lurkers-guide/guide/042

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

<blockquote><cite>
The Narn-Centauri War reaches a turning point. Sheridan is contacted by a
powerful ally, who offers assistance.
</cite>
<a href="http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Schuck,+John">John Schuck</a>.
<a href="http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Sheppard,+William+Morgan">W. Morgan
Sheppard</a> as Warleader G'Sten.
<a href="http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Forward,+William">William
Forward</a> as Refa.


</blockquote>

<pre>
Sub-genre: Action/Intrigue
<a href="/lurk/p5/intro.html">P5 Rating</a>: <a href="/lurk/p5/042">9.49</a>

Production number: 219
Original air date: August 1, 1995 (UK)
                   October 18, 1995 (US)
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000087EYB/thelurkersguidet">DVD release date</a>: April 29, 2003

Written by J. Michael Straczynski
Directed by John Flinn
</pre>

<p>
<strong>Note: this episode is more momentous than most.  Think twice before
proceeding to the spoilers; it's worth seeing unawares.</strong>

<h3><a name="WF">Watch For</a></h3>
<ul>
   <li> A change in the number of
	<a name="#NO:candles">candles</a>
	in G'Kar's quarters.
</ul>


<p>
<hr size=3>

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

   <li> The new Centauri emperor, Cartargia, is acting mostly as a
	figurehead, a front for Refa and his compatriots.

   <li> A treaty among all the aligned worlds outlawed the use of
	mass drivers as a weapon of war, similar to the Earth
	treaties outlawing the use of chemical and biological weapons.

   <li> Draal says he has found other beings on Epsilon 3, ones
	who take care of the great Machine Draal is at the heart of.
	One of them is a fellow named Zathras (cf.
	<a href="020.html">"Babylon Squared."</a>)

   <li> Delenn has been in charge of all the Rangers on Babylon 5.
	She now shares that command with Sheridan.

   <li> Sheridan does not know that Sinclair is behind the Rangers.

   <li> The Centauri seem to have gravity control technology.
	Londo watches as the Centauri bombard the Narn homeworld,
	standing -- seemingly in gravity -- aboard a motionless ship.
	(Either that, or they have magnetic shoes.)

</ul>

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

<ul>

   <li> What's Zathras doing on Epsilon 3, and how did he get there?  If the
	planet has been undisturbed for at least the past 500 years
	(<a href="019.html">"A Voice in the Wilderness, part 2,"</a>)
	is he that old?

   <li> Where was Zathras such that Draal, with sight that extends across
	light-years, couldn't find him?  Perhaps he wasn't in another place,
	but another time (see
	<a href="020.html">"Babylon Squared."</a>)

   <li> Will the great machine be involved in pulling Babylon 4 through time?

   <li> Now that Londo has stated he no longer wishes to associate with the
	Shadows, his usefulness to Lord Refa is at an end.  How will Refa handle
	this?

   <li> What exactly was G'Kar told to do in the Kha'Ri's last message?
	Ask for sanctuary, obviously, but anything else?

   <li> What other technology do the Shadows have that we haven't seen yet?

   <li> Have the Narn unwittingly discovered a weakness of the Shadows? (see
	<a href="#AN">Analysis</a>)

   <li> Now that G'Kar has been stripped of his homeworld and position on
	Babylon 5, what can he contribute to the battle against the Shadows?

</ul>


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

   <li> Londo is now convinced that his associates are far too powerful for
	their motives to be solely for his benefit.  He realises that he has
	become a pawn in their larger game, and that his personal quest for
	more power has lead to the death of esteemed friends and many innocents.
	While convinced of this, and that he has allowed himself to be
	maneuvered at every turn by the will of others, he still carries
	through with his role as a paper tiger politician/ambassador.

<p>
   <li> The Shadows show some new weaponry.  It appears that each ship can "give
	birth" to a cluster of forty or so of the smaller fighters G'Kar
	encountered at Z'ha'dum in
	<a href="024.html">"Revelations."</a>
	We are not shown that these fighters are re-assimilated at the end of
	the confrontation, and it is also unknown how many times each Shadow
	can do this.

	<p>
	The second weapon has the ability to disrupt a jump point so that it is
	fatal for any ship to attempt to use it.  Once an attack against the
	Shadows begins it appears you can leave only when they so allow it.

<p>
   <li> The Shadow "wounded" during the battle is thrown off course by the loss
	of one of its spines.  After the battle is finished, a second Shadow
	joins with it as if to assist it.  The broken
	spine is clearly visible on the ship that does not move during the
	docking procedure.  It suggests that the damaged Shadow was unable to
	function as effectively, perhaps because it was in pain.

<p>
   <li> With Draal offering the resources of the highly advanced technology at
	his command, it appears that Babylon 5 is one of the few places that may
	withstand a Shadow assault.  That it can become the base of operations
	for the Army of Light is now clear.

	<p>
	Perhaps more importantly, Babylon 5 can probably also withstand a
	frontal assault by Earthforce, though they might prefer to destroy it
	from within.

<p>
   <li> The Centauri use of mass drivers flauts all previously signed
	conventions, and it appears (cf.
	<A HREF="037.html">"And Now for a Word,"</A>
	where the Centauri are discovered using Babylon 5 to transport mass
	drivers and energy weapons) that they have been planning this kind of
	assault on the Narn homeworld for some time.

<p>
   <li>@@@839395288 A mass driver uses a heavy object (such as a small
	asteroid) launched
	from orbit toward a planet's surface at low speed.  As it falls
	through the planet's gravity well it gains considerable momentum.  On
	impact the immediate area becomes a crater, and huge quantities of dust
	are thrown up into the atmosphere, blocking out sunlight and causing
	something like a nuclear winter.  E. E. "Doc" Smith's
	<a href="http://wheel.dcn.davis.ca.us/~zlensman/lensfaq.html"><cite>Lensman</cite></a>
	series, written from 1937 to 1948, is the first literary SF work to use
	mass drivers as weapons for planetary bombardment as shown in this
	episode.  (If you know of an earlier work, send me mail!)

<p>
   <li> All of the major governments (with the exception of the Vorlons) are
	now under serious internal stress.  They are either introspective
	(Earth,) skeptical of present danger (Minbari,) overextended (Centauri,)
	or occupied (Narn).  It appears that the Shadows have achieved, either
	directly or indirectly, effective destabilization of every major power
	that might stand up to their forces.

<p>
   <li> Ambassador Kosh openly lets the Rangers know of his involvement.

<p>
   <li> It appears that Garibaldi's friendship with Londo has strained to the
	breaking point.

<p>
   <li> Sheridan now has access to the Rangers.  This appears to be fulfilling
	the dream induced by Kosh (cf.
	<A HREF="033.html">"All Alone in the Night"</A>)
	where he is described as being "The Hand."  Presumably this reference
	is to his role as someone who will help lead the forces of light as
	the right hand man of "The One."<p>

<p>
   <li> A fully prepared numerically superior Narn task force is easily
	destroyed by the Shadows.  Unless more effective combat techniques are
	discovered, the battle with darkness will have to involve more subtle
	tactics.

<p>
   <li> Londo hasn't forgiven Refa for the death of his friend Urza Jaddo
	(<a href="039.html">"Knives."</a>)

<p>
   <li> Londo's cough in the council chamber scene sounds suspiciously like
	the one in his dream in
	<a href="031.html">"The Coming of Shadows."</a>
	Could he be coming down with something?  (See
	<a href="#JS:cough">jms speaks</a>)

</ul>

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

<ul>

   <li> JMS premiered this episode at the Chicago Comicon on July 1, 1995.

   <li> W. Morgan Sheppard also appeared in the first season episode
	<A HREF="002.html">"Soul Hunter"</A>
	as the title character.

   <li> The episode's initial airing, in the UK, was 50 years, almost to the
	day, after the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima during World War
	II.  Considering the obvious parallels between the Centauri use of
	mass drivers and the American use of the atomic bomb, that's a
	serindipitous, if unintentional, bit of timing.

   <li> <a name="NO:jfk">"Now the trumpet summons us again:</a>
	not as a call to bear arms, though
	arms we need; not as a call to battle, though in battle we are; but as
	a call to bear the burdens of a long, twilight struggle--year in and 
	year out, rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation--a struggle against
	the common enemies of man--tyranny, poverty, disease, and war itself."
	--John Fitzgerald Kennedy.  An
	<a href="http://www.spies.com/~ceej/Music/twilight.struggle.html">audio
	version</a> of his speech is available.

<img align=right width=128 height=96 src="/lurk/gif/042/duck.gif">
   <li>	In the first Londo-Refa scene, just before Refa sits, what looks like
	a wooden duck with its wings outstretched is visible on a shelf
	beside the throne.  Perhaps it's a Centauri cat (cf.
	<a href="022.html">"Chrysalis."</a>)

   <li> <a name="NO:candles">Candles</a> are used subtly to represent hope,
	here and in previous episodes (see
	<a href="#JS:candles">jms speaks</a>.)
	At the beginning of G'Kar's prayer scene, the shelf behind him
	is filled with burning candles -- but by the end, as his people's last
	hope is destroyed by the Shadows, they've all gone out.

   <li> Likewise, when Londo and Refa are talking, they're both cloaked in
	shadow -- until Londo expresses misgivings about his associates and
	emerges into the light.

   <li> The battle sequence was directed by Mojo of Foundation Imaging; the
	mass-driver sequence was directed by John Teska.  The episode has more
	effects footage than any previous one, nearly five minutes' worth.
	The effects took almost a month to produce.

</ul>

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

   <li> <a name="JS:about">"The Long, Twilight Struggle"</a> is probably the
	biggest episode of the entire two years to date, story and EFX and
	character wise, and will have a profound effect on the series that
	I'd compare to a cross between "Signs and Portents" and "Chrysalis".

<p>
   <li> I don't want to say anything about "The Long Twilight Struggle" at
	this time, to avoid hyping people.  Suffice to say it's a very strong
	episode.

<p>
   <li> Hell, in some ways, when compared with "Struggle," "The Coming of
	Shadows" is a light comedy in which nothing much happens.

<p>
   <li> Without spoiling anything...yes, in this regard, I've always noted
	that there are some echoes of WW II in the overall storyline, and some
	applies here.  Also, again, the purpose of a large measure of the show
	is to elicit discussion of such issues as this...where are the mora,
	(moral) responsibilities in such a situation?  What are the ethics of
	mass warfare?  Where does expediency begin and compassion end?  *Should*
	compassion have to end for the greater good?
	
	<p>
	If we can start some bar fights, I'll have done my job.
	
	<p>
	Fact is, I don't have one single damned good answer.  But I've got a
	whole LOTTA questions...

<p>
   <li> Thanks.  Yes, there's a WW II parallel, not in terms of
	justifying one or the other -- one can make compelling 
	arguments for and against the use of atomic weapons to close 
	the war, but I leave it to those who were there to have 
	made the right decision, because they had to live with it -- 
	but in terms of strategy and wartime logic.

<p>
   <li> Thank you.  I'm quite frankly thrilled beyond words at the preliminary
	reactions from the UK to this episode; we worked *really* hard on it,
	and I can't tell you what the reactions mean to us.

<p>
   <li> Thanks.  It's definitely one of my favorite episodes.
	The intensity is terrific.

<p>
   <li> Yes, "They're being bombed back to the stone age" is a Vietnam era
	quote.

<p>
   <li> Re: what you could see of the planet's surface...one of the side
	effects of the technology used is that, realistically, it would throw up
	a *hideous* amount of smoke, dust and debris, and you wouldn't see much
	of anything.

<p>
   <li> <em>Why isn't Londo floating weightless?</em><br>
	Some races, like the Centauri and the Minbari, use drive systems built
	to varying degrees on magnetic and gravitational forces;
	some of them don't so much go to a planet as create a situation where
	they are drawn toward it.
	One of the side effects of this is a field allowing for artificial
	gravity.  Earth doesn't have this level of technology, however.

<p>
   <li> Re: your note about 500 Narns for every 1 Centauri...you may want to
	check our own history.  During the occupation of some parts of Europe
	during WW II, similar tactics were used.
	In some cases the threat rose as high as 100-200 Jews or Russians
	executed for every Nazi killed; much the same has been done in earlier
	history.  Five hundred to one is a figure relatively consistent with
	what humans have done from time to time when we wish to instill terror.
	So I find this a curious quibble.

<p>
   <li> Actually, Londo *specifies* that the 500 will include "the
	perpetrator's own family."

<p>
   <li> <em>Was Draal's voice dubbed?</em><br>
	No, his voice wasn't dubbed, or changed, by anyone; might've been a
	glitch in local audio or something.

<p>
   <li> Thanks.  Draal's played by John Shuck, who did a great job.  
	And yes, we'll definitely be seeing him again.  (We first met him in 
	"A Voice in the Wilderness.")

<p>
   <li> <em>I loved the part with Draal calling out for Zathras</em><br>
	Yeah, that was a rather Draal bit of humor, wasn't it?

<p>
   <li> In part it's John's take on the character, but what I indicated to him
	was that Draal's gone through some considerable changes by entering the
	heart of the machine; it's given him greater understanding, and the
	freeing aspects of greater humor.  It's almost like -- and I hate to
	even use the reference because somebody'll say "Oh, that's what he's
	doing," and I ain't, it's just a point of comparison -- Tom Bombadil in
	LoTR...quite funny, but also someone not to be trifled with.

<p>
   <li> It wasn't intended that Delenn should touch Draal; it sorta happened
	on the set, and no one really noticed, and it wasn't worth going 
	back and reshooting the whole thing.  My sense is that if it's
	like a virtual reality situation, she would "feel" it even though
	it's not there, if the image was impinging correctly on the brain.

	<p>
	But in either event, the image is not and should not be considered
	to be solid.

	<p>
	As for Londo's shot...the director called "cut" I think a bit too
	soon, we used every frame we had to extend that shot (and, in fact, 
	we even went so far as to freeze the final frame and extend the shot
	by a smidge, if you look at it carefully).  Nonetheless, I think it 
	works pretty spiffily.

	<p>
	As for the mass drivers, the amount of energy required to move
	something that big would generate huge amounts of heat, possibly 
	making them even white-hot hence the glow.

<p>
   <li>@@@852231085 <em>An actor's job is to physicalize the script.  Can you
	give an example?</em><br>
	Yes, I think that's accurate.  The most obvious place where it worked
	was where Londo looks through the window to Narn being bombed below. 
	There's no dialogue, and he has to convey a range of emotions just
	through his face....which is a terribly difficult thing to do, and he
	did a superb job of it.

<p>
   <li>@@@846711459 Mass drivers use asteroids freely available in space,
	accelerated and fired into a planetary atmosphere.  EA non-rotational
	ships have zero g.  EA tech is generally much lower in weapons tech and
	other areas than the Minbari and Vorlons, among others.

<p>
   <li> Actually, what Delenn said was, "...the Rangers *in this area* are
	under my direct command."  So Sinclair's post as Ranger One remains
	back on Minbar.

	<p>
	And yes, Sinclair has apparently been described as the One...but you
	must ask...the one *what*?

	<p>
	Expect final answers to this one late this coming season.

<p>
   <li> <em>On each season's music for the opening credits reflecting the 
	mood of the season</em><br>
	What do I have in mind for season three?  What I indicated to Chris
	Franke was to look at a piece of music he did in "The Long, Twilight
	Struggle" and interpolate some elements of that into the main theme, 
	with a very hard sound.  The piece in question is about the middle of
	the first really...um...busy scene after the act break.

<p>
   <li> Until "The Long Twilight Struggle," nothing else has come close to
	that scene [the attack on the Narn outpost in "Coming of Shadows"] 
	for me.  But there's some stuff in there that finally manages to
	to surpass it.  Just gorgeous and scary and awe-inspiring.

<p>
   <li>@@@846711459 <em>These Narn heavy cruisers were different than the
	ones in
	<a href="001.html">"Midnight on the Firing Line."</a></em><br>
	There are various kinds of ships the Narns have, some older than others;
	the ones in the first ep were older ones.

<p>
   <li> <em>About the Narn/Shadow battle</em><br>
	Thanks.  Yeah, that scene is one of my favorites; a lot of work
	went into it, and I think it shows.

<p>
   <li> <em>Secret of Narn success in injuring a Shadow ship?</em><br>
	Not much to the secret...they coordinated their firepower on one of
	the ships, in hopes of doing damage.

<p>
   <li>@@@846711459 G'Kar's prayers would have been unrelated to the wounding
	of the shadow vessel.

<p>
   <li>@@@846711459 <em>Was the Shadow ship permanently disabled?</em><br>
	It was in shock, but it would've recovered in a bit more time.

<p>
   <li>@@@846711459 <em>Were there four Shadow ships stacked together after
	the battle?</em><br>
	Actually, what's probably confusing is that the shadow vessels are
	bi-level, so when two come together it looks like four or so; but it's
	just the two.

<p>
   <li> Thanks.  One of the things I wanted to try was to find a way to stage 
	long-range combat. One of the things everyone says is that even though
	real aerial combat tends to be at great distance -- and space combat
	would be conducted over thousands of kilometers, you probably wouldn't
	be able to even SEE your opponent at that range, just pick up the enemy
	ships on your scanners -- you can't do that for TV because you need to
	have both in frame, hammering each other short-range, to make it work
	for viewers.

	<p>
	But I've always liked a challenge, so I thought I'd see if I could make 
	it work.  The two sides are, as noted, thousands of kilometers apart,
	and take most of that sequences just to catch up with each other.  And
	frankly, I think it's probably one of the most dynamic battle sequences
	we've ever done, so you can expect more in the future, now that I've
	kind of got the hang of how to do this.

<p>
   <li> Agreed.  The use of different tactics and weapons at different distances
	gives a sense that there is a *strategy* behind what's going on, that
	it's not just two ships coming with city blocks of one another and
	clobbering each other.  Strategy implies intelligence, and to see
	intelligence in the shadow vessels is scary indeed.....

<p>
   <li> The reason for the placement of the jump points is *very* straight
	forward.

	<p>
	By virtue of their size and the tremendous forces unleashed by
	punching a hole into hyperspace, you want to form it a little distance
	away or risk being severely damaged.
	If they formed the points between them and the enemy, which was quite
	capable of avoiding them, it would be entirely possible for the shadows
	to get in front of the point and cut off their sole means of escape.
	Usually, better to form them behind you, so the enemy can't block your
	way out, and take a possible hit or two to your aft sections than be
	totally cut off.
	They didn't anticipate the extra weapons the shadows had.

<p>
   <li> <em>Were those Narn cruisers especially big?</em><br>
	The cruiser is the same size as that sent to look into Z'ha'dum; it's
	just a matter of perspective and how close the camera gets.

<p>
   <li> <em>Did the shadow ships phase out to avoid the energy mines?</em><br>
	No, they didn't phase out so much as absorb the energy, 
	at cost of great pain.

<p>
   <li> Well, they're organic technology, so they can feel, but only 
	after a fashion.

<p>
   <li> "Why didn't the fighters do anything?"
	
	<p>
	They did.  Look more closely.  They engaged the Narn fighters in
	dogfights all over the place.  They're hardly more than specks against
	the huge ships, but they're definitely there.

<p>
   <li> <em>One Shadow ship in "Signs and Portents," two in "Chrysalis,"
	three in "The Coming of Shadows," four here?</em><br>
	Give Tim Lynch a ceegar.  Yes, more ships are starting to appear,
	as more ships become available.

<p>
   <li> <em>They only have four ships?</em><br>
	Never said you're seeing their entire fleet, you're seeing what they
	can afford to send out at any given moment on relatively low-priority
	jobs.

<p>
   <li> <a name="JS:cough">Dave: yup.</a>  Londo's never coughed before, and
	this was very deliberately placed.  He's on the path, like it or not.

<p>
   <li> <em>The Vorlons lodged an official protest!  Is this the first time
	they've taken an action like that?</em><br>
	Yeah, that's pretty much the first time since the pilot where the
	Vorlons got involved with the Sinclair situation.

<p>
   <li> Bingo.  As I mentioned before, the "long twilight struggle" title
	is a quote; you correctly identified the source in the
	<a href="#NO:jfk">JFK quote.</a>

<p>
   <li> <em>About Sheridan's closing speech</em><br>
	Certainly, Sheridan is slowly growing more into a leader who must
	be able to step to the front in this kind of way, yes.

<p>
   <li> <em>What does "the balloon is going up" mean?</em><br>
	There have been many explanations for where this phrase comes
	from.  Most of them are obviously spook etymology, but the first one I
	heard -- and who knows if this is right -- comes from WW I, where just
	before one side would go into battle, they'd send one man up in a hot
	air balloon to scout the enemy's location.  If you saw the balloon
	going up, you knew combat wasn't far behind.

	<p>
	Wherever it comes from, though, that's the general meaning of
	the phrase.

	<p>
	@@@846086891 <em>Editor's note: Apparently the term dates back to
	the American Civil War, during which balloons were deployed by the
	Signal Corps before battles.</em>

<p>
   <li> <a name="JS:candles">Candles are, I think, wonderfully emblematic</a>
	of life, and of being
	a single ray of light, or hope, in a dark place.  The Grey Council
	stands between the candle and the star; watch G'Kar's action re: a
	candle in his quarters...and in that scene (for those who've seen TLTS)
	note how many candles are in the room in the beginning, and at the end.

	<p>
	We are the candle that burns brightly, stubbornly, effectively...but
	briefly.

<p>
   <li> <a href="#NO:candles"><em>The candles in G'Kar's quarters</em></a><br>
	Sherry...thank you.  The level of attention to detail is the *only*
	way that this story will be told properly.  It means you sit down with
	the director, and others, and you make totally clear -- there, and in
	the script -- what you saw in your head when you wrote it.  As well as
	repeatd verbal themes, cues, phraseologies, it's important (since this
	is a visual medium) to incorporate visual cues that add to the thematic
	thrust of the piece, that create a mood, or convey an emotion or a
	thought on an almost cellular level.  The hardest part is being careful
	not to OVER use them, because then they lose all meaning and impact.

<p>
   <li>@@@846705275 Re: G'Kar's position on the council...Sheridan could have
	carried on, but it would've been basically useless.  The Centauri now
	occupy and run Narn, and thanks to the surrender and agreement to the
	Centauri terms, call the shots as far as who can legitimately speak for
	Narn.  Sheridan could've kept G'Kar *in the room*, but he'd still be
	powerless, without portfolio, and the whole concept of the council would
	be shot.  He is now simply Citizen G'Kar, same as any other Narn.  No,
	Londo isn't of higher rank in the council than Sheridan, but he speaks
	for the Centauri, and the Centauri speak for Narn.

<p>
   <li>@@@846711459 Re: Earth's attitude toward the Centauri...stick around
	for 2 more episodes.

	<p>
	Re: not recognizing the Centauri rule...on what basis would or could
	Earth do this?  If the Narns had not agreed to total and unconditional
	surrender, sure, there might be a case you could make...otherwise, one
	doesn't have a leg to stand on.

	<p>
	Vampyr...okay, (poink), I've now made you Babylon 5 Person here.   So
	how could Sheridan "take Londo down a peg" in any manner consistent with
	reality? Yell at him?  Sure, but to what effect?  He had nothing to back
	it up.  Before, in "Shadows," he had a bluff he could run; now that's
	not relevant because the actions have all been taken, and there is
	nothing that can be done to stop it.  Sometimes, things happen in the
	real world, and we'd love to see the person taken down a peg, as you
	say...but sometimes actually *doing* that in a real world situation, or
	a fairly rigorous fictional situation, is a different matter.

</ul>