As Sheridan and Ivanova try to gain recognition of the station’s new status among the alien governments, a traveler arrives with an unbelievable story out of distant legend.
####Overview

####Guest Stars

Michael York.
####Lurk

http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/synops/057.html
####Backplot

G’Kar has been using a human courier to get messages back and forth between the station’s Narn and the homeworld.

The first Earth vessel to encounter a Minbari warship was the Prometheus. As the Minbari ship approached with gun ports open, a sign of respect ([[Legacies]]) the Prometheus’ captain ordered its crew to open fire. The resulting battle destroyed two Minbari warships and killed the leader of the Grey Council, Dukhat.

20,000 people were sent to defend Earth in the Battle of the Line. Only 200 survived. (Presumably the bulk of the 20,000 were aboard large ships, not individual fighters.)
####Unanswered Questions

Given how badly outmatched humans were during the war, how did the Prometheus manage to inflict so much damage? Simply a matter of the element of surprise?

How much truth is there in Marcus’ joking speculation about the Vorlons? Or in his drawing of parallels between the B5 crew and Arthurian legend? (If there’s a lot of truth there, then who is the Morgana Le Fay figure?)

What is the “dawn of a new age” Marcus referred to when he told Franklin about the Ranger pin? Any relation to the Third Age of Mankind as mentioned in the opening monologues of seasons one and two?
####Analysis

Relying on a large number of races for the station’s defense may turn out to be a logistical nightmare. Ivanova will have to deal with questions ike the structure of the chain of command (does she have the authority to order a Vree ship to fire?) and what to do about races who’ve agreed to participate but whose enemies haven’t, which could lead to a situation like the one in [[The Fall of Night]]. Still, as a simple show of force and a deterrent, the arrangement may well end up being sufficient.

How did Marcus know about the events in [[Comes the Inquisitor]]? He arrived on the station after that was all over. Perhaps Sheridan or Delenn told him. Is the fact that the Vorlons have visited Earth in the past now common knowledge?

The Prometheus didn’t destroy all the Minbari ships, since Delenn held Dukhat in her arms as he died ([[Severed Dreams]].)

At what point did the Soul Hunter ([[Soul Hunter]]) show up during the battle between the Prometheus and the Minbari ships? From Arthur’s description, it sounded like the battle didn’t last long; the Soul Hunter would almost have had to be onboard Dukhat’s ship before the fighting began.

The Drazi ambassador now speaks for the League of Non-Aligned Worlds, whose membership seems to have gotten much smaller than a year ago. Perhaps many of the races have been taken over by their neighbors already, with Shadow help ([[Severed Dreams]].)

Arthur’s line about returning “because I am most needed here and now” is analogous to Sebastian’s description of Delenn and Sheridan as “the right people in the right place at the right time” ([[Comes the Inquisitor]].)
####Notes

For more information about Arthurian legend, see Arthurian Resources on the Internet.

It should be noted that Arthurian legend is exactly that: legend. While there are historical figures who match bits and pieces of the legend, there almost certainly was never an actual King Arthur.

The Minbari name for the Ranger pin is Isil’zha.

Prometheus is a figure from Greek mythology, a Titan who gave fire to mankind. For more information see The Creation of Man by Prometheus.