####Overview

Sheridan and Ivanova try to deal with an association of cargo pilots. An alien probe makes first contact with the station. G’Kar’s position among the Narn is threatened by the arrival of a Centauri-appointed liaison.
####Guest Stars

Stephen Macht as Na’Far. Marshall Teague as Ta’Lon. Anne Betancourt as Dr. Gonzalez.
####Lurk

http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/synops/047.html
####Backplot

The Centauri diplomatic mission on Minbar has been closed for several years.
####Unanswered Questions

Who sent the probe?

Will Franklin’s continuing use of stims have greater repercussions, especially now that he’s willing to lie about it?

What will become of Na’Far? And of Ta’Lon, for that matter — will he remain on the station, and will he look after Sheridan?
####Analysis

Vir is leaving Londo just when Londo seems to need him most; Londo is becoming darker and darker, as his conversation with Na’Far demonstrates. Now he’ll have nobody to slow his descent (though it’s not clear how much he listened to Vir in the first place.)

The favor Delenn owed Londo was most likely the one he earned by transporting her and Draal to Epsilon 3 in [[A Voice in the Wilderness part 2]].

Franklin’s stim use is nothing new; it was touched on as recently as [[Confessions and Lamentations]]. He may feel he has no choice and no problem, but he seems to be ignoring the example of Dr. Rosen in [[The Quality of Mercy]], who lost her medical license over her stim use.
####Notes

A picture of the probe is available.

Vir’s departure has, in part, a real-world cause: actor Stephen Furst is starring in a sitcom on the Fox network. He will still appear on Babylon 5 from time to time.

Sheridan’s reference to the probe as a “berserker” is probably a nod to Fred Saberhagen’s “Berserker” novels, which feature huge automated war machines that seek out and destroy sentients.

A small gaffe: At the end of the episode, when the probe is headed away from the station, Sheridan asks the tech if there are any security bots in the area. The tech replies that there is just one, at 5000km. The next shot is of the bot in question, except that there are clearly 2 bots in the shot, and they look identical.

A related goof: Sheridan orders a securebot sent to look at the probe, but the display on the screen reads “Maintbot 12.”