#15 – The Bitch of It Is You Probably Did the Right Thing (ENDGAME, RISING STAR)
Chapters
- 0:00 Introduction & revisiting Endgame and Rising Star
- 1:00 First impressions of the Earth Civil War finale
- 4:22 Sheridan's strategy for liberating Earth
- 5:04 Clark, January 6th, and authoritarian collapse
- 11:12 President Luchenko and the failures of institutional politics
- 15:10 Sheridan gives people permission to resist
- 20:34 Obedience, hierarchy & why people follow authoritarian leaders
- 29:50 Why Sheridan is different
- 33:20 JMS, Superman, and moral leadership
- 38:52 Bester, mercy, and Sheridan's philosophy of power
- 41:31 Lochley, trauma, and loyalty to institutions
- 44:44 Endgame's emotional climax & Delenn's rescue
- 46:01 ISN, media capture, and modern journalism
- 50:32 Algorithms, social media, and today's information ecosystem
- 58:39 Rising Star, Sheridan's resignation & the Interstellar Alliance
- 1:03:18 Reconstruction, Lincoln & rebuilding after civil war
- 1:08:35 Leadership, power & today's political moment
- 1:12:50 Russia, Babylon 5's future history & the 1990s
- 1:18:14 Power versus morality in government
- 1:24:22 Marcus Cole and a different vision of the warrior
- 1:32:57 The Rangers vs. authoritarian military culture
- 1:34:23 Why Endgame hits differently than Severed Dreams
- 1:36:47 The ending Babylon 5 almost had
- 1:42:34 Why Babylon 5 still endures
- 1:45:10 Looking ahead to Season Five
The Earth Civil War is over, but the harder question is what comes next. Josh and John revisit season 4's "Endgame" and "Rising Star" to talk about how democracies recover from authoritarianism, why good people obey bad leaders, what makes Sheridan such an extraordinary leader, and why Babylon 5's vision of power, media, and moral courage feels uncomfortably relevant.
This is a jam-packed episode folks. So put C&C in standby, head down to Earhart's, and crack open a Zima.
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CHAPTERS:
00:00 Introduction & revisiting Endgame and Rising Star
01:00 First impressions of the Earth Civil War finale
04:22 Sheridan's strategy for liberating Earth
05:04 Clark, January 6th, and authoritarian collapse
11:12 President Luchenko and the failures of institutional politics
15:10 Sheridan gives people permission to resist
20:34 Obedience, hierarchy & why people follow authoritarian leaders
29:50 Why Sheridan is different
33:20 JMS, Superman, and moral leadership
38:52 Bester, mercy, and Sheridan's philosophy of power
41:31 Lochley, trauma, and loyalty to institutions
44:44 Endgame's emotional climax & Delenn's rescue
46:01 ISN, media capture, and modern journalism
50:32 Algorithms, social media, and today's information ecosystem
58:39 Rising Star, Sheridan's resignation & the Interstellar Alliance
1:03:18 Reconstruction, Lincoln & rebuilding after civil war
1:08:35 Leadership, power & today's political moment
1:12:50 Russia, Babylon 5's future history & the 1990s
1:18:14 Power versus morality in government
1:24:22 Marcus Cole and a different vision of the warrior
1:32:57 The Rangers vs. authoritarian military culture
1:34:23 Why Endgame hits differently than Severed Dreams
1:36:47 The ending Babylon 5 almost had
1:42:34 Why Babylon 5 still endures
1:45:10 Looking ahead to Season Five
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REFERENCES:
The Lurker's Guide Entry for S4E20 "Endgame" — http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/countries/us/guide/086.html
__The Lurker's Guide Entry for S4E21 "Rising Star" — http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/countries/us/guide/087.html
__God Forgives, Brothers Don't by Jasper Craven — https://bookshop.org/p/books/god-forgives-brothers-don-t-the-long-march-of-military-education-and-the-making-of-american-manhood-jasper-craven/
The Know Your Enemy Podcast — https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/military-education-and-american-manhood-w-jasper-craven/id1462703434
Reddit discussion: Clark's military takeover of ISN — https://www.reddit.com/r/babylon5/comments/1tkikao/severed_dreams/
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