lurkers-guide/guide/070

<!-- TITLE Falling Toward Apotheosis -->

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

<blockquote><cite>
The Vorlons step up their battle against the Shadows.  Londo uncovers a new
wrinkle in his plan to unseat Emperor Cartagia.  Sheridan asks Garibaldi to
remove Kosh from the station.  Delenn gets a surprise from Sheridan.
</cite>

<a href="http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Wasser,+Ed">Ed Wasser</a> as Morden.
<a href="http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Krimmer,+Wortham">Wortham Krimmer</a> as Emperor Cartagia.
<a href="http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Alexander,+Wayne">Wayne Alexander</a> as Lorien.
</blockquote>

<pre><a href="/lurk/p5/intro.html">P5 Rating</a>: <a href="/lurk/p5/070">8.78</a>

Production number: 404
Original air week: November 25, 1996
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000DGBEY/thelurkersguidet">DVD release date</a>: January 6, 2004

Written by J. Michael Straczynski
Directed by David Eagle
</pre>

<p>
<hr size=3>

<h2><a name="BP">Plot Points</a></h2>
<ul>

   <li>@@@848919207 With the help of Lorien and the original Kosh, Sheridan
	has successfully removed the new Vorlon ambassador from the station,
	possibly killing it in the process.

   <li>@@@848919207 Lorien healed Sheridan at Z'ha'dum by transferring some of
	his own life energy into Sheridan.  Sheridan has at most 20 years
	left to live.

   <li>@@@848919207 Londo owes Sheridan a favor.

   <li>@@@849006901 Emperor Cartagia has plucked out G'Kar's eye, as Londo
	saw in his dream
	(<a href="031.html">"The Coming of Shadows."</a>)

</ul>

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

   <li>@@@848919207 Why is Lorien keeping such close watch on Sheridan?

   <li>@@@848919207 How does Sheridan plan to stop the Vorlons?

   <li>@@@848919207 Why did Kosh's ship go berserk during the battle?  What
	was it trying to do?  (See
	<a href="#JS.ship">jms speaks</a>)

   <li>@@@848919207 Now that the Vorlons have been seen without their
	illusions in place, will they still bother to maintain their angelic
	facades around the younger races?

   <li>@@@854693691 What was the Vorlon "cause" that compelled Lyta to
	cooperate with them?  Did they explain their true motives to her, or
	did they feed her a palatable lie?

</ul>

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

   <li>@@@848919207 Sheridan and Lorien appear to have gotten to know each
	other well.  What has each of them been getting from the relationship?
	So far, Lorien doesn't appear to be feeding Sheridan specific
	information about the Vorlons or the Shadows (though that could be
	happening offscreen.)  He seems to be providing moral and
	philosophical support more than anything else, aside from the
	occasional dose of life energy.  What is Sheridan giving him in
	return?  Presumably it's something worth leaving Z'ha'dum to get.

   <li>@@@848919207 Sheridan authorized the transfer of refugees to Epsilon 3
	without even consulting with Draal.  How does he know Draal wouldn't
	object?  If the planet is still available as a defense mechanism for
	the station, Draal would most likely need to tell the crew where to
	set up camp, lest they put refugees right on top of an underground
	weapon.  It's also interesting that the surface of Epsilon 3 is
	apparently habitable, given that oxygen masks were required to
	breathe underground
	(<a href="018.html">"A Voice in the Wilderness."</a>)
	Perhaps the crew is assuming Draal will provide an appropriate
	atmosphere.

   <li>@@@848919207 Kosh expressed outrage, not surprise, that a human could
	mentally imprison a Vorlon.  Perhaps the Vorlons have a weakness like
	the Shadows', and can be contained by sufficiently powerful telepaths.

   <li>@@@848919207 Is the difference in color between the two Vorlons
	significant?  It may simply be due to the fact that what emerged from
	Sheridan wasn't just Kosh, but a combination of Kosh, Sheridan, and
	Lorien.

   <li>@@@848919207 Delenn recognized Kosh immediately.  Does that mean she
	had previously seen his true form?  If so, it was most likely in
	<a href="022.html">"Chrysalis,"</a>
	though why he would let her see through his mask then isn't clear,
	since he most likely projected an image to her in
	<a href="044.html">"The Fall of Night."</a>

   <li>@@@848919207 Lorien's healing technique resembles that of the healing
	machine from
	<a href="021.html">"The Quality of Mercy."</a>
	Could that machine be used to further extend Sheridan's life, or
	Lorien's, for that matter?  How much life does Lorien have left?

   <li>@@@848919207 When he used it on Z'ha'dum, it obviously extended to the
	original Kosh as well, since Kosh was able to battle his successor.

   <li>@@@850299819 Sheridan's shortened lifespan may be the terrible price
	Delenn mentioned in the flashforward in
	<a href="061.html">"War Without End, Part Two."</a>
	At that time, 17 years in the future, he would only have another two
	or three years left to live, barring other developments.  (See
	<a href="#JS.wwe2">jms speaks</a>)

   <li>@@@848919207 Kosh gave his life willingly to stop the other Vorlon.
	Perhaps that goal was what he needed to live for, his version of
	Sheridan's devotion to Delenn.  If he had to come to terms with his
	own death as Sheridan did, such self-sacrifice was presumably somewhat
	easier when the time came.

   <li>@@@848919207 Is the original Kosh the only Vorlon to oppose what's
	going on now?  Perhaps they're factionalized much like the Minbari,
	and the new Kosh represented the more belligerent faction, which has
	the upper hand at the moment.  In any case, why did the original Kosh
	care about the younger races more than his replacement?

   <li>@@@848919207 How much of Kosh is still left in Sheridan in the form of
	memories and knowledge?  Was Kosh's presence instrumental in putting
	together whatever plan Sheridan has in mind?

   <li>@@@848919207 Londo clearly plans to strike at Cartagia on Narn, where
	presumably he'll be an easier target than he is in the royal palace.
	But even if he succeeds, what then?  The Shadows will still be on
	Centauri Prime, with only a few days left until the projected arrival
	of the Vorlon fleet.  It's unlikely Morden and his associates would
	look favorably on a request to leave the planet, and even if they
	went away immediately, Centauri Prime would still have been touched
	by the Shadows and thus would still be a target.

   <li>@@@865731509 By failing to suggest a punishment for G'Kar, Londo has
	likely just wasted his first chance for redemption: saving the eye
	that does not see
	(<a href="053.html">"Point of No Return."</a>)

   <li>@@@850523208 Cartagia's vision of the end of Centauri Prime ("Let it all
	end in fire") may be related to Kosh's reply to Emperor Turhan in
	<a href="031.html">"The Coming of Shadows,"</a>
	to whom he said that things would end "in fire."

   <li>@@@852059217 In fact, Kosh may have been saying more than the Emperor
	knew; perhaps he foresaw the deployment of the Vorlon planet-killer, or
	believed it likely, and figured it'd be used against Centauri Prime.
	If so, how long have the Vorlons been planning their current course
	of action?

   <li>@@@859396839 Garibaldi theorized to Franklin that he might have been
	caught in the hyperspace backwash when the Shadows pulled out.  This
	was first mentioned as a danger in
	<a href="013.html">"Signs and Portents,"</a>
	in which Sinclair warns Ivanova to stay away from the raider mothership
	to avoid being pulled into its backwash.

</ul>

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

   <li>@@@877241620 The list of sites accepting refugees from Ventari III,
	as shown in Ivanova's broadcast:
	<ul>
	   <li> Tizino Prime (presumed destroyed later in the episode)
	   <li> Mokafa Station
	   <li> Drazi Fendamir Research Colony
	   <li> Kazomi III
	   <li> D'Grn IV
	   <li> L'Gn'Daort
	   <li> Nacambad Colony
	   <li> 7 Lukantha
	   <li> Oqmritkz
	   <li> Velatastat
	   <li> Lesser Krindar
	   <li> Greater Krindar
	</ul>

   <li>@@@850298803 The rightmost head in Cartagia's shadow cabinet is Andreas
	Katsulas (G'Kar.)  See
	<a href="#JS.head">jms speaks.</a>

   <li>@@@839551695 "Apotheosis" means "elevation to divine status," or
	more simply, deification.

   <li>@@@848919344 The two Koshes left the scene of the firefight through the
	ceiling.  If they were headed for space, they took the long way there;
	to get outside through the ceiling, they'd have to pass through the
	center of the station.

</ul>

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

   <li>@@@839611509 <em>In response to a
	<a href="http://www.johndelenn.com/jd/responsibility-forgiveness.html">CompuServe message</a></em><br>
	That was really excellent.  Let me explain to you how excellent
	it was: I was taking a break on CIS because I was trying to work
	through the heart of a scene between Delenn and Sheridan in script 403.
	It was a little fuzzy there in places, and I usually log off and putter
	around rather than trying to write it when it isn't all there yet in my
	head.  Your analysis helped me clarify something in my own mind which
	was there in the first place but hadn't yet racked into focus yet.  It
	would've done so eventually, it always does, but you may have saved me
	an hour or two of going back over their relationship in my head and
	pulling out the emotional and thematic undercurrents of what's been
	established over the last couple of seasons.

	<p>
	Good stuff.

<p>
   <li>@@@844028525 One is falling toward something which is rising, therefore
	promising imminent conflict.

<p>
   <li>@@@850550081 <em>Which storyline does the title refer to?</em><br>
	Interpretation is everything...I prefer to leave it that way.

<p>
   <li>@@@848310645 <em>Does it end in a cliffhanger?</em><br>
	No, it doesn't exactly end with a cliffhanger.

	<p>
	It does, however, end on a cliff.

<p>
   <li>@@@848682626 So earlier this week we did the audio mix on almost all
	of 404, "Falling Toward Apotheosis," which airs this coming week.  We
	did all but 7 minutes, because they were seven...big...minutes.

	<p>
	Last night, after working at the stage from early morning on, John
	Copeland, George Johnsen and I left about 7 p.m. to go and mix the
	audio for those seven minutes.

	<p>
	We finished at 2:30 a.m.  (And I had to get up at 7:30 a.m. for a
	meeting, no less.)

	<p>
	Point being...if you've got a friend with a good TV and a spiffy audio
	or surround sound system, you may want to watch this next one over at
	their place.

	<p>
	Just a thought.

<p>
   <li>@@@851232246 <em>Which seven minutes?</em><br>
	From Lyta's entrance to Kosh's place, to Lorien's hand.

<p>
   <li>@@@850298803 <a name="JS.head"><em>About the shadow cabinet</em></a><br>
	Yes, that's Andreas' head, which I personally moved over to
	where it would be beside Peter...who complained (in jest) that Andreas
	was again stealing the scene from him.

<p>
   <li>@@@851907178 <em>Why is everyone acting strangely toward
	Garibaldi?</em><br>
	The main reason for the non-big reaction to Garibaldi is that
	none of them really know of anything that went on.  He says he just got
	caught in the hyperspace backwash, and his ship got swiped.  And it's a
	fairly thin story, so there's some questioning of what's not being
	said, or is this the whole story?  So people are bound to be a bit more
	tentative...and, again, there's a big huge war on, and pilots returning
	from missions at the height of WW2 were given a handshake and told to
	get back into the plane for the next mission.


<p>
   <li>@@@850328566 <em>Have we seen a Vorlon's true appearance?</em><br>
	That's pretty much what they look like.

<p>
   <li>@@@865283336 Actually, we kinda decided to cut back a bit on lens
	flare...because that particular one is now used in so many places, it's
	become a cliche.  We tried out a new kind of flare in the Kosh2 scene,
	when he nails Sheridan, you can just sorta see it...once everyone else
	does what we've been doing, we tend to move on to newer areas.

<p>
   <li>@@@857328062 <em>Why didn't Kosh project an illusion?</em><br>
	Because it takes concentration to pull it off, and Kosh2 was
	kinda distracted....

<p>
   <li>@@@850328566 The encounter suit was mainly to mask them.

<p>
   <li>@@@851074022 The idea was to short out and "crack" the suit, getting
	the vorlon out, so the last of Kosh and Lorien and Sheridan could deal
	with him in a weakened and more vulnerable state.

<p>
   <li>@@@850328566 <em>The Vorlons looked a bit like Shadows.</em><br>
	I didn't think they looked that much alike.  But then, no two
	people ever see Vorlons in quite the same way, I guess.

<p>
   <li>@@@848919344 <em>If Vorlons are amorphous energy beings, how was Kosh
	poisoned in
	<a href="000.html">"The Gathering?"</a></em><br>
	Remember, they do have a certain physicality about them, even in that
	form, and the nature of the poison was such that it would affect that
	kind of life form using a crystalline base (note in the pilot the screen
	reads analyzing crystalline structure, and you filter light or refract
	or distort it using a crystalline structure).

<p>
   <li>@@@851198236 Silicon or crystalline based lifeforms are still lifeforms,
	just not the same as carbon-based lifeforms (like us).

<p>
   <li>@@@850328566 Yes, that's a Vorlon...and there was a physicality to them,
	shown by the fact that it could strike out and hit things.  It's not a
	ghost or anything of that nature, it can be hurt and killed.

<p>
   <li>@@@850550437 <em>What was Delenn doing at the fight?</em><br>
	Well, I think it's pretty obvious she would've known about it,
	given her proximity to Sheridan...and if I knew something this big was
	going on, sure as heck *I'd* want to be there to see it.

<p>
   <li>@@@850328567 <a name="JS.ship"><em>What was Kosh's ship
	doing?</em></a><br>
	It was responding to Kosh2's commands to get out of there so
	he/it could enter it and escape.

<p>
   <li>@@@850328567 <em>Wouldn't the original Kosh have stopped it from
	tearing the station apart?</em><br>
	There wasn't enough left for that...it was just a hint of him,
	that later needed to be bolstered by both Lorien and Sheridan to hit
	even a part of its original ability.

<p>
   <li>@@@850539271 Kosh went with the new vorlon into the ship, and that final
	blast was what did the job ultimately.

<p>
   <li>@@@850539271 <em>Didn't Lyta already tell the new Kosh that
	Sheridan had a piece of the old Kosh?</em><br>
	Actually, she said, "I think, it's possible, someone else does."
	But she didn't specify Sheridan, and likely wouldn't have until she
	knew absolutely for certain...and until she knew a little more about
	the vorlon she was dealing with.

<p>
   <li>@@@850550719 <em>Was Kosh aware of what was being planned?</em><br>
	I'd say it was aware of this, yes...and you can hear just a
	trace of its voice just before it emerges.

<p>
   <li>@@@850522934 All trace of Kosh is gone.  He/it will never be seen again,
	in any form, exempting flashbacks, of which none are currently planned.

<p>
   <li>@@@854124767 <em>Was it necessary to kill the new Kosh?</em><br>
	Had Kosh2 left when asked, it wouldn't have had to be done, no. 
	It was vaguely possible, but they had to plan as if he would not do so,
	which in fact was what happened.

<p>
   <li>@@@864588843 The idea was to force Kosh2 out of the station, to where it
	could be destroyed outside with a minimum of damage to the station. 
	Delenn wasn't happy about it, but also recognizes that war means
	sometimes having to kill somebody.

<p>
   <li>@@@850539271 <em>With two of their ambassadors dead, won't the Vorlons
	take revenge against B5?</em><br>
	Of course, at the moment, the vorlons are a little busy...but
	given time, yes, they would do exactly that.

<p>
   <li>@@@864894531 <em>Did the original storyline call for the first Kosh
	to be killed in this episode?</em><br>
	Best to leave what might've been out...what is, is better.

<p>
   <li>@@@864894531 There's a lot more to be said of the story of Kosh, and
	the Vorlons in general...and part of me says explain it later...and
	another part says that if you explain mysteries too much, it destroys
	them.

<p>
   <li>@@@850550856 Morden is living in denial...he's afraid, and hoping he's
	right.  Centauri Prime has more civilians than any other planet or
	colony hit so far: three billion people.  The shadows are hoping a
	figure that high will daunt even the Vorlons.

	<p>
	The wings are just how we perceived them, to some extent, though
	we did see a hint of wings as the last of Kosh emerged from Sheridan. 
	(We also heard the wing flap sound, and the sound of Kosh's voice for
	the last time right after Lorien's "Now.")

	<p>
	Dr. Kyle saw the angelic form...even in its reduced state, it
	held itself together enough to maintain that form.

<p>
   <li>@@@850328567 <em><a name="JS.wwe2">Was Sheridan almost dead</a> in
	<a href="061.html">"War Without End, Part Two?"</a></em><br>
	Yep, at the time of that flash-forward, Sheridan has at most
	2-3 years left to live.

<p>
   <li>@@@855248233 <em>Had he followed Delenn's advice, would he be in
	the same situation anyway?</em><br>
	Had he not gone to Z'ha'dum, he would've avoided that fate,
	but caused another.

<P>
   <li>@@@850298803 Minbari can easily live to about 140 or so.

<p>
   <li>@@@864894531 <em>Was it fair of Sheridan to propose to Delenn after
	Lorien's bad news?</em><br>
	Well, I think it's better for someone to know that first, then
	find out about it later.  "Oh, good, we're going to spend the rest of
	our lives together...oh, by the way, now that you've committed, you
	should know...."

	<p>
	Uh, uh.

<p>
   <li>@@@850647613 <em>Delenn is spending a lot of time fawning over
	Sheridan.</em><br>
	"Considering her past role in Minbari society, though, I expect her to
	snap out of it pretty soon.  She was *trained* to take charge, and even
	the things she's endured lately won't supress that conditioning
	forever."

	<p>
	Oh, most definitely...count on it.  She's done more than enough "oh
	john" stuff for my tastes...that will start to change, and soon.

<p>
   <li>@@@850757478 Too much depression and guilt lately, and she's
	been for the most part a passive character lately, while others acted
	around her. Now it's about time for her to start becoming active again.
	There's fire and steel in *use*, and fire and steel waiting to be
	called upon...time to shift from the latter to the former.

<p>
   <li>@@@850938080 <em>How does the Minbari sleep-watching ritual compare in
	seriousness to Sheridan's marriage proposal?</em><br>
	Well, I think it fair to say that with Delenn starting the
	ritual, there had already been kind of an implicit understanding that
	this was going to be more than just a fling...and there's still a long
	road ahead of them before this can be finalized.

<p>
   <li>@@@850328567 <em>Why doesn't Cartagia have the telepaths seen in
	<a href="031.html">"The Coming of Shadows?"</a></em><br>
	They weren't prophetesses, they were communications-telepaths,
	and the emperor can use them if he perceives the need to keep in
	contact with events in the royal court.  Cartagia could give a fig for
	what goes at home, which will be ash soon anyway....

<p>
   <li>@@@850523392 <em>Cartagia wouldn't go to Narn just because Londo
	asked.</em><br>
	Except, of course, this trip with G'Kar was in his best
	interest, and Cartagia is always responsive to what's best for
	Cartagia.

<p>
   <li>@@@850550856 For my money, the truly frightening thing about Cartagia
	is that he is motivated entirely by whim, by caprice...he can give you
	something wonderful one moment, then turn around and have you killed
	the next.  You *never* know which way he'll flip from moment to moment.

<p>
   <li>@@@850522934 <em>Why didn't Londo try to save G'Kar's eye?</em><br>
	Yeah...would've been nice if Londo had at least tried to do
	something about the eye that did not see Cartagia's splendor....

<p>
   <li>@@@850978352 The Londo stuff is nice, and you do get a sense of the
	kind of person he was before the empire began to slip, and his fortunes
	with it. He can definitely pull it out when he wants to.

<p>
   <li>@@@851939219 <em>Only 3 billion people on Centauri Prime?</em><br>
	Basically, I figured with a culture in decline, often the birth rate
	goes down; it's also a fairly small world, all things considered...and a
	LOT of them live on other colonies, they've been spreading out a lot
	longer than we have...and of course they have always been sensible about
	birth control and population growth, one of their few wisdoms, and one
	we could learn from.

<p>
   <li>@@@859325143 <em>Was Kosh's comment about Sheridan opening an unexpected
	door in
	<a href="067.html">"The Hour of the Wolf"</a>
	related to the change in Vorlon strategy?</em><br>
	They couldn't break the rules of engagement, but he
	did...and started things moving.

<p>
   <li>@@@859325128 <em>Wasn't the planet-killer a break in the rules?</em><br>
	That *followed* his trip to Z'ha'dum...so yes, the rules
	began to slip after that.

</ul>