I’ve been watching Babylon 5: The Lost Tales, and it’s made me a bit nostalgic. I love the Babylon 5 series, and it’s great to revisit some of the characters. The first story features Lockley (Tracy Scoggins); the second includes Sheridan (Bruce Boxleitner) and Galen (Peter Woodward). Both stories are good.

I have to say, I adore Galen. The actor is marvelous and technomages are so interesting. I love his moral ambiguity–it makes his character almost unbearably fascinating. Or maybe I just like the British accent.

Watching The Lost Tales reminds me of one of the lessons of good storytelling–making use of subtlety. There’s one scene with Sheridan and Prince Vintari. It could have been bogged down with a bunch of “here’s how this character relates to this one, and where that one fits in” dialogue. Instead, one line conveys the necessary information. To someone who knows the series, the line conveys a good deal. To someone who doesn’t, it’s a small piece that helps reveal the character.

A few of my favorite moments:

• Galen’s smile when Sheridan yells “Up yours” to the driver who nearly hit him
• Sheridan’s expression when Vintari talks about “the reckoning” he will lead in the future
• Lockley’s muttered, “I wonder if Custer had staff like this”

I checked this copy out of the library, but I’m going to have to get my own copy.