Little more than ants on the cosmic scale

[fallbread]

this one scean is still in my head after all this time it was a major epic show still is

[NexAngelus405]

You know, I think that if an individual from a Type III civilization were to show sympathy for a lesser civilization, they would probably be labeled as something of an equivalent to a hippie by their peers. It's like a human feeling sorry for an ant that it accidentally stepped on. That said, let's hope that there are a lot of Type III hippies in the universe.

[DorianMichaelsIII]

Small question from he who is little more than an ant on the Babylon 5 universe; who (or more precisely WHAT) was it that Miss Sakai saw? Now due to the look of that ship, my initial guess would be "Vorlon". But truly, I have no idea. Or is it as I suspect-- that we never find out what that really was? Any help would be immensely appreciated.

[theinquisitor]

@Dorian, they do in fact appear again and we are given some more information about who and what they are.

I think it would be better to find out on your own as the series progresses. If you like I could explain, but I prefer to discover these things the way the writer intended. I think it's not until season 4 that things are made clear, this being from season 1. So do you want the spoilers?

[DorianMichaelsIII]

@theinquisitor Oh please, oh please-- I'm desperate to know; I'm far too curious to wait to watch all the episodes between this moment and the reveal; I would really and truly love to know now. I promise, whatever it is, it won't spoil anything too badly for me. Let me make another guess while I'm at it though-- if they aren't the Vorlons, they're another one of the First Ones, decided to pay the old haunt a visit from wherever the hell it is that they ran off to in the first place.

[theinquisitor]

As you wish, however you've guessed much of the extent of what is revealed anyway. Wasn't sure how far you'd gotten into the series, but apparently you're already aware of the First Ones, and this is indeed a ship of one of those races.

We see them later in early season 3 as they become involved in the Shadow war. Ivanova learns how to contact them and even has a brief conversation with one of them through a holographic avatar which may or may not represent their true appearance.

[bluntman1138]

We also see them in the Episode into the Fire in season 4, during the last battle of the shadow war.

I can think of the season 3 episodes name where they are encountered by Marcus and Susan while they are out looking for First ones. They are encountered again in Sigma 957, as that world used to be this particular race's homeworld millions of years ago.

That ship is the last of their people that still roam our galaxy, the rest of them went beyond the galactic rim, to go to a new galaxy.

[amkaen]

@DorianMichaelsIII Suffice to say that, though these particular first ones take up for the younger races, they do NOT appear to be favorably disposed to the Vorlons!

[Sonnabend00]

@DorianMichaelsIII They are, as has been said, the First Ones..ancients, ageless, timeless, those who remain from the beginning. Lorien knew them, as he had helped them grow into who they are now..more than that, we cannot understand. Where they go or why..none can know. They are a mystery.

[bobviously]

I think I'll be a little kinder to bugs.

[theOGslagster127]

she is fit i would like to probe her environment

[vietfun07]

But we're more than an ant that we know we are ants...

[Anhelain]

Haven't talked to a religious person lately, have you?

[PeacekeeperWar05]

Thanks for posting this Inquisitor. Andreas Katsulas was a terrific actor (R.I.P.) and delivered one of the best dialogues I've seen on TV. The haunting music in the background just as he was explaining about the mysteries of the universe just made it stand out even more.

[Sonnabend00]

For Ms Sakai...the universe just got a little bigger.The universe is infinite..and one day, I hope, we will get to see even a tiny fraction of it.

[sacr3]

Look into the sky. There ya go, you're looking at a tiny, tiny, tiny, tinnnyyy fraction.

If you live for the next 5-7 years. Guess what bud? They are making a new telescope, more powerful then the hubble. And they're also sending up a huge sheet with it, which will sit 15,000 miles away from it. So, when this new hubble takes a picture of a star, the sheet will block the star light, and the telescope will see planets.. the size of earth..our moon... we will finally see small planets.

[theinquisitor]

That's incredibly awesome. I didn't know about that. Strange new worlds...

Do you know what the name of the new telescope will be? Is it a NASA project? If so I hope it doesn't get cancelled.

[pirhan]

The guy at the video store lent me his first two seasons on Babylon 5. I do like it, but this episode, namely this part, was the kicker. This is absolutely beautiful. It's also funny, because that day my boyfriend stepped on an ant, and couldn't understand why I was upset.

Anyways, great work on the editing; thanks for sharing.

[theinquisitor]

Thanks, I love this series almost as much as I like Star Trek, and that's a lot for a trekkie to say. Andreas as G'kar is a really absorbing speaker. I heard that some pagan groups even use the ISA's declaration of principles as part of their moral teaching.

There's a new Babylon 5 movie coming out soon, it's called The Lost Tales. Trailers are on youtube.

[TruthDevours]

LOL. This chick was in RAMBO: First Blood II.

[KashEzy]

Good vid man.

[Globalpack]

Her bad acting ruined the scene.

[theinquisitor]

Yeah, I know. Andreas Katsulas was good though (the other actor).

[TheSurrenderTheHate]

what a load of bullshit

[theinquisitor]

Well it is fiction if that's what you mean.

[TheSurrenderTheHate]

theinquisitor. have you ever read the science fiction story Solaris? If not go and read it right now i command you.

[theinquisitor]

No I haven't. I don't respond to commands from people with no authority over me, but I would be willing to read the book if it appeals to me. Can you give a brief synopsis?

[TheSurrenderTheHate]

theinquisitor. That would spoil the book, dony you know that you should never read the backs of books beforehand? it spoils it. its about a planet which is strange to say the least. The idea was original at the time it was published "well pretty original" its a great little book.

[theinquisitor]

Then aren't you left choosing books by their covers (or indeed recommendations)? I had a look at it on wikipedia. Looks interesting. I might check it out. I'm guessing the movies based on it were inferior.

[TheSurrenderTheHate]

theinquisitor. Dont know about the movies. i never seen em and i don want too. I just read books at random. Thats what librarys are for

[theinquisitor]

Yeah, there seem to often be better stories in books than on film. I have to admit though, I prefer it if my senses get more stimulation. So audio/visual is very important to me, and my imagination is a poor comparison. So even the best story on paper is not as nearly enjoyable as it would be on the screen. Science fiction is the only thing that's worth the effort for me, so I'll definitely consider putting this on my list. Thanks for the recommendation, even though you did shit on B5.

[TheSurrenderTheHate]

yeh. obviously cinema and television is a different beast too the book. But i often find that Cinema and Television are making there stuff for stupid people and when you have read good Science Fiction that stands out.

[theinquisitor]

I have to agree, and it's tragic, since there's nothing about the medium that prevents these great ideas that are expressed in books from being presented on screen. The trouble is that the majority of people are either stupid or like stupid entertainment and so we see precious little science fiction on the screen. The space operas I find are not so much true sci-fi as they are modern mythology. If you judge them by that criteria, you might find them more appealing.

[jogayot]

yeah, exactly, read "Robot" by Adam Wisniewski-Snerg (originally Wiśniewski, but who cares ;) for description of this exact hypothesis as seen from the "inside", if you ever get a chance, great book, great author!

[kurtilein3]

thats cool ^^

but i like to stay with the real mysteries, and we have real mysteries in science.

it is a fact that the universe is expanding. thats no mystery, its the strongest evidence we have for the big bang theory.

but now to the mystery: why is the speed at which the universe expands growing? the expansion of the universe is ACCELLERATING. it really makes your brain hurt, and it shows how insignificant our knowledge is.

[kurtilein3]

continued...

our understanding of the physical nature of the universe works so perfectly for our solar system, einsteins general relativity has been proven, the big bang theory has been proven, and then when we finally believed to know more or less how our universe works reality strikes back, and the accellerating expansion shows us how limited and incomplete the best theories we have are.

other mysteries: black holes, what caused the big bang, and why is our universe so flat?

[theinquisitor]

Indeed, the true mysteries of the universe are far more fascinating than what the human imagination could invent in any space epic. It is that sense of mystery and discovery that I find so elating, and that's what I think this clip communicates. Maybe it's just because the music cuts in, but when he starts talking about the wonders in the universe still to be known, I can't help be moved no matter how many times I watch it.

[leonbelmont16]

Reality itself is a such a mystery that can never be solved fully, but that's the beauty and challenge of it; no matter how small we are, we strive to understand.

[yancur]

You really love the mysteries of the Universe, don't youe? ;)

Nice video!

[theinquisitor]

Yeah, I thought of this after talking to you on the other video. I thought maybe it might convey the idea of just how much we probably aren't aware of. While we have no evidence of alien life, consider the potential of our species in a million years, if we survive. There has been ample time for such civilisations to evolve. Consider how much more intimately they know the universe. Imagine their art and music...

[yancur]

Yes, I thought this might be a sort of continuation of our pervious discussion about Universe mysteries. ;)

I cannot possibly imagine our species in 1000 years not to say in a million, considering science will grow at the rate it does now, of course. If we look at what science achieved in mere 500 years DESPITE constant hindrance by religions it's almost unbelievable! If there is one thing for which I'd want to live longer it would be to see what our science can achieve in the future!