lurkers-guide/guide/085

<!-- TITLE Between the Darkness and the Light -->

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

<blockquote><cite>
Garibaldi is captured by the Mars Resistance.  Ivanova's fleet clashes
with Clark's forces.  A plan to free Sheridan is launched.
</cite>

<a href="http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Monaghan,+Marjorie">Marjorie Monaghan</a> as Number One.
</blockquote>

<pre><a href="/lurk/p5/intro.html">P5 Rating</a>: <a href="/lurk/p5/085">8.84</a>

Production number: 419
Original air week: October 6, 1997
<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>@@@876017430 With the help of a deep scan by Lyta, who is able to break
	past blocks put in place by P12 telepaths, Garibaldi has convinced
	Franklin and the others that Bester manipulated him into betraying
	his fellow officers.

   <li>@@@876017430 Garibaldi, Franklin, and Lyta have freed Sheridan.

   <li>@@@876017430 Londo and G'Kar have convinced the League of Non-Aligned
	Worlds to join the fight against Clark and help Sheridan, who came
	to their aid against the Shadows.  Sheridan's fleet now contains
	Narn and Centauri warships, among others.

   <li>@@@876017430 Not all the so-called defectors to the rebel fleet have
	really betrayed Earth; there are some spies who have been feeding
	information about fleet movement back to Earth.

   <li>@@@876017430 Earth has been adapting Shadow technology for use in its
	own ships.  The resulting vessels are capable of putting up a strong
	fight against White Star-class ships.

   <li>@@@876017430 Ivanova was mortally injured during a clash with a
	fleet of Shadow-enhanced Earth ships.  Minbari physicians estimate she
	has no more than a week left.

   <li>@@@876017430 At Ivanova's request, Sheridan has assumed command of the
	Agamemnon once again.

</ul>

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

   <li>@@@876017430 What other Shadow technology has Earth adapted?

   <li>@@@876017430 What impact has Sheridan's interrogation had on his
	psyche?

   <li>@@@876017430 How badly was the White Star fleet damaged by the battle?

   <li>@@@876017430 Did Garibaldi and the others leave Mars with Sheridan?

</ul>

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

   <li>@@@876167753 G'Kar's feeling of debt to Sheridan is obvious:
	Sheridan gave him sanctuary
	(<a href="042.html">"The Long, Twilight Struggle"</a>)
	and aided the Narn during their war with the Centauri
	(<a href="034.html">"Acts of Sacrifice"</a>
	and
	<a href="044.html">"The Fall of Night,"</a>
	among others.)  It's less clear why Londo would be willing to put
	his people on the line to the same extent.  Londo, at least from his
	perspective, took care of the Centauri Republic's Shadow "problem"
	on his own, without Sheridan's intervention
	(<a href="072.html">"Into the Fire."</a>)
	While he may since have learned of Sheridan's role in sparing Centauri
	Prime from destruction by the Vorlon planet-killer, he never worked
	closely with Sheridan as G'Kar did.

	<p>
	One possibility is that Londo feels he has to repay Sheridan for telling
	him of the approach of the Vorlons
	(<a href="070.html">"Falling Toward Apotheosis."</a>)
	Londo did tell Sheridan he owed him a favor in return.

	<p>
	Or it may be a simple matter of redemption: Londo certainly realizes
	that he helped the Shadows, and he may feel he needs to make up for
	his past misdeeds.  In
	<a href="081.html">"No Surrender, No Retreat,"</a>
	Londo told G'Kar that he wanted to help the humans because they'd
	been friends, and he'd been ignoring his friends too long.

<p>
   <li>@@@877023361 G'Kar praised humanity as a bridge that has allowed the
	other races to work together.  That's the same argument Londo made to
	him in
	<a href="081.html">"No Surrender, No Retreat."</a>
	Delenn has expressed the same sentiment as well, e.g. in
	<a href="037.html">"And Now For a Word"</a>
	with her closing remark about humans building communities.

<p>
   <li>@@@876778441 The League's unanimous vote ran counter to Sheridan's
	request that they stay out of Earth's civil war
	(<a href="081.html">"No Surrender, No Retreat."</a>)
	Upon his return, however, he didn't seem to object to the presence
	of the alien vessels; has he changed his mind about the need to
	credibly deny that his campaign is due to alien influence?

<p>
   <li>@@@876017430 Just how powerful is Lyta?  She has set off planetary
	defense systems from light-years away
	(<a href="073.html">"Epiphanies,"</a>)
	is able to easily slide past defenses put in place by the Psi Corps'
	most talented members, and can project detailed memories into the
	minds of others.  There must be limits to her ability; Kosh was
	able to block her out
	(<a href="070.html">"Falling Toward Apotheosis."</a>)
	But she appears to be light-years ahead of any other human telepath
	since Jason Ironheart
	(<a href="006.html">"Mind War."</a>)

<p>
   <li>@@@876778441 Lyta appeared startled when Garibaldi mentioned the
	conspiracy against the Psi Corps.  Did she pull the details out of
	his mind, and if so, is the knowledge useful to her in any way?

<p>
   <li>@@@876778441 Why did Number One believe the images Lyta sent to her?
	Given Number One's distrust of telepaths, wouldn't she suspect that
	Lyta was feeding her fictitious images?  Of course, it's possible
	she believed it because Lyta also transmitted the belief that the
	images were legitimate.

	<p>
	On the other hand, it's strange that Number One's people were also
	convinced immediately; given the resistance's innate distrust of
	telepaths, why weren't they suspicious of her immediate reversal
	of attitude after Lyta apparently did something to her mind?

<p>
   <li>@@@876240506 How much does Ivanova know about Marcus' feelings for
	her?  When he walked into the sleeping chamber, he didn't think she
	suspected -- hence his "You will never know" comment -- but clearly she
	suspects <em>something</em> now that she knows what he said to her
	earlier
	(<a href="065.html">"Shadow Dancing."</a>)

<p>
   <li>@@@876788218 How was Earth able to adapt Shadow technology so
	quickly, given that it's millions of years more advanced and apparently
	has a completely dissimilar basis (living matter as opposed to steel
	and wires?)  Did Clark's people, or maybe the Psi Corps, receive
	technical assistance from the Shadows at some point?

	<p>
	Earth's weapons researchers weren't completely new to the concept of
	living weapons; the confiscated Ikarran artifact in
	<a href="004.html">"Infection"</a>
	was in their hands for nearly four years.  It's possible that studying
	that artifact, which presumably was a less advanced form of organic
	technology than that used by the Shadows, gave them the context they
	needed to begin to understand Shadow artifacts.  The ships on
	Mars and Ganymede
	(<a href="052.html">"Messages from Earth"</a>)
	would have provided chances for experimentation, if brief ones.

<p>
   <li>@@@876202457 Was Sheridan's father freed too, or is he still being
	held?  The interrogator implied that Clark's forces still had him.
	Even without Garibaldi's help, Sheridan's father can presumably
	still be used as leverage against Sheridan.

<p>
   <li>@@@877243413 Sheridan was in a rather confused mental state when he
	was rescued.  Will his interrogation have any lasting effect on his
	psyche?  Many people would be scarred for life from such an experience.
	On the other hand, Sheridan has already been through a rough time --
	death -- and after that, the rest may seem minor in comparison.

<p>
   <li>@@@876775761 Why did Ivanova ask Sheridan to lead the final battle
	from the bridge of the Agamemnon?  Symbolism, most likely, since
	she expressed concern about it earlier.  But clearly, he'd be safer
	on the bridge of one of the White Star ships, Ivanova's injury
	notwithstanding.  She must be aware that her request puts the
	integrity of the fleet -- which depends on Sheridan himself as a
	symbol, every bit as much as it depends on the participation of
	Earth ships -- in greater jeopardy.

	<p>
	The symbolism aspect is the most likely explanation; a fleet led by
	an Earth warship will be harder for Clark to explain away as mere
	alien interference.

	<p>
	It's also possible, given the discovery that not all the defecting
	ships are loyal to Sheridan, that Ivanova wanted Sheridan on the
	bridge of the Agamemnon to ensure that its captain couldn't betray
	the rebel cause.

<p>
   <li>@@@876942935 <a name="AN.agamemnon">Sheridan's use of the Agamemnon</a>
	after Ivanova's fall has
	symbolic meaning on another level: Agamemnon was the commander of the
	Greek forces during the Trojan War, and he sacrificed his daughter
	Iphigenia to ensure fair wind for his ships.  Ivanova, while obviously
	not Sheridan's daughter, sacrificed herself to ensure that the fleet
	would make it to Mars.

	<p>@@@877632271 
	In Euripides' version of the Greek myth, Iphigenia was switched with
	a hind (a deer) at the last minute
	by Artemis, who among other things was the goddess of virgins.
	Iphigenia
	lived thereafter in a distant country as the high priestess in one of
	Artemis' temples.  The
	<a href="086.html#AN.iphigenia">"Endgame"</a>
	page has more on that.

<p>
   <li>@@@876017430 Garibaldi doesn't have very good luck with his back,
	between the knifing in this episode and the gunshot in
	<a href="022.html">"Chrysalis."</a>
	An additional irony is that he was stabbed in the back while helping
	rescue Sheridan, who he stabbed in the back in a metaphorical sense.

</ul>

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

   <li>@@@876788218 Earthforce is expanding the underground Mars tunnel system,
	leading to instability in the existing tunnels.

   <li>@@@876035140 Ivanova has eidetic memory (photographic memory or
	perfect recall, as it's more commonly known.)

   <li>@@@876778441 The VR machine used to interrogate Sheridan is similar
	to the machine used to interrogate Sinclair in
	<a href="008.html">"And the Sky Full of Stars."</a>

   <li>@@@877200353 After Franklin finishes sewing up Garibaldi's wound, the
	team proceeds down the tunnel.  Part of a discarded newspaper is
	visible in the background, including the headline "TIAGO" and "TED"
	on the next line.  The headline is probably "Santiago Elected,"
	the same newspaper headline visible in
	<a href="063.html#NO.paper">"Grey 17 Is Missing."</a>

   <li>@@@876778441 The Damocles, which Ivanova's fleet fought at the
	beginning of the episode, is named after a figure in Greek mythology.
	As told by Cicero, Damocles was a courtier
	under Dionysius of Syracuse, who had risen to power by violence.
	He envied what he imagined to be his
	ruler's pampered and carefree life, so Dionysius decided to let
	Damocles experience what his life was really like.  In the midst of a
	sumptuous banquet, Damocles discovered that a sword was suspended by a
	horsehair over his head, ready to drop at any moment.  Dionysius said
	he felt the same anxiety every day, surrounded by enemies waiting to
	take his life at the first sign of weakness.

   <li>@@@876017671 The title most likely refers to the mantra recited by
	Delenn and others upon entering the Grey Council: "I am Grey.  I stand
	between the candle and the star.  We are Grey.  We stand between the
	darkness and the light."
	(<a href="020.html">"Babylon Squared,"</a>
	among others.)  It may also refer to a transition from darkness to
	light; Sheridan's return certainly qualifies.

</ul>

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

   <li>@@@877368075 It's a nice, quiet little episode.

	<p>
	Well, at least, in comparison to what's coming....

<p>
   <li>@@@876154414 <em>Was this episode filmed after Claudia Christian
	decided to leave?</em><br>
	Negative.  We'd finished all S4 shooting at the time this occured.

	<p>
	<em>Were new scenes shot and edited in?</em><br>
	Negative.

<p>
   <li>@@@876154935 <em>Was there a scene missing between Sheridan shooting
	the guard and his arrival on the Minbari ship?</em><br>
	Yes, there was a small scene that got cut for time.

	<p>
	Good catch.

<p>
   <li>@@@876779128 The Garibaldi material through the map sequence with
	Number One was originally in "Intersections."  It got shunted over to
	419 when 418 ran 7-8 minutes long, and 419 ran 8 minutes short.

<p>
   <li>@@@876776365 <em>During the interrogation, the female interrogator
	said, "Put a bullet in his head."  But Earth uses PPGs now, not
	bullets.</em><br>
	Nope.  We've established (in Grey 17 is Missing, for instance) that
	guns are still used on Earth and elsewhere; but in a space station,
	you don't want a slug-thrower because it tends to a) ricochet a lot off
	metal walls, or b) cut through something vital that would breach the
	hull potentially.

<p>
   <li>@@@877026924 <em>About Ivanova's eidetic memory</em><br>
	She's a latent telepath.  About a P1.  As has been established
	on the show in the past.  That gives her a slight edge in many
	areas.

	Also, an eidetic memory does not equal facility with language.
	I have a somewhat eidetic memory.  I can usually remember
	visuals and things said to me with extreme clarity.  (Unless
	I'm in convention mode at the time, at which point all bets are
	off.)  But I have a real problem with learning languages, which
	involves not just memorization, but *translation,* which is a
	skill, a knack that some others have and some don't.  (Spanish
	rolled off me, but for some reason I have a knack for German,
	though my vocabulary's gone all to hell.)

<p>
   <li>@@@876779061 "These new EA ships with Shadow tech...Are they
	susceptible to telepaths like the shadow vessels were?"

	<p>
	Negative...they don't have living beings as CPUs, they're still
	working at adapting the basic tech, the other stuff is still a bit
	advanced.

	<p>
	"By the way, the EA adaptation to the shadow tech is accurately done.
	Keep the basic Omega design and modify where needed."

	<p>
	Got it in one.

<p>
   <li>@@@876779178 The Advanced destroyer group was still somewhat in the
	works when they hauled it out to go after the fleet.  They'd been
	expecting mainly to go after other Earth ships (as was noted in the
	episode), and didn't count on exclusively being confronted by
	Whitestars.  Still, there were a lot of them here, and they did a lot
	of damage by sheer force of numbers.

	<p>
	Corwin would be running the station in everyone's absence.

<p>
   <li>@@@876937571 <em>About Ivanova's speech</em><br>
	Yeah, it was a bit over the top, deliberately so.

	<p>
	I put it in the category of a boxer who's going up against an opponent
	who may be well matched...and wants to psych the other person out.

	<p>
	If you look at "Give me liberty or give me death!" or similar
	statements, made to rally support or make a point, they're generally
	bigger than life, a bit over the top.  That's so we can know where the
	top is so we can climb up there ourselves.

<p>
   <li>@@@877368362 "If we want to be logical here, it really seems
	improbable that a White Star could run into a piece of debris.  Ok,
	the pilot (Marcus) wasn't paying attention, they were at high speeds
	and visability was poor."

	<p>
	Well, if you want to go back and listen to what's being said in
	the episode, Marcus calls out that the navigational system was damaged,
	and they were trying to repair when the big chunk of debris hit them. 
	They couldn't get out of the way for that reason.

<p>
   <li>@@@877026924 Some have complained about the rescue, arguing that they
	wanted to see a big battle.  (To which answer #1 is wait 7 days.)  They
	wanted to see the fleet smack Mars and free him in a big battle.

	<p>
	Well, if you do that, you can kiss goodbye any chance of the
	fleet then doing what it's SUPPOSED to be doing, which is the
	liberation of Earth.  While they're tied up and planetbound
	(on one side) at Mars, Earth swoops in and knocks them out.  
	You also lose any possible aspect of surprise.

	<p>
	It *had* to be done quickly, through the back door, rather than
	the fleet that some might have been expecting, so it'd look
	like a Resistance job, not a Fleet job.

<p>
   <li>@@@881082627 "Why were there no cameras monitoring Sheridan?"

	<p>
	Torturers rarely videotape their work, thus assuring that it can
	never be used against them should things not go their way all the time.
	This is kinda pro forma in South America, for instance.

</ul>