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443 lines
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443 lines
17 KiB
<!-- TITLE The Summoning -->
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<h2><a name="OV">Overview</a></h2>
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<blockquote><cite>
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Zack makes a discovery in the search for Garibaldi. Delenn's plan to attack
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the Shadows runs into trouble. Ivanova and Marcus attempt to solicit aid from
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more First Ones.
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</cite>
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<a href="http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Alexander,+Wayne">Wayne Alexander</a> as Lorien.
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<a href="http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Krimmer,+Wortham">Wortham Krimmer</a> as Emperor Cartagia.
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Eric Zivot as Verano.
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Jonathan Chapman as Ambassador Lethke.
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</blockquote>
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<pre><a href="/lurk/p5/intro.html">P5 Rating</a>: <a href="/lurk/p5/069">8.66</a>
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Production number: 403
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Original air week: November 18, 1996
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000DGBEY/thelurkersguidet">DVD release date</a>: January 6, 2004
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Written by J. Michael Straczynski
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Directed by John McPherson
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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">Plot Points</a></h2>
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<ul>
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<li>@@@848311149 Lyta's telepathic abilities were enhanced by the Vorlons
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to enable her to more easily carry one of them.
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<li>@@@848310531 The Vorlons, apparently determined to wipe the Shadows
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out once and for all, have begun destroying worlds that have had
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contact with the Shadows, and to that end have amassed a fleet of
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thousands of ships.
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<li>@@@848310531 Sheridan has returned to Babylon 5, as has Garibaldi.
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<li>@@@848310531 Initially, when the Vorlons and Shadows took on the task
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of looking after the younger races, they were equally balanced, obeyed
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rules of engagement, and respected each other's perspectives. But at
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some point, one of them grew tired of the arrangement and the two
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started fighting in earnest, with the younger races caught in the
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middle.
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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>@@@848647375 Who, if anyone, was on the ship that carried Garibaldi's
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lifepod? Why were they transporting him, and why did they
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self-destruct?
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<li>@@@848310531 What was done to Garibaldi? Was he implanted with a new
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personality, like Talia Winters?
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<li>@@@850299655 What was the program that activated as Garibaldi's pod
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was ejected?
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<li>@@@848310531 Why did Lorien accompany Sheridan?
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<li>@@@848310531 How did they get to Babylon 5? Was that Lorien's ship?
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<li>@@@848647375 What exactly did Lyta learn when she scanned Kosh?
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<li>@@@848785481 What exactly does Sheridan have in mind to end the war
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once and for all?
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<li>@@@848989312 What happened to Marcus' family? His brother died in a
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Shadow attack
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(<a href="045.html">"Matters of Honor,"</a>)
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but what about his parents?
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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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<p>
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<li>@@@848786516 Delenn said, "Everyone I hold dear is gone." She didn't
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list Lennier among them. Why not?
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<p>
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<li>@@@848481032 Lyta says she allowed the Vorlons to modify her because
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she believed. Believed in what? What did they tell her about their
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intentions? Does she know anything about the Shadows and Vorlons,
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and the nature of their conflict, that Sheridan would find useful?
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<p>
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<li>@@@848358319 What made the Vorlons change their strategy? Most likely
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it has something to do with the "unexpected door" they feel Sheridan
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opened on Z'ha'dum
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(<a href="067.html">"The Hour of the Wolf."</a>)
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By attempting to wipe out the Shadows, it's arguable they've lost the
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war on a philosophical level; attempting to wipe out a race to gain
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supremacy is exactly the method the Shadows advocate.
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<p>
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On the other hand, if there's no way to get the Shadows to stop
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fighting and causing wars except by completely destroying them, the
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Vorlons may have reached the conclusion that the very existence of the
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Shadows means their philosophy can never take hold.
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<p>
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<li>@@@848358319 Given that the old Kosh, at least according to Lyta,
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cared about the younger races, would he have approved of the Vorlons'
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change in strategy? If not, will the piece of him still alive in
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Sheridan try to stop the plan?
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<p>
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<li>@@@865641416 Lyta referred to the old Kosh as "the <em>real</em> Kosh."
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What isn't real about the new Kosh? What is the new Kosh's actual
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name (or its human-pronounceable version?)
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<p>
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<li>@@@848785482 Lorien's visit to B5 would seem to indicate that he, at
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least, still cares about the younger races. What can
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he do about it? Presumably he'll be able to provide valuable
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information, but does he have any capabilities beyond that? For
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example, does he have access to technology millions of years more
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advanced than even the Shadows and Vorlons?
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<p>
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In
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<a href="068.html">"Whatever Happened to Mr. Garibaldi?"</a>
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he appeared to have a significant presence on the "dream plane" (for
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lack of a better term) through which Kosh sent the dreams to Sheridan in
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<a href="033.html">"All Alone in the Night"</a>
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and
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<a href="059.html">"Interludes and Examinations."</a>
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It's plausible that that's where much of a Vorlon's consciousness
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lives; if so, Lorien may be capable of much more direct impact on the
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Vorlons than his physical presence implies. Whether the same is true
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in the Shadows' case is less clear, but the fact that the Eye at
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Z'ha'dum found Ivanova while she was in the Great Machine
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(<a href="049.html">"Voices of Authority"</a>)
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suggests that they too have some presence in that mode of existence.
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<p>
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<li>@@@848614209 Destroying planets may seem excessive, but perhaps the
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Vorlons are doing so, rather than simply wiping out all surface life,
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because of the Shadows' habit of burying their ships underground
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(<a href="052.html">"Messages From Earth"</a>)
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and building cities underground
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(<a href="066.html">"Z'ha'dum."</a>)
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They may feel that completely destroying a planet that's been visited
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by the Shadows is the only way to ensure that there are no surprises
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left behind.
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<p>
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<li>@@@854124175 Is the current Vorlon rampage due in part to the death
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of the original Kosh at the hands of the Shadows? If so, there's a
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parallel to the Earth-Minbari War, in which, according to Delenn
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(<a href="055.html">"Ceremonies of Light and Dark"</a>)
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the Minbari went collectively mad after the death of their leader
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Dukhat at human hands.
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<p>
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<li>@@@848358915 By wiping out younger races as they battle the Shadows,
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the Vorlons can no longer really claim to be looking after their
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juniors. What will the other First Ones think of that? They don't
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seem to be on particularly good terms with the Vorlons to begin with
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(<a href="049.html">"Voices of Authority"</a>)
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and this change in attitude may further irritate their peers. Lorien
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will likely be able to provide greater insight into the feelings of
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the other First Ones toward the Vorlons.
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<p>
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<li>@@@848684259 If the Vorlons are truly intent on wiping out any worlds
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the Shadows have touched, that means they'll be targeting Mars,
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Centauri Prime, Earth, and B5. Depending on how recently a planet
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has to have had contact to be considered tainted, they may also
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destroy Narn. Only the Minbari seem, so far, to have never been
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under Shadow influence, so their homeworld may be spared.
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<p>
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The only evidence so far of Shadow influence is the assassination
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attempt against Kosh in
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<a href="000.html">"The Gathering,"</a>
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but given that the Shadows didn't try to touch Kosh until the Vorlon
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offensive in
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<a href="059.html">"Interludes and Examinations,"</a>
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the hallway meeting in
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<a href="013.html">"Signs and Portents"</a>
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notwithstanding (Kosh initiated that confrontation too)
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it's more likely the Minbari warriors were acting of their own
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volition.
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<p>
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<li>@@@865733889 The Vorlons' new tack is somewhat ironic, given that they
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filed an official protest when the Centauri used mass drivers to
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bombard Narn from space
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(<a href="042.html">"The Long, Twilight Struggle."</a>)
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Clearly the Vorlons don't have any qualms about attacking planets
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from space if <em>they're</em> the ones doing it.
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<p>
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<li>@@@848684377 Since the Shadows have already come to Centauri Prime,
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could the blasted landscape of
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<a href="061.html">"War Without End, Part Two"</a>
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be due to a Vorlon attack, not the doing of the Shadows? If the
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Vorlons attack because of the Shadow presence, that would explain
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Londo's bitterness toward Sheridan, who he might consider to be
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on the side of the Vorlons.
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<p>
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<li>@@@848786082 Does Sheridan share the Vorlons' goal of wiping the
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Shadows out completely, or does he have some other plan in mind? The
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fact that Lorien accompanied him suggests the latter, since Lorien
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commented that he didn't approve of warfare among his juniors
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(<a href="068.html">"Whatever Happened to Mr. Garibaldi?"</a>)
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On the other hand, his speech to the crowd did imply that he had
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genocide against the Shadows in mind.
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<p>
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<li>@@@848787026 The original Kosh tried to train Sheridan "to fight
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legends"
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(<a href="035.html">"Hunter, Prey."</a>)
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But in his speech, Sheridan appeared to be setting himself up as a
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legend of sorts: "the only man to come back from Z'ha'dum alive."
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(A claim, incidentally, which isn't true; Morden and Anna were on
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Z'ha'dum and left alive, if changed.) His bravado seems to indicate he
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now sees himself as having a larger role to play than before, and
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validates the Shadows' view of him as a nexus
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(<a href="066.html">"Z'ha'dum."</a>)
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<p>
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@@@850286419 Oddly, in
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<a href="059.html">"Interludes and Examinations,"</a>
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Sheridan pointed out to Kosh that the <em>Vorlons</em> were legends,
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or wanted to be perceived as such. Did Kosh know that eventually
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Sheridan might have to combat the Vorlons?
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<p>
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<li>@@@848787026 Sheridan returned from Z'ha'dum under unknown
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circumstances, accompanied by an alien he won't tell anyone about.
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Garibaldi's whereabouts were unknown for two weeks, and he turned up in
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a ship that self-destructed to avoid being closely investigated. Why,
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then, do Delenn, Ivanova, and the others accept both of them back
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seemingly without question? Given the threat of implanted
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personalities and other modifications
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(<a href="041.html">"Divided Loyalties,"</a>
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<a href="066.html">"Z'ha'dum"</a>)
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the crew should at least be skeptical that both returnees are what they
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appear.
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<p>
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<li>@@@865734218 Sheridan's speech from the catwalk echoes his appearance
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on the catwalk in the dream in
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<a href="033.html">"All Alone in the Night."</a>
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If Garibaldi symbolized "the man in between," a description that fits
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Lorien at least as well as anyone else, then was the Sheridan on the
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catwalk "the man on the other side," presumably the other side of
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death? If so, Sheridan has now become that man.
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<p>
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<li>@@@855943691 G'Kar's refusal to scream was foreshadowed in
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<a href="005.html">"The Parliament of Dreams."</a>
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In that episode, when he was put into paingivers by the Narn assassin
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and tortured, he said he would rather die than cry out.
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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>@@@853315199 Marcus has never been romantically involved with anyone.
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This was hinted at in
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<a href="057.html">"A Late Delivery From Avalon,"</a>
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in which he jokingly compared himself to Sir Galahad, the chaste knight
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from Arthurian legend. In
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<a href="055.html">"Ceremonies of Light and Dark,"</a>
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he told Delenn he'd lost a woman he cared a great deal for, but that's
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not necessarily a contradiction; he didn't say she felt the same way.
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<P>
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<li>@@@848346315 The scene in which Ivanova asks Delenn for one of the White
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Star ships was originally written and filmed for
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<a href="068.html">"Whatever Happened to Mr. Garibaldi?"</a>
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but was cut from that episode for time.
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<p>
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<li>@@@850502410 This is the first regular episode to feature all the cast
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members listed in the opening credits; aside from
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<a href="000.html">"The Gathering,"</a>
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all the earlier episodes were missing at least one.
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<P>
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<li>@@@848389578 G'Kar was whipped 39 times, because 40 would kill a Narn.
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That's probably a reference to the Old Testament.
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<a href="http://www.gospelcom.net/bible?passage=Deuteronomy+25:1-3">Deuteronomy 25:1-3</a>
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warns against whipping a man more than 40 times; more than that will
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cause one to lose the respect of one's brothers.
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<p>
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@@@850286419 Some renditions of the New Testament also show Jesus
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being whipped 39 times by Pilate, though that number doesn't appear
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in the Bible itself. The Apostle Paul was whipped 39 times, which
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was the maximum number under Jewish law, to ensure that miscounting
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wouldn't cause one to give more than 40 lashes.
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<p>
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<li>@@@878759696 This is the second time Garibaldi has awakened from a
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traumatic event and found his commanding officer missing; Sinclair
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left the station while he was in a coma
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(<a href="024.html">"Revelations."</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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<p>
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<li>@@@850327099 <em>About Londo and Vir deferring to each other before
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the G'Kar torture scene</em><br>
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It's the roller coaster theory: if you move someone to horror or fear or
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shock from a neutral place, the emotional jump is less than if they're
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laughing...then suddenly you whipsaw them into the absolute emotional
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opposite.
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<p>
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<li>@@@848469111 <em>A planet-busting weapon is so improbable as to be
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more magic than technology.</em><br>
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Re: "magictech"...I believe it was Arthur C. Clarke who pointed out,
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"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
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<p>
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You wanna go argue with Clarke, feel free.
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<p>
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Lemme just make one point here. In the handful of decades between the
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discovery of the atom, and its use at Hiroshima, we learned how to
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blow up substantial portions of the planet and render it
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uninhabitable. But it would've taken a lot of them, hundreds, to do
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the job. In the 50 years since then, with the development of
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thermonuclear weaponry, the job is even easier. It's been reckoned
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that you'd only need about 75 really decent sized thermonuclear
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detonations to render the entire continental United States dead and
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uninhabitable.
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<p>
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The shadows and the vorlons are *millions* of years ahead of us.
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We're talking differences in technology that are orders of magnitude
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beyond what we can hope to comprehend.
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<p>
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I think a planet killer eminently achievable.
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<p>
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<li>@@@848607166 <em>If the Shadows and Vorlons are so far advanced, why
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haven't the Shadows wiped everyone out already, including B5?</em><br>
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Because up until now, they haven't been out to destroy
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everyone, that's not the point...you can't sow chaos if there's no one
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around in which to sow that chaos. And they may have some ideas on how
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B5 could be turned to their advantage....
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<p>
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<li>@@@848786154 Bear in mind that the White Stars are partially based on
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Vorlon technology, which is similar in strength to the Shadows. That
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helps a lot. Also, other ships can have an influence in sufficient
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numbers. Even a lion can be brought down by a sufficient number of
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hyenas. The idea that higher technology always equals victory didn't
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help Custer.
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<p>
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<li>@@@850325094 I don't see it really as a change of heart...they've always
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been very ruthless in their way. Remember, it was the Vorlons who
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simply decided to off Deathwalker in first season.
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<p>
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There's some amount of escalation going on, obviously, which
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will be explained a bit more in upcoming episodes, but they've always
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been this way, it's your perception of them that's at odds. You fell
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for what they wanted you to see them to be.
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<p>
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<li>@@@850523463 <em>Who's the worse enemy, the Shadows or the
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Vorlons?</em><br>
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Who is the greater foe?
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<p>
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It is always the one closest to where you live.
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<p>
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<li>@@@848917005 <em>About the original Kosh</em><br>
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Certainly he came to care about us more than the vorlons
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intended.
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<p>
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<li>@@@848481032 <em>Kosh can keep secrets from Lyta when she's carrying
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him. Can she do the same?</em><br>
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She can keep secrets a little...but not if he pushes.
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<p>
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<li>@@@848917005 <em>Was Sheridan's uniform different?</em><br>
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No, that's the funny thing...I've seen a number of posts about
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how his uniform was changed, but it *wasn't*. It was exactly the same
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outfit right out of the wardrobe closet...not sewn, not cleaned, just
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dusted off a bit, by hand, the way he might've upon coming in. You can
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clearly see that the sleeve is still torn as he's up there.
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<p>
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All I can figure is that the red Z'ha'dum lighting made it look
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a lot worse than it was.
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<p>
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<li>@@@850550250 <em>Is Ivanova's hug a sign she's attracted to
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Sheridan?</em><br>
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No, it was just relief, letting her guard down, allowing
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herself to feel, which she hadn't done much before this. There's no
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romantic interest there. You can have situations where men and women
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work together, and can care about one another, without it turning into
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more than that.
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<p>
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Men seem to understand this less often than women.
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<p>
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<li>@@@848684042 <em>Sheridan seemed a lot more belligerent, and
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seemed to be suggesting genocide against the Shadows.</em><br>
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Yup, I'd say it's very likely that some people close to Sheridan are
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going to be wondering about his attitude...and maybe even acting on it.
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<p>
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<li>@@@848786154 Someone should get outraged...and will. It's
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simply a matter of picking the right time and place to *do* something
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with it.
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<p>
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<li>@@@865283274 Certainly there will be some people who will wonder
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exactly the same thing you do, within the context of the show...and
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wonder if Sheridan's gone too far, gotten too messianic in his
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approach....
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<p>
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Ah, the fun never stops....
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</ul>
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