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The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5
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[1][ISMAP]-[2][Home]
### GUIDE ### [3][Background] [4][Synopsis] [5][Credits] [6][Episode
List] [7][Previous] [8][Next]
_Contents:_ [9]Overview - [10]Backplot - [11]Questions - [12]Analysis
- [13]Notes - [14]JMS
_________________________________________________________________
Overview
Sheridan is kidnapped and taken to an alien ship. The Grey Council
decides Delenn's fate. General Hague makes an unofficial visit to
the station. [15]Robert Foxworth as General Hague. [16]Marshall
Teague as the Narn.
Sub-genre: Action/intrigue
[17]P5 Rating: [18]8.33
Production number: 211
Original air date: February 15, 1995
Written by J. Michael Straczynski
Directed by Mario DiLeo
Watch For
* A momentary change of clothes.
_________________________________________________________________
Backplot
* The Minbari have installed a new leader.
* Sheridan's appointment to Babylon 5 was more than a coincidence.
He was picked by Santiago, who knew that his record made him look
like a hard-nosed military man, just the sort Santiago suspected
Clark would want to replace Sinclair with. But Santiago also knew
that Sheridan was a patriot who would stand against the forces
seeking to undermine the Earth government. In his first months on
the station, Sheridan's real assignment was to evaluate the crew,
find out who could be trusted.
* General Hague, and others, are working to expose the machinations
behind Santiago's death and other recent events. They suspect the
Psi-Corps is behind the conspiracy, but so far have been unable to
prove anything.
* Alit Neroon (head of the Star Riders clan, cf. [19]"Legacies") has
replaced Delenn on the Grey Council.
Unanswered Questions
* Sheridan's dream is a big unanswered question, lent weight by
Kosh's comment after Sheridan's return. See [20]Analysis.
* Why was Neroon appointed to the Council?
* What does Delenn think is about to happen? Why does she believe
she is about to descend into darkness and fire?
* Is the foray by the Streibs related to what the Shadows are doing,
or is it just coincidental timing?
* How did the Narn know so much about the Streibs and their ship?
* What was done to Sheridan? He was left with three scars on his
face, one of them on his forehead. Might he be carrying an implant
of some sort now?
Analysis
* Neroon's appointment to the council is troublesome. Presumably new
members are approved by majority vote. The three warrior-caste
members probably voted for him; that means one or two of the
remaining five members must have voted for him as well, probably
from the worker caste. Valen's wishes seem to be held in less than
the highest regard by some Minbari.
* With four members, the warrior caste now effectively controls the
Grey Council. On any issue they need only win over one other
member to have a majority. It is unclear how far the Council's
power extends now that a new leader has been installed, and that
leader conceivably sides with the religious caste, but it looks
like hard times have arrived for Delenn's compatriots.
* That being the case, how does this mesh with Sinclair's gathering
of rangers? (cf. [21]"The Coming of Shadows") Some of them,
recall, are Minbari. Are they primarily religious caste? Is there
enough difference of opinion within the warrior caste about humans
that he's able to attract warriors?
* We never actually hear Sheridan's answer to Hague, though it is
probably "yes." If it isn't, Sheridan's meeting with the rest of
the command staff may be a ruse to draw Hague's people out into
the open -- on the assumption that Hague will try to work via one
of the others -- and expose the counterconspiracy. Sheridan's
possible link with Psi-Corps (see below and [22]"A Race Through
Dark Places") makes this at least a plausible scenario, if an
unlikely one.
* There's more to the dream sequence than is apparent at first
glance, and it's chock full of ambiguities. A shot-by-shot rundown
with analysis (another, simpler, possible interpretation follows
the rundown):
1. _Sheridan is in his quarters, in uniform. The lights are out.
_ 2. _Ivanova is in the quarters with him, in uniform, hair
draped over her left shoulder. The door is open. She raises
her fingers to her lips and says, "Shh." _
_Analysis:_ Someone or something has entered Sheridan's mind
to give him a message, and is warning him to watch and
listen, not try to participate. The "something" might also
simply be part of Sheridan's own subconscious. This probably
relates to Kosh's answer to Sheridan's first question.
3. _Sheridan looks confused._
4. _Ivanova, now with a raven perched on her right shoulder,
says, "Do you know who I am?" _
_Analysis:_ The raven is typically symbolic of death; Ivanova
may represent destruction, perhaps eventually siding with the
forces of darkness. In older literature, the raven was often
a thief, rather than a harbinger of death.
5. _Sheridan looks to his right, and finds himself in a Babylon
5 corridor. He looks up. _
6. _On a catwalk, in harsh lighting, gripping the railing, is
another Sheridan. He looks to his right. _
_Analysis:_ It's unclear what kind of uniform the Sheridan on
the catwalk is wearing; possibly a Psi-Cop uniform. The angle
of the shot is similar to Sinclair's first view of Knight Two
in [23]"And the Sky Full of Stars." This Sheridan perhaps
represents another side of Sheridan's personality (more on
that below.)
7. [INLINE] _Garibaldi, also apparently on the catwalk, is in
uniform and has a dove(?) on his left shoulder. "The man in
between is searching for you," he says. _
_Analysis:_ "The man in between" may refer to the Sheridan on
the catwalk, a part of Sheridan that isn't sure which side it
should be on. Of course, it could be a reference to someone
else entirely: someone between light and darkness, for
instance. (Sinclair?) As for Garibaldi's dove, the dove is
traditionally a symbol of peace, perhaps implying that
Garibaldi will work to stop the Great War. [24]"Babylon
Squared" strongly suggests that Garibaldi will ally himself
with the side of light.
8. _Ivanova, in a veil and black dress, is standing behind
Sheridan, who is now wearing a turtleneck and a jacket. _
_Analysis:_ This funereal garb lends some weight to the idea
that Ivanova represents death. (It really is Ivanova, though
some readers have disagreed; see [25]jms speaks.)
9. [INLINE] _As he turns, we get a brief glimpse of a metal pin
on the left breast of his jacket: a Psi-Corps badge. And in
fact, his jacket appears to be the uniform of a Psi-Cop, with
the leather strap down the right side in front. _
_Analysis:_ Sheridan's change of clothes is perhaps the most
ominous part of the entire sequence. Combined with Bester's
comment in [26]"A Race Through Dark Places" that he was told
to expect Sheridan to be sympathetic to the Psi-Corps, it
suggests some yet-to-be-revealed connection between Sheridan
and the Corps, something that may cause a conflict of
interest as he works with Hague's people.
10. _Ivanova, still veiled, says, "You are the hand." _
_Analysis:_ Hands abound in Babylon 5, from Kosh's hand in
[27]"The Gathering" to Londo's dream hand in [28]"The Coming
of Shadows." Presumably Ivanova isn't referring to Kosh's
hand. If she is referring to the hand from Londo's dream, it
suggests that Sheridan will become a pawn in Londo's
machinations; recall Elric's comment in [29]"The Geometry of
Shadows" -- the hand reaching out across the stars is
Londo's. Alternately, if Sheridan's Psi-Cop uniform is taken
to mean that he's symbolic of Psi-Corps as a whole, perhaps
she means that Psi-Corps, not Sheridan, is the hand. Or, more
sinister, that Sheridan is unknowingly acting on behalf of
the Psi-Corps, perhaps as the result of some mental
conditioning (which would explain Bester's comment at the end
of [30]"A Race Through Dark Places.")
11. _Kosh is standing behind Sheridan in the corridor; Sheridan
is back in his normal uniform. Sheridan starts to turn toward
him. _
12. _In what seems like a simple switch of camera angles,
Sheridan now appears to be sitting down in front of a backlit
wall with an organic look not unlike that of the Streib
ship's interior. "Why are you here?" he asks. _
_Analysis:_ The change of scenery suggests that "here" refers
to a different place or time or context than the rest of the
sequence. Perhaps the question means, "Why are the Vorlons
involving themselves with the other races?" Of course, it
could mean what it looks like: "Why are you in my dream?"
13. _"We were never away," Kosh answers from the corridor. "For
the first time your mind is quiet enough to hear me." _
_Analysis:_ Depending on the meaning of Sheridan's question,
the answer says different things. If the former refers to the
Vorlons in general, the answer can be taken to mean, "We've
only just allowed you to notice us." The second part of the
answer suggests that Sheridan's question refers to the dream,
though. See below for a possible explanation of this question
and the rest of the dream. Also note that Kosh uses both "we"
and "me" -- see [31]jms speaks.
14. _Sheridan is back in the corridor, standing. "Why am I here?"
he asks, in a tone that makes the question sound unconnected
to the previous one. _
_Analysis:_ Again, it's unclear what "here" means. Babylon 5?
The dream? His circumstances?
15. _"You have always been here," answers Kosh. _
_Analysis:_ Kosh's repetition of this statement after
Sheridan's return may mean it is very important; or perhaps
Kosh was indirectly telling Sheridan that the dream wasn't a
simple construct of his subconscious. (Of course, Kosh might
have read Sheridan's mind outside medlab and pulled the line
from Sheridan's memory of the dream.) As for the meaning of
the line itself, only time will tell. "You" might refer to
Sheridan himself, or to some group (e.g. the human race) of
which Sheridan is a part.
* Another way of looking at the dream sequence, more metaphysical,
is that Sheridan entered a psychic continuum, an astral plane, for
lack of a better term. That makes many of the comments less
ambiguous:
+ "We were never away. For the first time your mind is quiet
enough to hear me." This is the first time Sheridan has been
in a mental state to consciously recognize the plane; Kosh
and everyone else have always been there to some degree.
+ "You have always been here." Sheridan has always had some
presence in this psychic world; he just hasn't been able to
consciously recognize it.
+ "The man in between" refers to someone between the physical
and spiritual worlds. Perhaps the Sheridan in the sequence is
Sheridan's spiritual side, and "the man in between" is
Sheridan, searching for his higher soul.
+ Ivanova and Garibaldi, as shown in the sequence, are either
the projections into this other world of the real people, or
are abstractions for something else (darkness and light?)
+ Sheridan's Psi-Cop uniform may mean that the Corps plays a
part in bridging the physical and astral worlds.
Notes
* The Streibs are probably a reference to Whitley Strieber, whose
popular book "Communion" dealt with alien abduction.
* Effects glitch: When Ramirez' damaged Starfury jumps back to
normal space, the vortex is orange, not blue as it normally is
when a ship is arriving.
* Marshall Teague, the Narn, also played Nelson Drake, the assistant
turned living weapon, in [32]"Infection."
* Ravens and doves, from the King James Bible:
+ And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah
opened the window of the ark which he had made; and he sent
forth a raven, which went forth to and fro, until the waters
were dried up from off the earth. Also he sent forth a dove
from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face
of the ground; but the dove found no rest for the sole of her
foot, and she returned unto him into the ark, for the waters
were on the face of the whole earth; and then he put forth
his hand, and took her, and pulled her in unto him into the
ark. And he stayed yet another seven days, and again he sent
forth the dove out of the ark; and the dove came in to him in
the evening; and lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf pluckt
off; so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the
earth. And he stayed yet another seven days, and sent forth
the dove, which returned not again unto him any more.
--Genesis 8:6-12
+ And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of
Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the Lord God of Israel liveth,
before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these
years, but according to my word. And the word of the Lord
came unto him, saying, Get thee hence, and turn thee
eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is
before Jordan. And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the
brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.
So he went and did according to the word of the Lord; for he
went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.
And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning,
and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the
brook. --1 Kings 17:1-6
* Some raven references in various other mythologies:
+ Hugin and Munin: Odin's two ravens (thought and memory)
+ Kurkil: Mongol creator god who flew to create the Earth and
mankind
+ Mictla or Mictlantecuhtli: Aztec god who rules the underworld
+ Moragga: Celtic. The incarnation of the Goddess as war.
+ Raven: Amerindian creator and trickster god. Created all
living creatures out of wood and clay. Similar to Coyote.
+ Yangwu: Chinese. The sun-crow.
+ Yetl: Amerindian. The thunder-raven who dragged the flooded
earth above the water.
+ In Japanese culture, the dove symbolizes war because doves
were used as messengers during battles.
jms speaks
* One episode will look very much unconnected to the arc until the
last five minutes, at which point there's a revelation that will
likely astonish some and confirm suspcions for some other viewers.
* Streibs, actually. Similar to, but not quite the same as the
[33]Grail bunch.
* Delenn's flyer is called Zhalen.
* [34]Re: we/I... yes, it's interesting, isn't it? You'd almost
think it was contradictory or something.
* And of course there's the story of the man who dreamed he was a
butterfly, and when he awoke, wondered if he was actually a human
who dreamed he had been a butterfly, or a butterfly who was
dreaming he was a human....
* _Who was the woman in the veil?_
It's Ivanova.
* In a way, there are several Sheridans in that dream, signifying
changes currently in the works, changes yet to come, messages
forthcoming or unrecognized. It's a very reflective dream, which
will grow clearer the deeper one gets into the show.
* Certainly there are some archetypes that always creep into a work
of this sort; for all we all not Jung at heart...?
* You'll see at least one piece of Sheridan's vision decoded before
season's end.
* Remember, Kosh was the one who sent those images into Sheridan's
brain, not anybody else; he was communicating useful information
that may come up down the road, but in rather symbological form.
* Yes, Sheridan was speaking in the Drazi's native language, trying
(without success) to get through; they're a cranky species to
start with, and this didn't help.
* Sheridan learned a smattering of various languages while on patrol
on the Agamemnon.
* During the Minbari war, the Narns were selling us weapons, so
Sheridan and other Earthforce captains had to learn at least a
smattering of Narnish for purposes of negotiations.
* The aliens from Grail are similar to, and distant relatives of,
the streibs, but not the same, no. A closer shot would've revealed
red slitted eyes instead of the black eyes of the one in Grail.
* Pledging oneself to someone's side is not common, and carries
great significance. From that point onward, you are bound to that
person until your death, and you must defend that person at the
cost of your own life.
* Some tie-ins...remember Sheridan in "A Distant Star" saying that
he was feeling beached, abandoned? His unsureness in taking on
this post, what if it was a mistake? A number of his actions come
into a clearer light once you know he was in essence checking them
all out, and putting on a hard "I'm a nice guy" attitude.
* _Wasn't attacking the Streibs an act of war?_
The Streib saw an alliance between Earth and Minbar at that
moment, which is the LAST thing they wanted to go up against.
Also, you don't go to war at the drop of a hat just because
somebody sinks or shoots down one of your ships. This is one of
the cliches in storytelling. And what the Streibs were doing was
totally unjustifiable in any event. Do you gear up for the massive
hassle of total war -- supply lines, fleets, all the rest --
because of this incident? Remember, the purpose of the ship was to
find races weak enough for them to attack with impunity; they
don't want to go up against a force that can strike back.
* I doubt we'll be seeing these guys again for a long time, if ever.
So I don't consider them on the level of certain shadows or stuff.
They came, they grabbed, we whomped.
* By the way, in addition to the re-appearance of Neroon, you may
have noticed that the first Grey Council member Delenn addresses
is the same one we saw in "Points of Departure."
* Membership in the Grey Council is usually for life; a person can
choose to leave but only under truly extraordinary circumstances
(kind of like being appointed to the Supreme Court). In Delenn's
case, though, remember that she didn't quit, she was booted out.
* Sheridan and the other fighters flew at a slight angle right past
the window in C&C. I don't see where the problem is in this. The
window wasn't used as a monitor, it was used as a window. The
starfuries came out of the cobra bays as the station rotated them
planet-side, they banked, and headed toward the gate, passing C&C.
* Ejecting would not have purchased Ramirez's life because when the
system came back on line with its analysis, it announced that the
radiation was "already at terminal levels." From the instant he
heard that, he was a dead man waiting to stop moving. He could've
sent the ship back, risking a faulty autopilot...and might've died
for nothing if it encountered the *slightest* glitch en route.
* One of the themes in this show is how you face life...and how you
face death. Ramirez faced his honorably. In the end, honor and
dignity are all we have left.
* If you trust Sheridan, there's no need for a lengthy report; plus,
a written report, no matter how well encrypted, can be broken or
fall into the wrong hands. The best record of a secret meeting
that could get you fired or killed is no record at ALL.
* Re: Kosh's voice carrying some emotion...starting at about "All
Alone in the Night," or maybe one before (memory fades), I took on
the job of directing the voice sessions for Kosh. He was moving
from a neutral delivery to things that had to carry specific
emotions and implications for the future, and nobody else knows
what all this stuff means, so it fell to me.
* Also, I noted somewhere in a preview for upcoming episodes, among
the things coming, "conspiracies of light as well as dark."
Perhaps that is now clearer.
[40][Next]
[41]Last update: May 26, 1997
References
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