"Voices of Authority" discussion

[ruuger]

This is the discussion post for the episode 3X05, "Voices of Authority". Spoilers for the whole of the series, including the spin-offs and tie-ins, are allowed here so newbies beware.

Summary:
Ivanova tries to find new allies among the First Ones with the help of Draal, while Sheridan tries to keep this a secret from the station's new political officer.

Extra reading:
The article for "Voices of Authority" at Lurker's Guide.

Comments

[4thofeleven.livejournal.com]

A much weaker episode than I remembered, largely due to a lack of subtlety in the Musante plot (Has “purge” ever had non-negative connotations?) and a lack of follow-through on both plots – the Great Machine never seems to be used as a Palantir again.

On the other hand, it is nice to get our first introduction to Marcus as he would be for the rest of the show, as opposed to the generic angsty Ranger in “Matters of Honor”. And Zack’s plot is very strong, starting with the amusing banter with Garibaldi in the teaser and ending with a state of absolute distrust between the two, developing very naturally and slowly.

I like seeing the Sigma 957 First Ones again, and think it’s a shame that they didn’t end up in Lorien’s role – they clearly don’t approve of the Vorlons, and it’s unclear whether they actually fought in previous Shadow Wars or if that’s just more Vorlon lies. They could have been the guys who fill everyone in on what’s *really* going on, and are just unwilling to do so at the moment since they think Ivanova’s just another Vorlon stooge.

Musante – well, as everyone else has said, her plot just doesn’t work right. To a degree, the script seems a little confused as to whether she’s a naïve true believer or self-aware schemer, and she seems to leap from challenging Sheridan’s authority to seducing him with little intermediate steps. It doesn’t help that Musante really isn’t attractive enough to make “abrupt nudity” seem like a reasonable strategy on her part…

It is a little surreal to see Sheridan arguing in favour of absolute military authority, while Musante is the one sticking up for civilian oversight over what is, after all, a largely civilian colony.

Minor Notes:

- I’ve mentioned before I’m not a fan of new Draal – here, he seems to be crossing a line from ‘light-hearted’ to ‘going insane’. Which, admittedly, would be an interesting plot. And didn’t the guardian of the Great Machine used to be a lot more securely wired into it?

- The Army of Light really needs to start coming up with cover stories for their secret meetings. You’d think they’d have learned their lesson after “Matters of Honor”

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Re: Palantir - forgot to say that Ivanova's encounter with the Shadows is one of the most blatant LotR homages of the entire show, though I was thinking less of the Palantirs than of Frodo looking into Galadriel's mirror.

The Sigma 957 First Ones in Lorien's role: that would have been fabulous.

There should be a competition as to who is worst in covering up secret meetings. The Army of Light is high up there, but Vir, bless him, asking Londo in front of the Imperial Guards "do you think they know?" is also a candidate.:)