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

								   - [13]Notes - [14]JMS


								     _________________________________________________________________


								Overview


								     G'Kar brings news of a terrible new enemy. The arrival of

								     Sheridan's sister opens up old wounds for the new commander. Dr.

								     Franklin employs an unorthodox procedure to try to bring Garibaldi

								     out of his coma. Delenn's mysterious change is completed.

								     [15]Beverly Leech as Elizabeth Sheridan. [16]Macaulay Bruton as

								     Garibaldi's aide.


								Sub-genre: Drama

								[17]P5 Rating: [18]8.40


								Production number:  202

								Original air date:  November 9, 1994


								Written by J. Michael Straczynski

								Directed by Jim Johnston


								  Watch For:


								     * [19]A magically refilling drink.


								     _________________________________________________________________


								Backplot


								     * Sheridan's wife Anna was killed two years ago when her ship

								       exploded on its way to explore the recently discovered ruins of an

								       ancient civilization on the Rim.

								     * The Book of G'Quan, the holy book of G'Kar's religion (cf. [20]"By

								       Any Means Necessary") mentions an ancient enemy that rose to power

								       a thousand years in the past, a power so great it nearly

								       overwhelmed the stars themselves. And the book contains drawings

								       suspiciously siimilar to the Shadows' ships.


								Unanswered Questions


								     * Is Delenn's new appearance an outward transformation, a complete

								       physical rebirth, or something even more fundamental?

								     * What exactly has she become?

								     * Was the result what she thought it would be? She didn't seem to

								       know what had happened to her when she first emerged from the

								       chrysalis; clearly she didn't go into the process with detailed

								       knowledge of the outcome.

								     * How much does G'Kar suspect about Londo's involvement with the

								       Shadows?

								     * Why did President Clark order Garibaldi's aide returned to Earth?

								       Was he aware that the clandestine transfer would take place, or

								       did someone else arrange that to stop the prisoner from being

								       interrogated by Clark's people?


								Analysis


								     * The Book of G'Quan, assuming G'Kar was describing the text itself

								       rather than his interpretation, says that the ancient enemy came

								       from the rim of known space, the planet Z'ha'dum. That implies

								       that the Narns, or some among them, were technologically advanced

								       at least a thousand years ago; otherwise they would presumably

								       have had no way of knowing the origin of the enemy, certainly not

								       well enough to locate its home planet. Given that they are not

								       particularly advanced compared to the other major races, one of

								       three things must have happened:

								         1. Some event, possibly the last great war, reduced their

								            capabilities enough that they had to start nearly from

								            scratch.

								         2. They advanced technologically at a very slow pace, or not at

								            all, over the past millenium.

								         3. Another race used the Narn (or their world) in the war,

								            departing when it was over and leaving the Narn with only

								            legends of the great enemy.

								       If the second is true, it's possible that some of the other races

								       acquired _their_ technology from the Narns, an interesting twist

								       on the established idea that the Narns are obsessed with obtaining

								       technology from others (cf. [21]"The Gathering.")

								     * When G'Kar's wingman crashed into the Shadow fighter, the Shadow

								       ship appeared to writhe in pain. It appears that employing living

								       technology is a common trait of the very advanced civilizations

								       (cf. [22]"Infection.") The question naturally arises: are the

								       Shadow ships _ships_ in the traditional sense, with crews or

								       pilots aboard, or are they autonomous entities?

								     * The fact that a one-man Narn fighter was able to destroy a Shadow

								       ship implies that the Shadows can be overcome by force, assuming

								       they aren't so numerous as to overwhelm all their opponents.

								     * Delenn flat-out lied when she said her government approved her

								       transformation (cf. [23]"Points of Departure.") Yet they have made

								       no move to replace her as ambassador. Perhaps they fear the

								       consequences of working against the prophecy more than they fear

								       what she's doing.

								     * Dr. Franklin hasn't tried the healing machine on anyone, not even

								       experimentally. Perhaps he hasn't been studying it -- which seems

								       strange, given its potential to utterly revolutionize the practice

								       of medicine. Now that he knows it works, he may be more inclined

								       to use it in the future, possibly in place of hazardous

								       conventional treatments.

								     * Anna Sheridan's research vessel was destroyed in an apparent

								       accident on the Rim, on its way to explore an ancient

								       civilization. The similarities to the destruction of the Narn ship

								       sent by G'Kar are too great to ignore. She very possibly was

								       killed by the Shadows, something which won't endear them to

								       Sheridan if he learns about it. If that's true, the question of

								       how the ruins of the civilization were discovered in the first

								       place remains unanswered.


								Notes


								     * The poem G'Kar read to Na'Toth is from "The Second Coming" by W.

								       B. Yeats (quoted sections emphasized):


								     Turning and turning in the widening gyre

								     The falcon cannot hear the falconer;

								     _Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;

								     Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,

								     The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere

								     The ceremony of innocence is drowned;_

								     The best lack all conviction, while the worst

								     Are full of passionate intensity.


								     Surely some revelation is at hand;

								     Surely the Second Coming is at hand.

								     The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out

								     When a vast image out of "Spiritus Mundi"

								     Troubles my sight: somewhere in the sands of the desert

								     A shape with lion body and the head of a man

								     A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,

								     Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it

								     Reel shadows of the indigant desert birds.

								     The darkness drops again; but now I know

								     That twenty centuries of stony sleep

								     Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,

								     _And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,

								     Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?_

								     * Garibaldi's aide is named Jack, though it's easy to miss;

								       Garibaldi mentions the name once after Talia leaves medlab and he

								       speaks to Franklin and Ivanova.

								     * The closed captioning spells G'Quan "Sh'Quon," but JMS has used

								       the shorter spelling on several occasions, so it's the one used

								       here.

								     * Continuity gaffe: In the scene with Sheridan and his sister in his

								       quarters, he drains his drink, walks toward the bar, and before he

								       gets there, the glass refills and he drains it again.


								jms speaks


								     * Re: the ever-improving CGI...there's an action scene in the teaser

								       of the second episode, "Revelations," that is particularly

								       amazing. And there is one shot of a Narn ship in extreme close-up

								       toward the end of the scene that looks absolutely *solid*, and

								       every bit as real and detailed as any model, and then some. It

								       cannot be distinguished from a physical object.

								     * One aspect of the Yeats quote, and the Lincoln quote, and the

								       Tennyson quote(s), and the many others, is that I think a lot of

								       folks at some point tuned out of, or aren't interested in,

								       literature and poetry because they've never really been exposed to

								       it. So just to be a little subversive, I work some of it into the

								       show. I choose that which has meaning to the show, and the

								       characters, in the hopes that (as has happened here), viewers will

								       dig out the original material and be exposed to some *really*

								       nifty writing. Granted that television must entertain at minimum;

								       it should also elevate and ennoble and educate, and this is too

								       good an opportunity to waste, provided one does not become

								       didactic about it.

								     * Speaking of looking into the abyss...which comes from

								       "Revelations," it's a partial quote. Neitzsche: "When you look

								       into the abyss, the abyss looks also into you."

								     * Re: inconsistent writing and Narns...please bear in mind that

								       there are two ways to encounter shadowmen: going out there, and

								       them coming in to see YOU. The Narns need not be (and were not)

								       spacefaring when they encountered the shadowmen. Or, more

								       accurately, were encountered BY them.

								     * Copies of the evidence were made, but the question is what is the

								       available evidence to BE copied? Frankly, there isn't much. There

								       are no witnesses, very little physical evidence. If you tried to

								       make a case with what they've got, you'd be laughed out of the

								       courtroom.

								     * Yes, since you've sussed it...the plan was to turn Delenn from

								       male to female in "Chrysalis," in my original plans, as well as

								       making her half-human. And yes, it would've had one hell of an

								       impact...but my concern when I made that decision not do do this

								       back in the pilot was based on the reality that we couldn't do it

								       well. The "male" voice, altered by computer-enhancement, just

								       sounded REAL bogus; we couldn't get it right, and I had to decide

								       between dropping it, and doing something the people would rightly

								       describe as lame all season, just for one big payoff. It was a

								       tough call, but it had to be made.

								     * _Why does Delenn's hair go under her bone ridge?_

								       When Delenn's structure changed, the epidermal layer on the head

								       grew thinner; there is now a gap between the skin, and the bone

								       which has grown out. Hair can be draped through it, or laid over

								       it.

								     * Correct; the Narn bridge is CGI. Re: the explosion...we shot a lot

								       of live pyrotechnics for Ron's use; but don't recall offhand which

								       was used here, live or CGI.

								     * Anna chose to take Sheridan's last name. Her decision. You have

								       the option. Some do, some don't. If you start to pass rules that

								       no woman CAN take her husband's name or she's betraying something,

								       then you're being just as restrictive as those who insist a woman

								       MUST take her husband's name. Me, I'm pro-choice on every level.

								       She felt like it.

								       (And I note that my own spousal overunit kept her own name. But

								       then, who in her right mind WOULD take Straczynski...?)

								     * Another thing that can be now re-interpreted is the look on Jack's

								       face when Garibaldi didn't go for the whitewash of the security

								       guard's financial records in "Sky," and how that body managed to

								       get out of the station without security being aware of it....

								     * Next week, in "Revelations," you get G'Kar, Londo, Delenn,

								       Lennier, Na'Toth, Kosh, Garibaldi, Talia and everybody else.

								       Because there was SO much happening in #1, that got slid back a

								       bit; also, there's a fair amount of time required for everything

								       to do what they're supposed to be doing. (Note that we're

								       operating pretty much in real-time; "Points" is around 8 days

								       after the events of "Chrysalis," and "Revelations" is about

								       another week after that.)

								       One thing I noted here some time ago, as a large part of the

								       reason I dropped "to be continued" from "Chrysalis" is that this

								       is more of a three-parter than a two, and some threads pulled in

								       "Chrysalis" won't be fully resolved in some ways until the third

								       and fourth episodes. There is a LOT going on, and if we try to

								       cram it all into one episode (as I at first tried with "Chrysalis,

								       Part Two") you don't give ANY of them the proper time to have any

								       impact.

								       Finally, we're getting new people sampling the first episode of

								       the season, as is true of most shows. Thus, you have to put into

								       dialogue a fair amount of stuff that otherwise you could just

								       imply or rely on past experience/prior knowledge. So you kind of

								       introduce the newbies to the situation, and that requires a fair

								       amount of exposition. This is pretty much localized to "Points,"

								       however; with the next episode, we're up to full speed. Episode 2

								       deals with as many issues/plotlines as "Chrysalis," with the main

								       difference being that here, they're *resolved* rather than left

								       hanging.

								     * Yes, generally stories are self-contained, but in the case of

								       season endings like "Chrysalis," it takes time to get everything

								       back up and running again. The bigger the explosion, the longer it

								       takes to clean up the mess.

								     * Re: Lennier, the Grey Council fellow said, "Tell them what we've

								       told YOU," not someone else. Just to clarify.

								     * [Talia's] not seeing the shooter from outside Garibaldi's POV.

								       That shot in particular is *exactly* from Garibaldi's POV. It's a

								       lot like what is done in hypnosis, going back into somebody's

								       memory and dragging out details they might have seen but not

								       noted; the eye sees more than the brain recalls at any given

								       moment. When we shot that scene, I was on-set, and the camera was

								       put *exactly* where Garibaldi was standing, so we'd be very

								       careful that it WAS his point of view. So though I hate to

								       contradict you, it's not "a stupid plot hole from hell."

								     * Oh, I'm quite sure there was backup made of the data. But step

								       back for a moment and ask what that entails, and will any of it

								       stand up in ANY court of law? There's a difference between that

								       which we knor or (make that know or) believe, and that which we

								       can prove. Without the one most important piece of all,

								       Garibaldi's aide, the rest is speculative, inconclusive,

								       circumstantial and conjectural.

								     * Yes, if Laurel had stayed with the station, either she would have

								       pulled the trigger on Garibaldi, or been directly involved in

								       other ways.

								     * "Morden is the mongoose."

								       So what's needed now is a conveniently placed cobra....

								     * The platform seen in the opening of "Revelations" is a hazardous

								       materials platform, which is still cleaning up the radioactive

								       debris and other stuff from the blown Minbari cruiser in the last

								       ep.

								     * _About Na'Toth's change of actresses_

								       The actor wanted to pursue other avenues. She'd primarily worked

								       as a romantic lead in films, then came in at the last minute to

								       help with season one. She then wanted to go back to that. The

								       character stayed because we need the character to have some prior

								       knowledge of the situation, rather than bringing in somebody new.

								     * Re: Na'Toth...you have to remember this was not our decision, but

								       rather Caitlin's, in order to pursue some romantic lead parts. We

								       made an offer equal to the other cast, but she opted out to pursue

								       films. We cast the best actor to come in the door to fill

								       Na'Toth's boots, and we need that character there because of the

								       prior knowledge she needs to have to fill her role in the story.

								       Mary Kay is, I think, trying to reinterpret the character. We're

								       nudging in the other direction. One way or another, this will be

								       made to work.

								     * Actually, no, it's not a rumor; I'd mentioned this some time ago,

								       but apparently some didn't see it....

								       So to repeat: we'd had to replace Mary Woronov with virtually no

								       notice after we found that she really had a hard time with the

								       narn prosthetics (wouldn't wear the contacts, and other stuff). In

								       a panic, our casting director called in a favor from Caitlin

								       Brown, who is mainly a leading-lady type actor. She came in and,

								       in fact, for the first episode (shooting almost immediately

								       afterward) wore a variation of the Ko'Dath makeup, because there

								       wasn't time to make one specific to her.

								       She came in without being under the 5-year option that generally

								       exists in these situations. Did one year, about 9 episodes, as

								       Na'Toth. And had to turn down a couple of leading-female parts.

								       During the hiatus, she did a romantic lead character in a film

								       with Jack Nicholson and Meryl Streep. And had to ask the hard

								       question: do I continue to grow as a romantic lead actor in

								       feature films, or play Na'Toth? She is a VERY gorgeous woman, and

								       felt awkward hiding behind the mask and cutting herself out of

								       leading female parts in feature films to do it.

								       We went 'round and 'round about this for some time, it was a very

								       difficult decision for her because she likes the show and everyone

								       here, but finally opted out. On one level it's a pain in the butt,

								       but we respect her decision. And it *is* her call, not ours.

								       (Quick aside...pfffttthhpplttt to those who, in their theory that

								       Sinclair/O'Hare quit, said that I'd naturally say it was mutual

								       because I could never say it was the actors choice because somehow

								       I'd get in trouble. No, I *would* say it if O'Hare had opted out

								       on his own. And in this case, that's exactly what happened.)

								       We didn't recast Sinclair because that character is going

								       somewhere from whence he may (and will) return, and because that

								       serves the story; in this case, we are recasting Na'Toth. By the

								       end of season one, Na'Toth knows stuff that I need that character,

								       G'Kar's aide, to know. (Though I was briefly tempted to do the

								       Murphy Brown Secretary line, with G'Kar getting a new aide every

								       so often due to terrible airlock accidents...but I went to lay

								       down for a while and the notion passed.)

								       So no, it's not a rumor, it's quite true. In fact, we just

								       finished up a casting session and found someone who's very right

								       for the part; and though we weren't confined to this, is actually

								       about the same height, same build, same attitude as Caitlin, and

								       whose voice is very similar. I don't think much difference will be

								       noted in the long run, really.

								     * The Narn aren't waiting. Or, more accurately, G'Kar isn't. The

								       rest of the Kha'Ri (Narn inner circle government) are still

								       somewhat skeptical.

								       The Minbari know the shape of what's coming, but they know full

								       well that if they go to us with this, we won't believe them;

								       there's still enough residual dislike over the war that they feel

								       we have to find this out for ourselves (and we will).

								     * Let's just say for now that about a thousand years ago, Narn was

								       used as a lay-over and supply spot for a Shadowman group that

								       landed there for a time, and used it briefly as a base of

								       operations.

								     * Re: "switching places"...this is *exactly* what I noted early on;

								       the intent to set up in the very beginning a situation where those

								       who've seen basic SF before on the tube will go, "Oh, okay, I got

								       it ...this is the Bad Guy, this is the Good Guy, this is the Comic

								       Relief, this is the Ally," and so on, because that's generally

								       what's been the case in TV SF; you set up the various sides from

								       day one, and virtually nobody moves.

								       So you get them to rely on their conditioning, then you begin to

								       move the chairs around, so suddenly what you THOUGHT was the good

								       guy is maybe something else; and what you THOUGHT was the comic

								       relief is a tragic and dark figure; and what you THOUGHT was the

								       bad guy is maybe one of the real heroes of the story. And you try

								       and make the path that results in those changes as interesting,

								       moving, or scary as possible.

								     * Of course Londo realizes he's being...not exactly set up, but that

								       he's getting into a very bad situation. But on the other hand, he

								       sees that perhaps this is his last chance to grab for something

								       more than what he is; he's not a young man anymore, and offers

								       such as this, even though he knows there will be a price someday

								       (as he states to Morden), do not come along every day.

								       Here is the key to characterization: who is your character, what

								       does he want, how far will he go to get it, and what is he

								       prepared to lose in that process?

								     * Morden is human.

								       Morden dat I can't say.

								     * Actually, G'Kar's makeup wasn't changed this year; the actor put

								       on a few pounds over hiatus, which shows in the face, which

								       changes how the prosthetic looks. This was dropped very quickly by

								       Andreas, however, and the makeup has adjusted itself. (Hell, we

								       all put on a few pounds during hiatus.)

								     * Oddly, the new makeup takes *longer* for Mira than the old, which

								       went on in a couple of fairly straightforward pieces. Now there's

								       a lot more detail work and more pieces.

								       Also, the intent is that G'Kar looked at both Sheridan and Londo,

								       not sure which of them may have leaked the info, though I think

								       the editing may have focused too much on Londo in that shot.

								     * The only time a name is associated with his aide is when Garibaldi

								       refers to him later, at which time he just says Jack.

								     * _Jack had had contact with the PsiCops in "Mind War"_

								       No, Jack wasn't *seduced* at that time ...but he WAS there to meet

								       them, and escort them to see Sinclair. Why him? Perhaps a contact

								       there...?

								     * _What would be different if there hadn't been cast changes after

								       "The Gathering?"_

								       The only problem with answering how things would've been different

								       is that some information might get out by inference about how

								       things might still *be*. However, to do what I can with the

								       question (never let it be said I don't try to accommodate....).

								       If Lyta had stayed on B5, her arc would be pretty close to that of

								       Talia, except that she would have begun to form a strong link to

								       Kosh, first in the form of dreams, then something with

								       implications that could be read as menacing or benign.

								       If Dr. Kyle would have stayed around, he would have moved more

								       into the position of advisor/paternal figure for Sinclair. He also

								       would have continued to be more scientist than doctor.

								       Takashima would have been revealed as having been in on the Vorlon

								       assassination attempt by season's end, and would have betrayed

								       Garibaldi in the events in "Chrysalis," either giving him over to

								       those involved with the coup, or pulling the trigger herself.

								       While we would know this, our characters would not, for as much as

								       another full season.

								       Carolyn Sykes would've gotten into major trouble with one of the

								       major EarthCorps.

								       Finally, if Sinclair had stayed with B5 at this juncture, the

								       events in "Points" (the reveal of the Minbari surrender) would've

								       taken place in episode 3 instead of 1. Episode 1 would've

								       consisted mainly of the events in "Revelations," which was mainly

								       as a bystander to the events around him, since the sister aspect

								       specific to Sheridan obviously wouldn't be there. Basically, with

								       all the events surrounding Delenn, Londo, G'Kar and others, he

								       didn't have one whole hell of a lot to *DO* in the first six to

								       eight episodes, since that segment was set aside primarily to

								       introduce the Shadowman war and get that cranking, and Sinclair

								       had no real direct connection to that.


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								      [30]Last update: February 17, 1998


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