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By GustavoLeao / 09:16, 13 March 2010 / General Genre/SciFi
Babylon 5 star Bruce Boxleitner returns to the role of Tron in the upcoming movie Tron Legacy, due in theaters Dec. 17, but here TrekWeb brings you a rare interview with Boxleitner published in the now cancelled british magazine Cult Times issue 12, February 1996. Here are few excerpts of the interview, presented here as part of our "Archives Interviews" series of articles.
Q: What do you think of Babylon 5's 'rivals'?
A: Television-wise it's kind of hit or miss. A year ago we had many more Science Fiction shows that have all gone off the air. I watched in horror as Earth 2 went off, as VR5 and SeaQuest gave up. The X-Files is the only one that seems to stay on, but for a broader audience - other than Star Trek - it's really not that accepted. We have to come to grips with that. People want Friends and ER.
Q: What are your views of The X-Files and Star Trek?
A: The X Files covers much broader territory. I'm a big fan of The X- Files. We could have that kind of story in this show - we could get away with a paranormal story. Star Trek allowed Babylon 5 to happen. It's the strongest in television, it's weathered those thirty years and you can't argue with its massive impact on culture. I preferred the earlier ones, but I did like The Next Generation. I wasn't an avid follower. I did catch this show a couple of times during its first season and I thought, 'That's interesting...' It's a different view, which I think we need to have.
Q: In what ways would you say that Babylon 5 differs from Star Trek?
A: Babylon 5 has this continuing story, which they didn't have in Star Trek. Also it has a whole darker outlook. I like the Star Wars sagas, and I saw a lot of that in Babylon 5. The idea of a space station being a sort of Casablanca in space was interesting, and just the way it's shot... it's darker, there's more intrigue going on. My only criticism of Star Trek is that they have to stick to being Star Trek - whereas we don't have to stick to being anything, other than we do have this bible, but even then that's malleable. Every story doesn't have to be an arc-driven story. We have side stories we go off on. I did this thing for another magazine with Nana Visitor [who plays Major Kira Nerys] from DS9, and we laughed about this rivalry. I guess it's kind of healthy in a way, it's good for all of us. I think the more Science Fiction shows the better, it makes it a better atmosphere.
The full interview can be found in issue 12 of Cult Times magazine.
You can watch the new trailer of Tron Legacy at Wired.com
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