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<h2><a name="OV">Overview</a></h2>
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<blockquote><cite>
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Talia's old Psi Corps instructor, the victim of a secret experiment, is the
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target of a manhunt involving the Psi-Cops. Catherine wants to survey a
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promising planet for possible mining, but G'Kar warns her to stay away.
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</cite>
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<a href="http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Koenig,+Walter">Walter Koenig</a> as Bester.
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<a href="http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Waterman,+Felicity">Felicity Waterman</a> as Kelsey.
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<a href="http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Young,+William+Allen">William Allen Young</a> as Jason Ironheart.
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</blockquote>
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<pre>
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<a href="/lurk/p5/intro.html">P5 Rating</a>: <a href="/lurk/p5/006">8.44</a>
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Production number: 110
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Original air date: March 2, 1994
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00006HAZ4/thelurkersguidet">DVD release date</a>: November 5, 2002
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Written by J. Michael Straczynski
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Directed by Bruce Seth Green
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</pre>
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<h3>Watch For:</h3>
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<ul>
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<li> A peculiar <a href="#NO.13">salute.</a>
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</ul>
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<p>
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<hr size=3>
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<p>
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<H2><A NAME="BP">Backplot</A></H2>
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<ul>
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<li> <A NAME="BP.1">Jason Ironheart</A> was Talia's instructor and lover
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at the Psi Corps Training Academy. After she graduated and went
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into commercial telepathy, they kept in touch by letter - until a
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year ago when his letters stopped. As Ironheart recounts, he
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volunteered to undergo genetic and biochemical modification he
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thought was intended to make him a stronger telepath. The
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experiment turned out to be an attempt to make him
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<A HREF="#AN.a">a stable telekinetic</A>, and it after many months
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and hundreds of injections it worked - stunningly! Ironheart
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became able to see through any mind like glass, and manipulate
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matter and energy both. He discovered then that those in charge
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were after offensive military applications for TK, like secret
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assassination. So, he killed the head researcher (the only person
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who could duplicate the work) and fled to Babylon 5, still
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undergoing changes to his mind and body.
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<li> <A NAME="BP.2">What is it like to be a telepath?</A><br>
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<B>Talia:</B> "It's like staying in a hotel room where you can just
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hear the people talking next door. You can try and shut it out,
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but it's always there. The key is not to eavesdrop unless you're
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invited... casual thoughts are very easy to block, but strong
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emotions have a way of slipping through."<br>
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"Do you know what it's like when telepaths make love, commander?
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You drop every defense, and it's all mirrors, reflecting each
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others' feelings, deeper and deeper, until somewhere along the line
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your souls mix, and it's a feeling so profound it makes you hurt.
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It's the only moment in a telepath's life when you no longer hear
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the voices."
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<li> <A NAME="BP.3"><B>Ironheart:</B></A> "We all thought Psi Corps was
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controlled by the government, but that's changing. The Corps is
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starting to pull the strings behind the scenes; they're more
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powerful than you could begin to imagine. Telepaths make the
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ultimate blackmailers..."<br>
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"The Psi Corps is dedicated to one thing: control. Control over
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telepaths, the economy, the courts, over matter, over thought
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itself."<br>
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A
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<a href="006.ironheart.html">transcript</a>
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of Ironheart's meeting with Sinclair is available.
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</ul>
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<H2><A NAME="UQ">Unanswered Questions</A></H2>
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<ul>
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<li> <A NAME="UQ.1">How much of what Ironheart said was true?</A> He
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<EM>was</EM> mentally unstable, to say the least. He was also very
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motivated to gather fast allies.
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<li> <A NAME="UQ.2"><B>G'Kar</B> (to Catherine):</A> "Let me pass on to
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you the one thing I've learned about this place. No-one here is
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exactly what he appears. Not Mollari, not Delenn, not Sinclair.
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And not me." What does G'Kar know that we don't?
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(cf <A HREF="008.html">"And The Sky Full Of Stars"</A> [Delenn,
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Sinclair], <A HREF="012.html">"By Any Means Necessary"</A> [G'Kar])
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<li> <A NAME="UQ.3">Just before he departs, <B>Ironheart</B> says to
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Talia:</A> "In memory of love, I give you a gift, the only gift I
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have left to give." The gift, as she soon discovers, was
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at least the beginnings of telekinesis. What manner of telepath
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has she become?
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<li> <A NAME="UQ.4">What did Ironheart mean by his final words to
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Sinclair?</A> "Good-bye commander. I will see you again, in a
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million years."
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</ul>
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<H2><A NAME="AN">Analysis</A></H2>
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<ul>
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<li> <A NAME="AN.1"> If Ironheart's figures are true,</A> and if there
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are 20 billion human beings in existence, then there should be a
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thousand people who are (or will become) stable telekinetics. If
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the Psi Corps' pursuit of a stable TK justified the extreme
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measures they attempted with Ironheart, then something about
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naturally occurring TK's must make them unusable. It could be that
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use of TK invariably drives one insane, or perhaps natural TK is
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insufficiently fine-controlled enough for their purposes.
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<li> <A NAME="AN.2">Whatever it was that the Psi Corps scientists did to
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Ironheart,</A> it wasn't more than physical alterations to his
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brain and body. Yet those alterations started a process that led
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to his essentially becoming a demigod. This could represent a
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latent potential in humanity as a whole, of which iceberg telepathy
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is merely the tip. Or perhaps not - "This is a power that we were
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never meant to have," Ironheart tells Sinclair, "we're not ready
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for it."
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<li> <A NAME="AN.3">Ivanova hates the Psi Corps</A> with a passion
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(understandably - cf <A HREF="001.html">"Midnight on the Firing
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Line"</A>) "Good ol' Psi Corps. You never cease to amaze me - all
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the moral fiber of Jack the Ripper. What do you do in your spare
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time, juggle babies over a fire pit? Oops, there goes another
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calculated risk!"
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<li> <A NAME="AN.4">In spite of this, Ivanova gives Talia a glass of
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water</A> after she comes through the ordeal of being scanned by
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Bester and Kelsey. Ivanova's hatred is tempered with compassion
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for individuals. (see <A HREF="#JMS.8">"jms speaks"</A>)
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<li> <A NAME="AN.5">By threatening to hold him accountable</A> for
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endangering the station and causing the death of his partner,
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Sinclair strong-arms Bester into omitting from his report mention of
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Ironheart's real fate and Talia's willful collaboration. However,
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this can only be an agreement about what gets made
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<EM>official.</EM> Just as folks on Babylon 5 know full well that
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Something happened to Ironheart (with the willing help of both
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Talia and Sinclair) the right folks in the Psi Corps should know
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the same through Bester's <EM>unofficial</EM> report.
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</ul>
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<H2><A NAME="NO">Notes</A></H2>
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<ul>
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<li> <A NAME="NO.1">Sinclair mentions to Catherine</A> in the morning
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that he's got a budget meeting with the construction guild that
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day, in which he'll have to make some cuts to which he's not
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looking forward. (<A HREF="012.html">"By Any Means
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Necessary"</A>)
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<li> <A NAME="NO.2">Universal Terraform:</A> a mega-corporation that
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explores and prepares new worlds for colonization or exploitation.
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<li> <A NAME="NO.3">The procedure for evaluating a newly discovered
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planet:</A> first, an unmanned sensor probe launched by the
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exploring ship assesses gross features and composition. If that's
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promising, a manned survey is undertaken to determine its value for
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various purposes. Finally, if the corporation wants to continue,
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a life sciences probe is sent out to determine the legality of
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exploitation. (If there are sentient species present then the
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planet is off-limits.) (see <A HREF="#JMS.9">"jms speaks"</A>)
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<li> <A NAME="NO.4">Due to an EA shortage</A> of the material
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"Quantium-40," jumpgate construction is backed up 6 months.
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Catherine's survey mission to Sigma 957 is largely to determine
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whether this material is present on the planet.
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<li> <A NAME="NO.5">The being that appeared at Sigma 957</A> appeared to
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enter and leave through its own jumpgate. It may have been there
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for the Q-40.
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<li> <A NAME="NO.6">Just as the Narn fighters</A> match up with
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Catherine's ship, part of it sloughs off as it burns up in the
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atmosphere. The fighters are unaffected; presumably they are
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atmosphere-capable ships.
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<li> <A NAME="NO.7">Rent for a spartan studio</A> on Babylon 5 is 500
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credits per week.
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<li> <A NAME="NO.8">Psi corps ratings:</A><br>
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<B>P5</B> - level of commercial telepaths. Can easily detect
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deception and other surface thoughts at close range. Deeper
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probing is possible but difficult.<br>
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<B>P10</B> - level of Psi Corps trainers. Can observe the mental
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actions of other telepaths, block some scans, cut through some
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blocks, perform long-range scans, and may have some fringe skills.<br>
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<B>P12</B> - level of Psi Cops. Can communicate smoothly with
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normals via telepathy. Two Psi Cops can invasively probe a P5.
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<li> <A NAME="NO.9">Stronger telepaths</A> have a <em>harder</em> time
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shutting out "the voices".
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<li> <A NAME="NO.10"> Upon graduation from the Academy</A> all telepaths
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take a telekinesis test - it's a much sought-after skill. .1% of
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human beings have some level of telepathic ability, and only .01%
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of <B>them</B> have TK, half of whom are clinically insane. (see
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<A HREF="#AN.1">Analysis</A>)
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<li> <A NAME="NO.11">Most telepaths have <em>fewer</em></A> human rights
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than normals. They're forbidden to possess psi abilities unless
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they're in the Psi Corps or in prison
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(<A HREF="001.html">"Midnight on the Firing Line"</A>).
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They're required to submit to scans by Psi Cops, and aren't even
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allowed to have fleeting bodily contact with normals, since that
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would raise the chance in inadvertent scans.
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(see <A HREF="#JMS.7">"jms speaks"</A>)
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<li> <A NAME="NO.12">Psi Cops</A> are afforded greater latitude than
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other telepaths, "in the interest of efficiency." For example,
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they can perform at least surface scans on normals without
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permission.
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<li> <A NAME="NO.13">As he leaves, Bester gives Sinclair an odd
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salute</A> - a circle of thumb and forefinger at the forehead - and
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says, "Be seeing you, commander." This is tribute paid to one of
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jms's favorite shows, "The Prisoner," in which the line was
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identical but the hand-motion framed the eye instead. An
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appropriate twist for a telepath salute!
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<li>@@@884711227 Continuity glitch: After Ironheart arrives in his quarters,
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he pours some water into a cup. When the cup is knocked over by his
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mindquake a few seconds later, it's empty.
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</ul>
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<H2><A NAME="JS">jms speaks</A></H2>
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<ul>
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<li> <A NAME="JMS.1">In a tip of the cap to an SF writer,</A> the Koenig
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character in "Mind War" is named Bester.
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<p>
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<li> The direction and intent and background of the Psi Corps is *very*
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different from Bester's "The Demolished Man." What may cause some of
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the confusion is that when I decided to name the Psi Cop we'll be
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seeing, knowing of Alfie's work in the genre in general, and knowing
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that he was a close friend of Harlan's, I decided it would be a nice
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testimony to the man to name the Psi Cop Bester. There's nothing
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beyond that.
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<p>
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<li> <A NAME="JMS.2">Re: my favorite thing about this episode...</A>it's
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that when all is said and done, *nobody knows anything*. Bester
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doesn't know what Ironheart is turning into; Sinclair doesn't know
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if Ironheart was really telling the truth or not; nobody knows
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where Ironheart went; nobody knows what the alien ship is/who they
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were...the closest I can come to is to compare it to writing a
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mystery novel, without revealing the killer, but *without*
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frustrating anyone in the process, because there's *closure*.
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<p>
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<li> <A NAME="JMS.3">...it was my intent</A> to imply in the scene with
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the guard and Bester ("nothing, just a drill") that he DID scan the
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guard's mind. He found out what he was hiding (which is how he
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managed to show up to try and cut Ironheart off from his escape),
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exchanged a glance with Kelsey, and headed away quickly.
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<p>
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<li> <A NAME="JMS.4">Bester wasn't killed</A> because a) it took a *lot*
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out of Ironheart to take out Kelsey, and b) Bester *shot him* prior
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to being taken down, and the pain and trauma of being shot has a
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tendency to have an adverse effect on one; it took all his strength
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just to knock Bester down before collapsing to the floor, his
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energy (as you can see in the film) fading away....
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<p>
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<li> <A NAME="JMS.5">We'll definitely see Bester again,</A> probably
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twice next season, in one capacity or another. (And we'll *hear*
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about him once more this season.)
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(<A HREF="016.html">"Eyes"</A>)
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<p>
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<li> <A NAME="JMS.6">Nope, Jason Ironheart will not be seen again,</A>
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insofar as I know. I don't like beings with that much power
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running around the plotline....
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<p>
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<li> <A NAME="JMS.7">Telepaths are the ultimate minority,</A> and when
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it comes to the use of their talents, and the protection of the
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rights of the hysterical majority, their rights don't mean a whole
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hell of a lot.
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<p>
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<li> <A NAME="JMS.8">Thanks</A> for noticing that. Yes, it *was* very
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important (to me, at least, whether or not anyone noticed it), that
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Ivanova was the one who handed Talia the water, and had that brief
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moment with her. For those who understand their relationship, it
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adds a tiny layer; for those who don't, because the dialogue keeps
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on going over it, it's not obtrusive.
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<p>
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<li> <A NAME="JMS.10">The episode of "Mind War" broadcast henceforth</A>
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will be the one with slight alteration.
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<p>
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<li> In the pursuit in the teaser, you could see one of the binary stars
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THROUGH Ironheart's ship; we deleted that shot and replaced it.
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<p>
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<li> We discovered, when we went to put in the revised CGI, that the
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international versions had already been made and transferred, and it
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would be nearly impossible to recall that part of the process...so it
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was left alone rather than have multiple versions of the same episode
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floating around.
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<p>
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<li> <A NAME="JMS.11">Funny incident today,</A> though, also at lunch.
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Walter Koenig joined some of the cast members at their table for
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lunch, and as he came to the table, they all stood up at attention.
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When asked why, they explained that it's protocol for junior
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officers to stand when a senior officer comes to the table. It was
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kind of a nice moment.
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<p>
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<li> Today, Walter Koenig's 2nd day working in the B5 universe, as a Psi
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Cop in "Mind War." He's doing well, taking part in some very
|
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difficult scenes (fight scenes and the ilke), and it's a very
|
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powerful performance, not at ALL what people have seen before. He's
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a terrific performer when given a role with some meat to it. And
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the dailies look great. I think this episode will wake up a lot of
|
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people who have never seen Walter as anything other than Chekov.
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<p>
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<li> Walter decided that an interesting character trait for Bester would
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be if this skilled psi cop had a useless left hand.
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<p>
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<li> It's a funny thought, but knowing Walter as I do, I can say without
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fear of contradiction that he was *not* doing Shatner. Given the
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chance here to do something *utterly* outside ST, which was his hope,
|
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and our pleasure to provide, he wouldn't do this, and having spoken
|
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with him at some length about his character and his performance, know
|
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that he *didn't* do this.
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|
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<p>
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<li> Chekov is just one character, which was created by another, and played
|
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by Walter. Agreed, too many people have seen him as just this one person;
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but there's a talented actor with a great range behind that character, able
|
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to do *many* other things. I'm glad we've been able to let him show that
|
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range a little.
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<p>
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<li>@@@840405234 "JMS is on an anti-typecasting crusade."
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<p>
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That's actually true, in a lot of ways. My sense is that here
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we have many actors who created enduring works because they were good
|
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at what they did; they're *good actors*. But because they were so good
|
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at it, they got typecast as only able to play that. How many people
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snickered, wrongly, when they heard Walter was going to be Bester?
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"Chekhov in the Psi Corps," was the usual lament.
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<p>
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Until they *saw* him. And saw what he could do.
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<p>
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To work against the typecasting is simply payment on a debt to
|
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those who created enduring characters. And I'll continue to do it
|
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wherever and whenever I can. (Look for Robert Englund in an
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<a href="063.html">upcoming episode</a>
|
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playing a very different sort of character than he's played
|
|
elsewhere lately.)
|
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|
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<p>
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<li> We'd initially offered Walter the role of Knight Two in "Sky," but
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when his health prohibited using him, we went to Patrick McGoohan,
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who loved the script, wanted to do it, but was going to be out of
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the country at the time of shooting. We then shifted Walter to
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"Mind War."
|
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|
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<p>
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<li> "Commander" wasn't dubbed onto Walter. That was Ironheart speaking
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with his back to us.
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<p>
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<li> We'll see more on Talia's additional talents in year two.
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|
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<p>
|
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<li> Ironheart was created, as one of many reasons, to exemplify a problem
|
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that is growing within Psi Corps. There will be other symptoms, though
|
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not as grand as that one.
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<p>
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<li> The Psi Corps doesn't exist just to help telepaths avoid infringing
|
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on the privacy of others. They service the business community, the
|
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military, some other governmental agencies...it's important that they
|
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control, regulate, and profit from telepaths. You can't just leave
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the corps.
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<p>
|
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<li> "Mind War" is important to the arc because Psi Corps, and certain
|
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aspects of it, is important to the arc.
|
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<p>
|
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<li> Some of the events in "Mind War" are significant indeed.
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|
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<p>
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<li> The ant was paid strictly according to SAG rules (Screen Ants Guild).
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|
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<p>
|
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<li> But for the other stuff...no, there's no in-joke in Sigma 957, but
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***CONGRATULATIONS!*** You are the FIRST person to pick up on the
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Native American line that Ironheart quotes when he goes up against
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Kelsey. (And yes, I believe it is ojibwe in origin.) I've always
|
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considered it a very powerful line (a prayer of protection against
|
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one's enemies), and wanted to use it. That seemed the perfect
|
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opportunity to do so.
|
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|
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<p>
|
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<li> "Who watches the watchmen" is an old Latin phrase, sometimes
|
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translated as "who guards the guards?" Given sufficient time I could
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|
probably dig up the origin of the phrase; it's fairly common.
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|
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<p>
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<li> My source on this was the original, classical quotation.
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<p>
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|
<li> Congratulations. I was wondering when anyone was going to hit on the
|
|
CSICOP reference. I was looking for a good name for the pit bulls of
|
|
the Psi Corps, and thought it made for a great play on words, and a
|
|
very obscure almost-pun, to name them Psi-Cops.
|
|
|
|
<p>
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|
<li> <em>Talia's stress during Psi Cop scan</em><br>
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|
It's because they dig *deep*. And to another telepath, who is
|
|
sensitive to begin with...it hurts bigtime.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> A Psi-rating comes through training and examination of a person's
|
|
skills over time. Ivanova's mother never went through the full
|
|
sequence to get rated. (Although they generally don't bother with
|
|
P1s through P2s, so she was at least a P3 or above, in terms of raw
|
|
ability.) A psi rating isn't hereditary.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> Talia is a P5, as Lyta was in the pilot.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> The number of psi's in each category, from 1-12, gets rarer as you
|
|
get higher. Lots of folks have a minimal tendency, very few have any
|
|
real talent.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> Yes, the abilities are often discrete; a TK may not be able to
|
|
scan anyone's thoughts.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> You don't have to read another book to "get it" re: psi's making
|
|
love. Perhaps her problem was more with the making love part than
|
|
the psi part. Haven't read Julian May's book. It's just the obvious
|
|
answer to what happens if and when telepaths make love: if they truly
|
|
open up, then you're going to get a mirror effect. Have your lady
|
|
friend stand between two mirrors and look at the effect. This ain't
|
|
rocket science.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> Scanning only hurts if it's a deep scan, trying to dredge out lost
|
|
or buried thoughts, or if the other person is resisting. It can be
|
|
anything from a headache to a migraine in intensity in general..
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> There will be no more Ironhearts, and that character will not return.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> The vaporized Starfuries *weren't* from B5, they were a separate wing
|
|
not attached to this station. Black Omega is a special forces unit.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> Ironheart blew out the Omega starfuries.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> No, this [the alien] isn't the mysterious sixth race.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> And in the case of Sigma 957, one can put in a gate, start to explore
|
|
that sector of space...and discover to your chagrin that there is one
|
|
planet where you don't dare go near. It's not like they *knew* that
|
|
there was a problem on Sigma 957 before they (the Narns) put the gate
|
|
in; that was discovered only afterward. Sort of like buying a house
|
|
and then discovering that one room is haunted; you seal off the room
|
|
and tell the kids not to go near it.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> You don't leave one gate and fly light years to another; you use the
|
|
same gate for going in and going out. Explorer Ship A comes out of
|
|
hyperspace; looks around; decides that there are planets in this area
|
|
that are worth possible colonizing, exploitation, that sort of thing;
|
|
it's a very quick overview. (Or they go to systems that have been
|
|
already selected.) They construct a gate, finish the job, and move
|
|
on. Other ships can now use this gate for entering and leaving this
|
|
system. Is this clearer?
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> The gate was set up in what was believed to be a reasonably fertile
|
|
and useful sector of space; the explorer craft can't take too long in
|
|
any one area. They find likely areas for exploitation, take a fast
|
|
look around, drop a gate, and move on. This allows other ships to
|
|
come in and scope out the place in detail. That's when they ran into
|
|
whatever's walking around Sigma 957. (And it's not there all the
|
|
time, only from time to time.)
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> An Explorer-class vessel looks for areas that look like likely
|
|
prospects for exploitation, or which are good for logistical or other
|
|
reasons, do a fast survey, drop a gate and move on. Nobody *knew*
|
|
about the problems in Sigma 957 until well after the gate was in place.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Generally, the race that builds the gate, owns it.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> Re: the difference as to why Sinclair reacted the way he did...they
|
|
SPOKE to him in his head, the same way they did to the guard in
|
|
customs. This is different than just "listening" to someone's
|
|
thoughts, so to speak.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> The one thing that to me always typified SF was the sense of *wonder*.
|
|
Of something mysterious out there. And that is the one thing that I
|
|
feel is so missing from much of TV SF; not to pick on ST, but the
|
|
reality is that going from world to world seems like going from 7-11
|
|
to 7-11. It's all established, there's not much mystery. (Not in all
|
|
cases, I'm sure that one or two could be found, but in general.)
|
|
There should be *differences*, and things we don't understand and will
|
|
*never* fully understand. (For me, one of the best episodes in this
|
|
regard is "Mind War," specifically the tag of the episode, which still
|
|
gives me a shiver even though I've now seen it over a dozen times.)
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> Actually, no...Catherine Sakai is based more closely on another
|
|
woman of my acquaintance, with whom I was involved for quite some
|
|
time. And that's all you'll get out of me on the subject.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> Incidentally..."Mind War" has come out so well that it looks like
|
|
we're going to move it up in the schedule a bit. It was originally
|
|
slated to run about episode 10 or so, but the studio is so hot on it
|
|
that it'll probably run #6, right after "Parliament." And Walter
|
|
has agreed to be the voice-over and on-camera narrator for the
|
|
Behind the Scenes/Making of Babylon 5 documentary.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> Re: moving "Mind War" up...no, doesn't affect continuity at all. If
|
|
it did, it wouldn't have gotten moved. It's what's called in the biz
|
|
a "moveable piece," able to go *almost* anywhere in the schedule, as
|
|
long as it's after episode 3 and before episode 15, since stuff in
|
|
the first few set it up, and 15 pays off part of it.
|
|
|
|
</ul>
|
|
|
|
<HR>
|
|
Originally compiled by Matthew Ryan <i>mattryan@pobox.com</i>
|