A strange probe pretends the crew is on a quiz show, G’Kar is put in a difficult position, and Dr. Franklin may be run far more ragged than we were led to believe. Welcome my friends. This is the story of the last of the Babylon stations. The year is 2260. The name of the place is Babylon 5.
Spoilers ahead.
1. The Dice Have Been Thrown. You Can Double Your Bet If You Want
The episode opens on a scene that, at first blush, seems out of place, but ties into the theme of the episode. Sheridan essentially accepts a fight challenge from a heckler carrying a giant-ass hook axe by approaching with his pistol, shoving it in the heckler’s pocket, and taking the hook axe. It’s a badass move but also exceedingly reckless. Sure, he pulls the charging cap out so it wouldn’t shoot, but as a way to defuse the tension in the room, that was a hell of a choice. The moment is a beautiful encapsulation of his character, showing why Sheridan is a positive force rather than one who abuses the power of his position.
He could have easily kicked the guy out or, if he were more like Earth-dome, done physical harm. He could have escalated the situation because, even though we are poised to see both why the transporters are angry and also why they really just need to settle the fuck down, because there’s little the B5 administration can do about improving important infrastructure or paying for additional workers since they don’t have nearly the funding necessary to do anything because Earthgov puts it all into weapons and wars and couldn’t give a shit about constructive projects and. . .where was I? Right. Sheridan de-escalating rather than escalating.
Were this to have been Sinclair, I genuinely believe the situation would have played out differently. I talked a little about their differing approaches back at the start of season two so I won’t spend much breath on it here beyond Sheridan’s military commander focus rather than Sinclair’s diplomatics focus being brought to the fore. I also believe the crowd would have respected Sinclair more. He was always trusted more with those outside of his direct command. He was less aloof and gruff. He was less patronizing and it was clear that he cared.
Sheridan cares and will fight tooth and nail for what he believes is right. . .but he’s also much more of a hot-head and willing to use a heavy hand faster. He’s a good leader, though not always the most personable.
2. If You’re Crossing This River, Don’t Bother Paying for a Round Trip
Case and point, his last minute decision with respects to the 600 question probe that runs by the station. He’s got the confidence in his decision to not send the answers, despite the threat of a thermo-nuclear explosion if they don’t, and the trust of his command crew that this is a well-formed decision. They also have the confidence that they can question his decision and he won’t respond by being a nightmare.
I don’t really care about the plot itself because, as with last week, the ripples it causes are more interesting and it’s really supposed to be an additional worry for Sheridan on top of the trade federation, I mean transporters, and dealing with the new Narn liaison & G’Kar. That said, I was reminded of this quote from Liu Cixin’s “The Dark Forest” with regards to the probe. It’s not 1-to-1 but it shares a similar idea to the probe’s creators.
Continued belowThe universe is a dark forest. Every civilization is an armed hunter stalking through the trees like a ghost, gently pushing aside branches that block the path and trying to tread without sound. Even breathing is done with care. The hunter has to be careful, because everywhere in the forest are stealthy hunters like him. If he finds other life—another hunter, an angel or a demon, a delicate infant or a tottering old man, a fairy or a demigod—there’s only one thing he can do: open fire and eliminate them. In this forest, hell is other people. An eternal threat that any life that exposes its own existence will be swiftly wiped out. This is the picture of cosmic civilization. It’s the explanation for the Fermi Paradox.
— Liu Cixin
Chilling, ain’t it?
3. I’d Rather Boogie with That Babe Than Dance with the Reaper
Back in the season two episode “In the Shadow of Z’Ha’Dum”, I made a passing mention to Dr. Franklin using stims. When I pointed that out, I knew that Dr. Franklin’s stim addiction would come back at some point but it had yet to be developed on the screen, and I had yet to see it for myself, so I refrained from pointing out exactly why this moment was an important turning point for the doctor. In light of his actions in “A Day in the Strife,” the time has come to broach the subject.
I can see an argument that this plot was built up too subtly but I would make the argument that the subtle bits were flavor rather than the meal itself; had I not been on the lookout, I may have missed Franklin reaching for stims in a particularly overwhelming moment during “Convictions.” However, it isn’t the continued use of stims that’s important to establish prior to the confrontation with Garibaldi but instead the conditions that would drive him to abuse them. All we need are one or two moments of normal use to plant the idea, and then an example of an extraordinary situation where Dr. Franklin’s personality drives his choice to use stims, and then we can fill in the rest because it’s the logical and in-character thing to do.
Part of what makes this episode works, too, is that we’re supposed to be in the same boat as Garibaldi. It’s supposed to be somewhat surprising and worrying precisely because we didn’t see the warning signs earlier. That’s what makes it such an effective B-plot. . .and what makes Franklin lying to Garibaldi worrying. This isn’t the climax of the plot but merely the inciting incident.
4. So, Where Are You from? From the Other Side, from Hell.
Vir getting sent away from the station broke my heart. I’ve really grown to love Vir and I’m glad Londo gets a right tearing apart by Delenn and Garibaldi over the decision to send him away. Why is Vir being sent away? Well, Londo tries to bluster and hide behind a cold exterior or magnanomy but, ultimately, he is worried about Vir. He knows that Vir is a good person, being quite literally the last voice of his conscience and if he keeps Vir around, eventually he will either be forced to compromise himself or be taken out by a government becoming more and more hostile by the day.
He wants to spare and save Vir. Moreover, he knows that as long as Vir is around, he will not be able to live with himself or his decisions. He will constantly have a voice he cannot shut up with alcohol telling him what a monster he has become and trying to change him. Guilt is a powerful motivator and in this case, the motivation is to free himself from the feelings and reminders of his guilt and complicity.
A more cynical reading would say he’s sending Vir away because he wants to be able to do more dubious and morally bankrupt things without the constant glare of Vir. That he is sending him away to spare himself not the guilt and shame but instead the accountability. I don’t see this. Londo has dug his heels in but he still cares for the people near him. They may not want it anymore, sickened by what he’s done, but he still has it.
5. Don’t Let the Simmering Fire Die. It’ll Light the Way in the Dark
Before I say anything about this plot, I have to once again commend JMS’s writing because hot damn is this episode full of so many fantastic scenes and lines. Not just quippy, bullshit one-liners but character based humor, meaningful & understated lines, in addition to the ridiculous, over-the-top sci-fi fun. If I didn’t restrain myself, the “best line of the night” section below would be half the script. G’Kar gets a ton this week but I wanted to talk about the question posed by the narn liaison to the Centauri, Na’Far: when should one stop fighting and start biding their time?
Continued belowIt’s an honest question and a good question and it makes up the bulk of G’Kar’s struggle in the episode. Beneath the question, however, is another, namely whether or not Na’Far’s words are merely honnied words to pacify resistance or a genuine plea? What is the smart move? What is the right move? It can be hard to see and Na’Far’s plea for the “right time in the right way” begs us to ask who is making that determination. Because if it’s the Centauri who delineate the rules, then the “right” time and way will never come and the posts will keep moving.
There’s no question that the Centauri Repu-Empire merely want to flex their power and that they want quiet, not peace and it’s easy to see Na’Far as a collaborator but here’s the thing, the role of collaborator in history is an interesting one. It is a morally dubious and ethically fraught position that forces one to compromise themselves, assuming they are doing what they are doing for noble reasons, and so bringing this character in to challenge G’Kar broaches a conversation rather than providing us with a villain.
JMS could have easily sent in a clearly uncaring Narn or a Centauri to take G’Kar away. He could have easily made this plot us rooting for G’Kar to tell the pompous new leader to stick it. Instead, he provided us with a morally gray situation and asked us to see Na’Far and G’Kar as a whole and to engage with each of their points of view. Ultimately, G’Kar’s convictions win out but the question of when to fight and when to bide one’s time remains.
Perhaps now they’ll be able to do it on their own terms.
That about does it for now. Join me again in a week for the return of our good friend Brother Theo, a small discussion on the death penalty, and a surprise telepathic guest on the station that, in the year of the Shadow War, became something greater.
This is Elias. Signing out.
Best Line of the Night:
Ivanova: “You are going to give me an ulcer.”
Sheridan: “Next time, I’ll give him a live gun. Give you an instant promotion.”
