fandomsecrets | [ SECRET POST #2308 ]

⌈ Secret Post #2308 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 04 pages, 085 secrets from Secret Submission Post #330.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

04. http://i.imgur.com/BMHnd2v.png

How the hell does her hair grow with that funky ridge thing going on?

i've always wondered the same thing

da

They actually addressed this in-universe; I guess the bone ridge was/is crucial to preserving Minbari skull integrity (they are normally bald --- here is picture of Delenn before "Chrysalis" --- http://static.hometheaterforum.com/imgrepo/0/03/htf_imgcache_38060.gif and after --- http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20080104041403/babylon5/images/6/62/Delenn.jpg

She was transformed into a Human/Minbari hybrid, to prove to both races that they each have the same souls (it makes sense in context) so they could broker an alliance to fight "the coming of the Shadows."

Not the anon but I was always confused by her hair too. Because the bone ridge is attached to her HEAD (presumably all the way around like on other Minbari) but her hair all appears to be one length with the ridge like a weird headband/crown going over top of it.

da

Yeah, this. She obviously has normal long hair with the bone crown over it, which ... works how, when it's supposedly part of her skull?

I mean, I can handwave it, fine, but it wasn't the most inspired choice by the make-up department ever.

Is the ridge thing actually attached all the way around, or is it just sort of hovering like a halo sort of thing?

And even if it's attached, if it grows out of the skull in little thin, um...bridges or whatever, the hair could grow through that.

Though it does look a bit...not well thought out.

Hard to tell. She was originally full Minbari, who have basically solid bony plate extrusions from the back of their skulls covering the entire back of their heads. She went through a weird hybridising cocoon which made her part human, so the crown is presumably a vestigial plate. This would suggest that it's both solid and emerging from her actual skull all the way around, like the originals, but it's possible that because of the transformation it's only attached at either end like a mandible, or that it's no longer solid but something like a baleen plate that allows hair through it.

It's just that the make-up department visibly went for 'normal hair, but put a bony-looking crown over it', which was ... an unfortunate choice, really.

Huh.

Yup, very unfortunate choice. They should have stayed with bald. Or given her a Friar Tuck fringe. :)

I once read that they tested a style the would have been more logical with the boney ridge, but it looked terrible, so they had to rethink it totally and ended up with... that.

I like how it looks in the show, but I do think it looks illogical.

That's the issue though, it's never really explained, and as I said, the rest of her race all have the ridge attached all around the skull, and it's much bigger and covers more area around the back of the skull as well, iirc. I mean, there's even this little scene where it's definitely long all over and you can't even see the ridge at all.

This was something that bothered me through the entire time I was watching the show, I have Feelings on this issue.

You can sort of see the ridge in that scene, just emerging from her temple and going up under the ... forest.

But yeah, it always bugged me too. And really, this should not be the part of the show you're focusing on, but it just niggles at you. Seriously. What's up with it?

I think it's partly because as in that scene, Delenn likes to explain her biology a LOT so there's emphasis on that so that this little quirk gets absolutely nothing, not even another scene where she's... fastening ridge on or whatever the hell is, about to interrupted by Important Space Station Things, kind of stands out.

(no subject)

(Anonymous) - 2013-04-29 01:17 (UTC) - Expand

Heee!
I totally understand. I have the same sort of 'feelings' on issues in shows, too. Doesn't make me hate them, or detract or anything, but.... It bugs me.

Early on, right after her transformation, they did it differently and had the hair in top of her head gathered into one big lock that tumbled down to one side *over* the ridge. They switched to the headband look fairly soon and, yeah, it makes no sense (and I thought the original look was prettier, IMHO).

This style you mean? I had completely forgotten about that since it was gone so quickly, heh. Though from other angles if that cap is from the same time period it still looks weird.

Yeah cool, roger all of that, but how does her hair not look all fucked up with the skull ridge?

Maybe I'll finally let my husband talk me into watching the last season. I haven't been able to get into it after the bullshit way they ended the Shadow War, I've been unable to continue watching.

Babylon 5 secret! I love this show so much. I only watched it for the first time last summer and have already re-watched it 3 times. And I agree, the final was perfection.

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE BABYLON FIVE SECRET!!!!!

OK OK I'll add this tidbit, for anyone else fence-sitting about watching this show: The finale, "Sleeping in Light" was written and filmed ONE FULL YEAR before the final season (because they didn't know if they were going to get picked up or not).

Babylon 5 is totally the epic, hardcore, can't-put-it-down SF novel you wish you could read over and over and over again. Totally. Can't speak highly enough about it. Better than Star Trek, in ANY of Trek's incarnations. (I say this AS a Trekkie tyvm.)

sa

I should add, I watched the show as it was being aired. Google The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5 for all the detailed commentary and explanations for the show.

I don't know how this secret merits being a Fandom secret. I thought the awesomeness of "Sleeping in Light" was a rather standard/popular opinion.

maybe if people knew that babylon 5 even existed nowadays.

I was going to bring up the finale from "Six Feet Under", and then I saw you specified Sci Fi television series, and so I have nothing to say now except that I think I agree with you. B5 probably has the best sci fi finale that I can think of.

Oh. So. True.