# Babylon 5 question: Londo Mollari's accent **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 6, 2012, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babylon-5-question-londo-mollaris-accent/614984 "2012-03-06T23:27:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babylon-5-question-londo-mollaris-accent/614984/21 "2012-03-07T17:06:31Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > There are translators (I’m _assuming_ Kosh is using one) but hardly Universal ones. Everyone we see speaking English is presumably aware that they are going to, you know, a Human space station, so they learned the language. ETA; And sometimes poor aliens are shown speaking poorly. > > Or they’re speaking their own languages to each other and _we’re_ hearing it translated, but _they’re_ not, like the convention when German soldiers speak to each other in German-accented English. Too many characters speak English for it to be just them learning it (it’s not all the kind of characters that would have the opportunity to learn English), so I assumed there must have been some tech to help them - it’s not beyond the realms of scientific possibility and a more satisfying explanation than us just always hearing English because it’s a TV show. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babylon-5-question-londo-mollaris-accent/614984/22 "2012-03-07T17:19:04Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Wasn’t there an issue with the crews of the White Star fleet who only spoke Minbari, so Ivanova and Sheridan had to learn the language? Yes there was. Ivanova tried to show off her command of Minbari to Marcus and set the guns to “continuous fire” rather than ordering whatever she originally wanted. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babylon-5-question-londo-mollaris-accent/614984/23 "2012-03-07T17:39:45Z")
I always thought he had a Bela Legosi/Dracula vibe going and decided to go with that type of accent. Other actors couldn’t do the accent so they didn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Mogle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mogle/32/12021_2.png) [@Mogle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mogle)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babylon-5-question-londo-mollaris-accent/614984/24 "2012-03-07T17:43:56Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Yes there was. Ivanova tried to show off her command of Minbari to Marcus and set the guns to “continuous fire” rather than ordering whatever she originally wanted. You’re mixing two incidents together. She wasn’t trying to show off that time, she was just feeling frustrated, and it just so happens that “Ah hell” is Minbari for “continuous fire”. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babylon-5-question-londo-mollaris-accent/614984/25 "2012-03-07T19:26:34Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > Too many characters speak English for it to be just them learning it (it’s not all the kind of characters that would have the opportunity to learn English) It’s the future - who know how hard it is to learn a new language - maybe there are accelerated learning methods, maybe there’s a really low barrier to learning, etc. Maybe all the aliens are just better at picking up new languages…who knows. > [@](#): > > , so I assumed there must have been some tech to help them Why assume when none is shown or mentioned in those cases, when we do have specific examples of tranlation devices for others, and the matter of persons as translators is occasionally dealt with? > [@](#): > > - it’s not beyond the realms of scientific possibility and a more satisfying explanation than us just always hearing English because it’s a TV show. It’s unnecessary. The issue of language is dealt with in the show. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babylon-5-question-londo-mollaris-accent/614984/26 "2012-03-07T19:42:55Z")
I believe (and don’t feel like looking it up) that Jurasik sometimes referred to his accent as a “Pottsylvanian” accent, after Boris & Natasha from the Rocky & Bullwinkle cartoons. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babylon-5-question-londo-mollaris-accent/614984/27 "2012-03-07T20:30:17Z")
The Centauris always had this late-period Austro-Hungarian vibe to them - a great empire sliding into elegant decline. ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babylon-5-question-londo-mollaris-accent/614984/28 "2012-03-07T20:40:22Z")
It seems to me that a lot of characters who are aliens in TV shows take on individual characteristics that aren’t shared by the rest of the species. Two other examples that I can think of off the top of my head are Counselor Troi’s accent being unique – not even being shared by her mother, and Chiana on Farscape who has her own way of crookedly walking sideways. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babylon-5-question-londo-mollaris-accent/614984/29 "2012-03-07T20:41:36Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > It’s the future - who know how hard it is to learn a new language - maybe there are accelerated learning methods, maybe there’s a really low barrier to learning, etc. Maybe all the aliens are just better at picking up new languages…who knows.Why assume when none is shown or mentioned in those cases, when we do have specific examples of tranlation devices for others, and the matter of persons as translators is occasionally dealt with?It’s unnecessary. The issue of language is dealt with in the show. (BTW, sorry the quoting seems to have got messed up here). I can totally buy an accelerated learning method, though to me that would be similar to the kind of tech I was thinking of (I doubt there’d ever be a _method_ which was tech-free and we just haven’t thought of it yet). I don’t buy that multiple other species would be that good at learning languages. I don’t remember language being dealt with as directly as that in the show, not for the characters that _do_ appear to speak English for no apparent reason. Does Londo ever speak in Minbari instead of English? > [@Alessan](#): > > The Centauris always had this late-period Austro-Hungarian vibe to them - a great empire sliding into elegant decline. Yeah, they very much do, and his accent could kinda pass for Hungarian too. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babylon-5-question-londo-mollaris-accent/614984/30 "2012-03-07T20:46:13Z")
> [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](#): > > Chiana on Farscape who has her own way of crookedly walking sideways. Yep, and that was initially caused by her inability to see properly out of her contacts. She eventually just included it as a character trait. ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babylon-5-question-londo-mollaris-accent/614984/31 "2012-03-07T21:13:03Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Yep, and that was initially caused by her inability to see properly out of her contacts. She eventually just included it as a character trait. Right. But it was so unusual and unique and it seemed to me a trait of her species. It wasn’t though, as others like her did not behave like that. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babylon-5-question-londo-mollaris-accent/614984/32 "2012-03-07T21:34:50Z")
> [@](#): > > The Minbari crews of the White Stars don’t speak any human language, for instance, so when Ivanova (who doesn’t speak Minbari, or at least not very much) is commanding one she has to bring along Marcus or Lennier to translate for her. Yeah, there was one funny bit where she’s trying to speak Mimbari, and the show is subtitled to show what she’s actually saying. Those species on B5 who did use translator devices, we hear them making alien sounds, and then after a brief delay we hear a mechanical-sounding voice talking over it. In other words, about how you’d expect a real translator device to work. And it’s very iffy to generalize from Chiana to her whole species in any regard, since she’s about as far from a typical Nebari as it’s possible to be, given that everyone else is forcibly brainwashed to be perfectly conformist. And the reason for her funny walk may have originally been because she couldn’t see well, but it persisted because, let’s face it, it’s sexy. ---
**Author:** ![Foggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foggy/32/1082_2.png) [@Foggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foggy)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babylon-5-question-londo-mollaris-accent/614984/33 "2012-03-07T22:54:20Z")
B5 also had Interlac. > [@](#): > > Interlac: “Universal” language which is easy to translate between most known languages. From: [Babylon 5 Encyclopedia](http://www.oinc.net/b5/enc/) ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2012, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babylon-5-question-londo-mollaris-accent/614984/34 "2012-03-08T05:25:18Z")
> [@Mogle](#): > > You’re mixing two incidents together. > She wasn’t trying to show off that time, she was just feeling frustrated, and it just so happens that “Ah hell” is Minbari for “continuous fire”. 🙂 She also gave an order along the lines of “Port weapon! Fire brickbat lingerie!” when trying to speak Minbari. IIRC B5’s videoconferencing system and a build in translator and we occasionly saw aliens appear to be speaking English, but with lip movements that don’t match up (like a poorly dubbed film). ---
**Author:** ![sweat209](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@sweat209](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweat209)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2016, 8:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babylon-5-question-londo-mollaris-accent/614984/35 "2016-02-09T08:54:23Z")
Anyone know what kind of accent John Sheridan/ Bruce Boxleitner accent? Not sure it sounds sorta of like some one from the great lakes or bit like some Canadians and less American. Is accent is some what strong and have higher pitch like some Canadians than the typical American low pitch like Jeffrey Sinclair or Michael Garibaldi. Way he say O’s and diphthongs OU see to be less typical American accent. Unless he is trying to stand out. Most American actors speak with low pitch and clearly trying to speak clearly with out words running into each other. ---
**Author:** ![sweat209](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@sweat209](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweat209)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2016, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babylon-5-question-londo-mollaris-accent/614984/36 "2016-02-09T09:03:23Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > Because what we’re hearing is them talking via the universal translator - we’re not hearing what they’re actually saying. So the characters should all have the same accent unless either the software doesn’t work with their language fully or they choose to be represented in a different accent. Perhaps Londo wanted to sound foreign to demonstrate that he’s different to the rest. It is all Hollywood movies and TV shows. With out say an universal translator, memory implant chip to make learning really fast, upload leading to the brain, smart big brains it is very unlikely many alien beings will be communicating with each other. It takes humans on average 5 to 8 years to learn English as a second language. So unless these alien beings have really big brains bigger than humans, it is very unlikely they will be communicating unless you have some thing like universal translator, memory implant chip to make learning fast, upload leading to the brain so on. A human brain is just not design to learn English as a second language in 2 to 4 years. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2016, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babylon-5-question-londo-mollaris-accent/614984/37 "2016-02-09T10:21:52Z")
I thought Sheridan was supposed to be Midwestern - we meet his father at certain points - but I thought Boxleitner was just using his regular accent with a bit of gruffness for added gravitas. Since this is resurrected I thought I’d mention another television character along the lines of Londo accent-wise. In a recent BBC dramatization of a “Professor Brawnstawm” story, the Professor finds his nemesis in “Professor Algebrain, from an unspecified European country”. This becomes a running gag as Algebrain himself introduces himself each time with the full phrase. Algebrain is, of course, a rival “inwentor”. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2016, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babylon-5-question-londo-mollaris-accent/614984/38 "2016-02-09T14:05:36Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > I thought Sheridan was supposed to be Midwestern - we meet his father at certain points - but I thought Boxleitner was just using his regular accent with a bit of gruffness for added gravitas. > > Since this is resurrected I thought I’d mention another television character along the lines of Londo accent-wise. In a recent BBC dramatization of a “Professor Brawnstawm” story, the Professor finds his nemesis in “Professor Algebrain, from an unspecified European country”. This becomes a running gag as Algebrain himself introduces himself each time with the full phrase. Algebrain is, of course, a rival “inwentor”. I’m not sure where he was born(more specifically than Earth, I mean). He was reated to Philip Sherdian, though, a Union major general in the Civil War. ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2016, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babylon-5-question-londo-mollaris-accent/614984/39 "2016-02-09T17:23:05Z")
My understanding is that Jurasik sort of made up the accent himself and that other actors playing Centauri (most notably the actor playing Lord Rifa) simply copied it. We should also mention the time when Sheridan imitated the accent in a fit of pique at Londo. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2016, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babylon-5-question-londo-mollaris-accent/614984/40 "2016-02-09T17:43:55Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Yes there was. Ivanova tried to show off her command of Minbari to Marcus and set the guns to “continuous fire” rather than ordering whatever she originally wanted. “Ah Hell” means ‘continuous fire’ 😛 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babylon-5-question-londo-mollaris-accent/614984.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babylon-5-question-londo-mollaris-accent/614984.md?page=3)