Babylon 5: Character Bios: Susan Ivanova

Ivanova is second in command on Babylon 5 and yet she is definitely number one when it comes to wit.

Click hear Ivanova say, 'Well....we're screwed'Ivanova is second in command on Babylon 5 and yet she is definitely number one when it comes to wit. She has a great way of putting someone down and always has a snappy answer, especially to stupid questions.

If you were in a pub with Ivanova you might be worried that she could drink more than you.   She would almost certainly be the centre of attention and her wit would upset some of your more boring friends.  She would probably be unaccompanied so all the blokes would try to chat her up.  They wouldn’t succeed.

She is absolutely loyal to Sheridan and Babylon 5 – fanatically so.  She seems a little lonely sometimes and I can’t help but feel a little sorry for her, she seems to have no soul mate. I suppose Marcus is the closest, though she almost certainly knows that he desperately wants the two of them to get together.

Claudia (and Patricia Tallman for that matter) have a great sense of humour and certainly know how to get the male (and some of the female fans hot and bothered 🙂

By the way, loads of Babylon 5 net-heads believe that Ivanova revealed in ‘Ceremonies of light and dark’ that she thought she loved Talia Winters. I’m sure she said that but we can’t believe (much as we might like to fantasise about it) that Ivanova did not love Talia Winters in any way other than as a sister. It was very mischievous of JMS to throw that one in there. A bisexual Ivanova just doesn’t sit right. I’m sure that the character has been crafted along the lines of a person searching for a meaning to life, a soul buddy, someone to cuddle up to and confide in.  Love and sex are way down Ivanovas list of priorities.

Checkout other News & Reviews from Sci Fi SadGeezers:
Babylon 5: S04E06: Into the Fire

STOP PRESS!In October 1997’s FH1 Magazine it was reported:

Claudia: Ivanova only spent one night with her lover, Talia. It was done in such a way that if you were a kid you could say, “oh it’s a sleep-over!” and if you were and adult you might go “hmmm”. And, of course, if you were a bloke you’d go “Whoa! Yeah!”
FH1: Do you really think they had sex then?
Claudia: Yeah, we were a little too old for sleep-overs.
FH1: Are you glad you didn’t have to do a screen kiss for the part?
Claudia: I wouldn’t have minded. Andrea Thompson (who plays Talia) is a beautiful woman, and we were er…. friendly. (??!!)

That's some smile, huh?What a load of bollocks Claudia. You were only saying that to the readers of FH1 because you know that we were the sort to go ‘Whoa Yeah!’ (well I did anyway). Nice try.  Unfortunately, I seem to be the only one with this opinion.  What do you think?

Ivanova has a mild telepathic ability. Her mothers was much stronger, she had to take drugs to suppress her ability which drove her to commit suicide. Ivanova has never forgiven the Psi Corps for this. Her brother Gayna was killed in the Earth Minbari war. Sheridan trusts her completely.

Towards the end of series four, Ivanova took command of the Army of Light against Clark while Sheridan was incarcerated.  She did a pretty good job, but suffered some fairly serious injuries in one of the final battles.  She was only given a few days to live but eventually recovered.  She also found out what feelings Marcus had for her.  Theirs is one of those frustrating relationships don’t you think?

Checkout other News & Reviews from Sci Fi SadGeezers:
Babylon 5: S05E22: Sleeping in Light

It was be a great shame to see Ivanova leave at the end of series four.

“Next! We start by removing your clothes.”
“Not without dinner and flowers.”
Dr. Franklin to Ivanova, The Quality of Mercy

“Who am I, I am Susan Ivanova, commander, daughter of Andrei and Sophi Ivanov. I am the right hand of vengeance, and the boot that is going to kick your sorry ass all the way back to Earth, sweetheart, I am death incarnate, and the last living thing that you will ever see. God sent me!”
Ivanova to an Earth Force Captain, Between the Darkness and the Light.

The ‘Fun-people biographies’ are © 1999 – 2001 Tony Fawl.
Not for reproduction without the authors express permission

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The BABYLON 5 names, characters and everything else associated with the series are the property of J. Michael Straczynski, TNT and Warner Brothers, a division of Time Warner Entertainment Company. All rights reserved.

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