As the Army of Light prepares to strike, Londo and Vir continue to plot Cartagia’s downfall. Ivanova and Lorien look for more First Ones. The Shadows unleash a terrible new weapon.
####Overview

####Guest Stars

Wortham Krimmer as Emperor Cartagia.
####Lurk

http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/synops/071.html
####Plot Points

The Shadows have deployed a planet-killer of their own, striking against Vorlon-aligned worlds much as the Vorlons are decimating worlds touched by the Shadows.

After the success of his assassination plot, Londo has taken Cartagia’s place as head of the Centauri, though for the moment only as prime minister, not as emperor.

Making good on his promise to G’Kar in [[Whatever Happened to Mr. Garibaldi?]] Londo has ordered the withdrawal of Centauri forces from Narn.
####Unanswered Questions

Who were the Centuari nobles in the secret meeting with Londo and Vir?
####Analysis

Now that Narn is free, will G’Kar retain his stature? Or will most of his countrymen come to feel the way the Narn in the palace did, that G’Kar’s sacrifice wasn’t significant and doesn’t give him any special moral authority?

It’s unlikely the Narn could mount any meaningful offensive against the Centauri regardless of their antagonism, given the near-total destruction of their fleet and the razing of their planet. But G’Kar’s warnings have a habit of being ignored until it’s too late ([[Revelations]] and [[The Long, Twilight Struggle]], to name two instances) and given the justifiable rage many Narn no doubt feel, they may well ignore him again.

The Narn clearly don’t know why the Centauri really left their world. How will they react if and when they learn that it was a bargain on G’Kar’s part, not the stubborn resistance of the Narn people as a whole, that caused their invaders to leave?

In [[Falling Toward Apotheosis]], Garibaldi speculated that in a week’s time, the crush of incoming refugees would overwhelm Babylon 5’s resources. That doesn’t seem to have happened. Has the diversion of people to the surface of Epsilon 3 gone smoothly enough to take the load off the station?

This episode marks the first time Sheridan has been shown ordering someone to certain death, though perhaps it’s something he had to do during the Earth-Minbari War as well. His death and rebirth on Z’ha’dum likely makes such orders more credible: he was willing to die for the cause, so he’s clearly not sending others into the fire just to save his own skin. Delenn, on the other hand, might not be ready for that aspect of command; as Lennier pointed out in [[Grey 17 Is Missing]], she holds individual lives in high esteem and is reluctant to risk them even for a greater good.

What did Londo mean when he told the other Centauri that when he died, there would be a reckoning? He could have been referring to his own alleged complicity in the death of Prime Minister Malachi, or to a reckoning for Refa’s actions. If the former, he was probably thinking in particular of his rather ignoble death, strangulation at the hands of G’Kar as foreseen in his dream ([[The Coming of Shadows]], [[War Without End part 2]].)

Although it was clearly unintentional (see jms speaks) one of Vir’s earliest appearances has what could be considered foreshadowing of his killing of Cartagia. In [[Born to the Purple]], Londo asks Vir, “What do you want, you moon-faced assassin of joy?” Vir has turned out to be an assassin, and by killing Cartagia, Vir has undone some of the damage that began when Londo first answered Morden’s question, “What do you want?” in [[Signs and Portents]].

Another possible unintentional foreshadowing of Vir’s actions was the Minbari rebirth ceremony in [[The Parliament of Dreams]]. During the ceremony, Delenn handed out fruits while she recited a Minbari holy text. As she gave Londo his fruit, she spoke of birth; Vir’s, death and renewal. Obviously it wasn’t JMS’s intent at the time, but Londo can be seen as bringing on the birth of the newly ascendant Centauri Republic by helping Refa bring Cartagia to power. Vir brings its death in the form of the assassination, and its rebirth in the resulting shift in power.
####Notes

The poem recited by Sheridan at the end of the episode was probably left by Sinclair, who quoted it to Delenn as far back as [[The Gathering]], It is Tennyson’s “Ulysses.”

When Londo first saw G’Kar, G’Kar commented that his eye offended Cartagia. That’s no doubt a Biblical reference, to Matthew 18:9.

G’Kar’s newfound vision bears some resemblance to Norse mythology, in which the god Odin sacrificed one of his eyes in exchange for the ability to perceive things beyond the normal senses.

In the initial US broadcast, the third-season theme was played over the closing credits.

The Shadow weapon was devised by Harlan Ellison.

Effects glitch: About a half-second before the executive producer credit, as the fleet is leaving Babylon 5, some Starfuries enter the picture on the right side. As they appear, they flicker out of existence for a frame or two. The effect is visible (barely) at normal speed, more obvious in slow motion.