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869 lines
34 KiB
869 lines
34 KiB
<h2><a name="OV">Overview</a></h2>
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<blockquote><cite>
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As the Senate continues to investigate President Clark,
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an archaeologist brings news of a development back home that forces Sheridan
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to act against the Earth government. The Nightwatch tightens its grip on the
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civilian population.
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</cite>
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<a href="http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Stafford,+Nancy">Nancy Stafford</a> as Dr. Kirkish.
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</blockquote>
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<pre><a href="/lurk/p5/intro.html">P5 Rating</a>: <a href="/lurk/p5/052">9.06</a>
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Production number: 308
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Original air week: February 19, 1996
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00009OOFK/thelurkersguidet">DVD release date</a>: August 12, 2003
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Written by J. Michael Straczynski
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Directed by Mike Vejar
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</pre>
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<p>
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<hr size=3>
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<h2><a name="BP">Backplot</a></h2>
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<ul>
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<li> Seven years ago, an archaeological team working for Interplanetary
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Expeditions (see
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<a href="004.html">"Infection"</a>)
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discovered a disabled Shadow ship buried 300 feet under the Martian
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surface, underground for at least a thousand years. Another Shadow
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ship, apparently with the cooperation of Earth, finished excavating
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the first, and both flew away. Garibaldi was witness, and recovered
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a Psi Corps badge from the site. See comic issue 8,
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<a href="/lurk/comic/008.html">"Silent Enemies."</a>
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Most of the archaeologists have died or disappeared since.
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<li> More recently, a second Shadow ship was discovered under the ice on
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Jupiter's moon Ganymede.
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<li> A Shadow ship requires a living being at its core; the two merge,
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becoming one entity. If the pilot isn't properly prepared, the
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result is a confused, insane ship.
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<li> Translating the Book of G'Quan is considered sacrilege by the Narn.
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"It must be read in the mother tongue, or not at all," says G'Kar.
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<li> Shadow forces have continued to build up on the edge of Centauri space.
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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> What were Shadow ships doing on Mars and Ganymede a millenium ago?
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Was Earth involved in the last war?
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<li> How does Delenn know that Shadow ships have sentient beings at their
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core? What else does she know about them that she hasn't told
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Sheridan?
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<li> What kind of preparation is needed to properly merge with a Shadow ship?
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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> Sheridan's unwillingness to fire on the Agamemnon may be a sign of
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trouble to come; he's not ready to think of Earth's military as an
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enemy. How long that loyalty will last is unclear, but at some point,
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if conditions on Earth continue to escalate and Sheridan continues to
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act covertly against the government, he'll be forced to choose
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between firing on his own people and death or capture.
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<li> The White Star is a Minbari vessel, yet Sheridan believed the Agamemnon
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would be able to track it. (See
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<a href="023.html">"Points of Departure."</a>)
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Perhaps that was simply because the White
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Star was in Jupiter's atmosphere; it was thus unable to outrun the
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Agamemnon, and could be tracked via atmospheric disturbances.
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<li> The White Star is a formidable vessel, in any case; it has as much
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firepower as several Narn heavy cruisers, judging by its attack on
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the Shadow vessel (see
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<a href="042.html">"The Long, Twilight Struggle,"</a>) although
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this Shadow ship might have been smaller than those faced by the
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Narn. The Agamemnon was able to damage the White Star, but only
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after it had been grazed by a Shadow weapon and subjected to
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atmospheric conditions far outside its safety limits.
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<li> G'Kar's book should make for interesting reading now that he knows
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what's going on from Londo's point of view as well as his own
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(<a href="050.html">"Dust to Dust."</a>)
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Given his visitation by what he believes to be G'Lan in that episode,
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will he consider his writings to be on the same level as the Book of
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G'Quan? More importantly, will other Narn feel the same way, and
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become followers of the Book of G'Kar?
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<li> Dr. Kirkish says of Earth, regarding the Shadows, "They want us to
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become more like them." What does she mean by that? How can humans
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become more like Shadows, and what would that entail?
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<li> Someone on Earth wanted to go behind the Shadows' backs; if the
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Shadows discover that (assuming they don't already know,) the
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consequences for Earth could be disastrous. Assuming, of course, that
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the Shadows didn't tell Earth about the second ship for their own
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reasons.
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<li> The events on Mars make it clear that the Shadows were awake to some
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degree before the Icarus visited Z'ha'dum
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(<a href="038.html">"In the Shadow of Z'ha'dum."</a>)
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The Icarus visited Z'ha'dum in 2256, but Kirkish saw a functioning
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Shadow vessel seven years ago, in 2253. The Psi-Corps connection
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also implies that the Shadows were aware of humanity at the time.
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<li> Given Marcus' apparent disregard for secrecy
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(<a href="051.html#marcus">"Exogenesis"</a>)
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Ivanova would be well-advised to make sure his chart is destroyed
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or hidden lest a Nightwatch sympathizer stumble across it.
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<li> Perhaps the Shadows bury their ships underground intentionally. Since
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the ships are at least partially alive, it's even concievable that
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the Shadows bury an egg or something similar, then dig up the fully
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grown ship later on. In that case, where else are such ships buried?
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Do the Shadows know, or did they lose track of their ships in the
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last war?
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<li>@@@832018767 The Shadows attacked the mining colony where Marcus and his brother
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lived
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(<a href="045.html">"Matters of Honor."</a>)
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Could they have been trying to prevent the miners from discovering
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another buried ship?
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<li> Now that the Agamemnon has observed the White Star at close proximity,
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Earth Force will presumably treat it as hostile on sight in the future.
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That will probably severely limit Sheridan's ability to finesse his
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way out of another fight.
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<li> The Shadows are far from alone in requiring living beings to merge with
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their machinery. In fact, it seems to be a staple of advanced
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technologies in the B5 universe:
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<ul>
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<li> The Ikarran weapon in
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<a href="004.html">"Infection."</a>
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<li> The anti-agathic drug in
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<a href="009.html">"Deathwalker,"</a>
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which required an extract from another living being.
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<li> The Great Machine in Epsilon 3, which goes berserk without a
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core
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(<a href="018.html">"A Voice in the Wilderness."</a>)
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<li> Shadow ships, as shown here.
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</ul>
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<p>
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Are Vorlon ships similarly powered? They show up as living beings
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in scans, though that isn't conclusive one way or the other.
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<li>@@@884630518 Delenn's promise to Sheridan, "I will watch and catch you
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if you should fall," is strikingly similar to the Soul Hunter's
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comment to her when she was being held captive: "You will feel
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as if you are falling; do not be afraid, I will be there to catch
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you."
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(<a href="002.html">"Soul Hunter."</a>)
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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> Narn is written from right to left.
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<li> "Eternal vigilance is the price of freedom" is a variation on a quote
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from Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States
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(1801-1809.) The original meaning was that people should closely watch
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their governments to avoid excessive encroachment on personal liberty;
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its use by a Nightwatch member is especially ironic.
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<li> The events on Mars were first revealed in the comic series, issues
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<a href="/lurk/comic/007.html">"Survival the Hard Way"</a>
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and
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<a href="/lurk/comic/008.html">"Silent Enemies,"</a>
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six months before this episode's first airing. Garibaldi also made
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a reference to the story contained therein in the first-season
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episode
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<a href="004.html">"Infection."</a>
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<br>
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<img align=right alt="" width=160 height=120 src="/lurk/gif/052/city.gif"
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hspace=5 vspace=5>
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<li> <a name="NO.city">In the middle</a>
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of the White Star's jump to hyperspace, there's a single
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frame of note. The frame takes place as the White
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Star emerges into hyperspace, as it heads toward the camera. The
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hyperspace background changes to what looks like an alien cityscape.
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Apparently it's a shot from
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<a href="http://www.hypernauts.com/">Hypernauts,</a>
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a children's sci-fi show whose special effects are being done by
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B5's effects company. (See
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<a href="#JS.city">jms speaks.</a>)
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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> EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!
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<p>
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For a couple months now, I've been looking down the road at episode #7,
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because I couldn't quite see the shape of it...I knew what I had to do
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in it, but I couldn't break the spine of the story...until ten minutes
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ago, and it hit me with all the force of a meat axe right smack between
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the eyeballs.
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<p>
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Hot damn...if I can pull this script off, it may well be the best one
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of the series to date. Granted it'll probably give Ron a cardiac
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infarction, but what the heck, he's had it too easy lately.
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<p>
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Oh, man, is this gonna be cool, assuming I can pull it off.
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<p>
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Working title: "Messages from Earth."
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<p>
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<li> <em>A bit of a bland title?</em><br>
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Whether it's "bland" or not depends on what the messsages might be,
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yes? The only thing I'll say for the episode is that it may be one of
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the biggest whams of the first half of year three, and one of our most
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ambitious episodes of the series. Generally, my feeling is that titles
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should augment the episode, or add something, or collapse something into
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a thematic whole. When you see what convictions are at hand, the
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episode "Convictions" as a title works better; ditto for "Messages."
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<p>
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Besides, a nice, quiet, inoffensive little title gives me a better
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chance to sneak up behind you and whack the heck out of you....
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<p>
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<li> "Messages," for my money, is so far the best we've ever done, though
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I'll be more able to lock that down once I've seen the final CGI. It
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and "Dreams" are real CGI blowouts; in the latter, there are literally
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100 shots -- CGI, live action, and compositing -- in *four pages* of
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action. This is an all time record for us (and that doesn't count the
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stuff earlier in the episode).
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<p>
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I don't usually go this far, but folks, let me give you my personal
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guarantee: you're in for one hell of a ride come mid-season, with these
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three episodes.
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<p>
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<li> Not only did "Messages From Earth" come out as well as I'd hoped or
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thought it would, it came out *better*. It is, potentially, either
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one of the best or the best thing we've ever done in the whole series
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to date. There are some episodes that come close this season, like
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"Point of No Return," "A Late Delivery From Avalon," "Sic Transit
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Vir" (for absolutely different reasons), and parts of "Dust to Dust,"
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but so far -- at least until the CGI for "Severed Dreams" is
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finished, which has at least a shot at knocking "Messages" out of the
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box -- "Messages" is as close to perfect as we've ever come.
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<p>
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Like "The Coming of Shadows" there's a real sense of a *story* being
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told, and major events happening at breakneck speed. It's just a joy
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to watch.
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<p>
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<li> I'd suggest, btw, that if there are any folks you've been waiting to
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bring into the fold on B5, you may want to consider 8 and 9 in the new
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cycle, the last of that bunch in February. Eight is potentially one of
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the best, possibly the best episode we've produced to date.
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<p>
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<li> Here's something that occured to me today. Any time you have
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someone you're trying to convince about the quality of a show, and you
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say, "Here, just watch it next week," that's always the one that comes
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a-cropper.
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<p>
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"Messages From Earth" airing this coming week is possibly the
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best thing we've done to that point. It's guaranteed to grab anybody
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who watches it. So this would be a good one to use.
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<p>
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Pick ten friends who you know haven't yet tried B5, or are
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diffident about it, and give them a call. Tell them to give THIS one a
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look. Then all you have to do is sit back, and wait for the jaws to
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drop.
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<p>
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<li> "Messages From Earth" - This begins the three-episode mini-arc within
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the larger arc that, by its conclusion, totally changes the
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structure of the B5 universe. A mega-wham episode. Because so
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much comes to a head so quickly, little can be said about it
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without spoiling stuff. Our characters begin making the final
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and irrevocable steps that will put them on a collision course
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with everything they have believed in until now. There are
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four or five episodes this season that push the limits of our
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effects and CGI to the absolute wall; this is one of the
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biggest.
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<p>
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<li> Re: an "edge" to the show....I suspect you're going to get all the edge
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you could possibly want with episodes 8, 9 and especially 10.
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<p>
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Be *very* careful what you wish for.
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<p>
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<li>@@@865183215 "...I didn't think things would start moving this fast so
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soon!"
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<p>
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Well, this is what I kinda kept trying to tell people was
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coming, when they said things were moving too slowly....
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<p>
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<li> Randy, I honestly don't think, after episodes 8-10 have aired,
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that you're going to have any problems with how fast the main story is
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progressing. And do bear in mind that the "main story" isn't just the
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war; if you wanted to do that, you'd just do Space A&B. It's operating
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on a whole lot of other levels. Nonetheless...this entire season is
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much faster overall in developing than the two before. The first two
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seasons we were mainly putting the guns into position. Now we're
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pulling all the triggers.
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<p>
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<li> Thanks. Bruce did an excellet job in this episode, I agree.
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As did everyone else. This is, in my opinion, about as flawless an
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episode as we have ever made. It's one of those cases where the sum is
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even greater than the sum of its parts...and the sum of its parts ain't
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bad.
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<p>
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From here on through the next batch, the intensity level
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continues to crank up.
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<p>
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We definitely pushed the envelope in terms of EFX this time
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out; mixing and matching, and in sheer amounts of shots, and their
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complexity. But the result, I think, is eminently worth the effort.
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<p>
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<li> I entirely agree; I think she did a dynamite job as Kirkish. Totally
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convincing. When she walked into the audition, and did the part, there
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was no question...it was her.
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<p>
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<li> <a name="JS.city" href="#NO.city"><em>About the alien city</em></a><br>
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The executive producer thinks, "He's mistaken, has to be; it must be
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a series of patterns in the image that look like a city." Being a
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thorough person, however, the executive producer fires up his copy of
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the tape, and fast forwards to the shot in question. Pauses, then
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advances, frame by frame.
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<p>
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Then stops. The executive producer stares at the screen for a very,
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very long time. Eventually, words form. The executive producer knows
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that if he posts those words here, not only will they throw him off the
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system, they will come to his house, burn it down, and sow the ground
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with salt.
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<p>
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The executive producer knows what that single frame is, knows that it
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has nothing to do with his show, knows that it's a frame from Hypernauts
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that somehow crossed into the EFX shot in double-exposure via a computer
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glitch while rendering. No one saw it. No one noticed it. Until now.
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<p>
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Tomorrow morning, the executive producer is going to make phone
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calls, and say all the words he can't say here. When he is finished,
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twenty seven miles of telephone coaxial cable are going to hang melted
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from the telephone poles. Shortly thereafter, the executive producer is
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going to put a gun to his head and blow his brains out, in the sure
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knowledge that if he does not do so, he will most assuredly do it to
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someone else.
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<p>
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The executive producer thanks you for bringing this to his attention,
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and would write further, but is currently modeming from a laptop
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computer on top of his roof, from which he is considering jumping, and
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the wind up here is causing line noise.
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<p>
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<li>@@@865183215 <em>The White Star looked different.</em><br>
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Different camera work, mainly.
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<p>
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<li>@@@865183215 The Eternal Vigilance line is from history, not Wing
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Commander. Ten Green Drazi points to the person who can name its
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origin.
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<p>
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<li> <em>Where's the press during all this Nightwatch buildup?</em><br>
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You'll find more on this in the next three episodes.
|
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|
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<p>
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<li> You need a clear and present danger, and with a
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population that nearly got wiped out by the Minbari, who are skittish
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to begin with, you drag out the possibility of someone else doing the
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same thing and it makes it a lot easier to do what you want to do.
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<p>
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<li>@@@865183215 <em>Why aren't eggs and bacon available?</em><br>
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Mainly it's the expense involved per volume. It still costs big bucks,
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and you generally need refrigeration.
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<p>
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<li> Basically, it's the cost involved in transporting something as
|
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basically trivial as eggs. Yes, it can be done, but the cost per egg
|
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would be quite substantial, given limited space in ships. Space flight
|
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is still very expensive.
|
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<p>
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And yes, a shadow vessel has one "core" sentient, and once in,
|
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it's very difficult for that person to ever get out again.
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<p>
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<li>@@@865183215 <em>Wouldn't Ivanova's religion keep her from eating
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bacon?</em><br>
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Ivanova's not what you'd call orthodox under any circumstances.
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<p>
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<li> <em>What was the blue goop?</em><br>
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Actually, I think it was blueberry yogurt.
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<p>
|
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<li> <em>Any relation to the moment of perfect beauty in
|
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<a href="036.html">"There All the Honor Lies?"</a></em><br>
|
|
Yes, the way Sheridan removes his EA pin here is an
|
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echo, or a shadow, so to speak, of his moment in "Honor." The latter
|
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is meant to sort of indicate what might be ahead for him, what he may
|
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have to do at some point along the line. He has to give up things that
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mean something to him. (We'll get more of this philosophy in a few more
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eps, I don't want to get too specific here.) Visual foreshadowing.
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<p>
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From here on in, things get very interesting....
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|
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<p>
|
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<li> Yes, what he's writing will, in time, become the Book of G'Kar.
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|
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<p>
|
|
And correct, I went for a different feel in this episode, on
|
|
the theory that a little change is a good thing, if used to a purpose.
|
|
It's built like a series of waves, with quite moments in between.
|
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|
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<p>
|
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This is the second so far to strongly tie into the comic, yes.
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|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> <em>Does G'Kar consider his book on par with G'Quon's?</em><br>
|
|
No, he hasn't thought of it that far yet...but it will find
|
|
that role.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> IXP has been in business, in one form or another, for between 50-80
|
|
years.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> <em>Who was the human in the Shadow ship?</em><br>
|
|
It doesn't really matter in the long run; some poor shlub who
|
|
got conned into it.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> <em>Would a human be sane after piloting a Shadow ship?</em><br>
|
|
Almost certainly not.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> <em>Could someone on Sheridan's side "pilot" a Shadow ship, or are
|
|
the ships intrinsically evil?</em><br>
|
|
It's certainly a *very* good question.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> No, I wouldn't say there's a corrolation to life force and the shadow
|
|
ships; they need a living organism as the central processing unit
|
|
because an organic unit can think faster than most computer systems, and
|
|
react faster in terms of formulating strategy and the like.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@865183215 <em>What condition was the ship on Mars in?</em><br>
|
|
It was dormant. The core element was dead, certainly.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@865183215 Yes, the first batch of eps from season 3, up through 9
|
|
or so, give a lot more background on the shadow ships, what they are and
|
|
how they work. And as you say, virtually everything in this show is
|
|
here for a reason; there's an offhand remark from Garibaldi in
|
|
"Infection" about his long struggle out of the Martian desert that pays
|
|
off in both the comic, and in a third-season episode. So some of the
|
|
year three stuff was being set up as early as episode 2 of year 1, in
|
|
what was designed to look like just plain old throwaway dialogue.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> <em>Is a Shadow ship itself a kind of Shadow?</em><br>
|
|
It's not a kind of shadow, no.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> <em>Is there an official name for the Shadow ships?</em><br>
|
|
I just call them shadow vessels. For now.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> <em>Why didn't Sheridan use the jumpgate trick again?</em><br>
|
|
Because there wasn't a jumpgate he had access to, only a jump
|
|
point created by the White Star. In the prior situation, he blew up a
|
|
standing jump gate. The only one in the vicinity would be at the
|
|
transfer point near Io, which if destroyed would seriously harm Earth
|
|
interests.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@846717165 Three days is the time to the jumpgate off Io. Once
|
|
you're within our solar system, it takes another several days or more
|
|
to reach Earth itself. It's fairly common to keep your jump gate a bit
|
|
removed from your "core" planet so you have warning if any aggressors
|
|
come out of it.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> <em>How could the Agamemnon detect the White Star?</em><br>
|
|
It can be for a number of reasons. The White Star was moving
|
|
through a highly charged atmosphere, which would leave detectable
|
|
trails; it was being fired at by the shadow vessel, which would've
|
|
attracted considerable attention from the flares; diving at that speed
|
|
and coming back up there would be considerble heat on the surface of
|
|
the ship (not normally a problem in space); and it was pretty much
|
|
shaken up/partially damaged during the fight. Also, at that range,
|
|
once you're near enough, you can pick it up visually as it gets close;
|
|
it's not a cloaking system, only a stealth system.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> Neither situation relied on introducing new technology, only on
|
|
taking advantage of what's known currently. It's a simple equation:
|
|
ship A is more powerful than ship B. In a head-to-head situation, ship
|
|
A (shadow) will destroy ship B (white star). If you can't directly
|
|
confront a stronger enemy, you have to find some way to work around it,
|
|
outsmart it. (And fortunately, this one was flawed, "insane," as
|
|
Delenn put it.)
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
And the minbari know more than they're saying. But then that's
|
|
generally true of them.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
And yes, the shadow ship arrived with a new "core" for the
|
|
buried ship.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> <em>How does Delenn know so much about Shadow ships?</em><br>
|
|
The info came from the Vorlons, and from the last war the Minbari fought
|
|
against them.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> The ship was hidden there to avoid it being destroyed during the war.
|
|
May or may not see General Franklin again anytime soon.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@851545490 The shadows had allies, who watched over their cities,
|
|
maintained their machines, waited for their awakening...one of their
|
|
tasks was to send out one of the few dormant shadow vessels whenever
|
|
one was discovered or unearthed. This way, slowly, over centuries, the
|
|
fleet would be built back up in strength.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> There are no shadow vessels buried on Narn, no. The shadow influence
|
|
on the Psi Corps has been growing for about 7 years now.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@844381189 <em>Who sent the second ship to Mars?</em><br>
|
|
They had some of their servants and allies taking care of
|
|
things; whenever a signal was sent, and a ship found, they'd dispatch
|
|
one of the standby ships to go and pick it up, slowly regathering their
|
|
forces.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> <em>How is Sheridan going to defeat a Shadow ship head-to-head?</em><br>
|
|
Exactly. The goal would seem to be impossible. So how do we
|
|
do it? Is there a vulnerability that's been laid out but not picked up
|
|
yet? Is there an advantage we don't necessarily see yet?
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
We have to be smarter. Humans are at our best when against the
|
|
wall. And we have to do it ourselves, in the final analysis, nobody
|
|
else can do it for us.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> <em>Was the spine that the White Star shot off the Shadow vessel
|
|
recovered?</em><br>
|
|
Nope.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@865183215 The shadow vessel was still a little wobbly
|
|
from its long hibernation and the improper melding.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> Given that we're looking at a high-energy weapon capable of
|
|
burning through a four-mile wide Narn orbital base as though it were
|
|
made of butter, it's putting out enough energy, I figured, to lead to a
|
|
reaction with the hydrogen, whether it's a fusion reaction of some
|
|
other.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
We're talking a concentrated level of energy equal to a
|
|
thermonuclear reaction on a controlled level, or a fusion weapons
|
|
system with an energy output well beyond contemporary science to
|
|
calculate (particularly since this system is capable of delivering the
|
|
energy, undiluted, to targets tens or dozens of miles distant).
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> Yeah, perhaps a better word than ignite could've been used.
|
|
But hey, the guy was being shot at...I'd be sitting in a corner going
|
|
bibble-bibble...
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> <em>About the massing Shadow forces</em><br>
|
|
The forces will continue to build over the course of this
|
|
season. The White Star would be detected because it was inside the
|
|
atmosphere, where it could be picked up by its emissions, the
|
|
disruption caused in the air by the engines, and frankly by plain
|
|
sight.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> <em>What's the symbol at the front of the White Star bridge?</em><br>
|
|
The symbol on the WS isn't on the floor, it's the top of a
|
|
console that can be used for holographic tactical displays.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> <em>The shot of G'Kar writing was flipped!</em><br>
|
|
Not a gaffe; we flopped the shot because the writing was done
|
|
left to right, instead of right to left, which is Narnish script.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> Thanks. We've featured Minbari script going straight up and
|
|
down like Japanese, right to left with Narns, and other variations.
|
|
Because they would naturally occur.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> Also, bear in mind that Sheridan went into Earth-space knowing
|
|
the risks. For him to fire on the Aggy would be selfish, and wrong; he
|
|
knew full well that this could be a one-way ride.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
If you're going to have a situation where Sheridan fires on EA
|
|
ships, it has to be the ONLY way of dealing with the situation, and it
|
|
has to be SUPREMELY motivated, so that it's not just him or one of our
|
|
guys who's at stake. It has to be a big situation to merit taking the
|
|
lives of fellow officers, in the same service.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@865183215 <em>Nobody seemed to be translating Sheridan's orders
|
|
to the White Star's crew.</em><br>
|
|
Lennier was muttering his translations off-screen.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> I think they know the White Star (aka the unidentified ship)
|
|
got away, but they put the best face on it back home. Which is one
|
|
more reason why Clark's declared martial law. Things are spinning out
|
|
of control, he's in increasingly hot water back home, and he has to
|
|
seize control. Whoever was in that alien ship knows too much about his
|
|
operations...if that were to come out, he's finished.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@865183215 <em>Are rights suspended during Clark's martial
|
|
law?</em><br>
|
|
Yes, right to assemble, free speech rights, they're all open to
|
|
abridgement. Travel can also be restricted.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@865183215 <em>What happened to Ivanova's discovery in
|
|
<a href="049.html">"Voices of Authority?"</a></em><br>
|
|
That information was sent to Earth, where it's led directly to the
|
|
series of current investigations that were launched...and which forced
|
|
Clark's hand into declaring martial law to distract from all that.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> <em>Are we near the end of the Nightwatch plot thread?</em><br>
|
|
The thread will diminish for a while, then return down the road
|
|
in later seasons, after the story takes its third major turn.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> <em>Why does anyone on Earth believe Clark?</em><br>
|
|
It all depends on how you frame the issue...i.e., the attacks
|
|
are groundless, baseless, and part of a campaign to destroy the
|
|
government, he's the attacked innocent....
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> <em>Sheridan's conspiracy should be falling apart about now.</em><br>
|
|
Of course it can't hold. And they're going to go through
|
|
plenty of fire. Remember, this is the first of three that accomplish
|
|
that. Each escalates upon what went before. Don't worry...you'll get
|
|
your wish.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> Yes, the current mini-arc (8-10) is the second major turn in
|
|
the storyline. The third starts with the last episode of this season,
|
|
going into the fourth year. Then you've got one more big turn about
|
|
the last quarter or one-third of year four, and then a bit of a flip at
|
|
the end.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> <em>We already knew everything this episode revealed.</em><br>
|
|
If I can, let me address one aspect of this, for your
|
|
consideration.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Back when I was working on MURDER, SHE WROTE, we'd sometimes
|
|
get letters saying, "This wasn't a good episode because I figured out
|
|
the ending. It wasn't a surprise." (Which is, to some extent, your
|
|
point here.)
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
The problem we had with that particular letter was this: of
|
|
COURSE you figured it out. Because you were paying attention to all
|
|
the clues we had put out there in the episode.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
There seems to be this notion that nobody should be able to
|
|
jump ahead, or else something's wrong or bad about the episode.
|
|
Absolutely not true. If you're going to play fair with the audience,
|
|
whether it's B5 or M,SW, you've got to put enough bits of information
|
|
out on the table so that the person who's really following it can
|
|
figure it out...so that at the end, those who *didn't* figure it out
|
|
can back up the tape, watch for the clues or leads, and see where it
|
|
all came from. That's playing fair.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
If NObody gets it, you haven't done your job right.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
If EVERYbody gets it, you haven't done your job right.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
The best case scenario is a bell-shaped curve. Some don't have
|
|
a clue what's coming, some manage to figure it out, and the majority
|
|
have a kind of vague sense where it's going, but there are still
|
|
surprises along the way. If the bell-curve shifts one direction or the
|
|
other, then you're in trouble.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
So far, B5 seems to be hewing right to the bell-curve. For
|
|
every person who says "okay, this was expected," there's been another
|
|
saying, "I had no *idea* this was going to happen here, or so fast."
|
|
(Many of these have been right on this forum, in fact.)
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Finally, do bear in mind that you have an advantage here that
|
|
99% of all the viewers don't: the discussion here on CIS, and direct
|
|
comments from me. For instance, I just noted elsewhere that we've got
|
|
major turns at the end of this season, and one 2/3rds into year 4.
|
|
Now, if at those points, somebody says, "Well, I knew this was coming,
|
|
that's bad," I intend to whap them, because the reason they likely knew
|
|
it was coming was because I *said so* right here.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
But that same 99% doesn't have this advantage.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
This is the main difference I've noted in the mail that's come
|
|
in: the net-folks are constantly trying to figure out what's coming up
|
|
next, treating it like a mystery story (which, really, it's not, any
|
|
more than ANY novel is a mystery in that you don't necessarily know its
|
|
turns and twists as you're reading it), whereas the non-netted folks
|
|
tend to just take it as it comes.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
See, that's the other part of this. People on the nets tend to
|
|
treat it as though it's a mystery novel, and when it doesn't hit that
|
|
aspect, say it's flawed as a result...when it was never INTENDED to
|
|
function as a mystery novel. It's a novel period. A mystery novel
|
|
depends absolutely on the riddle at the center of it. This is a saga,
|
|
which uses a different structure. It isn't a mystery any more than
|
|
Lord of the Rings is a mystery, even though when I first read it I was
|
|
wondering what was going to happen next.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Also, a mystery novel is done when the mystery is finally
|
|
unraveled. Not so the B5 story. By the end of this season, most of the
|
|
mysteries will be unraveled, and the pieces laid on the table for all
|
|
to see. It then becomes a matter of what the characters *do* about it
|
|
thereafter.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
If I'm doing my job right, and setting up things to come
|
|
properly, and giving all the clues to it, then by definition a certain
|
|
number of people HAVE to figure out what's coming. As long as it's the
|
|
smaller portion, that's as it *should* be. So you'll understand why I
|
|
tend to get in here for a moment when that's held up as something bad
|
|
or poorly done. (And, again, even you note that the only reason you
|
|
knew about the shadows on Mars was via reading it here, or others read
|
|
it via the comics. Again, that's a very small portion of the audience;
|
|
most I've heard from had NO idea about that aspect of it. If you
|
|
hadn't read it here, you likely would have been surprised by it.)
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Anyway, just something to consider in all of this....
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@865183215 "Was the "package" mentioned in Exo the blonde woman
|
|
giving us the Mars Shadow info? Or was it the eggs and bacon? Or have
|
|
we not seen it yet?"
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Yes, the package referred to Kirkish.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
"It seems Sheridan is destroying his Shadow ships by using tricks - not
|
|
a straight up battle. At some point won't he be one on one with a
|
|
Shadow and have to deal with it?"
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Sooner or later. Right now he's outgunned hideously. He'll have to
|
|
find a way.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
"At some point won't Sheridan have to fight Earth? (I really don't
|
|
expect an answer to this one)"
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Stick around.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@843956012 <em>Why didn't Kirkish notice the huge Psi-Corps
|
|
installation as shown in the comic?</em><br>
|
|
The building was a lot bigger in the book than it should've been, more
|
|
like a quonset hut arrangment hastily erected.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@843956063 I don't know if the shadow pilot was aware of the Psi
|
|
Corps research installation...they're not really aware of much of
|
|
*anything*, except their orders...I'd just suggest that there may be
|
|
something beneath that particular installation, and a reason they built
|
|
it there.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> <em>Why didn't Garibaldi mention he was with Sinclair?</em><br>
|
|
There was an outsider, Kirkish, in the room. Yes, she's helped him, but
|
|
he's still going to hold back some info because he doesn't know what
|
|
impact it might have on Sinclair. He's protective of him.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@865183215 <em>Didn't Sheridan already know about the badge, from the
|
|
comic issue
|
|
<a href="/lurk/comic/008.html">"Silent Enemies?"</a></em><br>
|
|
I believe Sheridan wasn't shown the badge in the comic; and
|
|
Garibaldi is always cautious about what he says in front of others,
|
|
like Kirkish.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> Yes, Kosh should've been there. Kosh wasn't. Kosh hasn't been carrying
|
|
his weight, if you ask me. I hope this doesn't cause a problem
|
|
somewhere....
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> Don't have the shadow dimensions offhand; and yes, you'd think Sheridan
|
|
might begin to wonder about Kosh's level of involvement.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> <em>Weren't the cameras at Ganymede recording?</em><br>
|
|
Of course. But who controls those cameras? Answer: the very
|
|
folks who wouldn't want it to get out what they had there.
|
|
|
|
</ul>
|