lurkers-guide/guide/059

<!-- TITLE Interludes and Examinations -->

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

<blockquote><cite>
Sheridan tries to rally support for his cause as direct confrontations with
the Shadows begin in earnest.  Friction increases between Londo and Morden.
</cite>

<a href="http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Balgobin,+Jennifer">Jennifer Balgobin</a> as Dr. Hobbs.
Jonathan Chapman as Brakiri.
<a href="http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Howard,+Rance">Rance Howard</a> as David Sheridan.
<a href="http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Wasser,+Ed">Ed Wasser</a> as Morden.
</blockquote>

<pre><a href="/lurk/p5/intro.html">P5 Rating</a>: <a href="/lurk/p5/059">9.31</a>

Production number: 315
Original air week: May 6, 1996
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00009OOFK/thelurkersguidet">DVD release date</a>: August 12, 2003

Written by J. Michael Straczynski
Directed by Jesus Trevino
</pre>

<p>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000636F/thelurkersguidet">An 
episodic soundtrack is available.</a>

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

<p>
<hr size=3>

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

   <li> During the last war with the Shadows, a thousand years ago, they did
	roughly what they're doing this time, seemingly attacking at random
	in the form of quick strikes.  The intent may be simply to keep the
	major powers off guard, so they never know when the next attack will
	occur.

   <li> Vorlon ships are linked closely to their individual owners.

</ul>

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

   <li> Who will replace Franklin as head of medlab?

   <li> Why did the Shadows wait until the Vorlon attack to move against Kosh?
	They could presumably have done it at any time.  (See
	<a href="#AN.kosh">Analysis</a>)

   <li> Do the Shadows know that the Vorlon attack was just a one-time thing,
	or do they now believe that the Vorlons are on the march?  How will
	that affect their strategy, if at all?

   <li> How did Delenn know there wouldn't be a body?

   <li> What was the flash of energy that coursed through the station after
	the fight was over?

   <li> Does Lyta know about Kosh?  How will she react when she finds out?

   <li>@@@832011799 Was the data crystal on Talia Winters
	(<a href="009.html">"Deathwalker"</a>)
	placed on Kosh's ship?

</ul>

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

   <li> Londo's new pact with Morden may foreshadow the loss of his second
	chance for redemption
	(<a href="053.html">"Point of No Return."</a>)
	With Londo's poison coursing through his veins, Refa certainly qualifies
	as "the one who is already dead," and now Londo has vowed to kill him.
	Along similar lines, Kosh qualifies now too; Londo may attempt to kill
	Kosh's replacement, not realizing it's another Vorlon entirely.

   <li> Londo played right into Morden's hands.  Morden was obviously
	responsible for Adira's death (he paid off one of the ship's crew,
	and he found out about her arrival from the Zocalo vendor) and it's
	unlikely Refa even knew about her, much less participated in her
	poisoning.  But any such protest on Refa's part will likely fall
	on deaf ears if Londo speaks to him.

   <li> On the other hand, it's also possible that Londo is attempting to
	fool Morden.  Certainly Londo knows that Morden is up to no good --
	their conversation in the hallway, and Londo's glare when he talks
	about people who deserve to die -- are evidence of that.  Maybe he's
	playing along with Morden in an attempt to trip up the Shadows' plans.
	The same hallway conversation offers evidence to the contrary, though;
	even then, Londo felt he had already been through worse than Morden's
	associates could dish out, and with Adira's death, that's probably
	only intensified.

   <li> "The galaxy can burn.  I no longer care," says Londo.  This echoes the
	conversation between Emperor Turhan and Kosh in
	<a href="031.html">"The Coming of Shadows:"</a>
	"How will this end?"  "In fire."

   <li>@@@832236893 Londo's conversation with Morden -- putting an end to a previous
	pledge and going on the offensive due to the loss of a loved one --
	is in some ways a parallel of Sheridan's conversation with Kosh at
	the end of
	<a href="038.html">"In the Shadow of Z'ha'dum."</a>

   <li> Londo promised to pluck the Shadows' eye out if it turned toward the
	Centauri homeworld.  Foreshadowing, perhaps, for whatever happens
	to G'Kar's eye in Londo's dream
	(<a href="031.html">"The Coming of Shadows."</a>)

   <li> What <em>do</em> the Shadows want?  Delenn seems to know more than
	she's telling.  Morden's keen interest in the Centauri's continued
	aggression may provide a clue, but it's ambiguous at best.  If they
	simply want a constant state of chaos in the galaxy, their current
	strategy will eventually backfire; there won't be anyone
	left to carry on fighting.

   <li>@@@832057944 <a name="AN.kosh">The fact that the Shadows attacked Kosh</a>
	immediately after the Vorlon victory over the Shadow fleet smacks of
	the notion that there was a deal of some sort between the two races:
	the Vorlons stay out of the fighting, and the Shadows leave them
	alone.  If that's true, one sobering interpretation is that both
	races consider the war something of a game.  On the other hand, the
	truth could be just the opposite; the Shadows may not have wanted
	to touch Kosh for fear of causing Vorlon retribution.

   <li> Along similar lines, Kosh told Sheridan that the Vorlons didn't want
	to attack because "it is not our time."  What did he mean by that?
	What constitutes the Vorlons' time?  Kosh also mentioned that the
	Vorlons were still few in number, and were still preparing.  Are their
	preparations simply a matter of boosting their manpower?

   <li> Even in his last moments, Kosh still chose to hide behind disguises and
	symbolism, appearing as Sheridan's father rather than himself.  Or
	maybe it's not by choice after all; maybe all he can do is communicate
	with people in terms they already understand, though his recreation of
	the Icarus expedition in
	<a href="038.html">"In the Shadow of Z'ha'dum"</a>
	suggests otherwise.

   <li>@@@832266293 A more charitable explanation is that Kosh didn't want
	Sheridan to realize he was in trouble, since Sheridan would have been
	inclined to race to Kosh's quarters to try to save him -- something
	that would have meant certain doom.

   <li>@@@832056132 Kosh treated Sheridan like a child, calling him "impudent"
	and "disrespectful" before finally giving him what could be considered
	the Vorlon equivalent of a spanking.  Then he appeared as Sheridan's
	father.  That suggests a certain condescending attitude on the part
	of the Vorlons toward the other races.  Is that attitude based on
	anything?  Delenn said the First Ones guided the younger races; maybe
	to Kosh, humans <em>are</em> children, and the war against the Shadows
	is a test of maturity.

   <li> How long has Kosh known what was going to happen to him?  He implies
	here that Sheridan will die on Z'ha'dum because he won't have Kosh's
	help ("You said that if I went to Z'ha'dum I would die."  "Yes, now.")
	Did he know why that would be when he first warned Sheridan in
	<a href="038.html">"In the Shadow of Z'ha'dum?"</a>
	Were his lessons for Sheridan, teaching the latter to fight legends,
	meant to provide Sheridan with the confidence to disobey Kosh's wishes
	when the time was right?

   <li> There is something of a thematic link between Kosh's expectation of
	death and the story of Jesus played out by Brother Edward in
	<a href="048.html">"Passing Through Gethsemane."</a>
	Kosh knew what was coming, perhaps knew he <em>could</em> avoid it for
	a little while, but also believed it would be the wrong thing to do.
	So he waited in his quarters to face his executioners.  Of course,
	Edward didn't try to fight his killers off, so the parallel isn't
	exact.

   <li> Kosh's death was instantly known to the Vorlons, which suggests that
	all the Vorlons are linked together in some fundamental way.  Perhaps
	the killing of Kosh, then, was less a blow against him personally than
	a slap in the face of the Vorlons as a whole.

   <li> If Kosh knew what was going to happen, why did he remain in his
	quarters, easily found?  Perhaps he believed that the Shadows would
	go after Delenn or Sheridan in that case, and he considers them more
	valuable than himself.

   <li> Why can't Kosh's replacement continue Sheridan's education and assist
	him at Z'ha'dum as Kosh would have?  Presumably there was nothing
	special about Kosh from the Vorlons' point of view.  Or maybe the
	Vorlons are so few in number that Kosh was the only one among them
	who's able to provide whatever assistance he had in mind.

   <li> The Vorlons still use conventional jump points rather than the faster
	hyperspace entry and exit technique employed by the Shadows.  Is that
	a conscious decision on their part, or does it imply that the Shadows
	are more technologically advanced in at least some respects?

   <li>@@@832096164 The Vorlons' telepathy must be different than what humans
	are capable of; the Shadow ships were able to function as the Vorlons
	attacked, unlike the ship near the White Star when Bester was aboard
	(<a href="058.html">"Ship of Tears."</a>)
	On the other hand, the small Vorlon fighters did seem to be doing
	a good job of confusing the Shadow warship they were attacking; it
	seemed to spin around randomly, and never fired back.

   <li> This episode was full of power surges and drains: the one noted by
	the C&amp;C tech when Kosh and Sheridan were arguing, the lights
	dimming when Morden confronted Londo, the battle between Kosh and
	the Shadows, and whatever happened when Kosh died.  Perhaps someone
	will put two and two together and have security promptly investigate
	any odd power level changes.

   <li>@@@831974299 The C&amp;C tech said that the power surge was "a non-localized
	phenomenon" -- exactly the phrase used by Delenn to describe the
	Minbari concept of the soul in
	<a href="048.html">"Passing Through Gethsemane."</a>

   <li> What is Earth's official reaction now that open hostilities with the
	Shadows have broken out?  Has Sheridan usurped Earth's official
	relationships with all the alien governments he's recruited into his
	alliance?  The Shadows certainly have their fingers in at least some
	aspects of the Earth Alliance, but they don't have total control yet;
	there must be some people in the Earth government advocating taking
	up arms against the Shadows.

</ul>

<h2><a name="NO">Notes</a></h2>
<ul>
   <li>@@@831941341 The masked alien is a Gaim, whose name is probably a
	reference to Neil Gaiman.  The title character of Gaiman's "Sandman" --
	one of JMS's favorite works -- has a mask of similar appearance.

<p>
   <li>@@@839232139 The character of Dr. Lilian Hobbs is named after a
	fan,
	<a href="http://www.tcp.co.uk/~lmhobbs/">Dr. Lilian Hobbs,</a>
	who won the bidding at a charity auction at the Wolf 359 convention
	in Manchester in 1995.

</ul>

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

   <li> Script 15 is entitled "Interludes and Examinations," and has a plot
	turn I hadn't seen coming, but which fits perfectly into the arc; I
	think you're going to be stunned.  (I was.)

<p>
   <li>@@@839200375 Re: titles...yeah, you got to watch out with this show,
	sometimes I put on deliberately dull titles when I want to sneak up
	behind you quietly.  The more innocuous sounding, the more you should
	worry....

<p>
   <li>@@@865188788 The visual styles in transition between shots came from
	the director, which he went over with me when we had our tone meeting.

<p>
   <li> "Just wondering if we would see the First Ones from Sigma 957 this
	season, since there are supposed to be some direct confrontations
	between the Army of Light and the Shadows?"

	<p>
	No.  It isn't their time yet.

<p>
   <li> Let me answer this way...whenever I'm going to unveil something
	on the show, I begin to point to it in upcoming episodes.  I've begun
	pointing to the question of what the shadows want, and why they're
	doing it.  So, logically, I'm now going to have to follow up on
	that....

<p>
   <li> In general, you always know when I'm going to
	start answering a question, because I begin to point at it in episodes;
	I'm now beginning to point to the shadows and ask, "What do THEY want?"

	<p>
	The answer is coming.

<p>
   <li> It wasn't my idea.  It was Kosh's idea.  It was his pulling me that way
	that led to it.  "Trust me," he said.  I followed.

	<p>
	And yeah, it does hurt.  Pat Tallman was devastated at the screening. 
	Even my own crew wouldn't talk to me for a day or so after the script
	came out.

	<p>
	Which is when I knew it was the right thing to do.

<p>
   <li>@@@831941341 It's funny, out of all the awful terrible things I've done
	to our characters over these 3 years, the one that honked off the whole
	crew was the Kosh development.  On one level, they loved it...loved how
	it tightened the screws...but they still didn't want to know from me
	for a day or two.

<p>
   <li> Yeah, that's <em>[Kosh's death]</em>
	the story turn that surprised even me.  (And, of course,
	I can't wait for the folks who'll say it was over a contract dispute
	with the actor....)

<p>
   <li>@@@831940922 I'm just waiting for some nit to come out of the
	woodwork and announce that the real reason for what happened to Kosh
	was that Kosh had a contract dispute over money or walked off the
	show....

<p>
   <li>@@@831919210 <em>The mentor always dies in heroic sagas.</em><br>
	I think Kosh sort of "hit the wall" when he saw that Sheridan wasn't
	going to go away; I think finally he was ashamed, and recognized his
	fear, and in a sense the air went out of him, and he reconciled himself
	to what had to be.

	<P>
	You're right about the mentor; sooner or later, the mentor has to
	step aside (or fall by the wayside) for the others to grow into the
	hero's journey.  Originally this was slated to happen a bit later...I
	think, on some level, I was reluctant to do it, because to write this
	kind of stuff you have to *feel* it yourself, and I think I was
	avoiding that as much as Kosh was avoiding his fate.  I didn't want
	to go through writing that.  So I kept putting it off.  I knew it
	*had* to be done...but not yet....

	<P>
	And that's when, for lack of a better explanation, Kosh stepped up
	and began to pull me in that direction in the script.  It was time.
	His passing shouldn't be frittered away or minimized; it should
	happen at the right moment, and this was that moment.  It's almost
	impossible to describe this to a non-writer, but the character, this
	fictional construct, was simply determined to have his way, and that
	was the end of it.  I kept trying to dance away in the script, to go
	back into safer waters...but each time was pulled back in this
	direction, until finally I had to admit that yes, this was the right
	time, and the right way, to do this.

	<P>
	And Kosh fell.

	<P>
	But what finally convinced me was the realization that this was not
	only right for now, but right for *later*...though you won't know
	what that means for a while yet.

<p>
   <li>@@@831973132 Mainly, I think I was just trying to avoid it...put it off as long as
	possible...but the character knew, even more than I did, that
	this was the right time to do this.  It's a very hard thing to
	do this to a character; the only way to get that kind of
	emotion into a script is to feel it yourself as you're writing
	it, and that's a painful thing to do.  So I was avoiding it.
	But he outfoxed me...as usual.

	<p>
	That's Vorlons for you.

<p>
   <li>@@@865188788 "So, to sum up, has it been hard making these changes
	after you and all of the fans have gotten to know them?  Or is it simply
	a matter of: "Well...it's their time...?"

	<p>
	It's both, kinda.  In the case of one character, who's been with us a
	long time, and who...shall we say delicately, is en route to becoming
	an ex-character by the end of this season...it was hard knowing the
	actor, because the actor said, "Was there something I did wrong?"  To
	which you can only answer truthfully and say no, not at all, just the
	opposite...you did a GREAT job, that's why we're offing you.  If you'd
	been just mediocre, nobody'd CARE."

	<p>
	In another case, also later this season, it was *very* difficult for
	me personally to do it, very emotional...and I wouldn't probably have
	done it at all if the character hadn't basically grabbed me by the
	lapels and dragged me kicking and screaming to that point of the story
	and said, "Look, this is right, you know it, I know it, now DO it."
	So I did.  (And the cast and crew were equally stunned.  Of everything
	that's been done on the show to date, THAT one thing got the biggest
	reaction; nobody'd eat across from me for two days at lunch after
	that.)

	<p>
	Bottom line...you've got to go where the story leads you.  That *has*
	to be your first and foremost obligation.  If it's anything else --
	catering to the audience's expectations, or your own preferences --
	rather than doing what the cold logic of the story *demands* you to
	do...you're finished.

<p>
   <li> The Kosh stuff, his scene with Sheridan, and his
	passing, is very moving.  I showed it at Marcon this weekend in Ohio,
	and many folks, including Patricia Talman -- who hadn't seen it yet --
	were in tears at that. That, to me, is the moment when you know you've
	done something, when you can make people *feel* something.  Not just a
	plot exercise, but you hit down deep where it hurts, or can make
	someone laugh.  It's all about touching emotion...or what's the point?

<p>
   <li>@@@839200375 Actually, there wasn't much about Kosh I disliked...except his
	cryptic ways...they're all annoying that way.

<p>
   <li>@@@834863602 When they shot the scene itself...no, not a lot of emotion
	in the Kosh sequence in his quarters, because it was all very
	technical, bits and pieces.  But in the hallway scene with Sheridan,
	and the later scene with Delenn and the others...yes, very much so.

	<p>
	It was *extremely* difficult to write.  As a writer, the only way
	to evoke a feeling in your audience is to feel it yourself and
	communicate that honestly in the text.  It was just awful.

<p>
   <li>@@@839220461 "1. presumably Adira was actually poisoned by Mordens cronies,
	since he was looking for a way to hurt Londo, and we saw him finding out
	information about her?"

	<p>
	Correct.

	<p>
	"2. In the final credits, a ranger is mentioned. I don't
	remember seeing any rangers in this episode - where did he come in?"

	<p>
	His scene was snipped for time, it was a small one, didn't add much to
	the story, but you have to keep those credits in under SAG rules.

	<p>
	"3. Will we ever find out why Kosh allowed himself to be "poisoned" in
	the pilot episode now?"

	<p>
	You're assuming he allowed it.

	<p>
	"4. What was the flash of light running across B5 when Kosh died?"

	<p>
	A non-localized phenomenon.

	<p>
	"5. Early on, when Sheriden was talking to Delenn, he wants to know
	"what the Shadows are really after". Delenn looks like she is
	resolutely not saying anything and hoping that the conversation moves
	on before Sheriden presses for an answer... which it does. Does Delenn
	know what the shadows are after (considering the war from a 1000 years
	ago, I would have thought that the star faring Minbari would have had
	pretty good records)?"

	<p>
	They do, and she does, and she's making a few mistakes that may come
	back to haunt her in the not too distant future.

	<p>
	"6. Will you tell us? (answer = cryptic "YES" no doubt!)"

	<p>
	In the fullness of time.

<p>
   <li>@@@865188788 The Delenn/Sheridan axis is proceeding, but I've been very
	deliberately holding off the kiss, and what would follow that, so I
	could do it in a very special way.  You'll see soon enough....

<p>
   <li> "JMS, why did you edit out the scene where the Ranger follows Morden and
	ends up being killed by the Shadows?  Don't you think fans of the show
	would rather see that than the scene in the bar where Garibaldi asks for
	info on Franklin's blood from the other doctor?  When you edit the show
	please keep in mind what the fans would what to see.  Rangers and
	Shadows fighting is much more exciting than a unimportant scene that
	could have been left out easily."

	<p>
	Because it was important to set up what Garibaldi wanted, where it was,
	and how he was going to gain access.  It had to show his concern for
	Franklin, the moral ambiguity in asking for this, the betrayal we see on
	Franklin's face, the difficulty in Dr. Hobbs dealing with his request. 
	The ranger scene was a brief piece that was really unconnected to the
	rest of the story, had no setup elsewhere or payoff, was only a brief
	piece of action.  I needed the time to establish the character and plot
	information in the Garibaldi scene.

	<p>
	And when you cite what "the fans" want to see, bear in mind that there
	ain't no such critter.  There's what *you* like, but *you're* not the
	entirety of the fans.  Some fans thought "Avalon" was one of the best of
	the series to date; others thought it was just a character piece and
	wanted more action and arc and called it a "waste."  Some people when
	they read a novel read for the action, then when they come to a few
	pages that establish the look of the forest, or some character
	background, jump ahead a few pages to where the action starts up
	again.  Some do just the opposite.

	<p>
	My obligation, first and foremost, is to the story, and to tell that
	story as best I can.  If I start trying to second guess what *The Fans*
	want, when there is no ready concensus, when there ain't no such
	thing, when different fans want different things, it'll just get
	watered down and wander around lost.  

<p>
   <li>@@@832057944 The voice-over is something I mentioned here a few
	months ago as a tool I was adding to my toolbox to use as counterpoint,
	or segue, in ways I hadn't tried before.  I use it again here and
	there, though the key with any new tool is not to go nuts and use it
	all over the place when a better one, maybe the one you already had, is
	better suited to the task.

<p>
   <li>@@@832088589 Just a quickie aside...the background/depiction of Brakiri
	space was taken right from a Hubble deep-space shot.  We use them a lot,
	as provided to us by the folks who keep track of it all and keep it
	running.  

<p>
   <li>@@@831940922 One can certainly argue that Franklin's actions were hasty,
	that he is basically running away from the *consequences* of the
	problem he has, as much as from the problem itself.  This will, of
	course, have to be dealt with.

<p>
   <li>@@@834863400 <em>Is Franklin still on the war council?</em><br>
	Franklin would be off the council for a while; he has to go and figure
	his life out first.

<p>
   <li>@@@839200375 You'll see more of Franklin, as he tries to deal with his
	problem. At first it's not too bad, but with time....

<p>
   <li> <em>Why is Londo still on the station?  Why do they let him stay?</em>
	<br>
	B5 is still a place of considerable commerce, access to lots and
	lots of other races and diplomats...it serves Londo's purposes for now,
	and there are probably lots of Centauri back home who would prefer he
	stay here.  As for the rest...better the devil you know than the devil
	you don't.  At least on B5 they can keep somewhat of an eye on him.

<p>
   <li>@@@831941608 <em>Why didn't Londo mention Adira periodically?</em><br>
	Basically because it's hard in an episode to just bring up
	something out of the blue unless you're going to use it.  You're stuck
	with, "Boy, I wish Adira were here...so what's for dinner?"  Which will
	mean nothing to the folks who didn't see the first season unless you
	then talk more about her, show her...and then suddenly you REALLY have
	to deal with it or it's intrusive.

<p>
   <li>@@@839200632 <em>Will Londo discover Morden's role in Adira's death?</em><br>
	Anything's possible.

<p>
   <li>@@@835076861 One theme of the show is how we each deal with the
	traumas that beset us, and the choices we make.  The difference is in
	how we handle them.  In "Shadow" and "Interludes" both Londo and
	Sheridan have to confront somewhat similar losses: the death of a loved
	one.  But Sheridan, at the last, was willing to suck in the pain and do
	what was right, however much it grieved him, and forego
	revenge...Londo, on the other hand, has embraced revenge.

<p>
   <li>@@@839200632 <em>Why doesn't Londo just have Refa killed?</em><br>
	Refa is a powerful guy now, with powerful allies; he [Londo] needs
	money, in large amounts, and more influence, so when and if Refa would
	get it, there wouldn't be the kinds of repercussions that might
	otherwise come, as with a mafia hit, for instance.

<p>
   <li> <em>Why don't they keep Morden off the station?</em><br>
	They would do so, but since the fall from Earth, as Susan
	mentioned, they've had to hire guards who may not be above bribes, as
	we saw in the teaser.  And Morden is good at covering his footsteps.

<p>
   <li>@@@834982205 <em>Did Morden eliminate Adira's killer to cover his
	tracks?</em><br>
	No, Adira's killer is still alive...can be useful, those folks.

<p>
   <li> The "crystals" were diamonds, he was bribing various people to
	let him in and otherwise do things for him.  And yes, Delenn's holding
	back some information still, and Kosh was outnumbered.

<p>
   <li>@@@839189267 Sheridan has doubtless noticed by now that Delenn is
	holding stuff back from time to time...may even mention this in a few
	episodes.

<p>
   <li>@@@834864258 The shadows looked for Morden's opinion; he's an advisor,
	in a sense, on lower-species politics.

<p>
   <li>@@@832057944 <em>Have the Shadows been getting bigger?</em><br>
	No, they're about the same height consistently; it's probably an
	artifact of the camera angles and lighting.

<p>
   <li>@@@832308801 <em>How did the Shadows get aboard?</em><br>
	They physically come aboard.  There's no beaming-in tech in the
	B5 universe.

<p>
   <li> <em>About Sheridan's confrontation with Kosh</em><br>
	I don't think Sinclair would've handled that
	scene in the same way; it needed someone who'd go toe to toe with
	something very old and dark and dangerous in his way.  He had to get
	under Kosh's "skin," as it were. Needle and outrage and upset him until
	he got through...whatever the cost.

<p>
   <li>@@@839747946 There was a bit edited out of the Sheridan/Kosh
	conversation, but
	nothing of real importance.  It was at the beginning, as he catches up
	with Kosh, and discusses his meeting with the League worlds and how
	important it would be for the Vorlons to get involved.

<p>
   <li> Bruce did a great job in that scene; there's a touch of
	madness in it, which is quite understandable.  As for the Rangers, they
	get a new, added role later this season.

<p>
   <li>@@@865188788 Bruce is doing a *great* job, and definitely growing into
	the part.

<p>
   <li>@@@839200375 Bruce is a hell of a lot better than some folks were
	willing to give him credit for in the beginning.  I think that's coming
	out now as his role becomes more deep and more serious.

<p>
   <li>@@@839200375 "The "arc" is fully alive for you now, I think.  Without these
	characters living and breathing inside your mind I don't see how one
	man could write as much as you have over the past two seasons.  What I
	*have* noticed is that all the actors now seem to be responding to the
	story you're telling."

	<p>
	Yeah, it's kind of a funny thing...the deeper we got into the season,
	as the actors saw only one name on script after script, and they began
	to understand what was coming, and it's all *very* consistent...the
	sense of this being a novel really came through for everyone in a very
	profound way.  You could really feel a change in everyone's attitude,
	though it'd be hard to put into words.  A sense of, "This is it, this
	is the story, we're moving now, we're doing something nobody's ever
	done."  They know how hard it is for anyone to write this many scripts,
	which is why it's never been done before, and I think they not only
	respected that, but felt they had to rise to the challenge and give
	just as much at that end of it.  Usually you tend to hit a slump
	energy-wise in your third year; not here.  Everyone's just hitting all
	cylinders.

<p>
   <li>@@@832145313 Sheridan has almost certainly not learned all he needed to
	know.

<p>
   <li> <em>Why didn't Kosh leave?</em><br>
	Because I think, on some level, Kosh knew it was inevitable; a
	price had to be paid.  In a way, Lincoln had the same feelings...why
	was he to live when so many had died?  In a way, he knew he wouldn't
	live much longer. Also, it would mean running...and the Vorlons don't
	run.  If he fled, another would pay the price...and that also wouldn't
	be right.

<p>
   <li>@@@865188789 I think Kosh realized that some things have to be, and
	that as we've said from the start, there is always a price to pay.

<p>
   <li> He knew a price had to be paid, and if it wasn't him,
	it'd be someone else.  Because he knew there was no getting around it. 
	He's too prideful to run.

	<p>
	Remember Gethsemane....

<p>
   <li> Kosh fought and fought hard.  And he did not go down easily...and one
	might say that yes, he did not go down alone...but not entirely in the
	way you're thinking.

<p>
   <li>@@@846743027 <em>How could you kill Kosh before explaining Sheridan's
	dream in
	<a href="033.html">"All Alone in the Night?"</a></em>
	The problem is we're telling different stories.  What makes
	it interesting for me is that Sheridan *isn't* prepared, Kosh *didn't*
	finish his training.  It isn't nice and tidy.  And to stop and explain
	the dream in "Interludes" would've meant taking, oh, about 3-5 minutes
	OUT of that episode, and it's very tight as it is.  And it would've just
	been a case of, "Here, here's this bit of exposition relating to
	something you've seen before."

	<p>
	No, the dream *does* get explained...and it gets explained *this
	season*, in the course of the final five.  In detail.  But at the right 
	time, and in the right place.  To have explained it sooner wouldn't
	work, it has to come at the right moment, with the last bits of
	information our characters need to *use* that interpretation.

<p>
   <li>@@@840129315 <em>Did Delenn's certainty that there wouldn't be a body
	stem from her knowledge of the Vorlons, or of the Shadows?</em><br>
	More about the Vorlons than the shadows.

<p>
   <li>@@@865188789 <em>Why doesn't Delenn tell Sheridan what she
	knows?</em><br>
	Delenn's been holding back.  More than she should.  There will be a
	price.

<p>
   <li>@@@833443446 "Why didn't the Shadows get on the horn and start screaming
	that they just made sushi out of Kosh. The alliance is new,
	shaky, unsure of Sheridan.  What a great time to screw over
	everyone by announcing we killed Kosh."

	<p>
	Because for starters, it's bad form.  If you kill somebody
	else's ambassador, that's not the sort of thing you proclaim
	proudly, it tends to bounce badly back onto you.  Also, this
	was primarily a personal situation.  There's more, but it's a
	bit further down the road story-wise that might help clarify
	this further.

<p>
   <li>@@@832445539 <em>Why wasn't a Soul Hunter present at Kosh's
	death?</em><br>
	Because it was very sudden, and they learned the hard way to leave
	Vorlons alone.

<p>
   <li>@@@839189679 <em>Could the Soul Hunters sense Kosh's death?</em><br>
	It's not that easy a question, or that straightforward a
	situation, as you'll see soon enough.

<p>
   <li>@@@832443832 <em>Why didn't you show the fight between Kosh and the
	Shadows?</em><br>
	I thought about that long and hard when writing the script, and
	I finally came to the conclusion that there was literally *nothing* we
	could show that wouldn't be disappointing...it's a conflict on another
	whole plane, and should have an almost cosmic or ethereal feel to it. 
	If we showed Kosh shooting a defensive field, or a shadow opening his
	suit with a can opener, or anything else obvious and physical, it
	would've diminished the scene.  The vorlons are mythic, indirect, you
	see them out of the corner of your eye, so it fit that the proper
	metaphor would be to handle the battle that way.

	<p>
	Even if we'd had ten million bucks to do that sequence...I
	would've made the same choice.

<p>
   <li>@@@832145313 <em>Did Sebastian know about Kosh's fate when he asked
	Delenn about dying alone?</em><br>
	Actually, Sebastian said that bit about dying alone to both
	Sheridan and Delenn.  Who knows, he may have known something....
	
	<p>
	If Kosh had run, which wasn't in his character in the first
	place, someone else would've paid that price.

	<p>
	Londo still has chances, if he doesn't blow them.  You'll see a
	bit more about this in the two-parter.

	<p>
	Yes, some Vorlons do appear to us as female versions.

<p>
   <li>@@@832145313 <em>Did the Shadows only realize what Kosh was when they
	fought him?</em><br>
	Oh, no, the Shadows and the Vorlons know each other from way,
	way back.

<p>
   <li>@@@865188789 <em>Did one of the Shadows attacking Kosh have
	wings?</em><br>
	No, none of the shadows there were winged.

<p>
   <li>@@@832145313 There is something thematically present about growing up,
	and parents, and coming of age that threads through the story.

	<p>
	And yes, there's the deliberate irony...that just as we finally
	start to really hear from Kosh...he's gone.  Snatched away just as we
	got close. Which would add to the feelings.

<p>
   <li>@@@839232714 <em>Kosh also appeared as G'Kar's father
	(<a href="050.html">"Dust to Dust."</a>)</em><br>
	That's what Kosh tends to play into, the whole
	father aspect, though others might take the other approach in this.

<p>
   <li>@@@840043012 It's likely a matter of both, choosing an element which
	is strongest in the other person, which for Sheridan and G'Kar would be
	their respective fathers, who would also be authority figures to
	them...so it's both manipulation and emotion.

<p>
   <li>@@@832145313 <em>What happens to Lyta now?</em><br>
	She'll now have to work with the incoming replacement Vorlon,
	who might be just a bit miffed....

<p>
   <li>@@@831941608 As for Kosh's ship...it headed for the nearest star, the
	local one, and basically dived into it....

<p>
   <li>@@@832057944 <em>Why was one of the Vorlon ships red?</em><br>
	Not special per se, just to establish that they have more than
	one design.

<p>
   <li>@@@834863400 Lyta was off-station running an errand for Kosh.

<p>
   <li>@@@832057944 The red ship was simply another variation on the standard;
	nothing too major about it...and yes, when Lyta returns from her
	errand, she'll definitely get into this, and there will have to be some
	explanations made, though not to her....

<p>
   <li>@@@852231524 The different color just goes to show some measure of
	individuality in design, and there are some hierarchies implied here.

<p>
   <li>@@@832145313 <em>Are there lots of Vorlons in the big mother
	ship?</em><br>
	There's a bunch in the big ship.

<p>
   <li>@@@839232766 <em>Why didn't the mother ship attack?</em><br>
	I think we just didn't see those shots; it was used in the
	attack.

<p>
   <li>@@@834864162 Vorlon/Shadow tech is more or less at the same level; the
	Vorlons had the benefit of surprise.

<p>
   <li>@@@865188789 <em>Are the Shadow ships more sensitive to pain than the
	Vorlon ships?</em><br>
	I suppose you could say they are, yes....

<p>
   <li>@@@834864120 <em>What were the ambassadors doing in the war
	room?</em><br>
	Usually you only get the main war council and the support staff who
	monitor the progress of the war; the ambassadors were called in on
	Sheridan's hunch that now the vorlons would get involved.

<p>
   <li>@@@831940922 <em>About the flash of light on Morden's mask, as compared
	to the end of <a href="041.html">"Divided Loyalties"</a></em><br>
	Certainly the flash of light was an echo of Lyta's mask. 
	As for Delenn, I think she was just stunned, just emotionallly worn out
	over this.

<p>
   <li>@@@832144699 Delenn mentions in the tag that the Vorlons will
	be sending someone to quietly replace Kosh.  It's a bit darker
	character.

<p>
   <li>@@@832236556 <em>Will we be able to tell the difference between Kosh and
	the replacement?</em><br>
	You'll know the difference.  Believe me.

<p>
   <li>@@@831941248 The two aliens in the start of the episode were a
	Brakiri and a Gaim.

	<p>
	"Interludes" for me marks a slight transition in the story, from
	one "shape" to the next up...the demarkation between the hero-cycle and
	the myth-cycle in the arc.

<p>
   <li>@@@832145313 <em>Answers to a few reader questions</em><br>
	1.  Kosh died fighting, I guess, and I'm also guessing that he took
	some Shadows with him.  How was this fight different than the one we
	didn't see in "Signs and Portents"?  Were there more Shadows this time
	or are they getting stronger?

	<p>
	They were not initially prepared to kill him.  That was a territorial
	or jurisdictional squabble.  This was retribution.

	<p>
	2.  If Kosh did take out some Shadows, will more be sent to Morden as
	replacements?

	<p>
	He didn't.  Hurt 'em good, but didn't take them out.

	<p>
	3.  Did Kosh project to Delenn, G'Kar, or anyone else besides Sheridan
	during the fight?

	<p>
	No.

	<p>
	4.  Did Garibaldi ever get a chance to speak with Kosh about the
	Talia/Abbut data crystal as hinted at in "Divided Loyalties"?

	<p>
	Yes.

	<p>
	5.  Besides being extremely old, was Kosh an average Vorlon or
	particularly special in terms of strength, skill, or status?  No other
	ambassador on the station has demonstrated the clout back home to
	sortie an entire fleet at a moments notice.  Delenn and Londo have only
	called on forces from a particular faction in their polities.

	<p>
	He was certainly well regarded...one of the older of the vorlons.

<p>
   <li>@@@832443729 I'll put it to you this way...Kosh was old enough to have
	had a first hand familiarity with Valen.  Vorlons live a REAL long time.

<p>
   <li>@@@832444107 Valen led the prior shadow war and formed the grey council
	roughly 1000 years before B5's current time.

<p>
   <li>@@@833224665 <em>Won't anyone notice Kosh's ship leaving?</em><br>
	For Kosh himself, yes, very few had direct contact with him; so
	that's workable.  As for the ship...this objection assumes omniscience
	on the part of the outside characters.

	<p>
	Consider: the quarter million people aboard B5 get their information
	about what happens outside second-hand, filtered through B5 itself.  If
	the staff manning C&amp;C decide to not show that information, or give
	access to it, it doesn't exist.  As for the ships outside, they move to
	and from the jump gate, and are only interested in what's happening in
	this small area of space to avoid running into anything.  They don't
	generally keep track of where all the other traffic is going; that's
	C&amp;C's job.

	<p>
	And it isn't as simple as looking out your window.  The distance
	from Epsilon 3 to its local star is more or less equal to the distance
	from Earth to our sun.  That's a LOT of space and a very small ship.
	You are not going to be able to track it visually, and who'd want to
	keep an eye on it all the way to the local star?

<p>
   <li>@@@839200632 <em>About Kosh's ship</em><br>
	It was made for Kosh, as Delenn points out, was almost a part of
	him; it wouldn't function as well, if at all, for anyone else.  There
	was nothing else to be done.

<p>
   <li>@@@839232464 A personal transport is assigned to one vorlon for life,
	changing and evolving over time.  Little fighters have a more primitive
	system.  It's not the same thing as a shadow-vessel merge.  A big
	Vorlon cruiser has a full crew.

</ul>