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Cultural References in Babylon 5

Terra_Inc

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WARNING: This thread contains spoilers for Babylon 5 and Lovecraft's work.​

Alright, this thread is actually based on a very old post of mine. Everyone who has seen B5 knows that there are many more or less obvious cultural references in the show. I'll do my best to point out the ones I am most familiar, the Lovecraft and Tolkien ones. This is the result of several hours of work spent remembering old B5 episodes and re-reading my LotR books that are literally older than myself. HPL's stuff I didn't have to look up. Because tentacles. Anyway, feel free to contribute! This list is by no means complete.

With that said, let's begin.



HPL References

  • The way the Shadows are introduced in Season 2 is clearly reminiscent of the way the Old Ones are referred to in some of Lovecraft's stories. The terminology 'First Ones' is clearly a reference to the (Great) Old Ones.
  • The conflict between the Shadows and the other First Ones, including the Vorlons, might be inspired by the conflict between the Old Ones and the Elder Gods, which was strongly highlighted in the work of August Derleth (who continued HPL's work after Grandpa Howie's demise). The Elder Gods, as the name indicates, are older than even the Old Ones, who are waging an eternal war against them and are considered to be imprisoned or locked away by the Elder Gods. This is Derleth material though, and as such not canonical.
  • The Book of G'Quan is clearly the Narn equivalent of the Necronomicon. Yeah, it sounds like a religious text, until you realize there are all kinds of tales about the Shadows and their servants in it. Which, based on the similarity of Shadows and Old Ones, makes it B5's Necronomicon.
  • 'Passing through Gethsemane' introduces a certain Charles Dexter, whose personality was wiped out and replaced with that of a certain Brother Edward. This is a double reference. Charles Dexter Ward is the titular character of the 'Case of Charles Dexter Ward', in which story he calls up his Necromancer grand-grand-grand-...-father, who happens to look exactly like him and silently replaces him, which leads Charles' family wondering about their son's peculiar change of personality... The name Edward comes from 'The Thing on the Doorstep'. Edward Pickman Derby marries Asenath Waite, who turns out to be the vessel for her father's soul (essentially a body-surfing wizard) and begins to start switching bodies with her husband. Cue Ed's best friend wondering about his peculiar change of personality.
    One more thing about this episode: I suspect the fact that the dudes in this story are Christian monks means something. The name of Charles Dexter Ward's returning-from-the-dead ancestor was Joseph Curwen. This one was intentional on HPL's part: Joseph Curwen = JC = Jesus Christ.
  • 'War without End' is essentially one big reference to the "Shadow out of Time" story. In this tale, a university professor was subjected to body-switching by aliens from the past, the Great Race of Yith. His memory was wiped before his consciousness was allowed to return, but he slowly begins to remember things nonetheless. He believes his memory are a form of mental illness, but finds proof for them when he leads an expedition to Australia to dig out ancient ruins. Spoiler alert: It's the Yithians' great library, and he finds an ancient book in it that contains his own handwriting. Sound familiar? It should. After all, the thing that tells Sinclair to hijack B4 and go to the past (to become Valen) is an ancient note in his own handwriting.
  • Thirdspace. Need I say any more? Tentacle monsters from another dimension invade our universe. Heck, the designer of the Thirdspace Aliens explicitly labeled the design sketches 'Old One'! Little note, this designer also did work on the Hellboy movies, also known as 'the movies so lovecraftian, they freaking cite the DE VERMIS MYSTERIIS'.
  • The Pak'ma'ra are clearly Cthulhu. So is Dr. Zoidberg. Why does no one admit it WARGHLBLARGH

Tolkien References

  • Alright, the obvious one first. The Rangers are straight from LotR. Also, 'We walk in the dark places that no one else will enter. We stand on the bridge, and no one may pass.' Yes, that's Gandalf you hear.
  • Aragorn warned Gandalf about going through Moria. Kosh warned Sheridan about going to Z'ha'dum. And suddenly I hear a Vorlon in the back of my head: 'If you go to Khazad-dûm, you will die.' Consequently, Gandalf falls into the depths of Moria and Sheridan jumps into the depths of Z'ha'dum. Both return, although changed, and lead the Armies of Light to their victory.
  • B5 takes place during "the dawn of the third age of mankind". LotR ends the Third Age and begins the Fourth Age.
  • The Nazgûl, their screams and how people are afraid of them reminds me of the Shadow vessels, their screams and how people are afraid of them.
  • After the War of the Ring, the Elves leave towards Valinor. After the Shadow War, the First Ones leave towards the Rim and beyond. Frodo joins them, as does Sheridan.
  • Lorien. The name. Most obvious reference ever.
  • According to Londo, the name of the Centauri god of the underworld is Morgoth. Er, no, it's Mogath. Sorry.
  • Elric the Techno-Mage quotes Gildor Inglorion. 'Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger.' (Also, his name is a blatant Moorcock reference.)
  • 'Babylon 5: The Lost Tales' is a reference to Tolkien's 'Book of Lost Tales'.



And that's it. I'm going to close this post with two strangely similar quotes. :lol2:

"There are beings in the universe billions of years older than either of our races. Once, long ago, they walked among the stars like giants, vast, timeless. Taught the younger races, explored beyond the rim, created great empires, but to all things, there is an end. Slowly, over a million years, the First Ones went away. Some passed beyond the stars never to return. Some simply disappeared."
[...] "'Yes' was the answer. What was the question?"
"Have the Shadows returned to Z'ha'dum?"

- Delenn, In the Shadow of Z'ha'Dum

"The Old Ones were, the Old Ones are, and the Old Ones shall be. Not in the spaces we know, but between them, They walk serene and primal, undimensioned and to us unseen. Yog-Sothoth knows the gate. Yog-Sothoth is the gate. Yog-Sothoth is the key and guardian of the gate. Past, present, future, all are one in Yog-Sothoth. He knows where the Old Ones broke through of old, and where They shall break through again. He knows where They have trod earth’s fields, and where They still tread them, and why no one can behold Them as They tread. [...] Man rules now where They ruled once; They shall soon rule where man rules now. After summer is winter, and after winter summer. They wait patient and potent, for here shall They reign again.â€

- HP Lovecraft, The Dunwich Horror
 
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We can't forget King Arthur. They had a whole episode about it!

Marcus Cole said:
They say he aged backwards. That was how he was able to foretell the future - by remembering it! Which means he came from the future! Maybe he had Arthur form the Round Table by remembering us! We're forming one of our own, after all. Which makes you Percival. I'm Galahad, him being sinless and all. Sheridan is Arthur. Ivanova, perhaps Gawain. I think we both know who Mordred is. So the question is - who is Morgana le Fay?

Would Lyta Alexander or Anna Sheridan be Morgana? Would the Whitestar be Excalibur? B5 itself is obviously Camelot.

Additionally, the ship from that episode is the Asimov, an obvious reference to Isaac Asimov.

Bester is named after the author Alfred Bester.

Garibaldi is of course a huge Loony Tunes fan.
 
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