I do love Babylon 5. I am going to enjoy rewatching it for the
42 challenge and
Carl's Sci-Fi Experience.
My last post covered,
episodes 9-12,
episodes 5-8,
episodes 1-4. This post will cover episodes 13 through 20. Yes, I had a bit of a marathon yesterday!
The episodes:
- Signs & Portents
- TKO
- Grail
- Eyes
- Legacies
- A Voice in the Wilderness, Part 1
- A Voice in the Wilderness, Part 2
- Babylon Squared
Some of the best, BEST episodes of season 1 are among these episodes.
Signs and PortentsPremise/Plot: Each season of Babylon 5 has a name. The name of Season one is "Signs and Portents" so you KNOW this episode is crucial! The two stories are mostly connected to one another. The first story involves Londo Mollari purchasing the "Eye" a Centauri artifact/relic. He'll be giving the Eye to Lord Kiro, who will then return the Eye to the Centauri Emperor. Londo doesn't really want to give up the Eye. Lord Kiro really, really doesn't want to give up the Eye. Accompanying Lord Kiro is his aunt, a seer. She has visions; she has several visions while on B5. She shares one with Commander Sinclair. The second story is THE BIG STORY. Mr. Morden arrives at Babylon 5. He makes appointments with all the various ambassadors. He asks one question of each. It is a question that proves frustrating and irritating to almost all the ambassadors. Mr. Morden doesn't make a very good first impression, it seems. Everyone thinks he's a pest! The question he asks: WHAT DO YOU WANT? Viewers get the idea that he is waiting for a certain answer or response to that question. One ambassador answers the question in such a way that Mr. Morden is quite satisfied!!!! That ambassador is....Londo.
Pay attention to: Londo's ambition, the prophecy about the shadows killing Lord Kiro, and Delenn and Kosh's response to Mr. Morden
Quotes:
Morden: "What do you want?"
G'Kar: "What do I want? The Centauri stripped my world. I want Justice."
Morden: "But what do you want?"
G'kar: "To suck the morrow from their bones and grind their skulls to powder."
Morden: "What do you want?"
G'kar: "To tear down their cities, blacken their skies, sow their ground with salt, to completely utterly erase."
Morden: "And then what?"
G'kar: "I don't know. As long as my home world safety is guaranteed, I don't know that it matters."
Morden: "I see."
Morden: "The question is its own purpose, ambassador Delenn. What do you want?"
Delenn: "I'm informed that you have just seen Ambassador G'kar. Are you asking each of us this question?"
Morden: "Perhaps. Does that invalidate the question?"
Delenn: "No. But it makes me wonder."
Morden: "What do you want?"
Londo: "I want my people to reclaim their rightful place in the galaxy. I want to see the Centauri stretch forth their hand again and command the stars. I want a rebirth of glory, a renaissance of power. I want to stop running through my life, like a man late for an appointment, afraid to look back or to look forward. I want us to be what we used to be. I want ... I want it all back, the way that it was. Does that answer your question ?"
Lady Ladira: "The Shadows have come for Lord Kiro. The Shadows have come for us all."
TKOPremise/Plot: Two stories in this one. The first story is EXCELLENT. The second story is less so. I'll start with the story I love. Rabbi Koslov, Susan's father's friend, comes to B5. He has come to spend time with Susan, and, to help her sit shiva for her father. He senses--and rightly so--that she's not allowed herself to grieve and mourn. Susan is reluctant to open up, but, it's a healing story for her. Well worth watching. The second story involves Garibaldi's friend, Walker Smith, visiting the station. He is a boxer. Half this episode is about boxing.
Pay attention to: Susan, Commander Sinclair, and Rabbi Koslov
Quotes:
Ivanova "So, how are things back home?"
Rabbi Koslov: "They change, they stay the same. Russia is Russia. Your father used to say: 'If regret could be harvested, Russia would be the world's fruit-basket.'"
Rabbi Yossel Koslov: Without forgiveness, you cannot mourn. And without mourning, you can never let go of the pain.
GrailPremise/Plot: I don't know why, but there are things about this episode that I just love. Aldous Gajic is an 'honored seeker' of the Holy Grail. He has come to speak with the different ambassadors, notably Delenn. While there, "Jinxo" pickpockets his credits. He's caught seconds after his crime. Gajic pleads with the judge for mercy, suggesting that he be released into his custody. He learns Jinxo's story, how he thinks he's a curse, how he blames himself for the destruction/disappearance of the previous babylon stations. Gajic is all kindness and goodness. He tells Jinxo that he should see himself differently. Jinxo is, in a way, reborn into Thomas. The other story is closely connected with this one. Criminals from "Down Below" have brought a Na'ka'leen Feeder to the station. They have the feeder in a Kosh-like encounter suit. They are saying it is a Vorlon. And they are getting rid of people they don't like, don't want around, by feeding it to this alien creature.
Pay attention to: Thomas, Londo's reaction to learning there is a feeder on the station.
Quotes:
"And then I met a man. He said he was the last of his kind. He told me that I was a man of infinite promise and goodness. When he was dying, he gave me this staff. Now I am the last. The numbers add up again, Thomas. The numbers do add up." -- Aldous Gajic to Jinxo in Babylon 5:"Grail"
"Hey, can I learn to do that?"
"You can learn whatever you want to learn, because you are a man of infinite promise and goodness." -- Jinxo and Aldous Gajic in Babylon 5:"Grail"
"See yourself for what you are, not what others try to make you." -- Aldous Gajic to
"It's a hard thing to live your life searching for something and never find it."
"Are you speaking of Aldous .. or someone else?"
".. Aldous."
"But there you are wrong. He found what he was looking for. What we're all looking for: a reason."
"For what?"
"Everything, Commander. Everything." -- Sinclair and Delenn in Babylon 5:"Grail"
EyesPremise/Plot: Two stories. In one story, Lennier builds Garibaldi's 1992 motorcycle. In the other story, Sinclair comes under investigation by man hungry for power.
Pay attention to: Lennier!
LegaciesPremise/Plot: Two stories. The corpse of a Minbari warrior is stolen from display while on B5. Garibaldi is trying hard to find out who did it. He never would have guessed the person responsible. But a young girl recently come into her telepathic powers accidentally discovers who took it and where it is now. Susan and Talia argue over what is best for the girl.
Pay attention to: Susan, Talia, and Delenn
Quotes:
Ivanova: "There's nothing more annoying then Mr.Garibaldi when he's right."
A Voice in the Wilderness, Part One and TwoPremise/Plot: I love, love, love, love, LOVE these two episodes. Draal, Delenn's friend, comes to visit. During his visit, the nearby planet near them/below them becomes dangerous and unstable. They send explorers/scientists, but, if anything, that only proves to be a mistake. Susan and Sinclair go down to the planet's surface, and discover the man in the heart of the machine. He is obviously in need of care, he's dying. They take him back to B5. The problems on the planet escalate. Meanwhile, another ship--from Earthforce--arrives to take control of the situation. I must agree with Susan who sums it up like this, "Worst case of testosterone poisoning I have every seen." That is after yet another ship--an alien ship this time--arrives to "claim" the planet and power. Something must be done, and it is up to Londo, Draal, and Delenn to do it. In a secondary story, there is an uprising on Mars, a revolution has begun. Garibaldi is worried about his ex-girlfriend. I must admit these episodes viewers see Londo at his absolute best!!!!
Pay attention to: Susan, Delenn, Londo, Garibaldi, Sinclair
Quotes:
Londo (sings): "'You put your right hand in, you put your right hand out, you put your whole self in, and you turn yourself about. You do the Hokey Pokey, you give a little shout. And that's what it's all about!' -- It doesn't *mean* anything. I have been studying it for seven days! I had the computer analyse it! I swear to you, It does not mean a thing!!"
Delenn: "We've come at a bad time, haven't we..."
Londo: "No, not at all. Here sit, I'll make some hot Jalla..."
Draal: "I rather enjoyed the song--"
Delenn: "Don't tell him."
Draal: "You're sure?"
Delenn: "Trust me."
Ivanova to pilot: "And just one more thing. On the trip back, I would like you to take the time to learn the Babylon 5 mantra: Ivanova is always right. I will listen to Ivanova. I will not ignore Ivanova recommendations. Ivanova is god. And: If this ever happens again, Ivanova will personally rip your lungs out. Babylon control out. ... Civilians... [Looking up] Just kidding about that god part. No offense."
Ivanova: Commander, we don't have a lot of time. We're cut off from the way we came in, we don't know if we can find another way back to the ship before we run out of air…
Sinclair: We can't leave him like this!
Ivanova: I know, I know. It's a Russian thing. When we're about to do something stupid, we like to catalog the full extent of our stupidity for future reference.
Londo [trying to land a space ship]: "Landing thrusters... landing thrusters... Hmm. Now - if I were a landing thruster, which one of these would I be?"
Ivanova: "Worst case of testosterone poisoning I have every seen."
Babylon SquaredPremise/Plot: This episode is all mystery! In a good way!!! Babylon 4--the station that disappeared or vanished several years before--suddenly reappears. B5 begins a rescue mission to get the crew/staff off the station before it disappears again. The station and everyone on it has become "unstuck in time." Viewers meet Zathras. This episode is a teasing episode, in a way, it might leave you incredibly curious the first time around. But give it time, and, all will become clear.
Pay attention to: all the talk about 'the one'
Quotes:
Sinclair: "Why do you need Babylon 4??"
Zathras: "Zathras tell, you let Zathras go? Finish what Zathras came for?"
Garibaldi: "Zathras tells, maybe we don't break Zathras scrawny little neck!"
Zathras: "Need place, place to gather, to fight, to organize."
Sinclair: "You need Babylon 4 as a base of operations in a war. Is that it?"
Zathras: "To help save galaxy on the side of light."
Zathras: "Zathras die, but Zathras die for cause. Maybe stop great war. Maybe Zathras great hero. Maybe build statue to Zathras and others come, remember Zathras."
Major Louis Krantz: "What if we take you with us, put you on trial?"
Zathras: "Zathras not of this time. You take, Zathras die. You leave, Zathras die. Either way, it is bad for Zathras."
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