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   _Contents:_ [9]Overview - [10]Backplot - [11]Questions - [12]Analysis
   - [13]Notes - [14]JMS
   
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Overview

     Lyta Alexander, the station's first telepath, returns with a
     warning that one of Babylon 5's officers is an operative for a
     top-secret government organization. A long-held secret of another
     Babylon 5 officer is revealed. [15]Patricia Tallman as Lyta
     Alexander.
     
Sub-genre: Mystery/Intrigue
[16]P5 Rating: [17]8.50

Production number: 220
Original air date: July 25, 1995 (UK)
                   October 11, 1995 (US)

Written by J. Michael Straczynski
Directed by Jesus Trevino

     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
Backplot

     * Lyta Alexander is part of a secret movement against Psi Corps.
       She's evidently been a dissident since she probed Kosh ([18]"The
       Gathering.") When Lyta probed Kosh, she felt something she then
       hid from the years of subsequent interrogations from Psi-Corps.
       She has been feeling drawn to Vorlon space and has desperately
       tried to get there. She knows a lot more than she has ever told
       anyone, including what Kosh is under his suit.
     * Talia Winters was programmed with a 'sleeper' personality by the
       Psi Corps. She is probably "Control" (cf. [19]"A Spider in the
       Web.")
     * Ivanova is a latent telepath. She is able to block some scans,
       knows instantly if someone scans her, can pick up on some
       feelings, but has never been able to scan anyone except her
       mother. She claims, though, that her psi rating is "not even a
       P1."
     * "Universe Today" has a section called 'Eye on Minbari' which
       Delenn uses to find out things about her homeworld she might not
       neccessarily have been told yet, in addition to learning human
       perceptions of Minbari.
     * Lyta spent some time with Psi Cops as part of her training, but
       left because she didn't like it and became a commercial telepath
       instead.
       
Unanswered Questions

     * Exactly how much _does_ Talia's new persona know? And what will
       this do to B5 in the future?
     * Is there really no chance of the old Talia recovering? If not,
       what good is the recording Kosh made?
     * How safe is Lyta's escape? Will Psi-corps get her in the end? The
       fact that Kosh let her off the station suggests he's prepared to
       risk Psi-Corps getting their grubby hands on whatever it is she
       knows from the scan.
     * What did Lyta see when she asked Kosh to reveal himself? Something
       with a halo of light, but what?
     * Dr. Kyle also saw Kosh. Has Psi-Corps learned anything from him
       that they didn't learn from Lyta?
     * How involved are Sinclair's rangers with the Mars resistance?
     * Was it Talia who attempted to kill Lyta?
     * How did (presumably) Talia get the lights in the security section
       to go out, being replaced with red backups? And how did she know
       that she had a chance to hit Lyta? She was being taken from one
       cell to another on orders passed from Garibaldi to Zack to two
       ordinary security people. Is Zack implicated in some way, perhaps
       by way of his involvement in Nightwatch? It seems conincidental
       that in the few minutes available an attempt was made on Lyta's
       life.
     * What about Ironheart (cf. [20]"Mind War?") If he saw "everything,"
       would he not have known about the implanted personality, however
       deep it was?
     * What will Psi Corps do with Talia now that the Artificial
       Personality has taken control?
     * Was the 'Control' mentioned by Lyta the same one installed by
       Bureau 13?
     * Was Garibaldi _really_ faking the transition to an artificial
       personality? And does he know more that he's letting on? (see
       [21]Analysis)
     * How will Sheridan and Delenn handle the growing feelings in their
       friendship?
     * Why is Babylon 5 seen to be so important to several unknown
       individuals/groups, and who are those people?
       
Analysis

     * Whatever Ironheart did to Talia seems to have enhanced her powers
       enormously, and she seems to be growing more powerful. Psi Corps,
       at a minimum, now have the psychic assassin they were trying to
       create, and potentially much more. Assuming, of course, that
       Ironheart's gift wasn't erased when Talia's original personality
       was destroyed.
     * Another possibility is that Talia _wasn't_ destroyed, that
       Ironheart's gift allowed her to prevent Control from taking over,
       but she's playing along as a means of continuing her own
       investigation into what's going on with Psi-Corps (cf. [22]"Spider
       in the Web.")
     * Talia's implanted personality was foreshadowed in [23]"The Quality
       of Mercy." After she was finished scanning Mueller, she was joined
       by Garibaldi in the Garden. As they talked about her experience,
       she commented to him, "Things that live inside us, Mr. Garibaldi.
       Terrible things. Terrible."
     * Delenn's choice of articles in Universe Today is a revealing one.
       This highlights the lack of information she is receiving now that
       she is no longer a member of the Grey Council. However, she is
       learning to gather information from other sources and to "read
       between the lines" more carefully. It appears that she is
       regaining confidence in her abilities.
     * During the attempted murder of Lyta while she is being transfered
       between holding cells, we see the hand holding the assailants PPG.
       It is wearing a black glove, very similar to those worn by Talia.
       However, the lead time between Garibaldi ordering Lyta to be
       moved, and the attempted assassination appears to be very short.
       So how did Talia know when to leave Ivanova's quarters in order to
       intercept Lyta? And does Talia know how to kill the main lights in
       a section? Three possibilities present themselves:
         1. Coincidence. Talia, under the control of the artificial
            personality (AP), goes to hunt down and kill Lyta while
            Ivanova is out getting some air. The fact that Lyta was being
            transferred made the attempt much easier. Killing the main
            lights is knowledge that Talia has but we aren't shown.
            However, in [24]"A Spider in the Web," we _are_ shown that
            Bureau 13 has cracked the station computer's security, which
            presumably would allow Talia to discover both Lyta's location
            and the time of the transfer.
         2. There is an additional agent provocateur on Babylon 5.
            Someone who does have the knowledge of Lyta's movements, and
            would know how to kill the main lights in a section. This
            strongly suggests Garibaldi, but might be Zack or another
            member of the security staff. A trigger message is sent to
            Talia, who then attempts to kill Lyta.
         3. As above, there is an additional mole on Babylon 5, but it is
            this individual who knows about Lyta's movements, knows how
            to short circuit the main lights, and attempts to kill Lyta.
            In this case, Talia is innocently caught up in the actions of
            another individual attempting to protect themselves. There is
            additional evidence that might be seen to support this (see
            below).
     * How does Talia know that Lyta Alexander is aboard Babylon 5? She
       may have guessed indirectly from a conversation with Ivanova and
       done some digging of her own, but Ivanova only asks if Talia knew
       Lyta - not telling her that she was aboard. Alternatively, she
       learnt of this through her PsiCorps contacts. Or Talia arranged
       (at the suggestion of the submerged AP) for her quarters to be out
       of use so that she could be closer to Ivanova. Once close enough,
       she could scan Ivanova and learn about the cell group, also
       learning about Lyta at the same time. When Talia wakes up (finding
       Ivanova gone) she has no gloves on. Physical contact may be used
       to intensify mental contact, and Talia might have done this while
       Ivanova was sleeping. Talia's new personality indicates that there
       _was_ an ulterior motive for getting close to Ivanova.
     * Garibaldi's flashbacks refer to [25]"Deathwalker," where Kosh uses
       a ViCaR (or VCR, an individual with an enhanced photographic
       memory) to conduct a strange negotiation, with Talia monitoring. A
       data crystal was also passed to Kosh from the ViCaR, and Talia
       doesn't know what it contained. Kosh's comments seem to indicate
       his awareness of Talia's AP and what will happen when it is
       activated. So, has Kosh recorded a copy of Talia's personality
       onto a data crystal? We have already seen that the Earth Alliance
       has the technology to wipe a personality and build a new one
       ([26]"The Quality of Mercy".) Will this be a way for Sheridan to
       wipe out the AP and any knowledge that PsiCorps might pick up from
       Talia? It may not be so easy (see [27]JMS Speaks).
     * Garibaldi believed Lyta and her story. Considering how strongly
       this goes against his previous behaviour, does he have an ulterior
       motive? This may tie in with some of the speculation about Lyta's
       attempted murder. See also the following two points.
     * When Taro Isogi is killed by the modified Free Mars leader ([28]"A
       Spider in the Web,") Control identifies Talia Winters (who
       witnessed the murder) as someone who should also be eliminated.
       Given that Lyta Alexander referred to the (then unknown) sleeper
       agent as 'Control', can we draw the conclusion that Talia was part
       of a Bureau 13 operation? Or are there different sections of
       PsiCorps treading on each other's toes? It seems unlikely that
       Talia ordered her own execution, especially if Lyta is right about
       Control being programmed for self-preservation.
     * Garibaldi's "faked" personality transition was taken by all the
       others as being a joke in bad taste. But consider an alternative
       explanation: Lyta stated that the AP would say or do anything to
       protect itself, and Garibaldi was behaving out of character. He
       also immediately turned everyone's attention to Ivanova. Talia was
       caught unprepared for the sending of the password, but Garibaldi
       knew that the password would be sent. Garibaldi knew, or could
       easily have found out, when Lyta was slated to be moved, so could
       have pulled the trigger. And he was ready to bring Talia into the
       conspiracy, perhaps in order to expose it indirectly.
       However, it is unlikely that two different sleepers would respond
       to the same password, and the events in the "flashforward" scene
       in [29]"Babylon Squared" would suggest that Garibaldi's loyalty is
       not in question.
     * Ivanova was also awake at the time, and unaccounted-for, making
       her a suspect.
     * How high up the chain of Psi-Corps command does this implanting
       go? There is every indication the it's above Bester. Twice in the
       series Bester has suspected and even accused Talia of conspiring
       against the Corps. Why would he suspect or accuse her of this if
       he knew he had an ally inside her brain?
     * The Delenn/Sheridan relationship is growing stronger. Neither
       Delenn or Sheridan are making a strong attempt to hide their
       growing trust and respect for each other. After the events in
       [30]"Confessions and Lamentations," Delenn has drawn emotional
       support from Sheridan. Her growing affection for him is something
       that she clearly shows in her face and actions while they are in
       the garden talking. Sheridan also appears to be happy that he has
       someone who he can turn to who will help him when all around is
       madness, and is wondering just where all this is leading.
     * The relationship between Talia and Ivanova is one that will
       attract much debate.
       At the start of the episode, it seems clear that they are just
       friends. Talia would not hesitate to impose on Ivanova's sleeping
       quarters if there were anything stronger.
       During the episode, as Ivanova becomes more and more worried about
       revealing her (limited) telepathic ability, she relies on Talia
       during the expression of her feelings and doubts. There is an
       apparent emotional tension between them that might be interpreted
       as a "should I make the first move," or as Talia's giving support
       but hesitating to probe further, and Ivanova's "should I trust
       her, even though she's a telepath?"
       When Talia wakes up in Ivanova's bed, finding her missing, it is
       tempting to jump to the "obvious" conclusion. However we know that
       Ivanova's quarters only has one cot (indicated in [31]"The Long
       Dark" by Dr. Franklin.) Of course, Ivanova probably has a
       sofa/couch that might have been used.
       When Ivanova has her final conversation with the dominated Talia,
       she indicates that it gave Talia the words that would get her
       close to all Ivanova knew. Just how much Talia knows about Ivanova
       is unclear, and we have no indication of just how close in
       addition to the emotional bond.
       Had Ivanova and Talia had a physical relationship then Ivanova
       might have revealed her latent telepathy ("Do you know what its
       like when telepaths make love?" in [32]"Mind War.") Since the
       alternate Talia didn't goad Ivanova about this, then either
       Ivanova maintained a block, or they didn't have a physical
       relationship.
     * Ivanova's relationship with her mother is opened up further by her
       revelation of being a latent telepath, although this is not
       explored directly. Since Ivanova could initiate contact with her
       mother, she could obtain a clear mental as well as physical
       picture of her mothers deterioration under the PsiCorps telepathic
       suppression drugs. The drugs would of course prevent any attempt
       at contact initiated by her mother, and also of any blocking.
       We now have a clearer understanding of how Ivanova developed her
       strong feelings against PsiCorps, and what she must have overcome
       in order to establish her friendship with Talia. This change in
       Talia (and the AP claiming to have directed the growth of their
       friendship) may have far reaching effects in her ability to trust
       again.
     * Sheridan has now seen a part of his Kosh-induced dream ([33]"All
       Alone in the Night") come true. In the dream he saw Ivanova with a
       black raven on her shoulder, and heard her say: "Do you know who I
       am?" At what point will other parts of the dream come true? (If
       they haven't already.)
     * Why did Sheridan let Talia go so easily? He could have held her on
       charges of shooting two security guards, if nothing else. Perhaps
       he felt that doing so would draw too much attention to his covert
       activities.
     * Since a Ranger was involved in smuggling the data crystal to Lyta,
       Garibaldi may have been warned of her arrival.
     * Delenn appeared to be turning down closer relations with the
       Lumati (cf. [34]"Acts of Sacrifice") when Lyta called. Why? (Maybe
       their method of closing treaties is a bit closer than she'd prefer
       the relations to get.)
     * JMS says (see [35]jms speaks) that originally, Takashima ([36]"The
       Gathering") was going to be the plant, and that that part of the
       storyline was transferred over to Talia with the cast changes
       between pilot and series. The other events in "The Gathering,"
       combined with some revelations from the comic series (cf. comic 8,
       [37]"Silent Enemies") suggest some disturbing connections.
       Psi Corps was working with Minbari dissidents to kill a Vorlon.
       The comic has also established a connection between Psi Corps and
       the Shadows, although this has not yet been seen on screen. If the
       comic is to be believed, there is a link through Psi Corps between
       the Shadows and elements of the Minbari warrior caste. The effects
       of that link on the coming war may be quite unfortunate for one
       side or the other.
       
Notes

     * Zack is still wearing his "Nightwatch" armband ([38]"In the Shadow
       of Z'ha'dum") and Garibaldi is a little bemused by it. Clearly he
       doesn't quite approve of the idea.
     * The Pak'ma'ra have separate toilet facilities. Oddly, the warning
       sign next to the door is written, among other languages, in
       Vorlon! Or at least, in a script identical to that displayed by
       Kosh's ship in [39]"Hunter, Prey."
     * At least one of the fugitives in the sewers on Mars was clearly a
       ranger. The other may not necessarily have been. Lyta arrived in a
       shot-up ship and knows that two men died for the information.
       Obviously she has links with the rangers.
     * Delenn lies yet again, and is caught immediately.
     * When Delenn is dictating her response to the Lumati, the computer
       screen shows the text appearing (whether this is Lumati writing or
       Minbari isn't clear.) One odd thing about it is that it
       alternately flows in both directions, up and down, across the
       width of the screen from left to right.
     * Production gaffe: In the first live-action shot after the title
       sequence, as Sheridan enters the restroom, one of the production
       crew's hands (likely the director's) can be seen briefly at the
       bottom of the screen.
       
jms speaks

     * "Divided Loyalties" will produce a stunning revelation about one
       of our major characters.
     * Pat is nothing less than terrific. If there was any sense of
       hesitation in her appearance in "Divided Loyalties," it can be
       attributed to the fact that she had just given birth to her son
       something like 4-6 weeks prior, if that much, and this was pretty
       much her first day back in the saddle.
     * _Does the comic series contain spoilers for the series?_
       There's only one case of this conflict, so if you want to avoid
       any spoilers, here's my recommendation: when the last issue of
       this current story arc comes out, resolving the
       Mars/Sinclair/Garibaldi thread, pick up that last issue and stick
       it in a bag until after the first new ep airs in October. THEN
       read it. You'll know it when you find it.
     * The impact of Talia's situation should be the same whether you saw
       the comic or not. (And, remember, the idea was that the comic
       would come out AFTER the remaining year 2 episodes, as a nice
       little frisson, not as required data.)
     * Re: things you don't expect to happen...that's kind of one aspect
       I was after here. By way of comparison....
       There's one great thing about The Shining, despite some other
       flaws in the film: they set up Scatman Cruthers (sp?) as the one
       guy who understands what's going on...he gets the Shining, he's a
       potentially heroic character, and when all hell breaks loose, he's
       the one to get into the snow plow, cross terrible weather, we're
       all sure he's going to get there and fight the menace... he
       overcomes weather and nonsense to get there... he blows through
       the front door, ready for action... and gets an axe in the middle
       of his chest and dies.
       I *loved* that, and always kinda wanted to something of that
       nature, where you set someone up to be that kind of character, the
       future, whatever, then you yank it back and let the audience say,
       Oh, hell, NOW what?
     * "If Talia is 'the future' then why is she off the show?"
       Because stuff happens. Because rocketry was the hope of the German
       Luftwaffe to win the war. Didn't work out that way. Just because a
       character says it, doesn't mean that it's guaranteed to happen at
       all times. A parent can look at a child and say, "He's our hope
       for the future," and the next day the kid gets turfed by a
       semi-truck. Stuff happens. Nothing is guaranteed in the B5
       universe; any character -- ANY character -- is vulnerable. That,
       for me, is part of what's exciting.
     * RE: Talia...look, you've kinda got to look at this the way I do.
       Stuff happens. Yes, Talia was hoped for to be a key to the
       solution of the problem. (Not the key, but a key.) But if you do
       that, every single time, you become predictable. It means you, the
       audience, can relax. "Well, we know now that Talia will always get
       through this because she's the one they're hoping for." Suspense:
       gone. Story: suddenly predictable. There's no rule that every
       person who is hoped to help solve the problem in real life is
       gonna make it to the end or BE that solution. So if you delete
       that person, now it's "Oh, hell, NOW what're they gonna do?" which
       is more intrinsically interesting to me than the other option.
       Generally speaking, about once a year, toward the end of the year,
       I kinda look around at the characters with a loaded gun in my
       hand, and say, "Hmmm...if I take out *that* person, what happens?
       Is there anyone here I can afford to lose? Would it be more
       dramatically interesting to have this person alive, or dead? What
       is the absolute bare minimum of characters I need to get to the
       end of the story and achieve what I have to achieve?"
       It helps to really remember that this is a *novel*, and uses the
       structure of a novel. That means you have to have some real
       suprises as you go. Anyone is fair game. To the question "Why did
       you get rid of Sinclair? Why'd you get rid of [_spoiler removed_]?
       Why'd you get rid of Talia? Why'd you get rid of....oh, er, that
       hasn't happened yet...." there is only one answer: 'cause I felt
       like it, and 'cause I thought it'd make the story a lot more
       interesting.
       The stories I like best are the ones that ratchet up the tension
       and the uncertainty inch by inch until you're screaming. This
       could apply to any of Stephen King's novels (and recall that a lot
       of my background is in horror writing). Mother Abigail in THE
       STAND was supposed to be their hope for the future. So in short
       order she's vulture-food, JUST when she's most needed. *Because
       that's interesting*. It makes you say, "Oh, hell, NOW what?"
       (Stephen actually does that a lot in his books, and it's a
       technique I've learned as well.) Boromir in LoTR was a capable,
       skilled fighter, deemed absolutely essential to the Company of the
       Ring...oops, there he is by the tree, full of Orc arrows.
       Stuff happens.
       Same here.
     * One other thought on Talia...one of the motifes we've played with
       from the start was always showing Talia in mirrors...in Race, in
       Z'ha'dum and others...always showing the reflection, her opposite,
       just to set stuff up on an emotional/symbological level.
     * The Talia situation likely could've been finessed more smoothly
       than it was, no mistake. Sometimes there are going to be ragged
       spots. It's going to happen.
       Here's the best comparison to what my position is with this show:
       Harlan Ellison has, on occasion, done this routine where he'll go
       into a bookstore and write a story in full view of everyone. As
       each page is finished, it's taped to the wall unti it's done. This
       is considered a pretty nifty trick, sustained over maybe 15-20
       pages.
       That's pretty much what I'm doing here. It's an ongoing story. I
       can't go back, I can only go forward. As each page (episode) is
       finished, it's put up on the wall, and I have to go on to the next
       one. So far I've written 2,400 pages on that wall. Again, I can't
       go back and change anything, and if there's a bump caused by a
       real world incident, it simply has to be accommodated as best I
       can while still going where I have to go.
       From time to time, there's going to be a misstroke on the
       keyboard, or there's going to be a typo that I'll miss. That's
       inevitable when you're out performing in front of a massive crowd
       on the high wire without a net. As long as the totality of it all
       hangs together, as long as the story is told, the trick finally
       done...then that's what fundamentally matters.
       That this happens on occasion should be obvious; that it happens
       as rarely as it does is the point of wonderment, I think.
       Remember, it's all trial and error, because no one's ever done
       this before. And right about now I understand why. But we're
       making it work.
     * _Andrea Thompson has said in interviews that she felt Talia got
       short shrift._
       There are a number of actors who feel that if they're in a story
       then they should be at the *center* of the story. Andrea seemed to
       feel that if she was in an episode, the episode should be about
       her character, and was consistently lobbying for this, despite the
       fact that it would cut into the arc, and time for the other
       characters on-screen. Babylon 5 is an ensemble show; time on
       screen is determined by the story, not by whim or personal
       insistence.
       Yes, we used her 8 or 9 times in a given season; but by contract,
       we paid her for a full 13 episodes, whether she appeared in them
       or not. We were never under any obligation to give her *any*
       guarantee; we did so to make her feel comfortable taking on the
       job. For the first year he was on the show Jeff Conaway didn't
       have a guarantee of episodes; he was used as he was needed, and
       that grew with time. Andrea wanted time away from the show to do
       other projects; we accommodated where we could, as we do with all
       our cast members, but if a request comes in at the last moment, or
       conflicts with our schedule, we can't comply. We feel that if
       we're paying someone a great sum of money to be available to us,
       for episodes they may not even appear in, this is not
       unreasonable.
       Finally, it was never Warner Bros. who hired her or pushed her on
       me. WB didn't care one way or another. I was the one who hired
       her, with Doug Netter. If I hadn't felt she was right for the
       role, I wouldn't have hired her. But I was also under no
       constraint to make the show into the Andrea Thompson Show. Andreas
       and Peter have often appeared as many times in a season as Andrea,
       and didn't even *have* a guarantee for the first two seasons. (Now
       they do.)
       We did what we could to accommodate her without destroying the
       story arc. I regret that she has taken out her frustrations in
       this way. Either one is a team player, part of an ensemble, or one
       is not. We are very proud of the fact that the cast members as
       they stand now are all ensemble, team players.
     * In the B5 universe, as a general rule of thumb, people don't just
       come back after something like this. "Talia" has been destroyed
       permanently; that's what it said in the episode, and that's the
       way it'll stay.
     * What was the password? I'm hideously tempted to say, "Z'ha'dum."
     * One thing you have to remember is that while Talia is in the
       opening credits, to Psi Corps she's just one more of many
       programmed individuals in various places. The character in
       "Spider" was a highly valued infiltration unit, with very
       expensive "parts." Of the two, Talia would've been far more
       expendable.
       And I don't recall that Control actually issued any death order;
       it was the Psi Corps/B13 in any event.
     * _Was Garibaldi at Lyta's ship because the Rangers told him she was
       coming?_
       No, Garibaldi was there because the ship's ID# didn't check out,
       as he stated, and it could've been in the process of smuggling or
       who knows what.
     * Absolutely *nothing* from prior seasons/episodes has been
       discarded. So if that's your concern...don't worry about it.
       In very tense situations, some people feel compelled to somehow
       break the tension. Hence, that sequence. [Garibaldi's "gotcha"]
     * The problem in trying to keep something mysterious and vague is
       that sometimes you can outsmart yourself, and get confusing. The
       *theory* is that there was the Bureau as Control overall back on
       Earth; and a minor Control figure on B5. And Controls are always
       referred to as "he"regardless of the facts to avoid giving any
       means of identification to anoutsider based on gender.
       So it would be
                            BUREAU CONTROL
            ----------------------|---------------------
            |                     |                    |
      Earthdome Control      B5 Control         Minipax Control
       (That's a breakdown using artificial and not necessarily correct
       elements, just for illustration.)
       It is, however, a confusing bit of terminology, so it's been
       amended subsequently.
     * _Up until the coup, was the EA government pretty good?_
       The EA was fairly easy going, but remember that people are used to
       a heavy governmental hand during the Earth/Minbari War. It's in a
       way similar to the situation we had post WW2; the only way we
       could make it past that war and survive was through strict
       discipline, following orders, going along with rationing,
       conserving, everything. And it was that positive attitude that
       those who came later would exploit in the McCarthy/Red Scare
       1950s, and hit us sideways in the 60s.
     * _If Talia was Control in "Spider in the Web," why would she order
       herself eliminated?_
       My sense was that the Control part, which sometimes moved at
       night, reported that the mission could be jeapordized. Then B13
       gave the order to eliminate. Nowhere does it say that Control said
       the second half of the sentence.
     * _Control was referred to as "he."_
       You always refer to agents in the single "he" form to avoid giving
       away identities.
       That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
     * _Was the hand that fired the PPG a left or a right hand?_
       I don't remember offhand; I'll have to check the tape. (I have a
       vague memory that it was a right hand originally, flopped to shoot
       in the other direction.)
     * Not that it just looked better per se, but the gunshots came from
       right to left; the gun hand as originally shot fired from left to
       right. It looked very funky when edited together, like it was
       going in a different direction than the one it was fired in.
       Flopping the shot corrected that.
     * Yeah, I wouldn't waste much time on the gun-hand, frankly.
     * _About [40]"The Quality of Mercy"_
       Yes, part of the reason for the episode was to set up the notion
       of an implanted personality as acheivable tech.
     * _Couldn't Ironheart have removed Control? Was Talia the original
       personality?_
       Control was the construct. The alternate personality was dormant
       at the time Ironheart was there.
     * Remember that Ironheart was not seeing Talia under the best of
       conditions...he was fighting hard NOT to use his abilities, for
       any reason, because it created mindquakes...he was pulling
       everything IN. And later he was shot, also not a good position.
     * _Does Psi Corps have Talia's gift now? Isn't that a problem?_
       Logically, yes, that would eventually pose a problem.
     * _Was the new personality formed by modifying Talia's, or was it
       created from scratch?_
       I'd rather let this aspect slide for the moment.
     * Remember, the *conscious* Talia did none of those things; she
       would never dream of scanning without permission. (And in
       Ivanova's case, remember that she said she knows *instantly* if
       she's being scanned. Note her strong reaction in "Eyes" when it
       happens.)
     * Talia v 1.0 would not have violated Ivanova's privacy during any
       kind of intimacy, as that would violate her profoundly; you can
       hold back, and Talia would have, and Ivanova would've sensed if
       she had tried it. The theory on telepaths making love is that they
       both willingly drop the blocks they normally keep in place.
     * The real Talia was becoming more and more disenchanted with PC,
       and this was in time going to pull her into resistance activities,
       which Talia v2.0 would only be *thrilled* about. The
       self-protection mechanism only kicks in when the personality's
       existence is threatened.
     * _Why did they kick Talia off the station?_
       Because the longer she was there, the more she'd discover (was
       about to enter into Sheridan's cell group in fact), and the more
       damage she'd be able to do.
     * Oh, to be sure, they'd have preferred to have Talia accidentally
       fall out an airlock rather than turn her over to the Corps...but
       that's cold blooded murder, and if they go that route, then
       there's no difference between them and their opposite number.
     * . . . Re: Talia...it's okay to be pissed about that; it was
       intended to have that reaction. Things *should* get us annoyed
       when Psi Corps pulls a stunt like that. And we haven't heard the
       last of what happened to Talia, btw. That's the B5 universe for
       you....
     * _Did Lyta sense Ivanova's talent?_
       A non-telepath can learn certain tricks to make it harder to break
       through, albeit briefly, so the reaction was sufficiently
       ambiguous and the event sufficiently brief that it wouldn't raise
       too many concerns. Which is why Sheridan dived in when he did; if
       she'd continue to block much longer, just instinctively, it
       would've revealed her latent potential. It was his distracting
       Ivanova that in a sense helped Lyta break through.
     * _Could Ivanova sense when someone else was being scanned?_
       No, that she wouldn't really be capable of doing at her present
       level.
     * Of *course* the telepath issue will have to be dealt with; this is
       a logical progression of the story, no?
     * _Was a kiss between Ivanova and Talia edited out?_
       Nope, no such scene was cut. It's just a slightly awkward match in
       the edited shots.
     * No, nothing was cut; we had a matching problem at one point in the
       edit, where Andrea reached with her left hand in one angle, and
       didn't reach out with the other, and we had to come around for the
       shot on Ivanova, so it looked a tick off. But nothing was cut.
     * Film is shot on the stage, then transferred to video, which is
       then digitized onto the Avid computer editing system, which holds
       every take of every scene. A scene is shot many times from various
       angles: wide master shot, three-shots (3 people), two-shots,
       singles, raking twos, close ups, medium shots, extreme closeups
       and sometimes downshots (as well as CGI and composite shots).
       John Copeland and I then go in and work on the version of the
       episode edited by the director to do the producer's cut. We sit
       down with the editor, and go scene by scene. The usual
       construction is as follows: you get a wide master shot so we know
       the geography, where we are, and where everyone is in relation to
       that. Gradually you go closer, into threes or twos, then singles
       or closeups for dramatic emphasis, coming out into the master from
       time to time when someone has to move, or to break the sense of
       claustrophobia.
       When you get in close, you have over-the-shoulder shots, meaning
       you're shothe same thing in reverse, so you see both sides of the
       conversation. You do these one at a time, for lighting purposes;
       you light one side of the room for the scenes looking left-right,
       then move the camera and the lighting around for the scenes when
       you're on the right side looking left (or, phrased differently,
       you light for Susan looking at Talia, then Talia looking at
       Susan). The actors then do the scene again, with the camera on the
       other side.
       The actor has to be very careful to always repeat each movement
       exactly; if he picks up a teacup on th word "quibble," he has to
       make absolutely sure he picks up the cup on exactly that same
       word, every time, in every take, in the same way, in the correct
       hand. If the actor slips (and this sometimes happens), when you go
       to show tther side of the scene, you suddenly find you have a
       matching problem; in the shot over Talia's shoulder to Susan, the
       actor raised a hand; in the shot over Susan's shoulder to Talia,
       the actor (generic term that includes women) *didn't* raise a
       hand. So when you edit the two, you have a matching problem. You
       can sometimes avoid this by just staying on one side of the shot,
       but then you can't get the other character's on-face reaction to
       what's being said. And in that scene in particular, we *needed* to
       see both sides.
     * We will see Lyta again.
       RE: alternate lifestyles...I said when stuff happened, we wouldn't
       make a big deal out of it, it'd just be there...and I said we'd
       address it in our own way, in our own time. We've done a bit here,
       we'll do a bit more down the road. I won't give you or anyone a
       timetable; I'll do stuff as the integrity of the story permits,
       not sooner, not later. I will not allow this to become a political
       football. If you do nothing, folks yell at you for ignoring it; if
       you do a little, they yell for not doing more; if you do more,
       they yell for not doing it sooner. Screw it. I do what the story
       calls for, as the story calls for it.
     * Susan and Talia had been dancing around one another for months;
       that night, though, would've been the first time they got
       physically intimate.
     * See, here's where I start to have a problem. For starters, I don't
       do any thing to be politically correct, or politically incorrect,
       I do what I do in any story because that's what the story points
       me toward. Anybody who says "It's not necessary" isn't entitled to
       that judgement, frankly; you don't know what's necessary to the
       story. And by framing it in the "is this NECESSARY?" way is
       designed to make you defend your position when such defense isn't
       the point; is it NECESSARY to have humor? to have a romance? to
       have correct science? No, *nothing* is NECESSARY. It's what the
       writer feels is right for that scene, that story, that character.
       "Oh, well, I saw it, but was all that violence NECESSARY?" This
       is, frankly, a BS observation usually offered by someone with an
       agenda, who wishes to invalidate the notion of an artistic view
       and impose some kind of quota, or objective criterion to what is
       and isn't necessary for a movie or film. As far as I'm concerned,
       the first person to throw this into a discussion has, frankly,
       just lost the argument.
       Point the second: one of the most consistent comments I get, in
       email and regular mail, is the spirituality conveyed in the show,
       that we have shown, and will continue to show, tolerance toward
       religion, even created sympathetic religious characters. "Thank
       you for your tolerance," they say...until we show somebody or some
       action THEY don't like...and at that point suddenly it's a lot of
       tsk-tsking and chest thumping and disapproval; so okay, how about
       I just stop all positive religious aspects of the show?
       It seems to me, that if I do *all that* with religion, and with
       thje (the) simple act of showing maybe ONE PERSON in all the long
       history of TV science fiction across 40 years has a different view
       of life, that the show is somehow degraded, or downgraded, or
       dropped in opinion...this simply reinforces the notion, held by
       many, that a lot of folks in the religious right wish to make sure
       no other perspective or lifestyle is ever shown on television, at
       any time, unless in a negative fashion.
       The thing of it is, while on the one hand I'm getting praise from
       religious folks for addressing spirituality in my series (speaking
       here as an atheist), I've gotten flack from others who think it
       has no place in a SCIENCE fiction series, and why the hell am I
       putting something in that goes right against my own beliefs?
       "Because," I tell them, "this show is not about reflecting my
       beliefs, or yours, or somebody else's, it's about telling this
       story, about these people, with as much honesty and integrity as I
       can summon up. That means conceding the fact that religious people
       are going to be around 260 years from now." Well, fact is, all
       kinds of people are going to be around 260 years from now. And
       what did the anti-religion folks say specifically about including
       spirituality in my series? "It's not *necessary*," they said.
       Translation: they didn't like it. Well, tough. It was right for
       this story, and this show. And it seems to me rather hypocritical
       for some folks, who applaud the show for tolerance, for my
       standing up to those who want to exclude religion from TV, to then
       turn around and say the show is diminished because it showed that
       same tolerance...to another group or perspective. I guess
       tolerance is only okay as long as it's pointed one way.
       You say that as a christian, you think any sex except that between
       a husband and a wife to be wrong. Well, as I recall, the bible
       also speaks against murder. We've depicted deaths by the hundreds
       of thousands. (And we're talking here about the *depicting* of the
       act, simply showing it, not the value judgements made after the
       fact.) Why does the one (which is so barely hinted at as to be
       almost invisible) cause the show to be diminished where the other
       does not?
       My job is not to reinforce your personal political, social or
       religious beliefs. My job is not to reinforce MY personal
       political, social or religious beliefs. Then it isn't art or
       storytelling anymore, it's simply propaganda. My job is to tell
       this story, about these people, AS people, as mixed and varied as
       they are today. And there is no outside objective criteria as to
       what is, or isn't *necessary* in a story; that is the sole
       province of the author. You may or may not like it. You may or may
       not choose to watch it. Just as people who don't like to see
       religion and god discussed on TV may dislike it or choose not to
       watch it.
       But you'll excuse me if I see complaints about this one little
       thing from the religious side, after all I've done to present
       religious characters and the religious life in a positive fashion,
       to be hypocritical and frankly somewhat ungrateful. It's as though
       all this means nothing because of one thing, one outside-imposed
       litmus test that disregards anything and everything else that has
       been done.
       So straight up...if I should stop tolerating or showing viewpoints
       that are not my own (spoken as someone who is absolutely
       straight), then should I now stop showing religion as well?
       Because that's what this comes down to. Is that what you want?
       Because religion is included at my discretion as well as anything
       else on this show. You want me to be less tolerant? Just say the
       word.
     * Ken: yes, showing does not mean endorsing, showing just means
       saying "this is here," not to make an issue of it. If I'm going to
       start endorsing ANYbody's POV around here, it's going to be mine,
       and I think we all know how dreadful THAT would be.
       As for "including controversy rather than skirting it," this is
       more or less the point. The goal here is to not have our
       characters or our show make *value judgments* about what our
       characters do, because then you're hitting the audience over the
       head with the MESSAGE. "Believers" is a good example of that; some
       came away using parts of that to argue pro and anti interference
       in medical situations; ditto for "Confessions" which hit squarely
       on BOTH sides of the issue (no, you can't blame morality for
       disease...but then, we had our characters openly requiring blood
       testing, which annoys many on the other side of the issue)....my
       sense is that our audience is smart enough to take the elements we
       present them with, and discuss them, and come to their own
       conclusions and draw their own meanings from them. It's the part
       of objecting to even *presenting* the situation that seems to me a
       marginal position at best.
     * They weren't shown in separate beds. We saw Talia reaching over to
       the empty space in the bed where Ivanova had been, and finding her
       gone.
     * I didn't show a kiss because, in my experience, it's easier on all
       around if one steps into the shallow end of the pool first, and
       walks into the deep end rather than diving in and splashing
       everybody in the process.
     * _Wouldn't Talia have discovered Ivanova's secret if they were
       intimate?_
       Well, a telepath can also hold it back and avoid dipping any
       further into someone's mind, if not permitted or asked not to do
       so.
     * As for Ivanova...remember that the core of good drama is conflict.
       So here we have a situation where a possible romantic involvement
       is shaping up for her in year three. It shouldn't be made too
       easy. So you create a situation that really hurts her deeply; she
       made a difficult step, got over her distance, opened herself up,
       became vulnerable...and got hurt very badly as a result. The same
       thing that happened in first season, when her old flame was
       discovered to be a big guy with Home Guard.
       You now have someone who's freshly hurt, who is going to be
       unwilling or slow to open up again, who's now experienced every
       kind of relationship and NONE of them have worked...in short,
       she's one exposed nerve ending, perfect for someone now to come in
       who may be right, but for whom she has little time, and is
       disposed not to get involved.
       Sounds a lot like my own dating history...keep them razor blades
       and salt sprays a'comin.....
     * No, the Ivanova revelation in "Loyalties" has nothing to do with
       replacing Talia; that is a moot point in many ways, since Lyta is
       back, and since other things happen which take that issue off the
       table in any event.
     * Didn't say Talia WAS a psi-cop, Talia said she *interned with* the
       PsiCops. Bear in mind that you're going to need support staff,
       lower level liaisons, and a bunch of other positions as well as
       the actual cops. _JMS has names confused; Lyta interned with the
       PsiCops._
     * _Did Bester try to befriend Talia because she was Control? (cf.
       [41]"A Race Through Dark Places")_
       You're assuming Bester knows everything. Also, Bester's interest
       may have been more...carnal than PsiCorp oriented.
     * _If Laurel Takashima had stayed with the crew and shot Garibaldi
       in "Chrysalis," would she have been Control?_
       Yes, Laurel would've been Control.
     * Mike: your assessment is pretty much correct. Laurel was to be the
       traitor initially; as I noted long, long time ago, and you quoted,
       she was not, in fact, acting entirely under her own volition.
       There would indeed have been an implanted personality there,
       acting without even her knowing about it. And it would've been
       this implanted personality that would've shot Garibaldi.
       When I took Laurel off the board, elements of this were
       transferred to other characters. This is the kind of thing I mean
       when I say that even with changes here and there, the story
       continues to go where I want it to go. We don't necessarily
       remember *which* general put the briefcase with a bomb next to
       Hitler's chair in the bunker, only that it got done. Some chairs
       are moveable, some are not, as anyone who's ever written a novel
       from an outline can tell you...you start moving the chairs around,
       but you always keep going where you're going.
     * Yeah, originally it was the Kosh-scan that would've gotten Lyta in
       trouble; the TK aspect was originally going to come in from
       another angle, but I was able to collapse the two in Talia, and
       then bring Lyta in from a different direction, as you'll see in
       one of the first batch of new year 3 eps.
     * If Laurel *had* stayed with the show, by the middle of year two
       the fact that she was Control would've been revealed via the
       password incident. At that point, one particular possibility was
       that her second in command under her -- a rather dour Russian
       lieutenant named Ivanova -- would've been promoted to take her
       place, while Laurel was moved off the chessboard. (This was
       planned because we knew going in that Tamlyn Tomita had a growing
       film career, and we probably could've only kept her for a couple
       of years in the best of circumstances. So why not turn that to
       your advantage?)
       The position now being occupied by Corwin, Ivanova's second, is
       the position that Ivanova would've held (though more prominently)
       if Laurel had stayed on. (And no, Corwin doesn't now have that arc
       lurking in the background.)
       See, it's easy to stick to an outline and never diverge if you're
       writing characters in a novel; in a TV show, with live actors, you
       have to be flexible, plan ahead, come up with contingency plans,
       and have threads that weave and interlock in ways to leave you
       maximum flexibility while still proceeding toward your
       destination.
     * Takashima would have been the one to be Control. A Psi Corps
       plant. (Her background on Mars would've been the perfect time for
       it to have happened.) When Laurel went away, I took that one
       thread and passed it along to Talia, setting it up as early as the
       very first episode, when Talia and Ivanova first meet, and later
       reluctantly have a drink.
       At one point, Ivanova says to Talia, referencing Ivanova's mother,
       "You're as much of a victim as she was." To which Talia replies,
       "I don't feel like a victim." And, of course, that's exactly what
       she was, though she didn't know it yet. Ivanova's analysis was
       100% correct.
       

   [47][Next] 
   
      [48]Last update: August 8, 1997

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