"GROPOS" discussion

[ruuger]

This is the discussion post for the episode 2X10, "GROPOS". Spoilers for the whole of the series, including the spin-offs and tie-ins, are allowed here so newbies beware.

Summary:
Babylon 5 becomes a temporary base for 25 000 Earth Force soldiers, lead by Franklin's father.

Extra reading:
The article for "GROPOS" at Lurker's Guide.

Comments

[4thofeleven.livejournal.com]

I think Corwin had an appearance in season one - possibly "Chrysalis". Think this is the first time he gets lines, though.

Delenn - Interesting also that when the thugs demand "What are you?", she responds with a rather defensive "I am a Minbari", rather than giving her name or position... or an explanation. And that links to "Soul Mates", where it's played for laughs, but the point seems to be that she still sees herself as full or at least primarily Minbari, and persists with her old behavior. It's almost as if she feels she's made the gesture, it's done, let's move on, why are you still talking about it?, rather than thinking of it as the begining of an ongoing process.

And without explanations, or even any real further effort on her part, it's easy to see why others would see it more as an act of mockery than atonment.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

I don't think Delenn ever stops thinking of herself as Minbari, no matter the biochemistry of her body, though in the episodes we're about to watch she'll rethink what this means. It's interesting to compare this to Sinclair/Valen, because in a time-travelling chicken/egg way they were each other's model. Sinclair's transformation into a Minbari strikes me as much more of a sacrifice, because he really gives up his entire human existence (and his own time) for it, and as far as we know (and as far as he knows), there is no way back. Like Delenn, he has spent some time as ambassador among the people he's about to join, and like Delenn, he's gone from fighting them to joining them, but unlike Delenn, he does not have something major to atone for, surivor's guilt notwithstanding.