Babylon 5 question: Londo Mollari's accent

[BrainGlutton]

@TBG

Why should an alien race only have one accent?

Same reason it has only one religion. (Lampshaded on one episode of B5 when all races represented on the station are showcasing their cultures’ religions – one each – and at the end Sheridan introduces the delegates to a human Catholic, Muslim, Buddhist, atheist . . .)

[Chronos]

Except that most of the alien races on B5 do have multiple religions. Lennier made some comment once about “of the five largest Mimbari religions…”, or some such, and the Narn describe themselves as following a variety of different prophets. I think that episode with the religious ceremonies just showed the other delegates showing off their own individual religions: It’s evidence for Sheridan’s humility in recognizing religions he doesn’t belong to, as opposed to the others who just showed their own.

[urban1a]

@Alessan

1. No, that isn’t Peter Jurasik’s original accent. He’s from Queens.

2. Actually, I think Lord Rifa had a similar accent, as did other Centauris.

3. There’s no reason everyone on an entire planet should have the same accent, you know.

They all have the same hairdo.

Bob

[An_Gadai]

@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.

Some episode(s) refer to Sheridan’s family hiding out somewhere in the Midwest, Chicago I think.

[Elendil_s_Heir]

@TBG

Why should an alien race only have one accent? Earth has plenty of accents to go around, why shouldn’t Centauri have more than one as well?

@BrainGlutton

Same reason it has only one religion. (Lampshaded on one episode of B5 when all races represented on the station are showcasing their cultures’ religions – one each – and at the end Sheridan introduces the delegates to a human Catholic, Muslim, Buddhist, atheist . . .)

Planet of Hats - TV Tropes

[Chimera]

@An_Gadai

Some episode(s) refer to Sheridan’s family hiding out somewhere in the Midwest, Chicago I think.

Iowa. His mother had gone up to Minneapolis to be with some friends.

[sweat209]

@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”.

Bruce Boxleitner was born in Elgin, Illinois, U.S.

Bruce Boxleitner

He attended Prospect High School in Mount Prospect, Illinois, and the Goodman Theater School of Drama of the Art Institute of Chicago
Probably he has more of the great lakes accent.

[alphaboi867]

@Intergalactic_Gladiator

…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.

Troi’s accent was Marina Sirtis’s idea; she eventually dropped when none of the other actors playing Betazoids used it.

@sweat209

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’s pretty minor compared to other highly improbable clichés like humanoid aliens, aliens being able to eat (& enjoy) each other’s food, have sexual relationships, and even interbreed.