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b5_revisitedRecap and discussion for Crusade Episode 2 - The Needs of Earth (using JMS’ watching order)
This one is another of my favorites – I shiver when Sarah tells Gideon that science is science. It does not change from one planet to another because it deals with facts but the things that give hope to world are art, music, literature, the things that cannot be replaced once they are gone. And I cringe when Gideon is too thick to get that.
We begin the episode with the infamous alien porn video that Max has accidentally given to Gideon with some other information. It’s a rather cute scene.
They meet with a Minbari Ranger. He tells them they have an ‘off the books’ mission for them – to rescue a fugitive from Marata 6, who has data crystals with all the knowledge of his planet and will sell them to the highest bidder. They hope there is something of use there. The man’s name is Natchok Var and the Marati have a price on his head. The Ranger tells them the mission is illegal and they can turn it down if they want to.
Max asks Gideon if he can have the data crystal back so he can get him a non-corrupted copy but Gideon declines his offer. He then tell the staff of their mission. Max says NO. They shouldn’t pursue this because they have an obligation to put the needs of Earth first. Gideon fiddles with the porn crustal while he tells Max that the legal thing is not always the moral thing.
The man they want is on Praxis 9. He has been f9und by bounty hunters and Gideon’s mission is to steal him before he can be sold back to the Marati. Praxis 9 has a toxic atmosphere and is a commercial planet, which mostly means it’s a den of scum and villainy. Gideon says he will go alone since it’s illegal and dangerous but Dureena says she knows the place so she will go as well. She says she know the access codes to get them in.
They suit up and a re dropped off about 6 miles from the dome. They walk and after some initial problems, Dureena get them in. Once in, Dureena needs a distraction to get to the back where she thinks the man is being kept. Gideon starts a fight. Dureena activates a Thieves Guild Logo thing on the wall and a member comes to her and tell her where to find Natchok Var. They free him but Dureena sees a group of slaves and she frees them as well, this blowing their cover.
They have to flee and they make it back to the ship just as a Mararti ship comes out of hyperspace. It communicates with the surface. Gideon tells John to jump ASAP. The Marati ship follows them. With a while fleet along as backup.
Meanwhile, Sarah is trying to treat Natchok Var’s minor injuries and such but he will not let go of the data crystals. She makes mention of him selling them to the highest bidder and he tells her that he is willing to give them away to the right people.
The Marati say they will come onboard to talk and send the First Counselor and his translator since Marati officials do not speak any language of their own for purity reasons. They tell Gideon that they want Natchok Var back, he is a traitor and a criminal. Gideon plays dumb and has the two put in the brig for their own protection, he says while he visits their guest.
He finds Var listening to Mozart with a sublime look on his face. Var asks if this is done by one of their own people. Gideon tells him yes, he was from Earth. Var is very impressed.
He tells Gideon that he will go with the Marati but only after they make a copy of all the data crystals to keep. Gideon agrees and they turn him over to the First Counselor, who assures them he will get a fair trial. When they get ready to go, the First Counselor will not ride on ship with a traitor so they go on one ship and Var goes on a second one operated remotely.
Natchok Var gives Mattheson an odd smile as he gets on his ship. He does a quick scan but lets it go by
A few minutes later, John tells Gideon and just as they realize it was setup and Gideon is about to order a fighter escort, the Marati blow the little ship up.
Gideon asks what is on the crystals and Sarah tells him that it is the entire recorded output of his planet, music, stories, books etc… and a video of Natchok Var explaining that the government has destroyed all art, music and literature that does not glorify the state and that he has the last copy and he must save it at all costs so someday, his people will know their heritage again.
Sarah says the music and art are the thing hope is made of that Earth needs all the hope it can get.
Gideon, being the ass he is, thinks it’s all foolish and they need to find the cure.
Mattheson tells his diary about a Sunday School discussion they had about would they save Christ if they could, knowing what they now knew and they had voted noand he liked to think that is why hechose as he did… “How odd. To know everyone's heart but my own.”
Gideon asks Sarah for a copy of the music to listen to and stops by Dureena’s room. She finally tells him that her family sold her into slavery to pay a debt and that is why she let the slave go on Praxis 9, because no one helped her.
Gideon gives her the crystal and we assume the music hear at the end is some of the Marati music Natchok Var saved.
*
JMS, in the notes on the Lurker’s Guide, mentions the attack on the National Endowment for the Arts during this time as an example in our own day and time. The same is true now as the president want to cut all funds to National Public Radio and Public Television and wants the press muzzled so they can only say what makes him look good.
*
Tony Amendola played Natchok Var. He was also Master Bra’tac on another of my favorite Scifi shows – Stargate SG-1.
*
Questions:
1. Did you find the first scene to be an odd non sequitur to the rest of the episode or a funny interlude?
2. Did Max have an actual point or was he just playing devil’s advocate when he said they had to out the needs of earth first?
3. So did you see the nipple in the porn? The network said it was there but I didn’t see it. I also did not hear Eilerson say Godammit but TNT put a sexual content warning on this one.
4. Is Gideon right? Is the cure all that matters or is Sarah right? That hope is almost as important?
5. Plotholes? Post them if you have them.
*
Sources:
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0551024/quotes/?tab=qt&ref_=tt_trv_qu
Lurker’s Guide to Babylon 5: http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/countries/us/guide/511.html
Sadgeezer’s Cult Sci fi Portal: http://sadgeezer.com/Crusade-Season-1-02-The-Needs-Earth.htm
The Babylon Project: http://babylon5.wikia.com/wiki/The_Needs_of_Earth
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crusade_(TV_series)
Wikiquote: https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Crusade_(TV_series)#The_Needs_of_Earth
Cap-that.com: http://www.cap-that.com/b5/crusade/111/
This one is another of my favorites – I shiver when Sarah tells Gideon that science is science. It does not change from one planet to another because it deals with facts but the things that give hope to world are art, music, literature, the things that cannot be replaced once they are gone. And I cringe when Gideon is too thick to get that.
We begin the episode with the infamous alien porn video that Max has accidentally given to Gideon with some other information. It’s a rather cute scene.
They meet with a Minbari Ranger. He tells them they have an ‘off the books’ mission for them – to rescue a fugitive from Marata 6, who has data crystals with all the knowledge of his planet and will sell them to the highest bidder. They hope there is something of use there. The man’s name is Natchok Var and the Marati have a price on his head. The Ranger tells them the mission is illegal and they can turn it down if they want to.
Max asks Gideon if he can have the data crystal back so he can get him a non-corrupted copy but Gideon declines his offer. He then tell the staff of their mission. Max says NO. They shouldn’t pursue this because they have an obligation to put the needs of Earth first. Gideon fiddles with the porn crustal while he tells Max that the legal thing is not always the moral thing.
The man they want is on Praxis 9. He has been f9und by bounty hunters and Gideon’s mission is to steal him before he can be sold back to the Marati. Praxis 9 has a toxic atmosphere and is a commercial planet, which mostly means it’s a den of scum and villainy. Gideon says he will go alone since it’s illegal and dangerous but Dureena says she knows the place so she will go as well. She says she know the access codes to get them in.
They suit up and a re dropped off about 6 miles from the dome. They walk and after some initial problems, Dureena get them in. Once in, Dureena needs a distraction to get to the back where she thinks the man is being kept. Gideon starts a fight. Dureena activates a Thieves Guild Logo thing on the wall and a member comes to her and tell her where to find Natchok Var. They free him but Dureena sees a group of slaves and she frees them as well, this blowing their cover.
They have to flee and they make it back to the ship just as a Mararti ship comes out of hyperspace. It communicates with the surface. Gideon tells John to jump ASAP. The Marati ship follows them. With a while fleet along as backup.
Meanwhile, Sarah is trying to treat Natchok Var’s minor injuries and such but he will not let go of the data crystals. She makes mention of him selling them to the highest bidder and he tells her that he is willing to give them away to the right people.
The Marati say they will come onboard to talk and send the First Counselor and his translator since Marati officials do not speak any language of their own for purity reasons. They tell Gideon that they want Natchok Var back, he is a traitor and a criminal. Gideon plays dumb and has the two put in the brig for their own protection, he says while he visits their guest.
He finds Var listening to Mozart with a sublime look on his face. Var asks if this is done by one of their own people. Gideon tells him yes, he was from Earth. Var is very impressed.
He tells Gideon that he will go with the Marati but only after they make a copy of all the data crystals to keep. Gideon agrees and they turn him over to the First Counselor, who assures them he will get a fair trial. When they get ready to go, the First Counselor will not ride on ship with a traitor so they go on one ship and Var goes on a second one operated remotely.
Natchok Var gives Mattheson an odd smile as he gets on his ship. He does a quick scan but lets it go by
A few minutes later, John tells Gideon and just as they realize it was setup and Gideon is about to order a fighter escort, the Marati blow the little ship up.
Gideon asks what is on the crystals and Sarah tells him that it is the entire recorded output of his planet, music, stories, books etc… and a video of Natchok Var explaining that the government has destroyed all art, music and literature that does not glorify the state and that he has the last copy and he must save it at all costs so someday, his people will know their heritage again.
Sarah says the music and art are the thing hope is made of that Earth needs all the hope it can get.
Gideon, being the ass he is, thinks it’s all foolish and they need to find the cure.
Mattheson tells his diary about a Sunday School discussion they had about would they save Christ if they could, knowing what they now knew and they had voted noand he liked to think that is why hechose as he did… “How odd. To know everyone's heart but my own.”
Gideon asks Sarah for a copy of the music to listen to and stops by Dureena’s room. She finally tells him that her family sold her into slavery to pay a debt and that is why she let the slave go on Praxis 9, because no one helped her.
Gideon gives her the crystal and we assume the music hear at the end is some of the Marati music Natchok Var saved.
*
JMS, in the notes on the Lurker’s Guide, mentions the attack on the National Endowment for the Arts during this time as an example in our own day and time. The same is true now as the president want to cut all funds to National Public Radio and Public Television and wants the press muzzled so they can only say what makes him look good.
*
Tony Amendola played Natchok Var. He was also Master Bra’tac on another of my favorite Scifi shows – Stargate SG-1.
*
Questions:
1. Did you find the first scene to be an odd non sequitur to the rest of the episode or a funny interlude?
2. Did Max have an actual point or was he just playing devil’s advocate when he said they had to out the needs of earth first?
3. So did you see the nipple in the porn? The network said it was there but I didn’t see it. I also did not hear Eilerson say Godammit but TNT put a sexual content warning on this one.
4. Is Gideon right? Is the cure all that matters or is Sarah right? That hope is almost as important?
5. Plotholes? Post them if you have them.
*
Sources:
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0551024/quotes/?tab=qt&ref_=tt_trv_qu
Lurker’s Guide to Babylon 5: http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/countries/us/guide/511.html
Sadgeezer’s Cult Sci fi Portal: http://sadgeezer.com/Crusade-Season-1-02-The-Needs-Earth.htm
The Babylon Project: http://babylon5.wikia.com/wiki/The_Needs_of_Earth
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crusade_(TV_series)
Wikiquote: https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Crusade_(TV_series)#The_Needs_of_Earth
Cap-that.com: http://www.cap-that.com/b5/crusade/111/
