GOODBYE, MICHAEL O' HARE...

The original boss of BABYLON 5. Michael O' Hare as Commander Jeffrey Sinclair. Image: WARNER BROTHERS.

I remember watching the earlier episodes of J. Michael Straczynski's super, amazingly never quite made it out to the mainstream success it deserved, sci-fi drama series BABYLON 5, and remember what a glorious breath of fresh air it was-a total contrast to all the modern STAR TREK series then on the airwaves, and a bold and different type of universe far away from Gene Roddenberry's utopia, full of intriguing and diverse humans and aliens, none of whom were perfect, with flaws and character traits that soon made them a part of my life's must-see television every week for the next five years. Our lead human heroes in particular were an interesting mix: a security chief with a bum career who had on and off battles with the booze, a seemingly stern Russian second-in-command whose life had been full of tragedy, having lost her mother and brother, and was a true realist and often fatalist, but at the top of the tree was a bold and loyal station commander, with a shrouded past gnawing away at his conscience, caught in the crossfire of alien worlds and their diplomats, often at war or some kind of conflict with each other, whose disputes needed constant settling on what would become an outpost known as "the last best hope for peace".

The first season cast of BABYLON 5 pose for a rare, special publicity image.

The original series trio: O'Hare with Claudia Christian as Susan Ivanova and Jerry Doyle as Garibaldi.

And it was stage and TV actor Michael O'Hare's fine performance as Commander Jeffrey Sinclair that I really enjoyed the most that opening year, full of quiet dignity, warmth and humane intelligence, alongside a very thoughtful and philosophical, Tennyson reading nature, combined with his tough but fair duties and accomplishments as both a station commander, diplomat and a solider. On-screen, O'Hare, well-chosen for the role by series creator Straczynski, had great charisma and a different edge to him from all the other space commanders or captains we'd seen in past sci-fi hits, and his character was full of well-developed and realised mystery- suffering from a mysterious bout of amnesia during a critical battle in a previous war against the religious/warrior aliens, the Mimbari, of which his future relationship with them would them be deemed untrustworthy-considered a puppet on a string- by his Earthforce military superiors. Such building plot and personality details added detail and nuance for the actor to play with, as Sinclair secretly and determinedly fought to discover the truth about what happened to him all those years ago. And just when it was all building up to a very satisfying peak, where the stories were hitting their stride and the character relationships were truly clicking, the actor, who had picked up a strong fan base and was popular, was sadly taken away from us and the show, as the series backers at WARNER BROTHERS/PETN asked for a more well-known lead actor to shore it up for its eventually commissioned second season-a name talent that would eventually be the audience friendly Bruce Boxleitner as the different but no less heroic Captain John Sheridan, a fine choice for the series, and a new arrival who would would quickly be just as enthusiastic and supportive about the show and its potential as the departing O'Hare-leaving on a friendly note with the behind the scenes team. It took me a bit of time to get used to the amiable, big smiled, more gung-ho Sheridan/ Boxleitner from year two onwards, though I enjoyed the new directions he took it. But it was Michael O' Hare's original performance as Sinclair, though, as the first commander of Babylon 5-and his excellent later guest re-appearances in years two and three, always ending with a seemingly sombre edge which eventually brought his arc to a very satisfying close-that I will always remember and cherish. Remembering the actors dedication and enthusiasm to the show on and off screen and the success and fan enthusiasm he brought with his performance, as well as the characters sometimes lost potential alongside a quiet sense of nostalgia. And now sorrow, what with the sad, very sad, news of the actor's passing at the all-too young age of 60 this weekend...

A circular future awaits our hero, now leader of the Rangers in Season Three.

"Nothing's the same anymore..."  

Never have such words now rung true. Goodbye, Michael, and thank-you.

Check out O'Hare's marvellous introduction, with that brilliant and charismatic voice he had, to the original premiere season of BABYLON 5: Babylon 5 Season 1 Intro HD - YouTube