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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's forces make their final strike. Marcus weighs a vital
decision. [15]J. Patrick McCormack as General Lefcourt.
[16]Marjorie Monaghan as Number One. [17]Carolyn Seymour as Senator
Crosby.
[18]P5 Rating: [19]9.27
Production number: 420
Original air week: October 13, 1997
Written by J. Michael Straczynski
Directed by John Copeland
_Warning: This episode resolves several major plot threads. Think
twice before reading on if you haven't seen the episode._
_________________________________________________________________
Plot Points
* Sheridan's plan for the frozen telepaths ([20]"Ship of Tears") was
to smuggle them onto as many Earth warships as possible and
activate them. The telepaths would wake up and merge with the
ships' computer systems, making the ships unable to maneuver or
attack and thus removing the need for Sheridan's forces to destroy
them. The plan succeeded in disabling the better part of the Earth
fleet at the Mars colony.
* Sheridan's forces have arrived at Earth, prompting President Clark
to commit suicide rather than face capture or trial. A member of
the Earth Senate, apparently friendly to Sheridan, has at least
temporarily filled in the power vacuum.
* Marcus has used the alien healing machine ([21]"The Quality of
Mercy") to give his life to Ivanova, apparently dying in the
process.
Unanswered Questions
* What happened to the telepaths on the destroyers?
* Was Bester's lover Carolyn ([22]"Ship of Tears") among the
telepaths used against the destroyers? Did she survive?
* What was meant by "The ascension of the ordinary man" on Clark's
suicide note? (See [23]Analysis)
* Did Clark have a vice president? Will he or she become the new
head of the Earth Alliance, and if so, will Earth continue the
policies of the Clark administration?
Analysis
* When General Lefcourt addressed the fleet at Mars, he didn't
bother repeating Clark's propaganda about Sheridan's forces being
under alien influence. That could be a sign that few people in
Earthforce really believed it anyway, so there was little point
maintaining the pretext. Or it could have been a result of his
knowledge of Sheridan; that might lead him to believe that
Sheridan would take up arms against Clark of his own free will.
* Both Sheridan and Lefcourt were in charge of Omega-class
destroyers, and they both displaced the destroyers' usual
captains.
* The device Franklin placed on Lyta was most likely the one he
mentioned developing in [24]"The Exercise of Vital Powers." He
claimed to be working on a repeater to help broadcast her thought
patterns.
* The formation of the assault team on Mars was planned oddly; all
the top-ranking people were together in a single group (Garibaldi,
Number One, Lyta, and Franklin,) which would have been disastrous
if they'd failed to take over the outpost. However, it's not an
arrangement without merit: Franklin and Lyta obviously had to be
together for him to hook her up to the device, and Number One
probably wanted to keep an eye on both Garibaldi and Lyta.
* After her bad treatment at the hands of Sheridan and company,
treatment which forced her to reassociate herself with the Psi
Corps ([25]"The Exercise of Vital Powers,") Lyta was surprisingly
willing to put herself on the line yet again. Has her arrangement
with Bester made her comfortable enough to set aside her past
annoyance with Sheridan and the B5 crew, or does she simply
believe so strongly in the cause that she's willing to disregard
personal considerations?
* Marcus viewed several log entries from Franklin. The first
referred to the death of Cailyn, Franklin's lover in
[26]"Walkabout."
The second might have referred to Marcus' recovery from his fight
with Neroon in [27]"Grey 17 Is Missing," although at that time
Franklin was on walkabout and thus couldn't have recorded the log
entry -- a possible gaffe. It couldn't have referred to any event
before [28]"Ceremonies of Light and Dark," since Franklin was
wearing his Army of Light uniform.
The third, of course, was in reference to the use of the alien
healing machine on Garibaldi in [29]"Revelations." Franklin's
flashback recounted [30]"Revelations" as well.
These log entries paralleled Marcus' own dilemma. The first dealt
with the death of a woman Franklin cared about. The second
(assuming it truly referred to [31]"Grey 17 Is Missing") was the
last time Marcus was willing to give up his life for a woman he
cared for, namely Delenn. And the third message was a warning
about the consequences of what Marcus was contemplating.
* The phrase on Clark's suicide note ("The ascension of the ordinary
man") is a cipher, but it might have some discernable meaning. The
theme of death leading to ascension is common in religion; perhaps
the "ordinary man" referred to the innocent civilians who'd be
killed by the defense platforms, and Clark believed they'd ascend
to heaven.
There's also an echo of Cartagia's belief that his involvement
with the Shadows would allow him to ascend to godhood; though
Cartagia's belief was rooted in Centauri religion (other emperors
had been elevated to godhood, as noted by Vir in [32]"Chrysalis")
it's possible Clark believed the same was true of himself.
It's also possible that "ordinary" referred to non-telepaths: by
scouring Earth's surface, a mundane was determining the fate of
his evolutionary superiors, thus ascending above them.
* How did the Senator know so quickly what Clark had done, and how
much damage the particle beams could cause Earth? One possible
answer to the second question is that the potential danger to
Earth might have been discussed in the Senate, for example while
debating funding of the defense platforms. And perhaps the control
panels on Clark's desk made it obvious that he'd turned the
defense platforms against Earth, though the implication is that
she guessed his plan simply from the words "scorched earth."
* It's odd that the Agamemnon was the only ship available to destroy
the last defense platform, since only moments earlier it was in
the midst of a swarm of other friendly vessels. Obviously this was
a matter of artistic license, but why couldn't one of the Minbari
cruisers, for example, have fired a beam weapon at the platform
from a distance?
* Now that Sheridan's forces have removed Earth's defenses to a
large extent -- the orbital platforms are all gone, many ships
have been destroyed, and the advanced destroyer group is no more
-- an aggressive alien government, perhaps the Drakh ([33]"Lines
of Communication") might consider this an ideal time to try to
attack Earth or some of its colonies. Sheridan may have to station
some of the White Star fleet and/or the League ships at Earth to
help make up for the damage his campaign has done and ensure
Earth's security.
* On the other hand, after Earth has had a chance to build up its
forces again, it may be far in advance of the rest of the galaxy,
even the Minbari. Assuming Sheridan relinquishes command of his
fleet to Earthgov now that Clark is out of the picture, Earth will
have both Vorlon and Shadow technology at its disposal. Given that
some progress has obviously been made in integrating Shadow
technology into Earth's ([34]"Between the Darkness and the Light")
it's not implausible that the Vorlon technology in the White Stars
-- not to mention their Minbari components -- could be analyzed by
the same researchers. Will the Minbari stand for that if it's
attempted? How much do they value their current technological edge
over the other major races?
* [35]The parallel between Greek myth and Sheridan's command of the
Agamemnon has further resonance here, especially the variant in
which Agamemnon's daughter Iphigenia is saved from death by
Artemis. Marcus, a self-described virgin ([36]"The Summoning") has
brought Ivanova back from the dead (assuming the alien device does
in fact successfully revive her.) What parallel, if any, there
will be with the rest of the myth -- Iphigenia living the rest of
her life in a distant temple, far from her family -- remains to be
seen.
Notes
* The design of the rocket launching from Mars just before and after
the opening credits may be a visual homage to the [37]DC-X, a
prototype of a reusable lightweight space vehicle. DC-X performed
eight test flights between 1993 and 1995.
* Effects glitch: One of the destroyers attacked by the White Stars
at Mars was the Nemesis. Unfortunately, the Nemesis defected to
Sheridan's side in [38]"No Surrender, No Retreat." Of course, it
could have been one of the fake defectors ([39]"Between the
Darkness and the Light") and gone back to Clark's side after
gathering information about the rebel fleet.
* Effects glitch: When the fleet first approaches Earth, it's
daytime in east Africa, Asia, and the Indian Ocean. But when the
Agamemnon is about to ram the defense platform, North America is
in sunlight.
* Clark's suicide and note are similar to a scene in the film "Dr.
Strangelove." In the movie, a base commander launches a nuclear
strike against the Soviet Union. As troops try to break in to
capture him and get the abort code, he shoots himself. They
discover on his desk a sheet of paper with mad ramblings and a
number of circled letters.
And of course, many real despots in history have committed suicide
rather than be captured by the enemy, such as Adolf Hitler.
jms speaks
* _The episode seemed rushed._
Okay, one general response here...people are seeing rush where in
many cases there is NOT a rush. Look, pay attention here: WE'RE IN
THE FOURTH ACT OF THE EARTH CYCLE. Like the fourth act of an
episode, you have to really start cranking. You want it to be at
white-heat once you hit the ground.
What's in Endgame, and most of Between... was always going to be
there, with or without a 5th season. I made my trims in the period
PRIOR TO these episodes, for the most part.
This is the culmination of something we've been building now for
three years, and I'm going to make it as damned fast-paced as I
can.
So don't go into this assuming it was rushed...it's *fast*, and
that's the difference here.
People complain when we do character stories that the arc isn't
moving fast enough...people complain that it's moving too fast
when the arc is in full gear...sombody get a concensus going here,
okay?
* _How did you fit so much into one hour?_
It's one of those things I don't know if I can explain adequately,
or sensibly. A lot of it is totally instinctive, I don't sit down
and think about it, I just do it. But to dissect...part of it is
the intensity of the scenes, I think. Strong emotion extends time,
stretches it; if you've ever been in a major traumatic situation,
a few minutes can seem like hours. The more you can put your
character into a situation of intense emotions, and create those
same emotions in the viewer, you will in effect slow down
perceived time. Also, there's the matter of context here. If
you've set something up in prior episodes, in something like
"Endgame" there's no set-up which means exposition and chews up
time; you go right for the high point in the story bell-curve, and
you stay there. So the part you're used to seeing take only a few
minutes at the end of an episode becomes almost the entirety of
the episode; same result.
* _What is Earth Standard Time? GMT?_
Yes, EST = GMT.
And this episode wasn't rushed; it's what you do when you're
bringing any story to its climax. It's like watching Aliens, going
away before the last 20 minutes, coming back and saying, "Well, it
moved awfully fast." It has to, you're in the big moment. No,
there isn't time for everything, there is NEVER time for
everything, there's always stuff we might want to see...but what's
in Endgame is what was always going to be in Endgame. If I'd known
there would be a 5th season at the time, I still would've written
it exactly the way it was written.
The collapsing was done for the most part *long* before we ever
got to this part of the season.
It's just fast because that's what you need to do at this point.
* A hideous amount of rendering power and time went into that
episode, and the result is all there on-screen. The only bigger
CGI feast is in the prequel, which is approximately 21% EFX, most
of it pure CGI and composites.
* _The Mars surface effects looked different._
Actually, most of the prior mars shots were done by an outside
contractor, who's been doing such shots for the history of the
show. NDEI's boys wanted a chance to do them, and did so.
They're not bad...we still need to improve a bit on the movements,
and the camera still moves a bit too fast, which gives it that
computer-y feel...but overall, not bad.
_How long did those shots take to render?_
Quite a lot, I understand.
* _Has Mars' air pressure been increased so pressure suits are no
longer needed?_
My feeling is that there's been some small terraforming, which has
helped a little, but there's still a long way to go.
* One thing we've noted is that there's been some minor terraforming
on Mars over the 175 or so years we've been there. It's still a
hostile climate, but not as bad as it is right now.
* _Shouldn't moving around the surface of Mars look odd due to its
lower gravity? Or has its gravity been increased somehow?_
No, there was no change to the gravity...what should we see to
show that the gravity was still less? Someone like Garibaldi is
still going to weight about 75 pounds, so he's not about to go
around floating or bouncing, that's pretty solid. I don't see many
13-year-olds walking around like they're on the moon....
* "If you had time to spare in the episode (ho ho), you might have
suggested the different ratio of inertial mass to weight by having
character's feet skid out from under them when stopping, bouncing
off walls while turning corners, overbalancing on turns, or
catching things they had dropped two seconds after dropping them.
Maybe tossing a CGI grenade."
Except, of course, this would've looked awfully silly on camera.
BTW, remember that Number One and Garibaldi, as well as Lyta, have
experience with living on Mars, so they would automatically
compensate.
* _Wouldn't the ship's quartermaster notice a frozen telepath
arriving?_
In something like this, you don't move unless you have the main
quartermaster at the Mars base ON YOUR SIDE. You stuff it all into
cargo loaders and crates, and ship it up. Have you ever seen
military shipments? I looked into this, and security for big
crates like this is done *at the point of shipping*.
* "What was needed was at least talk of a major Mars resistance
attack occuring at the same time to draw off the security."
There was. Go back to the scene on the Apollo when the first word
of attacks comes in...it says specifically that they're hitting a
number of places *including* a White Star hitting that particular
base.
* _How did Marcus contact B5 through the jammers?_
Because Marcus sent the signal to B5 before the fleet jumped into
hyperspace, leaving Mars, toward Earth. We in hyperspace for the
result, the search being concluded based on what was downloaded.
* _Why didn't Sheridan send another ship after Marcus?_
You don't send a ship away to chase one person when you're going
into a battle. You don't KNOW what ships you are and aren't going
to need. In theory you took everything you had because you thought
you needed it. Yeah, Marcus was a friend, but a lot of friends
would die this day. You think he would put Marcus's situation
ahead of the fleet? Isolate one ship and risk it to go after him?
Ever been in the military? You talk about it, but what you propose
doesn't make sense. Would Patton have sent back a tank because
somebody fell behind? No.
* _Garibaldi's betrayal didn't have any lasting consequences._
You're right in terms of what Garibaldi did and didn't do, and
we've avoided the ultimate repercussions in other places for other
things (he said vaguely, not wanting to post spoilers)...but you
can only do that so far, and if you go further you start cheating.
You also remove the dramatic impact of the actions of your
characters if they do not have consequences.
_Why did Marcus have to do what he did?_
In this case, it ties very much into this character's
background...and would, in another universe in which CC decided to
stay, have spun out into some rather interesting developments.
* "Well, unless its a coincidence, the "circled doodled message left
by madman after he commits suicide" is VERY similar to what
happens in Dr. Strangelove. Again, maybe its JMS's homage to
Kubrick (like the "2001" style spacesuit that appeared in a second
or third season episode, I forget which, of B5)."
Just to clarify this....
Re: the note...the script as written calls only for the finding of
a note with the words "scorched earth" on it. It was John
Copeland's idea to do the note as shown, and yes, he's said quite
openly over on AOL that it was his nod to Strangelove. (John
directed that episode.)
Re: the suit...that wasn't an intentional 2001 nod...we went to
Modern Props to get a space suit for Babylon Squared, and the only
one they had on hand that would work for us was one left-over from
2010, which I asked the folks in costume to change as much as
possible...though it was pretty much what it was regardless. So
that one wasn't intentional.
* _What did Sheridan mean by "ramming speed?"_
You are in a space ship, in a vacuum, heading toward target X. You
understand that it takes time to transfer energy and movement
toward another plane, so you go at X-speed toward that object if
you want the option of applying thrusters and angling away from
the object before you slam into it.
If, on the other hand, you *want* to hit the object, and you have
no interest in holding back your thrusters to allow you to diverge
from the target in the amount of space remaining between you and
it, you proceed at Y speed, with your thrusters putting out their
maximum amount of fuel.
Y = ramming speed.
* "...the symmetry and symbolism in how you structured that final
battle. The story of Babylon 5 basically started with the Minbari
fleet coming to Earth to destroy it at the Battle of the Line. To
have the Minbari fleet return to Earth, not to destroy humanity,
but to save it, especially along side Earth fighters and capital
ships was stunning."
Noticed that little touch, did you....?
What goes around, comes around.
* _How did the Apollo monitor Sheridan's situation if communications
were being jammed?_
The jammers are set up to cut off communication OUTSIDE MARS
ORBIT. That's what was said, that the jammers cut in once they
were past Mars (for security purposes). The same thing was said in
Lines Of..., where Franklin was having a hard time getting word to
B5 *past the Mars jammers*. Further, if all communications were
cut off in Hyperspace, inside Mars orbit, then you couldn't have
had ship-to-ship communications to tell Sheridan ABOUT Marcus,
could you?
* Lefcourt does not think that his job is to set policy or overthrow
presidents. The military executes orders that emanate from the
head of the government, through the chain of command. Once that
chain of command was changed, the orders were no longer valid.
* _Why wasn't Clark allowed to present his point of view, even at
the end?_
I tried to do it through his lieutenants and plenepotentiaries
(hope I spelled that right, I'm too tired to get the dictionary
down). ISN gives you his point of view, ditto for Nightwatch,
MiniPax, others. I think if I had him just saying it out loud, it
would diminish him much the way that repeated exposure to the
shadow vessels gradually removed their mystery and menace. Less is
more.
* _About the return of the old ISN anchor_
"I've been thinking about the rapidity of her return to ISN. I
agree that there wasn't time to break her out of prison and get
her old dressing room back for the morning news"
When the Soviet Union fell, and the prison doors were thrown open,
a number of reporters who had fallen out of favor with the Party
and were sitting in cells walked out, went across the street, and
went on the air within a matter of hours.
Humans are resilient and determined sorts.
[45][Next]
[46]Last update: January 8, 1998
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