Garibaldi is captured by the Mars Resistance. Ivanova’s fleet clashes with Clark’s forces. A plan to free Sheridan is launched.
####Overview

####Guest Stars

Marjorie Monaghan as Number One.
####Lurk

http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/synops/085.html
####Plot Points

With the help of a deep scan by Lyta, who is able to break past blocks put in place by P12 telepaths, Garibaldi has convinced Franklin and the others that Bester manipulated him into betraying his fellow officers.

Garibaldi, Franklin, and Lyta have freed Sheridan.

Londo and G’Kar have convinced the League of Non-Aligned Worlds to join the fight against Clark and help Sheridan, who came to their aid against the Shadows. Sheridan’s fleet now contains Narn and Centauri warships, among others.

Not all the so-called defectors to the rebel fleet have really betrayed Earth; there are some spies who have been feeding information about fleet movement back to Earth.

Earth has been adapting Shadow technology for use in its own ships. The resulting vessels are capable of putting up a strong fight against White Star-class ships.

Ivanova was mortally injured during a clash with a fleet of Shadow-enhanced Earth ships. Minbari physicians estimate she has no more than a week left.

At Ivanova’s request, Sheridan has assumed command of the Agamemnon once again.
####Unanswered Questions

What other Shadow technology has Earth adapted?

What impact has Sheridan’s interrogation had on his psyche?

How badly was the White Star fleet damaged by the battle?

Did Garibaldi and the others leave Mars with Sheridan?
####Analysis

G’Kar’s feeling of debt to Sheridan is obvious: Sheridan gave him sanctuary ([[The Long, Twilight Struggle]]) and aided the Narn during their war with the Centauri ([[Acts of Sacrifice]] and [[The Fall of Night]], among others.) It’s less clear why Londo would be willing to put his people on the line to the same extent. Londo, at least from his perspective, took care of the Centauri Republic’s Shadow “problem” on his own, without Sheridan’s intervention ([[Into the Fire]].) While he may since have learned of Sheridan’s role in sparing Centauri Prime from destruction by the Vorlon planet-killer, he never worked closely with Sheridan as G’Kar did.

One possibility is that Londo feels he has to repay Sheridan for telling him of the approach of the Vorlons ([[Falling Toward Apotheosis]].) Londo did tell Sheridan he owed him a favor in return.

Or it may be a simple matter of redemption: Londo certainly realizes that he helped the Shadows, and he may feel he needs to make up for his past misdeeds. In [[No Surrender, No Retreat]], Londo told G’Kar that he wanted to help the humans because they’d been friends, and he’d been ignoring his friends too long.

G’Kar praised humanity as a bridge that has allowed the other races to work together. That’s the same argument Londo made to him in [[No Surrender, No Retreat]]. Delenn has expressed the same sentiment as well, e.g. in [[And Now For a Word]] with her closing remark about humans building communities.

The League’s unanimous vote ran counter to Sheridan’s request that they stay out of Earth’s civil war ([[No Surrender, No Retreat]].) Upon his return, however, he didn’t seem to object to the presence of the alien vessels; has he changed his mind about the need to credibly deny that his campaign is due to alien influence?

Just how powerful is Lyta? She has set off planetary defense systems from light-years away ([[Epiphanies]],) is able to easily slide past defenses put in place by the Psi Corps’ most talented members, and can project detailed memories into the minds of others. There must be limits to her ability; Kosh was able to block her out ([[Falling Toward Apotheosis]].) But she appears to be light-years ahead of any other human telepath since Jason Ironheart ([[Mind War]].)

Lyta appeared startled when Garibaldi mentioned the conspiracy against the Psi Corps. Did she pull the details out of his mind, and if so, is the knowledge useful to her in any way?

Why did Number One believe the images Lyta sent to her? Given Number One’s distrust of telepaths, wouldn’t she suspect that Lyta was feeding her fictitious images? Of course, it’s possible she believed it because Lyta also transmitted the belief that the images were legitimate.

On the other hand, it’s strange that Number One’s people were also convinced immediately; given the resistance’s innate distrust of telepaths, why weren’t they suspicious of her immediate reversal of attitude after Lyta apparently did something to her mind?

How much does Ivanova know about Marcus’ feelings for her? When he walked into the sleeping chamber, he didn’t think she suspected — hence his “You will never know” comment — but clearly she suspects something now that she knows what he said to her earlier ([[Shadow Dancing]].)

How was Earth able to adapt Shadow technology so quickly, given that it’s millions of years more advanced and apparently has a completely dissimilar basis (living matter as opposed to steel and wires?) Did Clark’s people, or maybe the Psi Corps, receive technical assistance from the Shadows at some point?

Earth’s weapons researchers weren’t completely new to the concept of living weapons; the confiscated Ikarran artifact in [[Infection]] was in their hands for nearly four years. It’s possible that studying that artifact, which presumably was a less advanced form of organic technology than that used by the Shadows, gave them the context they needed to begin to understand Shadow artifacts. The ships on Mars and Ganymede ([[Messages from Earth]]) would have provided chances for experimentation, if brief ones.

Was Sheridan’s father freed too, or is he still being held? The interrogator implied that Clark’s forces still had him. Even without Garibaldi’s help, Sheridan’s father can presumably still be used as leverage against Sheridan.

Sheridan was in a rather confused mental state when he was rescued. Will his interrogation have any lasting effect on his psyche? Many people would be scarred for life from such an experience. On the other hand, Sheridan has already been through a rough time — death — and after that, the rest may seem minor in comparison.

Why did Ivanova ask Sheridan to lead the final battle from the bridge of the Agamemnon? Symbolism, most likely, since she expressed concern about it earlier. But clearly, he’d be safer on the bridge of one of the White Star ships, Ivanova’s injury notwithstanding. She must be aware that her request puts the integrity of the fleet — which depends on Sheridan himself as a symbol, every bit as much as it depends on the participation of Earth ships — in greater jeopardy.

The symbolism aspect is the most likely explanation; a fleet led by an Earth warship will be harder for Clark to explain away as mere alien interference.

It’s also possible, given the discovery that not all the defecting ships are loyal to Sheridan, that Ivanova wanted Sheridan on the bridge of the Agamemnon to ensure that its captain couldn’t betray the rebel cause.

Sheridan’s use of the Agamemnon after Ivanova’s fall has symbolic meaning on another level: Agamemnon was the commander of the Greek forces during the Trojan War, and he sacrificed his daughter Iphigenia to ensure fair wind for his ships. Ivanova, while obviously not Sheridan’s daughter, sacrificed herself to ensure that the fleet would make it to Mars.

In Euripides’ version of the Greek myth, Iphigenia was switched with a hind (a deer) at the last minute by Artemis, who among other things was the goddess of virgins. Iphigenia lived thereafter in a distant country as the high priestess in one of Artemis’ temples. The [[Endgame]] page has more on that.

Garibaldi doesn’t have very good luck with his back, between the knifing in this episode and the gunshot in [[Chrysalis]]. An additional irony is that he was stabbed in the back while helping rescue Sheridan, who he stabbed in the back in a metaphorical sense.
####Notes

Earthforce is expanding the underground Mars tunnel system, leading to instability in the existing tunnels.

Ivanova has eidetic memory (photographic memory or perfect recall, as it’s more commonly known.)

The VR machine used to interrogate Sheridan is similar to the machine used to interrogate Sinclair in [[And the Sky Full of Stars]].

After Franklin finishes sewing up Garibaldi’s wound, the team proceeds down the tunnel. Part of a discarded newspaper is visible in the background, including the headline “TIAGO” and “TED” on the next line. The headline is probably “Santiago Elected,” the same newspaper headline visible in [[Grey 17 Is Missing]].

The Damocles, which Ivanova’s fleet fought at the beginning of the episode, is named after a figure in Greek mythology. As told by Cicero, Damocles was a courtier under Dionysius of Syracuse, who had risen to power by violence. He envied what he imagined to be his ruler’s pampered and carefree life, so Dionysius decided to let Damocles experience what his life was really like. In the midst of a sumptuous banquet, Damocles discovered that a sword was suspended by a horsehair over his head, ready to drop at any moment. Dionysius said he felt the same anxiety every day, surrounded by enemies waiting to take his life at the first sign of weakness.

The title most likely refers to the mantra recited by Delenn and others upon entering the Grey Council: “I am Grey. I stand between the candle and the star. We are Grey. We stand between the darkness and the light.” ([[Babylon Squared]], among others.) It may also refer to a transition from darkness to light; Sheridan’s return certainly qualifies.

Sheridan faces an inquisitor from Earthdome.
####Overview

####Guest Stars

Wayne Alexander as Drazi. Raye Birk as William. Bruce Gray as Interrogator.
####Lurk

http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/synops/084.html
####Plot Points

Sheridan continues to be held in an interrogation center, most likely on Mars.

Clark believes Sheridan’s credibility as a war hero is a threat to the credibility of the administration. He wants Sheridan to recant in public to restore the public’s belief that “you can’t beat the system.”

Among the weapons Earth purchased from the Narn during the Earth-Minbari War were paingivers ([[The Parliament of Dreams]].)

The paingivers appear to work as well on humans as they do on Narns.
####Unanswered Questions

Was the interrogation real, or was it all in Sheridan’s mind like the interrogation of Sinclair in [[And the Sky Full of Stars]]?

Was it really morning?

Is Sheridan’s father still being held?
####Analysis

With Ivanova presumably continuing the campaign to retake Earth, it’s interesting that Clark’s people seem intent on breaking Sheridan to the exclusion of trying to interrogate him for information about battle plans or other practical matters. Perhaps they figure that he wouldn’t give up such information until he had gone over to their side anyway, but given the fact that Clark is willing to send Psi Corps units out to scan the general public ([[The Face of the Enemy]]) it’s strange a telepath hasn’t been brought in to pull military information from Sheridan’s head.

In [[The Face of the Enemy]], Ivanova quoted Sheridan as saying, “The person is expendable. The job is not.” The interrogator told Sheridan much the same thing, with one exception: Sheridan himself wasn’t expendable. But that was only true as long as there was the possibility of him performing a different job: communicating to the public that Clark couldn’t be beaten.

The interrogator appeared to have disabled the paingivers after Sheridan’s first exposure to them; on several occasions after that, the two of them were close together but Sheridan wasn’t shocked.

Assuming the images of Delenn weren’t telepathic projections of some kind on her part, Sheridan’s repeated visions of her echoed his experience on Z’ha’dum in [[Whatever Happened to Mr. Garibaldi?]] The knowledge that Delenn is still out there, awaiting his return, is an island of stability Sheridan can cling to.

The interrogator clearly knew of his relationship with Delenn — not a big secret after the ISN report in [[The Illusion of Truth]]. Will the next interrogator realize that Sheridan is using her as an anchor, and try to undermine that directly, e.g. by presenting faked evidence that something has happened to her?

“Room 17” is probably a reference to George Orwell’s “1984,” in which Winston Smith, the protagonist, hears of people taken to Room 101, but has no idea what goes on there.

The interrogator insisted that he was telling Sheridan the truth, but also insisted that the truth is fluid. That means little, if anything, the interrogator told Sheridan can be taken at face value.

The interrogator said he thought his speech about poison was a metaphor for something, but he couldn’t figure out what. In addition to the historical nod (see Notes) the speech can be interpreted as a metaphor for what he was trying to do to Sheridan. First he convinced Sheridan to agree to little lies (the time of day.) After a steady diet of small untruths, the interrogator hoped, Sheridan would become more and more receptive to bigger and bigger lies, until he was ready to swallow anything suggested to him.
####Notes

The interrogator mentioned that Sheridan had been interrogated once before. That referred to [[Comes the Inquisitor]], in which Sheridan was interrogated by Jack the Ripper (played by Wayne Alexander, who played the Drazi in this episode.)

Possible continuity glitch: When the interrogator left the room and the loud voice started repeating its message, Sheridan covered his ears. At the beginning of the next act, when the interrogator returned, Sheridan’s hands were bound to the chair. Of course, it’s possible other people came into the room in the interim and forced him to listen.

The interrogator didn’t get sick from the sandwich, he claimed, because he’d been eating a little poison every day and had built up a resistance. This has historical precedent; for instance, King Mithridates of Pontus, 135-63 BC, who eventually tried to commit suicide by swallowing large quantities of poison but couldn’t kill himself because his resistance was too great.

Perhaps simply by coincidence, this “1984”esque story is the 84th one-hour episode.

Taking numerology to an absurd extreme, add episode 84 to room 17 and you get 101, the mystery room number from “1984.”

Sheridan’s search for his father leads him into danger on Mars. Lyta warns Franklin of an impending clash between telepaths and mundanes. Garibaldi chooses between loyalty to Sheridan and to Edgars.
####Overview

####Guest Stars

Richard Gant as Captain MacDougan. Denise Gentile as Lise. Walter Koenig as Bester. Marjorie Monaghan as Number One. Mark Schneider as Wade. Efrem Zimbalist Jr. as William Edgars.
####Lurk

http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/synops/083.html
####Plot Points

Clark’s ship commanders have been convinced that if they surrender to Sheridan, they’ll be killed and their crews replaced by Minbari. Perceiving they have nothing to lose, they are therefore willing to fight the rebel forces to the death.

Sheridan has been captured by Clark’s forces. Garibaldi personally sprung the trap, which earned him a commendation from ISN and condemnation from Ivanova: she has ordered B5’s personnel to shoot him on sight.

Ivanova is now in command of the rebel fleet, and has vowed to keep up the fight with or without Sheridan.

Sheridan’s old ship, the Agamemnon ([[Points of Departure]]) has joined the rebel fleet. (See Notes)

The telepath virus described by Wade and Lise in [[Conflicts of Interest]] is indeed real, as is the drug to suppress it — but the virus was developed by Edgars’ company. It is airborne, 100% contagious, and completely harmless to normals. Telepaths have to take the cure every two weeks, or they’ll die. Edgars’ plan was to release it on Earth and use control of the cure to effectively enslave all the telepaths, preventing them from ever gaining the upper hand over normals. Bester believes the virus was developed with the help of the Shadows, who had a vested interest in wiping out telepaths.

When Justin told Sheridan that the Shadows wouldn’t kill him because someone else would come along and take his place ([[Z’ha’dum]]) he had specific people in mind: Delenn, Ivanova and Garibaldi. The Shadows decided that given his innate paranoia, Garibaldi would be easiest to cause to turn away from Sheridan’s cause, thus sabotaging the Army of Light in Sheridan’s absence. The Psi Corps was given the assignment of programming Garibaldi. They took him to a secret facility on Mars, where Bester intervened and added some programming of his own.

Bester was aware that some kind of action was being planned against the Corps, but he didn’t know what or by whom. Given Garibaldi’s proven track record at ferreting out conspiracies, Bester instructed his colleagues to leave Garibaldi’s personality largely intact, and to accentuate his natural sense of paranoia and distrust. Garibaldi’s resignation was an unexpected bonus that put him in a perfect position to infiltrate Edgars’ organization.

Garibaldi’s mission was to gather information about the threat to the Psi Corps if the opportunity arose, then signal Bester.

Bester has removed Garibaldi’s programming, leaving him with full memory of what was done to him and what he’s done to Sheridan.

Bester’s people have murdered Edgars and Wade and may have taken the virus. Lise’s whereabouts are unknown.

The Corps has engaged in clandestine operations in the past. While Lyta was interning with the Psi Cops ([[Divided Loyalties]]) someone started murdering telepaths. The Corps engaged in illegal scans of civilians, and eventually found the killer. Rather than simply kill him, they twisted his mind. According to Lyta, he’s now in a cell in a secret facility on Beta 2, straitjacketed 24 hours a day to keep him from clawing out his own eyes to stop the nightmare visions only he can see.

The Corps has gone even further with the establishment of “bloodhound units,” special undercover detachments of the Earth military who are accompanied by telepaths. Their mission is to perform random scans of the public and arrest any members of the resistance they come across.

Lyta believes there’s likely to be a war between telepaths and mundanes some day, when word of such operations gets out and the trust the Corps has managed to build up evaporates as a result.
####Unanswered Questions

Where is Lise?

What does Bester plan to do with the virus, assuming he has it?

Does Franklin know the full extent of Sheridan’s plans for the frozen telepaths, and can he carry them out with Sheridan out of the picture?

Why didn’t Franklin detect Garibaldi’s false tooth during his medical exams?

Now that Ivanova is leading the fleet, will she continue her Voice of the Resistance broadcasts?

Is the Agamemnon’s defection to the resistance what it seems?
####Analysis

The resolution of the battle between Sheridan and Clark’s forces points out what may be Sheridan’s most potent weapon against Clark: not White Stars or superior strategy, but the presence of previously loyal human commanders who lend credibility to the rebel cause.

The White Stars appear to have adapted to Earth’s weapons; a hit from an Earth heavy cruiser only disables a White Star until the auto-repair systems come online. Even without the defection of so many Earth ships, Ivanova is in command of an unstoppable military force.

Sheridan told the Agamemnon’s captain that the rebel forces had lost some battles, but had kept the news to themselves. (“We’ve lost a few. We just made damned sure nobody heard about it.”) How is that possible? Wouldn’t Clark jump at the chance to spread news of victory over Sheridan’s forces? And for that matter, would Ivanova participate in covering up any losses, given her insistence on telling the truth in her Voice of the Resistance broadcasts? (“Rumors, Bargains and Lies”)

Perhaps Sheridan simply has a more specific definition of “victory” than most other people. He didn’t seem to consider the outcome of the Proxima 3 battle a victory ([[No Surrender, No Retreat]]) so perhaps he’d consider it a loss if he wound up having to fight Clark’s forces to the death.

Or maybe Sheridan wasn’t referring to his current campaign, but was speaking in general of his military career.

Sheridan demonstrated a lack of caution in this episode, first going over to the Agamemnon on a moment’s notice (it could easily have been sent by Clark as a trap) then agreeing to go to Mars by himself. He even walked straight into a public place without attempting to obscure his face, which has no doubt been featured daily on ISN. That can be seen as evidence of what Garibaldi referred to as a “God complex” — Sheridan appears to have disregarded his own fallibility.

It’s possible that this stems in part from the glimpse of his own future in [[War Without End part 2]], which might lead Sheridan to believe that no matter what he does now, he’ll be alive and free in 17 years.

Sheridan’s capture was similar to G’Kar’s in [[Whatever Happened to Mr. Garibaldi?]] Both of them left a place of relative safety to try to rescue someone they cared about, and both were captured by a regime that was oppressing their people. Both were tortured after capture.

The Agamemnon, according to its captain, had been modified to track Sheridan’s forces down. What, specifically, were the modifications? And more importantly, how likely is it that Clark would equip a ship specifically to seek Sheridan out without being very sure of its loyalty?

The Agamemnon would make a perfect plant. Clark’s people might have figured that Sheridan’s emotional attachment to it would likely prompt him to put it in a position of trust, all the better to sabotage Sheridan’s efforts at a critical juncture. Of course, Ivanova isn’t biased toward trusting the Agamemnon, but at the time the Agamemnon was sent out to find the rebel fleet, Clark had no idea Sheridan’s capture was imminent.

Its arrival just after the battle was also very convenient; its captain could claim to be joining up with the rebels without actually having to fire on Clark’s forces. If it had indeed been chasing after Sheridan for weeks, emerging from hyperspace at just that moment was quite a coincidence.

Was the Agamemnon’s captain the one in command when it fired on the White Star? ([[Messages From Earth]])

The Agamemnon has been involved in skirmishes with raiders near Io. Who are the raiders? Are the Drakh ([[Lines of Communication]]) encroaching on Earth’s territory? Or are the raiders simply opportunists out to take advantage of Sheridan’s campaign and its likely effect of drawing Earth forces away from their home system?

The Shadows were apparently right about Ivanova; she is indeed taking Sheridan’s place, just as Bester says they feared.

Bester’s manipulation of Garibaldi was foreshadowed in [[Dust to Dust]]. Bester told Garibaldi, “I enjoyed working with you. We made a good team. Perhaps we’ll do it again sometime.”

It was also foreshadowed, if obliquely, in [[Divided Loyalties]], in which Garibaldi pretended to have a personality implant, if only as a joke.

And before then, ironically, in [[The Quality of Mercy]], Talia and Garibaldi shared a moment of mutual foreshadowing when she said to him, “Things that live inside us, Mr. Garibaldi. Terrible things. Terrible.”

Bester referred to the Corps as “my telepaths.” This echoes his comment to Ivanova in [[Ship of Tears]] that he had plans for Earth’s telepaths and didn’t want the Shadows interfering. Apparently he considers himself responsible for Earth’s telepaths, even if he’s not officially in charge of the Corps.

Did Bester’s people get the virus? It’s possible Lise took it when she fled Edgars’ compound. She wanted Garibaldi to help her stop him, and taking the virus would be a big step in that direction. Of course, that’s assuming she could get to it; the Psi Cops could presumably take control of Edgars and force him to use the handprint reader, but Lise would have had a harder time getting to the vials.

Garibaldi did see blast marks around the secret compartment, though, suggesting that it was opened by force.

The ISN broadcast showed investigators picking up a necklace from the floor of Edgars’ residence. That necklace, or one like it, was being worn by Lise when she listened in on Edgars’ conversation with Garibaldi, suggesting she was in the room after Edgars and Garibaldi left.

Bester’s supposition that the virus was developed with the help of Shadow technology is consistent with the courier’s claim in [[Conflicts of Interest]] that coming up with the cure was a job beyond the capabilities of Earth’s biologists, and that alien help had been enlisted.

If Bester is right about the Shadows helping create the virus, it means Edgars was in contact with the Shadows, even if indirectly. And indeed, Edgars and Wade seemed to espouse something like the Shadow philosophy: the enslavement of normals by telepaths or vice versa was a natural consequence of evolution.

References to the Nazis abound: Edgars described his plan as a solution to “the telepath problem,” an echo of Hitler’s “Jewish problem.” Bester told Garibaldi that he had just prevented a Holocaust. Edgars even referred to the Nazis directly, though he misspoke a date; he claimed they came to power in 1939, but in fact Hitler was appointed Chancellor in 1933.

Garibaldi’s line about the last person with his job being paid 30 pieces of silver is a Biblical reference. Judas was paid 30 pieces of silver to betray Jesus to the Romans. Even under the influence of his altered personality, Garibaldi apparently has moral qualms about betraying Sheridan.

After Edgars told Garibaldi the full extent of his plans, Wade told Garibaldi he wouldn’t be allowed to leave Edgars’ compound. The implication was that any passing telepath (e.g. one of the “bloodhound units”) would be able to scan Garibaldi and learn about the virus.

Why, then, was Wade allowed to travel to Babylon 5, and stay there to recruit Garibaldi? Was Wade unaware of the big picture until his return to Mars? The laboratory scene near the end of [[The Exercise of Vital Powers]] doesn’t give the impression that Wade just found out what Edgars was up to; he seemed to have witnessed similar experiments in the past.

Perhaps Wade was drugged or brainwashed in some way that made him more difficult to scan or that caused him to believe the story he told Garibaldi in [[Conflicts of Interest]].

Bester’s release of Garibaldi was, in some ways, an act of arrogance; in essence, Bester was saying that he didn’t consider Garibaldi a threat. Given Garibaldi’s determination in the past, he’ll likely seek revenge or justice, and he won’t rest until he has it.

Despite Bester’s apparently accurate warning that Garibaldi’s old comrades wouldn’t want to have anything to do with him any more, Garibaldi did try to get in touch with Babylon 5. How will he be able to prove his story to them, and prove that he’s no longer under Bester’s influence? One obvious answer is to submit to a scan by Lyta, whose Vorlon-enhanced powers appear to far exceed Bester’s. She would easily be able to verify Garibaldi’s story, and her word might be enough to convince the others.

Edgars’ order to Garibaldi to fire Lyta ([[Moments of Transition]]) may, ironically, have been his downfall. If Edgars hadn’t forced Garibaldi to get rid of her, she might have eventually detected Bester’s handiwork and removed it, and Edgars would still be alive.

Why didn’t Edgars release the virus? What was he waiting for? In [[The Exercise of Vital Powers]], he seemed satisfied that the virus worked, and even asked that a test of its effectiveness be terminated.

Since his aim was to control the telepaths, not simply wipe them out, perhaps he needed to wait until he had enough of the cure manufactured to supply to millions of victims.

Edgars said he was waiting for Clark to drop his guard, but it’s not clear what difference that would have made; Clark’s level of paranoia would presumably have little effect on the spread of the virus and the demise of the telepaths.

Edgars’ plans didn’t amount to anything in the end. He was the only known credible threat to the Psi Corps. Now that he’s dead and the Corps has control of his weapon against them, and Ivanova is continuing the rebel advance even in the face of Sheridan’s capture, Edgars’ fear of Clark panicking and giving increasing amounts of control to the Psi Corps may well become a reality.

Of course, Sheridan may have anticipated that problem, and the frozen telepaths may be his answer.

In [[The Exercise of Vital Powers]], Edgars implied that there were other powerful megacorps dissatisfied with Clark, and that his company was one of several planning to move against the government. Will any of the others act now that Edgars is out of the picture?

The problem may have gotten even worse thanks to Edgars: if the Corps has the virus, they’ll presumably spend a good deal of effort studying it. The virus selects its victims via the presence of the telepathy genes. Developing that selectivity from scratch may have required the aid of the Shadows, but it might not be beyond Earth’s biotechnology to use it as a blueprint and produce a modified version that selects for the lack of the telepathy gene — thus giving the Corps the same power over normals that Edgars wanted to gain over telepaths.

Or the Corps could use the virus to cement its own control over all human telepaths. By releasing the virus and only giving the cure to members of the Corps, they’d eliminate the problem of rogue telepaths overnight. Latent telepaths like Ivanova would no longer be able to hide themselves from the Corps.

Bester could possibly also use the virus on Lyta; death by the virus might be considered natural causes under the terms of her contract ([[Moments of Transition]].) Of course, such an operation would be very risky, since Lyta would be contagious.

Assuming Edgars kept detailed personnel records, the police will most likely look to Garibaldi as a prime suspect in the murders. Lise might also be a suspect. Both of them disappeared suddenly at the time of the murder, and given their past history, the police might conclude that Edgars’ murder was a crime of passion committed by two old lovers who wanted to be together again.

The bloodhound units may have been in evidence before this episode. In [[Conflicts of Interest]], the two telepaths chasing Garibaldi, Wade and Lise seemed to fit the description pretty well. And, more speculatively, they could have been the ones to plant the Keeper on Captain Jack in [[Racing Mars]], since they presumably would have had little trouble learning of his personal association with Number One.

Lyta’s description of the Corps’ treatment of the murderer is strikingly similar to her threat to Londo in [[Passing Through Gethsemane]]. Perhaps she was present when the murderer was implanted and knows firsthand how to do such things. Maybe she was even involved in the process; that could be the secret about her Bester threatened to reveal in [[Epiphanies]].

Number One said that when Lyta passed through Mars a year and a half earlier ([[Divided Loyalties]]) she made no mention of being a telepath on the run from the Corps. That’s inconsistent with Lyta’s story in that episode. She told Sheridan and the others at that time that she’d been helping out the resistance, and implied that they’d hired her for her telepathic skills.

Number One apparently really does treat all her former lovers like she treated Phillipe ([[Lines of Communication]].)
####Notes

Harlan Ellison has a cameo appearance in this episode. He’s the Psi Cop Bester instructs to alter Garibaldi’s personality.

Bester’s parting salute to Garibaldi, “Be seeing you,” is a reference to the 60s TV show “The Prisoner”.

Bester first used the salute in [[Mind War]].

Garibaldi is now missing a molar.

The appearance of the Agamemnon contradicts the attack scene at the end of [[Moments of Transition]], in which the Agamemnon can be seen attacking civilian targets. However, as JMS noted in response to comments on that episode, the use of the Agamemnon was a slipup on the part of the production team.

The Cadmus, the ship that surrendered to Sheridan and MacDougan, is named after a mythological hero. Cadmus slew a dragon, and when he sowed the dragon’s teeth, a race of warriors sprang from the ground.

This is the series’ second attack on someone using a skin tab. The first was the poisoning of Kosh in [[The Gathering]].

The Sheridan fight scene, shot in slow motion, was interspersed by editor David Foster with shots taken by still photographer

Byron Cohen, who does most of the B5 publicity stills sent out to TV stations.

The shot of Garibaldi shown on the ISN broadcast is from the season-three opening credits.

Garibaldi arrives on Mars and meets William Edgars. Lyta helps Franklin in an attempt to make contact with the frozen telepaths.
####Overview

####Guest Stars

Denise Gentile as Lise. Mark Schneider as Wade. Efrem Zimbalist Jr. as William Edgars.
####Lurk

http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/synops/082.html
####Plot Points

Sheridan’s forces have liberated the colony at Beta Durani, as well as a midrange military outpost.

Lyta is able to awaken the implanted telepaths ([[Ship of Tears]].) After observing the effect of her mental contact with them, Franklin has devised an artificial equivalent and feels he’s well on his way to reviving them.

Garibaldi is still in love with Lise.

Edgars runs the fourth-largest corporation on Earth. His company is involved in chemical and biological weapons manufacturing as well as pharmaceutical production.

Edgars says President Clark has become increasingly paranoid since taking office. Learning of the Shadows’ interest in Psi Corps, Clark developed an interest as well. As his paranoia increased, he started giving the Corps more and more power, since telepaths were able to tell him absolutely whether the people around him were loyal. The Corps, of course, isn’t eager to give up its newfound clout, and Edgars and others fear that if Sheridan takes his battle to Earth, Clark may panic and give the Corps unprecedented control over society, a development that wouldn’t be easy to reverse. He therefore wants Sheridan’s campaign stopped for Earth’s own good.

Clark’s forces still haven’t located Sheridan’s father.

According to Edgars, the real power in Earthdome has never been in the hands of the politicians; the mega-corporations have always called the shots. They let Clark declare martial law, but didn’t foresee the Psi Corps connection until it was too late.
####Unanswered Questions

What does Sheridan plan to do with the telepaths?

Will Psi Corps come looking for the murdered telepath?
####Analysis

Lise tried to warn Garibaldi off. Why? How much does she know about what her husband is planning? How far will she go to protect Garibaldi?

Garibaldi said Mars had tried to kill him before. One of those occasions was his trek across the surface with Sinclair ([[Infection]] and issues 4-8 of the comic series.) What were the other two?

The incident that killed Frank Kemmer ([[Survivors]]) has been suggested, but Garibaldi said that took place on Europa, not Mars.

He also said he’d sworn never to come back to Mars. But in [[A Voice in the Wilderness part 2]], he told Lise he had some leave coming up and was thinking of taking it on Mars. Maybe he only considered that after he realized Lise was in danger during the uprising.

In [[Moments of Transition]], Bester claimed in his log entry that Garibaldi was inching closer to where Bester needed him to be. It’s plausible that Bester has been priming Garibaldi to join up with Edgars. The Corps seems to be aware of the telepathic virus (the assassins in [[Conflicts of Interest]] were likely Corps operatives) and is thus probably aware that Edgars has some interest in it.

Given the presence of the virus, they wouldn’t be able to use a telepath as an undercover agent. Setting up a non-telepath to be their spy and/or saboteur in Edgars’ organization would be the Corps’ only recourse, and they’d have to do it with subconscious programming since Edgars isn’t above using telepaths to test potential employees’ loyalties.

Garibaldi was a logical choice because the Corps knew of his connection to Lise; in [[A Voice in the Wilderness part 2]], Garibaldi asked Talia to look into Lise’s condition by going through Corps channels. It wouldn’t be much of a leap for the Corps to assume that Lise would therefore recommend Garibaldi to her husband, making Garibaldi the best possible candidate for the job of unwitting spy.

Edgars appeared to accept Garibaldi’s answer that he didn’t remember what happened to him while he was missing ([[Whatever Happened to Mr. Garibaldi?]]) Given how paranoid Edgars is in other respects, will that really be the end of the matter? Does Edgars know more than Garibaldi does about what happened? Perhaps Edgars’ seeming trust of Garibaldi is really an application of the old adage, “Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer.”

During his questioning, Garibaldi told Edgars, “Everyone lies.” In [[And the Sky Full of Stars]], Sinclair said the same thing to Garibaldi, and elaborated: “The innocent lie because they don’t want to be blamed for something they didn’t do, and the guilty lie because they don’t have any other choice.”

Garibaldi stood in front of a mirror during his questioning, staring at his own reflection. But the mirror was warped, distorting his image. Garibaldi studied the image as he spoke; perhaps he viewed it a metaphor. Garibaldi also studied his reflection in [[Conflicts of Interest]].

The telepath indicated that Garibaldi was telling the truth when he claimed not to remember what happened during his absence. Yet Garibaldi has had flashes of memory, so that answer wasn’t entirely honest. Was the telepath lying herself, perhaps to protect the interests of the Corps, or did Garibaldi simply believe he was telling the truth, in that he can’t recall more than brief cryptic flashes?

The people in Edgars’ laboratory are presumably telepaths. If that’s true, their condition is probably related to the telepathic disease Garibaldi learned about in [[Conflicts of Interest]], and the drug Edgars’ people were withholding was most likely derived from the substance Garibaldi helped smuggle through the station.

It’s worth noting, however, that the placement of the sores on the patient’s face were very similar to the insertion points of the Shadow implants in the telepaths on the station. Perhaps Edgars managed to get his hands on some implanted telepaths and is performing his own experiments on them.

It’s also possible the substance Garibaldi saw wasn’t a cure for the virus, though that was implied by Edgars here in that there was clearly some drug that can be given to ease whatever illness his test subjects were suffering from. If instead Edgars is developing the virus itself with the intent of releasing it and wiping out all human telepaths, spreading rumors before its release about a genetic flaw inherent in telepaths might help deflect suspicion later.

Or, to take it further, Edgars may be producing both the virus and the cure, with the intent of infecting Earth’s telepaths then using availability of the cure — which apparently requires continuous usage — to gain control over the Corps himself.

Franklin said Sheridan hadn’t changed since returning from Z’ha’dum, “except for…” He stopped himself before completing that sentence. Was this just a reference to Lorien’s life-restoration energies, which Franklin noted in [[Falling Toward Apotheosis]]? Or does he know about something else?

Assuming Sheridan asked Franklin to bring the newly awakened telepaths with him to Mars, it’s likely he’s anticipating some kind of conflict with the Psi Corps when he moves to liberate it. Given Franklin’s reaction, it’s unlikely Sheridan proposed anything as innocuous as using the telepaths to help shield members of the Mars resistance from detection.

It’s also not clear where the frozen telepaths’ loyalties will lie even if Franklin manages to extract their implants and give them back control of their own minds. They’re all fugitive telepaths (“blips,” as Bester called them in [[Ship of Tears]]) so presumably have no love for the Corps, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll be willing to act on Sheridan’s behalf.

Of course, that assumes Sheridan wants Franklin to give them back mastery of their own thoughts; perhaps his order was instead for Franklin to find a way to use the implants to take control of the telepaths.

Given the frozen telepaths’ effect on computer systems, one possible use would be to smuggle them onto Mars and wake them up near some of Earth Force’s communication network; they’d presumably throw it into disarray and allow Sheridan’s forces to move in on a disorganized enemy.

Lyta’s expanded powers were in evidence again. The psi rating of the telepath in Medlab was never mentioned, but Lyta was telepathically strong enough to force him to stop in his tracks as he tried to kill himself. If she can do that to a fellow telepath, who presumably would have instinctively tried to block her, can she do the same — or worse — to a normal human?

The awakened telepath didn’t react reflexively to Lyta’s Psi Corps badge the way Carolyn did in [[Ship of Tears]]. Why not? He wasn’t merged with any machinery as Carolyn was, so he couldn’t have thrown lightning bolts. But he didn’t appear to react at all. Perhaps the Shadows’ anti-Corps conditioning wasn’t universally applied.

Lyta’s indignant response to Zack’s request was likely brought on by his previous request that he scan Garibaldi ([[Moments of Transition]].) That request may have led her to automatically assume the worst when Zack asked for her services.

Edgars and Clark may believe that Clark is using the Psi Corps, but it’s just as plausible that by now, they’re using him. The Corps could feed misinformation to Clark in order to bolster its own standing, and since, as Edgars said, Clark is trusting the Corps to ferret out liars and turncoats, he’d be unable to tell that they were leading him on.
####Notes

The title is a reference to Aristotle’s definition of happiness: “The exercise of vital powers along lines of excellence in a life affording them scope.”

Edgars alluded to “Clark’s ‘Night of the Long Knives.'” That’s a reference to Roman history, when, in the year 31 AD, the emperor Tiberius had his aide Sejanus and his followers killed in a purge.

A more recent use of the same term was to describe Hitler’s purge of the rival SA faction of the Nazi Party in 1934.

The title as shown at the top of act one is missing the leading “The.” But the “The” was present in the pre-show information screen on the initial US satellite feed, and it’s present in the episode listings sent out by Warner Bros., so it’s included here.

Both Edgars and Sheridan love fresh orange juice ([[The Geometry of Shadows]].)

Continuity glitch: When Lise and Garibaldi are talking in his room, after she brings him dinner, she starts to leave, but stays and closes the door most of the way. After she’s done talking, Garibaldi moves across the room to her and shuts the wide-open door.

Sheridan’s forces attempt to liberate Proxima 3. Londo tries to enlist G’Kar’s aid in backing Sheridan against Earth.
####Overview

####Guest Stars

Marcia Mitzman Gaven as Commander Levitt. Richard Gant as Captain MacDougan. Ken Jenkins as Captain Hall.
####Lurk

http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/synops/081.html
####Plot Points

Sheridan’s forces have liberated Proxima 3. In the process, several additional Earth Alliance cruisers defected to his side. Some are remaining to guard Proxima 3 against retaliation by President Clark.

During the Earth-Minbari War, G’Kar personally supervised the sale of Narn weapons to Earth.

Londo and G’Kar have agreed to throw the support of their respective governments behind Sheridan. The nonaligned worlds have apparently dissolved their mutual defense pacts with Earth and are staying out of the conflict, aside from loaning ships to help defend Babylon 5 itself.

Garibaldi has left the station for Mars, and never intends to return. He plans to try to help free Earth, but not in concert with Sheridan, whose methods Garibaldi opposes.
####Unanswered Questions

What exactly will come of the declaration of support by Centauri Prime and Narn? Will they provide military support to Sheridan?

Did he know the declaration was coming?

Does Londo’s declaration mean that he has voided the nonagression treaty between Centauri Prime and Earth ([[The Fall of Night]]?)

Does the implantation of a Keeper on at least one Centauri official ([[Epiphanies]]) spell trouble for Centauri support of Sheridan’s cause?

What was Vir writing when he fell asleep?

What business did Garibaldi have in Centauri space?

What does Garibaldi plan to do to fight for Earth?

How does Sheridan hope to use the frozen telepaths?
####Analysis

Sheridan told Commander Levitt the League wasn’t getting involved because he wanted this to be a clean fight, presumably meaning no alien involvement. But in fact, aliens are already involved; the crew of the White Star fleet is largely Minbari, and the ships themselves are a Minbari/Vorlon concoction.

Earth forces being attacked by Minbari-made vessels with Minbari crews would seem perfect propaganda fodder for Clark, further “evidence” that Sheridan has gone over to the Minbari side as suggested in [[The Illusion of Truth]].

Of course, it could be argued that many Minbari are part human anyway ([[Atonement]]) and thus aren’t completely out of place in a human civil war, but that argument would likely do little to dampen the effect of Clark’s propaganda, should he choose to concoct any.

Patriotism and its effects played a key thematic role in this episode. Sheridan’s patriotism (as described when he spoke to the other captains about the ideals of the Alliance) drove him to attack his own people. Garibaldi’s patriotism, if his conversation with Vir is to be believed, is strong as well, but Sheridan’s methods are abhorrent to him. Londo’s patriotism led him to forsake his friends, and now he finds himself alone. G’Kar’s patriotism lost him his eye.

Perhaps even Clark believes he’s acting in Earth’s best interest, though that puts him on a collision course with Sheridan.

Did Garibaldi tell Edgars about Sheridan’s imminent campaign? If so, Edgars doesn’t appear to have relayed the information to Earth Force, since the commanders at Proxima 3 were unaware Sheridan was on the move. On the other hand, Garibaldi didn’t know the particulars of the first phase of the campaign.

Garibaldi apparently didn’t visit G’Kar to say goodbye (or at least, no such visit was shown.) Why not, especially given what G’Kar went through while searching for him?

G’Kar is apparently still working on the book he started while in prison ([[Messages from Earth]].)

When Londo asked about G’Kar’s eye, G’Kar responded, “It sees.” His eye is therefore probably not, at present, the “eye that does not see” from Lady Morella’s prophecy ([[Point of No Return]].) Was his natural eye in fact the one referred to by the prophecy? Since it needs to be recharged nightly to continue seeing ([[Atonement]]) and since it’s not in evidence 17 years in the future, when G’Kar and Londo kill each other ([[War Without End part 2]]) the artificial eye may yet turn out to be the one Morella was referring to.

Londo offered a toast to the humans, who he regards as a bridge between the Centauri and Narn. This echoes Delenn’s statements ([[And Now For a Word]], [[Lines of Communication]]) that humanity’s greatest strength is the ability to form communities of diverse people.

The drink Londo referred to while talking to G’Kar was in [[The Coming of Shadows]], bought by G’Kar after he learned the Centauri Emperor had come to make peace with the Narn.

Shortly thereafter, Londo did have some inkling that he was losing his friends thanks to his activities; he offered Garibaldi a drink in [[Acts of Sacrifice]], acknowledging that the two were still “friends, if only for a little while.”

Londo’s rationale for the joint declaration was nearly identical to Sheridan’s argument for allowing the White Star fleet to patrol Narn and Centauri space ([[Conflicts of Interest]].) However, since Sheridan apparently decided not to publicize the fact that both the Narn and Centauri had agreed to the patrols (assuming the Narn agreed — it’s only been explicitly stated that the Centauri did) this joint declaration is the first official act of unity that’s been shown.

Vir’s nightmare presumably related to the assassination of Cartagia ([[The Long Night]].) It’s odd that he cried out, “I didn’t do it,” when in fact he did kill Cartagia, perhaps an indication that part of him still doesn’t believe what he did.

On the other hand, it’s possible he was dreaming of something else, perhaps one of the precognitive dreams Centauri have. In that case, one candidate that’d fit his exclamation would be his discovery of the dead bodies of Londo and G’Kar ([[War Without End part 2]].)

One other Centauri has been shown awakening from a nightmare recently: the Regent in [[Epiphanies]], who awoke to discover he had a Keeper attached to his neck.

Earth appears to have improved its scanning technology; White Star ships were hit more than once during the battle. Previously, Earth weapon systems haven’t been able to lock onto Minbari ships (e.g. [[Points of Departure]].) Presumably the White Stars, which incorporate much more advanced Vorlon technology as well, are even harder to get a fix on. Perhaps the Shadows supplied Earth with some technical tips.

It’s possible manual targeting was used (novel “The Shadow Within”) and the Earth ships simply got in a few lucky shots, but that runs counter to Sheridan’s message to the other captains that he wouldn’t consider them hostile if their weapons didn’t lock on. That message wouldn’t make sense if they weren’t capable of locking on anyway. On the other hand, since Sheridan wanted to test the hostility of the Earth ships, he may have ordered the White Stars to turn off their countermeasures. In [[Points of Departure]] Minbari ships were able to make themselves trackable by the station’s scanners as desired.

Either way, only one White Star was seen to have been destroyed, and then only because it smashed into a cruiser seconds after being hit. Possibly the White Stars are advanced enough that a momentary loss of control is the only real impact from a single hit by Earth weapons.

While Marcus was gathering information on the hostility of the Earth cruisers, his contact on Proxima 3 was under attack by ground forces. What happened to the ground forces after the space battle? Sheridan appeared to consider the planet liberated once the commander of the Heracles capitulated; did she have authority over all Earth forces in the region, or are there still holdouts on the surface?

Sheridan promised to liberate Proxima, then take the battle to Mars and finally to Earth. What about the colony on Orion 7, which seceded from the Earth Alliance at the same time Proxima 3 did? ([[Severed Dreams]]) Perhaps it has already fallen, or maybe it’s not under as much duress as Proxima was, so Sheridan felt the best way to liberate it was to take back Earth. Or perhaps it’s a small colony and Clark didn’t deem it worth the effort to take back.

In [[War Without End part 1]] the White Star’s Vorlon technology adapted its defenses to shrug off blasts from Shadow fighters after it was hit. Will the surviving White Stars from the battle at Proxima 3 now be more resistant to Earth’s weapons, and thus even more potent weapons?

Commander Levitt knew that the League worlds had sided with Sheridan. How did she know, if Babylon 5 is officially cut off from Earth? The most likely answer is that she’d been watching the Voice of the Resistance broadcasts, which indicates that they are indeed reaching the colonies.
####Notes

The Alexander ([[Severed Dreams]]) has survived and is apparently now patrolling Proxima 3 to guard against retaliation by Clark’s forces.

The Vesta’s logo (visible on the bridge) is a stylized flame in a brazier. Vesta is the Roman goddess of the hearth. The Heracles’ logo appears to incorporate arrows in the “H” at the bottom, probably a reference to Heracles’ poison arrows from Greek mythology.

The ship that withdrew from the battle was the Juno. In Roman mythology, Juno was the goddess of light and birth. In Greek mythology she was called Hera.

The names of two of the ships that surrendered had symbolic relation to Sheridan’s campaign. The Furies were goddesses who punished crimes against one’s kin. Nemesis was the goddess who punished hubris — putting oneself above the gods.

The Pollux was named after Greek mythology as well. Castor and Pollux, the two main stars of the constellation Gemini, were brothers. When Pollux was killed, Castor was so despondent that Zeus agreed to turn them both into stars so they could always be together.

Possible continuity glitch: Just before Garibaldi’s arrival, Vir drops his pen while he’s asleep. When he stands up, he’s holding the pen again. Of course, he might have picked it up upon awakening.

Effects glitch: The Earth Alliance logos on the Pollux and the Furies are backwards. The “E” can be seen to point to the left rather than the right.

The warrior caste demands Delenn’s surrender. Bester makes an offer to an increasingly desperate Lyta. Sheridan is compelled to act after receiving horrible news from Ivanova.
####Overview

####Guest Stars

Scott Adams as Mr. Adams. Bart McCarthy as Shakiri. Walter Koenig as Bester. John Vickery as Neroon.
####Lurk

http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/synops/080.html
####Plot Points

Delenn has formed a new Grey Council, with the worker caste holding 5 of the 9 positions. The position of leader is reserved for “The One who is to come.”

In the days before Valen, when caste wars erupted, the warring leaders would gather in the temple of Varenni, which is equipped with planetwide broadcast facilities and a device called the Starfire Wheel. The Starfire Wheel would consume the opposing leaders in fire. Whichever one willing was to die for the rightness of their side would remain in the fire until death; that caste would lead.

Unable to find work, Lyta has rejoined the Psi Corps in name only, striking a deal with Bester to give him custody over her body when she dies so he can try to understand what the Vorlons did to her. In exchange, the Corps will list her as a member when potential clients try to do a background check on her.

Bester is directly involved in whatever was done to Garibaldi. Among other things, Bester’s plan is to pull Garibaldi further and further from his former associates, though the ultimate purpose is still unclear.

William Edgars, Garibaldi’s employer, is extremely secretive; though he’s one of the wealthiest men in the Earth Alliance, no pictures of him have ever been published. He also claims to have an intense distrust of telepaths and refuses to let any of his high-level employees work with them.
####Unanswered Questions

Who is The One who is to come? (See Analysis)

What will happen to Shakiri? Does he still lead the warrior caste?

What were Delenn’s instructions to Lennier?

What is Bester’s plan for Garibaldi?

What happened between Zack and Bester after Bester provoked Garibaldi?
####Analysis

The One who is to come may be Sheridan; in [[War Without End part 2]], Zathras referred to him as “The One who will be.” The main thing arguing against it being Sheridan is the generally xenophobic attitude expressed by many Minbari in the past (e.g. Callenn in [[Atonement]].) On the other hand, perhaps such xenophobia is only a disease of the warrior and religious castes; the worker caste might have less trouble accepting a human as their leader.

Another candidate is David, Sheridan and Delenn’s future child ([[War Without End part 2]].) As a direct descendant of all three of The One, and a partial Minbari genetically, he might be more palatable.

She might even have meant Sinclair: in [[Atonement]], she mentioned Valen’s body was never found, and at least one Minbari ritual, the extra placesetting seen in [[Confessions and Lamentations]], indicates a belief in Valen’s eventual return.

It’s also possible Delenn didn’t intend her comment in any sort of prophetic way. She may simply have been referring to the next head of the Grey Council. The Minbari went ten years between leaders after Dukhat’s death; perhaps there will be a similar period of mourning for Neroon, and the new leader won’t be chosen for a while.

Both Sheridan and Delenn have accepted death (Sheridan with Lorien in “Whatever Happened to Mr. Garibaldi”?) Will the experience change Delenn as it changed Sheridan? Arguably, this isn’t the first time for Delenn — she accepted at least the possibility of death in [[Confessions and Lamentations]] and gave herself in exchange for Sheridan in [[Comes the Inquisitor]].

Despite Delenn’s denial, the religious caste members on her ship in [[Rumors, Bargains, and Lies]] were at least partially right: her plan did involve surrendering to the warrior caste, if only temporarily. If Lennier’s reaction was at all typical, that must have come as a horrible blow to her caste when they heard about it.

Delenn’s line to Shakiri, “The warrior caste started this war. Now the religious caste has ended it,” echoes the lesson Sheridan learned from his father ([[Severed Dreams]]) — “Never start a fight, but always finish it.”

Neroon’s loyalties at the beginning of the episode were unclear. Shakiri’s contempt for life clearly convinced Neroon that Delenn’s plan was the right way to go. But would he have carried out her plan if Shakiri hadn’t been so fanatical and had been able to provide some valid justification for the war?

Neroon’s sacrifice will probably play much better in the long run than Delenn’s death would have. Shakiri’s fear and actions brought dishonor to the Warrior caste; had they simply lost to the religious caste the resentment and stain of dishonor would have remained.

By sacrificing himself for Delenn, Neroon gave honor back to the warriors, since one of their own remained and died in the Starwheel. His conversion to religious caste assured that the honor would be shared with them as well.

Neroon’s last-minute conversion meant both a religious and a warrior caste member perished on the wheel. Thus, technically, neither caste won, just as Delenn wanted.

Neroon wasn’t the first Minbari to switch castes. His former commander, Branmer, was originally religious caste but switched to warrior caste during the Earth-Minbari War ([[Legacies]].)

Neroon’s interaction with Delenn revolves around sacrifice. In [[Grey 17 Is Missing]], he was ready to attack or possibly kill her, but yielded when he saw that Marcus was ready to sacrifice his life for her sake. Here, he himself made that sacrifice. At the end of “Grey 17”, Marcus asked Neroon, “Next time you want a revelation, could you possibly find a way that’s not quite so uncomfortable?” Apparently not.

While Delenn was bringing peace to her people, Sheridan was preparing to go to war with his. What will Delenn think of his decision when she returns?

Ivanova’s broadcast mentioned a Starfury squadron defecting to Proxima 3. How many Earth ships have gone over to the resistance? Presumably the Alexander is still at large ([[Severed Dreams]].) Are there other ships of that caliber, and if so, will they take orders from Sheridan?

Bester implied he’d seen the Voice of the Resistance broadcasts. Does that mean the broadcasts are in fact reaching Earth and/or Mars, or has he simply seen them because he travels a lot in the course of his job?

Bester’s contract says he gets Lyta’s body if she dies of natural causes. Would the telepath disease in [[Conflicts of Interest]] count as natural causes? If so, Bester and the Corps may have a specific reason to want to gain control of the cure. Perhaps Bester was the one responsible for sending the telepaths to try to procure it.

Lyta is slowly lifting the veil of secrecy she’s maintained about the Vorlons and their changes to her. In [[Epiphanies]], she was only willing to obliquely acknowledge the possibility that something might have happened. Here, she tacitly admitted it to Bester, and told Garibaldi in no uncertain terms that she wasn’t a mere P5 any more.

Will Lyta be more willing to scan Garibaldi now that he has, from her point of view, turned against her? If she were to discover evidence of Bester’s involvement in whatever was done to Garibaldi, she’d presumably want to investigate and find out what Bester was up to. Of course, she might still consider Garibaldi’s privacy a more compelling concern, and presumably whatever programming he received would prevent him from agreeing to be scanned.

Sheridan’s insistence that Lyta move to smaller quarters to help the station stay financially afloat is somewhat hypocritical, given his refusal to do the same in [[A Race Through Dark Places]] .Lyta made the same argument Sheridan did against being forcibly moved: her value to the station entitles her to special treatment.

It’s worth noting that Zack said the order came from Station Resources, not from Sheridan himself, but presumably if there were a reasonable chance Sheridan would overturn the order, Zack would have asked him before burdening Lyta with the news.

And given Bester’s presence on the station, was Zack even relaying a real order? Bester might have planted the belief in such an order in Zack’s mind without Zack being any the wiser.

This is the second time Zack has been asked to relay bad news to someone close: first Garibaldi in [[Conflicts of Interest]], and now Lyta, who appears to have warmed up considerably to Zack since he brought her pizza in [[Epiphanies]]. Though Zack is clearly loyal to Sheridan, bearing bad news to friends probably won’t have any positive effect on his attitude.

Zack no longer calls Garibaldi “chief.” Likely he’s given up hope of Garibaldi’s return. Any respect Zack had for Garibaldi was probably destroyed by Garibaldi’s use of a duplicate identicard to get past customs ([[Conflicts of Interest]].)
####Notes

Cartoonist Scott Adams, creator of the “Dilbert” comic strip, has a cameo appearance in this episode. A press release about his appearance is available.

Mr. Adams’ lost dog and cat are no doubt a reference to the characters of Dogbert and Catbert from the comic strip. Dogbert is constantly scheming to take over the world.

The new Grey Council (spellings approximate): Dalidi and Burli of the religious caste, Mazik and Shaka of the warrior caste, and Dulann, Katz, Zaca, Nur, and Barenn of the worker caste.

The title of this episode echoes G’Kar’s closing monologue in [[Z’ha’dum]]: “The future is all around us, waiting, in moments of transition, to be born in moments of revelation. No one knows the shape of that future or where it will take us. We know only that it is always born in pain.”

The security guard may have been stumped by Bester’s Dickens quote because it wasn’t quite right. In “A Christmas Carol,” Marley’s Ghost said, “Mankind was my business,” not “Humanity is my business.”

Edgars claimed to be available 24 hours a day. The Martian day is closer to 25 Earth hours long. But even now, scientists divide the Martian day into 24 Martian hours, each slightly longer than a terrestrial hour. It’s reasonable to assume that that practice continues into the 23rd century. (More on Mars)

This episode takes place around August 3, 2261. August 3 is a recurring date in the series: August 3, 2258 was the date of the initial mayday from the raiders in [[Signs and Portents]]; August 3, 2260 was the date the Shadows began attacking openly ([[Interludes and Examinations]];) and August 3, 2261 was the date in Bester’s log entry in this episode.

In the original US broadcast, the cruiser firing on the commercial transports was shown as the Agamemnon, Sheridan’s old ship. That was a production slipup (see JMS Speaks) and in later airings, the cruiser was labeled the Pollux.

Sheridan tricks the League of Non-Aligned Worlds into accepting his proposed defense pact. Delenn tries to work with an old rival to defuse a brewing Minbari civil war.
####Overview

####Guest Stars

John Vickery as Neroon.
####Lurk

http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/synops/079.html
####Plot Points

The League of Non-Aligned Worlds has agreed to give the White Star fleet authority to operate as a police force along its borders.

Civil war has broken out in the Minbari capital city.

Three quarters of Clark’s cabinet resigned in protest of his martial law decree.
####Unanswered Questions

Is Neroon really betraying Delenn?

The episode focused on the religious and warrior castes. What happened to the worker caste? Are they participating in the fighting, and if so, which side have they taken?
####Analysis

Will the Non-Aligned Worlds’ pledge to help Sheridan with any larger missions extend to his conflict with President Clark? Even in its diminished state, the combined forces of the Non-Aligned Worlds’ navies would likely be a great asset if the conflict came down to a direct, prolonged series of battles. On the other hand, intervening in internal Earth matters isn’t what the ambassadors had in mind; they might balk at sending their ships to die for the cause of overthrowing Earth’s government.

By allowing the White Star fleet to patrol Centauri space in search of the Drakh (among others,) Londo has given Sheridan direct influence over the ability of the Shadows’ allies to exact their revenge on Centauri Prime. Perhaps that’s the source of Londo’s comment in [[War Without End part 1]] about Sheridan allowing the Shadows’ dark servants to slip through to Centauri Prime; if Sheridan uses the White Star fleet for some larger mission as he hints he might, it’ll presumably be at the cost of Centauri Prime’s defense against the Drakh.

During the conversation between Londo and the Drazi ambassador, Londo’s duplicity is underscored by the staging of the scene. In most of the scene, two images of Londo can be seen: his reflection in the mirror or his portrait. The rest of the time his face is obscured by a curtain.

In the past, Delenn has attempted to preserve Lennier’s innocence (e.g. by trying to leave him behind in [[Atonement]].) But from Lennier’s point of view, she has an innocence of her own, and he sees himself as its guardian.

Neroon may not be betraying Delenn at all; he told Shakiri the he knew the religious caste’s counterattack plans, but Delenn made no mention of a counterattack. It’s possible his departure was, in fact, all part of Delenn’s plan; Lennier wasn’t privy to the conversation between Delenn and Neroon, so he wouldn’t know the details and would be fooled by Neroon’s departure.

By revealing how much she relies on Lennier, Delenn may have given valuable information to an opponent. Neroon was honorable enough and helped Lennier, and seems uninterested in directly battling or hurting Delenn (if he’d been interested in that, he wasted several opportunities while on her ship.) But if Neroon passes the information along to Shakiri, Lennier may find himself in danger.

Neroon said of the situation on Minbar, “We are a world gone mad.” That’s the same thing one of the council members told Delenn in [[Atonement]], before declaring, as Neroon did, that the fire would have to burn itself out and couldn’t be stopped. Yet the Earth-Minbari War did stop abruptly; perhaps the same will happen in this case.

Neroon’s comment about loving a good mystery also echoed [[Atonement]], in which Delenn said to the Grey Council that mysteries are a gift from the universe and shouldn’t be ignored.

The religious caste member said he heard Delenn say, “The religious caste could not be allowed to win this war.” But she actually said, “The warrior caste cannot be allowed to win this war. The religious caste cannot be allowed to win either.” Was he simply embellishing a half-overheard comment (e.g. if he only heard the second sentence up to “win”) or did he choose to ignore or lie about the context?

The religious caste has been the butt of jokes about surrendering “ever since the war,” according to the same religious caste member. Clearly that can’t be referring to the Shadow War, since they didn’t surrender. Does the comment indicate that most Minbari still consider the Earth-Minbari War to be the major war of recent memory? Since the warrior caste is the group making the jokes, the implication is that they didn’t particularly participate in the Shadow War.

The two storylines in the episode can be seen as point and counterpoint on the subject of deception and secrecy (the title is evidence that this isn’t an accident.) Delenn kept her plans secret from her compatriots and nearly died with them as a result. Neroon was attacked for the same reason. Sheridan kept secrets as well, and asked Franklin and Londo to lie for him, and it helped his plans come to fruition.

Lennier’s deception played into the theme; he kept the true nature of the sabotage from Delenn, with no immediate ill effect. However, it’s possible that by maintaining Delenn’s excessive faith in her caste, Lennier in fact deprived her of vital information she’d do well to take into account in the future.

Ivanova held fast to the ideal of truth, but every other major player in the story participated in some form of deception: the rebellious religious caste members hid their plot, the League ambassadors kept their “knowledge” of the new enemy from Sheridan, and Neroon lied to either Delenn or Shakiri about his intentions.
####Notes

Delenn mentioned this as the second time she’d seen Lennier near death. The first was in [[Convictions]], in which he risked his life to save Londo Mollari.

Ivanova tells Sheridan that Marcus is waiting for him on channel 4. That’s a reference to the network that shows B5 in the UK.

Editing glitch: during the opening scene, a piece of food appears on Marcus’ fork while the camera shifts to Sheridan; the scene shifts again and he hasn’t picked the food up yet.