Walter Koenig Compares Star Trek to Babylon 5, C2E2 2020

[@kellypaws]

After the first episode Bester appeared in, the Star Trek tie was gone. He made his own, quite brilliant, complex character. Beautifully played.

[@jhoughjr1]

Hearing him again almost gave me chills lol.

[@miller-joel]

Not gone. He will always be Chekov. And now he's also much more.

[@Muck006]

@@miller-joel Chekov "had no character" which is what he explained here ... Bester had a deep personality and motivations and thus is a MUCH BETTER role to remember him by.

[@miller-joel]

@@Muck006 Chekov was a much simpler character compared to Bester. But he will always be a part of the iconic original Star Trek crew.

[@sannakarppinen4163]

Walter Koenig was perfect in the role of bester..

[@decam5329]

I remember being quite shocked seeing him in B5. By the end of his first episode there was nobody else who could play that part.

[@Antares-dw9iv]

Probably one of my favorite sci fi antagonists of all time.

[@RobertWilke]

When he was brought in he was the prototypical villain that the episode needed. Then as he came back again they begin to explain why he is that way. In the character's mind they think they are doing the right thing. That make them the best antagonists to use. By the end we understand who he is and not so much have sympathy for him but a wee bit more compassion.

[@decam5329]

@@RobertWilke that was the wonderful thing about B5 writing. Even the vilans where well rounded characters.

[@DavidBarlowDavido01]

In a lot of ways he was doing the right things.

[@johnbuchman4854]

Anatomically impossible Mr Garibaldi--but you are welcome to try: anywhere, anytime!

[@pauldavis9387]

B5 was so well written. It really stands out.

[@jhoughjr1]

due to not being design by committee

[@PackerBronco]

Bester was a great character. He was a "bad guy" but he didn't see himself as a bad guy and you could understand his motivations and goals even as if you disagreed with them.

[@TommiPuuska]

Well said! B5 had great characters and their stories 👍

[@nicholasdickens2801]

“A bit like you… and your badge.” Dust to Dust. Such a brilliantly complex and a brilliant character brought to life by JMS’s scripts and Walter.

[@lothlend6301]

Babylon 5 is my all time favourite sci fi series. The way plot points were set up seasons ahead and tied together was out of this world. The big revelations and mysteries of the series kept me captivated and left me excited every single episode.

[@christianemden7637]

Playing Alfred Bester in mere 7 episodes left a more lasting impression, than being Pavel Chekov, in much more time. The writing certainly helped, but Mr. Koenig also could play,that man as subtle an$ threatening as it was necessary. He could have been a comic book villain, but ended up being so much better.

[@davidpickens8800]

thought he was in 12

[@danielclark4324]

Yeah 12

[@A_Maggot]

That's because Bester was an awesome antagonist, well written and played.

[@ntr10me]

So true

[@blackc1479]

@@A_Maggot he was a perfect example of "the devil you know". I just hope w this whole reboot thing they don't bring him back with a crap rationalization about why he's a bad guy like they seem to favor lately (i.e. gone in 60 seconds, he has to save his brother, etc.) You can make an engaging bad guy, without hanging a sign on their positive motivation or reducing them to one dimension. Bester was a great character because he was busy either being the hero of his own story, or at least making others pay for screwing it up. That's relatable motivation.

[@juleswild9498]

B5 is hands down a top sci fi classic. Walter is a legend!

[@marianwelty5552]

It hurts my heart so much to know everything this man has gone through in his life. He lost his son, there was a huge push to find him when he disappeared, only to find his body hanging in a tree at a park. Then his wife died last December (2022) and he is one of 3 surviving members of the Original Star Trek cast. (Sulu, Kirk, and Checkov are the only ones left :( ) As much as I adored him in Star Trek, nothing could compare to Mr.Alfred Bester in Babylon 5. I'm also glad he finally got his star on the walk of fame! Took decades from when he should have gotten one!

[@Strato13]

Babylon 5 was so ahead of its time. Up until then, there didn't exist those blocky, super massive Dreadnaughts that had that more realistic straight forward design with the various blocky powerful modules, and some with the rotating module to simulate gravity. Now you see those very same designs in games like Space Armada, Infinite Galaxy, Nova empire and such. also too, they revolutionized the idea of "Bio Ships" like no one else before them, nor after them. In ST Voyager, "Species 8472" Bio Ships are a dead ripoff of the Vorlons, and even that Alien looks like a Shadow in design but yellow instead of darker hues. Not knocking Star Trek, but Walter did make many points as to just WHO were the Stars. By the Way, Bester probably gave the ST writers the idea for Section 31.

[@craigs71]

There is Bureau 13 in Babylon 5 which was a secret section of the Psi Corps.

[@LordPadriac]

I don't know what scifi you've been watching or how new you are to the genre but big hulking space ships with rotating sections have been a staple in scifi for a very, very long time. Also, minor correction, rotating sections don't actually simulate gravity. That's why they've never been seriously considered in any real world application. What rotating sections do is simulate the feeling of gravity, to a point, on the outside of the section that's rotating. Those rotating sections wouldn't create any feeling of gravity outside of the rotating section itself. And, again, they would only simulate the feeling of gravity up to a point in that section. They don't actually create gravity and you would still suffer all of the problems associated with extended periods in zero g that you would suffer without the rotating section.

[@Splatterpunk_OldNewYork]

Nexus: The Jupiter Incident, I'm looking at you.

[@ghostbirdofprey]

They're actually heavily inspired by the Leonov from 2010: The Year We Make Contact which was released in 1984

[@JohnDlugosz]

@@LordPadriac Acceleration and gravity are fundamentally the same thing. That is the premise of GR. Someone living in a rotating habitat will be subject to forces on the various structures of his cells and body that will be exactly like living on a massive body, and *not* suffer the effects of zero-g.

[@patrickseaman]

Years ago, I had the priviledge to bring Walter in to be the narrator voice on Ken Carodine's "All The Tea" full cast audiobook (I was the publisher). Walter was absolutely wonderful to work with. He was charming, witty and a very classy man.

[@beardedchimp]

Well of course you would say that, a P12 psycop no doubt made sure you would write comments across the internet praising his brilliance. Do you ever find yourself waking up in the morning saying the Corps is mother, the Corps is father?

[@CyberBeep_kenshi]

B5, still the best SF series:) and Bester was awesome

[@adamellis8829]

Babylon 5 was pretty great, but the "best science fiction series"? No.

[@adamellis8829]

@William Lee yeah, it would likely squeek into my top 10 as well.

[@bleekcer]

@@adamellis8829 What do you have in mind? I'm looking for good sci-fi series. For me only The Expanse is up to the greatness of Babylon 5, especially considering the writing, but I haven't seen them all of course.

[@TheSafetySmith]

Walter is sooo underrated as an actor. B5, says it all about how talented he really was and remains. Hope he is in the new B5 somehow

[@garhent]

Walter playing Bester gave me creeps, he did the character so damn well. He played the character so well and the characters back ground was twisted and dark. Watching the characters of B5 having to work with Bester was like watching the allies having to work with the nazsties to fight off cthulu from destroying the world.

[@Poss1]

Delightful. I'm so pleased he mentions "Becoming Superman." I've read it and listened to it. Peter Jurasik's narration is wonderful. Highly recommended! I look forward to "Beaming Up and Getting Off," now updated. This is a nice fortuitous reminder to read something I have long planned to. Thanks!

[@KCKingdomCreateGreatTrekAgain]

Now we need becoming Bester and becoming Londo.

[@derwoodcauthon7476]

Thanks for sharing this wonderful clip from C2E2 2020!

[@edtrine8692]

He was treated as a veteran actor.

[@musicalcolin]

Literally in the midst of a Babylon 5 rewatch rightn now and the thing with Babylon 5 is that it is a great show. It was basically doing modern tv with arcs, character growth, through planned story, etc. but 20 years ago. Personally I think it stands head over heels above star trek. And I _love_ star trek. But episodic story telling has its limits. Even Deep Space 9 is more the illusion of arc and character growth than actual arc/character growth. In some ways I found if more frustrating than TNG, which just commits to its episodic story telling

[@Sheriff_Ochs]

I agree 100% on ur point about DS9. TNG knows what it is and does all it can (when it's at its best) within the episodic framework. DS9 just winged it, trying to tell a long-form narrative but with no planning. TNG holds up far better overall for me as a result.

[@Nikioko]

DS9 was a copy of B5. But they could only copy the basic principle, not the whole concept from JMS' show bible.

[@Sheriff_Ochs]

@@Nikioko Yeppp, it was just straight up theft by paramount after JMS pitched it to them.

[@popmonika]

At it's worst, b5 was a solid written show with interesting characters and just about acceptable special effects... At it's best it was the greatest television show ever!!

[@Nikioko]

@@popmonika Most of the time, the latter one was the case. I just ask: What do you want?

[@tfritzon]

What an absolutely awesome outfit he has. Looks like an old Swedish fisherman.

[@seaninflorida9741]

I've always thought Alfred Bester is one of the most complex characters in TV science fiction, and Koenig played him just right.

[@davidsheppard6786]

wouldn't it be great if Walter Koenig had a cameo on Expanse, then he could have a claim to fame of being on 3 awesome SyFy's

[@CyberBeep_kenshi]

Yesssssssssss

[@johnsensebe3153]

Well, he was the star of Moon Trap...

[@johnbuchman4854]

You are forgetting about the Voyage of the Star Lost series in which he played the alien named Oro.

[@tomsko863]

He can do much better than The Expanse. The directing and writing are so bad on that show.

[@JnEricsonx]

@@johnsensebe3153 And that's how as a kid I found out he wasn't a Russian actor per se, because I was like, "How come he doesn't sound like he does on Star Trek?" Also, my first experience of Bruce Campbell.

[@andrewwilliams9599]

Want to find out what a classy person Walter Koenig is? Watch this clip. He literally spends half of it praising J. Michael Stracyznski and his autobiography, Becoming Superman. THAT is a class act.

[@pizzedahff3127]

One of the best sci-fi trilogies I ever read was Babylon 5: Psi Corps: The Rise and Fall of Alfred Bester.

[@AnotherScifiGuy]

I really want to read that!

[@hobbychain]

Such a great series. Highly recommend any B5 fan to find and read them.

[@MattMcClanahanPDX]

All three B5 novel trilogies are practically required reading, partly because they're canon but mostly because they flesh out some of the most interesting edges of the B5 universe. Where did the psi-corps come from? We only got a hint of it in the series. Where did the technomages come from, and what were they up to while everything was burning? Even fewer hints in the series. What happened to the Centauri? Tiny glimpses in the series.

[@AnotherScifiGuy]

@@MattMcClanahanPDX wish they weren’t so hard to find now.

[@jonsoltvedt5146]

Those books are fantastic.

[@TheBelegur]

Alfred Bester was a sympathetic villain and I attributed his likeability to Walter Koenig. Brilliantly done.

[@StarFleet_Tech1701]

I just rewatched B5 franchise two months ago (B5, the movies and Crusade).

[@khathaway414]

You knew Walter Koenig was playing Bester great, when he made you want to reach through the TV to strangle him.

[@headjames]

What made it a really interesting character was not that you wanted to strangle him sometimes, but you also felt compassion for him as well because of the fate of his lover, used by the Shadows.

[@danamccarthy5514]

Walter is a wonderful person, and very fun to meet. A true gentleman.

[@davidevans3227]

he's talking about the "stars" and then "the rest of us" ..but i'm sure as long as i can remember, so back roughly 1973, '74.. when i was five or six in infant school and playing trek in the playground and watching it on telly he and the other less central characters were important and stars to us children.. and until i heard such people talk about how they felt, they were/are all the stars of the show and its confused me know a bit i think? great character in Babylon five.. great job.. 🙂 x

[@Deevo037]

Nice cardigan and hat Walter. 😊

[@derwoodcauthon7476]

Becoming Superman needs more love.

[@pearsonmui229]

Got a copy myself. It really is an inspirational read.

[@NoahChinnBooks]

I got his next book, Becoming a Writer, Staying a Writer.

[@ophidahlia1464]

Koenig seems like such a nice, chill, thoughtful fella. He was fantastic as Bester in B5, IMO just a level above his ST work since the material he was given really let him use all his talents in a way his role in ST never did, mostly having been a background support to Shatner, Nimoy, and Kelley by being a dutiful ST helmsman. I'd love to see him get more screen time in more center-stage & character-focused role like Bester. Also, Koenig makes such a great villain, his PSI Cop bad guy alternated between giving me the creeps and just plain hating him, which is a mark of someone doing an incredible job playing a really effective villain.

[@xander333333]

I will always love the original Star Trek but I am a forever faithful fan of B-5.

[@ANonymous-mo6xp]

He was such a vile despicable villain on B5. Bester was one of his greatest roles.

[@alienlife7754]

I think Mr. Koenig has experienced this from both sides but nothing has really changed. On many shows you still have the “stars” and then the supporting cast. Shows like Friends or Big Bang Theory where everyone is more or less equal are the exception, not the rule.

[@jimofaotearoa3636]

Bester was a character with true depth. You hated him but the more you got to know him the more human he become...he had real reasons and issues for the things he did..he wasn't a two-bit "nyuh nyuh nya" villain of todays TV and movies...who are baddies only because the script said so....

[@hueyiroquois3839]

Finally, clothing styles even weirder than the styles in sci-fi.

[@shaunhall6834]

I'm so glad he moved on from Star Trek and fulfilled his full potential.

[@frankryan2505]

Fraternity.. sorority..have to love this guy..

[@tjnaples]

Galaxy Quest is the best Star Trek movie since Khan and The Orville is the best Star Trek on TV right now,

[@boqndimitrov8693]

The perfect villain! Even after so many years, I remember it clearly! ..

[@KillaWizardry]

Loved Bester!!!

[@greanstreak04]

Bester was the best character that I loved to hate. If Garabaldi had shoved him out of a airlock, I would have cheered. But Bester was better than that. He played the role so well....

[@simoncollett4524]

That nautical themed hat he's wearing makes me wonder where he moored his wessel 😄 😁 😆

[@richbennett6577]

Bester was a great character in B5

[@gazamblegaming6610]

I really liked him as Chekov but i loved him as Bester. Babylon 5 The Best Series ever!

[@christopherramsay5517]

One best actors in both.

[@LucianLacroix]

He won the interstellar ugly sweater contest.

[@MarvinWestmaas]

Bester vs Checkov... even as a certified Trekkie I can't do anything but go for Bester. He's the best villain in the series imho, maybe because Molari and others had so much story line you always found parts you could relate to, and the other 'bad people' like Mr. Morden didn't have enough story behind them. Bester... not so much.

[@mrs.wontkins9294]

I loved Bester so much that I cosplayed as a Psi Cop at a Vulkon when I was 14.

[@Tim60076]

I remember Babylon 5 well. I really enjoyed it. Correct me if I’m wrong but one of things that made it so successful was its use o computer technology. I believe it was Commodore Amiga. For few years they one of the most advanced graphs computer at that time. This made it possible to create special sci-fi affect’s at a very reasonable cost compared to astronomical prices it cost at that time. The computer generated a very nice simulation of alien ships etc. Most people don’t remember Commodore Amiga. I do because I had 26 or more in my art room. I had 15 minutes of fame for a few years because I was the only in the USA teaching computer graphics in an middle school. A Commodore rep contacted me and told me this. Obviously Apple computers quickly blew out of existence so fast no remembers and take all special affects in movies etc for granted.

[@MetalMalc]

Some Atari ST's ran over weekends to create certain shots (control panels etc). My favourite 'fact' is that NASA requested a model of a Star Fury and Straczynski had to have one made because everything was computer generated (Star Trek was still using models at this time).

[@00bikeboy]

He'll always be Ensign Chekov to me ❤🇨🇦🖖

[@protorhinocerator142]

I had never before considered the strata of actors that he describes. I suppose only Kirk, Spock, and McCoy got any real character development. I see it now.

[@stuart4860]

B5- top 5 sci fi of all time

[@johnbuchman4854]

It was the best of times, it was the Bester of times... Walter Koenig put the Psi in Psi-fi...

[@kirishima2370]

Says something about the man that he stands up and promotes someone else's book

[@ronaldwhite1730]

thank - you .

[@David-Field.Stuff01]

Will he be in the reboot?

[@colinfarren8326]

They were both well written..........that is all.....otherwise not comparable at all. Thanks for listening. He was really good as Alf Bester though. A properly insidious baddie and he himself says enjoyed playing. Given the state of the sci-fi universe today I fear this will be the ones that are remebered.

[@insertanynameyouwant5311]

Is that a woman that Motley Crue vocalist made video with ?

[@user-Stephen-1967]

I believe that you are referring to Penthouse Pet Janine Lindemuller ? ? ?

[@paulsarnik8506]

Surprised JMS didn't name more characters after sci Fi bigwigs 🤓😎✌🏻

[@Tim60076]

Yes it was a head of it time…remember it well 😊

[@ablethreefourbravo]

It's sad, he seems like his memory is slipping. He sounds really well read and well spoken when he talks, but he seems to lose his place a lot.

[@ninja011]

Speaking as someone that has shared tea and talked with him, he is a very shy man. He has always found it easier to act and speak from a script, then from off the cuff. He enjoys meeting people at conventions, but improv speaking on a stage like in this video, is always very hard for him, and a bit panic-inducing. Which shows how much strength and courage he has to get up there and speak to these large crowds as he does. He even told me that as scared as he gets to speak to the audience, he enjoys it too. Sure with age, all people's memories will fade but his stuttering and stammering is not from that, but from the most classic of an actor's enemy, stage fright.

[@Oceansama]

​@@ninja011 Thank you for sharing that insight. Like @ablethreefourbravo I too was worried about Mr. Koenig. Great actor and kinda wished he had more time in B5 as Bester.

[@stevegreen5552]

When I attended a 4 day conference July 1997 in Blackpool where all the B5 cast and many of the production crew attended, there was a fire alarm. Walter, along with the actors who played Morden and Na'Toth, entertained the crowd in the car park by telling jokes. A great memory.

[@JnEricsonx]

@@stevegreen5552 Morden or Bester-which was the worse villain? I say Morden. Bester sure didn't wanna sell out Earth-just help RUN IT.

[@BerenMace]

@@JnEricsonx He didnt want to ruin it. He wanted to protect it but even more other Telepaths. He was a great grey character. Overall B5 was great with the morals. They were no truly evil people. Because just like in reality bad people do bad things because they think they are necessary to come to the right end. The best villains are heroes in their own mind.

[@popmonika]

Anyone who's watched great star trek will know him as Checkov- but anyone who's watched great television will know him as Alfred Bester!!

[@okpeace4687]

Bester was awesome telepath

[@TheSECRETeam]

Take that, William Shatner!

[@tomsko863]

In Walters other interviews (check out Foundation Interviews) he mentions that after Star Trek he was on set with Shatner again and Shatner couldn't remember his name or acknowledge who he was. It's wasn't the first interview I heard which put Shatner in a negative light.

[@amandaburnside1825]

@@tomsko863 Yeah, Bill is an @$$

[@davidcampbell1420]

@@tomsko863 No one likes Shatner. He's a narcissist. Good sense of humour, but awful to many people.

[@lanky-x782]

I truly hope JMS forgets doing any reboot of B5. Every actor on B5 created their characters. For fans of B5, can any other actor really replace the original actor playing Mollari? Bester? G'kar? Ivanova? Mr Morden? Cartagia? The original actors were PERFECT for the roles they played. They can't be replaced. Bester was one of the most interesting characters besides Morden. I never could tell if I disliked Bester or felt sorry for him.

[@senorpepper3405]

I've never seen Babylon 5 and i heard it was sort of similar to deep space 9. it looks like i have to pay 30 bucks a season to watch. that's too bad.

[@pearsonmui229]

Well, there's always the DVD box set for about $100--all 5 seasons for what you'd pay for 3 seasons of streaming.

[@1978rharris]

Why do a lot of B5 fans run Star Trek down? Yes B5 gave Koenig more screen time and highlighted his skills as an actor, but let’s not forget how he GOT there in the first place. You’ve forgotten how ground breaking TOS was. You’re taking it for granted. Stop doing that. Trek is awesome. B5 is awesome. That’s objective facts for you.

[@rfletch62]

Love for Koenig! But Bester, Geez, I hated your ass! Guess that makes a great actor!

[@aquariandawn4750]

I love Star Trek but always wished they'd had the writers of B5. That, and I believe it was robbed by the network to create DS9,which always felt like a more adult Star Trek.

[@Rikalonius]

Did that girl forget her pants?

[@MelissaHash]

To me, Walter Koenig will always be Al Bester, Bad Ass Psi Cop! Nuttin' against Chekov I just loved Bester more!

[@steveross8364]

Psicop Bester was Koenig's best role. Checkov was really a running gag and never got any decent storylines. "Wrath of Khan" was the closest he ever got to a decent story.

[@gizmothewytchdoktor1049]

b5 was better written overall. more depth. 'the corps is mother. the corps is father.' who are you? what do you want? who do you serve? who do you trust?

[@marknorville9611]

I appreciate that he is old, but he should have tried speaking in Russian, I would have been able to understand him more. However, this is the first time that I have ever heard him speak outside of Star Trek, I might have seen his appearance on B5 but cannot remember it.

[@rpscorp9457]

He played the Psi hunter if i remember correctly.

[@marknorville9611]

@@rpscorp9457 I have not watched B5 since it first aired to be honest. I think I tried watching it a few years ago but lost interest. I have always been more star wars, than trek, but I can watch trek over and over again. However, apart from the cartoons, I think that disney have killed star wars for me. The real life shows suck, and first we had Mandalorian and now Bobba Fett back from the dead, so two bounty hunter shows, which to me is boring. It would have been a lot better if they had done a whole universe kind of thing, so instead of movies, they done TV shows which spread onto the force. As I say though, the cartoons are great they just have a lot more to them.

[@rpscorp9457]

@@marknorville9611 A lot of people wanted to see Boba Fett though. Still, not much hope for SW while KK is still at the helm.

[@marknorville9611]

@@rpscorp9457 I know it is sci fi, but I just watched the clip where he goes 100% into the mouth of the sand monster screaming. So to purists such as myself he died, unless it was his day off and he lent his suit to his best mate for the day just to look bad ass. Disney just turned it into a cash cow.

[@pearsonmui229]

@@marknorville9611 Getting a little off the path with the Star Wars commentary. Babylon 5 is available on multiple streaming services including Amazon Prime, so feel free to acquaint yourself with Alfred Bester that way. It's one of Mr. Koenig's best roles.

[@Reoh0z]

I loved hating Bester.

[@kaiariarti3789]

al bester rocks!... i would both fight al bester...and fight alongside al bester

[@Leondegrance2]

You'd want to get that in the right order. Actually, scratch that. He'd detect you would eventually attack him and 'suggest' you take a nice walk out an airlock. For the flowers of course.

[@beardedchimp]

@@Leondegrance2 its fairly simple right? You fight Al Bester, and without realising it you are now fighting alongside Al Bester. It is the way of the world. You were the one who was, briefly the one who is and now the one who will be.. Bester friends with Bester.

[@BlueGravity777]

I haven't watched this yet but i do know Babylon 5 is not comparable so much to star trek as it is to deep space 9. You see because they were both star bases that didn't move. Babylon 2, 3, and 4 could move 5 could not. EDIT: oh hes just comparing working conditions. I heard Shatner stole the show or threw a fit till he got his way. Of course this is all hearsay.

[@mrgallardo777]

Never give up , Never surrender . ..... Wait wrong scifi movie

[@spleefthedude7747]

B5>ST

[@ronaldtreitner1460]

doesn't seem to be much at public speaking, he fumbles a lot.

[@kills26]

He is 85