Lyta Alexander

Last updated

Lyta Alexander
Babylon 5 character
B5-lyta-alexander-300.jpg
First appearance
Last appearance Babylon 5: A Call to Arms 2023
Portrayed by Patricia Tallman
Voiced byPatricia Tallman
In-universe information
Species Human
Affiliation Psi Corps
Vorlons
Telepath Underground Railroad
Origin Earth

Lyta Alexander [Lyta pronounced as: (/lit/ LEE-tah)] is a fictional character portrayed by Patricia Tallman in the science fiction television series Babylon 5 .

Contents

Role in Babylon 5

Character arc

In the series' pilot, Lyta is described as a sixth generation telepath, but she points out that telepathy may have been running undetected in her family even earlier since telepaths were not monitored before that generation. In the series, it is stated that Lyta was trained by the Psi Corps and that she briefly interned with the Psi Cops division. [1] After an incident while accompanying Alfred Bester, [2] she transfers to commercial work. In 2257, she is assigned as Babylon 5's first commercial telepath. [3] Soon after she arrives at the station, she scans Vorlon Ambassador Kosh, in violation of the wishes of the Vorlon government, in order to try to discover the identity of his attacker.

In season 2, Lyta's experience with the Vorlon ambassador permanently changes her, but many of the characters are being altered, including Babylon 5's commander. Lyta, the telepath, is recalled from her assignment a few weeks later and is questioned regarding her encounter with Kosh. She gets interrogated for months by the Psi Corps, she eventually escapes and joins the Mars Resistance. While underground, she uncoveres information regarding a mole among the Babylon 5 command staff. She returns to the station in late 2259, where she reveals Talia Winters as an unwitting mole for secret forces in EarthGov and Psi Corps. [1]

In season 3, Lyta travels to the Vorlon homeworld, one of the few known humans to do so and live. There, she gets modified by the Vorlons and is given gill-like implants to allow her to breathe in a Vorlon environment and the ability to "carry" a Vorlon consciousness. This tremendously increases her telepathic and psychokinetic powers beyond what she herself can realize. She returns to Babylon 5 as an aide to Ambassador Kosh. [4]

In season 4, Lyta is key to the eventual resolution of the Shadow War on Coriana 6, serving as the vessel through which Sheridan and Delenn confront the elder races and forces them to leave the galaxy. [5] Immediately after the Shadow War, she becomes part of the expedition to the Shadows' homeworld of Z'ha'dum. Using unknown abilities and implanted instructions from the Vorlons, she triggers the destruction of the planet to spite Alfred Bester and prevents Shadow technology from falling into the wrong hands. [6] However, after the conclusion of the Shadow War, she finds herself unwelcome and having difficulty finding employment. She goes on to play a decisive role in the endgame of the Earth Civil War, triggering the shadow-modified telepaths smuggled aboard Earth ships to disable the fleet at Mars. [7]

In season 5, Alexander becomes romantically involved with Byron, revealing to the telepaths that they had been created by the Vorlons as weapons for their war with the Shadows. After Byron's death, Alexander gets inspired by his cause to create a homeworld for telepaths, and becomes the leader of a movement sponsoring violent resistance against the Corps. Lyta also begins to more thoroughly explore the abilities the Vorlons had given her. She eventually gets arrested aboard Babylon 5 for supporting terrorism by John Sheridan. [8] Michael Garibaldi makes a deal with her to help her avoid prosecution and provide funding for her cause. Former Narn Ambassador G'Kar takes her with him on a mission of exploration. [9]

Characterization

The character of Lyta Alexander has been subject to literary analysis, for example, in the dimension of feminine identity. [10]

Conceptual history

Lyta was introduced in the pilot episode "The Gathering" as a telepath assigned to the Babylon 5 space station by the Psi Corps, a fictional organization providing support to telepaths and monitoring their activity. However, she did not appear in the remainder of season 1 due to a dispute concerning Tallman's salary. [11] Lyta's role was largely taken up by Andrea Thompson, who was cast as Talia Winters, a telepath who took over Lyta's responsibilities at the station. After Thompson left the series due to disagreements regarding the amount of screen time given to her character, [12] Lyta returned as a recurring character in seasons 2 and 3 after Capt. John Sheridan took over as station commander and became a regular cast member from season 4 on. Her character simply resumed the dramatic arc once intended for Thompson's.

Lyta does not appear in any of the canonical materials released since the end of the series. It is strongly implied in Crusade and some of the canonical novels that her actions (both on Babylon 5 in 2262 and afterward) led to the Telepath War of the mid-2260s, in which she was killed. According to Straczynski, [13] Lyta was intended to appear in the Crusade episode "The Path of Sorrows" as part of a flashback, but Tallman's salary negotiations failed. The scene featured an unnamed telepath who died striking against the Psi Corps. Whether or not this was meant to be Lyta, Straczynski confirmed that she died in such an attack. In the aforementioned script book, Straczynski wrote that both Lyta and Lennier were killed in the explosion of Psi Corps Headquarters in a major battle of the Telepath War. Hints about her death had also been given by Straczynski in posts to the Babylon 5 newsgroup. [14] and in the final novel of the Psi Corps Trilogy by J. Gregory Keyes [15]

Reception

Related Research Articles

<i>Babylon 5</i> American space opera television series (1994–1998)

Babylon 5 is an American space opera television series created by writer and producer J. Michael Straczynski, under the Babylonian Productions label, in association with Straczynski's Synthetic Worlds Ltd. and Warner Bros. Domestic Television. After the successful airing of a test pilot movie on February 22, 1993, Babylon 5: The Gathering, Warner Bros. commissioned the series for production in May 1993 as part of its Prime Time Entertainment Network (PTEN). The show premiered in the US on January 26, 1994, and ran for five 22-episode seasons.

<i>Crusade</i> (TV series) Spin-off TV show from J. Michael Straczynskis Babylon 5

Crusade is an American spin-off television series from J. Michael Straczynski's Babylon 5, released in 1999. It is set in 2267, five years after the events of Babylon 5, and just after the movie A Call to Arms. The Drakh have released a nanovirus plague on Earth, which will destroy all life on Earth within five years if it is not stopped. The Victory class destroyer Excalibur has been sent out to look for anything that could help the search for a cure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Susan Ivanova</span> Fictional character from the television series Babylon 5

Susan Ivanova is a lead fictional character in the science fiction television series Babylon 5, played by Claudia Christian.

Michael Garibaldi is a lead fictional character in the universe of the science fiction television series Babylon 5, played by Jerry Doyle.

"Midnight on the Firing Line" is the first episode of the first season of the science fiction television series, Babylon 5, following the pilot movie, "The Gathering". It first aired on January 26, 1994. It was notable for being the first regular television episode which used computer-generated imagery rather than physical models for its special visual effects. The episode also marked the beginning of the first science fiction television series where the entire series had an overarching storyline, which the writer J. Michael Straczynski described as "a novel for television".

"Born to the Purple" is the third episode of the first season of the science fiction television series, Babylon 5. The episode deals with Centauri ambassador, Londo Mollari, having important files on him stolen by his lover, Adira Tyree.

"Mind War" is the sixth episode of the first season of the science fiction television series, Babylon 5.

"The War Prayer" is the seventh episode of the first season of the science fiction television series, Babylon 5. It first aired on 9 March 1994.

"Deathwalker" is the ninth episode of the first season of the science fiction television series, Babylon 5. It first aired on 20 April 1994. '

"The Coming of Shadows" is a key episode from the second season of the science fiction television series Babylon 5. It won the 1996 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation.

John Sheridan (<i>Babylon 5</i>) Fictional character in Babylon 5

John J. Sheridan is the lead character in the fictional universe of the science-fiction television series Babylon 5, played by Bruce Boxleitner. For most of the series, he is the commander of the Babylon 5 station; during the series' final season he is the President of the Interstellar Alliance.

<i>Babylon 5: The Gathering</i> 1993 pilot film of the science fiction television series Babylon 5 directed by Richard Compton

Babylon 5: The Gathering is the test pilot movie of the science fiction television series Babylon 5, aired on February 22, 1993. It is also the first of six feature-length films in the Babylon 5 media franchise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patricia Tallman</span> American actress and stunt performer

Patricia J. Tallman is an American actress, stunt performer, and studio executive best known for her roles in Night of the Living Dead, Star Trek and Babylon 5. She is the former CEO and executive producer of Studio JMS.

<i>Babylon 5: Thirdspace</i> 1998 American TV series or program

Babylon 5: Thirdspace is a 1998 American made-for-television film that is part of the Babylon 5 science fiction universe. It was written by J. Michael Straczynski and directed by Jesús Salvador Treviño.

<i>Babylon 5: A Call to Arms</i> 1999 television film directed by Mike Vejar

Babylon 5: A Call to Arms is a 1999 American made-for-television film and the fourth film set in the Babylon 5 universe. It was written by J. Michael Straczynski, directed by Mike Vejar, and originally aired on TNT on January 3, 1999, as one of two films shown over the 1998–1999 season to fill in the gap between the fifth season of Babylon 5 and the spin-off series Crusade.

<i>Babylon 5: The Lost Tales</i> 2007 film

Babylon 5: The Lost Tales was intended to be an anthology show set in the Babylon 5 universe. It was announced by J. Michael Straczynski, creator of Babylon 5, at the San Diego Comic Con in July 2006. Straczynski has described the stories as ideas he had for the Babylon 5 television series but never had the time to produce. Only one installment, titled Voices in the Dark, was produced before the project was shelved.

<i>Babylon 5</i> (franchise) American space opera franchise

Babylon 5 is an American space opera media franchise created by writer and producer J. Michael Straczynski, under the Babylonian Productions label in association with Straczynski’s Synthetic Worlds Ltd. and Warner Bros. Domestic Television. After the successful airing of a pilot movie, Warner Bros. commissioned the series as part of the second year schedule of programs provided by its Prime Time Entertainment Network (PTEN). It premiered in the United States on January 26, 1994 and ran for the intended five seasons. Describing it as having "always been conceived as, fundamentally, a five year story, a novel for television", Straczynski wrote 92 of the 110 episodes and served as executive producer, along with Douglas Netter.

<i>Babylon 5: The Road Home</i> 2023 animated sci-fi film by Matt Peters

Babylon 5: The Road Home is a 2023 American animated film produced by Warner Bros. Animation, animated by Studio Mir and distributed by Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment. The film was directed by Matt Peters, with a screenplay by original Babylon 5 franchise creator, J. Michael Straczynski. The film is the seventh feature film in the Babylon 5 franchise and is the second installment to be released direct-to-video although the first to be released on 4K UHD format, as well as the first animated installment. It makes use of CGI animation. The film was released on August 14, 2023.

References

  1. 1 2 "Divided Loyalties," Babylon 5 . 1995-10-11.
  2. ↑ "The Face of the Enemy," Babylon 5 . 1997-06-09.
  3. ↑ "The Gathering," Babylon 5 . 1993-02-22.
  4. ↑ "Passing Through Gethsemane," Babylon 5 . 1995-11-27.
  5. ↑ "Into the Fire," Babylon 5 . 1997-02-03.
  6. ↑ "Epiphanies," Babylon 5 . 1997-02-10.
  7. ↑ "Endgame," Babylon 5 . 1997-10-13.
  8. ↑ "Wheel of Fire," Babylon 5 . 1998-11-04.
  9. ↑ "Objects in Motion," Babylon 5 . 1998-11-11.
  10. ↑ Elyce Rae Helford (May 30, 2000). Fantasy Girls: Gender in the New Universe of Science Fiction and Fantasy Television . Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. pp.  231–. ISBN   978-0-7425-7969-9.
  11. ↑ Tallman, Patricia. Pleasure Thresholds Archived July 20, 2018, at the Wayback Machine .2011
  12. ↑ http://www.jmsnews.com/msg.aspx?id=1-69 Archived September 23, 2013, at the Wayback Machine . Originally posted to newsgroup rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated on 2000-11-23.
  13. ↑ "JMSNews ATT:JMS Titles and full names". jmsnews.com.
  14. ↑ "JMSNews Bad Rumour - Sheridan Leaving?". jmsnews.com.
  15. ↑ Keyes, J. Gregory. Final Reckoning: The Fate of Bester , p. 228. New York: Del Rey, 1999.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.