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418 lines
16 KiB
418 lines
16 KiB
<!-- TITLE Between the Darkness and the Light -->
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<h2><a name="OV">Overview</a></h2>
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<blockquote><cite>
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Garibaldi is captured by the Mars Resistance. Ivanova's fleet clashes
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with Clark's forces. A plan to free Sheridan is launched.
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</cite>
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<a href="http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Monaghan,+Marjorie">Marjorie Monaghan</a> as Number One.
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</blockquote>
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<pre><a href="/lurk/p5/intro.html">P5 Rating</a>: <a href="/lurk/p5/085">8.84</a>
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Production number: 419
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Original air week: October 6, 1997
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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 David Eagle
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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>@@@876017430 With the help of a deep scan by Lyta, who is able to break
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past blocks put in place by P12 telepaths, Garibaldi has convinced
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Franklin and the others that Bester manipulated him into betraying
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his fellow officers.
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<li>@@@876017430 Garibaldi, Franklin, and Lyta have freed Sheridan.
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<li>@@@876017430 Londo and G'Kar have convinced the League of Non-Aligned
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Worlds to join the fight against Clark and help Sheridan, who came
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to their aid against the Shadows. Sheridan's fleet now contains
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Narn and Centauri warships, among others.
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<li>@@@876017430 Not all the so-called defectors to the rebel fleet have
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really betrayed Earth; there are some spies who have been feeding
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information about fleet movement back to Earth.
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<li>@@@876017430 Earth has been adapting Shadow technology for use in its
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own ships. The resulting vessels are capable of putting up a strong
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fight against White Star-class ships.
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<li>@@@876017430 Ivanova was mortally injured during a clash with a
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fleet of Shadow-enhanced Earth ships. Minbari physicians estimate she
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has no more than a week left.
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<li>@@@876017430 At Ivanova's request, Sheridan has assumed command of the
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Agamemnon once again.
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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>@@@876017430 What other Shadow technology has Earth adapted?
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<li>@@@876017430 What impact has Sheridan's interrogation had on his
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psyche?
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<li>@@@876017430 How badly was the White Star fleet damaged by the battle?
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<li>@@@876017430 Did Garibaldi and the others leave Mars with Sheridan?
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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>@@@876167753 G'Kar's feeling of debt to Sheridan is obvious:
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Sheridan gave him sanctuary
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(<a href="042.html">"The Long, Twilight Struggle"</a>)
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and aided the Narn during their war with the Centauri
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(<a href="034.html">"Acts of Sacrifice"</a>
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and
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<a href="044.html">"The Fall of Night,"</a>
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among others.) It's less clear why Londo would be willing to put
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his people on the line to the same extent. Londo, at least from his
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perspective, took care of the Centauri Republic's Shadow "problem"
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on his own, without Sheridan's intervention
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(<a href="072.html">"Into the Fire."</a>)
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While he may since have learned of Sheridan's role in sparing Centauri
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Prime from destruction by the Vorlon planet-killer, he never worked
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closely with Sheridan as G'Kar did.
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<p>
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One possibility is that Londo feels he has to repay Sheridan for telling
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him of the approach of the Vorlons
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(<a href="070.html">"Falling Toward Apotheosis."</a>)
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Londo did tell Sheridan he owed him a favor in return.
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<p>
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Or it may be a simple matter of redemption: Londo certainly realizes
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that he helped the Shadows, and he may feel he needs to make up for
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his past misdeeds. In
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<a href="081.html">"No Surrender, No Retreat,"</a>
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Londo told G'Kar that he wanted to help the humans because they'd
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been friends, and he'd been ignoring his friends too long.
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<p>
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<li>@@@877023361 G'Kar praised humanity as a bridge that has allowed the
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other races to work together. That's the same argument Londo made to
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him in
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<a href="081.html">"No Surrender, No Retreat."</a>
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Delenn has expressed the same sentiment as well, e.g. in
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<a href="037.html">"And Now For a Word"</a>
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with her closing remark about humans building communities.
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<p>
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<li>@@@876778441 The League's unanimous vote ran counter to Sheridan's
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request that they stay out of Earth's civil war
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(<a href="081.html">"No Surrender, No Retreat."</a>)
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Upon his return, however, he didn't seem to object to the presence
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of the alien vessels; has he changed his mind about the need to
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credibly deny that his campaign is due to alien influence?
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<p>
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<li>@@@876017430 Just how powerful is Lyta? She has set off planetary
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defense systems from light-years away
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(<a href="073.html">"Epiphanies,"</a>)
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is able to easily slide past defenses put in place by the Psi Corps'
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most talented members, and can project detailed memories into the
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minds of others. There must be limits to her ability; Kosh was
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able to block her out
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(<a href="070.html">"Falling Toward Apotheosis."</a>)
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But she appears to be light-years ahead of any other human telepath
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since Jason Ironheart
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(<a href="006.html">"Mind War."</a>)
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<p>
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<li>@@@876778441 Lyta appeared startled when Garibaldi mentioned the
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conspiracy against the Psi Corps. Did she pull the details out of
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his mind, and if so, is the knowledge useful to her in any way?
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<p>
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<li>@@@876778441 Why did Number One believe the images Lyta sent to her?
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Given Number One's distrust of telepaths, wouldn't she suspect that
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Lyta was feeding her fictitious images? Of course, it's possible
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she believed it because Lyta also transmitted the belief that the
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images were legitimate.
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<p>
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On the other hand, it's strange that Number One's people were also
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convinced immediately; given the resistance's innate distrust of
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telepaths, why weren't they suspicious of her immediate reversal
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of attitude after Lyta apparently did something to her mind?
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<p>
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<li>@@@876240506 How much does Ivanova know about Marcus' feelings for
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her? When he walked into the sleeping chamber, he didn't think she
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suspected -- hence his "You will never know" comment -- but clearly she
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suspects <em>something</em> now that she knows what he said to her
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earlier
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(<a href="065.html">"Shadow Dancing."</a>)
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<p>
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<li>@@@876788218 How was Earth able to adapt Shadow technology so
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quickly, given that it's millions of years more advanced and apparently
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has a completely dissimilar basis (living matter as opposed to steel
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and wires?) Did Clark's people, or maybe the Psi Corps, receive
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technical assistance from the Shadows at some point?
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<p>
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Earth's weapons researchers weren't completely new to the concept of
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living weapons; the confiscated Ikarran artifact in
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<a href="004.html">"Infection"</a>
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was in their hands for nearly four years. It's possible that studying
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that artifact, which presumably was a less advanced form of organic
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technology than that used by the Shadows, gave them the context they
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needed to begin to understand Shadow artifacts. The ships on
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Mars and Ganymede
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(<a href="052.html">"Messages from Earth"</a>)
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would have provided chances for experimentation, if brief ones.
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<p>
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<li>@@@876202457 Was Sheridan's father freed too, or is he still being
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held? The interrogator implied that Clark's forces still had him.
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Even without Garibaldi's help, Sheridan's father can presumably
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still be used as leverage against Sheridan.
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<p>
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<li>@@@877243413 Sheridan was in a rather confused mental state when he
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was rescued. Will his interrogation have any lasting effect on his
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psyche? Many people would be scarred for life from such an experience.
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On the other hand, Sheridan has already been through a rough time --
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death -- and after that, the rest may seem minor in comparison.
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<p>
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<li>@@@876775761 Why did Ivanova ask Sheridan to lead the final battle
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from the bridge of the Agamemnon? Symbolism, most likely, since
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she expressed concern about it earlier. But clearly, he'd be safer
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on the bridge of one of the White Star ships, Ivanova's injury
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notwithstanding. She must be aware that her request puts the
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integrity of the fleet -- which depends on Sheridan himself as a
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symbol, every bit as much as it depends on the participation of
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Earth ships -- in greater jeopardy.
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<p>
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The symbolism aspect is the most likely explanation; a fleet led by
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an Earth warship will be harder for Clark to explain away as mere
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alien interference.
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<p>
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It's also possible, given the discovery that not all the defecting
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ships are loyal to Sheridan, that Ivanova wanted Sheridan on the
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bridge of the Agamemnon to ensure that its captain couldn't betray
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the rebel cause.
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<p>
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<li>@@@876942935 <a name="AN.agamemnon">Sheridan's use of the Agamemnon</a>
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after Ivanova's fall has
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symbolic meaning on another level: Agamemnon was the commander of the
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Greek forces during the Trojan War, and he sacrificed his daughter
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Iphigenia to ensure fair wind for his ships. Ivanova, while obviously
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not Sheridan's daughter, sacrificed herself to ensure that the fleet
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would make it to Mars.
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<p>@@@877632271
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In Euripides' version of the Greek myth, Iphigenia was switched with
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a hind (a deer) at the last minute
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by Artemis, who among other things was the goddess of virgins.
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Iphigenia
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lived thereafter in a distant country as the high priestess in one of
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Artemis' temples. The
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<a href="086.html#AN.iphigenia">"Endgame"</a>
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page has more on that.
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<p>
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<li>@@@876017430 Garibaldi doesn't have very good luck with his back,
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between the knifing in this episode and the gunshot in
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<a href="022.html">"Chrysalis."</a>
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An additional irony is that he was stabbed in the back while helping
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rescue Sheridan, who he stabbed in the back in a metaphorical sense.
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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>@@@876788218 Earthforce is expanding the underground Mars tunnel system,
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leading to instability in the existing tunnels.
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<li>@@@876035140 Ivanova has eidetic memory (photographic memory or
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perfect recall, as it's more commonly known.)
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<li>@@@876778441 The VR machine used to interrogate Sheridan is similar
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to the machine used to interrogate Sinclair in
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<a href="008.html">"And the Sky Full of Stars."</a>
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<li>@@@877200353 After Franklin finishes sewing up Garibaldi's wound, the
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team proceeds down the tunnel. Part of a discarded newspaper is
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visible in the background, including the headline "TIAGO" and "TED"
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on the next line. The headline is probably "Santiago Elected,"
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the same newspaper headline visible in
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<a href="063.html#NO.paper">"Grey 17 Is Missing."</a>
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<li>@@@876778441 The Damocles, which Ivanova's fleet fought at the
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beginning of the episode, is named after a figure in Greek mythology.
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As told by Cicero, Damocles was a courtier
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under Dionysius of Syracuse, who had risen to power by violence.
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He envied what he imagined to be his
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ruler's pampered and carefree life, so Dionysius decided to let
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Damocles experience what his life was really like. In the midst of a
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sumptuous banquet, Damocles discovered that a sword was suspended by a
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horsehair over his head, ready to drop at any moment. Dionysius said
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he felt the same anxiety every day, surrounded by enemies waiting to
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take his life at the first sign of weakness.
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<li>@@@876017671 The title most likely refers to the mantra recited by
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Delenn and others upon entering the Grey Council: "I am Grey. I stand
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between the candle and the star. We are Grey. We stand between the
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darkness and the light."
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(<a href="020.html">"Babylon Squared,"</a>
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among others.) It may also refer to a transition from darkness to
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light; Sheridan's return certainly qualifies.
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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>@@@877368075 It's a nice, quiet little episode.
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<p>
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Well, at least, in comparison to what's coming....
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<p>
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<li>@@@876154414 <em>Was this episode filmed after Claudia Christian
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decided to leave?</em><br>
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Negative. We'd finished all S4 shooting at the time this occured.
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<p>
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<em>Were new scenes shot and edited in?</em><br>
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Negative.
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<p>
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<li>@@@876154935 <em>Was there a scene missing between Sheridan shooting
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the guard and his arrival on the Minbari ship?</em><br>
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Yes, there was a small scene that got cut for time.
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<p>
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Good catch.
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<p>
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<li>@@@876779128 The Garibaldi material through the map sequence with
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Number One was originally in "Intersections." It got shunted over to
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419 when 418 ran 7-8 minutes long, and 419 ran 8 minutes short.
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<p>
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<li>@@@876776365 <em>During the interrogation, the female interrogator
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said, "Put a bullet in his head." But Earth uses PPGs now, not
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bullets.</em><br>
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Nope. We've established (in Grey 17 is Missing, for instance) that
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guns are still used on Earth and elsewhere; but in a space station,
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you don't want a slug-thrower because it tends to a) ricochet a lot off
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metal walls, or b) cut through something vital that would breach the
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hull potentially.
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<p>
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<li>@@@877026924 <em>About Ivanova's eidetic memory</em><br>
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She's a latent telepath. About a P1. As has been established
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on the show in the past. That gives her a slight edge in many
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areas.
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Also, an eidetic memory does not equal facility with language.
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I have a somewhat eidetic memory. I can usually remember
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visuals and things said to me with extreme clarity. (Unless
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I'm in convention mode at the time, at which point all bets are
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off.) But I have a real problem with learning languages, which
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involves not just memorization, but *translation,* which is a
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skill, a knack that some others have and some don't. (Spanish
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rolled off me, but for some reason I have a knack for German,
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though my vocabulary's gone all to hell.)
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<p>
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<li>@@@876779061 "These new EA ships with Shadow tech...Are they
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susceptible to telepaths like the shadow vessels were?"
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<p>
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Negative...they don't have living beings as CPUs, they're still
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working at adapting the basic tech, the other stuff is still a bit
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advanced.
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<p>
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"By the way, the EA adaptation to the shadow tech is accurately done.
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Keep the basic Omega design and modify where needed."
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<p>
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Got it in one.
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<p>
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<li>@@@876779178 The Advanced destroyer group was still somewhat in the
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works when they hauled it out to go after the fleet. They'd been
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expecting mainly to go after other Earth ships (as was noted in the
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episode), and didn't count on exclusively being confronted by
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Whitestars. Still, there were a lot of them here, and they did a lot
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of damage by sheer force of numbers.
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<p>
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Corwin would be running the station in everyone's absence.
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<p>
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<li>@@@876937571 <em>About Ivanova's speech</em><br>
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Yeah, it was a bit over the top, deliberately so.
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<p>
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I put it in the category of a boxer who's going up against an opponent
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who may be well matched...and wants to psych the other person out.
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<p>
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If you look at "Give me liberty or give me death!" or similar
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statements, made to rally support or make a point, they're generally
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bigger than life, a bit over the top. That's so we can know where the
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top is so we can climb up there ourselves.
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<p>
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<li>@@@877368362 "If we want to be logical here, it really seems
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improbable that a White Star could run into a piece of debris. Ok,
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the pilot (Marcus) wasn't paying attention, they were at high speeds
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and visability was poor."
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<p>
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Well, if you want to go back and listen to what's being said in
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the episode, Marcus calls out that the navigational system was damaged,
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and they were trying to repair when the big chunk of debris hit them.
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They couldn't get out of the way for that reason.
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<p>
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<li>@@@877026924 Some have complained about the rescue, arguing that they
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wanted to see a big battle. (To which answer #1 is wait 7 days.) They
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wanted to see the fleet smack Mars and free him in a big battle.
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<p>
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Well, if you do that, you can kiss goodbye any chance of the
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fleet then doing what it's SUPPOSED to be doing, which is the
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liberation of Earth. While they're tied up and planetbound
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(on one side) at Mars, Earth swoops in and knocks them out.
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You also lose any possible aspect of surprise.
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<p>
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It *had* to be done quickly, through the back door, rather than
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the fleet that some might have been expecting, so it'd look
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like a Resistance job, not a Fleet job.
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<p>
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<li>@@@881082627 "Why were there no cameras monitoring Sheridan?"
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<p>
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Torturers rarely videotape their work, thus assuring that it can
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never be used against them should things not go their way all the time.
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This is kinda pro forma in South America, for instance.
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</ul>
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