It was the Dawn of the Third Age of Mankind

[Mal]

2x18 Confessions and Lamentations

They are afraid. We wish to do what we can.... If the disease is limited only to the Markeb, we should do all we can. And if it's not, then we must give comfort because very soon we will require it ourselves.
​

Don't look away, Captain. All life is transitory, a dream. We all come together in the same place at the end of time. If I don't see you again here, I will see you in a little while in the place where no Shadows fall.
​

Delenn. When I do see you again, call me John.
​

The Markeb die of AIDS. This may not be a bad thing. Franklin uncovers a medical secret (which he does again in 5x08 Secrets of the Soul) Franklin & the Markeb doctor reenact a famous scene from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Franklin abuses stims.

Delenn and Sheridan go on their second date. Delenn sees Sheridan's "true face" for the first time.

There are two acts of sacrifice: The Markeb doctor, and Delenn & Lennier.

There is an ongoing Angel Review Thread that I've been following pretty closely. In it, saturn5 recently reviewed Season 2's Reprise. There is a fascinating take away from that episode, one that works very well here:

If nothing we do matters, then all that matters is what we do.

Words to live by.

Jane makes an appearance.

Faith Manages.

 

[Mal]

Divided Loyalties

Butt. Butt. I butt. You butt. He or she butts. Butt Butt. Butt Butt. Motor-butt.
​

Captain Happy Orange Juice makes a surprise cameo in 2x19 Divided Loyalties, this time waxing nostalgic about trees - Big Honking Tree - trees, you know, trees Garibaldi and Sheridan meet in the men's room to talk about bringing Talia into their little cell group. Boy would that have sucked!

Lyta comes aboard with information acquired with the help of the Rangers, that there is a sleeper agent living among the command staff. Everyone is reluctant to trust Lyta cause of what she did in The Gathering, but Garibaldi trusts her in his gut.

Ummm... why didn't the Rangers just tell Garibaldi that Lyta was coming, or at least once she got there, tell Garibaldi that Lyta's information was accurate? Or if not Garibaldi, then what about Delenn. She plays a key role in this episode (she buys a newspaper!), and Sinclair had contacted the both of them back in The Coming of Shadows.

Maybe JMS was just too distracted planning Ivanova's coming-out party.

What to do about Teeps in the Military?
At this point in B5 history telepaths are not allowed to serve in Earth Force at all. This was obviously a big deal for Mr. Gray back in Eyes. But by the time we get to Crusade, Daniel Dae Kim (Lt. Matheson) is serving openly in the military. Still, even that has it's problems, and he has to be monitored from time to time (see The Well of Forever). I'm not sure what the status of telepaths in Earth Force is by the time we get to Final Reckoning: The Fate of Bester.

But seeing what you've seen of them: Bester but Lyta, Talia but Byron, Matheson but Ivanova (if CC had stayed on the show, she would have betrayed Sheridan), how should Teeps have been treated in the military?

The episode ends with a big problem that JMS doesn't really ever address: Talia knows that Franklin was the head of the underground, and that Sheridan helped them escape. Actually, she also knows Sinclair's role with Ironheart and Sheridan's deal with Free Mars alumni (A Spider in the Web). And yet none of this is addressed through the remaining years of the show. At the very least, the Free Mars stuff would have worked really well when Clarke was coming up with propaganda to use against Sheridan during the civil war. Don't tell me the little bit of "fear, anger, reflection" that Kosh had saved up would have been enough to counter that.

The episode ends with Lyta asking Kosh to do a striptease for her. He obliges, and we hear his wings flapping.

Garibaldi: Hey, you still flacking for Nightwatch?
Zach: Hey, it's easy money.
​

Maybe not so easy...

 

[Reverend]

What to do about Teeps in the Military?
At this point in B5 history telepaths are not allowed to serve in Earth Force at all. This was obviously a big deal for Mr. Gray back in Eyes. But by the time we get to Crusade, Daniel Dae Kim (Lt. Matheson) is serving openly in the military. Still, even that has it's problems, and he has to be monitored from time to time (see The Well of Forever). I'm not sure what the status of telepaths in Earth Force is by the time we get to Final Reckoning: The Fate of Bester.

But seeing what you've seen of them: Bester but Lyta, Talia but Byron, Matheson but Ivanova (if CC had stayed on the show, she would have betrayed Sheridan), how should Teeps have been treated in the military?

Final Reckoning takes place after Crusade, (2271 iirc) so teeps are still allowed in Earthforce. They even have a character who's an ex-Psi Corps EF officer like Matheson. More than just the military though, teeps are also allowed into law enforcement in the form of the EABI's (Earth Alliance Bureau of investigation) Metasensory Division. Mostly ex-Psi Cops of course. If you ask me, that has much more potential for problems than teeps in the military.

Bester for his part is, as one might imagine, extremely syndical about the "shiny new Psi Corps" and predicted things would just naturally slide back to what they had been as he believed normals and teeps could never tollerate co-existance for long. Towards the end of the book, he beliefs are proven to be at least partly true as Teeptown in Geneva starts filling up with teeps again who can't deal with the outside world.

The episode ends with a big problem that JMS doesn't really ever address: Talia knows that Franklin was the head of the underground, and that Sheridan helped them escape. Actually, she also knows Sinclair's role with Ironheart and Sheridan's deal with Free Mars alumni (A Spider in the Web). And yet none of this is addressed through the remaining years of the show. At the very least, the Free Mars stuff would have worked really well when Clarke was coming up with propaganda to use against Sheridan during the civil war. Don't tell me the little bit of "fear, anger, reflection" that Kosh had saved up would have been enough to counter that.

You're assuming of course that Psi Corps would actually tell Clark and his faction what they found. It's made pretty clear later in the show when Bester arrives that he knows all about what they've been up to, but as Sheridan pointed out, they knew a little bit about what the Corps had been up to as well. Even if they did risk going public, there's of course the matter of explaining how they came across this information. The PR department certainly wouldn't want them admitting that they brainwash people and turn them into secret spy-assassins and without any physical proof, claiming they scanning it illegally wouldn't be much better either.

 

[JoeD80]

(if CC had stayed on the show, she would have betrayed Sheridan)

I don't think that was the plan. She would have been on Byron's side initially but then been forced to call Bester in when the situation spun out of control. The scene in "Deconstruction" that appears later in season five originally had Sheridan saying he had consulted "Captain Ivanova" about the situation and the conclusion was they didn't negotiate with terrorists, which wouldn't make sense if Ivanova was siding against Sheridan.

Talia knows that Franklin was the head of the underground, and that Sheridan helped them escape. Actually, she also knows Sinclair's role with Ironheart and Sheridan's deal with Free Mars alumni (A Spider in the Web). And yet none of this is addressed through the remaining years of the show.

Since Babylon 5 secedes from the Earth Alliance only a few months after this, I don't think it really matters what information they extract from Talia.

 

[Mal]

The Long Twilight Struggle

We have treaties!
Ink on a page!​

The war that began with the Narn declaration of hostilities is over. The Centauri bomb them back to the stone age.

The plot is fascinating. The war is going badly for the Narn, and they decide to attack the Centauri supply planet Gorash 7. Lord Reefa intercepts their plans. Many Centauri are skeptical that it is authentic, but as he tells Londo, it has just the right ring of desperation to be true.

In a wonderful scene, Franklin warns G'kar that with the latest batch of refugees there was a survivor (now dead) who was interrogated by the Centauri as to the defenses of Narn homeworld, and that these refugees only got out because the Centauri were sloppy. At the end of the Minbari war, the Minbari bypassed Mars and Io, and went straight for Earth. Maybe the Centauri are planning something similar?

G'kar tries to warn his uncle (Morgan Sheppard), but they are too far committed to pull back. The Shadows destroy the fleet at Gorash 7. G'kar praying is wonderful. When he snuffs out the candle, it's sublime. This is Babylon 5 at it's best!

Alas Narn, now undefended, falls.

For the second episode in a row, Delenn approaches Sheridan when he is in a hurry, but it turns out their destination is the same. Last week (Divided Loyalties) it was Lyta. This week, it's Epsilon 3. Draal decides that it's time to bring Sheridan in on the the Rangers. John Schuck as the new Draal is very annoying. In fact, this whole aspect of the episode falls flat. The humor is off (abso-fragging-lutely damn it).

Draal mentions Zathra, who we might have thought was lost in Babylon Squared, but we learn later in WWE, is really just 7 of 9.

The episode ends with Sheridan, Kosh, Delenn, Garibaldi, and the Rangers. Thankfully Sheridan refrains from delivering his good-luck speech.

Why doesn't anyone mention Sinclair? Wouldn't Sheridan want to know who the leader of these Rangers is? Why would Sinclair turn over command to Sheridan on B5 rather than Garibaldi? Delenn says the command was hers; why didn't Garibaldi share command? He also got a "Hello old friend" message in The Coming of Shadows.

Does, To Dream in the City of Sorrows have any answers?

The most touching scene comes after G'kar seeks sanctuary. Once Londo announces the terms of the Narn surrender (Peter Jurasik is such an amazing actor, and he just shines in the scene!), we get these famous words from G'kar (the equally amazing Andreas Katsulas):

No dictator, no invader can hold an imprisoned population by force of arms forever. There is no greater power in the universe than the need for freedom. Against that power, governments and tyrants and armies cannot stand. The Centauri learned this lesson once, we will teach it to them again. Though it take a thousand years, we will be free.
​

Amen.

 

[Reverend]

From what I recall, tDitCoS had Sinclair pushing for Sheridan to be told about what was going on almost from the get-go but Ulkesh kept blocking him. Just telling Garibaldi and asking him to keep it to himself in the first instance sort of a compromise in that regard.

Oddly though, I don't think there's any mention of him taking local command of the Rangers, but then if I remember the sequence of events right, the incident with Sakai in Sector 14 takes place a bit before the end of the Narn-Centauri War (it's ongoing escalation is mentioned several times) so Sinclair's reasoning on that point is never depicted. Indeed, given Draals involvement in the aforementioned incident, I'd say it takes place very close to the events of this episode. A week, maybe two. Three at the outside.

 

[Mal]

From what I recall, tDitCoS had Sinclair pushing for Sheridan to be told about what was going on almost from the get-go but Ulkesh kept blocking him. Just telling Garibaldi and asking him to keep it to himself in the first instance sort of a compromise in that regard.

Oddly though, I don't think there's any mention of him taking local command of the Rangers, but then if I remember the sequence of events right, the incident with Sakai in Sector 14 takes place a bit before the end of the Narn-Centauri War (it's ongoing escalation is mentioned several times) so Sinclair's reasoning on that point is never depicted.

It's all so vague. Probably time for us to read TDitCoS again


Comes the Inquisitor

Are you willing to sacrifice all that you are to keep all that you have?
​

2x21 Comes the Inquisitor is truly an iconic episode of Babylon 5. By way of trivia, this is the first episode I ever saw. But while I remember it most for Jack the Ripper ripping the heart out of Delenn, I sometimes forget just how captivating the G'kar B-story is.

The Narn have surrendered, but the struggle for freedom goes on. G'kar spends the episode trying to: raise funds to buy weapons for a guerrilla war; actually buy those weapons on the black market (from a very eerie salesman); and most important of all, retain the loyalty of the local Narn population. Winning loyalty comes down to getting a message from the Narn Homeworld. And to do that, G'kar turns to Capt. Sheridan, and Sheridan turns to the Rangers.

One of the best scenes by far is Garibaldi confronting G'kar about using Babylon 5 as a base to procure weapons. G'kar confesses without a fight, and Garibaldi - happy that he has not been disappointed - puts G'kar in touch with some questionable smugglers.

Of course Sheridan - but mostly Ivanova - will also turn to smugglers for supplies when the station is cut off from Earth. I like to think one of those smugglers is Mal, and that maybe Garibaldi's friend on the station is Badger. It is a dream I have

Who are you.
The rest of the hour is a compelling torture extravaganza, which of course is topped only by Season 4's Intersections in Real Time.

The beauty of B5, for those of us who have seen it again and again and again, is that there are fundamental questions that are raised, and no matter how many times you watch, the answers are simply not forthcoming.

Question: Would you wear the manacles and accept torture, or would you take them off and walk away?
​

I imagine I'll never know, until I know.

Dead, Dead, Dead, Dead, Dead, Dead, Dead, Dead, Dead Dead, Dead. How do you apologize to them?

 

[Brian]

Dead, Dead, Dead, Dead, Dead, Dead, Dead, Dead, Dead Dead, Dead. How do you apologize to them?

I love that scene. My heart breaks for both of them. It makes it beat faster just reading it.

 

[Mal]

2x22 The Fall of Night

It's on the other side of the Planet where nobody but us can see it.... Who ever it is doesn't want to be noticed.
​

- One of the worst lines of exposition. Ever. Except for:

The ship is holding position on the other side of Epsilon 3 where incoming ships won't see it. Since all outside data comes through here, no one will see it until we want them to.
​

Wes' dad comes to visit. Evidently Wes has had lots of kids cause his dad tells Ivanova he has many grandchildren. And he wants to leave a legacy for them. The legacy is peace.

The problem is, sometimes peace is just another word for surrender.

Wes' dad brings along one of my favorite members of the Watcher's Counsel, the fabulous Mr. Wells played by the same actor who plays Neroon. What I love about Mr. Wells is that he shows up again in Crusade. The man is a survivor!

The Nightwatch tries unsuccessfully to recruit Ivanova. They have more luck with Zack Allen ("have you nothing to report?!?").

A Narn heavy cruiser has surfaced, one of the few to survive the war with the Centauri. It applies for sanctuary, and Sheridan tells G'kar that he's inclined to give it. After he lets Wes' dad know. The problem is, Wes' dad is really a cyborg. And he's been programed by President Clarke to make peace with the Centauri. Why Sheridan trusts Wes' dad is beyond me?

It was the end of the Earth year 2259, and everywhere the aliens are happy that Kosh performed a striptease and that Lt. Keffer has died hunting for a Shadow vessel. Stuff goes boom. Lennier and Vir meet for a drink. Ivanova sucks up to the boss for Christmas.

I apologize. I'm sorry. I'm sorry we had to defend ourselves against an unwarranted attack. I'm sorry that your crew was stupid enough to fire on a station filled with a quarter million civilians, including your own people. And I'm sorry I waited as long as I did before I blew them all straight to hell. As with everything else, it's the thought that counts.
​

P.S. The apology was an order of the Joint Chiefs. Was that Admiral Layton? Why?

 

[Reverend]

P.S. The apology was an order of the Joint Chiefs. Was that Admiral Layton? Why?

Politics. Also Hague wasn't the only Joint Chief, there's several (though we never get an exact number, roughly five would be a good guess.)

 

[Mal]

P.S. The apology was an order of the Joint Chiefs. Was that Admiral Layton? Why?

Politics. Also Hague wasn't the only Joint Chief, there's several (though we never get an exact number, roughly five would be a good guess.)

If it was Hague, why would Sheridan ever trust him again?

 

[David cgc]

Because Sheridan isn't an idiot, and would recognize that just as he had to apologize in the name of not rocking the boat, Hague had to order him to for the same reason. One of the key elements in a conspiracy is not acting like you're in a conspiracy. Choosing "apologize to the Centauri Republic for something they themselves did" as your intolerable line you will not cross just guarantees that you'll have been fired by the time something that's actually worth standing up to happens.

 

[Reverend]

Plus, as I said, Hague wasn't the only Joint Chief so we don't know that the order came from him personally. Even if all the chiefs, including Hague, agreed that Sheridan should have to apologise it'd be because they'd believe (correctly) that there was more at stake than Sheridan's pride. Once the dust settled it became a political and diplomatic matter, not a military one. Plus, as David points out, showing undue favour towards Sheridan might draw some unwanted suspicion. In this case it's about picking your battles.

 

[Mal]

I guess I'm still not clear on why David cgc and Reverend don't think this apology is a big deal.

This incident comes only about six months after the events of There All the Honor Lies. In 2x14, Sheridan faced the very real possibility of losing his command over the death of one lone Minbari. Here, by contrast, 2x22, The Fall of Night sees the death of an entire ship full of Centauri, that too, at a time when Earth is trying to sign a peace treaty with them. It seems to me that the death of 100+ Centauri is a much bigger deal than the death of 1 Minbari, and that Sheridan would face a lot more than the loss of his command.

If the Joint Chiefs force him to apologize, it means that what he did was wrong. It means that they are not standing behind him. I don't understand how the Joint Chiefs and the President can order Sheridan to apologize, and still allow him to keep his command?!?

Do you get what I'm saying?

 

[David cgc]

Well, the Centauri did fire upon the station, initially. The whole issue in "Honor" was that there was nothing to back up Sheridan's story that the Minbari was going to kill him, and it looked like he'd murdered him in cold blood. On the other hand, there would've been copious records from the station, the starfuries, the Narn ship, the Centauri black box, any civilian ships in the area and, if they were really curious, they could've jumped a ship a couple light days out and watched the battle with a telescope. The Centauri didn't have a leg to stand on, if they tried to make it a real issue in the court of galactic opinion, though they still might've canceled the treaty because of their wounded pride. Not sacking Sheridan for defending his station made Earth happy, but apologizing allowed the Centauri to spin it as a win so they wouldn't just take their nonaggression pact and go home. It's politics.

As Sheridan pointed out in "And Now For a Word," Earth is at a military disadvantage to the Centauri. They needed that pact to make sure that now that the Republic was feeling its oats again, it wouldn't try to annex Proxima or Orion or something.

 

[Reverend]

^That pretty much sums it up. Like I said initially; it's politics. Of course to Sheridan the appology is a big deal, it's an affront to his honour and would be flat out insincere, hence us seeing Sheridan practising how he intended to phrase his apology. Of course after a Centauri blew up a core shuttle trying to kill him, the Republic probably just let the matter drop rather than get into another argument.

Keep in mind that at this stage, Refa was to all intents and purposes in control of the Republic. He intended to expand the empire by annexing as many of the smaller worlds as possible and what he couldn't afford was the EA sticking their noses in. This was actually the purpose of 'Operation Sudden Death' in "GROPOS", to show the Centauri that the EA is paying attention and is willing to commit military resources outside their own borders. Though Earthforce could never stand against the Imperial fleet in a stand-up fight, if they chose to rally the League worlds as they did during the Dilgar War, they'd be in trouble. So the non-aggression pact was in their interest too and while they couldn't afford to loose face with Sheridan destroying their warship without an apology, they wouldn't risk it further if one of their people was found to have assassinated and Earthforce officer. At that point I imagine they called it even and the fuss kicked up by the incident with Kosh allowed the matter to slide out of view without any major loss of face.