####Overview

Second season premiere. As a new commander assumes control of the station, a renegade Minbari warship arrives, threatening trouble.
####Guest Stars

Robert Foxworth as General Hague.
####Lurk

http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/synops/023.html
####Backplot

During the Earth-Minbari War, Captain John Sheridan managed to score Earth’s only real victory, destroying the Minbari flagship Black Star and several cruisers by mining the asteroid belt between Jupiter and Mars with fusion bombs. This earned him the name “Starkiller” among the Minbari warrior caste, as well as their continuing hatred.

The Minbari population has been slowly declining for two millenia.

The Grey Council ordered the end of the war after capturing Sinclair. He was the first human to have direct contact with the Council. Their original intent was to interrogate him and find out about Earth’s defenses, but upon scanning him, they found that Minbari souls were somehow being reborn in human bodies. Since Minbari religion teaches that all the souls of the Minbari form a greater whole, continuing the war would mean, in effect, killing part of themselves. Realizing that the knowledge that this was happening to Minbari souls would prove destabilizing to society — presumably some would blame humans for the shrinking population, not to mention how the humans would react to the news — they decided to keep their discovery a secret, and protect it with lethal force if necessary.

After the suicide of the warleader Sineval (cf. [[Legacies]]) at the end of the war, the crew of his ship, the Trigati, defied the surrender order and vanished into exile for nearly twelve years.

Before her service on Babylon 5, Ivanova served under Sheridan at the transfer point on Io.
####Unanswered Questions

How did a scan reveal that Minbari souls were being reborn in humans?

Will the crew of the Trigati be considered martyrs by the warrior caste in spite of their death at Minbari hands?

Why did President Clark already know why the war ended? (see jms speaks, and comic “In Darkness Find Me”)
####Analysis

The presence of the unnamed Grey Council member on Babylon 5 implies that the Council knew Delenn would disobey its order, and further, that they know the purpose of the chrysalis. In fact, there seems to be more division within the Council than they want to admit (cf. [[Babylon Squared]]) since one of the Councilmembers gave Delenn the triluminary even though the council had advised her to wait.

Councilmembers gave Delenn the triluminary even though the council had advised her to wait.

Sinclair was the first human to have contact with the Grey Council, but there’s still ample evidence that that’s not the only thing unique about him. Delenn has hinted that she believes he has a great destiny (cf. [[Grail]] and [[A Voice in the Wilderness part 2]]) and even in this episode, Lennier says, “A change is coming. Sinclair was the first. There will be others,” implying that something has happened to him that hasn’t yet happened to anyone else.

In fact, the Council may have identified a specific Minbari soul in Sinclair, perhaps the reincarnation of a great figure in their history; that would explain why they’re so interested in him in particular.

It’s possible that the information about Minbari souls isn’t even known to all of the Grey Council. When Delenn visited the Council (in [[Babylon Squared]]) she spoke of the prophecy as the reason for ending the war, and some of the other Councilmembers weren’t sure that humans were the ones the prophecy referred to. If they had seen whatever scan results convinced Delenn that humans had Minbari souls, they presumably would have argued with her about those results rather than a vague interpretation of the prophecy.

The only thing that looked remotely like a scan in Sinclair’s recollection of his capture on the Line was when one of the Minbari held a triluminary up to him. (cf. [[And the Sky Full of Stars]]) It’s at least plausible that the triluminary was instrumental in determining that Sinclair had a reincarnated Minbari soul. If its function is indeed on such a spiritual level, the fact that it was part of Delenn’s machine (cf. [[Chrysalis]]) suggests that her transformation may be as much mental as physical. This interpretation of the triluminary’s function is supported by the comic issue “In Darkness Find Me.”

Sheridan’s comment that he was the late president’s choice to replace Sinclair is odd; why would Santiago want someone who would be sure to anger the Minbari and increase tensions?
####Notes

The Agamemnon was also a ship in the British fleet, at one point commanded by Lord Nelson (best known for the Battle of Trafalgar.)

Possible factual error: Sheridan said the Dalai Lama ate dinner with him, implying an evening meal. But Buddhist monks, including the Dalai Lama, don’t eat after noon. It is, of course, possible that Buddhist practices have changed between the twentieth and twenty-third centuries, or that “dinner” wasn’t meant to imply an evening meal, but rather the last meal of the day.

####Overview

First Season finale. A dying man leads Garibaldi to a discovery that could cost him his life. Londo receives help in a dispute with the Narns. Something begins to happen to Delenn.
####Guest Stars

Macaulay Bruton as Garibaldi’s aide. Edward Conery as Devereaux. Ed Wasser as Morden.
####Lurk

http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/synops/022.html
####Backplot

Before the Centauri occupation, Narn was a peaceful, agrarian world.
####Unanswered Questions

What is happening to Delenn?

What does it have to do with Kosh, or with the Vorlons? Why did seeing Kosh help Delenn make up her mind?

What was the question she had Lennier relay?

What is the function of the triluminary in Delenn’s device?

What is the function of the device itself?

Why did Delenn want to tell Sinclair what happened on the Line?

Who’s behind the plot to kill President Santiago?

Why were the jammers and triangulation devices being shipped through Babylon 5?

Why did Garibaldi’s aide kill Devereaux?

What are G’Kar’s suspicions about the attack on the military base?

What do the Shadows want from Londo once he’s in a position of power?

What were the invisible creatures in the room with Morden? If they were Shadows, why did they come to Babylon 5 themselves, assuming Morden was still on the station? For that matter, how did they get onto Babylon 5? On someone else’s ship, or is one of theirs parked outside, invisible to everyone?

How did Morden know that Londo’s name was being spoken in the highest circles of the Centauri government?

How did Kosh know that Sinclair had forgotten something? Does he know what Delenn was planning to tell Sinclair, and if so, does that imply he was involved in what happened on the Line?

Was Garibaldi’s friend Lianna Kemmer (cf. [[Survivors]]) on Earth Force One when it exploded?
####Analysis

The fact that Delenn decided to go ahead with the change after Kosh revealed himself to her implies that there may be a much closer relationship between the Minbari and the Vorlons than has previously been suggested. It is even possible that Delenn is turning into a Vorlon somehow, and that Kosh showed her he resembled a Minbari. On the other hand, that doesn’t explain Kosh’s interest in humans, who he arguably doesn’t consider another race (cf. [[The War Prayer]].)

Morden seems to be more than just a representative for the Shadows; they seemed to be consulting with him. If he were a mere spokesman, why would he reassure his masters?

The Vice President is a prime suspect in the plot to kill President Santiago. He just happened to leave the President’s ship shortly before the assassination attempt. He also presumably would be able to arrange for an unregistered weapon for Devereaux — or perhaps Devereaux really was an agent working under the Vice President, in a capacity so secret Garibaldi couldn’t find any reference to him.

Casting more suspicion on the Vice President, and adding a darker, more sinister note, is the newspaper headline from [[And the Sky Full of Stars]] — “Psi Corps in Election Tangle: Did Psi-Corps Violate its Charter by Endorsing Vice President?”

It’s still not entirely clear where Garibaldi’s aide’s loyalty lies. The killing of Devereaux and his men suggests there may be more than one level of deception at work. Or perhaps he was simply under orders to tie up loose ends and wanted to ensure Devereaux could never blow his cover if apprehended.

The Shadows may have been the force overrunning Garibaldi’s position in the flashforward from [[Babylon Squared]]. They may also be what the crazed man in that episode was shouting about when he referred to invisible monsters.

Chrysalis is the third stage in insect development (egg, pupa, chrysalis, and adult form.) There may be some relation to the third age of mankind referenced in the opening monologue.

Delenn has obviously seen her change coming for quite some time; she has been building the crystal device in her quarters almost from day one. Her compatriots on the Grey Council appear to largely be in the dark about it, though perhaps not all of them, as one of them did give her the triluminary (cf. [[Babylon Squared]].)

Delenn’s ability to breathe the atmosphere in Kosh’s quarters with only a single whiff of air from a mask is further evidence of some connection between Vorlons and Minbari. Or it could just mean the Minbari don’t need much oxygen (or that both Kosh’s air and the normal station air contain whatever they do need.)

She has been disobeying the Council’s order about Sinclair, perhaps ever since [[And the Sky Full of Stars]]. That suggests she may have intentionally been hiding her upcoming transformation from them, as well. Otherwise it would presumably have come up when they considered her for the leadership of the Council (cf. [[Babylon Squared]].)

Londo’s disgust about the deaths of the Narn suggest he may not be the iron-fisted leader the Shadows appear to be looking for (cf. [[Signs and Portents]], in which Morden appeared to be looking for someone ruthless and ambitious.) In the future he may be placed in the position of deciding whether people live or die, and may have to act against the Shadows’ wishes.

G’Kar may be returning home to try to warn his superiors that a sixth race exists and is out to get them. Whether he has deduced that the intent is to cause war between the Narns and the Centauri (if, indeed, that is what the Shadows are up to) is an interesting question. It is also not clear what the Narns could do about the situation even if the leadership was convinced there was another player in the game; the Shadows appear to have an overwhelming technological advantage over most of the other races.

On the other hand, the Shadows did dispatch four ships to take care of the Narn outpost. That suggests that one ship might not have been enough, in turn implying limits to their power.

“And so it begins,” says Kosh. That’s the same line spoken by Delenn during the ceremony in [[The Parliament of Dreams]], after Sinclair eats the fruit. Perhaps Kosh was referring to Delenn’s change rather than the death of President Santiago, and perhaps it has something to do with the possible marriage of Delenn and Sinclair in the aforementioned episode. (But see jms speaks.)

When Kosh emerges from his encounter suit for Delenn (assuming that’s what he was doing,) there’s a sound not unlike wings moving through the air.

In [[TKO]] (which was originally going to air much later in the season, either immediately before or one episode removed from [[Chrysalis]]) Walker mentions that Garibaldi was never any good at watching his back, foreshadowing the events in this episode.
####Notes

Shot twelfth out of 22 episodes due to the extensive post-production work required.

First broadcast in the UK on October 3, 1994. PTEN didn’t want to show it during August, traditionally a month of low viewership, in the US, so it was held back until the week before the first season-two episodes, becoming, to all appearances, the season-two premiere. In fact, PTEN even advertised it as such. But, as stated, it was produced halfway through the first year of shooting, so definitely qualifies as a season-one episode.

The original satellite feed in the US was missing a special effect. In the first shot of Londo walking in the hedge maze, the scene was supposed to show the maze at the bottom of the frame and a view down the center of the station above that. The actual broadcast showed the back wall of the soundstage behind the hedges, complete with “Exit” sign. Oddly, the correct scene was used in the UK broadcast, which occurred much earlier. Bad and good pictures of the scene are available.

Garibaldi’s aide appeared in three previous episodes: [[Mind War]], [[And the Sky Full of Stars]], and [[Eyes]] (where he’s in Ivanova’s dream.)