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

								   - [13]Notes - [14]JMS


								     _________________________________________________________________


								Overview


								     Franklin and Marcus try to convince the leaders of the resistance

								     to go along with Sheridan's plan to unseat Clark. Delenn

								     investigates a series of attacks on Minbari allies. Minbar begins

								     to slide toward civil war. [15]Marjorie Monaghan as Number One.

								     [16]Paolo Seganti as Phillipe. [17]G.W. Stevens as Forell.


								[18]P5 Rating: [19]8.30


								Production number: 411

								Original air week: April 28, 1997


								Written by J. Michael Straczynski

								Directed by John Flinn III


								     _________________________________________________________________


								Plot Points


								     * At least one race, the Drakh, made its home on Z'ha'dum during the

								       Shadows' tenure there. They evacuated before Z'ha'dum's

								       destruction and are in search of a new home and revenge against

								       the people who defeated their masters.

								     * Marcus and Franklin have convinced the resistance movement on

								       Earth and Mars to follow Sheridan's lead, and to refrain from

								       future terrorist attacks aimed at destabilizing Earth's

								       government.

								     * Ivanova is preparing for an additional job, as head of the "Voice

								       of the Resistance," an attempt to counter ISN by broadcasting

								       opposition views, as well as messages intended for the resistance

								       fighters themselves, to Mars and Earth.

								     * ISN, meanwhile, seems to be preparing Earth's citizenry for an

								       eventual assault on Babylon 5, building up public support for such

								       a move in advance.

								     * Sheridan was involved in the suppression of the food riots on Mars

								       after the Earth-Minbari War, for which he's resented by some Mars

								       residents.


								Unanswered Questions


								     * Are the Drakh the only survivors of Z'ha'dum? How many of them

								       remain?

								     * Are the Drakh the ones responsible for planting Keepers on the

								       Centauri Regent ([20]"Epiphanies") and Captain Jack ([21]"Racing

								       Mars")?

								     * Why did the Drakh emissary appear to shimmer? Do the Drakh have

								       access to the Shadows' invisibility technology?

								     * What does the warrior caste hope to gain by forcing the other

								       castes out of cities?


								Analysis


								     * Franklin has bought into Sheridan's cult of personality, though

								       it's not entirely clear why. His reaction to the skeptical

								       resistance leader is exactly the kind of thing Garibaldi

								       complained about in [22]"Racing Mars," and may be

								       counterproductive in that it makes Garibaldi's allegations all the

								       more credible.

								     * Phillipe bombed the Red Planet Hotel, which was where Franklin and

								       Marcus were staying. Was the appearance of the Earth security

								       forces there a coincidence, or were they after Franklin and

								       Marcus?

								     * Why does Sheridan think he has the power to promise Mars

								       independence after Clark is out of office? Does Sheridan plan to

								       assume the presidency himself? Or was that simply more

								       improvisation on Franklin's part? Presumably not; it's unlikely

								       Sheridan gave him the authority to make that kind of promise

								       without consultation.

								     * How will Sheridan break through Earth's jamming of outside

								       broadcasts? Franklin was able to get a message back to Babylon 5,

								       but presumably it's a thornier problem to try to broadcast

								       programming to all of Earth. Perhaps he'll enlist the help of

								       Draal; Epsilon 3 likely has the power to cut through whatever

								       interference Earth can muster. Delenn is unlikely to be able to

								       provide any Minbari assistance, considering what's going on on

								       Minbar, though the White Star fleet might be useful mobile

								       transmitters.

								     * If Number One indeed treats all her former lovers like she treated

								       Phillipe, Franklin may be in for a rough ride.

								     * In the first scene with Franklin, Number One rubbed her neck,

								       similar to Captain Jack before his Keeper was discovered

								       ([23]"Racing Mars.") Any significance, or just a stiff neck?

								     * The Drakh ships, especially the transport, looked more Vorlon in

								       design than Shadow. Have they looted the Vorlon homeworld as well,

								       or is it just a coincidence?

								     * The Drakh aren't the only race who worked for the Shadows, though

								       of course they might have been the only ones to escape with

								       technology from Z'ha'dum. Neither the surgeons and pilot in

								       [24]"Ship of Tears" nor the creature in [25]"The Long Dark" were

								       Drakh in appearance, though the latter arguably bore a resemblance

								       when it was shown briefly reflected in Mariah's tube.

								     * It's also possible the Drakh weren't allies of the Shadows at all;

								       the Vorlons may have similarly had minor races acting as aides,

								       and those aides would likely be just as upset as the Shadows'

								       about Sheridan and Delenn driving their masters away. Of course,

								       the statement that the Drakh had just lost their home would seem

								       to indicate that Delenn's supposition about their association with

								       the Shadows was correct; the Vorlon homeworld is probably still

								       intact.

								     * The Drakh may have some kind of group mind. At the very least,

								       they have a different notion of personal identity than most other

								       races. They appear to regard the name "Drakh" as both a collective

								       name and a personal one, and their emissary interrupted Forell

								       before he could utter Delenn's name, dismissing it as

								       "unimportant." On the other hand, they're familiar enough with the

								       notion of individual names to recognize Delenn's once it was

								       spoken.

								     * Delenn's reaction to the destruction of White Star 16, while

								       arguably justified, bore similarity to her reaction to the death

								       of Dukhat: ordering a relentless attack on those responsible. Of

								       course, this time she was in control of the situation and wasn't

								       enraged, but it's interesting in light of her earlier comment that

								       she wouldn't repeat the mistakes made during first contact with

								       humanity.

								     * Delenn commented to Sheridan that she felt humans could have been

								       Minbar's most dangerous enemy due to their ability to form

								       communities of diverse elements. This echoes her comment in

								       [26]"And Now For a Word," in which she said that the forming of

								       communities was one of humanity's greatest strengths.


								Notes


								     * Marcus said he was from Arisia Colony. That's a reference to the

								       Lensman series by E. E. "Doc" Smith.

								     * Sheridan referred to the Drakh as "wild cards." And in fact,

								       "Drakh" is "card" pronounced backwards.

								     * One of the Minbari seen reacting in fear from the Drakh emissary

								       is Dennis Michael, a CNN entertainment reporter and a big fan of

								       the series. He was also a Narn in [27]"Comes the Inquisitor."

								     * As the Drakh emissary entered the White Star's bridge, the lights

								       on the wall dimmed.

								     * The real reason the Drakh shimmered, according to special effects

								       technician Ken Busick, was that the costume didn't look convincing

								       enough. So to give the Drakh an otherworldly appearance, the scene

								       was digitally manipulated in postproduction.


								jms speaks


								     * _Why did Franklin send a video message?_

								       So they could see him and know by seeing him that he arrived

								       safely; a text message could be sent by *anyone* who could've

								       intercepted them.

								     * The issue of waste of bandwidth is not as big a deal to an

								       advanced technology (from today's standards); also, any really

								       good telepath could rip out those codes and keys in about 10

								       seconds. Further, they would've had a password to use (as in "the

								       board," which he used) to verify that he was all right and not

								       being forced to make the call.

								     * In that scenario, there is no such thing as ANY kind of secure

								       communication, which puts us pretty much back where we started.

								     * _About the Drakh ships_

								       I indicated a flower-like design. With the lethalness behind them,

								       it seemed like a nice contrast.

								     * _White Star 16 wasn't too tough._

								       Of course, you have no way of knowing how many previous hits it

								       took during the fight, and are assuming it only got two.

								     * _Why did Delenn run?_

								       As she states in the episode, they were at that time *surrounded*

								       and if they turned to fire, would get destroyed. Firepower doesn't

								       solve every problem; one good hand-held Lancet missile can put

								       down a full-sized cruiser if it hits right. They were in the

								       MIDDLE of the Drakh, just as they said, and that's NOT a

								       defensible position. They had to get away, outside that group, so

								       they could mount an offensive. This they did.


								   [33][Next]


								      [34]Last update: June 21, 1997


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