the straw man they start behaving that way.
As much as I love good writing in scifi novels, movies and TV shows it bothers me that politicians seem to be getting their ideas from what are meant to be cautionary tales! Orwell's 1984 immediately springs to mind. Damn it! It's supposed to scare the hell out of everyone! Quit using it as a freaking playbook!
It DOES scare the hell out of anyone in the normal populace. Those in power, however, certainly don't fear it, since they intend to be the ones running things....and therefore immune to the madness and cruelty they are inflicting for their benefit on others.
This kind of thing has happened in the past. When jms was writing Babylon 5, he used a lot of the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) and McCarthyism from the mid-1950s in the Nightwatch and Ministry of Peace (Minipax) in the show.
@@stolasgoetia93 Perfect. You just did a brilliant presentation of exactly what the show (or 1984) presents. Find a scapegoat and blame them, even if they have no political power. Straczynski's an asshole, btw, if you've ever met him.
@@mzmadmike He grew up with a literal Nazi for a father. But do try to claim how he's an authoritarian himself, despite this entire 5 year show being very much the opposite, it's hilarious. :D
@@fmlazar Some because of a sense of duty and others because they likely don't want to risk they're jobs. At least until Sheridan rally's them together in becoming independent.
@@fmlazar just like happent before and will happen again. When its your own goberment who is calling you to do their dirty work many folks will do it anyway even if conflicted becuase they thing as long as its the goberment and they follow orders the goberment will know best.. Renember one time Jeremy Clarkson argued with a cop in an airport about a stupid law , he said that didnt made sense and the cop replied "you dont need common sense when you have laws"
@@sparrowlt No, it is not about that people just dont like to step out of order it is natural. It always causes so many problems. I know it best because i am just a natural trouble maker. I just create trouble by being myself... You will notice that not going along with social conventions punishes you quite severally ... Now, you may think these authoritarian right left wing ways would fall under non convention and they do. But maybe it is their natural fell for authority and order that pushes the human mind to accept them as a given.
“We have to make sure that people aren’t” ‘subjectively’ “offended.....no matter what the speech is, unless all is accepted, then free speech is dead or dying no matter what those with greater power and influence say. To quote a favorite youtuber of mine who quoted a wise man, if you want to know who the masters are, look to those who aren’t allowed to be criticized, if you wish to know who the slaves are, look to those who everyone is told to criticize
@@marsar1775 He's a prophet. And prophesy is not a matter of eyes or brains or even guts. It's a matter of spine. A prophet is someone stubborn enough to say out loud what everyone else dares only whisper.
He wasn’t ahead of his time, this has been happening for centuries all over the world. Look at any government in any country at any point and you will see some level of this kind of abuse
@@Molari He could see the potential for it to happen because his own father supported a certain European regime which was, shall we say, the Third of its kind? So yeah, living through that makes it way easier to see the warning signs ahead of time, oof. x.x
Man this scares that crap out of me. This road of "good intentions" usually end one way. While this is fiction it feels to much like now. Vigilance is the price we pay for the rights we have. Don't lose them.
"When we rewrote the dictionary," = Alternative Facts. "Aware of the problems and dealing with them in their own way." HOLY MOLY, how naive I was thinking this could never happen in my time 😳
Problem is we have become the very definition of what Lincoln had said during the Gettysburg address that a house divided cannot stand and we are in that boat I'm affraid
A shame we did not get to see some of these characters after President Clark was out of office. I know we heard about bits and pieces, but I do not remember any of these main characters of Nightwatch who was held accountable for their actions.
I seen this show as a little kid, I come back to it now as an adult. It is no longer scyfy. This feels like a prophecy or a warning. Hope things change soon and truth and freedom will be restored to the public and we start to heal.
looks around, and realises he's living in the Clarke administration, but the year is 2021, and I'm in UK, many of these comments are from the US, it's global then
A good writer will always try to put as much reality into a story as possible, so long as it does not compromise the core narrative. A really good writer will place things in front of the camera that are uncomfortable, or not fully understood, while keeping the flow of the story while adding to the core narrative.
well, he was have mental issues paranoid delusions. Halfway through filming, his hallucinations worsened. his behavior was becoming increasingly erratic
I think the Narn are closer to Communists than Democratic, Yes they have Multiple People in a representative Role of the People. But a Commune is many Representatives of the Workers, but I've never read anything that Communists would allow their commune to be elected, would it?
Just recently, the Hungarian somewhat authoritarian prime minister has introduced a law prohibiting homelessness. In Hungary, sleeping in the street is now a crime. They claim, it aims to improve the living conditions of the homeless people.
@@geoffwilliams4478 I don't think folks in general were all that more sane 30 (or 40) years ago. Being a demagogue or conman does seem to be successful at a larger scale today though... but we did still have plenty of crazy including the whole Satanic Panic thing, domestic terrorists, ect., ect.
@@travcollier I don't recall domestic terrorists ever being so rampant as it is today back in the 90s, but then again I was a kid focusing on my own survival just within my own home unfortunately
Reading this comment section: "She's a Liberal", "She's a Republican", "She's a Democrat", "She's a Communist", "She's a Fascist", "She's Left", "She's Right". Seems like politically revised terminology and politically corrected euphemisms are already successful. Because people already don't understand or agree on the language.
Unfortunately it is very difficult to communicate with people when definitions on words or ideas change on a daily basis. And both sides are guilty of that (currently one side a bit more than the other though). How can you have reasonable discussions about things like perceived oppression, privilege, gender, equality and even racism when both sides can't agree upon what these terms even stand for? From my experience it gets really bad when people try to argue based on "feelings" instead of facts. "Is someone discriminative against you?" - "I feel like people are discriminating me!" - In this situation you'd actually have to find out first what this discrimination is against the person and why they perceive it. And if your perception of the meaning of the word is completely different, how do you even reason with that person? Recently I had a discussion with someone about what happened to George Floyd and I said purely based what information is available that no matter what would happen in court (guilty or not) - his life still is "over" as in he can't really get back to a normal life with various people considering him guilty no matter what a legal court says. And the response I got was "he doesn't deserve to get a normal life". What do you even say to that? This isn't coming from reason but pure feelings. Changing someone's feeling on a matter is much more difficult than changing incorrect factual information especially if they aren't willing to listen to reason.
@@nodlimax That's what the left has been doing since day one. It's straight from the commie playbook, it has happened in every single commie country and now its happening here. The left is evil and this can only end in a civil war because they will never accept reality and they will always lie. Coexistence with liars is neither possible nor desirable.
@@khatack Tell us how you really feel. Your feelings on this seem overwhelming. I'm sure you feel nothing BUT evil on the left and nothing BUT good on the right.
This show is what keeps me awake at night these days, seeing the good guys you knew turn into a nationalist regime, your friends and family, co-workers playing right into it. This was way ahead of its time.
Reminds me of all the folks who want to rewrite America's textbooks to leave out any of our mistakes of the past. Slaves were just displaced workers who were happy and well cared for, we never massacred thousands of native Americans or placed thousands of our own citizens in concentration camps etc. etc.
Actually it reminds me a lot of how the left has slowly and quietly been redefining everything so as to suit their purpose, for example they added "right wing" to the definition of nazi, which was never there in the past, so when they act like brown shirt thugs they can say "Oh, we aren't nazis because we are not right wing." And how leftist extremists decided it's okay to punch a nazi, and then decided that all it took to make one a nazi was to disagree with them, so in their twisted minds the massive amounts of violence and property and people they have committed over the past few years is justified, because they claim those they are attacking, are dangerous and violent. Yes, seriously, they not only say this buy mainstream media such as CNN, ABC, CBS, MSNBC and the rest all except everything they said at face value and supported them, in many ways, from not reporting on their activities to carefully wording stories, when they had to report something, so it seems as the leftist extremists were the victims instead of the thugs that were rampaging in our cities.
37 now, just rewatched this series 2022. Are we in the process of being influenced and taken over by some type of advanced alien civilization? Some of the government speak and lingo seems real familiar. This show was great rewatching as an adult. No way I understood some of the topics going on in this show as a teenager. The writing, story arcs, special effects. For the 90's this was all top notch stuff.
No, this kind of thing has happened in the past. When jms was writing Babylon 5, he used a lot of the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) and McCarthyism from the mid-1950s in the Nightwatch and Ministry of Peace (Minipax) in the show.
Clicked the thumbnail even though I haven't thought about babylon 5 in decades because this blonde was my forgotten first love--bring back memories hard 😍
If they do a reboot, I hope they can get a writer that takes a perverse pleasure in getting people to symbolize one character and switch it up just to mess with them.
its exactly for this reason they shouldn't. If this was re booted it would be ripped of all its brilliance, plus different actors playing G'Kar and Londo would be a crime in of itself
She is the very description of a fanatic. B5 diagrammed the rise of a Social Justice regime and what it looks like in small steps. You realize how close we are to this.
i sure hope no one in the comment section tries to claim this episode was written to support their own political views or demonize anyone who disagrees with them.
It happened in the mid-1950s with the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) and McCarthyism. In B5, a lot of the Nightwatch and Ministry of Peace (minipax) were from that.
not just the US bud, the entire world, I'm in the UK and this describes both the UK and the US perfectly, and NZ, Australia, and many other places. Constitutions and common law all over the world is being violated on the daily
When I watch this episode of Babylon 5 I did not know that this was going to be in real life since September 11th 2001 a lot of things have changed like in this episode of Babylon 5 the Patriot Act the National Defense Authorization Act there's a law that was passed in 1917 that if you talk against the United States government you can be arrested and charged with treason this Law has Not been Enforced Yet if you see something bad against the government for example you'll be reported to somebody with snitch on you to the Federal government so in a way this Episode is like Real life Now in the 21st century Depends on your point of view
Or the RNC or the DNC or any number of political organizations. It's a tale as old as politics, the people in power don't like something so they redefine it and insist on ideological purity. Every governmental system and political party is more than capable of becoming totalitarian over a relatively short period of time.
You're 20 years off. Welcome to 2001! (2021 being the natural end result of the kind of thinking that led to the Patriot Act, Invasion of Afghanistan, and the Iraq War going unchecked for decades)
What she, & all her ilk, forgets is... the Vorlons are NOT on their side. Truly confounding is their mental process that leads them to believe the Shadows are superior. In every direct confrontation between the Shadows & Vorlons, the Vorlons prevailed decisively.
"There may be temporary abridgements to free speech and freedoms, but only unril this crisis is over" Sound familiar to anyone? I will give you a hint. "This is only temporary. 2 weeks to flatten the curve."
@@mojomike Tell that to the Truckers in Canada--you might want to go put your Night Watch band on and report to your masters that you did your due diligence for the evening
Ehh, more like every politician ever d. Not going to lie, the folks in the comment section going "oh, JMS predicted exactly thix X person that i have a personal bias against!" are kinda hilarious.
if this script was aired today I have no doubt that some politicians would try to stop production of this show simply because it is too real and people who have scene this can fully see that some of the trends that are fantasy in this series are true in our day to day lives. be educated :D
it has been awhile since I watched this episode. I forgot how many of the current events mirror the Clark regime. So how far off does everyone think we are from the nukes beig used to target the US. We are what basically a few days around B5 declaring independence so 2 years maybe?
Watching Babylon 5 in the mid nineties prepared me for the world we live in now
Totally agree with you. I was in my late teens/early twenties when this show was on the air. It was this show and other sci-fi movies/shows that opened my eyes, and helped prepare me.
But it was Babylon 5, that for me, went a little more in depth with the subtleties of politics, media control/manipulation, and societal monitoring that provided me with greater insights.
And it also gave me a greater appreciation of another little known program called Yes minister/Prime minister.
It has allowed me to have a clearer vision with what is going on now and what will come in the future.
JMS, you have given us a classic that has aged very well. Thank you.
amen. When they did something akin to Homeland security, I got frightened even then.
@@JMHCLash Turns out that EarthGov are Democrats...tell me you're not even more frightened now.
@@lowtech41 no..sounds like president Clarke was Trump. Tell ME you see the parallels..
@@JMHCLash Yeah...about what I thought...you people are either monsters or you have the self awareness of a houseplant. But maybe 4 years of the demented old man and the town pump might make a dent...but somehow I doubt it.
When I first saw this scene I thought she was being sarcastic when she said “when we rewrote the dictionary” but now I know she was being deadly serious!
@@jewsownthemedia3811 And space lasers too?
@@nathanielhellerstein5871 Stein...
If there's a God.
He despises you.
Newspeak
@@jewsownthemedia3811 I can't imagine a Christian God would view you very highly - considering all the negative aspects your account name implies. After all, the Hebrew people were the Chosen tribes before Christ ever was man. And the whole hate aspect you seem to favor...
@@vitrify Oi...vey.
Your fantasy gods, are all your problem.
I prefer my ultra liberty.
Frightening how accurate this scene has become today.
Yeah, those Trumpicans and I right?
@@colinmerritt7645 You blame Trump while your own side is the ONLY one taking steps towards eliminating the Constitution, and they've been doing it OPENLY for the last 50 years, but you're still too blind to see it.
And four years ago. And four years before that and so on and so forth.
2:42 "You are empowered to examine station publications to ensure that they are ideologically correct...certain individuals will be purged from their government positions for sedition, immoral conduct..."
Now I understand what's happening in today's media and politics in general. She could have been talking about DEI and cancel culture.
@@evertonporter7887 can never tell if people like you are just trolls or really that ignorant.
Filmed 25 years ago, clip uploaded to youtube 10 years ago, still valid
even more valid today
"Fiction reveals what reality obscures" - Ralph Waldo Emerson
I'll raise you one higher; sci-fi has always been prescient not by looking to the future but to the present and immediate past. 1984 was influenced heavily by Orwell's work as a policeman in Burma and fighting for the communists in Spain and Stalin's Regime. DS9's bell riots were taken from a newspaper article about LA putting up homeless districts. Even this episode has heavy parallels in the many totalitarian regimes of the past, like Facist Germany.
Because it is fiction, we can agree with the premise and follow through with less ideological baggage, so that when reality does start to arrive, we realize what is really going on, and what will happen next.
This shows the steps that are taken towards a Totalitarian state perfectly. It starts with claiming that certain problems 'don't exist', and re-attributing blame for said problems towards designated scapegoats. Then it continues with trying to suppress any criticism levied against the administration and its actions, along with claiming that any news that calls out the wrong-doings of the administration as "lies" (which is not shown in this clip when the political officer is talking about the footage of Clark discussing the assassination of Santiago).
It reflects a number of administrations in the present day quite well.
I'm Canadian, so I didn't have a say in what Americans voted for.
The Democrat party in the US does have its fair share of problems, but the Republican party also has those same problems, only to a much greater extent, with a whole set of other problems that the Democrats don't have due to those who are manning the administration.
It is not my fault that Republican voters voted for Trump. This even goes for Republicans who didn't vote for him: you hear only what you want to hear; you want things to reaffirm your beliefs (e.g. your demonization of the Obama administration), all the while you are also trying to pass off the blame for your own political party's failings onto other people, and/or the wrong-doings they have caused.
Your denial is understandable, but also misguided. Trump less addressed issues people are suffering from, and more only told them things THEY WANTED TO HEAR; things which re-affirmed their pre-established beliefs. Pre-established beliefs which includes Far-Right and Neo-Nazi rhetoric. And because of that, Republican voters chose to give power to Trump, and they're already paying for it.
Looking through your responses to others here, you seem to have a very strong "ideological purity", one that forces you to deny anything wrong on your side, while demonizing anyone and anything on the opposite political wing. That comes across very clearly in what I saw was a hate-filled rhetoric with little substance.
"The attack on the Capitol was Antifa!"
@@Gh0stwheel84 perfect example of Fascism. The classic double-speech
@@Catalyst375 You lost all credibility with me when you said 'it's not my fault.' Doesn't have much to do with the subject matter, but BOY I looked at the rest of your post with nothing more than an expectation of bigotry and blind hate, as well as regular hate and hysteria. Note the anxiety-ridden use of the word 'demonization'. Obama fucked up. Plain and simple. And he got called on it. Nothing as complex and romantically dramatic as 'demonization'. Have a nice day. PS: Trump got in because people like you abused and degraded people who acted, looked or thought differently. I don't actually expect you to do anything but scream at the top of your lungs at me or daydream about punishing me, maybe turning me into a civilizational leper, but maybe in a few more years, you'll look back and belatedly have it sink in.
Kinda like how everything right now is whities fault. Like get real people.
That remark from Ivanova though, "you are about to go where everyone has gone before" rofl:-))))
she's going to publically punish you with a whip better run boy!
"With our basic freedoms at stake no response can be too extreme..."
It's interesting to contrast DS9 and Babylon 5, both sister shows (out of a turbulent birth, mind), but for all of the rest of Star Trek complaining about how DS9 was too dark, it was in reality the most optimistic of the shows, in that placing humanity in a situation where the enemy literally might be among them (shapeshifters), they chose freedom over security, and won the war (though not without a heavy cost).
Babylon 5 does away with the optimism entirely and is far more realistic in its portrayal of just how eager some people are to seize power for themselves, and how a nominally republican government can become totalitarian, if not overnight, then in stages as depicted in the show. Here, they chose security over freedom, or rather it was chosen for many of them, and the standard tactics of scapegoating and fearmongering means that everything proceeds as expected.
I love both shows, and it's precisely because they are different and offer two very different views on the same issue.
Great comment... Exactly what is happening now. Security over freedom... And having it thrust upon the people.
Indeed they are examinations of different things, different types of heroism in a way. DS9 is about good people being thrust into a horrible situation where they have to make hard choices, and their principles are tested to the extreme. But they persevere and maintain their virtue, winning in the end in large part because their ideology of diplomacy and co-operation proves to be more powerful than the Dominion's rule by fear. Although they nearly loose, make some mistakes and have to make some compromises and some dark choices, in the end they don't abandon their core values.
In B5 it's more about being the little guy surrounded by vastly larger and more powerful (although initially hidden and insidious) structures that desire or expect total control (Earth under Clarke, the Shadows, the Vorlons) and brook no argument as to their ideology being the only correct one. The heroes are the ones that take a stand and choose freedom, they fight the impossible fight because it's the right thing to do and would rather choose destruction than submit to totalitarian control no matter who it is who would hold the leash.
And oh my do I love both stories.
The corp behind DS9 tried to kill B5. This is why you see some familiar themes from each franchise. J. Starczynski was the One-Man-Band with B5, lawsuits were proposed, but if that happened Neither show would of been completed.
im not too sure. what she is describing is also Rodenberry's future view, just put out with an obvious creepy vib
She played brainwashed follower so well. Gotta praise the acting in this series from both the main cast and the guest actors.
Agreed
She's not the one that's brainwashed her followers are
She is knowingly & deliberately a part of the problem, not brainwashed, but one of the brainwashers.
@@armandovanhaaren9823exactly. She is in a high enough position for the best perks. She's just filtering the slop to those willing to hear and abide by it.
B5 the best show ever.
MYchannelKBBB most under-rated, for sure
MYchannelKBBB
I recently been rewatching some of B5 and in terms of It's writing and themes alone it was such a great show. Very dark but with a little hope. Wish there were shows on today that were this good and honest.
Edward mulholland it was that hope that gave the show life. Sure the characters were in an awful situation, but it didn't feel like they were powerless against the situation and at the mercy of the universe's plot.
The interesting thing to me is how everybody commenting below thinks only the people they consider "other side" are capable of doing this. And no, that's not true. For leftists, this character was based in part on the tactics of the Soviet politburo. For right-wing folks, the government she was working for was based in part on Nazi Germany and other fascist states.
Nobody is immune to this kind of thinking, and the people who think "my side would never do that" are the folks that are most susceptible.
Well said . The moment u pick a group u become powerful, and blind.
Actually I think everyone is capable of anything
You nailed it. The common thread isn't politics, it's authoritarianism.
Nazis were leftists. But your point is well made. All governments tend towards tyranny.
@@bbgun061 They called themselves socialists because at the time the Socialist parties were very popular in europe and Hitler took hold of that popularity to get into power... once that charade was successful he showed his parties true colors... really he wasnt all that deceptive, but aping the most popular political ideals of the major populace and throwing in heavy nationalistic ideals into it is a heady brew.
The Nightwatch is coming sooner than you think!
It is here already
First DHS and then TSA, I wonder what will be the next soup.
Nightwatch = Cancel Culture woke twitterites. Brought to you be GeorgeSoros.
Right wing looking for the unpatriotic
So Is The Psi Corps. . .;-(
"Crime?"
"Yes there is some, but it's all caused by the mentally unstable."
It just stood out to me that she's completely ignoring the all the other too-human tendencies that cause people to commit crimes. Greed, anger, fear, desperation are all things that can drive people to commit criminal activities. To simply wave your hand and say "oh, their just mentally unstable" is to deny human nature, and to try and set yourself up as basically being perfect, a God in not so many words. And people who think that they are Gods are in for a harsh correction sooner or later.
thats not the point.. the administration is trying to pretend everyone is happy .. nobody has "anger" or "unhappyness" problems.. if someone causes problems is "obviously" mentally unstable and so must be "interned"
Best way of dealing with those who do not conform is to brand them insane.
It's simple politics of control - criminals have rights, have to be arrested, accused, given a trial, sentenced and kept in a prison with oversight. The Mentally ill can just be hospitalised and medicated for their own good.
Columbine, Sandy Hook, Texas Tech... All the "mentally unstable". Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Nicaragua, Yugoslavia, Yemen... was that really done by mentally stable people? And if not, who put them in charge there? What about their mental stability?
Back in the days a people elected a known megalomaniac as their leader. This lead to 12 years of suffering, 6 years of war, unbearable atrocities and the world is still not fully healed from it. The sad thing is its all coming back. The aggressiveness, the redefining of words, the mixing of morality and legality, the dehumanisation of people who's only fault is being different, "them and us", "if you're not for us you're against us", the fear mongering,. And it's both sides. Was 60 million people not enough? Do we really need to go back down that road again? Will we be satisfied eventually when everyone is dead? Because everyone is different in a way.
I have a dream. How strong a sentence. I have a dream too. I have a dream that every time someone declares to be superior to another that person gets laughed out of the building. Looking at you, Ben Shapiro, Donald Trump, Ann Coulter, Anita Sarkeesian, third wave feminists, smug progressives, Tesla drivers, "America is the greatest country in the world", Nazis, gun nuts, Muslims, Christians, smug atheists, all of you. Nobody is better than anyone else. Nobody is worth more than anyone else. Our time here on this planet is limited so let us not waste it on irrelevant squabbles about who's better. Let us try to make tomorrow a better day than today. And slowly we make the world a better place for everyone. Because I have been to the mountain top and I have a dream too.
@@emanymton7184 You're comment was interesting because I feel like I can agree with a good bit of what you said in spirit, but I also found a good few things I disagree with.
I do get the feeling that you're trying to be a centrist, or go with the idea that everyone is equally to blame, or even that it's mostly radicals on both sides. Good on you, I disagree in some ways, but that's my opinion.
Though, your opening statement seems to think that my comment was stating that there is no crime in the real world that's the result of mental illness. It wasn't, it was responding to the video. It was specific to this series, not a statement on the world at large (except perhaps the last sentence).
In any event, hope you have a good day.
did the Current politicians watch this episode in the 90s and think. "DAM this is the PERFECT way to run a government" ??!!
People that ignorant: of course they did.
But it wasn't the political animals; they lack the imagination.
Rather the whole idea is neither new nor did Babylon 5 come up with it. It was just a nice show using/following a known narrative.
I also think that, in a clever writing twist, Julie Musante's (Shari Shattuck's) beauty and attractiveness is used efficiently here. While she does sound dictatorial and totalitarian, there's something sinister and devious about her character. We are often "preconditioned" (for lack of a better word) to accept things more readily when they are being said from a pretty face.
Swift remarked that satire is a special mirror in which people only see everyone else.
Amazing how people watch this and only see their political opponents.
Does that surprise you? Self-reflection is a very difficult concept for many people. Every person has "their truth" and trust me when I say I've actually heard that specific phrase even within my own family before when two people had an argument - "this is my truth".
And the bigger the stakes become regarding power, influence and believes the more it becomes unlikely to balance things out. How can you find balance between two or more completely opposed ideological believe systems when any concession made will be considered as absolutely evil by the side that has to make a concession.
And unfortunately in my opinion we've reached that point in various western countries. Attempts are being made to push for absolute control by various political parties and to shut down any opposition. This is causing conflicts and then gives the people in power excuses to become even more aggressive in shutting the opposition down.
And please I specifically avoided pointing the finger at any particular group.
@@nodlimax political entities vying for control is not something that should be treated as conspiracy theory Armageddon - it’s just what they do.
That we believe the craziest straw man stories about our political opponents is where it gets dangerous - because sometimes when people get treated like the straw man they start behaving that way.
As much as I love good writing in scifi novels, movies and TV shows it bothers me that politicians seem to be getting their ideas from what are meant to be cautionary tales!
Orwell's 1984 immediately springs to mind.
Damn it! It's supposed to scare the hell out of everyone! Quit using it as a freaking playbook!
It DOES scare the hell out of anyone in the normal populace. Those in power, however, certainly don't fear it, since they intend to be the ones running things....and therefore immune to the madness and cruelty they are inflicting for their benefit on others.
This kind of thing has happened in the past. When jms was writing Babylon 5, he used a lot of the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) and McCarthyism from the mid-1950s in the Nightwatch and Ministry of Peace (Minipax) in the show.
The perfect allegory for today
Yeah Trump supporters and don'tt say its not true cause the show creator said that fans who voted Trump don't understand the show.
@@stolasgoetia93 Perfect. You just did a brilliant presentation of exactly what the show (or 1984) presents. Find a scapegoat and blame them, even if they have no political power.
Straczynski's an asshole, btw, if you've ever met him.
In particular for the US and Trumpism.
when we re-wrote the dictionary .. Paging Marion Webster (they just did that for the Dem's in the Senate) oh and she is Orwellian..
Currently rewatching, and damn, Strazynki knows these people all too well.
That's because he's one of them.
@@mzmadmike he may be now. He wasn't then.
His novel 'together we will go' is fun.
@@mzmadmike He grew up with a literal Nazi for a father. But do try to claim how he's an authoritarian himself, despite this entire 5 year show being very much the opposite, it's hilarious. :D
That last look. LOL. Somewhere in his mind he is still thinking... "Yeah, I'd hit that"
To quote Ivanova, "Going where EVERYONE has gone before."
@@michaelweigel8253 Like throwing a hot dog down a hallway.
It's a good thing for us a certain administration is at times comically inept and doesn't have access to a PSI Corps.
I like how we see the reactions of the crew during the briefing. You can see many are very uncomfortable with these developments.
But they go along with it anyway.
@@fmlazar Some because of a sense of duty and others because they likely don't want to risk they're jobs. At least until Sheridan rally's them together in becoming independent.
@@fmlazar just like happent before and will happen again.
When its your own goberment who is calling you to do their dirty work many folks will do it anyway even if conflicted becuase they thing as long as its the goberment and they follow orders the goberment will know best.. Renember one time Jeremy Clarkson argued with a cop in an airport about a stupid law , he said that didnt made sense and the cop replied "you dont need common sense when you have laws"
@@sparrowlt No, it is not about that people just dont like to step out of order it is natural. It always causes so many problems. I know it best because i am just a natural trouble maker. I just create trouble by being myself...
You will notice that not going along with social conventions punishes you quite severally ...
Now, you may think these authoritarian right left wing ways would fall under non convention and they do. But maybe it is their natural fell for authority and order that pushes the human mind to accept them as a given.
If this doesn't describe the current situation in the United States I don't know what does.
Ask the folks in the far east who got welded into their apartments for 'health reasons'. They'll tell you it's even more descriptive of their world.
It's happening now.
Shelton Harlow It's still happening now.
“We have to make sure that people aren’t” ‘subjectively’ “offended.....no matter what the speech is, unless all is accepted, then free speech is dead or dying no matter what those with greater power and influence say. To quote a favorite youtuber of mine who quoted a wise man, if you want to know who the masters are, look to those who aren’t allowed to be criticized, if you wish to know who the slaves are, look to those who everyone is told to criticize
Wrong, it is happening. NOW.
Cancel culture today.
It has been happening for centuries, this is how politicians have worked for a very long time
Yeah, we are no longer prejudice ..
.. or at least not to anyone that matters.
Pay attention people, THIS IS THE WORLD TODAY
San Francisco has just done this. "Criminally Involved people". "Youths involved with the justice system" And a host of other ones.
Jesus that show was ahead of it's time
Sometimes i wonder if JMS was himself a telepath
@@marsar1775 He's a prophet. And prophesy is not a matter of eyes or brains or even guts. It's a matter of spine. A prophet is someone stubborn enough to say out loud what everyone else dares only whisper.
@@nathanielhellerstein5871 very well put. may i quote you on that
He wasn’t ahead of his time, this has been happening for centuries all over the world. Look at any government in any country at any point and you will see some level of this kind of abuse
@@Molari He could see the potential for it to happen because his own father supported a certain European regime which was, shall we say, the Third of its kind? So yeah, living through that makes it way easier to see the warning signs ahead of time, oof. x.x
Man this scares that crap out of me. This road of "good intentions" usually end one way. While this is fiction it feels to much like now. Vigilance is the price we pay for the rights we have. Don't lose them.
Welcome to the current US of A .
and the UK
"When we rewrote the dictionary," = Alternative Facts.
"Aware of the problems and dealing with them in their own way."
HOLY MOLY, how naive I was thinking this could never happen in my time 😳
When I heard Alternative Facts all I could think of is latter in B5 there's an epiosode where the villian says Good Facts vs Real Facts...
Yeah, she definetely reminds me of Kellyanne Conway and they are both blondes as well, lol.
We're 200 years too early for this S%$#
cant wait for 2077 when the nukes come for real
Problem is we have become the very definition of what Lincoln had said during the Gettysburg address that a house divided cannot stand and we are in that boat I'm affraid
I think his Cooper Union address is more on the nose for these times.
A shame we did not get to see some of these characters after President Clark was out of office. I know we heard about bits and pieces, but I do not remember any of these main characters of Nightwatch who was held accountable for their actions.
Scenes like this is the reason they are making a reboot - this dictionary must be rewritten too...
I love how much she looks like a news anchor
Will you pass the DAMN SOY SAUCE ALREADY !!!
It was fiction...but it's becoming reality in a very terrifying way.
I seen this show as a little kid, I come back to it now as an adult. It is no longer scyfy. This feels like a prophecy or a warning. Hope things change soon and truth and freedom will be restored to the public and we start to heal.
LOVE this scene- thanks for uploading
looks around, and realises he's living in the Clarke administration, but the year is 2021, and I'm in UK, many of these comments are from the US, it's global then
Not global, just in several western locations. Most of the East are having a good laugh at how weak the west is getting.
Shari Shattuck is stunning here. Now she is an author.
How sad this is so more true now than ever
A good writer will always try to put as much reality into a story as possible, so long as it does not compromise the core narrative. A really good writer will place things in front of the camera that are uncomfortable, or not fully understood, while keeping the flow of the story while adding to the core narrative.
As good a commanding officer as Sheridan may have been, I'd rather have Sinclair.
well, he was have mental issues paranoid delusions. Halfway through filming, his hallucinations worsened. his behavior was becoming increasingly erratic
Sisko would have put this Karen in her place LOL.
@@evertonporter7887 And Roslin would have just thrown her out an airlock. 😁
I thought this was clips from the Tory party conference (2022), I kept thinking Julie was a Liz Truss parody 🤣
I was expecting to hear her scream "Heil Earth!" at some point.
It's Suzanne Roy from St James' hospital in Dublin
Centauri - Imperialists, Earth - fashists, Narn - close to democracy, Minbar - mix of hive mind and democracy. Neat!
I think the Narn are closer to Communists than Democratic, Yes they have Multiple People in a representative Role of the People. But a Commune is many Representatives of the Workers, but I've never read anything that Communists would allow their commune to be elected, would it?
I wouild say the Mimbari are more of a kinda collectivist society, but with a stratified caste system.
Aged extremely well
So watching this back in the day i never thought ied be living in a world thats recreating this arc left and right.
And as we know, the crisis is never over. This one, for example, began with a three week period to "bend the curve." It's lasted the rest of the year.
Just recently, the Hungarian somewhat authoritarian prime minister has introduced a law prohibiting homelessness. In Hungary, sleeping in the street is now a crime. They claim, it aims to improve the living conditions of the homeless people.
so where do the homeless go?
@@hydra66 "Away".
Incredible. This was almost 30 years and it predicted with incredible accuracy what our future….today looks like.
It wasn't much of a prediction. That's pretty much what it looked like 30 years ago too.
@@travcollier we were sane 30 years ago, compared to today.
@@geoffwilliams4478 I don't think folks in general were all that more sane 30 (or 40) years ago. Being a demagogue or conman does seem to be successful at a larger scale today though... but we did still have plenty of crazy including the whole Satanic Panic thing, domestic terrorists, ect., ect.
@@travcollier I don't recall domestic terrorists ever being so rampant as it is today back in the 90s, but then again I was a kid focusing on my own survival just within my own home unfortunately
@@travcollier JMS himself said he was mostly inspired by the McCarthy thing in the 50-60s and onwards.. this shit comes from way long ago
Reading this comment section:
"She's a Liberal", "She's a Republican", "She's a Democrat", "She's a Communist", "She's a Fascist", "She's Left", "She's Right".
Seems like politically revised terminology and politically corrected euphemisms are already successful. Because people already don't understand or agree on the language.
Well said!
Unfortunately it is very difficult to communicate with people when definitions on words or ideas change on a daily basis. And both sides are guilty of that (currently one side a bit more than the other though). How can you have reasonable discussions about things like perceived oppression, privilege, gender, equality and even racism when both sides can't agree upon what these terms even stand for?
From my experience it gets really bad when people try to argue based on "feelings" instead of facts.
"Is someone discriminative against you?" - "I feel like people are discriminating me!" - In this situation you'd actually have to find out first what this discrimination is against the person and why they perceive it. And if your perception of the meaning of the word is completely different, how do you even reason with that person?
Recently I had a discussion with someone about what happened to George Floyd and I said purely based what information is available that no matter what would happen in court (guilty or not) - his life still is "over" as in he can't really get back to a normal life with various people considering him guilty no matter what a legal court says. And the response I got was "he doesn't deserve to get a normal life".
What do you even say to that? This isn't coming from reason but pure feelings. Changing someone's feeling on a matter is much more difficult than changing incorrect factual information especially if they aren't willing to listen to reason.
@@nodlimax That's what the left has been doing since day one. It's straight from the commie playbook, it has happened in every single commie country and now its happening here. The left is evil and this can only end in a civil war because they will never accept reality and they will always lie. Coexistence with liars is neither possible nor desirable.
@@khatack it's something that has been happening in various political systems the world over for at least 507 years, probably longer
@@khatack Tell us how you really feel. Your feelings on this seem overwhelming. I'm sure you feel nothing BUT evil on the left and nothing BUT good on the right.
This show is what keeps me awake at night these days, seeing the good guys you knew turn into a nationalist regime, your friends and family, co-workers playing right into it. This was way ahead of its time.
as well as behind the times, seeing as mccarthyism had already ended
Alternative facts and fake news.
That is soooo wild, and accurate.
Reminds me of all the folks who want to rewrite America's textbooks to leave out any of our mistakes of the past. Slaves were just displaced workers who were happy and well cared for, we never massacred thousands of native Americans or placed thousands of our own citizens in concentration camps etc. etc.
INTERNMENT Camps. That makes it just a blemish on history and not a pox.
+Dwight Stewart You must have failed American History at a High school level because you're regurgitating what got taught in elementary school.
Don't forget torture and religious intolerance, and home state sponsored and home grown terrorism.
Much like the purging of anything that speaks of American exceptionalism. The pendulum always swings, always.
Actually it reminds me a lot of how the left has slowly and quietly been redefining everything so as to suit their purpose, for example they added "right wing" to the definition of nazi, which was never there in the past, so when they act like brown shirt thugs they can say "Oh, we aren't nazis because we are not right wing." And how leftist extremists decided it's okay to punch a nazi, and then decided that all it took to make one a nazi was to disagree with them, so in their twisted minds the massive amounts of violence and property and people they have committed over the past few years is justified, because they claim those they are attacking, are dangerous and violent. Yes, seriously, they not only say this buy mainstream media such as CNN, ABC, CBS, MSNBC and the rest all except everything they said at face value and supported them, in many ways, from not reporting on their activities to carefully wording stories, when they had to report something, so it seems as the leftist extremists were the victims instead of the thugs that were rampaging in our cities.
37 now, just rewatched this series 2022. Are we in the process of being influenced and taken over by some type of advanced alien civilization? Some of the government speak and lingo seems real familiar. This show was great rewatching as an adult. No way I understood some of the topics going on in this show as a teenager. The writing, story arcs, special effects. For the 90's this was all top notch stuff.
No, this kind of thing has happened in the past. When jms was writing Babylon 5, he used a lot of the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) and McCarthyism from the mid-1950s in the Nightwatch and Ministry of Peace (Minipax) in the show.
Just sit 🎉 down citizen. Your errant thought will be gone before it happened.
Anyone watching this in 2021??
2022.
Clicked the thumbnail even though I haven't thought about babylon 5 in decades because this blonde was my forgotten first love--bring back memories hard 😍
Rewatching this is turning my blood cold.
So I wasn't the only one whose skin crawled watching this? Good to know.
Holy crap! This is like watching Jen Psaki at the podium!
Reality.
They tried to make a ministry of truth in real life this year...
It’s more relevant than ever
If they do a reboot, I hope they can get a writer that takes a perverse pleasure in getting people to symbolize one character and switch it up just to mess with them.
its exactly for this reason they shouldn't. If this was re booted it would be ripped of all its brilliance, plus different actors playing G'Kar and Londo would be a crime in of itself
@@jacksmith4460 totally agree. I have spent years trying to think of a actors that could redo those two roles.
Well, now it's almost reality
This all sounds so familiar.
And this is what we see today. Create new narratives and dismiss them who don't follow the "new world order".
She is the very description of a fanatic. B5 diagrammed the rise of a Social Justice regime and what it looks like in small steps. You realize how close we are to this.
And you yanks have just voted it in.
@@andyventures6574 They had their 'Clark' elected out of office a year ago, what are you on about?
@@Thurgosh_OG We view politics very differently pal.
i sure hope no one in the comment section tries to claim this episode was written to support their own political views or demonize anyone who disagrees with them.
And something JUST like this was said by Suella Bravermann a few weeks ago.
The writers of Babylon V must have used a Crystal Ball. Especially in area of American Politics and manipulation of Media.
And now in 2022 we see this playing out in real time. Orwell described the future perfectly.
It happened in the mid-1950s with the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) and McCarthyism. In B5, a lot of the Nightwatch and Ministry of Peace (minipax) were from that.
2020 political world
More relevant today than ever....
Some politicians think this way right now
Bill of rights rewrite? America is in trouble.
not just the US bud, the entire world, I'm in the UK and this describes both the UK and the US perfectly, and NZ, Australia, and many other places. Constitutions and common law all over the world is being violated on the daily
She was talking about the united earth government not America lol
I doubt she'll do what she went there to do.
Captain Sheridan prefers brunettes.
When I watch this episode of Babylon 5 I did not know that this was going to be in real life since September 11th 2001 a lot of things have changed like in this episode of Babylon 5 the Patriot Act the National Defense Authorization Act there's a law that was passed in 1917 that if you talk against the United States government you can be arrested and charged with treason this Law has Not been Enforced Yet if you see something bad against the government for example you'll be reported to somebody with snitch on you to the Federal government so in a way this Episode is like Real life Now in the 21st century Depends on your point of view
Damn, followed it to the letter, didn't they?
She sounds like a spokeswoman for the CCP!
Or the RNC or the DNC or any number of political organizations. It's a tale as old as politics, the people in power don't like something so they redefine it and insist on ideological purity. Every governmental system and political party is more than capable of becoming totalitarian over a relatively short period of time.
@@silaskuemmerle2505 wish people would understand that this isn’t a “them” problem but an “us” problem.
@@Justanotherconsumer yep, *we* put these people in power but we refuse to hold them accountable
Exactly!!!!
Ladies and gentlemen, behold The Patriot Act!
I remember during the Iraq war just being floored by the playbook being used by the US govt.
@@Molari the dust had barely settled on the WTC in NYC before this playbook got pulled out by Rove and co...
"when we rewrote the dictionary" or "alternative facts". Which is the most heinous of phrases?
Кто ещё из России любит это пересматривать?)
Welcome to 2021.
You're 20 years off. Welcome to 2001!
(2021 being the natural end result of the kind of thinking that led to the Patriot Act, Invasion of Afghanistan, and the Iraq War going unchecked for decades)
Exactly. Honestly it’s just as valid today as it was during the Bush years
As of Febuary 2020, her exact speech on homeless people can be heard 1:1 from Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens.
it was pretty current for Republicans in the 90s too
What she, & all her ilk, forgets is... the Vorlons are NOT on their side. Truly confounding is their mental process that leads them to believe the Shadows are superior. In every direct confrontation between the Shadows & Vorlons, the Vorlons prevailed decisively.
way to close for the situation today
"There may be temporary abridgements to free speech and freedoms, but only unril this crisis is over" Sound familiar to anyone? I will give you a hint. "This is only temporary. 2 weeks to flatten the curve."
the IQ curve has definitely flattened for sure, going by that false equivalence...
@@mojomike Tell that to the Truckers in Canada--you might want to go put your Night Watch band on and report to your masters that you did your due diligence for the evening
@@jeffreyfrye1811 jokes on you.. Trudeau lifted the emergency measures since the crisis is over.
Did you forget Kellyanne "Alternative Facts" Conway already?
Democrats and Republicans fused into one hot woman.
Ehh, more like every politician ever d.
Not going to lie, the folks in the comment section going "oh, JMS predicted exactly thix X person that i have a personal bias against!" are kinda hilarious.
Badjoke Maker I hate her. She should sod off
A prototype Heather Nauert!
Caroline Lynch I like to think she wound crossing Bester at some point.
To boldly go where everyone has gone before. 😀😀😆😄
Lol i didnt expect to see this line here
@@marsar1775: Susan Ivanovo says that line later in the episode
@@kennethmelnychuk9737 yep
if this script was aired today I have no doubt that some politicians would try to stop production of this show simply because it is too real and people who have scene this can fully see that some of the trends that are fantasy in this series are true in our day to day lives. be educated :D
JMS is remaking B5 again from scratch.. so we will see how much he goes into this again.. specially now that we are seeing this more and more and more
This reminds me too much of the last 5 years
sounds like someone has tds
@@guillermoelnino tds?
it's reminded me of the last 20+ yrs
sounds like every Democrat and half of the Republicans I have heard speak in the last 25 years
it has been awhile since I watched this episode. I forgot how many of the current events mirror the Clark regime. So how far off does everyone think we are from the nukes beig used to target the US. We are what basically a few days around B5 declaring independence so 2 years maybe?
She definitely wears t proverbial 'TROUSERS', in that relationship!