####Overview

Londo’s career is in jeopardy when a beautiful slave seduces him and steals a sensitive computer file. Garibaldi investigates an unauthorized use of a restricted communications channel.
####Guest Stars

Fabiana Udenio as Adira Tyree. Clive Revill as Trakis. Robert Phalen as Andrei Ivanov.
####Lurk

http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/synops/003.html
####Backplot

Trakis: “Do you know why a drunken fool like Mollari has the power he does? Because his family has been collecting dirt on other families for years, like all the ‘noble’ houses of the Centauri republic.”

Londo: “We Centauri live our lives for appearances: position, status, title. These are the things by which we define ourselves. But when I look beneath the mask I am forced to wear, I see only emptiness.”

Centauri law permits individuals to own Centauri slaves. Owners are legally responsible for the actions of their slaves. This appears to be a slave system of economics rather than of caste. According to Trakis, powerlessness and slavery is the fate of all Centauri who don’t play the game of blackmail and backstabbing.
####Unanswered Questions

What was the Euphrates treaty compromise that Sinclair forced Londo to accept?
####Analysis

Londo and G’Kar agree over a drink that females are the finest of all things in life. They are much more friendly with each other now than when last we saw them (cf: [[Midnight on the Firing Line]]). The Narn must have been very pacifying in the meantime.

Intense anger from a couple nearby people is enough to send Talia away for a breather.

Londo agrees to Sinclair’s compromise on the Euphrates treaty in exchange for his personal help recovering the purple files. However, this should not be taken as another example of Londo putting personal concerns above state concerns. In a profoundly blackmailable culture like the Centauri, power lost by one individual or family would always be gained by another. But if an outsider were to get hold of a treasure trove like Londo’s purple files, all of Centauri would be diminished. There is an interesting parallel here to the Minbari concern for souls (cf: [[Soul Hunter]]).

Ivanova’s brother was killed in the Earth/Minbari war, her mother committed suicide (cf: [[Midnight on the Firing Line]]), and she’s been estranged from her father for years. Thus it’s unsurprising she’s so hard-edged.

Talia is willing to skirt Psi Corps regulations when a life is at stake (though she has no concern for Londo’s career). The Psi Corps’ hold on remote psis appears to be pretty weak.

When she was approached about the plan, Talia asked Sinclair if Londo was serious about a woman’s life being at stake. Shouldn’t she have sensed Londo’s distress? Strong emotions are difficult to block out, she says (“Mind War,”) and with Adira’s life and his career at stake, Londo would presumably be quite anxious. Of course, she may have sensed the anxiety but not its reason.

Ivanova is willing to skirt EA regulations for personal perks. (cf: “War Prayer”)

When G’Kar meets with Trakis to exchange the information, Trakis says to him, “You said nothing about a telepath.” From this it is clear that G’Kar was the one who contacted Trakis. However, Trakis knew through the bug he planted on Londo that Sinclair was onto him. So, Sinclair must have set up G’Kar’s call to Trakis in such a way that it wouldn’t arouse his suspicions.

Telepath-aided negotiation must make future diplomacy much different than it is now. No posturing, tailored versions of the situation back home, empty threats, or hidden agendas. Parties have the same freedom to make choices for their governments, but there are vanishingly few tactics left to gain more advantage over one’s adversary than one already has.
####Notes

The episode’s title is a term dating back to Roman times, still in use in Britain. Roman senators in the days of the Republic wore purple edged togas as a symbol of royalty, since purple dye was very expensive. Today, members of the House of Lords wear purple robes for state occasions. When someone is made a peer in the UK they are said to have been “raised to the purple.” Hereditary peers are [[born to the purple]]. Perhaps this implies that the purple files are so named because they are what keeps Londo’s family in its preeminent position.

G’Kar glances no less than four times at the human dancer behind him when he and Sinclair first confront Londo about the treaty.

Babylon 5 communications has a priority “Gold Channel” reserved for emergency communications. Sinclair’s express permission is required to use it, and its existence is known only to the ambassadors and senior officers.

Londo’s family heirloom, from the earliest days of the Empire, is a stylized eye-and-teardrop.

Universe Today main headline: Homeguard Leader Convicted

“Fresh Air” is the finest restaurant on Babylon 5.

Talia used to work for the “Political Bureau”.

“I like to know all there is about Babylon 5,” Sinclair says, “and Garibaldi’s files are very thorough.”

Ivanova appears to wear only one earring, though it’s hard to tell since throughout the episode we get no more than a glimpse of the right side of her head.