The name of the site...question...

[Thrythlind]

....is it a reference to Babylon 5?

I've been trying to find an older place for that quote, because it feels like something B5 was referencing, but I'm not sure.

[Tebryn]

Well, I picked the name when I first signed on to the Wizards.com message boards in April 2001. As memory serves, I had been reading the boards but not posting for a few weeks when I saw a topic in which everyone who had replied thus far was a complete moron. In a fit of snippiness, I registered and decided to pick a name that would have a connotation of intellectual superiority. Now, I am also a lifelong fan of the Babylon 5 television show, and at one point during the early 4th season, Sheridan refers to the ultra-powerful Vorlons and Shadows as "giants in the playground, unaware of whom they are stepping on." The quote later made it into the 5th season opening credits. So I decided it had the right level of implication for the bozos to which I was about to respond.

From the FAQ.

[Thrythlind]

cool, that's awesome.

[shawnhcorey]

Wasn't there a reference earlier in the series about "giants walk there"?

[factotum]

Wasn't there a reference earlier in the series about "giants walk there"?

That could be talking about the Walkers of Sigma 957, but I don't recall if they were ever referred to as giants.

[Asta Kask]

Or it could be a reference to Oscar Wilde's The Selfish Giant. (http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/SelGia.shtml)

[shawnhcorey]

That could be talking about the Walkers of Sigma 957, but I don't recall if they were ever referred to as giants.

Yup. Here is a clip (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLZW8Deq8vE). It doesn't call them giants but it does mention "being stepped on." :smallsmile:

[KillianHawkeye]

Or it could be a reference to Oscar Wilde's The Selfish Giant. (http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/SelGia.shtml)

That was a nice story right up until the sudden and unnecessary religious allusion. :smallannoyed:

[Evandar]

Yeah, that kinda blindsided me. The end really doesn't have much impact unless you hold certain convictions, which is a shame because I was really enjoying it.

[Vizzerdrix]

I always thought it was a reference to Ender's Game.

[Slipperychicken]

That was a nice story right up until the sudden and unnecessary religious allusion. :smallannoyed:

I did feel only mildly offended (as an Atheist myself), but it's excusable considering it was a children's story written around the late 1800s, and it's still pretty heartwarming from a religious person's perspective to know that the giant's generosity gave him paradise in both heaven and earth.

[KillianHawkeye]

I did feel only mildly offended (as an Atheist myself), but it's excusable considering it was a children's story written around the late 1800s, and it's still pretty heartwarming from a religious person's perspective to know that the giant's generosity gave him paradise in both heaven and earth.

It's not that I was offended, just that the sudden inclusion of a religious theme at the 11th hour was jarring because it literally came out of nowhere and didn't actually add anything to the narrative. I'm an atheist myself, but I don't mind a story having a religious theme, I just want stories to present themselves consistently. Either tell a tale with religious teachings included throughout, or tell one without them at all. The message of generosity told by this story would work just fine with or without them, but if you're going to include them do it right.

[Slipperychicken]

I just want stories to present themselves consistently. Either tell a tale with religious teachings included throughout, or tell one without them at all. The message of generosity told by this story would work just fine with or without them, but if you're going to include them do it right.

The teachings were subtly portrayed throughout the story. Going into further detail would likely draw aggro from mods, so I'll let you figure it out.

[Drumbum42]

Yup. Here is a clip (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLZW8Deq8vE). It doesn't call them giants but it does mention "being stepped on." :smallsmile:

Well, there's an exact quote "like giants in the play ground" found in the season 5 opener here. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXbKKhEZVVk) (Couldn't find the original quote on youtube) Assuming that all the sound bites on the opener are chronological then it would happen some time in the first half of season 4. I'll watch through the episodes later today and give you an exact episode.

[SaintRidley]

That was a nice story right up until the sudden and unnecessary religious allusion. :smallannoyed:

Wilde and many other artists and writers of the decadent movement did a lot of flirting with Catholicism (suffice to say the sheer ornateness of Catholic ritual and the taboo status of the religion in England were the main draws). This story is part of that flirtation on Wilde's part.

[Drumbum42]

Found it. Season 4, Episode 5: The Long Night. The quote is from the first scene, said by John Sheridan. For those interested.