"Legacies" discussion [spoilers]

[ruuger]

This is the discussion post for the episode 1X17, "Legacies". Spoilers for the whole of the series, including the spin-offs and tie-ins, are allowed here so newbies beware.

Summary:

Neroon and Delenn fight over the body of a Minbari war leader while Ivanova and Talia argue about the future of a 14-year-old telepath.

Extra reading:

The article for "legacies" at Lurker's Guide.

Comments

[4thofeleven.livejournal.com]

Alright, this is the first episode I’ve really enjoyed since “Signs and Portents”. We get Neroon, who’s always fun, Minbari internal intrigue, something which doesn’t really get dealt with much after the first season, and reminder that Delenn is not to be trusted.

Neroon’s pretty much the closest thing we get to an outright Minbari villain in the series, and certainly here he’s being... difficult. But I end up sympathising with him more than Delenn. Bramner had, after all, remained in the warrior caste after the war – and Neroon had served him for fifteen years. Can Delenn really claim to know what his wishes were better than Neroon? Not to mention that even if she was in the right, is that enough to justify the diplomatic firestorm she sets off? And her plan to cover it all up by inventing a false story of a religious miracle… If Branmer had not wanted his body displayed publically, I hardly think he’d have found that a more acceptable fate!

That’s nice, actually – Delenn, I feel, slipped a little too far into being unalloyed good in later seasons. It’s far more interesting if her motivations are occasionally a little more dubious or self-serving. And I feel sorry for Neroon, being forced to go along with the lie after being threatened with his entire clan being dishonoured for his actions.

Which brings us to plot b, which I felt was a bit weaker, due to a, yet another sub-par B5 guest actor, b, yet another retelling of Ivanova’s backstory (Yes, I know, this episode wasn’t meant to go back-to-back with Eyes. It doesn’t make it any less dull to hear it again), and c, possibly the most blatant attempt to paint the Narn as villains in the entire series. Of course, Dr. Franklin does say there aren’t any humans resident on Narn, and it wouldn’t surprise me if most of Earth’s knowledge of the Regime is coming via Centauri sources, so I’m going to feel free to ignore most of the claims made here.

And let’s face it, Minbar may be shinier, but the Minbari aren’t exactly nice people to live among either. They may not conquer and enslave – that’s because they prefer outright genocide when someone’s bothering them. They’ve got a caste system, a largely unaccountable government, and seem to have far less respect for individual self-determination than human societies... I have to admit, I would be very sceptical of any society that considers telepathy – an innate trait - a ‘calling’, and assume those ‘called’ will wish to devote their lives to serving society with it… Hell, if I were in Alisa’s position, I’d probably end up picking the Corps – at least it’d be easier to escape and hide on Earth if I changed my mind…

Minor notes:

- Again, nice to see Sinclair putting pieces of the puzzle together. He knows he won’t get another opportunity to talk to someone who’s scanned Delenn’s mind, and he jumps on it.

- Alisa’s religion is listed in her file as Obeah. Odd choice; I hadn’t heard of it until I looked it up now. (It’s Caribbean, similar to Voodoo.)

- Garibaldi mentions the Lort as being packrats. They’re the guys that kind of look like armadillos, yes? Always nice to learn a little about the League species.

- You’d think someone in the ten years since the war would have made sure every officer in Earth Force was well aware of Minbari protocol regarding open gun ports.