lurkers-guide/guide/105

<!-- TITLE Movements of Fire and Shadow -->

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

<blockquote><cite>
The Centauri situation escalates.  Lyta and Franklin visit the Drazi homeworld
on a mission of mercy at Vir's request.
</cite>

<a href="http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Alexander,+Wayne">Wayne Alexander</a> as Drakh.
</blockquote>

<pre><a href="/lurk/p5/intro.html">P5 Rating</a>: <a href="/lurk/p5/105">9.43</a>

Production number: 518
Original air date: June 17, 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 John Flinn III
</pre>

<p>
<hr size=3>

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

   <li>@@@898143770 Sheridan has authorized the White Star fleet to engage
	the Centauri if they're involved in hostilities with other Alliance
	forces.

   <li>@@@898143770 The White Star fleet has been taking steady losses since
	its construction: many ships were lost during the Shadow War, more
	during the conflict with Earth, and now more in battle with the
	Centauri.

   <li>@@@898143770 Sheridan has asked Delenn to relay a request to the Grey
	Council: release the technologies needed to build White Star-class
	ships to Earth, which will begin construction of White Star destroyers
	and cruisers to supplement the existing White Star fleet.

   <li>@@@898143770 On their way to deliver the message, Delenn and Lennier
	have been attacked by Centauri warships.  Their White Star was left
	crippled and drifting in hyperspace.

   <li>@@@898143770 Centauri ships have been destroying jumpgates.

   <li>@@@898535531 The Centauri ships carrying out the attacks on Alliance
	ships have been piloted not by Centauri crews, but by Shadow-derived
	autopilot organisms.  As a result, no Centauri bodies have been
	recovered from the wreckage of cruisers destroyed by Alliance forces.

   <li>@@@898538062 Not all the Alliance races are participating in the war.
	The Vree, and possibly others, have declared their neutrality.

   <li>@@@898143770 Londo has been released from prison, though G'Kar is
	still there.

   <li>@@@898533327 The Drazi and Narn have launched an offensive against the
	Centauri homeworld, fully aware that they'll cause large civilian
	casualties.  Sheridan is trying intercept them with a large fleet
	of White Stars in time to stop the attack; it's not clear if he has
	succeeded.  (See
	<a href="#AN.intercept">Analysis</a>)

   <li>@@@898143770 The Regent, acting under the control of the Shadows'
	allies on Centauri Prime, has rendered the planet defenseless against
	the attack by ordering the ships stationed in orbit to go elsewhere in
	response to a fake emergency, and by deactivating the automated
	defense systems.

</ul>

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

   <li>@@@898143770 What was done to Londo?  Was his experience with the
	aliens real or a dream?  Does he now have a Keeper
	(<a href="060.html">"War Without End?"</a>)
	If his experience was real, what was done to G'Kar, if anything?

   <li>@@@898533328 Did Sheridan make it to Centauri Prime in time?

   <li>@@@898537754 What was G'Kar writing in his cell?  More chapters of the
	Book of G'Kar?

   <li>@@@898537754 What was the gift from Sheridan that Delenn refused to
	wear?

</ul>

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

   <li>@@@898143770 Why wasn't Delenn's ship accompanied by any escorts?
	Granted, the specifics of her mission were supposed to be kept secret.
	But the Minbari ambassador returning home to consult with her
	government just after the start of a war would hardly appear
	suspicious, and given Sheridan's obvious concern for her safety, an
	escort could easily be justified even if she were simply returning
	home to deliver a status report or receive new instructions.

<p>
   <li>@@@898535531 Delenn's White Star was badly damaged by a small group of
	Centauri cruisers.  Since they were built to fight Shadow ships with
	immensely more powerful weaponry, its relatively easy near-destruction
	might seem a bit inconsistent, but that's not necessarily true.
	First, Delenn was caught by surprise here.  Second, in previous
	combat situations, White Stars have relied heavily on maneuverability
	to avoid being hit by the same weapon in rapid succession, giving their
	defenses time to adapt to particular weapons (as Lennier mentioned in
	<a href="060.html">"War Without End part 1."</a>)
	In this case Delenn's ship took several direct hits in a row.  Third,
	it might not be a correct assumption that her ship was hit by ordinary
	Centauri weapons; with the Alliance and its White Stars stepping into
	the fray, the Drakh and their cohorts may well have applied some
	leftover Shadow technology to the weapons systems of the cruisers.

<p>
   <li>@@@898143770 Garibaldi's drinking problem seems to have lessened in
	severity a bit, perhaps as a result of Zack discovering it.  It didn't
	appear to interfere with his job duties as it has in the past.

<p>
   <li>@@@898144732 Lyta said the Vorlons gave her knowledge of Shadow
	technology in case she encountered any of it while working for them.
	What other knowledge did they give her, and how detailed is it?

<p>
   <li>@@@898535723 Lyta's enhanced powers were in evidence again; she forced
	the Drazi assassin to shoot himself.  In a similar situation, it took
	several telepaths joining forces with Byron to force their will on
	an enemy soldier
	(<a href="092.html">"A View from the Gallery,"</a>)
	and they weren't trying to make the alien kill itself.

<p>
   <li>@@@898537754 Between her deals with Vir and G'Kar, Lyta is accumulating
	a large sum of money for her cause.  What exactly does she intend to
	spend it on, given that G'Kar has already promised her ships?  Maybe
	she's saving it to fund construction once a suitable colony planet
	has been located.

<p>
   <li>@@@898541560 Lyta told G'Kar that the deal between the two of them had
	to be kept secret, but she told Vir what she wanted the money for
	and didn't exact a similar promise from him.  What part of her deal
	with G'Kar was Lyta afraid would become public knowledge?  The fact
	that she was supplying human genes to the Narn?

<p>
   <li>@@@898541290 Lyta mentioned that she'd heard the Psi Corps had
	acquired a couple of the Shadow control modules.  What has the Corps
	done with them?  Is there any relation to the secret mothership the
	Corps keeps in hyperspace
	(<a href="101.html">"The Corps is Mother, the Corps is Father?"</a>)

<p>
   <li>@@@898536972 Why wasn't the fact that the Centauri ships are operating
	without normal crews detected before?  Obviously the fact that they
	didn't leave behind any survivors would have made it difficult for
	that information to find its way back to the Alliance even if it was
	detected.  And Lennier's one-man fighter might not have been equipped
	to perform that kind of scan when he was attached to the cruiser
	(<a href="103.html">"Darkness Ascending."</a>)
	But the Centauri warships have been under observation by White Stars
	for a little while
	(<a href="104.html">"And All My Dreams, Torn Asunder"</a>)
	and it seems odd that one of Babylon 5's probes could sense that
	there was no crew while a White Star couldn't.

<p>
   <li>@@@898537754 Sheridan claimed that nobody started a war "just to honk
	off your neighbors."  But that's exactly the goal of this war from
	the Drakh point of view.  Not coincidentally, it was also the strategy
	of the Shadows: turn everyone else against one another.

<p>
   <li>@@@898538344 The Narn and Drazi disobeyed the orders of the President
	of the Alliance on a military matter.  What will the political
	consequences be?  Does the Alliance charter allow member races to
	carry out their own attacks against an enemy of the Alliance, or
	are they supposed to defer to the Alliance?  They appear to be
	allowed to determine their own defense policies and refuse Alliance
	intervention, but that isn't necessarily the same as carrying out
	an attack.  And even if military coordination isn't required under
	the terms of the Alliance, given that G'Kar wrote the Declaration
	of Principles, attacks on civilians are almost certainly forbidden.
	Will the Drazi and Narn be removed from the Alliance?

<p>
   <li>@@@898537754 The Centauri Minister of Defense may or may not be in
	on the conspiracy.  If he is, his refusal to consider Londo's proposal
	was a foregone conclusion.  But given that Londo discovered that
	military production was being stepped up, and that that fact was
	classified such that only the Regent was supposed to know about it
	(<a href="097.html">"In the Kingdom of the Blind"</a>)
	it's entirely possible that the Minister, and his fleet commander,
	truly believe that the attacks are being staged by the Narn or
	someone else using surplus ship hulls.

<p>
   <li>@@@898143770 Londo's mad dash from the Regent when he was told the
	planet was defenseless may be evidence that he doesn't yet have a
	Keeper (though arguably a Keeper wouldn't bother stopping him
	from doing what he did since there was no chance of undoing the
	Regent's sabotage.)  The Regent's comment that Londo should enjoy his
	remaining "free" time further implies that Londo isn't under alien
	control yet.

	<p>@@@898537969 
	But it's possible that a Keeper isn't implanted all at once.  In
	<a href="076.html">"Racing Mars,"</a>
	Captain Jack's Keeper grew back after most of it had been removed;
	maybe a Keeper is implanted by placing a spore of some kind in the
	victim and letting it grow.  In that case, Londo may indeed have
	been implanted and the Regent may have been referring to the amount
	of time it takes a Keeper to become active.

<p>
   <li>@@@898144732 The alien's comment that Londo was "sufficient" implied
	that he might <em>not</em> have been -- how was Londo being measured?
	Given that he's in line to be the next Emperor, how much latitude do
	the Shadow allies have in their selection of subjects?

<p>
   <li>@@@898535531 Once again, Londo has stood in the sand garden looking
	skyward, just as in his dream
	(<a href="031.html">"The Coming of Shadows,"</a>)
	its eventual fruition
	(<a href="067.html">"The Hour of the Wolf"</a>)
	and his observation of the Centauri fleet
	(<a href="104.html">"And All My Dreams, Torn Asunder."</a>)

<p>
   <li>@@@898533328 <a name="AN.intercept">It's not clear</a>
	whether Sheridan arrived too late to stop the attack on Centauri Prime.
	The sequence as shown was: the Narn/Drazi fleet jumped out of
	hyperspace.  Londo saw some jump points open in the sky.  The Narn and
	Drazi started firing.  What's unanswered is, were the jump points
	Londo saw the same ones the Narn and Drazi opened?  If not, it's
	possible Sheridan's fleet arrived just in time, and the Narn and
	Drazi opened fire on the White Stars, not on Centauri Prime itself.

<p>
   <li>@@@898535531 If Sheridan <em>didn't</em> arrive in time, then it's
	possible the attack caused some of the devastation of Centauri Prime
	seen in
	<a href="060.html">"War Without End."</a>
	(See
	<a href="#JS.wwe">jms speaks</a>)

</ul>

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

   <li>@@@898537754 Two of the principles in the Declaration of Principles
	are rules of engagement: no destruction of jumpgates, and the return
	of enemy bodies.

   <li>@@@898143770 The alien surgeons, and their drill, previously
	appeared in
	<a href="058.html">"Ship of Tears,"</a>
	and
	<a href="082.html">"The Exercise of Vital Powers,"</a>
	in which telepaths recalled receiving Shadow cybernetic implants.

   <li>@@@898537827 Visual inconsistency: When Delenn and Sheridan kiss,
	she embraces him and puts her hand on his shoulder.  The point of
	view shifts and they're still kissing, but her hand has jumped to
	his neck.

   <li>@@@898541424 Franklin's initial refusal to ask anyone for directions
	to the hotel was a subtle counterpoint to his demand for directions
	from the Drazi doctor later in the episode.

   <li>@@@898144732 The Minbari-human collaboration on new ships based on
	White Star technology may eventually form the basis for the Excalibur,
	the ship in the spinoff series
	<a href="113.html">"Crusade."</a>

</ul>

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

<p>
   <li>@@@898328976 <em>How many other shoes have you got to drop on
	us?</em><br>
	A couple more shoes.

	<p>
	And a boot or two.

<p>
   <li>@@@898328167 "Actually, it's possible that this is all just a
	coincidence of timing. After all, JMS didn't write these episodes
	knowing when the breaks in the season would take place. On the other
	hand, I hate coincidence and this is one hell of a big one..."

	<p>
	Funny thing about that.  When I wrote this, this was the first
	part of a very tight two parter (well, actually, it's part 4 of a five
	parter; if you watch them straight through, one dovetails right smack
	into the next, it's one really huge episode).  Anyway, for the fifth
	one, the next one to air, I decided to do a recap in the teaser, a
	"Previously on Babylon 5..." compilation.  Hadn't done it with the
	others, but just decided to do it with this one, since it picks up
	seconds after the other.
	 
	<p>
	Later, after putting it together, in a phone call with TNT, they
	told me about the decision to put in a break after this episode.  "So
	you may want to consider putting a recap into the teaser, since this is
	a two-parter and it's been a long time and that's something you didnt'
	anticipate."

	<p>
	"Well, actually...I already did that."

	<p>
	A long pause.  "How did you know?"

	<p>
	"I didn't."

	<p>
	Scared 'em real good with that one.

<p>
   <li>@@@898328167 "and i guess we now know why the attacking centauri
	vessels wouldn't have noticed lennier exchanging a little
	breathing--since they weren't really using it thmselves."

	<p>
	Ding!

<p>
   <li>@@@898328976 <em>If the Shadows have devices for piloting combat
	ships, why did they need bodies for their own ships?</em><br>
	The control pods mainly work via remote control, their functionality
	(as Lyta noted) is limited.  For the shadow vessels, you need a fast
	reaction, independent-thinking cpu of a higher order...also because a
	shadow vessel is a hell of a lot more advanced and complex than a
	Centauri cruiser.

<p>
   <li>@@@898535531 <em>Is this attack what caused the damage in
	<a href="060.html">"War Without End?"</a></em><br>
	Of course, everyone's assuming here that the awful state we find
	Centauri Prime in, in WWE, is caused entirely by war....

<p>
   <li>@@@898329151 <em>Why wasn't the beginning of the season more like
	this?</em><br>
	Well, it's kinda what I've been saying all along...the bigger
	the planned wham, the longer the quiet ramp-up.  And, again, the arc
	was there when it didn't seem to be: this whole thing started when the
	raids started to take place, which goes back quite a ways.  And Lyta
	would not be in this position, not this assertive with her abilities,
	had she not gone through the fire (literally and figuratively) with
	Byron, whose fate more or less kicked her out of her shell.  The old
	Lyta would never have just up and gone to the Drazi homeworld on her
	own; but the money, needed to follow her and Byron's dream, propelled
	her.

	<p>
	It was ALL there, more or less in plain view.

	<p>
	And without it, without all that careful and deliberate setup,
	this episode (and especially those that follow) would never have played
	as well, if at all.

<p>
   <li>@@@902865149 "I agree the coldness was disturbing, but I feel this
	reveals the deep emotion she feels at Byron's death and her consequent
	ruthless determination to achieve his goals."

	<p>
	This was the point I was going for with people who were saying
	that the Byron thing was totally extraneous.  To get Lyta to this point
	as a character -- remembering her "I'll sue" tirade as the last time
	she even sorta kinda got mad -- she would *have* to go through the
	fire, and lose something that meant enough to push her to this point. 
	So you had to let the relationship with Byron go full term, follow it
	over time, and see what it meant to her to justify and motivate what
	happens to and with her in the last part of the season.

</ul>