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								    ### GUIDE ### [3][Background] [4][Synopsis] [5][Credits] [6][Episode

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								   _Contents:_ [9]Overview - [10]Backplot - [11]Questions - [12]Analysis

								   - [13]Notes - [14]JMS


								     _________________________________________________________________


								Overview


								     A violent attack on a Minbari poet rocks B5 and leaves Sinclair

								     scrambling to flush out a vicious pro-Earth group. Two star-crossed

								     young Centauri lovers seek Londo's protection. Ivanova is shaken

								     when a man from her past arrives at the outpost. [15]Nancy Lee

								     Grahn as Shaal Mayan. [16]Danica McKellar as Aria Tensus.

								     [17]Rodney Eastman as Kiron Maray. [18]Tristan Rogers as Malcolm

								     Biggs. [19]Michael Paul Chan as Roberts.


								Sub-genre: Suspense

								[20]P5 Rating: [21]6.82


								Production number:  107

								Original air date:  March 9, 1994


								Written by D. C. Fontana

								Directed by Richard Compton


								     _________________________________________________________________


								Backplot


								     * The Homeguard, a radical pro-Earth group, has wide support among

								       humans, and is growing in popularity back on Earth.

								     * Shaal Mayan is a renowned Minbari poet. "I create and perform

								       Tee'la," she says: "poem songs that attempt to recall old memories

								       and prompt new ideas."

								     * The only two human beings ever to have direct contact with a

								       Vorlon have since been transferred to Earth - Dr. Kyle to work

								       closely with the president (cf "[22]Infection"), and the telepath

								       Lyta Alexander just a week later. Neither of them shared their

								       experiences with anyone on the station. (cf [23]"The Gathering")

								     * Londo has [24]three wives, all of them arranged marriages, all of

								       them "great sacrifices." "They inspire me! Knowing that they are

								       waiting at home for me is what keeps me here, [25]75 light years

								       away."

								     * Ivanova used to be involved with a fellow named [26]Malcolm Biggs,

								       but left him when she enlisted in Earth Force 8 years ago.

								     * More insight into Londo's personality and Minbari beliefs:

								       _Mayan:_ Ambassador, you should listen to the girl. We Minbari

								       consider love to be a most potent force for healing. She cares

								       deeply for him. Such feelings can turn the tide when all else

								       fails.

								       _Londo:_ Oh I see. And if he dies, despite this great power of lo-

								       _Mayan:_ _If he dies,_ she will suffer enormous grief, but every

								       moment together will make her grief a little less.

								       _Londo:_ I would expect such logic from a poet. What can a Minbari

								       know about Centauri feeling?

								       _Mayan:_ Ambassador, I have traveled far and seen much. And what I

								       have seen tells me that all sentient beings are defined by their

								       capacity and need for love.

								       _Londo:_ And she will learn to live without it!

								       _Mayan:_ As you did?

								     * [later...]

								       _Vir:_ Kiron may die because our "glorious" tradition values

								       wealth and power over _love._

								       _Londo:_ My shoes are too tight.

								       _Vir:_ Excuse me?

								       _Londo:_ Something my father said. He was old, very old at the

								       time. I went into his room, and he was sitting alone in the dark,

								       crying. So I asked him what was wrong, and he said, "My shoes are

								       too tight, but it doesn't matter, because I have forgotten how to

								       dance." I never understood what that meant until now. _My_ shoes

								       are too tight, and I have forgotten how to dance.


								Unanswered Questions


								     * The black light camouflage suits worn by the Homeguard henchmen

								       were developed by Earth Force; friends of [27]Malcolm's procured

								       some prototypes for them. Is a faction of Earth Force actually

								       backing the Homeguard for its own reasons?

								     * Londo seems to have had a troubled childhood (see [28]Backplot).

								       What happened that he's so aggressive and melancholy? None of the

								       other Centauri seem particularly so.

								     * Why is Kosh studying human history, as [29]Sinclair's conversation

								       with him appears to reveal, especially when he says "We have no

								       interest in the affairs of others?" Perhaps for some reason Kosh

								       does not consider humans "others." Or perhaps by "affairs" he

								       meant the passing events of the day, as compared to the millennia

								       of a civilization.


								Analysis


								     * The Homeguard sign branded onto Shaal Mayan's forehead is a

								       combination of male and female symbols from ancient Greek mythos.

								       Perhaps it's a contemporary symbol for humankind.

								     * Vir passed himself off as the Centauri ambassador in letters to

								       his cousins, and later [30]rebukes Londo to his face about his

								       decision on the matter. This is quite bold compared to the

								       quavering fop he's been before.

								     * Londo's nicknames for his wives are "Pestilence, Famine, and

								       Death" - three of the four horsemen of the apocalypse from ancient

								       Christian mythos. Who is the fourth horseman War? Perhaps Londo

								       himself.

								     * [31]Talking to Kosh about the attacks on non-humans, Sinclair

								       breaks off right after asking him to "lend a hand." Not long later

								       Sinclair wonders aloud to Ivanova how an assassin had managed to

								       poison Kosh on the "hand," _through_ his encounter suit. (cf

								       [32]"The Gathering")

								     * Sinclair was brusque and callous to Delenn and the Abbai

								       agricultural representative at the diplomatic reception. He also

								       declared to the assembled Council that the hate-crime

								       investigation was closed, offering neither arrests nor evidence of

								       safety. This was part of his ruse to win the Homeguard's trust,

								       but he may still have injured his reputation with other races.

								     * The Homeguard plot on the station was, according to its leader

								       Malcolm Biggs, part of a much bigger plot to kill prominent aliens

								       all over the Earth Alliance.

								     * Black light camouflage is a similar technology to the chameleon

								       net the assassin used in [33]"The Gathering." However, it requires

								       an entire body-suit and only works while the user is motionless.

								       No mention was made of what was done with the four suits captured

								       with the Homeguard henchmen - Garibaldi may have stashed them away

								       somewhere. And it's unlikely that those were the only four suits

								       in existence; perhaps the technology will be seen again (cf.

								       [34]"Babylon Squared".)


								Notes


								     * Mayan, a childhood friend of Delenn's, arrived on the station on a

								       tour of other worlds. Earth was to have been her next stop.

								     * _Mayan_ (of her attacker): "All I could see was a shadow. It was a

								       shadow, that is all I know."

								       (cf [35]"Signs and Portents", perhaps?)

								     * Ivanova is illegally growing coffee in the station hydroponics

								       area.

								     * Kosh speaks.

								       [...]

								       _Sinclair:_ Meanwhile it might be helpful if you spoke with the

								       other ambassadors.

								       _Kosh:_ We take no interest in the affairs of others.

								       _Sinclair:_ Well I hope you'll reconsider. If you could give us a

								       hand, we -

								       _Kosh:_ Yes?

								       _Sinclair:_ Nothing. We'll respect your wishes. [pause]

								       That's quite a viewer. I've never seen anything like it before.

								       What is it?

								       _Kosh:_ Efficient.

								       _Sinclair:_ Those are images from my world. If I may ask, what are

								       you -

								       _Kosh:_ I am studying.

								       _Sinclair:_ Studying what?

								       _Kosh:_ [shuts down]

								     * The images on Kosh's levitating viewer were zoom-ins on pictorial

								       records from Earth history throughout the span of its

								       civilization.


								jms speaks


								     * Correct; the title of "The War Prayer" is a nod to [36]Twain's

								       piece of the same name, which should be read by *everyone*. Given

								       the growing problems with illiteracy, I try to refer not to pop

								       society so much, as to literature...Tennyson, Twain, even writers

								       whose last names don't begin with T.

								     * Of course, you're assuming that a Centauri year is the same as our

								       year. The speed of light is constant...but defined by us by our

								       own 12-month year. For instance, in one episode, we mention that

								       B5 is 12 of our light years from the Narn homeworld, which is

								       equal to about 10 of their years.

								       So without knowing the Centauri year, the figures are faulty.

								     * For those out there who still think the skin tab getting through

								       Kosh's encounter suit was an error...we're going to be dealing

								       with that, and some other interesting threads in [this] episode.

								       Sinclair comments on the whole question of how the poison ever got

								       into him...and notes how curious it is that, within weeks of that

								       incident, Dr. Kyle was transferred back to Earth to work directly

								       with the Earth Alliance President on matters of alien immigration,

								       and Lyta Alexander was similarly transferred a week or so after

								       that. The only two people to have personal knowledge of a Vorlon

								       have been shipped off and possibly locked up.

								     * By the way...on the Kosh poisoning thread, which was originally to

								       be discussed in "Parliament"...we ended up about 3 minutes long on

								       "Parliament," and three minutes short on D.C. Fontana's "War

								       Prayer." So we lifted that scene and inserted it into her episode,

								       doing a small bit of ADR to facilitate the move. It's now quite

								       seamless.

								     * _Why was Delenn unfamiliar with poetry in [37]"The Gathering?"_

								       For the Minbari, it's tee'la, which is a kind of poem-song, sort

								       of. Delenn was mainly just unfamiliar with the term.

								     * Y'know...it's a funny old world. And sometimes it just astonishes

								       you.

								       About 2 months ago, one of our freelancers turned in a script that

								       has to do with a hate group, in the course of which a guest

								       character -- a Minbari -- is attacked and has her head branded

								       with the symbol of the group.

								       So you will doubtless understand my astonishment when I turned on

								       DS9 and saw the same thing happen.

								       Unfortunately, we've already shot that episode, it's in the can,

								       so ther nothing we can do about it now. Further -- and let me be

								       totally clear about this -- there's no way that DS9 could've

								       borrowed the idea from us, or in any way been influence by us, and

								       no way we could've been influenced by them. To get on the air now,

								       they would've had to shoot their episode some time before the

								       writer turned in that draft for our show. And none of us were in

								       any way aware of what was going on there until we saw it the night

								       of the broadcast...and came in the next day with looks of absolute

								       shock.

								       These things do happen...and when you're dealing with similar

								       general areas -- humans vs. aliens, or one alien group vs. another

								       alien group -- then something like this becomes inevitable. And

								       given the foreheads on Ferengi, and the foreheads on Minbari, the

								       obviousness of that target becomes clear. Still, it's amazing when

								       it happens. And I guess I just wanted it to be clear when this

								       thing airs that the sequence in our show was in the can and done

								       when the DS9 episode aired.

								     * We're in discussions to see if there's any way we can cut this

								       from the show...the only problem is that the brand stays on

								       throughout the show. If it were just in one shot, we'd cut the

								       shot and find some other way around it. The only way we can lose

								       it now would be if we literally wiped off the brand by going into

								       every frame in which it appears and digitally removing it from the

								       frame...which is a *real* pain in the butt...but we are

								       considering it.

								     * The points made above are essentially correct; the brand goes on

								       in the very top of the show, in the teaser, and stay on throughout

								       the episode...and part of the story is dealing with this, and what

								       it means. An offer is made to remove it, but the victim decides

								       *not* to have it removed, because there are lessons in these

								       things...and it becomes almost a badge of defiance.

								       In addition to the notes here, I've received a whole bunch of

								       email notes saying to leave it in, on the grounds that it *does*

								       happen in real life (or incidents close to it), and how we're

								       handling it *is* very different. (Some indicated that it can

								       illustrate how the two hows handle their themes in different

								       ways.) So it's a tough call ...to change would also mean some

								       re-shooting...but given the responses here, I think it's okay to

								       leave it in place.

								       File this one away the next time someone asks, "What sort of ways

								       has the BBS discussion actually affected Babylon 5?"

								     * There is some limited life within the garden...some birds (which

								       you can hear sometimes), and insects, and the like. (In one shot

								       you can see an insect fly off one of our actors. Yeah, sure, like

								       we planned that....) It's generally one season in the Garden, and

								       plants requiringvariation are raised in a separate hydroponics

								       area, such as the orchard (seen in "War Prayer").

								     * Lennier is not in the cargo area during the beating, nor is he in

								       BG during the negotiations. That's a Minbari of the worker class.

								       (You can generally tell from the orange-ish smock-thingie they

								       wear.) Sorry.


								     _________________________________________________________________


								   Originally compiled by Matthew Ryan _matt@uhs.uchicago.edu_


								   [43][Next]


								      [44]Last update: August 8, 1997


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