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982 lines
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982 lines
39 KiB
<!-- TITLE Interludes and Examinations -->
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<h2><a name="OV">Overview</a></h2>
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<blockquote><cite>
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Sheridan tries to rally support for his cause as direct confrontations with
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the Shadows begin in earnest. Friction increases between Londo and Morden.
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</cite>
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<a href="http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Balgobin,+Jennifer">Jennifer Balgobin</a> as Dr. Hobbs.
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Jonathan Chapman as Brakiri.
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<a href="http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Howard,+Rance">Rance Howard</a> as David Sheridan.
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<a href="http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Wasser,+Ed">Ed Wasser</a> as Morden.
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</blockquote>
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<pre><a href="/lurk/p5/intro.html">P5 Rating</a>: <a href="/lurk/p5/059">9.31</a>
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Production number: 315
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Original air week: May 6, 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 Jesus Trevino
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</pre>
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<p>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000636F/thelurkersguidet">An
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episodic soundtrack is available.</a>
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<p>
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<strong>Note: this episode is more momentous than most. Think twice before
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proceeding to the spoilers; it's worth seeing unawares.</strong>
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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> During the last war with the Shadows, a thousand years ago, they did
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roughly what they're doing this time, seemingly attacking at random
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in the form of quick strikes. The intent may be simply to keep the
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major powers off guard, so they never know when the next attack will
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occur.
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<li> Vorlon ships are linked closely to their individual owners.
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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> Who will replace Franklin as head of medlab?
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<li> Why did the Shadows wait until the Vorlon attack to move against Kosh?
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They could presumably have done it at any time. (See
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<a href="#AN.kosh">Analysis</a>)
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<li> Do the Shadows know that the Vorlon attack was just a one-time thing,
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or do they now believe that the Vorlons are on the march? How will
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that affect their strategy, if at all?
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<li> How did Delenn know there wouldn't be a body?
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<li> What was the flash of energy that coursed through the station after
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the fight was over?
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<li> Does Lyta know about Kosh? How will she react when she finds out?
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<li>@@@832011799 Was the data crystal on Talia Winters
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(<a href="009.html">"Deathwalker"</a>)
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placed on Kosh's 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> Londo's new pact with Morden may foreshadow the loss of his second
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chance for redemption
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(<a href="053.html">"Point of No Return."</a>)
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With Londo's poison coursing through his veins, Refa certainly qualifies
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as "the one who is already dead," and now Londo has vowed to kill him.
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Along similar lines, Kosh qualifies now too; Londo may attempt to kill
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Kosh's replacement, not realizing it's another Vorlon entirely.
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<li> Londo played right into Morden's hands. Morden was obviously
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responsible for Adira's death (he paid off one of the ship's crew,
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and he found out about her arrival from the Zocalo vendor) and it's
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unlikely Refa even knew about her, much less participated in her
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poisoning. But any such protest on Refa's part will likely fall
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on deaf ears if Londo speaks to him.
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<li> On the other hand, it's also possible that Londo is attempting to
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fool Morden. Certainly Londo knows that Morden is up to no good --
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their conversation in the hallway, and Londo's glare when he talks
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about people who deserve to die -- are evidence of that. Maybe he's
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playing along with Morden in an attempt to trip up the Shadows' plans.
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The same hallway conversation offers evidence to the contrary, though;
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even then, Londo felt he had already been through worse than Morden's
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associates could dish out, and with Adira's death, that's probably
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only intensified.
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<li> "The galaxy can burn. I no longer care," says Londo. This echoes the
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conversation between Emperor Turhan and Kosh in
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<a href="031.html">"The Coming of Shadows:"</a>
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"How will this end?" "In fire."
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<li>@@@832236893 Londo's conversation with Morden -- putting an end to a previous
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pledge and going on the offensive due to the loss of a loved one --
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is in some ways a parallel of Sheridan's conversation with Kosh at
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the end of
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<a href="038.html">"In the Shadow of Z'ha'dum."</a>
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<li> Londo promised to pluck the Shadows' eye out if it turned toward the
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Centauri homeworld. Foreshadowing, perhaps, for whatever happens
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to G'Kar's eye in Londo's dream
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(<a href="031.html">"The Coming of Shadows."</a>)
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<li> What <em>do</em> the Shadows want? Delenn seems to know more than
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she's telling. Morden's keen interest in the Centauri's continued
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aggression may provide a clue, but it's ambiguous at best. If they
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simply want a constant state of chaos in the galaxy, their current
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strategy will eventually backfire; there won't be anyone
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left to carry on fighting.
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<li>@@@832057944 <a name="AN.kosh">The fact that the Shadows attacked Kosh</a>
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immediately after the Vorlon victory over the Shadow fleet smacks of
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the notion that there was a deal of some sort between the two races:
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the Vorlons stay out of the fighting, and the Shadows leave them
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alone. If that's true, one sobering interpretation is that both
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races consider the war something of a game. On the other hand, the
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truth could be just the opposite; the Shadows may not have wanted
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to touch Kosh for fear of causing Vorlon retribution.
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<li> Along similar lines, Kosh told Sheridan that the Vorlons didn't want
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to attack because "it is not our time." What did he mean by that?
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What constitutes the Vorlons' time? Kosh also mentioned that the
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Vorlons were still few in number, and were still preparing. Are their
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preparations simply a matter of boosting their manpower?
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<li> Even in his last moments, Kosh still chose to hide behind disguises and
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symbolism, appearing as Sheridan's father rather than himself. Or
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maybe it's not by choice after all; maybe all he can do is communicate
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with people in terms they already understand, though his recreation of
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the Icarus expedition in
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<a href="038.html">"In the Shadow of Z'ha'dum"</a>
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suggests otherwise.
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<li>@@@832266293 A more charitable explanation is that Kosh didn't want
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Sheridan to realize he was in trouble, since Sheridan would have been
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inclined to race to Kosh's quarters to try to save him -- something
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that would have meant certain doom.
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<li>@@@832056132 Kosh treated Sheridan like a child, calling him "impudent"
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and "disrespectful" before finally giving him what could be considered
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the Vorlon equivalent of a spanking. Then he appeared as Sheridan's
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father. That suggests a certain condescending attitude on the part
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of the Vorlons toward the other races. Is that attitude based on
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anything? Delenn said the First Ones guided the younger races; maybe
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to Kosh, humans <em>are</em> children, and the war against the Shadows
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is a test of maturity.
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<li> How long has Kosh known what was going to happen to him? He implies
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here that Sheridan will die on Z'ha'dum because he won't have Kosh's
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help ("You said that if I went to Z'ha'dum I would die." "Yes, now.")
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Did he know why that would be when he first warned Sheridan in
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<a href="038.html">"In the Shadow of Z'ha'dum?"</a>
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Were his lessons for Sheridan, teaching the latter to fight legends,
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meant to provide Sheridan with the confidence to disobey Kosh's wishes
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when the time was right?
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<li> There is something of a thematic link between Kosh's expectation of
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death and the story of Jesus played out by Brother Edward in
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<a href="048.html">"Passing Through Gethsemane."</a>
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Kosh knew what was coming, perhaps knew he <em>could</em> avoid it for
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a little while, but also believed it would be the wrong thing to do.
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So he waited in his quarters to face his executioners. Of course,
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Edward didn't try to fight his killers off, so the parallel isn't
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exact.
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<li> Kosh's death was instantly known to the Vorlons, which suggests that
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all the Vorlons are linked together in some fundamental way. Perhaps
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the killing of Kosh, then, was less a blow against him personally than
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a slap in the face of the Vorlons as a whole.
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<li> If Kosh knew what was going to happen, why did he remain in his
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quarters, easily found? Perhaps he believed that the Shadows would
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go after Delenn or Sheridan in that case, and he considers them more
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valuable than himself.
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<li> Why can't Kosh's replacement continue Sheridan's education and assist
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him at Z'ha'dum as Kosh would have? Presumably there was nothing
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special about Kosh from the Vorlons' point of view. Or maybe the
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Vorlons are so few in number that Kosh was the only one among them
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who's able to provide whatever assistance he had in mind.
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<li> The Vorlons still use conventional jump points rather than the faster
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hyperspace entry and exit technique employed by the Shadows. Is that
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a conscious decision on their part, or does it imply that the Shadows
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are more technologically advanced in at least some respects?
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<li>@@@832096164 The Vorlons' telepathy must be different than what humans
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are capable of; the Shadow ships were able to function as the Vorlons
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attacked, unlike the ship near the White Star when Bester was aboard
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(<a href="058.html">"Ship of Tears."</a>)
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On the other hand, the small Vorlon fighters did seem to be doing
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a good job of confusing the Shadow warship they were attacking; it
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seemed to spin around randomly, and never fired back.
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<li> This episode was full of power surges and drains: the one noted by
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the C&C tech when Kosh and Sheridan were arguing, the lights
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dimming when Morden confronted Londo, the battle between Kosh and
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the Shadows, and whatever happened when Kosh died. Perhaps someone
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will put two and two together and have security promptly investigate
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any odd power level changes.
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<li>@@@831974299 The C&C tech said that the power surge was "a non-localized
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phenomenon" -- exactly the phrase used by Delenn to describe the
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Minbari concept of the soul in
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<a href="048.html">"Passing Through Gethsemane."</a>
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<li> What is Earth's official reaction now that open hostilities with the
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Shadows have broken out? Has Sheridan usurped Earth's official
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relationships with all the alien governments he's recruited into his
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alliance? The Shadows certainly have their fingers in at least some
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aspects of the Earth Alliance, but they don't have total control yet;
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there must be some people in the Earth government advocating taking
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up arms against the Shadows.
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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>@@@831941341 The masked alien is a Gaim, whose name is probably a
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reference to Neil Gaiman. The title character of Gaiman's "Sandman" --
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one of JMS's favorite works -- has a mask of similar appearance.
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<p>
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<li>@@@839232139 The character of Dr. Lilian Hobbs is named after a
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fan,
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<a href="http://www.tcp.co.uk/~lmhobbs/">Dr. Lilian Hobbs,</a>
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who won the bidding at a charity auction at the Wolf 359 convention
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in Manchester in 1995.
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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> Script 15 is entitled "Interludes and Examinations," and has a plot
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turn I hadn't seen coming, but which fits perfectly into the arc; I
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think you're going to be stunned. (I was.)
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<p>
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<li>@@@839200375 Re: titles...yeah, you got to watch out with this show,
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sometimes I put on deliberately dull titles when I want to sneak up
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behind you quietly. The more innocuous sounding, the more you should
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worry....
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<p>
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<li>@@@865188788 The visual styles in transition between shots came from
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the director, which he went over with me when we had our tone meeting.
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<p>
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<li> "Just wondering if we would see the First Ones from Sigma 957 this
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season, since there are supposed to be some direct confrontations
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between the Army of Light and the Shadows?"
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<p>
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No. It isn't their time yet.
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<p>
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<li> Let me answer this way...whenever I'm going to unveil something
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on the show, I begin to point to it in upcoming episodes. I've begun
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pointing to the question of what the shadows want, and why they're
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doing it. So, logically, I'm now going to have to follow up on
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that....
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<p>
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<li> In general, you always know when I'm going to
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start answering a question, because I begin to point at it in episodes;
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I'm now beginning to point to the shadows and ask, "What do THEY want?"
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<p>
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The answer is coming.
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<p>
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<li> It wasn't my idea. It was Kosh's idea. It was his pulling me that way
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that led to it. "Trust me," he said. I followed.
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<p>
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And yeah, it does hurt. Pat Tallman was devastated at the screening.
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Even my own crew wouldn't talk to me for a day or so after the script
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came out.
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<p>
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Which is when I knew it was the right thing to do.
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<p>
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<li>@@@831941341 It's funny, out of all the awful terrible things I've done
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to our characters over these 3 years, the one that honked off the whole
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crew was the Kosh development. On one level, they loved it...loved how
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it tightened the screws...but they still didn't want to know from me
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for a day or two.
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<p>
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<li> Yeah, that's <em>[Kosh's death]</em>
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the story turn that surprised even me. (And, of course,
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I can't wait for the folks who'll say it was over a contract dispute
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with the actor....)
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<p>
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<li>@@@831940922 I'm just waiting for some nit to come out of the
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woodwork and announce that the real reason for what happened to Kosh
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was that Kosh had a contract dispute over money or walked off the
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show....
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<p>
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<li>@@@831919210 <em>The mentor always dies in heroic sagas.</em><br>
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I think Kosh sort of "hit the wall" when he saw that Sheridan wasn't
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going to go away; I think finally he was ashamed, and recognized his
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fear, and in a sense the air went out of him, and he reconciled himself
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to what had to be.
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<P>
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You're right about the mentor; sooner or later, the mentor has to
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step aside (or fall by the wayside) for the others to grow into the
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hero's journey. Originally this was slated to happen a bit later...I
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think, on some level, I was reluctant to do it, because to write this
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kind of stuff you have to *feel* it yourself, and I think I was
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avoiding that as much as Kosh was avoiding his fate. I didn't want
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to go through writing that. So I kept putting it off. I knew it
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*had* to be done...but not yet....
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<P>
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And that's when, for lack of a better explanation, Kosh stepped up
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and began to pull me in that direction in the script. It was time.
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His passing shouldn't be frittered away or minimized; it should
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happen at the right moment, and this was that moment. It's almost
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impossible to describe this to a non-writer, but the character, this
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fictional construct, was simply determined to have his way, and that
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was the end of it. I kept trying to dance away in the script, to go
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back into safer waters...but each time was pulled back in this
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direction, until finally I had to admit that yes, this was the right
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time, and the right way, to do this.
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<P>
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And Kosh fell.
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<P>
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But what finally convinced me was the realization that this was not
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only right for now, but right for *later*...though you won't know
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what that means for a while yet.
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<p>
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<li>@@@831973132 Mainly, I think I was just trying to avoid it...put it off as long as
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possible...but the character knew, even more than I did, that
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this was the right time to do this. It's a very hard thing to
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do this to a character; the only way to get that kind of
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emotion into a script is to feel it yourself as you're writing
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it, and that's a painful thing to do. So I was avoiding it.
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But he outfoxed me...as usual.
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<p>
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That's Vorlons for you.
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<p>
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<li>@@@865188788 "So, to sum up, has it been hard making these changes
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after you and all of the fans have gotten to know them? Or is it simply
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a matter of: "Well...it's their time...?"
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<p>
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It's both, kinda. In the case of one character, who's been with us a
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long time, and who...shall we say delicately, is en route to becoming
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an ex-character by the end of this season...it was hard knowing the
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actor, because the actor said, "Was there something I did wrong?" To
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which you can only answer truthfully and say no, not at all, just the
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opposite...you did a GREAT job, that's why we're offing you. If you'd
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been just mediocre, nobody'd CARE."
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<p>
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In another case, also later this season, it was *very* difficult for
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me personally to do it, very emotional...and I wouldn't probably have
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done it at all if the character hadn't basically grabbed me by the
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lapels and dragged me kicking and screaming to that point of the story
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and said, "Look, this is right, you know it, I know it, now DO it."
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So I did. (And the cast and crew were equally stunned. Of everything
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that's been done on the show to date, THAT one thing got the biggest
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reaction; nobody'd eat across from me for two days at lunch after
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that.)
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<p>
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Bottom line...you've got to go where the story leads you. That *has*
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to be your first and foremost obligation. If it's anything else --
|
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catering to the audience's expectations, or your own preferences --
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rather than doing what the cold logic of the story *demands* you to
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do...you're finished.
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<p>
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<li> The Kosh stuff, his scene with Sheridan, and his
|
|
passing, is very moving. I showed it at Marcon this weekend in Ohio,
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|
and many folks, including Patricia Talman -- who hadn't seen it yet --
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|
were in tears at that. That, to me, is the moment when you know you've
|
|
done something, when you can make people *feel* something. Not just a
|
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plot exercise, but you hit down deep where it hurts, or can make
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someone laugh. It's all about touching emotion...or what's the point?
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<p>
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<li>@@@839200375 Actually, there wasn't much about Kosh I disliked...except his
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cryptic ways...they're all annoying that way.
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<p>
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<li>@@@834863602 When they shot the scene itself...no, not a lot of emotion
|
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in the Kosh sequence in his quarters, because it was all very
|
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technical, bits and pieces. But in the hallway scene with Sheridan,
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and the later scene with Delenn and the others...yes, very much so.
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<p>
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It was *extremely* difficult to write. As a writer, the only way
|
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to evoke a feeling in your audience is to feel it yourself and
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communicate that honestly in the text. It was just awful.
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<p>
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<li>@@@839220461 "1. presumably Adira was actually poisoned by Mordens cronies,
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since he was looking for a way to hurt Londo, and we saw him finding out
|
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information about her?"
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<p>
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Correct.
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<p>
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"2. In the final credits, a ranger is mentioned. I don't
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remember seeing any rangers in this episode - where did he come in?"
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<p>
|
|
His scene was snipped for time, it was a small one, didn't add much to
|
|
the story, but you have to keep those credits in under SAG rules.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
"3. Will we ever find out why Kosh allowed himself to be "poisoned" in
|
|
the pilot episode now?"
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
You're assuming he allowed it.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
"4. What was the flash of light running across B5 when Kosh died?"
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
A non-localized phenomenon.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
"5. Early on, when Sheriden was talking to Delenn, he wants to know
|
|
"what the Shadows are really after". Delenn looks like she is
|
|
resolutely not saying anything and hoping that the conversation moves
|
|
on before Sheriden presses for an answer... which it does. Does Delenn
|
|
know what the shadows are after (considering the war from a 1000 years
|
|
ago, I would have thought that the star faring Minbari would have had
|
|
pretty good records)?"
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
They do, and she does, and she's making a few mistakes that may come
|
|
back to haunt her in the not too distant future.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
"6. Will you tell us? (answer = cryptic "YES" no doubt!)"
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
In the fullness of time.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@865188788 The Delenn/Sheridan axis is proceeding, but I've been very
|
|
deliberately holding off the kiss, and what would follow that, so I
|
|
could do it in a very special way. You'll see soon enough....
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> "JMS, why did you edit out the scene where the Ranger follows Morden and
|
|
ends up being killed by the Shadows? Don't you think fans of the show
|
|
would rather see that than the scene in the bar where Garibaldi asks for
|
|
info on Franklin's blood from the other doctor? When you edit the show
|
|
please keep in mind what the fans would what to see. Rangers and
|
|
Shadows fighting is much more exciting than a unimportant scene that
|
|
could have been left out easily."
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Because it was important to set up what Garibaldi wanted, where it was,
|
|
and how he was going to gain access. It had to show his concern for
|
|
Franklin, the moral ambiguity in asking for this, the betrayal we see on
|
|
Franklin's face, the difficulty in Dr. Hobbs dealing with his request.
|
|
The ranger scene was a brief piece that was really unconnected to the
|
|
rest of the story, had no setup elsewhere or payoff, was only a brief
|
|
piece of action. I needed the time to establish the character and plot
|
|
information in the Garibaldi scene.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
And when you cite what "the fans" want to see, bear in mind that there
|
|
ain't no such critter. There's what *you* like, but *you're* not the
|
|
entirety of the fans. Some fans thought "Avalon" was one of the best of
|
|
the series to date; others thought it was just a character piece and
|
|
wanted more action and arc and called it a "waste." Some people when
|
|
they read a novel read for the action, then when they come to a few
|
|
pages that establish the look of the forest, or some character
|
|
background, jump ahead a few pages to where the action starts up
|
|
again. Some do just the opposite.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
My obligation, first and foremost, is to the story, and to tell that
|
|
story as best I can. If I start trying to second guess what *The Fans*
|
|
want, when there is no ready concensus, when there ain't no such
|
|
thing, when different fans want different things, it'll just get
|
|
watered down and wander around lost.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@832057944 The voice-over is something I mentioned here a few
|
|
months ago as a tool I was adding to my toolbox to use as counterpoint,
|
|
or segue, in ways I hadn't tried before. I use it again here and
|
|
there, though the key with any new tool is not to go nuts and use it
|
|
all over the place when a better one, maybe the one you already had, is
|
|
better suited to the task.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@832088589 Just a quickie aside...the background/depiction of Brakiri
|
|
space was taken right from a Hubble deep-space shot. We use them a lot,
|
|
as provided to us by the folks who keep track of it all and keep it
|
|
running.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@831940922 One can certainly argue that Franklin's actions were hasty,
|
|
that he is basically running away from the *consequences* of the
|
|
problem he has, as much as from the problem itself. This will, of
|
|
course, have to be dealt with.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@834863400 <em>Is Franklin still on the war council?</em><br>
|
|
Franklin would be off the council for a while; he has to go and figure
|
|
his life out first.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@839200375 You'll see more of Franklin, as he tries to deal with his
|
|
problem. At first it's not too bad, but with time....
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> <em>Why is Londo still on the station? Why do they let him stay?</em>
|
|
<br>
|
|
B5 is still a place of considerable commerce, access to lots and
|
|
lots of other races and diplomats...it serves Londo's purposes for now,
|
|
and there are probably lots of Centauri back home who would prefer he
|
|
stay here. As for the rest...better the devil you know than the devil
|
|
you don't. At least on B5 they can keep somewhat of an eye on him.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@831941608 <em>Why didn't Londo mention Adira periodically?</em><br>
|
|
Basically because it's hard in an episode to just bring up
|
|
something out of the blue unless you're going to use it. You're stuck
|
|
with, "Boy, I wish Adira were here...so what's for dinner?" Which will
|
|
mean nothing to the folks who didn't see the first season unless you
|
|
then talk more about her, show her...and then suddenly you REALLY have
|
|
to deal with it or it's intrusive.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@839200632 <em>Will Londo discover Morden's role in Adira's death?</em><br>
|
|
Anything's possible.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@835076861 One theme of the show is how we each deal with the
|
|
traumas that beset us, and the choices we make. The difference is in
|
|
how we handle them. In "Shadow" and "Interludes" both Londo and
|
|
Sheridan have to confront somewhat similar losses: the death of a loved
|
|
one. But Sheridan, at the last, was willing to suck in the pain and do
|
|
what was right, however much it grieved him, and forego
|
|
revenge...Londo, on the other hand, has embraced revenge.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@839200632 <em>Why doesn't Londo just have Refa killed?</em><br>
|
|
Refa is a powerful guy now, with powerful allies; he [Londo] needs
|
|
money, in large amounts, and more influence, so when and if Refa would
|
|
get it, there wouldn't be the kinds of repercussions that might
|
|
otherwise come, as with a mafia hit, for instance.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> <em>Why don't they keep Morden off the station?</em><br>
|
|
They would do so, but since the fall from Earth, as Susan
|
|
mentioned, they've had to hire guards who may not be above bribes, as
|
|
we saw in the teaser. And Morden is good at covering his footsteps.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@834982205 <em>Did Morden eliminate Adira's killer to cover his
|
|
tracks?</em><br>
|
|
No, Adira's killer is still alive...can be useful, those folks.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> The "crystals" were diamonds, he was bribing various people to
|
|
let him in and otherwise do things for him. And yes, Delenn's holding
|
|
back some information still, and Kosh was outnumbered.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@839189267 Sheridan has doubtless noticed by now that Delenn is
|
|
holding stuff back from time to time...may even mention this in a few
|
|
episodes.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@834864258 The shadows looked for Morden's opinion; he's an advisor,
|
|
in a sense, on lower-species politics.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@832057944 <em>Have the Shadows been getting bigger?</em><br>
|
|
No, they're about the same height consistently; it's probably an
|
|
artifact of the camera angles and lighting.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@832308801 <em>How did the Shadows get aboard?</em><br>
|
|
They physically come aboard. There's no beaming-in tech in the
|
|
B5 universe.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> <em>About Sheridan's confrontation with Kosh</em><br>
|
|
I don't think Sinclair would've handled that
|
|
scene in the same way; it needed someone who'd go toe to toe with
|
|
something very old and dark and dangerous in his way. He had to get
|
|
under Kosh's "skin," as it were. Needle and outrage and upset him until
|
|
he got through...whatever the cost.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@839747946 There was a bit edited out of the Sheridan/Kosh
|
|
conversation, but
|
|
nothing of real importance. It was at the beginning, as he catches up
|
|
with Kosh, and discusses his meeting with the League worlds and how
|
|
important it would be for the Vorlons to get involved.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> Bruce did a great job in that scene; there's a touch of
|
|
madness in it, which is quite understandable. As for the Rangers, they
|
|
get a new, added role later this season.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@865188788 Bruce is doing a *great* job, and definitely growing into
|
|
the part.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@839200375 Bruce is a hell of a lot better than some folks were
|
|
willing to give him credit for in the beginning. I think that's coming
|
|
out now as his role becomes more deep and more serious.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@839200375 "The "arc" is fully alive for you now, I think. Without these
|
|
characters living and breathing inside your mind I don't see how one
|
|
man could write as much as you have over the past two seasons. What I
|
|
*have* noticed is that all the actors now seem to be responding to the
|
|
story you're telling."
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Yeah, it's kind of a funny thing...the deeper we got into the season,
|
|
as the actors saw only one name on script after script, and they began
|
|
to understand what was coming, and it's all *very* consistent...the
|
|
sense of this being a novel really came through for everyone in a very
|
|
profound way. You could really feel a change in everyone's attitude,
|
|
though it'd be hard to put into words. A sense of, "This is it, this
|
|
is the story, we're moving now, we're doing something nobody's ever
|
|
done." They know how hard it is for anyone to write this many scripts,
|
|
which is why it's never been done before, and I think they not only
|
|
respected that, but felt they had to rise to the challenge and give
|
|
just as much at that end of it. Usually you tend to hit a slump
|
|
energy-wise in your third year; not here. Everyone's just hitting all
|
|
cylinders.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@832145313 Sheridan has almost certainly not learned all he needed to
|
|
know.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> <em>Why didn't Kosh leave?</em><br>
|
|
Because I think, on some level, Kosh knew it was inevitable; a
|
|
price had to be paid. In a way, Lincoln had the same feelings...why
|
|
was he to live when so many had died? In a way, he knew he wouldn't
|
|
live much longer. Also, it would mean running...and the Vorlons don't
|
|
run. If he fled, another would pay the price...and that also wouldn't
|
|
be right.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@865188789 I think Kosh realized that some things have to be, and
|
|
that as we've said from the start, there is always a price to pay.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> He knew a price had to be paid, and if it wasn't him,
|
|
it'd be someone else. Because he knew there was no getting around it.
|
|
He's too prideful to run.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Remember Gethsemane....
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> Kosh fought and fought hard. And he did not go down easily...and one
|
|
might say that yes, he did not go down alone...but not entirely in the
|
|
way you're thinking.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@846743027 <em>How could you kill Kosh before explaining Sheridan's
|
|
dream in
|
|
<a href="033.html">"All Alone in the Night?"</a></em>
|
|
The problem is we're telling different stories. What makes
|
|
it interesting for me is that Sheridan *isn't* prepared, Kosh *didn't*
|
|
finish his training. It isn't nice and tidy. And to stop and explain
|
|
the dream in "Interludes" would've meant taking, oh, about 3-5 minutes
|
|
OUT of that episode, and it's very tight as it is. And it would've just
|
|
been a case of, "Here, here's this bit of exposition relating to
|
|
something you've seen before."
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
No, the dream *does* get explained...and it gets explained *this
|
|
season*, in the course of the final five. In detail. But at the right
|
|
time, and in the right place. To have explained it sooner wouldn't
|
|
work, it has to come at the right moment, with the last bits of
|
|
information our characters need to *use* that interpretation.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@840129315 <em>Did Delenn's certainty that there wouldn't be a body
|
|
stem from her knowledge of the Vorlons, or of the Shadows?</em><br>
|
|
More about the Vorlons than the shadows.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@865188789 <em>Why doesn't Delenn tell Sheridan what she
|
|
knows?</em><br>
|
|
Delenn's been holding back. More than she should. There will be a
|
|
price.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@833443446 "Why didn't the Shadows get on the horn and start screaming
|
|
that they just made sushi out of Kosh. The alliance is new,
|
|
shaky, unsure of Sheridan. What a great time to screw over
|
|
everyone by announcing we killed Kosh."
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Because for starters, it's bad form. If you kill somebody
|
|
else's ambassador, that's not the sort of thing you proclaim
|
|
proudly, it tends to bounce badly back onto you. Also, this
|
|
was primarily a personal situation. There's more, but it's a
|
|
bit further down the road story-wise that might help clarify
|
|
this further.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@832445539 <em>Why wasn't a Soul Hunter present at Kosh's
|
|
death?</em><br>
|
|
Because it was very sudden, and they learned the hard way to leave
|
|
Vorlons alone.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@839189679 <em>Could the Soul Hunters sense Kosh's death?</em><br>
|
|
It's not that easy a question, or that straightforward a
|
|
situation, as you'll see soon enough.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@832443832 <em>Why didn't you show the fight between Kosh and the
|
|
Shadows?</em><br>
|
|
I thought about that long and hard when writing the script, and
|
|
I finally came to the conclusion that there was literally *nothing* we
|
|
could show that wouldn't be disappointing...it's a conflict on another
|
|
whole plane, and should have an almost cosmic or ethereal feel to it.
|
|
If we showed Kosh shooting a defensive field, or a shadow opening his
|
|
suit with a can opener, or anything else obvious and physical, it
|
|
would've diminished the scene. The vorlons are mythic, indirect, you
|
|
see them out of the corner of your eye, so it fit that the proper
|
|
metaphor would be to handle the battle that way.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Even if we'd had ten million bucks to do that sequence...I
|
|
would've made the same choice.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@832145313 <em>Did Sebastian know about Kosh's fate when he asked
|
|
Delenn about dying alone?</em><br>
|
|
Actually, Sebastian said that bit about dying alone to both
|
|
Sheridan and Delenn. Who knows, he may have known something....
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
If Kosh had run, which wasn't in his character in the first
|
|
place, someone else would've paid that price.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Londo still has chances, if he doesn't blow them. You'll see a
|
|
bit more about this in the two-parter.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Yes, some Vorlons do appear to us as female versions.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@832145313 <em>Did the Shadows only realize what Kosh was when they
|
|
fought him?</em><br>
|
|
Oh, no, the Shadows and the Vorlons know each other from way,
|
|
way back.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@865188789 <em>Did one of the Shadows attacking Kosh have
|
|
wings?</em><br>
|
|
No, none of the shadows there were winged.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@832145313 There is something thematically present about growing up,
|
|
and parents, and coming of age that threads through the story.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
And yes, there's the deliberate irony...that just as we finally
|
|
start to really hear from Kosh...he's gone. Snatched away just as we
|
|
got close. Which would add to the feelings.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@839232714 <em>Kosh also appeared as G'Kar's father
|
|
(<a href="050.html">"Dust to Dust."</a>)</em><br>
|
|
That's what Kosh tends to play into, the whole
|
|
father aspect, though others might take the other approach in this.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@840043012 It's likely a matter of both, choosing an element which
|
|
is strongest in the other person, which for Sheridan and G'Kar would be
|
|
their respective fathers, who would also be authority figures to
|
|
them...so it's both manipulation and emotion.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@832145313 <em>What happens to Lyta now?</em><br>
|
|
She'll now have to work with the incoming replacement Vorlon,
|
|
who might be just a bit miffed....
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@831941608 As for Kosh's ship...it headed for the nearest star, the
|
|
local one, and basically dived into it....
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@832057944 <em>Why was one of the Vorlon ships red?</em><br>
|
|
Not special per se, just to establish that they have more than
|
|
one design.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@834863400 Lyta was off-station running an errand for Kosh.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@832057944 The red ship was simply another variation on the standard;
|
|
nothing too major about it...and yes, when Lyta returns from her
|
|
errand, she'll definitely get into this, and there will have to be some
|
|
explanations made, though not to her....
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@852231524 The different color just goes to show some measure of
|
|
individuality in design, and there are some hierarchies implied here.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@832145313 <em>Are there lots of Vorlons in the big mother
|
|
ship?</em><br>
|
|
There's a bunch in the big ship.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@839232766 <em>Why didn't the mother ship attack?</em><br>
|
|
I think we just didn't see those shots; it was used in the
|
|
attack.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@834864162 Vorlon/Shadow tech is more or less at the same level; the
|
|
Vorlons had the benefit of surprise.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@865188789 <em>Are the Shadow ships more sensitive to pain than the
|
|
Vorlon ships?</em><br>
|
|
I suppose you could say they are, yes....
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@834864120 <em>What were the ambassadors doing in the war
|
|
room?</em><br>
|
|
Usually you only get the main war council and the support staff who
|
|
monitor the progress of the war; the ambassadors were called in on
|
|
Sheridan's hunch that now the vorlons would get involved.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@831940922 <em>About the flash of light on Morden's mask, as compared
|
|
to the end of <a href="041.html">"Divided Loyalties"</a></em><br>
|
|
Certainly the flash of light was an echo of Lyta's mask.
|
|
As for Delenn, I think she was just stunned, just emotionallly worn out
|
|
over this.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@832144699 Delenn mentions in the tag that the Vorlons will
|
|
be sending someone to quietly replace Kosh. It's a bit darker
|
|
character.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@832236556 <em>Will we be able to tell the difference between Kosh and
|
|
the replacement?</em><br>
|
|
You'll know the difference. Believe me.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@831941248 The two aliens in the start of the episode were a
|
|
Brakiri and a Gaim.
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<p>
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"Interludes" for me marks a slight transition in the story, from
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one "shape" to the next up...the demarkation between the hero-cycle and
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the myth-cycle in the arc.
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|
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<p>
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<li>@@@832145313 <em>Answers to a few reader questions</em><br>
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1. Kosh died fighting, I guess, and I'm also guessing that he took
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some Shadows with him. How was this fight different than the one we
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didn't see in "Signs and Portents"? Were there more Shadows this time
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or are they getting stronger?
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|
|
|
<p>
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|
They were not initially prepared to kill him. That was a territorial
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or jurisdictional squabble. This was retribution.
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|
|
|
<p>
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|
2. If Kosh did take out some Shadows, will more be sent to Morden as
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|
replacements?
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|
|
|
<p>
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|
He didn't. Hurt 'em good, but didn't take them out.
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|
|
|
<p>
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|
3. Did Kosh project to Delenn, G'Kar, or anyone else besides Sheridan
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|
during the fight?
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|
|
|
<p>
|
|
No.
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|
|
|
<p>
|
|
4. Did Garibaldi ever get a chance to speak with Kosh about the
|
|
Talia/Abbut data crystal as hinted at in "Divided Loyalties"?
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Yes.
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|
|
|
<p>
|
|
5. Besides being extremely old, was Kosh an average Vorlon or
|
|
particularly special in terms of strength, skill, or status? No other
|
|
ambassador on the station has demonstrated the clout back home to
|
|
sortie an entire fleet at a moments notice. Delenn and Londo have only
|
|
called on forces from a particular faction in their polities.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
He was certainly well regarded...one of the older of the vorlons.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@832443729 I'll put it to you this way...Kosh was old enough to have
|
|
had a first hand familiarity with Valen. Vorlons live a REAL long time.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@832444107 Valen led the prior shadow war and formed the grey council
|
|
roughly 1000 years before B5's current time.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@833224665 <em>Won't anyone notice Kosh's ship leaving?</em><br>
|
|
For Kosh himself, yes, very few had direct contact with him; so
|
|
that's workable. As for the ship...this objection assumes omniscience
|
|
on the part of the outside characters.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Consider: the quarter million people aboard B5 get their information
|
|
about what happens outside second-hand, filtered through B5 itself. If
|
|
the staff manning C&C decide to not show that information, or give
|
|
access to it, it doesn't exist. As for the ships outside, they move to
|
|
and from the jump gate, and are only interested in what's happening in
|
|
this small area of space to avoid running into anything. They don't
|
|
generally keep track of where all the other traffic is going; that's
|
|
C&C's job.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
And it isn't as simple as looking out your window. The distance
|
|
from Epsilon 3 to its local star is more or less equal to the distance
|
|
from Earth to our sun. That's a LOT of space and a very small ship.
|
|
You are not going to be able to track it visually, and who'd want to
|
|
keep an eye on it all the way to the local star?
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@839200632 <em>About Kosh's ship</em><br>
|
|
It was made for Kosh, as Delenn points out, was almost a part of
|
|
him; it wouldn't function as well, if at all, for anyone else. There
|
|
was nothing else to be done.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@839232464 A personal transport is assigned to one vorlon for life,
|
|
changing and evolving over time. Little fighters have a more primitive
|
|
system. It's not the same thing as a shadow-vessel merge. A big
|
|
Vorlon cruiser has a full crew.
|
|
|
|
</ul>
|