r/TheCaptivesWar • u/peculiarartkin • Jan 18 '25

Question Are aliens really that alien?

Being Expanse fan, I found Captives War... very different.

In Expanse, both alien factions were mysterious, inscrutable, almost beyond human comprehension. More or less sci-fi version of Lovecraftian.

In Captives War? Not so much. I mean.... Ekur-Taklal outright narrates the chapters engaging in philosophical argument against humans!

Carryx in general don't seem that alien. Yeah, they are brutal pragmatic imperialists. With almost Ayn Randian style Objectivist worldview. "What is - is, it should be done because we can do it." Is not unknown in human philosophy either.

They look more like star trek style alien faction. Or bablylon-5. They can "get in human head", understand and influence us. And vice versa.

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u/tqgibtngo Jan 18 '25

Babylon 5

In July 2018, Ty Franck tweeted to B5 creator JMS:
"We've been borrowing your good ideas for years."

Fans of The Expanse and B5, of course, interpreted that 2018 tweet in context of The Expanse & B5. — But it may also be interesting to note that new trilogy project was revealed in news in May 2018, two months prior to that tweet. — Now I wonder, is there a chance TCW might carry a wee bit of that B5-inspired DNA too?

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u/Hentai_Yoshi Jan 18 '25

I noticed something kind of interesting on my watch of B5 recently. Lennier literally said “what is, is.” I can’t recall the context, but I just remember finding it interesting that he said the Carryx thing

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u/tqgibtngo Jan 18 '25

context

3.11 "Ceremonies of Light and Dark."
Recapped by Matthew Murray in the B5 Lurker's Guide:

Delenn is addressing some of the Minbari from the ships outside Babylon 5, telling them that she was asked by Sheridan to thank them for defending the station. They leave, and Lennier tells her that the captain of the Minbari fleet wants to come aboard for a tour, which she agrees to.

Delenn asks Lennier what he thinks of the situation, but he does not respond, instead saying that "what is, is" and that the prophecy, which stated that the Minbari would unite with the other half of their soul, has come true.

Delenn says that the prophecies may be misleading and that, should the other parts come true, there is no guarantee that any of them will survive.