brennen
/
lurkers-guide


								<h2><a name="OV">Overview</a></h2>


								<blockquote><cite>

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

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

								Dr. Franklin employs an unorthodox procedure to try to bring Garibaldi

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

								</cite>


								<a href="http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Leech,+Beverly">Beverly Leech</a> as Elizabeth Sheridan.

								<a href="http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Bruton,+Macaulay">Macaulay Bruton</a> as Garibaldi's aide.

								</blockquote>


								<pre>

								Sub-genre: Drama

								<a href="/lurk/p5/intro.html">P5 Rating</a>: <a href="/lurk/p5/024">8.40</a>


								Production number: 202

								Original air date: November 9, 1994

								<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000087EYB/thelurkersguidet">DVD release date</a>: April 29, 2003


								Written by J. Michael Straczynski

								Directed by Jim Johnston

								</pre>


								<h3>Watch For:</h3>

								<ul>

								   <li> <a href="#gaffe">A magically refilling drink.</a>

								</ul>


								<p>

								<hr size=3>

								<p>


								<h2><a name="BP">Backplot</a></h2>

								<ul>

								   <li>	Sheridan's wife Anna was killed two years ago when her ship exploded on

									its way to explore the recently discovered ruins of an ancient

									civilization on the Rim.


								   <li> The Book of G'Quan, the holy book of G'Kar's religion (cf.

									<a href="012.html">"By Any Means Necessary"</a>) mentions an ancient

									enemy that rose to power a thousand years in the past, a power so

									great it nearly overwhelmed the stars themselves.  And the book

									contains drawings suspiciously siimilar to the Shadows' ships.


								</ul>


								<h2><a name="UQ">Unanswered Questions</a></h2>

								<ul>

								   <li> Is Delenn's new appearance an outward transformation, a complete

									physical rebirth, or something even more fundamental?


								   <li> What exactly has she become?


								   <li> Was the result what she thought it would be?  She didn't seem to know

									what had happened to her when she first emerged from the chrysalis;

									clearly she didn't go into the process with detailed knowledge of the

									outcome.


								   <li> How much does G'Kar suspect about Londo's involvement with the

									Shadows?


								   <li> Why did President Clark order Garibaldi's aide returned to Earth?  Was

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

									someone else arrange that to stop the prisoner from being interrogated

									by Clark's people?


								</ul>


								<h2><a name="AN">Analysis</a></h2>

								<ul>

								   <li> The Book of G'Quan, assuming G'Kar was describing the text itself

									rather than his interpretation, says that the ancient enemy came from

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

									That implies that the Narns, or some among them, were

									technologically advanced at least a thousand years ago; otherwise they

									would presumably have had no way of knowing the origin of the enemy,

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

									are not particularly advanced compared to the other major races, one

									of three things must have happened:


									<ol>

									   <li>	Some event, possibly the last great war, reduced their

										capabilities enough that they had to start nearly from scratch.

									   <li> They advanced technologically at a very slow pace, or not at

										all, over the past millenium.

									   <li> Another race used the Narn (or their world) in the war,

										departing when it was over and leaving the Narn with only

										legends of the great enemy.

									</ol>


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

									acquired <em>their</em> technology from the Narns, an interesting twist

									on the established idea that the Narns are obsessed with obtaining

									technology from others (cf. <a href="000.html">"The Gathering."</a>)


								   <li> When G'Kar's wingman crashed into the Shadow fighter, the Shadow

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

									technology is a common trait of the very advanced civilizations

									(cf. <a href="004.html">"Infection."</a>)  The question naturally

									arises: are the Shadow ships <em>ships</em> in the traditional sense,

									with crews or pilots aboard, or are they autonomous entities?


								   <li> The fact that a one-man Narn fighter was able to destroy a Shadow

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

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


								   <li>	Delenn flat-out lied when she said her government approved her

									transformation (cf. <a href="023.html">"Points of Departure."</a>)

									Yet they have made no move to replace her as ambassador.  Perhaps

									they fear the consequences of working against the prophecy more

									than they fear what she's doing.


								   <li> Dr. Franklin hasn't tried the healing machine on anyone, not even

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

									strange, given its potential to utterly revolutionize the practice

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

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

									treatments.


								   <li> Anna Sheridan's research vessel was destroyed in an apparent accident

									on the Rim, on its way to explore an ancient civilization.  The

									similarities to the destruction of the Narn ship sent by G'Kar are

									too great to ignore.  She very possibly was killed by the Shadows,

									something which won't endear them to Sheridan if he learns about it.

									If that's true, the question of how the ruins of the civilization

									were discovered in the first place remains unanswered.


								</ul>


								<h2><a name="NO">Notes</a></h2>

								<ul>

								   <li> The poem G'Kar read to Na'Toth is from "The Second Coming" by W. B.

									Yeats (quoted sections emphasized):


									<blockquote>

										Turning and turning in the widening gyre<br>

										The falcon cannot hear the falconer;<br>

										<em>Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;<br>

										Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,<br>

										The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere<br>

										The ceremony of innocence is drowned;</em><br>

										The best lack all conviction, while the worst<br>

										Are full of passionate intensity.<br>

										<br>

										Surely some revelation is at hand;<br>

										Surely the Second Coming is at hand.<br>

										The Second Coming!  Hardly are those words out<br>

										When a vast image out of "Spiritus Mundi"<br>

										Troubles my sight:  somewhere in the sands of the desert<br>

										A shape with lion body and the head of a man<br>

										A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,<br>

										Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it<br>

										Reel shadows of the indigant desert birds.<br>

										The darkness drops again; but now I know<br>

										That twenty centuries of stony sleep<br>

										Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,<br>

										<em>And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,<br>

										Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?</em><br>

									</blockquote>


								   <li> Garibaldi's aide is named Jack, though it's easy to miss; Garibaldi

									mentions the name once after Talia leaves medlab and he speaks to

									Franklin and Ivanova.


								   <li> The closed captioning spells G'Quan "Sh'Quon," but JMS has used the

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


								   <li> <a name="gaffe">Continuity gaffe:</a>

									In the scene with Sheridan

									and his sister in his quarters, he drains his drink, walks

									toward the bar, and before he gets there, the glass refills

									and he drains it again.


								</ul>


								<h2><a name="JS">jms speaks</a></h2>

								<ul>

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

									of the second episode, "Revelations," that is particularly amazing.  And

									there is one shot of a Narn ship in extreme close-up toward the end of

									the scene that looks absolutely *solid*, and every bit as real and

									detailed as any model, and then some.  It cannot be distinguished from

									a physical object.


								<p>

								   <li> One aspect of the Yeats quote, and the Lincoln quote, and the

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

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

									poetry because they've never really been exposed to it.  So just to be a

									little subversive, I work some of it into the show.  I choose that which

									has meaning to the show, and the characters, in the hopes that (as has

									happened here), viewers will dig out the original material and be

									exposed

									to some *really* nifty writing.  Granted that television must entertain

									at minimum; it should also elevate and ennoble and educate, and this is

									too good an opportunity to waste, provided one does not become didactic

									about it.


								<p>

								   <li> Speaking of looking into the abyss...which comes from "Revelations,"

									it's a partial quote.  Neitzsche: "When you look into the abyss, the

									abyss looks also into you."


								<p>

								   <li> Re: inconsistent writing and Narns...please bear in mind that there

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

									to see YOU.  The Narns need not be (and were not) spacefaring when they

									encountered the shadowmen.  Or, more accurately, were encountered BY

									them.


								<p>

								   <li> Copies of the evidence were made, but the question is what is the

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

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

									case with what they've got, you'd be laughed out of the courtroom.


								<p>

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

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

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

									concern when I made that decision not do do this back in the pilot was

									based on the reality that we couldn't do it well.  The "male" voice,

									altered by computer-enhancement, just sounded REAL bogus; we couldn't

									get it right, and I had to decide between dropping it, and doing

									something the people would rightly describe as lame all season, just

									for one big payoff.  It was a tough call, but it had to be made.


								<p>

								   <li> <em>Why does Delenn's hair go under her bone ridge?</em><br>

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

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

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


								<p>

								   <li> Correct; the Narn bridge is CGI.  Re: the explosion...we shot a

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

									was used here, live or CGI.


								<p>

								   <li> Anna chose to take Sheridan's last name.  Her decision.  You have the

									option.  Some do, some don't.  If you start to pass rules that no woman

									CAN take her husband's name or she's betraying something, then you're

									being just as restrictive as those who insist a woman MUST take her

									husband's name.  Me, I'm pro-choice on every level.  She felt like it.


									<p>

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

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


								<p>

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

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

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

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


								<p>

								   <li> Next week, in "Revelations," you get G'Kar, Londo, Delenn, Lennier,

									Na'Toth, Kosh, Garibaldi, Talia and everybody else.  Because there

									was SO much happening in #1, that got slid back a bit; also, there's

									a fair amount of time required for everything to do what they're

									supposed to be doing.  (Note that we're operating pretty much in

									real-time; "Points" is around 8 days after the events of "Chrysalis,"

									and "Revelations" is about another week after that.)


									<p>

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

									I dropped "to be continued" from "Chrysalis" is that this is more of

									a three-parter than a two, and some threads pulled in "Chrysalis"

									won't be fully resolved in some ways until the third and fourth

									episodes.  There is a LOT going on, and if we try to cram it all into

									one episode (as I at first tried with "Chrysalis, Part Two") you

									don't give ANY of them the proper time to have any impact.


									<p>

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

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

									dialogue a fair amount of stuff that otherwise you could just imply

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

									the newbies to the situation, and that requires a fair amount of

									exposition.  This is pretty much localized to "Points," however; with

									the next episode, we're up to full speed.  Episode 2 deals with as

									many issues/plotlines as "Chrysalis," with the main difference being

									that here, they're *resolved* rather than left hanging.


								<p>

								   <li> Yes, generally stories are self-contained, but in the case of season

									endings like "Chrysalis," it takes time to get everything back up and

									running again.  The bigger the explosion, the longer it takes to clean

									up the mess.


								<p>

								   <li> Re: Lennier, the Grey Council fellow said, "Tell them what we've told

									YOU," not someone else.  Just to clarify.


								<p>

								   <li> [Talia's] not seeing the shooter from outside Garibaldi's POV.  That

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

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

									dragging out details they might have seen but not noted; the eye sees

									more than the brain recalls at any given moment.  When we shot that

									scene, I was on-set, and the camera was put *exactly* where Garibaldi

									was standing, so we'd be very careful that it WAS his point of view.

									So though I hate to contradict you, it's not "a stupid plot hole from

									hell."


								<p>

								   <li> Oh, I'm quite sure there was backup made of the data.  But step back

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

									in ANY court of law?  There's a difference between that which we knor

									or (make that know or) believe, and that which we can prove.  Without

									the one most important piece of all, Garibaldi's aide, the rest is

									speculative, inconclusive, circumstantial and conjectural.


								<p>

								   <li> Yes, if Laurel had stayed with the station, either she would have

									pulled the trigger on Garibaldi, or been directly involved in other

									ways.


								<p>

								   <li> "Morden is the mongoose."


									<p>

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


								<p>

								   <li> The platform seen in the opening of "Revelations" is a hazardous

									materials platform, which is still cleaning up the radioactive debris

									and other stuff from the blown Minbari cruiser in the last ep.


								<p>

								   <li> <em>About Na'Toth's change of actresses</em><br>

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

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

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

									stayed because we need the character to have some prior knowledge of

									the situation, rather than bringing in somebody new.


								<p>

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

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

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

									films.  We cast the best actor to come in the door to fill Na'Toth's

									boots, and we need that character there because of the prior knowledge

									she needs to have to fill her role in the story.  Mary Kay is, I think,

									trying to reinterpret the character.  We're nudging in the other

									direction.  One way or another, this will be made to work.


								<p>

								   <li> Actually, no, it's not a rumor; I'd mentioned this some time ago, but

									apparently some didn't see it....

									<p>

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

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

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

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

									is mainly a leading-lady type actor.  She came in and, in fact, for

									the first episode (shooting almost immediately afterward) wore a

									variation of the Ko'Dath makeup, because there wasn't time to make

									one specific to her.

									<p>

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

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

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

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

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

									do I continue to grow as a romantic lead actor in feature films, or

									play Na'Toth?  She is a VERY gorgeous woman, and felt awkward hiding

									behind the mask and cutting herself out of leading female parts in

									feature films to do it.

									<p>

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

									difficult decision for her because she likes the show and everyone

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

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

									<p>

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

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

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

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

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

									<p>

									We didn't recast Sinclair because that character is going somewhere

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

									story; in this case, we are recasting Na'Toth.  By the end of season

									one, Na'Toth knows stuff that I need that character, G'Kar's aide,

									to know.  (Though I was briefly tempted to do the Murphy Brown

									Secretary line, with G'Kar getting a new aide every so often due to

									terrible airlock accidents...but I went to lay down for a while and

									the notion passed.)

									<p>

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

									up a casting session and found someone who's very right for the part;

									and though we weren't confined to this, is actually about the same

									height, same build, same attitude as Caitlin, and whose voice is very

									similar.  I don't think much difference will be noted in the long run,

									really.


								<p>

								   <li> The Narn aren't waiting.  Or, more accurately, G'Kar isn't.  The rest

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

									skeptical.


									<p>

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

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

									enough residual dislike over the war that they feel we have to find

									this out for ourselves (and we will).


								<p>

								   <li> Let's just say for now that about a thousand years ago, Narn was used

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

									for a time, and used it briefly as a base of operations.


								<p>

								   <li>@@@931198604 <em>Is the name "Z'ha'dum" a reference to Khazad-dum

									from "The Lord of the Rings?"</em><br>

									Not really, no...I always imagined that Z'ha'dum was originally

									the Minbari word for the place, and the Z'ha has echoes in Entil-zha

									and Isil-zha. The dum (doom) part is obvious.  Not to say I wasn't

									aware of Khazad-dum, but it wasn't on my mind at the time.


								<p>

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

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

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

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

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

									been the case in TV SF; you set up the various sides from day one, and

									virtually nobody moves.


									<p>

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

									the chairs around, so suddenly what you THOUGHT was the good guy is

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

									tragic and dark figure; and what you THOUGHT was the bad guy is maybe

									one of the real heroes of the story.  And you try and make the path

									that results in those changes as interesting, moving, or scary as

									possible.


								<p>

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

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

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

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

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

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


									<p>

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

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

									lose in that process?


								<p>

								   <li> Morden is human.

									<p>

									Morden dat I can't say.


								<p>

								   <li> Actually, G'Kar's makeup wasn't changed this year; the actor put on a

									few pounds over hiatus, which shows in the face, which changes how the

									prosthetic looks.  This was dropped very quickly by Andreas, however,

									and the makeup has adjusted itself.  (Hell, we all put on a few pounds

									during hiatus.)


								<p>

								   <li> Oddly, the new makeup takes *longer* for Mira than the old, which went

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

									more detail work and more pieces.


									<p>

									Also, the intent is that G'Kar looked at both Sheridan and Londo, not

									sure which of them may have leaked the info, though I think the

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


								<p>

								   <li> The only time a name is associated with his aide is when Garibaldi

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


								<p>

								   <li> <em>Jack had had contact with the PsiCops in "Mind War"</em><br>


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

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

									there...?


								<p>

								   <li> <em>What would be different if there hadn't been cast changes after

									"The Gathering?"</em><br>

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

									is that some information might get out by inference about how things

									might still *be*.  However, to do what I can with the question (never

									let it be said I don't try to accommodate....).

									<p>

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

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

									first in the form of dreams, then something with implications that

									could be read as menacing or benign.

									<p>

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

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

									have continued to be more scientist than doctor.

									<p>

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

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

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

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

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

									full season.

									<p>

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

									major EarthCorps.

									<p>

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

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

									in episode 3 instead of 1.  Episode 1 would've consisted mainly of the

									events in "Revelations," which was mainly as a bystander to the events

									around him, since the sister aspect specific to Sheridan obviously

									wouldn't be there.  Basically, with all the events surrounding Delenn,

									Londo, G'Kar and others, he didn't have one whole hell of a lot to *DO*

									in the first six to eight episodes, since that segment was set aside

									primarily to introduce the Shadowman war and get that cranking, and

									Sinclair had no real direct connection to that.


								</ul>