"They're making us sound like some deep space franchise! This station is about something!" Look, guys, I don't care whether this was David or a JMS-insert in the script, but as far as pot shots at Star Trek go, that's a rather hypocritical one.

I have never had much time for the "who stole what from whom debate", especially as
a) I do not have a problem with appreciating both shows (same as you, it seems); I was a Trekkie before I ever knew about B5.
b) Stories in related genres, and especially in the same medium, are bound to a certain extent by the genre itself, and they are written by people who know what went before, and oftn what is going on concurrently; consequently, there will always be overlaps, both deliberate and accidental
c) DS9 and B5 went out pretty much at the same time, so they were predestined for all kind of cross-fertilization of this kind, probably going *both ways*.

But actually, until you made that comment (and I don't think we disagree much there) I had forgotten about the whole thing, or rather, filed it under "irrelevant" in the back of my brain. So when i saw the episode a few days ago, the only thing the writeres seemsed to take pot-shopts at was the concept of merchandizing. I am not sure how much was already goping on at the time, or whether the things in the shop were all real, but I wouldn't be surprised if they were! I know the bear was a private joke.

Yes and that line about the Londo doll was divine...

But the price for best character scenes, uncontested in my mind, goes to Vir and Londo.

Yes, but I'm biased :-)

I think here he also miscalculates, because the relationship between Vir and his uncle ... doesn't sound as if it could be patched up by a visit and Londo praising Vir. But it's good to see him try.

I think that is part of his tragedy? He tries, but he keeps failing. Here it is on a personal, rather than political level for a change; another thing that I am only noticing this time round.