lurkers-guide/guide/039

<h2><a name="OV">Overview</a></h2>

<blockquote><cite>
An old acquaintance requests Londo's help.  Sheridan is plagued by visions
nobody else can see.
</cite>

<a href="http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Argenziano,+Carmen">Carmen Argenziano</a> as Urza Jaddo.
<a href="http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Forward,+William">William Forward</a> as Refa.
</blockquote>

<pre>
Sub-genre: Drama/Intrigue
<a href="/lurk/p5/intro.html">P5 Rating</a>: <a href="/lurk/p5/039">7.21</a>

Production number: 216
Original air date: May 17, 1995
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000087EYB/thelurkersguidet">DVD release date</a>: April 29, 2003

Written by Larry DiTillio
Directed by Stephen Posey
</pre>

<p>
<hr size=3>

<h2><a name="BP">Backplot</a></h2>
<ul>

   <li> In his youth, Londo was a swordfighter of no small repute, and House
	Mollari was one of the most well-respected in the Republic.

   <li> Earth Force has confiscated all the files on the Babylon 4 incident (cf.
	<a href="020.html">"Babylon Squared,"</a>)
	but Garibaldi had the foresight to make a copy first.

   <li> Refa and his associates on Centauri Prime are consolidating their
	power by having their political opponents declared traitors.  Some
	of those opponents are well aware of his involvement in the
	assassination of the Prime Minister (cf.
	<a href="031.html">"The Coming of Shadows."</a>)

</ul>

<h2><a name="UQ">Unanswered Questions</a></h2>
<ul>

   <li> What was the creature?  Was it involved somehow in Babylon 4's
	movement through time, or did it just happen by Sector 14 after the
	fact?

   <li> Will Londo's support of Urza have an effect on Refa's plans?

</ul>

<h2><a name="AN">Analysis</a></h2>
<ul>

   <li> The fact that there's still a spacetime rift of some sort in Sector
	14 suggests that it may be possible to travel freely back and forth
	between 2259 and whenever the creature came from.  Unless, of course,
	the creature was involved in Babylon 4's time travel; in that case,
	its presence may have caused the rift to reopen.

   <li> Londo believes he has a destiny to fulfill.  What exactly does he
	think it is?  Is it based in part on his dream? (cf.
	<a href="031.html">"The Coming of Shadows"</a>)
	Or is it a more general notion of bringing the Centauri back to power
	with the help of Morden, without any specific role for himself?

</ul>

<h2><a name="NO">Notes</a></h2>
<ul>

   <li> The names of the last Centauri Emperor and Prime Minister, Turhan and
	Malachi respectively, just happen to be the first names of the
	actors who played those roles in
	<a href="031.html">"The Coming of Shadows."</a>

   <li> Garibaldi and Sheridan were getting a large number of foul balls on
	the baseball diamond.  Since the station is spinning,
	the Coriolis effect would make playing baseball an interesting
	proposition, to say the least, especially near the center of
	rotation -- a high enough ball would pass beyond the axis and
	land on some other section of the interior, perhaps even the
	"ceiling!"

   <li> Visual gaffe: When Londo was knocked down and he dropped his
	sword, the sword fell and skidded on Londo's left.  But when
	he reached for the sword to deliver the fatal blow, it 
	appeared that he reached to his right.

   <li>@@@890036592 Effects glitch: In the closing shot of the station,
	the background starfield and part of Epsilon 3 are briefly visible
	through the docking bay, as if part of the station has just turned
	transparent.

   <li> The Centauri method of dealing with traitors -- execution followed by
	confiscation of property -- is similar to what the Romans used to do,
	and it apparently has the same effect.  Romans who knew they were about
	to be convicted of treason often committed suicide to prevent their
	families' inheritances from being seized.

</ul>

<h2><a name="JS">jms speaks</a></h2>
<ul>

   <li> <a name="JS:foul">Actually,</a>
	Sheridan WAS hitting fair and home run balls in the front
	of the show; later, though, when he was more rattled, they were all
	foul.

   <li> Actually, the chronological order was *supposed* to be "Knives," THEN
	"Z'ha'dum."  In "Knives" you get the reminder about Anna, then in
	"Z'ha'dum" you get the payoff.  That was originally how they were
	intended to be aired, but there was *so much* CGI work and rotoscope
	work and creature animation involved in "Knives" that it got flopped
	to second in that order.  So while it works *best* the way it was
	intended, it still works okay in this order.

   <li> Correct, the critter in "Knives" was most *definitely* not a
	Vorlon.
</ul>