A session of the Babylon Five Advisory Council is missing some members. G’Kar (Andreas Katsulas) has disappeared and Delenn (Mira Furlan) is in a chrysalis being transformed. Their aides Na’Toth (Mary Kay Adams) and Lennier (Bill Mumy) are subbing for them. G’Kar is in fact piloting a Frazi-class Heavy Cruiser with two other ships in an investigation of recent attacks in Quadrant 37. They are attacked by strange alien ships. The other two Narn ships respond, giving G’Kar time to jump to Babylon Five.

Captain Sheridan is met at Earhart’s Officer’s Club by Doctor Stephen Franklin (Richard Biggs), who tells him Chief Garibaldi (Jerry Doyle) is still in a coma from his gunshot wound. Sheridan agrees to let Franklin use the Energy Transfer Device, though that is dangerous for the doctor. Sheridan’s sister Elizabeth (Beverly Leech) comes to visit, and he meets her in Customs. Londo Mollari (Peter Jurasik) meets with the mysterious and creepy Morden (Ed Wasser) in the Zen Garden, and is assured he cannot be connected to the slaughter at Quadrant 37. Londo jokes about destroying the Narn home world and Morden says, “One thing at a time.”

Sheridan has dinner with his sister. He is upset over the death of his wife Anna two years earlier. After dinner, he goes to Medlab, where Doctor Franklin is hooking Garibaldi up to the alien healing machine. Na’Toth finds G’Kar in his quarters. He is shaken by his excursion, in which he saw the ship of an ancient race. He thinks it all happened before as written in the Book of G’Quan a thousand years ago.

Garibaldi awakens from his coma. Ivanova (Claudia Christian) and Sheridan are called. They arrive with Jack (Macaulay Bruton). Sheridan introduces himself to Garibaldi, who cannot remember who shot him. Jack is relieved at this. Londo runs into G’Kar, who hints at what he found—a danger to all of them, except perhaps the Vorlons. Lennier finds that Delenn has emerged and calls Doctor Franklin. Her skin is covered with hard blue scales.

In his quarters, Sheridan admits to his sister that he blames himself for his wife’s death. The scales on Delenn begin to crack. G’Kar reveals his fears to the Babylon Five Advisory Council. They will send a single ship to a dead planet called Z’ha’dum to jump in, scan, and jump out. G’Kar fears they will find ancient life there. Londo informs Morden. In Medlab, Garibaldi asks to be scanned by telepath Talia Winters (Andrea Thompson) to find out who shot him, though this would not be admissible in court. As a result, Jack is taken into custody.

Garibaldi wants to interrogate Jack personally. Jack talks about the New Order. As Garibaldi leaves, Jack says, “Be seeing you.” President Clark contacts Sheridan about Jack’s arrest, wondering if he was involved in the assassination of President Santiago. He wants Jack sent to Earth immediately. A G’Quan-class Heavy Cruiser jumps into local space near Z’ha’dum and is destroyed by an alien ship instantly. G’Kar reveals the news to the Advisory Council but refuses to believe it was a jump-gate accident as surmised. Perhaps the ship had prior warning. He looks at Londo.

Lennier enters and announces the return of Delenn. She enters looking human, with a full head of hair and an altered facial structure. She says she has done this to be a bridge between Earth and Minbar. Afterwards, Sheridan’s sister gives him a data crystal from Anna that says she already had plans to go on the expedition on which she died, and it was not because Sheridan left for a new job. In Medlab, Garibaldi talks to Ivanova and Franklin about Jack’s parting remark, precisely the same as one spoken by Bester, head of Psi Corps. He suspects Psi Corps and President Clark were involved in President Santiago’s death. Ivanova tells Sheridan that the ship transporting Jack has rendezvoused with another ship and Jack is missing.

Typically, Kosh has nothing to say during the Council meetings, though he probably knows more than anyone else. “Be seeing you,” comes from The Prisoner series with Patrick McGoohan in 1967. The Narn are becoming quite interesting now. They are aggressive and highly practical, not at all inclined to mysticism, but they have been in space for thousands of years and have run across a thing or two. G’Kar seems particularly fond of Earth poetry. He quotes W.B. Yeats: “Things fall apart, the centre cannot hold; mere anarchy is loosed upon the World, the blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere the ceremony of innocence is drowned. And what rough beast, its hour come round at last, slouches toward Bethlehem to be born?”

No comments

Leave your comment

In reply to Some User