In previous entries in this series, I have praised Babylon 5 for treating its women characters like people, and not like stereotypes or plot devices. But even a great show like B5 is not perfect, and its treatment of Talia Winters is one of the show’s biggest failures.

Talia Winters is the resident commercial telepath assigned to the Babylon 5 space station. She was taken by the Psi Corps as a small child, raised to be loyal to other telepaths rather … READ MORE

Delenn, the Minbari ambassador to the Babylon 5 station, is one of the most complex characters on the show, and also seems to be one of most misunderstood. I’ve spoken to many people who regard her as a “Mary Sue,” where the audience is constantly told how wonderful she because everyone loves her. I disagree.

As part of the Minbari Religious Caste, she was raised to value all life and to seek peace at all times, but as part of her … READ MORE

Commander Susan Ivanova is intelligent, sharp-witted (and sharp-tongued), dedicated, and, like most characters on Babylon 5, defined by what she does. She is second-in-command of the Babylon 5 space station throughout the first four seasons of the show, responsible for the day-to-day running of what is essentially a small city number over 250,000 humans and aliens. And she does her job very, very well. At one point, when Ivanova’s commanding officer prepares to let her in on a major secret, … READ MORE

Babylon 5 was a highly unusual television show for many reasons. Most famously, it proposed to tell a highly-involved story over the course of five years, and more amazingly it was able to do so. While it has become common (some would say trendy) in recent years for shows to feature tight continuity and multi-season arcs, Babylon 5 did it when no one thought it could be done, and set a standard of excellence in doing so that other shows … READ MORE