Greetings to one and all from the fringes of my mind,

Let's talk "Babylon 5" and "Star Trek". More importantly, let's talk about how the 2-hour movie premiere of "Babylon 5: Legend of the Rangers", kicked the chunky brown manure out of anything "Enterprise" has done in its' 5 month lead.

When I gave my stellar review (I don't think that the suppository and Captain Morgan's mixed well) a few days (...did I work at all last week) ago, I stated that I would back up my praise for this new series by "Babylon 5" creator...J. Michael Straczynski (that's right dog, I looked up his name)...(and yet my spell check is still telling me that it's spelled wrong...damn). Well folks, here it is.

"Legend of the Rangers" is a made for T.V. movie, which takes place 2 years before the events depicted in "Babylon 5: Crusade". Confused yet? Here's a quick update for all those in need of info; President Sheridan has left Babylon 5 to run the Interstellar Alliance from Minbar (home of those crazy Zen-like bone heads), the galaxy is still in shambles following the conflict from the Shadow-Vorlon War/Babylon 5-Earth Civil War, and the forces of light are striving to make some small part of the universe a safe place to live. Enter the Rangers; a small undercover police force created by the Minbari, to go into those place where others fear to tread (God this stuff gets me hot...oh, yessss... like that baby...show me your Narn).

Now why on Earth do I think you should watch something like this? Why even take a chance of a series that comes attached with more baggage than an ex-boyfriend who has just recently been paroled, has more history than your best friends case of flaming syphilis, and showcases more freaks and latex than your last class reunion? Good question, because I asked myself that very same thing once I settled in for my 2-hour-smoke-free-boy my bladder hurts-marathon. The answer was surprisingly clear...Enterprise. Yes, "Enterprise"...the other white meat. I'm not an advocate of the new "Star Trek" series, but then again I'm not an opponent either (I have this same relationship with my father, and the fact that neither of them loans me money really cements that comparison). "Enterprise" is "Enterprise", nothing terribly exciting, but if it's on then I usually watch, much in the same way that I was towards "Voyager". You know the storyline behind "Enterprise", but if you haven't seen an episode of this new series, but have seen any of the episode of the prior series, then guess what, you know the premise supporting "Enterprise". The only thing that changes is the shape of the ship. But now we have "Rangers".

"Legend of the Rangers" is centered on the crew of the Ranger starship Liandra; a 20-year-old relic from past wars, that comes equipped with a rich past, awesome weaponry, and...ghosts! That's right tops and bottoms, ghosts! It seems that the dearly departed still roam the corridors of the Liandra, locked into their last grizzly visage for only the truly mystical to perceive. THIS FOLKS, WAS FUN TO SEE. A haunted starship! Why the hell hasn't "Star Trek" tried that one before? The original "Enterprise" under Kirk would be jam backed with red-shirted ghosts, as they wander the halls telling whoever could see them, about how they shouldn't have left the landing party to investigate a strange noise behind a large rock. This ghost in a ship concept for a weekly T. V. series is too cool, especially when you get to see these poor souls. The one that appeared to the Minbari First Officer Dulann, described how he had died from suffocation in the Liandra's last battle, and to push the envelope further; the producers had the actors face was covered in exploded veins while the tips of this ghosts fingers were nothing but blood and goo to show how he'd tried unsuccessfully to claw his way to freedom before dying. Not something you've seen on "Trek" lately has it?

Beside the ghosts and ship (I do have to stop and give some praise to the production designer Steven Geaghan for his wonderful job of creating a truly beautiful and spectacular starship interior. The insides of this vessel are unlike anything we've seen before; they're interesting. Designed to resemble the close quarters of a submarine, the Liandra is a labyrinth of tight corridors, spooky airlocks, and designs so alien; you forget completely that this is some set in an airplane hangar.), there is the crew themselves; a more rag-tag motley crew of misfits and social rejects the sci-fi community has never seen. The only thing that this group has in common is a dying need to be Rangers. Composed of over 4 different alien races, the Liandra is a home for those lost souls who have either never been given a real chance to rise in rank in the Ranger force because of their particular species, or (like Captain Martel) fallen on hard times because of past mistakes.

Captain Martel (Dylan Neal) was once a Ranger whose star was on the rise, all until a fleet of galactic pirates known as Raiders, killed his captain and crippled his ship. When Martel refused to reengage the fleeing Raiders, he was relived of command and place under house arrest, until his trial sentencing was broached (Rangers have a strict code that states that never is a Ranger to turn from battle...never) by the Rangers governing body; the Grey Council. Since Rangers 'Live for the One, and Die for the One' (the ONE is Ranger One, the head ruler of the entire Ranger force; at that time it was Sheridan's Minbari/Human wife Delenn), it was argued by Citizen G'Kar (Andreas Katsulas; the only member of the original series to return) that if a Ranger can "live for the One, and die for the One' then wouldn't it be just as important for a Ranger to 'Die for the One, and Live for the One'. He won the argument (of course it helps that his character is very close friend with the President of the known universe) and Captain Martel is given his first real command: the Liandra.

Must go for now, but I'll return next week and we'll talk more about everything Babylon.