selenak

This was actually the second ever B5 episode I saw, since the Munich Sci Fi and Fantasy festival showed the B5 pilot and this episode in the year Babylon 5 debuted, which was at least a year before it was shown on German tv. Consequently, I have a bit of a soft spot for it, though it's by no means one of the B5 greats. But even nostalgia aside, it's highly continuity relevant, a solid introduction of Psi Corps and Bester, and in its subplot with G'Kar saving the day for Catherine Sakai tells the audience (unsubtly) that "no one is what they seem" on Babylon5. Now, while Parliament of Dreams was the first episode to flesh out G'Kar somewhat and show him in his own (Narn) context, this is the first where if you're a 1990s tv watcher who has mentally classified him as an antagonist/amusing villain so far, you get a rather heavy hint that it's going to be way more complicated that that. It's also our first sighting of a First One, and I have to admit that during my original watching, I wasn't yet familiar with The Haunting of Hillhouse (either the book or the Robert Wise movie), so it escaped me that JMS shamelessly steals its famous last line ("whatever walks there, walks alone") for G'Kar's last line to Catherine in this episode, bless. It's another neat bit of world building smuggled into this subplot, the information that there are beings in this fictional universe who are older, superpowerful and incomprehensible.

But mainly, of course, this is the episode where Walter Koenig gets his second shot at creating an iconic character in a legendary sci fi series. Most of you reading this know the story, but some don't, so, because it's one of those great examples of fortune and misfortune coming together: the tale of how Walter Koenig came to play Alfred Bester, in short: JMS saw him on stage, wrote a character for him in the just coming into existence B5, who wasn't Bester, it was Knight 2 in the upcoming "Flagful of Stars" episode which while broadcast later was filmed first, Walter Koenig had a heart attack and couldn't made the shooting schedule, JMS then wrote him a second part, who was Bester, and rarely were a part and an actor so made for each other. Looking back, you can see that while the ending does set up Bester returning, it doesn't absolutely need it - it could have been a different Psi Cop -, so if Walter Koenig in the part hadn't worked as well as he did, JMS still could have continued the Psi Corps storylines. Fortunately for everyone involved, Walter Koenig worked out very well indeed, and Alfred Bester remained with us till the end of the show and got his tie-in novels to boot. I have to confess that while Chekov is lovely, I think of Bester first ever since the 1990s when hearing or reading Walter Koenig's name.

Now, this is still early days, which you can tell in the scene of Bester and Kelsey circling Talia - later episodes let telepaths do deep scans without such theatrics -, but since said scene also shows the first sign of Ivanova despite herself warming up to Talia (handing her a glass of water after the scan), it might even have been staged this way in any case. The idea of Jason Ironheart as the result of experiments going for the perfect telekinetic assasssins is something that I later found in one of JMS' comics (I can't remember whether it was "The Twelve" or another one, but it has the same line of how TPTB didn't want telekinesis for literal heavy lifting, they wanted it for discreet assassinations like the pressing of an artery), and of course Bester is named after the sci fi author whose telepath guild influenced some, but not all of Psi Corps' characterisation. Since the only telepaths we've met until now were Lyta in the pilot and then Talia, Bester and Kelsey are the first to demonstrate how frightening they can be, but while both have an equal share of dialogue, on this rewatch, it struck me that both script and performance already indicate which of them is going to survive and become a recurring character. Kelsey is just played (and written) as icy, with an immobile face and solely threatening lines. Bester gets the sarcasm and the quips ("anatomically impossible, Mr. Garibaldi, but you're welcome to try") and the seemingly harmless veneer with the occasional smile that marks a future more-than-one-note villain. It's also never pointed out in the dialogue by anyone, but worth observing that from this first episode on, the show is consisted in Bester being unable to use one of his hands (which is why he aims the way he does). I always wonder whether that was a Walter Koenig or a JMS idea. (The novels give an explanation for it, but then only on screen canon is canon.)

Possible new to B5 readers, now I'm going to add some spoilery remarks, so best skip ahead to the next episode in this review.

The

Corps

Is

Mother

This episode also sets up things that never come to pass due to the cast changes. Presumably, if Andrea Thompson hadn't left the show, the gift Jason Ironheart gives Talia would have allowed her to evolve, as Lyta did later, beyond any Psi rating. And I still think Catherine Sakai would have had Anna Sheridan's fate if Michael O'Hare hadn't left; she'd have found Z'ha'dum, and this time without Narn backup to help her against the First Ones there. Because Andrea Thompson's departure was unplanned, it's also evident that there's no sign of "Talia is Control" in this episode. However, leaving such Doylist explanations aside, and remaining on a Watsonian level: presumably neither Bester or Kelsey at this point are aware Talia is Control, either. (Same goes for Bester's next appearance in s2, of course.) In fanfic, including mine, this usually goes with the assumption that Bester isn't in charge or involved with the sleeper personality program, but that needn't be the only explanation. You could also speculate that Bester's actions here and in the next episode are meant to enhance Talia/Control's cover, though to me "Psi Corps has different factions partially scheming against each other and professionally paranoid, which is why one hand doesn't know what the other is doing " sounds more likely.

The

Corps

Is

Father

You know, only this time, at the nth rewatch, it occurred to me that so far, we've had the "Exes of regulars who still have feelings for them visit the statioiin" trope basically three times in a row - four, if you count the pilot where Sinclair gets a visit from ex Carolyn - : Catherine Sakai, Jason Ironheart and now Malcolm. Of these, Sinclair's exes are benevolent, Jason Ironheart is dangerous for reasons not his fault, but his intentions are good, and Malcolm is an evil racist, so basically, Ivanova's love life on this show is off to a good start. Seriously now, even back in the day during my first watch I was entirely unsurprised that Malcolm turned out to be a rotter, and thus there was no real shock factor at the reveal. Not to mention there was zero chemistry. Maybe another actor would have added emotional depth and heartbreak to this part of the plot? Because "person you thought you knew and loved turns out to hold horrible views and act on them" is alas a very contemporary kind of plot these days.

Otoh, the actress playing Mayan and Mira Furlan make me believe that Delenn and Mayan have an intense and long term friendship, and I can also understand there's some fanfiction. Certainly if you want to slash Delenn, Mayan is your best bet. Even the f/f potential aside, it's great to see her interact with someone who is neither her teacher nor her protege nor her enemy but her equal, with no prophecy of any kind involved.

Mind you: if you're familiar with the rest of B5, it's noticeable that in this episode, which was written by ST legend D.C. Fontana, both the Minbari and the Centauri are ever so slightly off. With the Minbari, it's Mayan's whole "we believe in love and can't comprehend hate" thing - guys, the Earth/Minbari war wasn't fueled by love and understanding, is what I'm saying, and it certainly isn't all love and peace between the different Minbari castes, either. With the Centauri, I'm with

andraste who in her original review of this episode wrote that Fontana didn't think the whole polygamy set up of Centauri marriages through, and that someone, preferably Londo, should have at least suggested to our teenage lovers that Kieran could take his beloved as his second wife in addition to the arranged match. There's also the fact that no one brings up Londo himself has been recently acting the fool for love, and he's not a teenager. I mean, you can interpret a lot in Peter Jurasiki's expression when Shaal Mayan says he's learned to live without love, but I do suspect it's simply the result of the first season scripts being written by several writers and not necessarily with knowledge of the other scripts. Otoh, the one JMS written scene in this Fontana script - the one between Londo and Vir in the garden - is great and important both for Londo's character and the building of the Londo & Vir relationship.

Speaking of Centauri continuity: while this episode has the first mention of Londo's wives, the actresses in the photos aren't those who'll end up playing them when we get to meet them in person in s2. Londo nicknaming them after the four horsemen of the Apocalypse makes no real sense in that while Londo used to be a part of the Centauri delegation on Earth, it's doubtful he picked up on Christian imagery, but otoh as many people noted there could have been a Doylist reason beyond the gag, since his nicknames for them are: Famine, Pestilence and Death - which leaves Londo himself as the Fourth Horseman (War).

Something that does feel different on this rewatch is Garibaldi's and Sinclair's confrontational attitudes towards G'Kar, taking it for granted he's just after making trouble instead of granting that humans out to hurt and maim aliens gives him valid concerns. For that matter, is there a reason why Sinclair doesn't tell Delenn about his plan? He doesn't suspect her of being in league with the human supremacists, does he.

Lastly: the coffee gag still works on me, and I do regret we never seen Susan Ivanova, gardener, in action.

All in all: also not a "best of B5" episode, but it has some nice character scenes, which makes me like it.

Short fics by yours truly related to these specific episodes, originally written for the Firing Line community:

Mind War: Loss

The War Prayer: Services Rendered

The other episodes