Note that the following review contains SPOILERS for J. Michael Straczynski’s latest Babylon 5 story which appears in the summer 2000 issue of “Amazing Stories”.  This can be ordered online from Wizards of the Coast

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Let me say one thing up front.  THANK YOU, jms.  This is the type of story that B5 fans of Marcus and Ivanova have been wanting to see forever.  It’s the happy ending we never thought we’d get.  It ‘fixes’ everything in the only way possible and leaves the romantic with a smile on her or his face.

That said, I don’t like it that much.

“Space, Time and the Incurable Romantic” is a perfect example of fanfic.  Yes, I know it was written by the creator and therefore the term “fan” doesn’t apply here, but take any typical post “Endgame” fic about Marcus and Ivanova and you’ll find things along similar lines.  As I read this story, I was surprised and gratified to find phrasing, themes and even entire sentences almost identical to things I’ve written in my own Susan/Marcus fanfic.

I am in no way saying jms copied my work.  What I’m saying that what I wrote, and what he wrote, fit a formula that any fan fiction writer can follow: the Fix-It Formula.  It goes something like this:  Take 1 (or 2) dead characters, throw in a little science fiction, some cloning or mind-regeneration, and viola!  They can live happily ever after.

About the only part that didn’t follow the fanfic “rule” was the ending.  We didn’t have declarations of love on either part and for that I am very glad because it allowed the characters to remain true to themselves.  This Ivanova is one who didn’t know what Marcus did for her.  She hasn’t allowed herself to accept that he loves her; these realisations only came about after he died.   So a series of “I love you”s would be ludicrous in this situation.

However, I’m very annoyed with Marcus.  What right does he have to take Ivanova and strand her on a planet for eternity with no company but him?  Okay, he has his reasons.  He loves her and he knows that she probably felt something for him – friendship, at least, but how can he think that it might turn into love?  He never saw her reactions after his death.

In fact, Ivanova herself may never capture those same emotions again.  In her new reality Marcus did not die for her and therefore she hasn’t felt the overwhelming sense of guilt and regret which caused her to re-examine her emotions.

I’m sure the Ivanova that we know and love will be outraged at being stranded on a planet with no way of escape.  Yes, we were shown Marcus’s memories of Ivanova wishing she could get away from it all.  But let’s look at the character.  Her entire life has been spent working – as part of Earthforce, Sheridan’s army, and then the Rangers (later) – and this demonstrate her dedication to a cause.  It’s argued that she threw herself into work because she didn’t have anything else and while that’s a legitimate excuse, it’s not the whole truth.  If someone truly had nothing then why would they bother going on living?  They have to care.  Ivanova cared, about humanity, the future, and her friends.  Even without Marcus she still had Sheridan, Delenn, Garibaldi and Stephen – people who meant a lot to her.

The Ivanova we know would not be content to quietly live out the rest of her life without at least letting these people know where she was.  More than that, I’m sure she would have wanted to know what was happening to the Alliance and if they really did make a difference.  Remember her words at the end of “Sleeping in Light”? "…we have to care for each other, because if we don't, who will?"

Granted, they were the words of a much older Ivanova but at the core, she’s essentially the same person, tenacious, dedicated and a warrior.  She would not throw that away for a “happily ever after” with a man she never even admitted she liked.

The above brings me to another major problematic point:  Marcus lied.  And Ivanova’s going to figure that out sooner or later.  Maybe after she learns the truth she might be happy to “settle down”.  Maybe not.

Wandering into fanfic territory, allow me to extrapolate the continuation of the story.  Ivanova wanders around a little dazed for the first few days, believing at face value what Marcus is telling her.  (Marcus, in the meantime, would build them a house.)  After a while Ivanova would begin to investigate how the ship had been shot down, if anything was salvageable, in particular, a radio transmitter.

Finding nothing, Ivanova would accept for the moment that she was stuck with –horror of horrors! – Marcus and it was time to concentrate on survival.  They would build shelter, figure out how to hunt and / or farm, enough for their immediate survival.   Maybe she would take that “vacation” she’d been dreaming of.

Then Ivanova would get restless and demand to explore the planet in hope of finding other beings with technology.  Marcus would try to talk her out of it and she would want to know why, but he can’t give her a reason without telling her the truth that they’re three hundred years in the future and everything they knew was gone.

Eventually, I’m sure Ivanova would drag the truth out of him.  She would yell and scream at him for a while after that, perhaps taking off on her own.  Marcus would be devestated.  Yet after a time, perhaps she would forgive him, even accept her new situation.  And maybe then, allow herself to love Marcus back.

But that won’t happen until she knows the truth.

And what if they decided to have children?  Can they condemn children to a lonely existence on an out-of-the-way planet?  Or is Marcus going to remain a virgin forever?  ;)
 

In some ways, this story almost cheapens the tragedy.  The tale of Marcus and Ivanova was a classic romantic tragedy and Susan was the doomed character who you knew would never get a lucky break.  That was partially why we all loved her so much – she went through so much pain yet had the strength to keep fighting on and on even when she was all alone.  Few people are that strong.

So…

Part of me loves this story because it’s the fairy-tale ending we always wanted.  The other part wants to write fanfic to “fix” it.  Whatever the outcome, I am glad it was written and I hope you enjoyed my review.
 
 

* Am I an authority on Babylon 5? No.  So what gives me the right to write this review?  Simply the fact that I loved the show and acknowledge it as my favourite series ever and one of the best things to appear on television in any decade.
 

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