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b5_revisitedRecap and discussion for Crusade 1 x 4 – The Long Road
We see some miner’s talking about something coming back… we find out it’s a large golden dragon.
Switch to the Excalibur and John Matheson interrupts Gideon, who is shooting and missing baskets in the ship's gym. Matheson tells Gideon that they have been asked to help out in a dispute between the natives and the military on Regula IV, where the natives are interfering with a mining operation that may help with the Drakh plague.
Galen shows up and says he’s going too, but he won’t tell Gideon why.
Galen: "If I'm right, this is definitely something you should see."
Gideon: "And if you're wrong?"
Galen: "Oh well that hardly seems likely, now does it?"
They meet with Captain Daniels, the EF military officer who requested their help. He says there is a chemical on the planet that acts as a natural antibiotic and that it makes the planet inhabitants live longer than normal humans. The chemical looks promising in treating the Drakh plague. There have all sort of problems with the natives, who seem not to want them to simply take what they want however they want to.
Gideon and Galen go down to the planet. They are dressed as natives and they go into a bar. When Gideon speaks to the barmaid, her father tells him to leave her alone. They hang out until the bat is empty. Galen tells Gideon that they are waiting for something to happen. Gideon asks how he knows it will. Galen answers, “Something always happens.”
The townsmen come in and threaten them, telling them to get out of town. As things begin to look dicey, the lights do funny things and the door opens. An old man comes in and tells the townsmen that these men work for him. He takes them back to his home and offers them soup. He is Alwyn, he’s a technomage, and he asks how Galen knew it was him. Galen says it was the golden dragon, Alwyn’s trademark. Gale and Alwyn speak of the order and of having left it or it leaving them, as it were.
Gideon asks why he is pestering the miners and EF military. Alwyn takes them to a giant pit where fertile fields used to be, where the water is. Gideon asks if they can’t move, but Alwyn tells him there is nowhere else to go. He has tried to reason with Capt. Daniels to no avail so he decided to make it more trouble than it was worth. Alwyn says that one day, things will get violent and that if the soldiers “come with guns, they will leave in boxes.”
A group of the settlers take over the mine and take some of the workers hostage, saying that they do not leave, they will kill them.
As Galen and Alwyn talk of their past, Gideon comes in and reports the hostage taking.
In the meantime, Capt Daniels is sending a team down led by Lt. Meyers, who is confident he can take over and fix it(once they get there, anyway). He figures out that the dragon is a hologram and they fly through it. Gideon pleads with Alwyn not to do anything. Alwyn ignores him and when the soldiers come into take over the bar, he sends a group of holodemons that hit and bite the soldiers.
Lt. Meyers contacts his ship and tells the Capt. That he has been captured. The leader of the settlers says they can beat EF, that they don’t have to be reasonable as long as they have Alwyn.
The Barkeep’s daughter falls unconscious. Alwyn examines her and says she is dying from too much of the chemical that is being mined… that the mining is releasing it in high enough quantities to poison the inhabitants. The barman says they must take a life for a life.
Alwayn goes to talk to them, telling them he is ashamed of them – that choosing violence is what those who came before them sought to escape by coming here. He tells them they have given him no choice but to fix it himself.
Daniels says they will not shut down. Gideon tells him that the technomage is going to use the open mine face as a broadcaster to strengthen his magic and he is going to use it to blow the EF ship up. Gideon says he can shoot the mine from his ship and stop it and he does, turning the mine into glass. And Alwyn too.
The miners and EarthForce agree to move the mine and the settlers agree to help them find a better place for it. The barman’s daughter comes back from Gideon’s ship, cured.
We see Galen waiting for Alwyn, knowing it was all another illusion. Alwyn says he knew he had to leave when one of the settlers said they didn’t need to be reasonable, they had Alwyn. He asks Galen if he’d lie to take over. Galen says he already has a home.
He says this story someday become a legend… and that ‘The Long Road’ beckons.
*Alwyn was played by Peter Woodward’s farther, Edward.
*
Questions:
1. Did you think technomage when you saw the dragon the first time?
2. What did you think of the EarthForce attitude?
3. Did you believe that Alwyn had sacrificed himself?
4. Galen was mentored by Elric. Do you remember him from Babylon 5 (The Geometry of Shadows)?
5. Alwyn mentions the coming darkness. Any ideas?
*
Sources:
The Lurkers Guide to Babylon 5: http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/countries/us/guide/502.html
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0551022/quotes/?tab=qt&ref_=tt_trv_qu
The Babylon Project: http://babylon5.wikia.com/wiki/The_Long_Road
Cap-that.com: http://www.cap-that.com/b5/crusade/102/
We see some miner’s talking about something coming back… we find out it’s a large golden dragon.
Switch to the Excalibur and John Matheson interrupts Gideon, who is shooting and missing baskets in the ship's gym. Matheson tells Gideon that they have been asked to help out in a dispute between the natives and the military on Regula IV, where the natives are interfering with a mining operation that may help with the Drakh plague.
Galen shows up and says he’s going too, but he won’t tell Gideon why.
Galen: "If I'm right, this is definitely something you should see."
Gideon: "And if you're wrong?"
Galen: "Oh well that hardly seems likely, now does it?"
They meet with Captain Daniels, the EF military officer who requested their help. He says there is a chemical on the planet that acts as a natural antibiotic and that it makes the planet inhabitants live longer than normal humans. The chemical looks promising in treating the Drakh plague. There have all sort of problems with the natives, who seem not to want them to simply take what they want however they want to.
Gideon and Galen go down to the planet. They are dressed as natives and they go into a bar. When Gideon speaks to the barmaid, her father tells him to leave her alone. They hang out until the bat is empty. Galen tells Gideon that they are waiting for something to happen. Gideon asks how he knows it will. Galen answers, “Something always happens.”
The townsmen come in and threaten them, telling them to get out of town. As things begin to look dicey, the lights do funny things and the door opens. An old man comes in and tells the townsmen that these men work for him. He takes them back to his home and offers them soup. He is Alwyn, he’s a technomage, and he asks how Galen knew it was him. Galen says it was the golden dragon, Alwyn’s trademark. Gale and Alwyn speak of the order and of having left it or it leaving them, as it were.
Gideon asks why he is pestering the miners and EF military. Alwyn takes them to a giant pit where fertile fields used to be, where the water is. Gideon asks if they can’t move, but Alwyn tells him there is nowhere else to go. He has tried to reason with Capt. Daniels to no avail so he decided to make it more trouble than it was worth. Alwyn says that one day, things will get violent and that if the soldiers “come with guns, they will leave in boxes.”
A group of the settlers take over the mine and take some of the workers hostage, saying that they do not leave, they will kill them.
As Galen and Alwyn talk of their past, Gideon comes in and reports the hostage taking.
In the meantime, Capt Daniels is sending a team down led by Lt. Meyers, who is confident he can take over and fix it(once they get there, anyway). He figures out that the dragon is a hologram and they fly through it. Gideon pleads with Alwyn not to do anything. Alwyn ignores him and when the soldiers come into take over the bar, he sends a group of holodemons that hit and bite the soldiers.
Lt. Meyers contacts his ship and tells the Capt. That he has been captured. The leader of the settlers says they can beat EF, that they don’t have to be reasonable as long as they have Alwyn.
The Barkeep’s daughter falls unconscious. Alwyn examines her and says she is dying from too much of the chemical that is being mined… that the mining is releasing it in high enough quantities to poison the inhabitants. The barman says they must take a life for a life.
Alwayn goes to talk to them, telling them he is ashamed of them – that choosing violence is what those who came before them sought to escape by coming here. He tells them they have given him no choice but to fix it himself.
Daniels says they will not shut down. Gideon tells him that the technomage is going to use the open mine face as a broadcaster to strengthen his magic and he is going to use it to blow the EF ship up. Gideon says he can shoot the mine from his ship and stop it and he does, turning the mine into glass. And Alwyn too.
The miners and EarthForce agree to move the mine and the settlers agree to help them find a better place for it. The barman’s daughter comes back from Gideon’s ship, cured.
We see Galen waiting for Alwyn, knowing it was all another illusion. Alwyn says he knew he had to leave when one of the settlers said they didn’t need to be reasonable, they had Alwyn. He asks Galen if he’d lie to take over. Galen says he already has a home.
He says this story someday become a legend… and that ‘The Long Road’ beckons.
*Alwyn was played by Peter Woodward’s farther, Edward.
*
Questions:
1. Did you think technomage when you saw the dragon the first time?
2. What did you think of the EarthForce attitude?
3. Did you believe that Alwyn had sacrificed himself?
4. Galen was mentored by Elric. Do you remember him from Babylon 5 (The Geometry of Shadows)?
5. Alwyn mentions the coming darkness. Any ideas?
*
Sources:
The Lurkers Guide to Babylon 5: http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/countries/us/guide/502.html
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0551022/quotes/?tab=qt&ref_=tt_trv_qu
The Babylon Project: http://babylon5.wikia.com/wiki/The_Long_Road
Cap-that.com: http://www.cap-that.com/b5/crusade/102/
