"Born to the Purple" discussion [spoilers]

[ruuger]

This is the discussion post for the episode 1X03, "Born to the Purple". Spoilers for the whole of the series, including the spin-offs and tie-ins, are allowed here so newbies beware.

Extra reading:

The article for "Born to the Purple" at Lurker's Guide.

Comments

[vjs2259.livejournal.com]

What I saw this time was Londo's story starting its tragic arc. He is terribly sympathetic here, both with Adira, his awareness of his own status (or lack of same), and his fond, if preemptory treatment of Vir. If she had stayed, would he ever really be sure Adira loved him, and not his family and position? His letting her go was so right.
I'll never forget Adira's end; it must have been the final proof Londo needed that the Universe was malignly stacked against him.

I love the insight into Ivanova's character. I think she would have gotten clearance to use the Gold channel if she had asked, but her unwillingness to admit to her own vulnerability and her wishing to keep up her stoic reserved image in front of the others led her to both break the rules, and lie to Garibaldi about what she was doing. I had also forgotten how stunningly beautiful she is; packing a lot of emotion into her facial expressions alone in the scene with her father.

The Centauri culture is revealed, at least partially, with its emphasis on bloodlines, family, prestige, and honor. How did Adira become a slave? Was she sold by her family, or was it a failure to pay debts? Or can Centauri women sell themselves...it's said to be a contract, so is it more like indentured servitude? Can Centauri men be slaves? How do the other races feel about having slaves working on the station? Is it tolerated in terms of cultural differences, or are there rules and regulations concerning their treatment?
I think about these things too much...

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Because JMS pinched a lot from the Romans when it comes to the Centauri, my personal fanon for the slave status is that while Centauri can sell themselves into slavery, what happens, if it does, is the head of family sells someone or all of his family to pay debts. This however while legal is regarded as a horrible shame (by other Centauri, and not the slavery as such but the idea Centauri would sink that low), and makes the slaves in question outcasts whom free Centauri would have nothing to do with. Hence Londo's initial shock when Trakis tells him Adira is a slave. (And hence Adira keeping it secret on the station from the start, long before Trakis tells her to steal the files.)

How the people on the station feel: given that Sinclair can lean on Trakis to release Adira from her contract at Londo's request, I would guess that there is some clause in the station's status stating that slavery isn't practiced on the station. Not off station, since B5 has no authority about the customs of other people, of course.