Episode 3 X 8: Messages From Earth
Dec. 5th, 2016 10:03 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
vjs2259.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
b5_revisitedThis is a pivotal episode, and the one single episode I choose to show B5 newbies. It has tons of exposition which never becomes boring, tons of action that is truly tense, tons of character development both thought-provoking and touching, and tons of humor to remind us why we care about these characters. We are at the start of the main arc of Season 3; this episode and the next two form the basis of the season’s theme. Babylon 5, and our heroes, are about to reach the Point of No Return.
We start with a humorous breakfast scene. I like that we see the staff eating, and reading, and even in the bathroom at least once.
Garibaldi is unhappy about the traditional ration of blue goop. He is told the exact regulation by Sheridan, backed up by Ivanova. SUAEI. Shut Up and Eat It.
Susan, however, gets a special breakfast delivery of bacon and eggs. With a thank-you note. From Marcus. Sheridan and Garibaldi’s knowing smirks are so high school it’s charming.
Meanwhile, Marcus erupts through a grate in the floor, with a friend. Out comes the denn’bok.
One against three, hardly sporting of Marcus, is it?
Marcus’s friend is Mary Kirkish, who is on the run. Then she is caught. Marcus stops her assassination, barely.
She is ‘the package from Mars’ mentioned in Exogenesis--the one that he, and one other, been waiting for.
An ISN propaganda person mentions the information from Dr. Jacobs (Hunter, Prey from Season 2) has surfaced indicating Clark’s illness might have been a convenient excuse to exit EarthForce One before it exploded. It is discounted. She also mentions the new race, which we know are the Shadows, may prove to be a threat (ya think??)
Marcus takes Mary to Medlab. Stephen asks what she’s done to be pursued like this, and Marcus says she hasn’t done anything…yet, and asks him to keep an eye on her.
G’Kar is being productive in jail. Garibaldi visits to check on him. He tells G’Kar that they’ve gotten up a petition to stop his singing. ‘Based on the sound, they think we’re torturing you in here.’
G’Kar is feeling philosophical and he asks Garibaldi how is getting on with the Book of G’Quan, and shows him that he is writing a book himself.
He also informs the Security Chief that he is enjoying the payment of his debt to society because ‘in here you cannot hide from yourself.’
Garibaldi should appreciate this, because he is a man who knows how to hide.
‘You can learn much from silence.’
G’Kar sits back, receding into the shadows, as Garibaldi receives a code 7R from Susan, who passes along a message from Marcus. ‘The package you have been waiting for has arrived.’
Narn is written right to left. An angelic chorus underlies the scene of G’Kar writing what will eventually become The Book of G’Kar.
Garibaldi starts the story, his voice continuing in the background as Marcus escorts Dr. Kirkish to the conference room. Delenn smiles, Lennier bows, Susan is grim, Sheridan determined, and Stephen cautious.
Mary Kirkish tells her story. She works for IPX, has for 12 years. Stephen mentions their adline: ‘Exploring the Past to Create a Better Future.’
Seven years ago she was stationed on Mars. Something was found, 300 feet below the surface of Syria Planum, 1000 years old and not a natural formation.
A Shadow ship was unearthed. She recognized it on the newsfeed (Keffer’s vid). EarthGov, therefore, is lying about never having seen that type of ship before.
“There was just one ship, wasn’t there?”
Kirkish continues, “That was just the start. It gets worse. Only a handful of people know what happened after that. All of them are dead, or missing. Once I leave here, sooner or later, they’ll find me and I’ll disappear. Someone has to know. Someone has to stop them before it’s too late.”
She tells them that one worker touched the ship with his bare hand and died instantly. The others from IPX were told to move back to a secondary base, or be fired.
They watched unmarked shuttles flying over. Then everything stopped.
“That’s when I saw it.”
A Shadow ship came, to retrieve the other ship, digging it out of the ground with power beams. Then she heard the sound. “It reaches into your brain and rips it apart. The sound of something terrible being born.”
Garibaldi was working on Mars, piloting a shuttle when it went down. He saw part of what Dr. Kirkish saw. When he went back it was all gone, and he found nothing except a half-melted PsiCorps badge.
A few weeks ago Dr. Kirkish was called into a new dig. “They found another one. On Ganymede.”
She tells them that the government plans to dig it out, take it back to Earth, study it, learn its secrets and use them against the other races and if necessary against their own people.
Delenn has Lennier escort Dr. Kirkish out of the conference room. She will be taken to safety, somewhere in Minbari space. I long to know how she made out. Another great secondary character.
Stephen is overwhelmed. “If Earth and PsiCorp are working with the Shadows, that’s too big. How can we fight something like that?”
Sheridan needs to think, alone. He dismisses the others, except for Delenn (cause He Needs Her. Sigh.)
Zack is in Security headquarters, wondering about Garibaldi’s meeting with the Captain. Security Guard #1 comes in to tell him about (another) NightWatch meeting. ‘Eternal Vigilance is the Price of Freedom’ quoth the authoritarian.
SG#1 is creepy as he likens himself to God.
Sheridan removes his EarthForce badge, which he has done before, and will do again. Delenn comes in to tell him it (whatever it is) is done. ‘It’s time to tell the others.’
Sheridan informs his staff of his plan to make sure that ship never leaves Ganymede. He is out of uniform, a sign of his going off the reservation. He and Delenn will take the White Star to Jupiter and make sure the Shadow ship is destroyed. Clark cannot be allowed that kind of power.
Stephen expostulates. ‘It’s too soon, too big, we should wait until later.’
“’Later is too late,” declares Sheridan. “The decision is mine, and mine alone.”
“And It’s made.”
The dramatic impact of Sheridan speaking over the images of his staff, explaining the details of what will happen while he’s gone, and what to do if he doesn’t come back, accompanied by a crescendo of drumbeats, is very well done.
‘I wish none of this were necessary.’
So do all who live through these times….
The Mod Squad enters the White Star. (Quick, how old are you? Do you get that reference?)
‘If there’s any way we can come back, we will.’
Aboard the White Star, Sheridan is tense in leather. Delenn touches his shoulder. He smiles, she sighs.
Security Guard #1 is distributing literature and orders from theGestapo Brownshirts Nightwatch.
‘Earth has been sold out by our own people. All of what you’ve been hearing is part of the plot. Believe me. It’s a conspiracy at the highest level. All done as a prelude to invasion. The arrests will start within two months. The lists have already been drawn up. We will accept anonymous reports and accusations. Past history, social contacts, party affiliations, to conduct email and vid surveillance, Babcom and StellarCom transmissions.’
Zack looks more and more ill at ease as the depth of what he’s hearing sinks in. Wait. What? Just how far does this go? Do we start suspecting everybody?
‘Everybody but Nightwatch’ comes the assured reply. ‘We won’t look at the officers unless we have reason.’
‘Does anyone know where the Captain is?’
Back on the White Star, Sheridan is asleep in the command chair. Lennier sends him to bed. The Minbari snap to attention when Sheridan walks by. He enters the sleeping area, all tiled beds and purple and blue lights. The flat triangular pillow is a nice touch.
Delenn watches in amusement as he tries to get comfortable.
‘You have a most persistent attache.’
‘We consider sleeping in the horizontal to be tempting death.’
‘I will watch, and catch you if you should fall.’ DUH DUH DUM Foreshadowing!
They share a moment, with Sheridan telling her about his Dad, and Delenn providing the sound of falling rain. The quiet before the storm. Such a lovely interlude.
Back on the station, Susan and Marcus also share a moment. Marcus is reporting, Susan is not listening.
‘Did I mention that my nose is on fire and I have fifteen wild badgers living in my trousers?’
Such a look.
‘I’m sorry. Would you prefer ferrets?’
And now for an important announcement:
Ferret-legging was an endurance test or stunt in which ferrets were trapped in trousers worn by a participant. Also known as put 'em down and ferret-down-trousers, it seems to have been popular among coal miners in Yorkshire, England. Contestants put live ferrets inside their trousers; the winner is the one who is the last to release the animals. The world record is five hours and thirty minutes.
Meanwhile, back on the White Star (have I mentioned how I love the back and forth cuts in this episode?) Lennier picks up a signal, on the channel provided by Dr. Kirkish. Delenn tells Sheridan a bit more about Shadow vessels and how they work. The race is on. They are putting someone inside the ship to activate it. I’ll just bet he volunteered. The ship awakens, the cry is heard.
The Ship is moving, firing, trying to escape.
‘Valen’s name. It’s awake.’
The ship escapes and fires on the dome and the city, setting fires. They poke the ship, provoking it to follow the White Star. The battle is on.
Delenn has serious doubts. This is her every nightmare come to life. But she trusts Sheridan. They dive into Jupiter’s gravity well, hoping they can pull out and the Shadow ship can’t. Lennier has doubts as well. But they turn about and pull out. The Shadows ship turns to follow…and crumples.
And falls.
We made it!
Just a bit of reluctance in Lennier' joy....
But wait, there’s more battle to come. It’s the Agamemnon, Sheridan’s old ship.
'Surrender or be destroyed.' Now it’s Sheridan’s turn to freeze, unable to act.
Delenn takes charge. She suggests they open a jump point inside the atmosphere. Ships the size of the White Star usually can’t open their own jump gates. No one has ever opened a jump gate within the atmosphere of a planet. And Jupiter’s hydrogen is a bit dicey for the first try. Lennier explains his reservations but John jumps on the idea. Anything to keep from going up against his old crew.
It worked!
Once they return to the station, they find that ISN is reporting that the White Star was destroyed, and that the unknown ship was behind the attack on Ganymede. Garibaldi explains that no good deed goes unpunished.
Zack meets with Security Guard #1; who called him into the meeting early. The Captain was gone for four days, the weasel knows this because he checked the door to Sheridan’s quarters. He’s also connected Garibaldi to the conspiracy. Zack won’t turn spy on his friends. Which is more important, SG#1 asks him—your friendship or Your Job, which is to Protect Earth.
Susan is reading in her quarters.
Marcus enters with a chart. He has explained the organizational system of Babylon Five using the Ottoman Empire as a model. His job was to make Susan laugh, and he’s done it.
Ruining the moment, Sheridan links into Susan, telling her to turn on ISN.
Martial law has been declared through Earth central, to protect planetary security.
What struck me this viewing was the juxtaposition of Sheridan’s choice to go up against Earth contrasted with Zack’s dilemma to either go along with or oppose Nightwatch. Hard choices. Life determining choices.
Also I paid more attention to Garibaldi’s reluctance; not just sniping but his actual reluctance to follow Sheridan along this path. If it had been Sinclair, I think Garibaldi would have been gung-ho as hell. Garibaldi runs on personal loyalty. There is some foreshadowing of his own search for meaning, in his burgeoning relationship with G’Kar.
Lennier has some good moments here--some where he seems to be accepting Sheridan’s leadership, although there is still a bit of recalcitrance in his admiration.
My favorite interplay is the switch in taking charge between Sheridan and Delenn during the battle. Each faces a hard thing; Delenn has to fight the Shadows which are mythically undefeatable in her mind. But she trusts Sheridan to come up with something, which he does. Then Sheridan faces firing on his old ship, and he just can’t, but Delenn steps up. First she tries to tell him they either fight or surrender, but then she determines a way for them to get away. They go back and forth taking charge, complementing each other’s weakness with strength. This is how they will fight, and how they will govern, as partners.
I don’t really have any questions or points of discussion. To my mind this is a pitch perfect episode, nicely balanced between exposition, action, character development, and humor. Well done, all.
We start with a humorous breakfast scene. I like that we see the staff eating, and reading, and even in the bathroom at least once.
Garibaldi is unhappy about the traditional ration of blue goop. He is told the exact regulation by Sheridan, backed up by Ivanova. SUAEI. Shut Up and Eat It.
Susan, however, gets a special breakfast delivery of bacon and eggs. With a thank-you note. From Marcus. Sheridan and Garibaldi’s knowing smirks are so high school it’s charming.
Meanwhile, Marcus erupts through a grate in the floor, with a friend. Out comes the denn’bok.
One against three, hardly sporting of Marcus, is it?
Marcus’s friend is Mary Kirkish, who is on the run. Then she is caught. Marcus stops her assassination, barely.
She is ‘the package from Mars’ mentioned in Exogenesis--the one that he, and one other, been waiting for.
An ISN propaganda person mentions the information from Dr. Jacobs (Hunter, Prey from Season 2) has surfaced indicating Clark’s illness might have been a convenient excuse to exit EarthForce One before it exploded. It is discounted. She also mentions the new race, which we know are the Shadows, may prove to be a threat (ya think??)
Marcus takes Mary to Medlab. Stephen asks what she’s done to be pursued like this, and Marcus says she hasn’t done anything…yet, and asks him to keep an eye on her.
G’Kar is being productive in jail. Garibaldi visits to check on him. He tells G’Kar that they’ve gotten up a petition to stop his singing. ‘Based on the sound, they think we’re torturing you in here.’
G’Kar is feeling philosophical and he asks Garibaldi how is getting on with the Book of G’Quan, and shows him that he is writing a book himself.
He also informs the Security Chief that he is enjoying the payment of his debt to society because ‘in here you cannot hide from yourself.’
Garibaldi should appreciate this, because he is a man who knows how to hide.
‘You can learn much from silence.’
G’Kar sits back, receding into the shadows, as Garibaldi receives a code 7R from Susan, who passes along a message from Marcus. ‘The package you have been waiting for has arrived.’
Narn is written right to left. An angelic chorus underlies the scene of G’Kar writing what will eventually become The Book of G’Kar.
Garibaldi starts the story, his voice continuing in the background as Marcus escorts Dr. Kirkish to the conference room. Delenn smiles, Lennier bows, Susan is grim, Sheridan determined, and Stephen cautious.
Mary Kirkish tells her story. She works for IPX, has for 12 years. Stephen mentions their adline: ‘Exploring the Past to Create a Better Future.’
Seven years ago she was stationed on Mars. Something was found, 300 feet below the surface of Syria Planum, 1000 years old and not a natural formation.
A Shadow ship was unearthed. She recognized it on the newsfeed (Keffer’s vid). EarthGov, therefore, is lying about never having seen that type of ship before.
“There was just one ship, wasn’t there?”
Kirkish continues, “That was just the start. It gets worse. Only a handful of people know what happened after that. All of them are dead, or missing. Once I leave here, sooner or later, they’ll find me and I’ll disappear. Someone has to know. Someone has to stop them before it’s too late.”
She tells them that one worker touched the ship with his bare hand and died instantly. The others from IPX were told to move back to a secondary base, or be fired.
They watched unmarked shuttles flying over. Then everything stopped.
“That’s when I saw it.”
A Shadow ship came, to retrieve the other ship, digging it out of the ground with power beams. Then she heard the sound. “It reaches into your brain and rips it apart. The sound of something terrible being born.”
Garibaldi was working on Mars, piloting a shuttle when it went down. He saw part of what Dr. Kirkish saw. When he went back it was all gone, and he found nothing except a half-melted PsiCorps badge.
A few weeks ago Dr. Kirkish was called into a new dig. “They found another one. On Ganymede.”
She tells them that the government plans to dig it out, take it back to Earth, study it, learn its secrets and use them against the other races and if necessary against their own people.
Delenn has Lennier escort Dr. Kirkish out of the conference room. She will be taken to safety, somewhere in Minbari space. I long to know how she made out. Another great secondary character.
Stephen is overwhelmed. “If Earth and PsiCorp are working with the Shadows, that’s too big. How can we fight something like that?”
Sheridan needs to think, alone. He dismisses the others, except for Delenn (cause He Needs Her. Sigh.)
Zack is in Security headquarters, wondering about Garibaldi’s meeting with the Captain. Security Guard #1 comes in to tell him about (another) NightWatch meeting. ‘Eternal Vigilance is the Price of Freedom’ quoth the authoritarian.
SG#1 is creepy as he likens himself to God.
Sheridan removes his EarthForce badge, which he has done before, and will do again. Delenn comes in to tell him it (whatever it is) is done. ‘It’s time to tell the others.’
Sheridan informs his staff of his plan to make sure that ship never leaves Ganymede. He is out of uniform, a sign of his going off the reservation. He and Delenn will take the White Star to Jupiter and make sure the Shadow ship is destroyed. Clark cannot be allowed that kind of power.
Stephen expostulates. ‘It’s too soon, too big, we should wait until later.’
“’Later is too late,” declares Sheridan. “The decision is mine, and mine alone.”
“And It’s made.”
The dramatic impact of Sheridan speaking over the images of his staff, explaining the details of what will happen while he’s gone, and what to do if he doesn’t come back, accompanied by a crescendo of drumbeats, is very well done.
‘I wish none of this were necessary.’
So do all who live through these times….
The Mod Squad enters the White Star. (Quick, how old are you? Do you get that reference?)
‘If there’s any way we can come back, we will.’
Aboard the White Star, Sheridan is tense in leather. Delenn touches his shoulder. He smiles, she sighs.
Security Guard #1 is distributing literature and orders from the
‘Earth has been sold out by our own people. All of what you’ve been hearing is part of the plot. Believe me. It’s a conspiracy at the highest level. All done as a prelude to invasion. The arrests will start within two months. The lists have already been drawn up. We will accept anonymous reports and accusations. Past history, social contacts, party affiliations, to conduct email and vid surveillance, Babcom and StellarCom transmissions.’
Zack looks more and more ill at ease as the depth of what he’s hearing sinks in. Wait. What? Just how far does this go? Do we start suspecting everybody?
‘Everybody but Nightwatch’ comes the assured reply. ‘We won’t look at the officers unless we have reason.’
‘Does anyone know where the Captain is?’
Back on the White Star, Sheridan is asleep in the command chair. Lennier sends him to bed. The Minbari snap to attention when Sheridan walks by. He enters the sleeping area, all tiled beds and purple and blue lights. The flat triangular pillow is a nice touch.
Delenn watches in amusement as he tries to get comfortable.
‘You have a most persistent attache.’
‘We consider sleeping in the horizontal to be tempting death.’
‘I will watch, and catch you if you should fall.’ DUH DUH DUM Foreshadowing!
They share a moment, with Sheridan telling her about his Dad, and Delenn providing the sound of falling rain. The quiet before the storm. Such a lovely interlude.
Back on the station, Susan and Marcus also share a moment. Marcus is reporting, Susan is not listening.
‘Did I mention that my nose is on fire and I have fifteen wild badgers living in my trousers?’
Such a look.
‘I’m sorry. Would you prefer ferrets?’
And now for an important announcement:
Ferret-legging was an endurance test or stunt in which ferrets were trapped in trousers worn by a participant. Also known as put 'em down and ferret-down-trousers, it seems to have been popular among coal miners in Yorkshire, England. Contestants put live ferrets inside their trousers; the winner is the one who is the last to release the animals. The world record is five hours and thirty minutes.
Meanwhile, back on the White Star (have I mentioned how I love the back and forth cuts in this episode?) Lennier picks up a signal, on the channel provided by Dr. Kirkish. Delenn tells Sheridan a bit more about Shadow vessels and how they work. The race is on. They are putting someone inside the ship to activate it. I’ll just bet he volunteered. The ship awakens, the cry is heard.
The Ship is moving, firing, trying to escape.
‘Valen’s name. It’s awake.’
The ship escapes and fires on the dome and the city, setting fires. They poke the ship, provoking it to follow the White Star. The battle is on.
Delenn has serious doubts. This is her every nightmare come to life. But she trusts Sheridan. They dive into Jupiter’s gravity well, hoping they can pull out and the Shadow ship can’t. Lennier has doubts as well. But they turn about and pull out. The Shadows ship turns to follow…and crumples.
And falls.
We made it!
Just a bit of reluctance in Lennier' joy....
But wait, there’s more battle to come. It’s the Agamemnon, Sheridan’s old ship.
'Surrender or be destroyed.' Now it’s Sheridan’s turn to freeze, unable to act.
Delenn takes charge. She suggests they open a jump point inside the atmosphere. Ships the size of the White Star usually can’t open their own jump gates. No one has ever opened a jump gate within the atmosphere of a planet. And Jupiter’s hydrogen is a bit dicey for the first try. Lennier explains his reservations but John jumps on the idea. Anything to keep from going up against his old crew.
It worked!
Once they return to the station, they find that ISN is reporting that the White Star was destroyed, and that the unknown ship was behind the attack on Ganymede. Garibaldi explains that no good deed goes unpunished.
Zack meets with Security Guard #1; who called him into the meeting early. The Captain was gone for four days, the weasel knows this because he checked the door to Sheridan’s quarters. He’s also connected Garibaldi to the conspiracy. Zack won’t turn spy on his friends. Which is more important, SG#1 asks him—your friendship or Your Job, which is to Protect Earth.
Susan is reading in her quarters.
Marcus enters with a chart. He has explained the organizational system of Babylon Five using the Ottoman Empire as a model. His job was to make Susan laugh, and he’s done it.
Ruining the moment, Sheridan links into Susan, telling her to turn on ISN.
Martial law has been declared through Earth central, to protect planetary security.
What struck me this viewing was the juxtaposition of Sheridan’s choice to go up against Earth contrasted with Zack’s dilemma to either go along with or oppose Nightwatch. Hard choices. Life determining choices.
Also I paid more attention to Garibaldi’s reluctance; not just sniping but his actual reluctance to follow Sheridan along this path. If it had been Sinclair, I think Garibaldi would have been gung-ho as hell. Garibaldi runs on personal loyalty. There is some foreshadowing of his own search for meaning, in his burgeoning relationship with G’Kar.
Lennier has some good moments here--some where he seems to be accepting Sheridan’s leadership, although there is still a bit of recalcitrance in his admiration.
My favorite interplay is the switch in taking charge between Sheridan and Delenn during the battle. Each faces a hard thing; Delenn has to fight the Shadows which are mythically undefeatable in her mind. But she trusts Sheridan to come up with something, which he does. Then Sheridan faces firing on his old ship, and he just can’t, but Delenn steps up. First she tries to tell him they either fight or surrender, but then she determines a way for them to get away. They go back and forth taking charge, complementing each other’s weakness with strength. This is how they will fight, and how they will govern, as partners.
I don’t really have any questions or points of discussion. To my mind this is a pitch perfect episode, nicely balanced between exposition, action, character development, and humor. Well done, all.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}