I thought about coming up with a “Coming Soon” page, something to put up before I actually started blogging. Something to give me plenty of time to come up with something to blog about. But, in dropping this blog out on my web site, I decided instead to start blogging with a personal tribute.

A Short Tribute to Andreas Katsulas

You never really notice some actors until they really spark your interest in one particular role. This is the case, at least for me, with Andreas Katsulas. I’ve seen him play in many roles from movies and television, including his portrayal of the one-armed man in the remake of The Fugitive, but I never really took an interest in his work until I saw him play Ambassador G’Kar on Babylon 5. Katsulas’ performance of his character, G’Kar, is almost flawless, his character transforming in personality over the development of the series, from militaristic guerrilla warrior to freedom-fighter to humble religious icon. As you’re riding along this science-fiction roller coaster of a series, you begin to feel for G’Kar’s plight even before you realize that you’ve totally accepted the fact that Katsulas has become G’Kar, in body, mind and spirit. His acting and speaking is eloquent, you can tell he has been trained in stage acting, and he’s learned how to draw everyone’s attention to him. His voice over work for the show is impeccable, and it draws so much emotion just listening to him speak. He ranks high up there, for me, with Morgan Freeman and James Earl Jones in evocative voices.

Thanks to J. Michael Straczynski, I learned more about spirituality and religion from a science fiction show than real life. “The future is all around us,” G’Kar says, “waiting for moments of transition, to be born in moments of revelation…”

I can go on and on about how I loved his portrayal of G’Kar, but I think I’ll stop while I’m ahead. He’s gone now, passed far beyond the rim. I enjoyed his science fiction characters, from Tomaloc on Star Trek TNG to G’Kar from Babylon 5.

“The part of me that stays shall miss the part of him that has left. Gentle journeys, my friend.”