*****
Didn't say Talia WAS a psi-cop, Talia said she *interned with* the
PsiCops. Bear in mind that you're going to need support staff, lower
level liaisons, and a bunch of other positions as well as the actual cops.

jms
*****
Tritium: you actually believe *anything* in a PsiCorps propaganda
booklet? Only about 10% of what's recorded in that booklet is true, and
even that's distorted. The character in the booklet is totally fictional.

jms
*****
Christian: I quote Mark Twain: "The test of any good fiction is that
you should care something for the characters; the good to succeed, the
bad to fail. The trouble with most fiction is that you want them all to
land in hell, together, as quickly as possible."

jms
*****
(TLTS)

Well....I saw it.

Oh MAN.
OhManohmanohmanohman

Thanks Joe.

Great scene of Londo through the window as he realizes My God, what *have*
I done?
Andreas' burnt out G'kar in the council room with nothing left but his...
embarassment...dignity...his...i dunno...*presence* That powerful
*something*.
Well done.

Sheridan seems to have made some...MAJOR decisions in the last two
episodes. He is making wide ranging *personal* commitments of
both himself *and* the station that will put him in DIRECT
opposition to his superiors in EarthDome. He's somehow going to
keep the Psi Corps off the station. His commitment to the Hague
conspiracy seems to be about to be thrown into the spotlight. He
now has commitments to the Rangers. He also has commitments to the
Narn, and G'kar in particular. He now has commitments to Draal.

And he's not the only one. Delenn has splintered from her government,
virtually her whole *species*. Franklin has *always* been more
interested in ETs than humans. Ivanova is in hiding from the Psi
Corps as a latent telepath. And we *know* that Garibaldi has
more up his sleeve. G'kar is now separated from the rest of his
race under the Centauri heel. Even Londo seems to have broken with
Refa and the New Republic (without the Shadows, he is of no use to
Refa. Of course he may go back on his statement of 'no more', but
he is still, more than any of the others, alone) I wonder if Kosh
is necessarily representative of Vorlon policy as a whole....

If this were a CJ Cherryh novel, I would know what is going to happen.
I still think I do. Babylon 5 is losing support on Earth, as the
isolationists gain power. B5, and its commanding officer are
becoming more and more involved in deals and alliances that are
completely separate from, and in direct conflict with EarthDome.
The station now has the means to defend itself from outside attack,
with its updated defense grid, and God knows what on the planet below.
Something new is forming up around Epsilon 3, and it will soon have to
be independent of those that gave it birth.

(too bad, I kinda liked the EA uniforms....)

-m
*****
Film is shot on the stage, then transferred to video, which is then
digitized onto the Avid computer editing system, which holds every take of
every scene. A scene is shot many times from various angles: wide master
shot, three-shots (3 people), two-shots, singles, raking twos, close
ups, medium shots, extreme closeups and sometimes downshots (as well as
CGI and composite shots).

John Copeland and I then go in and work on the version of the episode
edited by the director to do the producer's cut. We sit down with the
editor, and go scene by scene. The usual construction is as follows: you
get a wide master shot so we know the geography, where we are, and where
everyone is in relation to that. Gradually you go closer, into threes or
twos, then singles or closeups for dramatic emphasis, coming out into the
master from time to time when someone has to move, or to break the sense
of claustrophobia.

When you get in close, you have over-the-shoulder shots, meaning
you're shooting past one character's shoulder to the other. Then you do
the same thing in reverse, so you see both sides of the conversation.
You do these one at a time, for lighting purposes; you light one side of
the room for the scenes looking left-right, then move the camera and the
lighting around for the scenes when you're on the right side looking
left (or, phrased differently, you light for Susan looking at Talia,
then Talia looking at Susan). The actors then do the scene again, with
the camera on the other side.

The actor has to be very careful to always repeat each movement
exactly; if he picks up a teacup on the word "quibble," he has to make
absolutely sure he picks up the cup on exactly that same word, every
time, in every take, in the same way, in the correct hand. If the
actor slips (and this sometimes happens), when you go to show the other
side of the scene, you suddenly find you have a matching problem; in
the shot over Talia's shoulder to Susan, the actor raised a hand; in
the shot over Susan's shoulder to Talia, the actor (generic term that
includes women) *didn't* raise a hand. So when you edit the two, you
have a matching problem. You can sometimes avoid this by just staying
on one side of the shot, but then you can't get the other character's
on-face reaction to what's being said. And in that scene in particular,
we *needed* to see both sides.

jms
*****
Babylon 5 is still needed for their own purposes, as an easy way to
keep an eye on things and get to the people they need to get to, so
there's no need for them to attack B5. They certainly wouldn't do so
just because Morden was busted...that's beneath their concern, as long
as he keeps his mouth shut. Which he did. Doesn't mean, though, that
in fairly short order they won't take steps to be as sure as they can be
that, in fact, the secret *is* still secure....

jms
*****
(TLTS)
I just finished watching The Long, Twilight Struggle and was absolutely blown
away by it. My god, the consequences of this episode is horrifying, to say
the least. Absolute, total, unlimited warfare!

I must say that Andreas Katsulas did a fantastic job. The character of
G'Kar has grown over the course of two seasons. The change that he has
had to go through has been enormous. And to portray that change in a
credible manner is a herculean task, IMHO. Katsulas does not disappoint
us. In fact, he exceeded my expectations. He should RECEIVE an Emmy for
this. If he is not even nominated, there is no justice.

G'Kar, in this one episode, plays many roles. He is a proud ambassador.
He is a concerned nephew. He is the warning voice that is ignored. He
is a fervent prayer. He is a spirit crushed. He is an outcast. He is
the last hope for the Narns. How can he stand it? Because he must.

A couple of questions. Is G'Kar somehow telepathic? He seemed to be
following the battle somehow as he prayed. When the Narn's last ship
is destroyed, he snuffs out the candle. Or was it his uncle's death
that he sensed? Or is it just artistic license?

Two. When will Sheridan and Delenn welcome G'Kar into their folds? He
has an amazing amount of knowledge regarding the Shadows compared to the
average Joe. He has fought them and survived. He has repeatedly warned
about them. He is the prophet that is ignored. Yet, Sheridan and Delenn
and Kosh know the truth. When will they let him know the truth?

no sig yet,
Albert Nakano
*****
: I must say that Andreas Katsulas did a fantastic job. The character of
: G'Kar has grown over the course of two seasons. The change that he has
: had to go through has been enormous. And to portray that change in a
: credible manner is a herculean task, IMHO. Katsulas does not disappoint
: us. In fact, he exceeded my expectations. He should RECEIVE an Emmy for
: this. If he is not even nominated, there is no justice.

: G'Kar, in this one episode, plays many roles. He is a proud ambassador.
: He is a concerned nephew. He is the warning voice that is ignored. He
: is a fervent prayer. He is a spirit crushed. He is an outcast. He is
: the last hope for the Narns. How can he stand it? Because he must.

I wholeheartedly concurr. And he does all that under a ton of make-up and
rubber and coloured contact lenses. His speech, right prior to leaving
the council, still sends shivers down my spine. And during the moment
that follows, when Sheridan offers his support, you want to be there, to
be shaking G'Kar's hand too (never mind that a couple of years ago,
following "The Gathering" and "Midnight in the Firing Line", I was just
ready to throttle him...). And then, following that very special moment,
you can see the entirety of his make-up lighting up with the emotion
which Mr. Katsulas projects. One's entire heart outpours in a standing
ovation for the man.

: A couple of questions. Is G'Kar somehow telepathic? He seemed to be
: following the battle somehow as he prayed. When the Narn's last ship
: is destroyed, he snuffs out the candle. Or was it his uncle's death
: that he sensed? Or is it just artistic license?

I though the whole scene was largely symbollic. But also, the Narns are
one of the races which have no telepathic powers in its genetic makeup.
This is not to say that intuition can not be present to a large degree.
And who knows what the deep concentration of a religious-mystical trance
may do to heighten up the latter in G'Kar's case. Whoever it is he was
praying too, I agree that when he snuffed out the candle, his entire face
was drawn into a fatalistic drawl...as if he had got his answer.

: Two. When will Sheridan and Delenn welcome G'Kar into their folds? He
: has an amazing amount of knowledge regarding the Shadows compared to the
: average Joe. He has fought them and survived. He has repeatedly warned
: about them. He is the prophet that is ignored. Yet, Sheridan and Delenn
: and Kosh know the truth. When will they let him know the truth?

I absolutely concurr. When Kosh first told Sinclair that *they* were a
dying race and hence should be allowed to pass (*my* assumption here
being that he was referring to *both* the Narn and the Centauri), it
seemed ruthless, but we didn't know enough yet to care. But now it feels
like it was said centuries ago, and as though it no longer applies in the
same way.

The Narns have endured, and still endure, and still continue to survive.
As a race, they won't give up, and they will hold their own through mere
perseverance if nothing else (G'Kar: "We are Narns...we will survive." In
the end, I think it is significant that they hold on to hope with every
shred of their conscious will, for hope is the precursor of imagination
and of dreams).

Mere survival is perhaps not enough to convince the Vorlons. A race must
also be capable of growth. Humans, for instance, will rebuild the stuff
of their dreams over and over until it states, and then they will dream
further. When they encounter difference, once they get over their fears,
they will incorporate those differences into their lives, and they will
build larger communities. For some reason, they are the best hope of a
future for the souls of Minbar.

I don't see much evidence of growth in the Centauri. Their perception is
too firmly rooted in the material world, and petty appearances seem to them
more important than reality itself. If Londo is to be taken as a
microcosm and an index for his entire race, then things are sad so far.
Following a period of conquest and domination was a passive state of
gaming (also significant, a game of chance rather than achievement),
drunken stupor and hedonistic concerns, with no growth within or without.
There are some exceptions to this, such as -most notably- Vir and the
deceased emperor Turhan, Timov, and the like. Overall, dominance and
conquest are followed by decadence rather than growth or evolution, and
now into devolution. I think it is significant that Londo should have
found a raison d'etre to trade the dissillusioned passivity that his life
had become for once again an active stance, in the devolution of his race
to a more primitive (IAW my personal beliefs) and predatory state of
conquest and domination. The initial catalyst for this force, of course,
were Londo's dreams of idealized glory, dreams rather out of touch with
the reality that he increasingly faces now, and into which he can only
stare by hardening his soul in fear.

But look at the Narns. Look at G'Kar, their index, and the distance he
has gone in a mere two years (or even in a mere year; remember, at the
height of Narn power immediately prior to the first Shadow strike into
Narn space, he refused to take Sinclair's advice to take a different
course at the crossroads, but not without regrets -and for a moment he
seemed very much tempted to do so). For whatever reasons prior to that, he
saved Catherine Sakai's life. If we trust his words, it brought him or
the Narns no benefit to do so.

When Morden asked him what he wanted, there was no future in his wishes
ahead of the destruction of the Centauri (provided his home planet
remained in safety). But latter he was able to react to the Centauri
emperor's gesture by extending his own hand to Londo (unaware then that
Londo's hand was already only poised out to take). Then he was able to
overcome his personal wrath because *he had to*. He is a Narn who has
suffered and who, like Lear, has learned and grown as a result. He has
also grown wise. His final speech to the council even seems surprisingly
gentle towards the Centauri ("...the Centauri learned this lesson once;
we will teach it to them again."). It is significant because this speech
seems void of G'Kar's usual rhetoric and posturing. At this particular
point in his life, what comes out is what is in, unadorned and unmediated.
Sure, he will be back to plotting latter, and there is a great deal of
hate (mostly regret for the dead), but that is to be expected since there
is a planet to win back, and it is hardly surprising that this should be
his top priority.

The question is, what would he do if he won back his homeworld? Since he
seems highly capable of growth, would he have learned enough to draw on
all the experiences behind him and overcome and leave behind the hate
which would lock him back in a vicious circle which negates evolution? In
this case, Kosh's earlier statement would seem to be right, and perhaps
there is no hope for the Narns.

Or perhaps there is. I would hope so. I really have grown to like G'Kar.
I would really like to see a scene in which Sinclair himself expresses
his support. But I think it all depends on what G'Kar's final smile in
"TLTS" really meant. If he close his fist because he thought he had
somehow gained an added and very valuable resource with which to fight
his war, then that's that. But if on the other hand his closed fist is
taken as a sign of appreciation and respect (as approaching the Narn
gesture of both fists to the chest), and opposite to Londo's hand
stretched out to grasp, then perhaps we should hope for G'Kar, and
perhaps Londo will after all miss his appointment with his own dream of
death (or deathwish), twenty years down the road...
*****
The number of scenes varies depending on the amount of action
required. On balance, the average TV script has about 60-75 scenes or
shots in it. From time to time, in B5, we've gone as high as 130 shots
in episodes like "Twilight" or "Fall." I think we just blew out our
record here with "Severed Dreams," which has close to 140.

Number of scenes shot on any day depends on how long the scene; you
can do 4 really long shots or 8 fairly short scenes. The amount of
rehearsal varies depending on the scene, how many extras or what kind of
action/stunts are required. The more action, the more you rehearse, to
ensure nobody gets hurt.

jms
*****
For starters, I have problem with the auteur term. What most folks
forget is that this term originated with the Cahiers du Cinema (I think I
may have hideously misspelled that) which actually began a series of
screenings/presentations on each aspect of film-making, the writer, the
director, the cinematographer...started with the director...and basically
got so caught up in that aspect that they dropped the rest.

So let's stick with "author" for the moment. To that question, yes,
I do consider myself the author of the B5 story, the creator of itsz
characters and universe. Insofar as we enter other areas, my position is
that of navigator...I point to a spot on the horizon, and say "That's
where we're all going." Each department/artistic aspect of the show,
from props, to costumes, to the director, works to most accurately create
what I see in my head. The most common question is, "Is this what you had
in mind when you wrote it?"

I keep an eye on every aspect of the show, to make sure it's what I
see in my head. If something isn't right, it's redone until it *is*
right. Nonetheless, I try to provide as much latitude as possible to my
people, to let them be as creative as they have the potential to be.

Sometimes there's some irony in the situation; in "And the Sky Full
of Stars," for instance, Janet is noted for the notion of having Sinclair
standing facing these lights that go out, one by one, except for the one
that spotlights him, when he's confronted by Knight Two, people say, "Oh
what a great directorial idea," but that's spelled out to the smallest
detail in the script. Ditto for the intercutting of scenes in the fall
of the emperor in "Coming." That's often attributed to the director, but
it was specifically scripted that way, right down to the use of slow-mo
for some shots, the way in which he falls, all of it.

This is because of that nutty auteur theory that many directors have
wrapped around themselves like a flag. With the obvious exception of
writer/directors, I've never seen any director do much with the auteur
theory and 100 blank pages.

jms
*****
Have not read Rice's "The Adding Machine" or seen it, but from the
apparent time period, it's likely of the school of playwriting that has
most influenced my work in general, mainly in terms of style.

I somewhat tend to moderate my writing style between the fairly
straightforward and simple to slightly more theatrical in nature, more of
the Serling/Chayefsky/Corwin mode. I like playing with language, and
English is a terrific language to play with. There was a time in this
country when literate syntactical construction was something honored; now
everything tends to be more toward the y'know, I was, you know, hanging
around the corner store, y'know, and Bob comes up to me, and he says....

If you look at the original Twilight Zone, some episodes of the
original Star Trek, the Outer Limits...you see a kind of reflective
writing that delights in slamming nouns and verbs together to see what
kind of explosion you get when the syntax hits critical mass.

It saddens me a bit now that anybody who sounds too literate is
often put down as showy or being theatrical. Listen to the speeches of
Kennedy and Churchill and FDR, look to the great orators of our long
history of a nation, from Lincoln to Jefferson. Their use of language,
of an idea well formed and delivered, propelled this nation toward its
current destiny, forged one country out of dozens of squabbling states.
I listen now to politicians, hoping and waiting for the one who
understands that the words have to dig into our souls and take root,
must have power and the purity of language well-used. And I just don't
hear it anymore...which is perhaps why we have consensus takers and not
leaders these days.

It saddens me that literacy has become suspect, and degraded, given
how many millions of years of evolution spent developing the ability to
create language. The quality of our thoughts is bordered on all sides by
our facility with language. The less precise the useage, the less clear
the process of language, the less you can achieve what you want to
achieve when you open you mouth to say something. We have slowly
bastardized and degraded and weakened the language, abetted and abided
by a growing cultural disdain for literacy, a cyclical trend toward
anti-intellectualism.

So I write my characters as sharp, and as witty, and as intelligent,
and as literate as I wish I would be under those sorts of circumstances,
which of course I never am. Maybe to remind people of the power of
language...mainly because I just love the sound of words carefully
stitched together. My dramatic conceit is that in 2259, we have had a
moderate rebirth of formality, and the kind of literacy you would often
see in letters from the turn of the century, and the 1930s. Because it
allows me to write it the way I want.

jms
*****
What's been happening the last few days? Well, we're now shooting
episode #9, "Point of No Return," and today was Majel Barrett's second
day of shooting on the show; she has two more days to shoot. So far the
episode looks very good. We're finishing the last EFX shots on "Voices
of Authority," episode #4, which will air after episode #5, "Passing
Through Gethsemane" because the latter requires almost zip EFX, and is a
better cap to the Novemer sweeps.

I just finished writing episode #12, "A Late Delivery From Avalon,"
and we're in pre-production on #10, "Severed Dreams." I'm currently
breaking out the story for #13 (not titled yet), which I'll probably start
writing this weekend. We should get the director's cut on "Messages From
Earth" (#8) sometime middle of next week.

jms
*****
He is only one of the finest writers this country has ever produced.
Go to your local library and look up his work. Take it home and read it
(or listen to it). In addition to being one of our preeminent essayists,
and a primary influence on such notables as Edward R. Murrow, Charles
Kuralt, Walter Cronkite, Stan Freberg, Rod Serling, and is possibly *the*
primary reason Ray Bradbury decided to become a writer in the first place,
he was this nation's finest and most regarded radio drama writer of his
time, moreso than Arch Oboler or Orson Welles. He write the radio drama
"On A Note of Triumph" aired on *all three* radio networks on VE day,
wrote cantatas for the UN, was a contemporary and friend of Carl
Sandburg, wrote the feature film "Lust For Life" about Van Gogh...look
into any copy of "Who's Who." The listing goes on forever.

Unfortunately, at the height of his career, he was one of many who
ended up grey-listed, because one little creep who owned a chain of
supermarkets published a rag called Red Channels, which one day listed
Norman's name because some of what he'd written struck this jerk as being
maybe sympathetic to the Reds (never mind that this was stuff he had been
commissioned by the government to write during WW 2 to demonstrate
solidarity during the war). Despite this, his niche remains secure, and
he is what's known in the biz as a *writer's writer*. He has been a
friend and a mentor for over 15 years, and I've learned much from him
about what it is to be a writer, and a human being.

I'm serious. Go to your local library and look up his work. Or to
your local bookstore and track down a copy of his latest book, a collection
of his letters (cunningly entitled Norman Corwin's Letters), published in
hardcover by Barricade Books, containing his correspondence to friends,
family, and such notable long-term friends as Ray Bradbury, William
Shatner, Rod Serling, Robert Altman, Ken Burns, Philip Dunne, Charles
Kuralt, Walter Cronkite, Burgess Meredith, Philip Roth, Gregory Peck,
Eric Sevareid, Bill Moyers, Erik Barnouw, Groucho Marx, Carl Sandburg,
Leonard Bernstein, Bette Davis, Edward R. Murrow...well, you get the
idea.

jms
*****
(CTI)
9. Delenn and Sebastian, in Gray 19. I was particularly struck by the use of
lighting in this scene. Circular patches of light on the shadowy floor, echo
ed by a round door which closes on its own. Creepy.
Did Sebastian imitate the lighting in the Grey Council chamber on
purpose, in order to push Delenn's buttons? Is the echo rather a pointer to
the fact that the one (Valen?) who instituted the GC meetings and the one who
called for the inquisition are both Vorlons? I just don't believe that this
setting was accidental (and I'd love to see jms' stage directions on his
script).

Sebastian says, 'The manacles are made for you.' How are they made for her?
I assume that there's a transmitter in the cane which activates some kind of
mechanism in the bracelets. Does all of this seem very Technomage to anyone
else? Remember the Technomages were headed for the Rim, and the Shadows and
Vorlons are supposed to be associated with that area as well.
He continues, 'You can remove them at any time but if you do so, you
admit failure and defeat and will stand before the Vorlon <singular> as
inadequate for the task ahead. (The Vorlon as in Kosh? The Vorlon,
collectively, as the race of Vorlons? ...For newbies, we -know- there's more
than one Vorlon and that Kosh is a Vorlon: JMS has said so.)

'...Unacceptable!. What a sad thing you are. Unable to answer such a
simple question without falling back on references, and genealogies and what
other people call you. Have you nothing of your own? Nothing to stand on
that is not provided, defined, delineated, stamped, sanctioned, numbered and
approved by others. How can you be expected to fight for someone else when
you haven't the fairest idea -who- -you- -are-?'
And here is the central point of the issue, IMHO. We've watched as
Delenn has fallen from her former (pre-Chrysalis) confidence to the woman who
cried on camera for ISN and let a little Minbari weasel chew her out (TAtHL).
She has become dependent on the references of others, 'what other people call
you', for her opinion of her self-worth. As I said in the earlier sections of
this Analysis, Kosh knows perfectly well that Delenn is the right one for the
task ahead. But he's seeing this knowledge slip away from -her-. And he
can't let this crisis of confidence happen at a critical moment in the
struggle ahead. She must be convinced, now, in her own mind, that she's doing
the right thing for the right reason, before the true trial happens. Hence
the need of torture: this was a dress-rehearsal for a future happening, IMHO.
It would not amaze me if, singly or together, Delenn and Sheridan face such a
trial of confidence in the future, at a moment when they're actually dealing
with the Shadows, perhaps. When that happens, they will be able to draw on
the self-knowledge gained form this experience to help them in that one.
Yes, Kosh is being shockingly ruthless here, but perhaps from his point
of view, he needs to be ruthless. He's not telling them the truth about the
reason for the inquisition. But how can he say that he really does have
every confidence in them? The point is to develop their own confidence.

BTW, I think the next words from Sebastian are very revealing. They
indicate to me that Sebastian doesn't really realize why the test is being
done, and they say volumes more about his own thinking than they do about
Delenn:
'Do you know how many have stood before me as you do now? Proud,
defiant, full of their own bloated self-importance, confident that they are
chosen, special, favored of God? All of them have broken. And better that
they did, better to spare others the illusion of false hope. You have the
audacity to presume that you are on a mission from God, embarked upon a holy
cause. I don't believe it...'
Sebastian's description bears no resemblance to the Delenn we've come to
know at all. That's why I believe the Vorlons never clued Sebastian in on the
true nature of the test, in this case. So he's taking a kind of a flyer,
here, and naturally assumes the workings of her mind are the same as the
workings of his own. Much of the following dialogue in later scenes reflects
this: all the allusions to pride, banners, etc.
'If you believe you are the chosen, then you must risk everything on the
premise that the universe will not let you die.' Contrast this with Delenn's
later answer, 'If I fall, another will take my place. And another and
another.'

10. Vir and G'Kar in the elevator. I could say WOW and damn with faint
praise, but I won't. You all have seen it. What praise is high enough for
the premise or the execution? None I know how to write here.
I -do- have a few comments and questions, however. Would G'Kar have said
anything on his own, if Vir hadn't spoken? Would he have cut his hand?
G'Kar's impassive face is stronger than any words. Did anyone hear a faint
sound in the background (the elevator machinery?) which sounded like a faint
heart beat? It was almost like hearing Vir's heart beating desperately with
terror. Vir doesn't know where to look and actually inches away from G'Kar
(fortunately, for him, that elevator must be -huge-). And at this point, Vir
passes his own test: He musters enough courage to turn and say,
'I'm sorry. I wish there was something that I could do, but... I tried
telling them but they wouldn't listen. They... they never listen. I'm
sorry.'
<G'Kar cuts his hand. With his ritual knife, from CoS?> He says,
'Dead... dead...' <eleven times, I believe> 'How do you apologize to them?'
'I can't.'
'Then I cannot forgive.'

(one last comment: Why did Vir three times say 'they'? '...I tried telling
them but they wouldn't listen. They...they never listen.' Who is they?
Hasn't he only attempted repeatedly to warn Londo? Or is this deliberate
vagueness, in a poor attempt to protect Londo? Very strange.)

The scene ends with G'Kar closing his fist on the wound and getting off
the elevator, leaving Vir huddled against its wall, looking like he's going to
cry. And then a curious thing happens: we get the voice-over leading into
the next scene...
11. 'You don't like it, here, do you? <with Vir still on the screen!> Very
clever: Vir doesn't like it here (i.e. on the station) either...
But back to Delenn and Sebastian.
Notice again how it's Sebastian who speaks of '...dreaming dreams of
glory...' and 'At a word from you, all the hosts of heaven would descend and
carry you off... because you have a destiny.' Once again, IMHO, addressing
his own demons more than he is hers.
Her response is very interesting. 'We all have a destiny. ...sometimes
we do not see it, because we have been taught to believe that we are not
important.' As Delenn herself has recently been 'taught' by the reactions of
other Minbari and that of people like the ISN reporter? It's at this point
that I see Delenn starting to get it, when it comes to the test.

'Perhaps the world is right and Delenn is wrong. Have you ever considered
that? Have you?'
'Yes. Sometimes.'
I suspect she's considered little else, for the last few months, actually.
Look at Sebastian's reaction to her answer. His eyes and his sigh. I think
the answer was unexpected, and perhaps even unwanted. He doesn't want to
think that there is someone who sees themselves as chosen who isn't tragically
mistaken yet clinging to the illusion, because of pride. Now, for the first
time in 400 years, he may have met such a person. That ten minute break is
for him not her.

12. Where does G'Kar meet with his people? Why does the scene begin with
G'Kar at an angle (tilted to the right)? Why do we have lights and fans,
again? Beats me.
Near the end of the scene, G'Kar says, 'We cannot afford the luxury of
conflict.' Yet he was one of the proponents of the conflict between the Narn
and Centauri. Suppose, instead of planning the assassination of the Centauri
emperor, he'd chosen to meet him at the airlock with the captain and all?
But, in any case, his words are also prophetic for the future: there's still
the conflicts of the various factions on Earth (and Mars), the conflict within
the Minbari Grey Council, etc. No one on the side of light can afford any of
these conflicts.

13. Delenn and Sebastian, contnued.
'...You're being a fool.'
'Then I am a fool. It's better to be what -I- am than what -you- are.'
'And what ...am I? Please, tell me.'
<This isn't in the usual inquisitor handbook
I suspect but after Delenn's last, surprising
answer, Sebastian probably couldn't resist..>
'You are a creature who has received pain and given pain, and taken too
much joy in its application. You have aspired to dreams and been disappointed
because you are not strong enough, or worthy enough, or right (?) enough, so
you lash out at anyone who believes they can make a difference, because it
reminds you of your own failure. You have to prove they're just as bad, just
as flawed as you are. Am I close, Mr. Sebastian?'
'Bang. Bang. Bang. ...'
And Sebastian's only reaction is to inflict more pain. Because, of
course, Delenn's words are deadly accurate, and consequently were probably
painful themselves. This is a remarkable scene! Delenn has gotten inside
Sebastian's head through all the pain and terror, just from the way he's been
questioning her. She describes the essence of a serial killer, without ever
knowing that he is one, including divining that he himself had received pain.
Notice how she says, '...a creature who has received pain and given pain...'
in that order. Many theories see serial killers as evolving in exactly this
way.

'...I can feel your heart, Delenn. I can hold it here in my hand. I can
close my fist around it. I can stop it. Another inch and I will.'
'I can hold it here in my hand' ...And has been known to do so. <shudder>

Well, on that grim note, I'm stopping for now. See anyone who's interested in
part four. BTW, as always, if you're lacking a part of this Analysis (and
could care less) feel free to e-mail me.
Sherry

GOOD SF IS NOT A MALFUNCTION.
NUMBER 'FIVE' IS ALIVE!
*****
Will: thanks, and you're quite right; it does say something about the
Vorlons that they'd use Jack for this purpose. Now we just have to further
define what that is.

BTW, just to append it here, not strictly appropos of your message...
I've noted a number of people say, in essence, "Boy, was I disappointed
that he said Jack at the end, what does he think we are, morons?" And I've
seen plenty of comments from people who didn't know it was Jack until that
very last moment, for whom it was a revelation.

It's pretty clear, to lots of folks, that the test was in some ways
(most, actually) more for Delenn's benefit than Kosh's...lots of folks got
this...and then others have said, "Well, if that's what he meant, why
didn't he just have one of them come out and SAY this, say what was learned
or that this was for THEIR benefit?"

So frankly, whether one comes out and says something, or does not come
out and say something, someone on one side or the other is going to give
you a hard time about it.

jms
*****
Actually, it was pointed out to me recently that as far as can be
determined (and if there's any solid info to the contrary, I'll gladly
take it) that no one has ever single-handedly written a full season of
a dramatic, one-hour series. Even David Kelley often uses co-writers on
many of his episodes of ER and Picket Fences. I have not yet set this out
as a personal challenge, because I think you have to be open to what may
come your way from other places. But it's something I'm keeping a vaguely
interested eye on....

jms
*****
Without going on overlong, as some of this has already been covered,
it wasn't terrific as a kid. We moved every 6 months to a year, blowing
from town to town (economic reasons), always the new kid, hence very few
friends at any time. None that lasted more than that 6-12 months. No
one town that constituted a home town. So I read a lot...novels, comics,
you name it.

Wasn't a nerd in high school; I just passed through their ranks
unnoticed, like some kind of translucent Eisenglass figurine at the back
of the room. I went back to the 20th reunion...to find that only one
person sorta kinda remembered me. No one else.

As for writing...I always knew that I'd be a writer, for as long as
I can remember. Even as a kid I collected pens, had an interest in all
things writing. The second that I was old enough to take typing classes,
I did. Ended up taking 4 semesters of it, until by the time I left I was
the fastest typist they'd ever produced, 'cause I knew full well I'd need
that skill when I got going. In my senior year, having studied the style
and structure of most of my favorite writers (I can do a lethal imitation
of just about any writer's style), I decided, at 17, that I'd prepared
enough...time to start Writing, and selling. And I did, right then.

And I've never looked back.

jms
*****
Category 18, Topic 1
Message 187 Thu Oct 12, 1995
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 23:31 EDT

Mike: my first, truest and only possible reaction to your note was to
instantly look around and wonder who the heck you were talking about.

"...you're starting to become an SF superstar, perhaps the biggest since
Gene Roddenberry."

I wish I could take this as having anything whatsoever to do with me, as
far as B5 goes, but I can't. I don't see myself or my position any different
now than 5 or 10 years ago. I look in the mirror and half the time I see a
doofus. The other half of the time I see someone trying desperately not to
*be* a doofus.

The other day, I was interviwed by a reporter with a major newspaper
syndicate, and kind of the same question was asked. What I told her, and I'll
say here, is...I just can't apply it to me. When I go up on stage at a
convention, and there's this mass of applause...the terrible thing is, I don't
hear it. I'm worrying about what the first thing I should say ought to be,
will it be entertaining, why on earth do these people want to see *me* fer
chrissakes...one feels like a fraud. Because the story kinda lives outside me
somehow...it's like the sculpter who look at a block of stone and knows
there's a sculpture of a horse in there somewhere, that it was *always* there,
he just has to get a hammer and chisel and *find* it.

There's a difference between the talent, the story, and the vessel;
sometimes the vessel thinks it *is* the talent, that it *is* the story, and
that way, I think, lies madness and an ego of monstrous proportion. I can't
think in those terms. I wouldn't mind, I'd probably enjoy it, I just *can't*.
When I hear applause -- and on one level, like I said, I really can't -- it's
not for me, it's for the story, for the show, for the performances, for
Christopher's terrific music. I'm sitting here on a writing break, in a torn
up pair of jeans, a superman t-shirt, with a barely adequate cafe mocha in a
Daffy Duck mug in front of me; how seriously can I take this person?

The guys at the local comic store know who I am -- I come in every
Wednesnday night for my weekly fix -- and it ain't no big thing. I'm just one
more customer. The only perk is that they set aside the comics about to sell
out so I don't miss one. But when I walk in the door, those who might
recognize me don't seem to pay much notice, and the majority just *don't*
recognize me, because my face isn't plastered all over the place. Which is as
it should be; the actors deserve that honor. (This is something else the
reporter bugged me about, "The ST creators have their faces all over the
place, where in the press kit are your photos, why aren't *you* out there
visibley?" To which the only answer is, "That ain't why I'm here." As
Meatloaf said, "I ain't in it for the power, and I ain't in it for the wealth,
I ain't in it for the glory of anything at all, and I sure ain't in it for my
health. But I'm in it till it's over.")

So there's no need for any awkwardness or hesitancy, Mike. I'm a fan,
same as you and most of the other folks around here. Ain't nothing around
here to be intimidated by; it's just me.

jms
*****
Category 18, Topic 1
Message 233 Sat Oct 14, 1995
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 19:15 EDT

Okay, here's What Joe Believes: I don't believe in deities, heavens,
hells, spirit guides, leprechauns, or any continuance of the individual after
death. Consciousness is an abstract, but it is finite. When the game is
finally called on account of darkness, you don't get to come back tomorrow and
finish the game. The work we must do, must be done today, now, or not at all.

What I believe in is the power of the human being singular to rise above
every challenge, obstacle, tyrant and misfortune. We are where we are because
in the evolutionary crap shoot, we were smarter, and faster, and *thought*
ourselves out of the mud (with a little help from the opposable thumb, natch).
The brass ring of consciousness has made us not only aware of our environment,
and how to control it, but has made us, when we are at our best, self-
reflective, aware of the struggle of those around us, made us conscious of the
fact that we work at our best when we work together, when individuals can
reach for the stars and pull the rest of us along with them...for company, for
pleasure, and to help the next guy leapfrog to the next star. Given nurturing
and direction and purpose, it makes us compassionate.

Stunted, hindered, corrupted by circumstance or hopelessness, it makes us
into monsters.

I believe that we can touch greatness *now*, and that if we remove the
notion of second chances, lifes after this one, no backsies, there is the
added impetus to *achieve* it now. (Witness those who think there's no point
in saving the redwoods because Christ is going to come back soon and the point
will be moot. Remember James Watt's statement on that one?) This, I
believe, is *it*. And so we must do all we can. For those who are raised
well, directed well, that means doing all they can to the good; for those who
fall between the cracks, that may mean something quite different.

But that's the way it is now anyway, really. Religion can be used as
justification to murder, or not to murder, depending on how you approach it.
Religion has been used to rationalize, and attack, slavery.

For my money, religion and science came out of the same impulse, the
desire to understand who we are, and where we came from, and where we're
going, and what we're supposed to do when we get there. Before we had the
tools to grasp the mechanics of sunlight and solstice, we cobbled up pantheons
and spirits and deities who watched over the functioning of the universe like
benign watchmakers. With time and codification, religions began, warred,
absorbed, schism'd and sunk their hooks deep into the world around us. Those
hooks are too deep and tied to too much of our language, our culture, ever to
be removed; they are part and parcel of our human heritage, I accept that and
welcome that element.

But from this side of the modem...it's still just myth. Myth with
billion dollar empires on the one hand, and myth that lives in little steepled
whiteframe churches in the Appalachias, but myth nonetheless.

It can be myth that elevates, myth that ennobles, myth that destroys,
myth that causes war and myth that heals after war...but myth it remains. Just
like the myth of language, of art, of politics and polemics and philosophy.
They are all the constructs we have made, the lenses we have cobbled together
through which we can see the world around us.

That is what I think, that is what I believe. Your mileage may vary. I
have no desire to propagandize my personal beliefs; if you do that, they're
not personal anymore, and my job is to entertain, and to ask questions, not
to persuade anyone to my own perspective. In the pursuit of this story, I
will use myth and math interchangeably, whichever tool best serves the task
most effectively.

If anything, I believe closest to what Delenn said, my one moment of
slippage, of letting my own attitudes creep in, that we are better than we
think, and nobler than we know; that we have the seeds of greatness within us,
and our greatest flaw is that we do not always know this as well as we should.

jms
*****
Category 18, Topic 1
Message 258 Sun Oct 15, 1995
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 19:34 EDT

Kwicker: then in the two options you present, assume the latter, that I'm
"an exceedingly better writer than I had even expected," since the other
doesn't parse for me. I don't believe. Not even cellularly, or
subconsciously. If one can write Narns well, that doesn't mean one believes
they exist; why should this change for writing about beliefs?

Tom: not a "recovering Catholic," but an ex-catholic who was never really
much of a practitioner at all...one of these twice-a-year church family types.
I had no choice going in, being born into that, and as soon as I hit
confirmation and was told it was the sacrament of free choice, I was out of
the room so fast I doppler'd.

Not sure there was any one particular thing that led me to where I am,
just sort of the preponderance of things. I've read a lot of varying
scriptures -- the Bible cover-to-cover twice, the Gita, a number of Egyptian
and Judaic religious texts, less of the Koran than I'd like (some tough
slogging in there), I'm quite charmed by much of what I've read in Zen
Buddhism, I've looked into Native American, South American and African myths
and religious beliefs...and to be honest, in all of this, I've never yet "met"
a Deity that was really much nobler or better than the average person.
They're all prone to eccentricities, fits of anger, flaws, jealousies,
illogic, pettiness, violence, inconsistency and a thousand other traits we'd
be ashamed to see in ourselves. And I've never seen much of anything outside
to convince me that there's order in the universe...so here I am.

Do not, btw, take this as an invitation to debate, convert, or try to
convince. I've come to this by long and difficult roads, there's nothing you
can say to me that hasn't been said before, by others, and if I respect the
beliefs of othres enough not to try and change them, I'd ask that this same
respect be returned.

jms
*****
Normally the purple coat is associated with a more benign Londo from
earlier; the dark coat marks a later time.

Who's my alter-ego on the show? All of them, to one extent or
another. They're pieces I've kind of sliced off and deposited into one
part of the story or another. The theory is that, once sliced away, they
are the free to go off and grow into something larger on their own, and
hopefully become something greater than the source.

jms
*****

Well, it was such a big hit last year, I just had to do it again!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Everything I ever needed to know I learned
from watching the second season of Babylon 5.

Put the emphasis on Pleasure.
Love knows no borders.
There's enough guilt in the world to go around without grabbing for more.
Laughter is better than pills for what ails you.
Express your feelings.
Confess your love, now, while you still have a chance.
Do it Human Style whenever possible.
It is good to have friends, if even for a little while.
Similarity is not required to express compassion.
Enjoy your first hangover, while you still remember it.
We shall be remembered in spite of ourselves.
You are destined to spent the rest of your life paying for your mistakes.
Sometimes the adventure comes to you.
Wherever we are, we are in the right place at the right time.
It takes more than 100 years to evolve a better human.
The future; Some assembly required.
Those that do not listen to history will repeat it.
Don't make promises life won't let you keep.
There's nothing wrong with getting a good head start.
Say a prayer for the dying; say half a prayer for the agnostics.
Life is life, whether it's wrapped in skin, scales, or feathers.
Never fear answers; Fear running out of questions.
There is beauty in the dark.
Look up and wave (like this!) the day they chop off the devil's head and stick
it on a pike.
Faith manages.
Wait just little while and the wheel turns.
Learn the more colorful aspects of culture.
Some things come with too high a price; Always ask for the price.
Follow your dreams; but don't chase the nightmares.
The impossible is possible.
Beauty and the Beast are in the eye of the beholder.
Women; one day they're shooting at you and the next they're taking you
out to dinner.
Look to the past and give your ancestors lives meaning; Look to the future and
create the world your decendants will live in.
Triumph in the face of adversity; You have no other choice.
The universe doesn't give you any points for doing things easy.
We learn by doing, and in the process fall on our faces occasionally.
Do not try the patience of wizards; They are subtle and quick to anger.
Don't give Mr. Wizard a chance; He is incompetent and quick to reprogram
your doors.
Money and Power don't always matter.
The first casualty of war is always the truth.
Governments deal with matters of convience, not conviction; It's up to us
to handle the rest.
Never leave a man behind.
It's good to be the Captain.
There is no greater power in the universe than the need for freedom.
Sometimes "peace" is another word for surrender.
Secrets have a way of getting out.
Compliment your enemies; It gives them headaches.
You cannot serve larger ideals by compromising smaller ones.
Always leave a little room for people to disappoint you.
Save a cake for your friends.
Sincere apologies work.
If you can't put a bag over his head, then just pull the wool over his eyes.
Calling it a "food plan" doesn't help.
The future isn't what it used to be.
Try and cut down on food that crawls from your plate.
Listen to the Lurkers.
Try to act as human as possible.
Keep your elbow up.
Try to be only slightly insane.
There's never a good time to sing Kum-by-yah.
Look before you leap to your death.

... and my favorite ...

Even if your choices are limited to Pestilance, Famine, or Death, it is always
possible to make a wise decision.

Thomas Foote
tfoote@vlsi.gsfc.nasa.gov
******
(FON)
This was a great episode, though not my favorite of the final four.
MOJO: the CGI was breath-taking. Get any better and we'll start believing
you're using Vorlon tech! And JMS, masterful foreshadowing - you just keep
twisting those screws a little tighter, week after week. The acting was great
as always and, for the first time, I rank Boxleitner's performance the best of
the lot. I still miss MOH, but I really enjoyed watching BB do Sheridan this
week. I -like- the Sheridan we see here: giving rock-solid support to the Narn
commander, rehearsing a truly from-the-heart 'apology' to the Centauri and
showing conflicting emotions when rescued by Kosh. CC was great too,
especially when dealing with the Welles character and giving Sheridan the
Hannukah gift. And back to you, Joe. You -are- a sneaky devil: You show us
what Kosh looks like, yet make it perfectly clear in the same breath that
we're not really seeing what Kosh truly looks like. That's sadistic. <stop
that grinning: you're having entirely too much fun at our expense>

But on to the scene-by-scene...
1. Ok, I fell for it. I was convinced that the Star Furies really were in
combat when the story started. 'Course I fell for the same type scene at the
beginning of Star Trek the movie, too, so what do I know.
Sheridan says, 'Good shooting, Delta 7.' I'm curious: is the hot-shot
pilot who clips Keffer's wings in this scene the same one we see later in the
locker room? You know, it wouldn't hurt to have another strong female
character on the show, now that Talia is an ex-Talia. Just a thought.
Sheridan continues, 'Some aliens can handle G-forces better than we can
and the Centauri are willing to put their fighters on auto-pilot and risk
blacking out if it gives them the optimum firing position when they come out.'
All right, I'm confused: when they come out of what? Their faint? The
maneuvar? How is there time to get into and out of auto-pilot, in the middle
of a dogfight? For that matter, wouldn't it take an -extremely- sophisticated
auto-pilot to make a combat pilot willing to trust it to pick the best
maneuvar will he'she's at risk of losing consciousness?

2. Lennier and Vir in the Zocalo. Didn't someone post the other day that
there hasn't been much humor in recent episodes? I guess they hadn't seen
this show, yet.
'Sometimes I get so close, and yet it seems I'm shut out of the important
things.' <Lennier says it, but maybe he's reading Vir's mind :) >
'It's a useless feeling. The ambassador is definitely going through some
changes. He even looks different.' <True... but wouldn't you swear that
should be Lennier speaking and saying 'she' ? >
'Indeed, and now with the military starting to stampede over everyone and
everything...' <take your pick: half the characters on the show could say
this line>
'People coming and going and secret meetings...'
'You never know what it's all about, until later, when it's too late.'
"And they never listen to us.' <Hah! Someone's been taping conversations
from my office...>
'It makes me nervous.'
'Same time tomorrow?'
'Sure.'

But seriously, I wonder if this developing friendship is going to go anywhere?
After last week in particular, Vir needs a way to make his own difference in
the struggle ahead. It would be very interesting if he were to, oh, get a bit
more detailed about what's been going on with Londo recently.

3. Ivanova is in fine form, as she suggests in the hearing of several Fury
pilots that live ammo might be used in their next wargames. The glance about
the room and the accompanying smile in particular are very Ivanova.

4. Sheridan and Londo.
Sheridan: 'You call it a buffer zone. The Drazi call it an invasion.'
Londo: 'They are exagerating. <winner writes the history> We are merely
establishing a presence. <Was that establishing a presence or a -precedent-
ambassador? --once you've started this kind of agression & no one's protested
too strongly, it's ever so much easier to keep on doing it>
Sheridan: 'Well, where does that presence end? Tell me that ambassador. Show
me on the map where it's going to end. ...Londo, everything is falling apart
and the Centauri are at the center of it all. Can't your people see that?
Can't you see that?
<Londo's eyes drop for a second and his expression changes, before he speaks:
part of him knows they're in the wrong. Good acting. ..And then the
blustering begins again. Almost, but he's not quite there yet. Still,
there's hope.> 'I do not have to listen to this. Your authority ends at
Babylon 5. Do not start getting delusions of grandeur. You will not survive
them.'

'...Londo, everything is falling apart and the Centauri are at the center of
it all. ...'
Just a gentle reminder of a poem read by G'Kar to Na'Toth, a long time ago.
"Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the center cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.

Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.
The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out
When a vast image out of -Spiritus Mundi- <soul of the universe>
Troubles my sight; somewhere in sands of the desert
A shape with lion body and the head of a man,
A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,
Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it
Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds.
The darkness drops again; but now I know
That twenty centuries of stony sleep
Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?"
---W.B. Yeats

'Weep for the future, Na'Toth. Weep for us all.'

5. Garibaldi and Sheridan, re Londo.
Sheridan: 'You're the closest thing he has to a friend, here. Is there any
way to get through to him?'
Garibaldi: 'Not as long as he's afraid.'
'As long as -he's- afraid?'
'Yeah. Look at his eyes, sometime. You can see how fast things are moving.
for Londo, it's like being stuck on a wild horse. You don't want to get
thrown, so you hang on all the harder. He's trapped.
'You know, half the time I'm so furious with the guy I could break his neck.
The other half, I feel sorry for him.'

Garibaldi is right. But it's even worse than he realizes. Sheridan said that
the Centauri are at the center of it all,but it's -Londo- who is truly at the
center. And that wild horse is the 'rough beast' of which G'Kar has warned.

6. Is the woman who speaks about the ghost to Keffer is the locker room, the
pilot of Delta 7? Notice that she refers to its appearance in Sector 14.
Isn't that B4's location?

7. Sheridan and Ivanova go to meet Lantze and Welles. I suppose the fighting
couple were just there to lend verisimilitude, but I kept expecting the man to
turn up in a later scene.
Welles says, 'just want to be sure we're doing the right thing...'
Alas, and he honestly means that too. That's what's so frightening about him,
and especially about Lantze.

8. Mitch and Keffer (at the Eclipse?)
There's been too little of this inter-squad rivalry, IMHO. I'd like to see
more of the pilots during their off-duty time talking like this.
Keffer describes the 'ghost', 'It was jet black. Jet black so deep, your eye
just kind of slides off it. And it shimmered when you looked at it. A spider
big as death and twice as ugly. When it flies past it's like you hear a
scream in your mind. ...I saw it, too. ...
'I swore I'd prove something was out there, like nothing you've ever seen
before. I tried looking for it on my own but the captain told me to lay off.
I gotta find it ...prove what happened.'

'...When it flies past, it's like you hear a scream in your mind.'
-That- sounds telepathic, to me. That just can't be a throw-away line,
because it sounds good. But what are the ramifications of this? Was Keffer
telepathic? Are Shadow ships telepathic? Do Shadows affect humans and other
sentient life-forms on some kind of instinctive, mental level? Is the scream
in the mind something everyone experiences, not just these two pilots? Can it
be equated in any way to the visual image each person sees when they look at a
Vorlon? And a million other questions...
...Whew...
Ok, one more and then I stop for now...

9. Ivanova and Lantze.
He's such a nice, sweet guy: the perfect patsy for the likes of Clarke. A
brilliant choice, and a personal appointment I would think since the Ministry
of Peace is presumably an agency under presidential authority.
And about that 'legacy' Lantze is hoping to give his grandchildren. When
it all goes awry, I wonder if he'll commit suicide at the knowledge of the
kind of legacy he was instrumental in actually providing them, He just strikes
me as the kind of person who, when they realize they've made a hideous
mistake, self-destruct inside. Unlike Londo, whom I'm convinced will make
some effort before the five years are up, trying to set things right (not to
say he won't fail).

Ok, that's it for now. See you in part two.
Sherry

GOOD SF IS NOT A MALFUNCTION.
NUMBER 'FIVE' IS ALIVE!
*****
10. The Narn cruiser opens a jump point on the other side of Epsilon E.
I'm curious: would it be possible for anyone else besides those in C&C to
detect this happening? What I mean is, for all the Narn commander knew, there
could have been a Centauri warship docked at the station.
The Narn commander says, 'We were alone on deep patrol... when the
Centauri struck homeworld. Since then, we have been fighting for our lives.
Alone, without reinforcements, we will eventually be hunted down and
destroyed. But with the support of others, we may one day help liberate
homeworld. To achieve that end, we must remain free and Babylon 5 is our only
hope. We've expended the last of our energy in getting here. We request
sanctuary.'
'...since then, we have been fighting for our lives...' Against whom?
I mean, obviously against the Centauri. But if so, why is it such a surprise
to everyone that there's still Narn warships in existence. If the Centauri
are still trying to neutralize Narn warships, wouldn't Londo et al be using
that as an excuse for their continued aggression? So wouldn't Sheridan and
G'Kar know about it?
'...we've expended the last of our energy..." Have we ever established
what form that energy takes? Later, Sheridan refers to sending the ship
'equipment'. Did he also send them fuel? Or is this resource naturally
replenished somehow, when the engines are taken offline?

11. Welles and Ivanova.
Welles says, 'Commander? I hope I'm not disturbing you?'
Ivanova looks down regretfully at her tray and sighs. 'No.' This was
probably one of her few breaks all day long. After all, between the Narn
cruiser's presence and the fact that she was assigned as liason with Lantze
and Welles, she couldn't have gotten much down time so far that day. BTW, I
like her teapot. And I'd like to know what happened to the samovar. Has
anyone spotted it in her quarters?

Welles continues, '...Are you happy here?' 'You see I like to know as much as
I possibly can about the people I work with and your record is exemplary.'
<notice that this is -before- Welles tries to recruit her. To me, this means
he was -that- sure that he was going to convince her to join the NightWatch,
that he was already including her amoungst 'the people I work with'

Later, he says, 'Well, the NightWatch is becoming more important back home.
We have considerable support within Earthdome... <hmmm... Earthdome in
general? just Clarke in particular? others at Earthdome through fear and
blackmail...? >
'... Why not shave a year or two off that. We could do that for you.'
Ivanova: 'In exchange for?' <note the look on Susan's face; she's way ahead
of him>

'...Does Mr. Lantze know about this conversation?'
'No. ...No.' <Welles' smile indicates he's familiar with Lantze's naivete.>

Ivanova: '...What I saw worried me, and now I see that my worries were
justified.' <I wonder what Ivanova thinks of Zack Allen's membership in the
NightWatch, then? As executive officer, has she been keeping tabs on its
local members amoungst the crew?>
Welles: '...You really don't understand. <laughs> but that's all right. The
offer will remain open indefinitely.' <This is so condescending! Does he
truly think she can be made a dupe, like Lantze? BTW, I like the way Susan
says, 'open' and boots him out immediately thereafter.>

12. Sheridan tells G'Kar about the Narn cruiser.
G'Kar: 'This is the first good news I've had since the occupation began.
-Will- you give them sanctuary?'
Sheridan: 'I can't see any reason why not.'
<Their shared smiles warmed my heart. It's great seeing Sheridan follow
through on his pledge, and seeing G'Kar find he's got a friend he can count
on. Especially since Na'Toth,marks one and two, are no more. :( >
Sheridan continues, 'Right now, we're giving them equipment to make
repairs. After that's done, I'll formally notify Mr. Lantze.' Actually, I
think the proper procedure would have been for Sheridan to do both things
simultaneously. I can only think that his instincts and common sense kept him
from telling Lantze at once. I approve. What he did is what I would have
done ...but then he's military and I'm not...>

Poor G'Kar! He's so excited here, thinking that he's going to get a
chance to talk to an Earth representative, and that Earth naturally will take
sides with the Narn. ...Speaking of naivete!

13. Our busy Mr. Welles holds his NW meeting.
'I'm glad to see we're adding new members ...even though I haven't seen any
reports from -you- Mr. Allen.' <That makes Zack a new member? Oosh! If so,
how long have some of the people in that room been wreking quiet havoc?>
<Why is Welles targeting that particular shopkeeper, with regard to Zack? Do
they need that particular 'conviction'? Did one of the others in the room
observe Zack talking to the shopkeeper?>

'There, you see? That wasn't so bad. ...You learn. You're flexible. You
show great promise, great promise indeed.' <Was anyone reminded of Morden's
description of Londo, to his Shadow companions, back in first season, here?>

BTW, whom did Zack turn and look at when he was being cross-examined by
Welles? A fellow security guard?

14. Mitch and Keffer. Mitch brings the data crystal and mentions about the
neutrino emissions. Could some techie-type out there help this poor
non-techie type and explain what neutrino emissions would be?

Keffer: 'Thanks.'
Mitch: 'Don't thank me. You go out looking for that thing - you're looking
for Death. From now on I've got no part in this."
I wonder if he's sticking to that, now that Keffer's dead. Will we see
more of Mitch? Once the film ends up on ISN, would he feel obligated to say
something? And, do any of the NightWatch know about Mitch's experience?

15. What ambassador does Lantze talk to last? His back is turned toward us.

Why does Lantze refuse to talk to G'Kar? He looks almost frightened. Is it
just that he doesn't want to have to think about the victims? Or is the key
within his words to G'Kar, '...within certain guidelines...' Does Clarke have
him on such a short leash that he -dare- not speak to the former Narn
ambassador for five minutes? Surely Earthdome hasn't already severred
diplomatic relations with Narn, at least not until the Centauri-Earth treaty
is signed?
BTW, I wonder how you 'sign a treaty' in the twenty-third century.
Conventional pen and ink seems kind of passe, for the purpose.

16. The Narn commander and Sheridan talk about the needs of his ship.
Amoungst other things, the commander says that with their energy at a minimum,
they can't use their medical facilities to their full capabilities to aid
their injured. Were they in engagements -that- recently? If Sheridan is
sending them equipment, why don't they shuttle the worst-injured cases to the
station at the same time? IMHO, a few 'fury pilots could use the shuttles
that were used in BabSq for the purpose. After all, it's become rather
commonplace for the station to see incoming Narn refugees.

Sheridan: 'As long as you're in B5 space, we'll protect you. You have my
word. Take care of your people.'
Narn commander: 'We'll take the engines off line now.'
<Now -that- is trust! Personally, I'd've queried the advisability of doing
that for a minute or two, before agreeing!>

When Lantze walked in a moment later, and said, '...I've heard some disturbing
reports...' my heart skipped a beat. I thought he'd heard about the Narn
cruiser.
I guess we can safely assume that it's the brunette tech who told Welles about
Sheridan using Centauri combat models.

'We will at last know peace in our time.'
How does it go? Those who don't learn from history are bound to repeat it.

17. We see the C&C technician meet Welles with additional information. Do
our people ever figure out who the spy in their midst is? I hope our little
Hague conspiracy gives this high priority -real soon now-. However, I'm not
sure what they're going to do about it, even once they know who's the security
leak.

18. When Sheridan says that he doesn't know what his uniform means any more,
Ivanova's answer seems prophetic. '...maybe 2260 is the year we redefine it,
make it mean something again.'
Hmmm. 'redefine it', huh? Gosh, this wouldn't have anything to do with JMS
saying that a radical change is coming to the B5 universe part way through
year three, would it? ...Nah. ;)

'Merry Christmas. Happy Hannukah. ...Whatever.'
'I can't...'
'Yeah, ya can.' <grin> <Gee, sounds like pretty realistic dialogue, to me.>
<grin>

Ok, next time, things go ka-boom. Forget Zathras... Where's Jinxo when you
need him? ;)

Sherry

GOOD SF IS NOT A MALFUNCTION.
NUMBER 'FIVE' IS ALIVE!
*****
What would I say to one of my characters if asked to justify what I
had done to them?

"I figured it'd make things a *lot* more interesting. To see what
(and if) you'd learn. Because it makes for good drama, and I like to be
entertained at this end. Because I can. And because I felt like it."

jms

(Where were you when I brought forth the whale....)
*****
(MOH)
Well, being a lucky resident of the Philadelphia viewing area, I get
to see B5 Mondays at 9:00. :)= Here are some of my thoughts on "Matters
of Honor."

First, some non-spoiler comments: I liked it. A bunch. It wasn't as
grand or intense as, say, "TLTS" or "CtI," but what it did it did well,
with a strong main plot and two (or so) fascinating subplots. The new
opening was just about perfect--it set a new mood immediately, made it
seem we'd just turned the page to a new chapter. And it gave me the
feeling that the clutch had just been popped, and the show had begun
screaming into motion--events are moving from the word go, and a lot of
things are happening sooner than I'd've thought.

I also feel lost again, in a good way. Throughout the last half of
season 2, I felt I more or less knew where the show was going, thanks in
part to JMS' hints, and in part to a certain inevitability events had.
Now, to some extent, I'm clueless. Some things in "MoH" just frazzled me.

(The only problem? The acronym for "Matters of Honor" looks a lot
like the acronym for "Michael O'Hare," and I've already gotten
confused... And then there were the problems with the sound in my area...
*sigh*)

Anyway, on to the SPOILERS for Michael O'Hare:

Regarding the intro: Ivanova's narration is much shorter than earlier
ones, and more powerful than her similar narration in "TFoN." The new
music is ominous and martial, and it and the voiceover mesh nicely with
the images we see. In particular, the first shot: Ivanova saying "Babylon
5 was our last, best hope for peace," as two Starfuries cruise peaceably
by, looking like a zillion other shots we've seen. Then, as she says "It
failed," one opens fire on the other, just as her words hit home. Wow.

Many hinted-at things were stated flat-out in this episode: that Kosh
gets tired when people are looking at him, that the Minbari have
artificial gravity and the EA doesn't, that the Shadows occupied Narn
1,000 years ago, that few knew Kosh was Kosh in "TFoN," that Londo was
probably standing on Centauri Prime in his dream. Stating these things
rather than implying them tidies the Arc, and guides the speculation in
more useful directions. After this episode, things felt very coherent;
the war council in the tag helped with this as well, by bringing just
about everybody to the same level.

The characters also seemed more well-defined, perhaps because they
weren't being overshadowed (ha, ha!) by events, and by the
larger-than-life Londo and G'Kar. Garibaldi was good old Garibaldi, with
his quotable speech about not telling himself everything; Kosh was Kosh,
cryptic again; Lennier was adorable Lennier; Ivanova was capable and
omniscient Ivanova; Sheridan came into his own as his military experience
finally came to the fore and his gung-ho attitude was finally allowed
out. Everyone was...distinct...in this episode, and it worked very well.

I like Marcus, btw. B5 needed a brooder. :)=

There were some bits which stand out in my mind...the Drazi who gave
his life for Marcus...Londo's honest reaction to the video...G'Kar's
interview...the luscious CGI in the teaser, and the tag...the Shadow-noise
just as Morden left Londo...the "bonehead" line...the fact that the crew
of the White Star don't speak English...deftly working in the Markab
system...and, of course, that chilling penultimate scene, with Morden (who
I was sort of expecting) and a Psi Cop (who I wasn't) chatting with the
senator, revealing that Endawi's whole mission was to spy for the Shadows,
and that they may soon be "leaking" some info to the public...

Then, there were quite a few bits that just hit the "Cool!" button:
Marcus vanishing from MedLab...that Ranger pin...everything about the
White Star...the galactic map Morden had...the hooker tugging the
Pak'Ma'Ra tentacle, and the Tom Cruise alien juggling bottles...the lovely
sound effects for the Earthdome exterior. These all made the ten-year-old
inside me very happy. :)=

"MoH" also raised a whole lotta nagging questions...at the forefront,
WHAT THE HELL ARE THE SHADOWS DOING? Are they manipulating Earth? Did
Morden manipulate the Psi Cop into making his suggestion? What's this
about wanting 80% of the galaxy, and dealing with Refa? Where does Earth
lie on that map? What's Londo's price REALLY going to be? And, who does
Sheridan "hope to add" to the war coucil? Draal? G'Kar? Kosh? What
else can the White Star do? What was Kosh talking about in the teaser?
What is a Ranger base doing on a Drazi world? Yeesh. Lots of interesting
points raised, and I have very few ideas. It's a nice feeling.

Most importantly, I think, I felt something which I hadn't felt
before, regarding the Shadows: triumph. With the line "With all due
respect, Ambassador, I've heard that before," Sheridan stepped firmly into
his area of expertise--soldiering--and once again succeeded where others
failed. "Babylon 5" is wonderfully grim at times, but this episode lit a
spark of defiance, something I could latch onto, even as it darkened the
world a bit more with the scene in Earthdome.

And then, some things were just awkward. The fight scene seemed a
bit unnecessary, just a showcase for Marcus' abilities (and that cool
quarterstaff he's got). The stumbling aboard the White Star didn't quite
work, and the engine room shot was obviously CGI. I didn't quite buy into
some of the conversations aboard the White Star--they smelled of
exposition.

But, all in all, I found the episode proceeded logically and quickly,
while at the same time neatening things up for us. My interest was held
throughout, sometimes breathlessly, and the negatives were easy to
ignore. Certainly a thumbs up from me, and an auspicious start to season
3. Here's waiting for next week...

----j7y
*****
I've been holding back because I wanted to really see the shape of
this season, the color and texture of it, the overall theme put into
effect...and frankly, the only really apt title, much as I like the other
quote, is the #9 title, "Point of No Return," because that sums up so
much of what happens in year three to everyone.

jms
*****
What I do is this: I get a pad of legal-sized paper, and divide it
into six quadrants, all on the same page, standing for teaser, four acts
and tag. I drop the beats of the story into the relevant places where I
think they'd logically fall (the big moments always go at act breaks).
This way I can see the entire flow of the story at one glance, which is
important for getting a feel for the episode. If one act gets over
burdened, I just draw a line moving one beat to another act.

jms
*****
Okay, first a disclaimer: no one method of creating a story is
intrinsically better or worse than any other...it depends on what works
for you. Telling someone how to make their story is like telling someone
how to have sex; sometimes the suggestion is well received, but generally
you just piss the other person off.

To the heart of your question now....

As you note, the ST shows use a process called "breaking" a story;
in which you get everybody in a room, they all begin kicking around ideas,
picking at the story, while someone writes down on a board what the group
comes up with.

I don't use that, and frankly, I hate it. What happens, I feel, is
that a group dynamic comes into the picture and you get something that
has been committee-ized, and there's no longer any one distinctive
voice. It goes through so many diverse hands that by the end all of the
corners have been knocked off. When I look at most committee-ized
stories, regardless of show, my usual reaction is, "It took TEN of you to
write THIS?"

I sit down, I come up with a story I like, I pull it apart to make
sure it makes sense, and I write it. When a freelancer works with me, I
assign the notion, or listen to the pitch, and then send the writer away
to work up the story into an outline. Then we discuss it, one on one.
Then it gets written, and sometimes I rewrite it afterwards if needed.
There are no creative committees in B5; that's why you never see more than
one name on a script. Whether it's a freelancer or an in-house script,
we respect the original voice of the individual writer.

jms
*****
(MOH)
This was a wonderful way to begin the third season, an engrossing
tension-filled episode that also managed to clear up various questions which
had been raised during the Final Four, and even before that. Not of course
that all matters have become clear at last. :) The CGI was great, the new
music superb (and it's great to hear the Battle of the Line theme in the
credits), the acting solid, the new ship hot and the new character (Marcus)
even hotter! JMS, MOJO, etc. keep to this level all season and -I'll- be
delighted and excited (Jason Carter's going to be a very regularly-occurring
regular, right? hmm?)

1. Station repairs. Well, it was great seeing such continuity right off the
bat. We have welding being done on the exterior of the station as the episode
begins, followed immediately by an eye-popping view of the shuttle and the
gardens, with low-gravity repair 'bots doing their thing. I was impressed
seeing repairs still under way after only 10 days and the scene did great
double-duty as an establishing shot to indicate where Sheridan and Kosh were
meeting.

2. Sheridan and Kosh.
To begin with, is this a greenhouse behind them? If so, would it actually
work in a space station setting? Also, I noticed for the first time that the
door to the garden seems to be round like a spacelock. Is there a logical
reason for this, not that it needs one. It's a very attractive doorway.
Sheridan: 'Ambassador, I've been looking for you. Last week after
you saved my life, I didn't really get a chance to thank you properly. I've
tried to reach you since then, but you haven't answered my calls. Is
everything all right?'
Kosh: 'Being seen by so many at once was a great strain. I returned to
my ship to rest. You have a question?'
Sheridan: 'Nobody knows it was you. Everyone saw something different,
something from the ...the legends of their own world. But it was still a
terrible risk. After taking such ...such care to hide what you really are,
why take that chance?'
Kosh: 'It was ...necessary.'
S: 'Well, as answers go, short, to the point, utterly useless and totally
consistant with what I've come to expect from a Vorlon. <laughs>
K; 'Good.' <starts to walk away>
S: 'You know ...I just had a thought. You've been back and forth to your
homeworld so many times since you got here, how do I know you're the same
Vorlon? Inside that encounter suit, you could be anyone.'
K: 'I have always been here.'
S: 'Oh, yeah. You said that about me, too.'
K: 'Yes.' <walks away again>
S: 'I really hate it when you do that.'
K: 'Good.'

'Being seen by so many at once was a great strain.'
Not to start yet another one of -those- threads, but I was reminded here of
the Martian in Bradbury's Martian Chronicles. Didn't one die at one point
from having too many people look at him, with each seeing different things? I
wonder if Kosh had any other option at that moment. If the Vorlons are
capable of making us each see what the Vorlons have conditioned our races to
see, are they also limited to us seeing that particular sight? To put it
another way, is Kosh limited to showing Delenn either the sight of Valeria or
his own 'true' appearance, or could he appear as a generic ball of light.
...Uh, rather like the ball of light which we all observed in the first season
episode when Sinclair went to visit Kosh. Wouldn't it have been less
stressful to Kosh to appear like that to everyone? And wouldn't it have been
less dangerous for this whole mysterious Vorlon secrecy thing for him to have
appeared that way. People would still talk, of course. But it one thing
having Narns talk about G'Lan, etc. and another to have an unexplained ball of
light go zipping up toward the damaged shuttle and a minute later have
Sheridan come floating down accompanied by the ball of light to land out of
general view. The latter could almost be explained as some kind of Earther
rescue tech. I know Kosh didn't have much time to make a decision about what
to do, but I really feel like this latter option wasn't open to him or he
would have done it. Based on that assumption, then it appears that while the
Vorlons may have been programming us to see what we see when we look at them,
they have in the process been limiting themselves in their relations with us.
Hence the need of encounter suits.

'It was ...necessary.' That seems fair since it was just established that
Sheridan is one of those 'right people in the right place at the right time.'
...Which, of course, begs the question about what if anything Kosh would have
done if that had been Garibaldi or Vir floating to their doom. Does 'nada'
spring to mind?

Did anyone else notice how Kosh seems to try to put Sheridan off, twice in
this brief scene. See the transcript above. 'Good' -he tries to leave.
'Yes' -he turns and walks away. What ever became of the lessons? Remember,
after the lessons started, how Kosh actually came and got Sheridan for his
Moment of Perfect Beauty?

2. Drozak and Marcus, fleeing Zagros.
Drozak: 'Here it comes. ...Almost there.'
Marcus: 'Eject me. Don't take the chance.'
D: 'Not yet. Get you all the way outside the barrier.'
M: 'Now...'

Now I'm all for heroes being heroic (especially this one, :))but Marcus should
have let Drozak get on with it. He didn't need the distractions of being
repeatedly told to eject him. He had enough on his mind. And presumably, his
mission was specifically to get Marcus' dropship beyond the barrier of mines.
What would have been accomplished by ejecting him prematurely, before the
worst of the danger was past? It seems to me that Marcus' dropship would have
been an even greater target than its mother ship during those crucial first
couple of seconds, until Marcus could accelerate and initiate some kind of
evasive maneuvar. He would be at his most vulnerable then, so it was
extremely important that Drozak got him beyond the last mine before ejecting.
I was sorry to see the Drazi go, but he seems to have done exactly what he
needed to do. Opinions?

Now about those 'mines'. Those were one of the CGI high points of the show,
for me. Purely functionary, deadly, no nonsense little critters. One nasty
piece of work.

3. Opening credits. W-O-W !!! -Everything- was great! I loved the ominous,
stirring, dissonant music. I love hearing this arrangement of the Battle of
the Line theme! The CGI was mind-boggling, particularly the space shots, and
there were just enough teasers interspersed to get us all wondering about
future developments.
Ivanova says,
'The Babylon Project was our last, best hope for peace. It failed. ...'
We cut to the following scenes (corrections solicited, with thanks):
a. Fury getting blown up, followed by another flying by, all in the midst of
a fire fight.
b. scene of station being damaged, from FoN
c. explosion in interior, someone falling ( based on end of MoH episode
teaser, does this refer to the 'mad bomber' next week?)
d. close up of the station gun firing (but not from the FoN battle?)
e. large ship (Agamemnon?) and 'furies, against a bright blue backdrop. Any
clues, anyone?
f. Sheridan ejecting (scene from AAitN?)
g. Susan looking 'astonished' in a Starfury
h. Centauri Fighters and a Narn cruiser (not FoN ?)
i. Michael in a Starfury (he looks kind of astonished, too -what's going on,
here?)
j. Londo watching the Narn bombardment (tLTS)
k. Marcus in the fight, using his staff :)
l. two Shadow ships in very close proximity, firing on a station (is this
that scene from their second bombardment of a Narn installation? -episode and
planet both escape me, right now)
m. Sheridan and Delenn embracing (C&L?)
n. close up of a Shadow creature (ItSoZ) opening its eyes <shiver>
o. the White Star

Ivanova continues,
'In the year of the Shadow War, it became something greater. Our last, best
hope of victory. The year is 2260. the place...is Bablyon 5.'

Views of the main cast, each overlaid on a jump point opening?
The order is Boxleitner, Christian, Doyle, Furlan, Biggs, Mumy, Carter, Furst,
Conaway, Jurasik, and Katsulis.
These, in turn, are shown against a backdrop of a slow fly-by of the station.

As the opening credits end, we fly into the docking bay, lit in red ...which
looks remarkably like a great, red maw opening, especially since it seems to
lead to blackness. Very ominous ending for opening credits!

One quick comment before we move on: Notice that Ivanova says 'the year of
the Shadow War' Year ... singular.

4. Marcus, in transit to B5. For those of you keeping track, his computer
says that it will take seven standard hours to reach B5 in hyperspace.
Therefore it's seven hours from the edge of Drazi space to the station. Most
of the Drazi territory is supposed to be in the part that the Centauri get,
rather than the Shadows. Narn is in Centauri territory now. How far away is
it, or Centauri Prime for that matter, from the station? Is anyone working on
a strategy to calculate how close we are to the frontier between the two
(Shadows/Centauri)?

5. Susan and Sheridan, wating for Mr. Endawi. Funny scene and, again,
Ivanova is back to her old form.
Sheridan: '...not tell us why they're coming or what they're going to do when
they get here.'
Ivanova: 'Leave it to you to try and take all the fun out of life. I mean,
come on. Where's your sense of mystery, of adventure?'
S: 'Are you trying to cheer me up?'
I: 'No, -sir-. I wouldn't dream of it.'
S: 'Good. I hate being cheered up. It's ...depressing.'
I: 'Well, in that case. We're all going to die horrible, painful, lingering
deaths.'
S: 'Thank you. I feel so much better, now.'

'Where's you're sense of mystery, of adventure?' (The sarcasm just -drips-)

'We're all going to die horrible, painful, lingering deaths.'
(No boom. No boom today. Boom tomorrow. There's always a boom tomorrow.)

I love it when Ivanova's being 'Russian'.

6. Garibaldi brings Marcus to Franklin's new Medlab.
Garibaldi: 'Well, he just got off his ship, when he collapsed.'
(and why was Garibaldi called in? Or had he already been notified that a
Ranger was on his way? If so, why didn't he stay, knowing the injuries
weren't serious and Marcus should be waking up soon?)
I'm confused: Franklin seems to know enough to look for the Ranger pin,
but he doesn't know anything about the Shadows? Why did Garibaldi leave the
pin in plain view? What test did Franklin do on it? Did he read a message
stored inside it, somehow? Was he authorized to do that? Was it he, rather
than Garibaldi, which sent the message to Delenn? Why does Franklin call for
a different doctor, Sanchez, to treat Marcus? Why did Marcus get up and
leave? Didn't he want to be around Franklin? Exaclty, how does the broach get
from Franklin's table to Lennier? Even knowing Marcus to be a Ranger, why did
Garibaldi feel it necessary to check out Marcus' ship's logs?
...Why have I again run out of time, before I wanted to stop posting? Uh...
oh, sorry. More later tonight.

Sherry

GOOD SF IS NOT A MALFUNCTION.
NUMBER 'FIVE' IS ALIVE!
*****
7. Morden and Londo, in the Zocalo.
Morden: 'Good morning, ambassador. I hear you've been looking for me.'
Londo: 'Yes. Please. <indicates chair> I have been doing a great deal of
thinking lately. With the Narn war over, I think it's time we ...reconsidered
our relationship.'
M: 'Oh?'
L: 'My people have a manifest destiny. They can achieve it just as well
without the help of your associates. Perhaps better.'
M: 'So we're no longer necessary?'
L: 'That's right.'
M: 'And now that we've done everything that you asked, you'd like us to
disappear.'
L: 'I do believe you have got it surrounded, Mr. Morden.'
M: 'Aren't you being a little premature? After all, your people are still
moving on several other worlds. You might still need us.'
L: 'No, I don't think so. We have danced our last little dance, Mr. Morden.
Now it is time for you to go away.'
M: 'OK.'
<as Morden starts to leave, we hear his shadowy companions>
M: 'There's one small detail, ambassador. A little bookkeeping to close out.
I have to meet with my associates, but let's say we reconvene in your
quarters later this afternoon to discuss it.'
L: 'And then you will go away?'
'For as long as you want.'
<Morden leaves. Londo smiles, and drains his drink.>

Excellent scene. Such an unexpected treat to get Morden in one of the first
scenes of the first episode of the new season!

It's interesting, isn't it, that Morden finds Londo in the Zocalo drinking,
and wishes him 'good morning'? Was Londo there all night, thinking about
severing connections? Does he habitually get up and go straight to a bar,
now? (not that he doesn't have more reason than most other people)

'I have been doing a great deal of thinking, lately.' Presumably this
'thinking' is as a result of both the Narn bombardment (he told Refa it would
be the last time), as much or more than what he saw (i.e. didn't see) in the
Zen Garden. It's interesting that it took Londo this long to stop the
relationship, if he were going to do it at all. I would have guessed
consulting with Morden the moment he got back from Narn, or else holding unto
that wild horse he was riding until he was trodden to death. So... maybe the
events in the garden really are the turning point, here. Other opinions?

'And now that we've done everything you asked, you'd like us to disappear?'
...
'We have danced our last dance, Mr. Morden. Now it is time for you to go
away.'
This seems unbelievably naive of Londo! Or forgetful. Has he forgotten
already that Morden said, some day we'll come and ask you for a favor?
Surely, Londo doesn't believe that reporting G'Kar's suspicions and the Narn
cruiser coming to investigate was complete and final payment!?!?! Let's
presume for a moment that the Shadows are neither more nor less evil than the
Ferengi (sorry, but there's a method in my madness). If you were Londo, would
you expect an unknown world to use that much fuel, time and ordnance without
expecting some kind of serious repayment? And this isn't even getting into
the possible loss of life or ships. If I were Londo, I would be wondering
when he or his empire would be paying for that piper, at his last little
dance. I know people will read this and say, Of course, he's worried.
Garibaldi even said so. We've seen the expressions on his face, etc. And
yes, this is all true: Londo knows he's in over his head and that these folks
are powerful and unpleasant in the extreme and that's why he's trying to back
out, here. But what I don't understand is how he could pretend as if there's
no repayment needed for services rendered. He was -surprised- when Morden
came back to him and suggested they reconvene to balance the books. Didn't it
occur to him that Morden's friends might want a world or two out of that
empire they'd helped the Centauri conquer? Or, maybe, that they'd want
Centauri Prime as a client in their own empire, or would want a representative
from their world to well, ...confer on Centauri empire matters from time to
time?

L: 'And then you'll go away?'
M: 'For as long as you want.'

Hmm. And for exactly how long will -that- be? Remember, later on Londo finds
out that Refa's made his own contact with the Shadows. (thanks jere7my, for
the missing dialogue in the WPHL-17 listening area :) ) It looks like the
Shadow's plan all along was to foment civil war within the ranks of the
victors of the war they would help win.

8. Sheridan, Ivanova, Delenn and Endawi.
Endawi says, 'I wanted to see you first because of our current, good relations
with Minbar, and because as one of the older races, you might have some
knowledge of the subject at hand.'
This makes a certain degree of sense, but I'm still have certain difficulties
with this scene. Why would Mr. Endawi choose to see Delenn in the company of
the station staff? He sees all the other ambassadors alone. Is there some
particular reason why EA believes the owners of the strange ship to be an
older race? Granted the ship seems sophisticated and powerful but, since no
evidence of its prior existence has turned up after ten days study by the
'Research Division', wouldn't it be more likely from EA point of view to
believe that this was a new race from a different part of the galaxy, or even
from a different galaxy? BTW, does anyone remember offhand whether the
Ikarran organic tech went to this division for study, during first season?
Endawi says elsewhere that he was three days in transit, so he must have
left Earth after the division was only seven days into their study, and been
updated on their continued non-progress in transit or else when he arrived on
the station. We know from the scene near the end of the show that Endawi is
not part of the conspiracy. I wonder exactly what he was told about the
situation. After all, he is Intelligence: there's nothing saying that what
he says to Sheridan et al is what he was told back home. (BTW, this is a
character I'd like to see again. He seems intelligent, has integrity & a
killer accent. :) And we could use a 'good guy' on the show who's part of the
Earth government, just for dramatic balance, IMHO.)

8B. Delenn and Sheridan after Endawi leaves.
Delenn says, '...only chance is in allowing the Shadows to think that we're
unaware of their return, while we prepare our own forces... Those ships, once
they target you they never stop, never slow down, never give up until they
have destroyed you. They're nearly invincible.'
<It's interesting that JMS makes a point of saying this here since, if he'd
left it out, he would draw less heat from the scene later in the same show
when the White Star survives a brush with the Shadows. He has his reasons
...wonder what they are?>
But I'm interrupting again,
Delenn: '...They're nearly invincible.'
Sheridan: 'I don't believe that. Every ship has its weakness.'
Delenn: 'Believe what you will til experience changes your mind. ...Take a
good look, John, and remember it well. That is the face of our enemy.'

'Every ship has its weakness.' And Starkiller would know if anyone would.

As others have pointed out, Sheridan's attitude is very Earther. It stems
from the same outlook on life as that which produced five space stations
dedicated to peace, one after another.

It's interesting that Delenn of all Minbari would speak the way she does about
the invincibility of the Shadow ships. After all, she's been educated in the
events of the Shadow/VorlonMinbari scrap a thousand years ago. Did no one
take out Shadow ships then?

9. Lennier finds Delenn in the corridor.
Lennier: 'Delenn. Good. There you are. I was just informed someone is
looking for you.'
Delenn: 'This is not a good time.'
Lennier: 'Uh ...He sent this.'

OK, I'm back to an earlier point here. So Franklin informed Lennier, based on
what was on the broach when he 'tested' it? After all, Lennier ends up with
the broach. If so, did Marcus take off in the meantime until Delenn was
availible to talk to? But why would he do the disappearing act if Franklin
was the contact person? And if Marcus disappeared when he seemed to, how did
Franklin know what location to tell Lennier to tell Delenn?
On the other hand if Garibaldi was the contact person that Lennier spoke with,
then how did Lennier end up with the broach? The last we saw, it was in the
good doctor's hands.

10. Endawi meets with Londo.
Notice how Londo is in an expansive mood at the beginning of this scene. He's
obviosly celebrating, relieved that he's thrown off the yoke of his mysterious
helpers. Watch as his mood changes and note where the change occurs.

'...And so we have made the practice of joy another duty, which must be
pursued as vigorously as the others.' <so very first season Molari! Right
now, Londo's shoes are definitely not too tight>

Endawi shows him the Shadow ship tape.
E: 'Can you tell me if you've seen this before?'
L: 'Yes, in a dream.'
E: 'A dream?'
L: 'I'm standing ...somewhere ...on Centauri Prime, I thihk. And I am
looking up. And there are ships just like this, passing overhead. First a
few and then more... a thousand, two thousand. So many that they blot out the
sun. A terrible sight Terrible.' <his mood falters and slips, even as he's
describing the dream. It's safe to assume that's he's already seen the ISN
broadcast withlittle effect. But here, he's making the connection for the
first time. A penny has definitely dropped.>
E: 'That's all?'
L: 'That is enough.' ...'No that is all I know. I'm sorry I could not be of
more assistance. Perhaps one of the others... <gestures>'
E: 'Yes, of course. Thank you for your time, Ambassador Molari.'

The mood's gone: Londo is almost rude compared to his earlier joviality.
When he gestures and says 'Perhaps one of the others' he's practically showing
Endawi the door. Note the grave, worried look on his face as he returns to
his drink and his solitude.

One last, irrelevant comment here: I loved the duelling accents in this scene!

11. Delenn and Lennier meet Marcus, down below.
'Are you sure this is the place?'
'Reasonably.'
'A most unreasonable place, for reasonable asumptions.'
<Very good: it's indeed not the kind of place where one dare assume
anything.>

I don't know why Delenn did the hood and cape bit. As far as I was concerned,
it only served to draw attention to her. Garibaldi's hat would have covered
the combination Minbari bone/hair just fine. ;) But seriously, Delenn needs
to get used to this kind of activity if she's to survive being the Chosen.
She looked like a kid playing at cloak and dagger. (Though she handled
herself very well,later on!)

Marcus describes the broach-making process is almost mythic in style. He
says, '...when these are made, they're forged in white hot flame, then cooled
in three bowls. The first is some kind of ancient holy water, the second
Minbari blood, the third human blood. they say that when a Ranger dies, the
figures on either side shed three tears, one of water, and two of blood.'
Delenn responds, 'And you,do you believe this?'
'I stopped believing in miracles a long time ago, ambassador. when part of
the heart dies, it's best to leave it that way.'

When Delenn asks Marcus if he believes the tale, she seems to be partly
curious and partly hoping that he, like her, is a believer in miracles and
prophecies. When he answers her, she looks not only sad but a bit chagrined.
I think, maybe, she felt like she'd infringed on his privacy which is a
serious no-no for Minbari if I remember correctly. In the meantime, I believe
that Marcus is really touched by the old tale or he wouldn't repeat it like
that. He may not believe it, but something inside him is holding unto it,
probably because of the death of his brother. Somehow, I got the impression
that the tale comforts him, though he would be the last to admit it, even to
himself.

Note that there are people sitting at a table who follow Delenn et al out of
the bar. Are we to assume that they're working with the thugs in the hallway?
I didn't really get a good look at anyone's face durng the fight sequence, so
I could really use some help here. If the people at the bar didn't seem to be
helping the hallway thugs, then it's possible that Delenn et al were being
followed for other reasons than their credit chits. And that could point to
some kind of informant, who leaked Marcus presence.

I liked Marcus' expandable quarterstaff, though I'd dearly love to know how it
shrinks back up to carrying size so swiftly. I can easily envision the
mechanism that would permit its rapid expansion but wouldn't it take the devil
of an effort to telescope the thing? Delenn got in some good blows with the
thing, too! Did anyone notice when it changed hands?
Finally, what does Delenn say about the staff at the end of the fight? I
thought I could make out 'A very fine ...' Anyone?
Marcus answers ,'A gift from a friend.' Wouldn't be Sinclair, would it? Nah,
guess that's carrying coincidence a bit far. Besides, he's his commanding
officer.

One last thing, which I'm sure will be done to death by others: is there
some reason which escapes me why everyone risked life and limb to have a
secret meeting in a Down Below bar, only to go strolling in the back alley on
the way to a private place? Come on, folks!

12. Sheridan, Delenn, Marcus and Ivanova.
Sheridan says, '...This is Marcus. He's a...'

Ivanova interrupts, '...a Ranger...'

'When did you ...-how- did you...?'
Ivanova: 'Captain, the day something happens around here and I don't know
about it, worry. ...So what's up?'

Hmmm. Yes. Which doesn't answer the question at all. So everyone, I guess
it's up to us. ;) Did Ivanova pull off this feat with her telepathy, with
her computer skills or with her contacts (probably Garibaldi)? Anyone?

Marcus, says, 'I came here from Zagros 7. It's a Drazi colony on the edge of
their territory. It's also the base for one of our biggest training camps.
...Two weeks ago, we were surrounded by Centauri blockademines. ...It's a
small colony with very little of value so our guess is we're the target.'

Delenn adds something about '...little strategic value...'

I'm really out of time here, so I'm going to cover this in depth in the
Londo-Morden scene in a later part of the Analysis, but I just had to say a
few words before I close. Something here is extremely 'not right'. Notice
how the Centauri put up their blockade two weeks ago, on an isolated colony
when they were encroaching on the far side of Drazi space. Notice that this
planet has little strategic value. Note that this is only one of the biggest
Ranger training camps, not the biggest or most important. And note that the
Shadows made it the most serious point of the negotiation, yet haven't
bothered in all this time to blow the camp to hell, if that was all they
wanted from the planet. Very suspicious.

Sherry

GOOD SF IS NOT A MALFUNCTION.
NUMBER 'FIVE' IS ALIVE!
*****
12A. Sheridan, Ivanova, Delenn, Lennier, Garibaldi and Marcus confer, re
Zagros 7.
Ok, picking up where we left off, we have Ivanova interrupting the captain and
proceeding to explain that Marcus is a Ranger and then detailing the functions
of the Rangers and who commands them.
Garibaldi's expression is priceless throughout Ivanova's speech. He either
told her all this on the QT and didn't expect her to spill her guts about it,
or he's frantically wondering where the 'leak' is in what he thought was his
ironclad security re the Rangers. :) At one point, he even strolls away from
the group and pours himself a cup of coffee (?), kind of blending himself into
the wallpaper.

12B. To repeat and enlarge or something I said in the second part of this
analysis, what is really going on at Zagros 7?
Here, Delenn says, '..The Centauri have captured much larger targets on the
other side of their <Drazi> territory. They do not have the resources to
protect a colony with so few people and of such limited strategic value.'

Marcus says, 'We're boxed in on all sides. We need your help -now- before
anyone else is killed or the camp is invaded. All you have to do is break the
blockade long enough for the other Rangers to escape.'
<Garibaldi objects, citing lack of a ship etc.>
Marcus answers, 'We have the means. If you have the will. There'll be
nothing left behind that'll be linked back to you.'

Why would the Centauri bother to capture such a nonstrategic target, on the
far side of their current front? Because Refa told them to, because Morden
told -him- to. And he told him this at least two weeks earlier. Marcus
specifically says, 'Two weeks ago, we were surrounded by Centauri blockade
mines.' If the planet has been neutralized for two weeks, why haven't the
Centauri or the Shadows acted to neutralize the camp itself, if that indeed is
the target? How big can the camp be? Until the events in this episode, the
Centauri already had warships in orbit over the planet. The Shadows could
have made a strike at any time and even the Centauri might have been none the
wiser if the attack were done right. After all, it only takes them a few
seconds to destroy a colony. I don't buy Marcus' concern about getting out
before 'anyone else is killed or the camp is invaded.' Aside from some
sensitive material that might be found, what of value would be gotten from
invading the camp? If the camp -were- invaded, surely someone would clear the
data banks before the invaders got as far as the computer ...assuming of
course that there's anything of value stored there. The Centauri or the
Shadows could try torturing any captives for information, I suppose, but that
doesn't seem a very efficient way to get any important information.
More on this issue, when we reach #14, below.

Sheridan says, 'When I agreed to share command of the Rangers with Delenn, I
became responsible for their well-being. I'm not going to abandon them now.'
Ntoice how Delenn's expression slowly changes from anxiety to a smile of
approval as Sheridan speaks. It seems evident that she wasn't sure how he'd
react.
'Fire up the shuttle, commander. We've got work to do.' (there's a bit of a
gleam in Sheridan's eyes at those words. I guess it's nice to be back in
harness. There's just one problem with this scene: Sheridan still doesn't
know about the existence of the White Star at this point. All he has is
Marcus' vague assurances, 'We have the means.' I would like to have seen
Sheridan try to nail down exactly where they were going to take that shuttle
and what exactly those 'means' were before leaving the room, even if the
answer would have been Delenn saying, 'Wait and see.' with an anticipatory
smile.>

13. Departing the station.
Ivanova says, 'I just sent a fake destination to the station files.'

Which Mr. Endawi proceeds to break into, in his spare time and discover is
false. Quite a hacker our Mr. Endawi, considering Ivanova's own skills. I'm
impressed.

14. Morden and Londo, in Londo's quarters.
Morden brings up a holographic image of our galaxy, and says,
'Ah. Here we are. This area over here is for the Centauri. Conquer all the
worlds you like. We won't bother you, as long as it's understood that this
area is ours. You can take anything you want over here, and we'll take
everything we want over there.'
Notice how the graphic Morden uses for the border is a flame? Very
demonic. <shudder> BTW, after viewing this several times now, I'm convinced
that the Shadows left a buffer zone or neutral territory between the two
portions of the galaxy. The two portions just don't have exactly the same
border shape. (alas, too many jigsaw puzzles in my misspent youth ;) ) It's
also interesting (and eerie!) that the Shadows choose to shade their territory
in red, and that what I assume are prominent star systems are lighlighted with
fire. Notice that Zagros 7 is also higlighted in Centauri territory. (sort of
a yin-yang pattern, but lopsided).

Morden continues, '...Oh, one small exception, hardly worth mentioning. This
world? It's on the border of your space, and we have a vested interest in it.
I took the liberty of asking Lord Refa to secure it for us.'
Londo: 'Refa?'
Morden: Well, you said you wanted nothing more to do with us, and he was
quite open to my advice. He secured the planet for us, and now my associates
will take custody of it. The rest is yours. Good day, ambassador.'
But again, there's something not right about this! The Centauri put up
that blockade, lightyears away from their Drazi front, two weeks ago! Yet,
here, Morden would have Londo believe that he made a call the Refa some time
since Morden and Londo talked that morning, and asked him to secure the
planet. ('Well, you said you wanted nothing more to do with us...' so I
contacted Refa). What is the true value of that planet to the Shadows?
(BTW, why did Morden bother Refa about securing the planet to begin with? Why
not just send a Shadow ship there while the Centauri were busy elsewhere, two
weeks ago, and just blow it up?)

Londo: 'Mr. Morden, I was thinking. I have never really seen the ships that
you and your associates have used in ...in helping us. Perhaps, one of these
days...'
Morden: 'Perhaps. Meanwhile, as I said, tell your forces to leave the
blockade mines but to move their ships out of that area. You don't want them
or anyone else hanging around when my associates come for Zagros 7.'
Notice that Morden smiles, when Londo says'I have never really seen the
ships...'
Well, Londo's apparently rid of Morden, but he looks less than thrilled
as Morden leaves. Wonder why? It wouldn't have anything to do with that bomb
about Refa, would it? I believe Londo is already thinking that he'd like that
power back, well, just long enough to get rid of Refa.

15. The White Star makes its entrance.
Ivanova says, 'Scanning area. I'm not seeing anything but ...wait ...I've
gotta ...What the hell is that? (Minbari ECM is still up to its old
standards)

This is truly beautiful CGI! I loved the gleam of the distant sun (a whit