lurkers-guide/guide/044

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

<blockquote><cite>
As the Centauri war escalates, a Narn warcruiser seeks help from Babylon 5.
Earth takes a position in the war.  Keffer makes a terrifying discovery.
Kosh takes a drastic step to save a life.
</cite>

<a href="http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Dotrice,+Roy">Roy Dotrice</a> as Frederick Lantze.
<a href="http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Vickery,+John">John Vickery</a> as Mr. Welles.
<a href="http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Hamilton,+Rick">Rick Hamilton</a> as Mitch.
<a href="http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Sachs,+Robin">Robin Sachs</a> as Na'Kal.
</blockquote>

<pre><a href="/lurk/p5/intro.html">P5 Rating</a>: <a href="/lurk/p5/044">9.40</a>

Production number: 222
Original air date: August 15, 1995 (UK)
                   November 1, 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 Janet Greek
</pre>

<p>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000636E/thelurkersguidet">An 
episodic soundtrack is available.</a>

<p>
<strong>Think twice before reading what's below if you haven't seen the
episode -- major spoilers follow!</strong>

<p>
<hr size=3>

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

<li>
The Ministry of Peace has been recruiting other high-level B5 staff members
for its Nightwatch program.

<li>
Vorlons appear as angelic, winged beings of light, whose appearance is
different to each observer.  They can fly.  (But see
<a href="#JS:vorlons">jms speaks</a>)

</ul>

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

<ul>

<li>
Is Keffer mercifully dead, or might he reappear as "worse than dead" -- a
tool of the Shadows a la Morden?

<li>
What will be the ramifications of Zack's turning the shopkeeper in to the
Nightwatch?

<li>
How far will the Centauri expansion push?

<li>
Why did Londo see nothing when he looked at Kosh? (see
<a href="#AN">Analysis</a>)

<li>
Who was behind the bombing of Sheridan's tram? Who were the young Centauri
taking orders from, if anyone?

<li>
What ramifications will there be to Kosh's appearance, since it was such a
closely kept secret before?

<li>
What will happen to the Narn cruiser?

<li>
What other forces do the Narn have that were not caught by the Centauri?

<li>
Where did the cruiser go?

<li>
Have the Centauri made any arrangements with the Minbari, or are they
relying on their non-interference in the affairs of other races?

<li>
Will Sheridan's planned apology be enough to satisfy his superiors at
Earthdome, or is he in danger of losing his position?

<li>
What effect will the open transmission by ISN of Keffer's recorder log have
on the Shadows' plans?  Will it force them to show their hand?

</ul>

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

<ul>

<li>
Night has indeed fallen. As the Centauri government
continues to expand by attacking other races like the Drazi and the
Pak'ma'ra, the Earth government has entered into an appeasement pact with
them. Meanwhile, the inward-turning Earth government is using their
"Nightwatch" as a means to silence dissent. However, Keffer's last flight
has made the presence of the Shadows in hyperspace known to all of Earth,
relayed to them via ISN.

<p>
<li>It's interesting that Kosh risks revealing himself to save one life - the
same criterion for saintliness/being the Chosen that the Inquisitor established
(cf. <a href="043.html">"Comes the Inquisitor."</a>)

<p>
<li>
Vir and Lennier are both feeling the pressures of knowing a great deal
about what is going on but not being involved in the planning and
decision making stages.  That they have found each other to talk to is
somewhat ironic, since each is working for masters who have taken
opposing sides - Light and Dark - in the coming battle.

<p>
<li>
"We will, at last, know peace in our time."  This phrase, given by Lantze
when he announces the Earth-Centauri non-aggression pact, is very similar
to a phrase used by Neville Chamberlain after signing an appeasement
agreement with Hitler in 1938 just prior to the invasion of Czechoslovakia, an
agreement that failed to stop Hitler's expansionist policy.  The choice of
words is probably intended to highlight the futility of such a pact with
an aggressive party and a foreshadow of future events.  There are other
parallels with Nazi actions (divided between the actions of <i>both</i>
signatories,)  but the motivations of the Earth government are not race
related nor moving towards the domination/submission of other groups.

<p>
<li>
NightWatch openly tries to recruit highly placed individuals, not
appearing too concerned if they refuse.  This suggests that they feel
confident about circumnavigating these people with a strong sense of
loyalty at a later date, replacing them with a more easily manipulated
individual.

<p>
<li>
Had Sheridan refused to apologize publicly and been replaced, it would
have been with Ivanova had she accepted Welles offer to work with the
NightWatch.  Otherwise they would have brought in an easily manipulated
person to command Babylon 5, as Welles indicated.<p>

<li>
This episode shows the new defense grid (cf.
<A HREF="032.html">"GROPOS"</A>)
in action for the
first time.  As promised it is an even match for a heavy battle
cruiser.  The battle doctrine for the B5 universe is one of fighters
engage fighters, heavy ships engage heavy ships.  During this combat
sequence we see what happens when a heavy ship ignores the fighters and
fails (for whatever reason) to deploy its own fighters.  While not capable
of inducing complete destruction of a heavy vessel in the short term, the
fighters can strip a heavy vessel of its offensive/defensive armament
since such weaponry is small compared to the ship and necessarily exposed
in order to be effective.

<p>
<li>
Lantze is a dreamer and idealist, taking any steps to ensure peace for
Earth.  He is someone who feels that the ends justify the means so long as
it does not involve Earth.  This is a direct expression of the anti-alien
feelings present at the moment on Earth.  That Lantze is not directly
involved in the NightWatch suggests that, while he understands the aims of
the NightWatch, his concience is not capable of handling the individual
betrayals involved.  Perhaps the ideal politician.

<p>
Welles, on the other hand, is very much caught up in the management of the
NightWatch.  He has no conscience pangs about the betrayal of individals.
While he is a co-director of The Ministry of Peace, he probably has more
real power than Lantze because of what he is managing.  He is also gifted
with the art of manipulating people as shown with both Zack and Sheridan
(although the latter is more aware of the manipulation and capable of
defending against it.)

<p>
<li>
The Narn cruiser will probably use other races threatened by the Centauri
for assistance, perhaps acting as a mercenary.  Or it may find
somewhere quiet to lie low until it can be called into the service of
homeworld.  The Minbari cruiser Trigati managed to avoid capture for over
ten years (cf.
<A HREF="023.html">"Points of Departure."</A>)

<p>
<li>
The Shadows did not destroy the recorder marker dropped by Keffer.  Either
they failed to detect it (they aren't omnipotent,) or they chose to ignore
it (they are confident it would make no difference, or were unaware of the
contents.)

<p>
<li>
Keffer's recording log has been transmitted by ISN.  This is exactly what
Delenn and Sheridan wanted to avoid.  Will it force the Shadows' hand now
that they have been seen?  Or will it push the forces of Light into even
greater efforts?

<p>
<li>
The commentary by ISN at the end of the episode suggests that the events
on Earth are not being manipulated by the Shadows.  Of course this could
just be a politically expedient newscast.

<p>
<li>
Kosh's rescue of Sheridan is like a blessing from the heavens.  This will
no doubt be taken as a sign of Sheridan's worthiness to lead the forces of
Light, as it has already been taken to indicate that Babylon 5 is blessed.

<p>
<li>
When Kosh left his encounter suit only Delenn was present.  She has
already seen Kosh.  The other ambassadors only saw a being of light
rise up and rescue
Sheridan.  Kosh also landed in an empty part of the Zen garden before
returning to his encounter suit.  The conversation in the Zocalo between
the Narn and the Drazi suggests they are not aware it is Kosh.  What would
the reaction be if these races were to find out that the Vorlons had been
interfering (apparently benevolently) in the development of their race?
Would religions collapse under the revelation that their supernatural
beings were simply ancient aliens?

<p>
<li>
Does each Vorlon appear as a particular entity to each type of observer,
an entity that remains the same over time?  If so, could Kosh be the original
G'Lan, and thus be at least a thousand years old?

<p>
<li>
Londo failed to see Kosh when he revealed himself.  Does this extend to
all Centauri, or is it peculiar to Londo?  If it is the former then it
suggests that either the Vorlons have not openly visited the Centauri
(why?) or that their worship of their deceased Emperors as gods has
diminished the effect of exposure to Vorlons.  If it is the latter then it
must be because of Londo's association with the Shadows.  If this is the
case then what would be the response of other Centauri on seeing a Vorlon? (see
<a href="#JS:centauri">jms speaks</a>)

<p>
<li>
Carrying the above a step further, are Vorlons invisible to Centauri and/or
to anyone of a race they haven't dealt with before?  That suggests the
possibility that the Shadows might be the same way, visible to some people
and not to others.

<p>
<li>@@@884249864 
Perhaps the Vorlons did visit the Centauri homeworld in the past, but
manipulated the Xon
(<a href="005.html">"The Parliament of Dreams"</a>)
instead of the Centauri.

<p>
<li>
Delenn seemed somewhat taken aback by Sheridan's unflattering appraisal of
the Vorlons' motives; she seems willing to regard them as, if not completely
good, at least altruistic, and is clearly awed by them.  It's plausible she
has perceived Kosh as a Minbari religious figure from the start, which has
colored her perceptions of him in exactly the way Sheridan describes.

<p>
Might Sheridan's less starry-eyed view of the Vorlons be due in part to the
training he's been getting from Kosh, the point of which (for a while,
anyway) was to help Sheridan and Kosh understand each other?  Put another
way, has Sheridan learned to fight the legends he believes Kosh's appearance
is intended to evoke?

<p>
<li>
Why do the Vorlons appear as the particular religious figures they do?  Each
of the figures we saw was an idealized version of the race in question.
Perhaps this is to make themselves seem less alien, more familiar and therefore
less threatening.  The fact that they feel the need to do this suggests that
their true appearance may be very alien indeed.

<p>
<li>
When Sheridan mentioned to Delenn that everyone saw something different in
Kosh, Delenn replied that each person saw something "according to his or
her type."  That choice of words can be interpreted in a disturbing way, to
suggest that the Vorlons have organized other sentients into categories.

<p>
<li>
Might the Shadows' appearance also be subjective?  What do they look like
to Morden, for instance?  It may be that the Shadows feel no need to deceive
others about their appearance, as it might not advance their goals (whatever
those goals might be.)  Clearly the Shadows prefer not to be seen, to work
through others, but that might be the result of small numbers or caution as
much as anything else.

<p>
<li>
Kosh's true form is probably smaller than what everyone saw; for one thing,
his encounter suit is shorter than he appeared to be.  When he was behind
the screen in
<a href="001.html">"Midnight on the Firing Line"</a>
he appeared to be much smaller as well.  But he probably does have a physical
form of some kind, since he was able to touch Sheridan (if it were just
telekinesis, presumably he wouldn't have needed to leave his suit.)

<p>
<li>
Zack is having second thoughts about the NightWatch.  Up until now he has
been happily accepting their money in return for just wearing the armband
and giving in few reports.  He misunderstood their intentions and now
realizes that should he try to leave he will be branded in the same way as
the shopkeeper in the Zocalo.  The fear of being taken out of society
and branded as a traitor is greater than the urge to stand up for what he
believes to be right.  Zack's dissatisfaction with the
NightWatch might be useful at a later date.

<p>
<li>
The signal for the Centauri weapons lock on to Babylon 5 sounded like that
of a submarine sonar.  It represents an active weapons lock (ship sending
out signals to locate its target) rather than a passive lock (ship
detecting emmissions from its target.)  It brings a tension to the
situation inherited from the submarine warfare genre of films.

<p>
<li>
How compatible is an Earth Alliance career and raising children?
Ivanova's conversation with Lantze suggests that women do bear children
while actively continuing with their careers.  Another hint from JMS that
the military at least are an equal oppourtunities employer.

<p>
<li>
The celebration of Winter Solstice described by Lantze is a pagan
festival.  The celebration of Christ's birth, though important in
Christian teaching, was not begun until the 4th century.  The time of year
was chosen to counter the celebration of the Winter Solstice.  Presumably
the reference to the public celebration of the solstice indicate a more
open tolerance of religion on Earth in the 22nd century, and that there
are other religious groups that celebrate the same period for different
reasons.

<p>
<li>
It's Keffer's obsession with the shadow ship he saw in hyperspace in
<A HREF="026.html">"A Distant Star"</A>
that leads to his demise.

<p>
<li>
Kosh has now offered his hand to Babylon 5's commander twice, both times
with potentially disastrous results.

<p>
<li>
The exchange between Lennier and Vir might have been more than mere comic
relief.  Perhaps they were actually passing information back and forth
using a code of some kind -- Vir now appears strongly motivated to do
something like that.

<p>
<li>
<a name="AN:candles">
Ivanova's lighting of candles at the end of the episode had a deeper meaning
</a>
than may initially be obvious.  In Orthodox Jewish tradition, Chanukah
(the Festival of Lights)
celebrates both the victory over the conquerors of Jerusalem and the victory
of those who wanted to uphold traditional values over those who wanted to
assimilate with the enemy, an internal struggle which is also arguably the
main theme of the episode.  (See <a href="#JS:candles">jms speaks</a>,
here and in <a href="042.html#JS:candles">"The Long, Twilight Struggle"</a>)

</ul>

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

<ul>

<li>
The character "Corwin" is no doubt named after Norman Corwin,
JMS' friend and mentor.

<p>
<li>
Ivanova's comment about Sheridan being weightless depends on one's point
of view.  In a strict, pedantic sense, everyone on Babylon 5 is close to
weightless, since weight is defined as the force with which a mass is
gravitationally attracted to another mass, and B5 achieves the illusion
of weight by rotation, not by gravity.  (Leaving aside, of course, the
gravity of the planet below the station.)

<p>
Sheridan's movement away from the station's axis is due to three factors.
First, the tram wasn't exactly at the axis, so it was revolving
at some speed.  Just as a rock flies in a straight line if you swing it
on a piece of string then let go, Sheridan would have moved toward the ground
even if he'd just stepped gingerly out the door.

<p>
Of course, he didn't; he leapt.  Depending on whether the door was facing
into or against the station's spin, this might have either
accelerated his descent or slowed it.  The fact that he appeared to not
leap very hard suggests that the door was facing spinward and he wanted to
stay in the air as long as possible.

<p>
The final factor is the atmosphere, which rotates in the Garden along with
the ground and everything else.  As Sheridan fell, he would be pushed along
by air revolving at speeds closer and closer to the speed of the ground; this
would tend to accelerate his fall, since it would cause him to revolve more
quickly.  So the longer he fell, the faster he would be going.  That effect
would probably be fairly weak for most of the fall, so it might
not have accelerated him to high enough speed to cause serious harm when he
hit the ground.

<p>
Unfortunately, his inertia would keep him from achieving ground speed even
with the push of the wind, so as Ivanova said, he would have hit the ground
as if he'd fallen out of a car on the freeway, even if his rate of descent
alone wouldn't have been enough to hurt him seriously.

<p>
In any case, Sheridan is probably quite glad Kosh chose that moment to make an
appearance.

</ul>

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

   <li> Janet [Greek] was not available to us for most of this season due to
	illness (flu turning into pneumonia), but she's better now, and will be
	directing our season-ender, "[The Fall of Night]."  We hope to have her
	do five or six next year, and will of course try to get her for our
	first and last as with this year and the last of year one; she's kind
	of our good luck charm.

<p>
   <li> On Monday we begin our last week of filming.  We're going for an
	eight-day shoot this one time, rather than our usual seven-day shoot,
	because of the extraordinary EFX requirements to pull off the finale.
	It should be a doozy.

<p>
   <li> How does the finale compare?  Hmmm...depends on what you're looking
	for.  "Inquisitor" is primarily a character piece, virtually no EFX,
	but very intense.  The story is kind of straightforward, with a few 
	kickers along the way.  "Twilight" is a heavy story episode, that 
	zips all over the B5 landscape, between the Narns, the Centauri, and 
	elsewhere (he said vaguely).  The finale, "The Fall of Night," is 
	actually kind of deceptive; it starts out fairly calmly and tightens 
	fairly fast.  The story is not as back-and-forth or layered as Twilight
	or Coming, it's really about one thing.  Visually, it's the most 
	ambitious thing we've done to date, and probably the most ambitious 
	EFX stuff done for a TV series *ever*.  I don't think you'll feel left
	wanting after the episode is done.

<p>
   <li> No, the last ep of this season wasn't per se a cliffhanger, though it
	does tip over a few things, so it flows from 222 to 301 fairly smoothly.

<p>
   <li> Yeah, this is the other structure that's kind of a favorite of mine.  
	I used it also in "Coming of Shadows."  It starts out kind of slow, it
	lulls you into a sense that this is going to be a fairly ordinary story,
	nothing major...allowing me to sneak up behind you in the story and just
	*whack* you real hard when you're not expecting it.

<p>
   <li>@@@846713900 We've been consistently giving Jeff Conaway more and more
	to do in the show because he's a very gifted actor; there are some
	moments in the coming month's episodes, particularly "The Fall of
	Night," that should knock the word "mediocre" out of anyone's mouth.

<p>
   <li>@@@840399188 <em>This episode had enough votes for a Hugo nomination,
	but JMS didn't accept the nomination.</em><br>
	Yes, since the last time we were in Hugo contention,
	the splitting of votes cost us the award (combined votes would've been
	enough going in to win), the folks gave us the option of withdrawing
	one of the two, and since "The Coming of Shadows" seems the overall
	favorite, that one was the one kept.

	<p>
	One other good thing about the withdrawl of one episode was that
	it allowed Terry Gilliam's "12 Monkeys" onto the ballot, which
	otherwise would've been frozen out, and it deserves the recognition of
	the nomination.

	<p>
	We're all *very* pleased and excited by the nomination.

<p>
   <li>@@@840399188 They gave me the option of
	having the two nominations or withdrawing one of the two, and we
	decided to go ahead and withdraw "Fall," to avoid splitting the vote,
	and to allow another entry into the field, which was apparently "12
	Monkeys," which definitely deserves the recognition of the nomination.

<p>
   <li>@@@840399188 Apparently this option is often given.

<p>
   <li> In a few days we will begin shooting the final episode of
	season two: "The Fall of Night."  In terms of action, this is the
	biggest thing we've ever attempted.  Where normally our scripts have
	50-80 scenes/shots (as noted in numerical sluglines), this one has 134;
	of which 64 are EFX shots, some in combinations.  To understand the
	weight of that, there were 60 EFX shots in the entire two-hour pilot.
	In addition, this has more and more *complex* CGI than the first 13
	episodes of our first season put TOGETHER.  Nothing on quite this scale
	has ever been attempted in series TV before, and the irony is that the
	major part of this covers only a few minutes in the fourth act.

	<p>
	This stuff is going to involve every one of our EFX divisions,
	compositing, makeup, prosthetics, costuming, practical effects, mattes,
	CGI; the visual EFX meeting was the biggest we've ever had, and
	everyone's both sober and excited.  Because there are only two options
	when you go for something this substantial: either you're going to do
	something truly amazing, or you're going to massively fall on your
	face.  For our EFX people, this is kinda like boarding the wildest ride
	at Magic Mountain and leaving off your seatbelt on a dare...it's one
	hell of a ride, but boy is it dangerous.

	<p>
	But as Ron Thornton pointed out: no guts, no glory.

	<p>
	This is also going to be a Janet Greek-directed episode, who for
	various reasons was only available to do our first episode prior to
	this, but she's kind of our good luck charm, and we wanted someone
	who's  done as much for us as she has to come in here and helm
	this...because it could probably break a less experienced (on B5)
	director.

<p>
   <li> Thanks.  That last sequence is the single biggest effects sequence
	done for TV, insofar as I know.  There are 34 composite shots in a
	matter of just a few minutes.  Our guys nearly went blind doing it,
	but it's cool.  The whole feel, I think, is quite nice.

<p>
   <li> Definite agreement on the shuttle sequence, works nicely.

<p>
   <li> A wire harness was used; and the effect you ask about 
	<em>[Kosh]</em> was a mix of CGI, live action, and rotoscope.

<p>
   <li> I think the Kosh stuff is *very* cool...but I don't want to over-sell
	it; best to see it cold.

<p>
   <li> <em>Kosh's wings looked like those of the aliens in "The Abyss."</em>
	<br>
	There was no deliberate homage, but the individual who helped design
	that, working with me, was Steve Burg, who has worked on Abyss and T2.

<p>
   <li> <em>How long did the Kosh scene take to get right?</em><br>
	It took, literally, months of trial and error, design and
	redesign, which is why  we did it as the last episode of that
	season.

<p>
   <li> <a name="JS:vorlons">Since "The Fall of Night"</a>
	has now aired in the UK, and word is getting
	out, herewith a post I left on GEnie about Kosh's now-revealed 
	identity.  I thought it came out fairly well, so I'm repeating it here.

	<p>
	*****

	<p>
	Okay.  Here it is.  I'm gonna do it.  I'm gonna reveal Kosh.

	<p>
	I'm not kidding.  Bail now if you're looking in and don't want to know.

	<p>
	No backsies.

	<p>
	I mean it.

	<p>
	Last chance.

	<p>
	Okay, this is it.

	<p>
	"If he leaves his encounter suit, he will be recognized."<br>
	"By who?"<br>
	"Everyone."

	<p>
	"The First Ones taught the younger races, explored beyond the rim,
	built civilizations...."

	<p>
	Kosh is what you're pointing at when you say "That's Kosh."

	<p>
	"Yes, the Vorlons have been to Earth, the Vorlons have been everywhere.
	The Vorlons *are*."

	<p>
	They *are*.

	<p>
	"For centuries, the Vorlons have helped the younger races, guiding us,
	and --"   "And manipulating us?"  "It is, as you say, a matter...
	of perspective."

	<p>
	They *are*...a matter of perspective.

	<p>
	Each race who sees them, sees something out of their own past, their
	own legends, religions, faiths.  A being of light, if you will, but a
	Drazi sees the Drazi version of that, Droshalla; the Minbari see the 
	Minbari version of that, Valeria; humans see a human version of that.

	<p>
	It is the mirror in which we see our beliefs reflected, but is it the
	progenitor of those beliefs...or an implanted image that overlays that
	vision on top of the true form of the Vorlon?  Is it revelation, or is
	it manipulation?

	<p>
	The Vorlons are a cypher.  The Vorlons are a matter of perspective.
	The Vorlons are guides...or users, emissaries or puppeteers, who wish
	to be seen a certain way, so that we will react properly.

	<p>
	Is this good, or is this bad?

	<p>
	And the truth is, even though you have seen a Vorlon, have you seen
	THE Vorlon, the one behind the image that dances somewhere between your
	optic nerve and your brain?

	<p>
	Or to quote a message I left long ago, paraphrased from memory, "The 
	hand Sinclair sees is not the hand Sinclair sees, and the hand Sinclair
	sees is not the same hand someone else in the room sees, and is not 
	even the hand that that person sees."

	<p>
	The Vorlons Are.

<p>
   <li> <em>Kosh is weak. He allowed himself to be poisoned by a Minbari and
	attacked by Morden.  He needed a Vicar to probe Talia and needed
	Sebastian to test Delenn.  He rarely does anything directly, preferring
	to use others.  I find Kosh slightly righteous.</em><br>

	Thanks.  And finding Kosh slightly righteous is pretty much the desired
	intent.  So you're clicking on all the right cylinders.

<p>
   <li>@@@894388635 <em>Was he really poisoned, or just pretending?
	(<a href="000.html">"The Gathering"</a>)</em><br>
	No, he wasn't faking it.  Understand that their appearance as a
	being of light is only how they want to appear; they are life forms
	much the same as many others, and can be poisoned if one knows the
	right combination of substances.

<p>
   <li> <em>Kosh is an angel!  But which one?</em><br>

	<p>
	Actually, no, not really; Kosh is what you see when you look at him.
	And if a Drazi looks at him, the Drazi sees something different
	than a Minbari; yes, a being of light, BUT....

	<p>
	Is that what they actually ARE, or how they have programmed us to
	react when we see them?  As Sheridan said, have we been *manipulated*
	to seeing them a certain way, seeing a certain image?  We may not be
	seeing what they ARE, but what they WANT us to see.

	<p>
	It goes a heck of a lot deeper than what it seems.

<p>
   <li>@@@846713900 "Joe identified the figure Sheridan saw as the angel
	Gabriel."

	<p>
	No I didn't.

<p>
   <li>@@@846713901 Kosh *appears* to us
	as a being of light...doesn't mean that's entirely what he is, that's
	how we've been programmed to see him.

<p>
   <li> That's the irony, in a sense...what's inside Kosh's biomechanical 
	encounter suit...is a *perceptual* encounter suit....

<p>
   <li> <em>Would a Hindu, or a Buddhist, see Kosh differently?</em><br>
	Yes, there would be some amount of variation among humans, though not
	in terms of beliefs that may have come along post-Vorlon influence.  
	This sort of thing has been implanted almost at a genetic level, and 
	they do have a hand, or a mind, in activating it when seen.  The more 
	people who see them in different ways, the longer they must maintain 
	that, the greater the strain on them.

<p>
   <li> The more people who have to *see* Kosh as one of their own, the
	greater the strain on Kosh, as you'll note in the first ep of year
	three.

<P>
   <li>@@@839744359 Being seen by one person is automatic, no strain
	involved, it's almost an autonomic reflex...it's extending the
	influence to more than one person that's difficult.

<p>
   <li> <em>The Vorlons aren't prepared to fight?  They'll refuse?</em><br>
	As for the Vorlons line..."prepared" 
	should be taken in the same sense as "ready"...so they may not yet be 
	ready.

<p>
   <li> Yes, the Shadows know that the Vorlons are still around, and that Kosh 
	is there.  That's never been any kind of secret.  They're just hoping
	that the Vorlons and anyone who might believe them won't find out that
	they're out and about again until too [late.]

<p>
   <li>@@@846713901 The vorlons were never intending to hide themselves
	from the shadows; they both know where the other can be found.  The
	concern was in the vorlons potentially revealing themselves to others,
	and standing openly as what they were.

<p>
   <li> The Vorlons aren't yet ready; they can't take on the shadows by
	themselves, and must bring together other forces.

	<p>
	And in each case, re: Kosh, what they saw was not the *head* of 
	their belief, but in essence a supporting being of light; it wasn't 
	G'Quon, but G'Lan that G'Kar saw, which was a being that story tells us 
	served G'Quon. So you wouldn't see the head of the religion, 
	since there can only be one of those, and lots of Vorlons, but each
	tends to have a supporting cast, for lack of a better term.  Those are
	what we perceive the vorlons to be.

	<p>
	And remember, we didn't see any other human's POV of Kosh but 
	Sheridan's.

<p>
   <li> No, she wouldn't.  Again, you don't see the *top* of the echelon of any
	belief, because there can be only one of those; it's the servants of
	light you see (and even the Old Testament makes reference to such
	things).

<p>
   <li> Yes, those are pretty much the two interpretations...
	that the Vorlons *created*  the myth of angels, or that they
	came in and *exploited* it for their own purposes.  In my
	view, the latter seems more logical in some ways.

<p>
   <li>@@@846713901 It has not been stated anywhere that the Vorlons created
	the angel element; they could easily just have come in and tried to
	exploit it....

<p>
   <li>@@@846713901 I'm sorry, but anyone who thinks the use of an angelic (or
	seemingly angelic character), whose likes have been written about for,
	oh, about 4,000 years, is ripping off Star Trek, has his head so
	thoroughly up his ass as to have blipped into an entirely new
	intestinally-based reality and desperately needs to get a wider frame
	of reference.

<p>
   <li> When one Vorlon looks at another, he sees a proper Vorlon.

<p>
   <li> <em>Will WE see a proper Vorlon?</em><br>
	We will see them.  Eventually.

<p>
   <li> What, I should begin catering to prurient interests?  
	Broadcasting picture postcards (likely French) of Vorlons 
	in provocative poses, in lingerie?  A terrible thing, that 
	a nice young man such as yourself should be asking about.  
	Does your mother know you're out here doing this?  Good heavens.

	<p>
	And who said they reproduce anymore?

<p>
   <li> <em>Where did Kosh go afterwards?</em><br>
	First he returned to his encounter suit, then he went to his ship,
	and stayed there for quite a while.

<p>
   <li> Yes, he had the momentum from his jump, plus that of the
	core shuttle itself  (which is considerable), plus the wind
	currents toward the center of the station  area/garden, which
	area also considerable.  Together that would be enough to 
	keep him moving toward the outer edge of the garden area.

<p>
   <li>@@@840399188 <em>What keeps people on their seats in the core
	shuttle?</em><br>
	There are mag-strips, also hand-holds, seat belts and
	foot-straps.  As you enter you hear the voice warning that this is a
	reduced gravity area, and to exercise proper precautions.

<p>
   <li> <a name="JS:centauri">Nnnnnnoo, not really;</a>
	the Centauri don't actually have an equivalent to G'Quan or Valen.

	<p>
	Believe it or not, this one answer may add another layer to a scene
	in one of the last episodes of this season.  You can infer it backwards
	once you see it, but now you'll have it going in.

<p>
   <li> They [Centauri]
	believe in a variety of afterlives; the god you worship, of the
	centauri pantheon, holds dominion over a given "heaven" or afterworld.
	If you appease the god sufficiently during life, it will accept you 
	into that afterworld, in preparation for the day when all heavens are
	united; if not, you will have to be reborn and choose another until 
	one accepts you.

<p>
   <li> Londo saw what he said he saw.

<p>
   <li> Basically, all that was indicated in the script was that he for a beat
	isn't sure what's up...then lets it go.  I generally don't drop specific
	points explaining foreshadowing in the scripts, in case they leak out.
	If a line like that isn't sufficiently clear for the actor's intent,
	they then come to me and I explain it verbally.  This was done in
	particular when we had to shoot "Chrysalis" before "Signs and Portents,"
	even though the latter aired before the former.

<p>
   <li> <em>"It doesn't matter.  This place has been blessed."  Nobody was
	trying to claim it was only THEIR deity.</em><br>
	Thanks.  I think that, with so many races around, you couldn't go into 
	holy wars or jihads at every occasion.  In a 
	way, what was seen was a validation for many...a moment they all came 
	together, instead of coming apart.

<p>
   <li> <em>Why didn't Clark reprimand Sheridan personally?</em><br>
	From a strictly logical standpoint, a president would not lower 
	himself to deal with this personally.  When MacArthur and Patton earned
	the disfavor of the president, it was intermediaries who pulled them
	aside and registered this.  Also, gradually more authority is being
	vested in Nightwatch and the Ministry of Peace, as that's his arm, and
	so he'd be inclined to use that since he's in most direct control.
	(Just to explain why what was done was done.)

<p>
   <li> <em>About Zack trusting the Nightwatch</em><br>
	And bear in mind that it's never just a common sense "oh, these guys
	are  lying to me from Nightwatch, they're the bad guys."  It's always
	couched in such a  way that it sounds like it *might* be a real concern.
	That was how McCarthy and  others terrorized this country during the
	1950s.  There were plenty of people who  really *believed* that the Reds
	had infiltrated every aspect of society, as well as  those who might've
	had doubts, but figured that maybe where there's smoke  there IS fire.

<p>
   <li> There's also a certain amount of McCarthyism inherent in the 
	Nightwatch, the emphasis on revealing spies in our midst, enemies of the
	people.

	<p>
	The problem with pointing to the Nazis or the Gestapo exclusively is 
	that it allows us the safety of saying, "Well, it happened just there,
	and only once, *we* could never fall for that."

	<p>
	Wrong.

<p>
   <li> Bear in mind that Sheridan specifically states that the treaty had 
	*not* been finalized yet between Earth and the Centauri, so the attack
	was not a violation of a treaty that hadn't been signed yet.  (And very
	likely the Centauri captain was unaware of it *anyway*, just as Sheridan
	was taken by surprise by it all.)

<p>
   <li> <em>I hope Sheridan verified those orders.</em><br>
	And the really great thing is...you're quite right about verifying 
	orders from one arm of the government with another...as we'll see in the
	first third of the coming season.  Good call.

<p>
   <li> After the Centauri tried to kill him, the need for an apology was
	somewhat obviated.  Had he still been forced to do so, the one he
	rehearsed was the one he intended to give.

<p>
   <li> <em>The "peace in our time" reference</em><br>
	Yes, it was a definite nod to Chamberlain, and a bit of foreshadowing
	for ominous things to come.

<p>
   <li> There are a number of metaphors in the show that operate on many
	different levels; it can't be a one-to-one corrolary to WW II, 
	because that limits and makes predictable your story.

	<p>
	In musical terms, it's almost a tonal piece, taking elements to
	which we respond, almost subconsciously, and then rearranging them 
	into something that is, one hopes, a new construct.  You can find 
	here echoes of Vietnam, of Kennedy, of Chamberlain, of WW II, of 
	Korea, of the Mideast; in a way, it's a thematic piece that touches 
	how we have come to think of war, and conflict, across the 
	development of the 20th century, and the role of the individual in 
	that regard.

	<p>
	We have learned to think of war as something now on a huge scale,
	an entity in itself.  Once upon a time, before the gatling gun and 
	the automatic rifle, combat was something individual, even in larger
	wars, one person against the enemy...and that person was honored, one 
	person could turn the tide against the enemy.  In a world in which 
	weapons of mass destruction exist, where then is the individual?  
	Where then the bravery, the struggle, the triumph...and the failure?  
	Where, fundamentally, is the responsibility?

	<p>
	All of that is intertwined with the storyline, and to communicate that
	I'm not averse to taking elements of history that resonate with that 
	theme and reworking them, knowing that on a cellular level, we 
	*recognize* that aspect, we've seen it...but now in a new context, we 
	can see it differently, discuss its implications, *learn* from it.

	<p>
	This is one of the things I rarely talk about, because it's the kind 
	of thing that is best left simply implied, or implicit, in the work, 
	and because if you have to draw attention to something in the work, 
	somehow I think it lessens it, because it works best unspoken.  And 
	because I guess it sounds kinda presumptuous, and high-falutin' and 
	self-indulgent.  But it's one the things that matters to me in the
	context of the story.

<p>
   <li> <a href="#AN:candles" name="JS:candles"><em>Symbolism in Ivanova's
	candle-lighting</em></a><br>
	Moshe: an excellent analysis of the theme behind that scene, which
	as you state ties directly into the theme of the whole episode, and
	moreover, somewhat sets up the theme for the coming season...who will
	determine your identity, the rules you follow, who will lead you, and
	who you are...the question of, as you say, those who wish to accommodate
	and give in to pressures from within and from without.

	<p>
	Didn't want to be heavy-handed about it, so I figured those who got
	it, got it; those who didn't, would see a nice candle scene which sets
	the mood, even if they don't get the full thematic/symbolic aspects that
	others would get.

	<p>
	(not a Talmudic scholar, but I play one on TeeVee....)

<p>
   <li> The narrative [at the end] was a tonal setup for next season.

<p>
   <li> <em>Imagery in Season Two episode titles?</em><br>
	Yes; work it out as you have, but take it further...we start with a
	point of departure...then after some revelations, examine the geometry
	of shadows, then begin to more forward, a race through dark places.  We
	come toward the long dark, our past a distant star.  We carry the motif
	of a world getting dark.  The coming of shadows that darkens into the 
	long twilight struggle, the last period between day and night...and we 
	end the season on...the fall of night.

<p>
   <li> Actually, the "snitch" was the C&C tech, NOT the pilot, they just
	have a somewhat similar appearance.

	<p>
	We've established that klaxons go off elsewhere in the station
	during an attack to warn civilians, but they aren't going off in C&C
	because they make it impossible to concentrate, as per military 
	tradition (see
	<a href="037.html">"And Now For a Word"</a> to confirm this).

	<p>
	There wasn't time to call Draal, and they can't begin relying on him
	for every problem; they have to be able to hold their own.  You would
	only bring in Draal on something really major.

<p>
   <li> <em>Is Keffer dead?</em><br>
	He is an Ex-Keffer.

<p>
   <li> <em>Does that mean he's dead?</em><br>
	Dead as the proverbial doorknob.

<p>
   <li> <em>Keffer jettisoned his recording as soon as the Shadow ship started
	scanning him. But the ISN broadcast showed the Shadow ship turning and
	firing.</em><br>
	Yeah, I kinda figured that recorders like this would be outfitted with
	a receiver for the ship's gun camera.  This would be vital to locate 
	ships that got lost, and track as long as possible what happened after
	the log was ejected, and before the recorder moved out of range.

<p>
   <li> Yes, the camera was still mounted on the Starfury, but cameras even
	today are constantly transmitting to other locations; TV cameras don't
	just transmit on a cable to the box they're attached to, they are 
	uplinked to other places.  Similarly, the recording device continued 
	to receive transmission from the Starfury until such time as it either
	went out of range or, in this case, the transmitter was destroyed.

<p>
   <li> <em>What was the part of the station that was shot off?</em><br>
	It's an area for helping secure ships while being offloaded 
	into the zero-G cargo bay right behind it.

<p>
   <li>@@@846713901 We'll see both the tines being repaired, and the core
	shuttle being fixed, in ep 1 of year 3.  The tines are mainly to
	stabilize incoming cargo ships so they can be offloaded (something we've
	shown there from time to time) into the zero-g cargo bay.

<p>
   <li> <em>What does "time on target" mean?</em><br>
	It's an actual military term for launching a lot of stuff, so that
	even though it's launched at different times, it all arrives at once.

<p>
   <li> The interceptors line refers to the fact that there are so many 
	incoming bursts that the interceptors are only knocking down 90% of them
	at this point, meaning that some of them (the incoming bursts) are
	getting through.

<p>
   <li> Visually, yeah, I'd have to say TFoN is one of our biggest from year
	two, and I'm quite fond of it; the only reason that it isn't in my
	top three is because while the last half is very intense, it takes a
	little bit to get there; I like 'em intense from the first frame on.

	<p>
	For the growing use of montage/intercutting...it's really just a
	process of continuing to learn my craft.  So I try out and experiment
	with different techniques.  While I love dialogue, and lots of it, I'm
	also coming more and more to appreciate moments where you *only* play
	the visuals, and the music, and get out of the way of the Moment.

<p>
   <li> It's fair to say that you will be seeing that Narn cruiser again; it's
	still out there.

<p>
   <li>@@@846713901 <em>Keffer wears a blue scarf with white stars; Mitch
	wears a white scarf with red stars.  Is scarf color indicative of
	squadron?</em><br>
	I do believe they relate to squadrons, yes.

</ul>

<p>
Originally compiled by Jason Snell.