"War without End" discussion

[ruuger]

This is the discussion post for the episodes 3X16 and 3x17 "War Without End, Parts 1 & 2". Spoilers for the whole of the series, including the spin-offs and tie-ins, are allowed here so newbies beware.

Summary:
Sinclair, Delenn and Sheridan travel back in time to rescue Babylon 4.

Extra reading:
The article for "War Without End", Part 1 and Part 2 at Lurker's Guide.

Comments

[ufgator1977.livejournal.com]

I always felt bad for David that he was the only one not around to see his dad off on that "Sunday drive". I understand JMS' explannation of why we never saw him and I can understand Sheridan not wanting him there. I would think that would hurt on some level.It's a heavy burden being the son of two legends. He probably joined the Rangers because he felt it was expected of him. I'm sure John and Delenn would never push this on him, but others certainly would have had their own expectations.

[vjs2259.livejournal.com]

I like David as a character to write, but feel he probably joined the Rangers of his own volition, out of not fitting in anywhere else. I have them as extended family in his childhood and so it's natural he stays with them.

My explanation for the Sunday drive has always been that John didn't have an exact date/time for his demise, only the approximate year. It would have warped David, I think, for him to be waiting around Minbar so he could be there. The one time I wrote this out, I had David off-planet on a mission, getting a message from his father when he started having the dreams to come home, but arriving just too late. Yes, I do love me some angst :)

[ufgator1977.livejournal.com]

I can see David joining the Rangers for that reason. I figure he looked mostly human but just alien enough to look different. The cultural diversity of the Rangers would be a perfect fit.

If there was enough time to get the rest of them there, there was enough time to get David there. I figure they never told him about his dad's condition until after the fact. I see John as leaving him one of those messages like we saw in "Sleeping In Light".

[vjs2259.livejournal.com]

No, no. The rest of them were on Earth and Mars and Centauri Prime. And since everything is three days away from everything else (source: JMS hand-waving :) they were really quite close. David was away away--you know, out towards the Rim. A rare-ish opportunity to get out there. He couldn't not go, and John wouldn't ask him not to. Alternately he was somewhere he couldn't get the message right away. He got back as quick as he could. (I'm taking this too seriously, aren't I?)

I see John as leaving him one of those messages like we saw in "Sleeping In Light".

Heh. We think alike.

I have to dig up my laboriously arrived at distance chart now and check figures. I do remember Z'ha'dum is nowhere near as far away as it should be. *waves hands furiously*

[lizbee.livejournal.com]

He's one of those characters who just seems set up for years and years of therapy, even before the Drakh get their hands on him. Which just makes him interesting to me, because I like stories about characters struggling to get out of the shadow of extraordinary parents, and also stories about mothers and sons.

But excluding him from the farewell gathering in "Sleeping in Light" seems like a really terrible choice, and the emotional consequences for David (and Delenn) are potentially profound.