lurkers-guide/guide/104

<!-- TITLE And All My Dreams, Torn Asunder -->

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

<blockquote><cite>
The evidence of a Centauri connection to the cargo ship attacks is revealed
to the Alliance.
</cite>

</blockquote>

<pre><a href="/lurk/p5/intro.html">P5 Rating</a>: <a href="/lurk/p5/104">9.21</a>

Production number: 517
Original air date: June 10, 1998
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00019071C/thelurkersguidet">DVD release date</a>: April 13, 2004

Written by J. Michael Straczynski
Directed by Goran Gajic
</pre>

<p>
<hr size=3>

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

   <li>@@@897549573 The Alliance has formally declared war on the Centauri.

   <li>@@@897549573 Londo and G'Kar have returned to Centauri Prime, where
	they've been imprisoned because Londo refused to allow G'Kar to
	be arrested as ordered by the Regent.

   <li>@@@897585142 Zack has discovered Garibaldi's drinking problem, but
	has agreed to give Garibaldi time to work it out on his own.
	Garibaldi's drunkenness has started to cost lives, and contributed
	to the start of the war since he was unable to warn Sheridan about
	Centauri ship movements.

</ul>

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

</ul>

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

   <li>@@@897585142 Why didn't the White Stars have a secondary contact
	other than Garibaldi?  Garibaldi wouldn't have been in his office on
	alert 24 hours a day even if he weren't drinking; given the gravity of
	the situation, it's odd that the White Star captain didn't try to get
	in contact with someone else (Delenn or Lennier, for example, would
	presumably have been sufficiently trustworthy) to make sure the report
	was heard in time.

<p>
   <li>@@@897585142 In a sense, the minister was probably right; the
	attacks really <em>are</em> being staged by a third party, namely the
	aliens in the Royal Court.  And it's possible their goal is exactly
	what he accused the Narn of: to implicate the Centauri.  Perhaps they
	want to see Londo's empire crushed by the Alliance,
	revenge for Londo's rejection of the Shadows
	(<a href="072.html">"Into the Fire."</a>)

<p>
   <li>@@@897592140 Sheridan's declaration of war on the Centauri gives
	Londo's comments in
	<a href="060.html">"War Without End"</a>
	a different spin.  Londo said, "There's the legacy of your war,"
	referring to the flames engulfing the city below the Centauri royal
	court.  Perhaps Alliance forces were responsible for the destruction,
	and Londo's comments about Sheridan allowing the Shadows' minions to
	come to Centauri Prime referred to the fact that they caused the war
	to start.

<p>
   <li>@@@898534358 Londo and G'Kar watching the Centauri fleet fly overhead
	is a visual reference to Londo's dream in
	<a href="031.html">"The Coming of Shadows"</a>
	in which he watches a fleet of Shadow ships fly over the palace.
	His dream eventually came true in
	<a href="067.html">"The Hour of the Wolf."</a>

<p>
   <li>@@@898541873 Which parts of his book do G'Kar's later chapters correct?
	Perhaps the parts the Narn in
	<a href="100.html">"The Ragged Edge"</a>
	was referring to when he quoted the book as saying the Centauri
	shouldn't be trusted.

<p>
   <li>@@@898537086 Garibaldi's failure to warn Sheridan was foreshadowed in
	his dream in
	<a href="103.html">"Darkness Ascending."</a>

<p>
   <li>@@@909090791 Sheridan's blockade of Centauri space could make life
	more difficult for his father, who needs a rare Centauri drug to treat
	a blood disease
	(<a href="082.html">"The Exercise of Vital Powers"</a>).

</ul>

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

   <li>@@@902861573 Garibaldi had a bowl of oranges on his table, a pretty
	expensive commodity on the station
	(<a href="025.html">"The Geometry of Shadows."</a>)
	That may mean he's making a lot more money as Director of Covert
	Operations than he was as the station's security chief.  Or, more
	likely, that Lise isn't above spending some money to keep his diet
	healthy; she can no doubt afford to ship oranges just about anywhere.

   <li>@@@897593295 Director Goran Gajic is Mira Furlan's husband.  The
	character of Aldous Gajic in
	<a href="015.html">"Grail"</a>
	was named after him.

</ul>

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

<p>
   <li>@@@897935317 "I have to say this was one of the best episodes of
	the entire series.  If this is any indication of what the rest of the
	season is like.......watch out."

	<p>
	Well, the next episode is even more so...and the one after that,
	more so still.  You get a slight breather for an episode or so -- still
	very strongly arc, though, just not as in-your-face hardhitting -- and
	then the last are whammers.

	<p>
	"I suspect a stream of apologies to you are about to begin."

	<p>
	Yeah, right, and pandas will fly out of my butt.

<p>
   <li>@@@887704242 Haven't seen the director's cut yet, but Goran did a
	great job, based on dailies.

<p>
   <li>@@@897585142 It was shot for shot what I wrote...but at the same
	time, a director can realize that well, or poorly.  I thought that
	Goran did a terrific job.

<p>
   <li>@@@897933568 <em>How much of the tension in the opening scene was
	thanks to the director?</em><br>
	It's shot for shot what was in the script, but at the same time, a
	director must take that shot and make it live.  Goran did that
	admirably.  He kept the camera moving, framed his shots very nicely,
	got into the emotion of the scene, and worked very well with the
	editor; we only did a light dusting in the editing room.

	<p>
	Since a number of folks have asked, here is the opening scene as
	written.  (I only have the first draft in my home computer,
	modifications were done in the office, which involved trimming some of
	this for time.)

	<p>
	****************

	<pre>
FADE IN:

EXT. BABYLON 5: A new shot, closer, emphasizing the darkness of the station in
eclipse.

INT. DELENN'S QUARTERS - BEDROOM

Sheridan is in bed, alone as we will discover in a moment.  He rolls over,
stirring, and we SHOOT PAST HIM to the doors, where we SEE a single flickering
light through the translucent glass.  He sits up.

INT. DELENN'S QUARTERS - FRONT ROOM

REVERSING past Delenn to the bedroom doors.  She is seated on the floor, a
single candle burning before her, the flame halfway down it, praying or
meditating as the doors open and Sheridan stands in the opening.  His voice is
quiet.

			SHERIDAN
	Delenn...?  Are you all right?

She nods, distantly, not taking her eyes off the candle.

			SHERIDAN
	You should sleep.  It'll be morning 
	soon.  You'll need all your strength 
	for what's ahead.

She nods again, but doesn't move.  He gives it a BEAT, knowing 
she is in a place where he can never reach her, then goes back 
into the bedroom, leaving the door open.  We PUSH IN SLOWLY on Delenn's face

TIME-CUT - HER QUARTERS - LATER - ON THE CANDLE

The fragile, guttering flame has now burned three-fourths of 
the way down.  As we slowly PAN UP to Delenn's face, not having  moved in all
this time, we become aware of the SOUND of the shower running.  She doesn't
note it, until it stops.  Then there's a BEAT and she looks up toward

ANGLE - THE BEDROOM

Still mainly dark, suggesting pre-dawn, mainly just the light 
spilling from the bathroom entrance as Sheridan comes out in a 
robe, toweling his hair.  His manner here is sober, almost 
somber.  He's trying to keep this normal, but knows that this 
is going to be a difficult and momentous day.  The more we can 
set that tone here, the better.

			SHERIDAN
	It's...all yours.

She nods, distantly.  WIDEN as he goes to the bed and sits.  He 
pulls on one slipper, puts his foot down, and picks up the other 
slipper...and just sort of stops.  He doesn't want to put it on.  
He doesn't want this day to come.  He doesn't want to do what he 
knows he's going to have to do.  The slipper just dangles from 
his fingers, the strings cut. Delenn gets up, approaches and sits next to him,
both with that faraway, haunted look.  She touches his back, and leans against 
his shoulder for a moment, both taking comfort and strength in the momentary
contact.  Then she gets up and moves into the bathroom, the robe sliding off
her shoulders as she steps OS.
  
A BEAT, and Sheridan finds the wherewithal to put on the other 
slipper...and sits there momentarily as we HEAR the VO SOUND of a GAVEL
POUNDING, and the VO SOUND of the council, along with:

			SHERIDAN (VO)
	There comes a moment, in all of our 
	lives, when we have to do something 
	we'd rather not do.  When we know 
	something we'd rather not know.  This 
	is one such moment.

He stands and moves OS.
</pre>

<p>
   <li>@@@897935317 <em>Was the part about Sheridan dropping the slipper
	added in a later draft?</em><br>
	Yeah, that was a visual pun written into the script, the other
	shoe dropping...but also reflecting that kind of low energy thing in
	the morning, when you put one slipper on, and you just *don't* want to
	leave...and you just let the energy drain away, and the slipper falls
	from your hand...which also overlaps the gavel dropping, as scripted.

	<p>
	I took a great deal of care in blocking out every shot in that
	one, as opposed to some other cases, as with Mike Vejar, where I wrote,
	in "The Face of the Enemy," "They pull down Sheridan like a pack of
	wolves bringing down a lion" knowing that he would then take that and
	turn it into art.  And he did.

<p>
   <li>@@@897935317 <em>Why did they check the bodies to determine what kind
	of weapon was used?  Why not the debris from the ships?</em><br>
	That's what was said, in addition to the rest.  Reference was made to
	examining the damaged ships.

<p>
   <li>@@@897935317 <em>Why doesn't Sheridan warn Londo about the Shadows'
	allies being on Centauri Prime as he saw in
	<a href="060.html">"War Without End?"</a></em><br>
	Well, do bear in mind that the events in "War" were 17 years
	after the fact, so the shadow allies could have come at any time;
	Sheridan didn't fully understand what a keeper was, and also bear in
	mind that there is no reason to suspect anything in this situation. 
	People can indeed start wars without having keepers on them, you know. 
	We do it all the time.  He would have to have some overwhelming
	proof...and even then, if he says anything to Londo, he might risk
	changing the timeline, and that would have potentially disasterous 
	consequences.

</ul>