In the sci-fi TV series Babylon 5, the character of Alfred Bester is cold, calculating, and more than a little bit creepy. The idea of people being able to search inside your head for any information they want is disturbing enough without being attached to such a sinister figure as Bester. A far cry from Walter Koenig's most well-known character, Pavel Chekov, Bester is, simply put, one of those characters that most fans love to hate.
Being an avid fan of Walter Koenig, I suppose I'm a bit biased when I say that I adore his portrayl of Bester, but I believe that even if he weren't one of my favorite actors, I would still love the performance. His approach to humor as Bester is dry and unnerving, almost making you wonder whether or not it actually was intended by the character to be humor. Everything about Bester, from the way he speaks to the way he walks, tells the audience that we don't want him anywhere near our brains. Which, I think, is exactly what Koenig wants us to think. He creates such an elusive, eerie character and, on top of all the things that already make him creepy, he can read your mind and get inside your head whenever he wants -- the recipe for a perfect villain.
In my opinion, no one could have made Bester as delightfully spooky as Koenig did, if not only for the fact that Star Trek fans went into the twelve B5 episodes that featured him thinking about his portrayl of Chekov. And since Bester couldn't be any more different than Chekov, it came as more of a surprise to sci-fi buffs, which, of course, only added to the creepiness.
In this role, Walter Koenig proves to Trekkers everywhere that he is more than Pavel Chekov. He also shows Babylon 5 fans that Bester is definitely a formidable villain.
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GREAT LINES/MOMENTS:
"Anatomically impossible, Mr. Garibaldi, but you're welcome to try .. anytime .. anywhere."
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Bester: If I had my talent working, I could've warned you when he was coming.
Garibaldi: And if I had a baseball bat, we could hang you from the ceiling and play piñata. I still think I should've gone straight to G'Kar.
Bester: We have no evidence that he made the sale yet. Why annoy the Narn without cause if we are wrong? Shut off the problem at the source and the rest attends to itself. A piñata, huh? So, you think of me as something bright and cheerful full of toys and candy for young children. Thank you! That makes me feel... much better about our relationship.
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"You know the real reason you don't like me, Commander? It's the jealousy of evolution. Normals like you are obsolete. The future belongs to telepaths .. and I intend to make sure that future happens. One way or another."
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"Your war .. is now my war."
Thanks for the post.
ReplyDeleteThe Bester character is a study of an individual who, having seen his people oppressed, views the rest of humanity as his enemy. It seems to me that his 'evil' stems from this oppression, and in that sense I wonder if it's fair to consider him 'evil'. He was a product of circumstance and past wrongs, not that two wrongs make a right.
In contrast, Chekhov was really a bit part with no psychological depth. It's not surprising Koenig found Bester a more satisfying role. Despite the small screentime of Bester, he was a lynchpin character of B5, amongst other strong characters, particularly the double act of G'Kar and Londo Molari. I think Alfred Bester would have been a less powerful figure if played by someone of lesser ability than Koenig.
Chris.
He was a Darth Vader like character, but what I loved was what you said above. Being a lifelong Trekker since 1966, seeing the juxtaposition of just how different Bester was from Checkov, and not having a Russian accent, did throw me for a loop, and he played Bester deliciously villanous. An intelligent, determined character that wielded his power subtly but emphatically. He played it to the hilt, with much emotional depth and force. Unfortunately he never really got to do that with the Checkov character because of Shatner's overweening ego, EXCEPT inna very well fone fan made folm on You tube called Star Trek Renegades, where he plays Admiral Checkov.
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