b5_revisited | "The Parliament of Dreams" discussion [spoilers]

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"The Parliament of Dreams" discussion [spoilers]

This is the discussion post for the episode 1X05, "The Parliament of Dreams". 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 "The Parliament of Dreams" at Lurker's Guide.

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Lennier's first encounter with Delenn later (in the show; earlier in the actual timeline, of course) is mirrored by her first encounter with Dukhat, which underlines the interpretation that Delenn intended for Lennier to become her protege and successor, as Dukhat had with her, and also begs the question whether Delenn's feelings for Dukhat were similar to those Lennier will eventually harbour for her. Rewatching the episode, it strikes me that her scene with Lennier her is the first one in this season where Delenn appears fully formed to me, as the character I remember from the show, and maybe it's not a coincidence it's a scene with another Minbari and not with Sinclair.
Speaking of whom: JMS and his fondness for certain initials strikes again, as Catherine Sakai shows up and we hear her predecessor in Sinclair's affections from the pilot is out of the picture. Catherine is of course another archaeologist, and given what later happens with Anna Sheridan, as well as the Minbari ceremony with its doubling of a marriage/rebirth ritual, it very much looks to me that if Sinclair had remained the show's leading man Catherine would have ended up disappearing at the end of s1 or in early s2 and would have returned, same as Anna did, at the end of s3, while Sinclair and Delenn became an item. The switch of leads means Catherine got a kinder fate in the novels - in "To Dream in the City of Sorrows" it's very much hinted that the time crack through which she disappears brought her a thousand years into the past where she would find Sinclair-as-Valen. But on the show, she simply doesn't show up anymore after s1. I must say I liked her; the actress sells the confident explorer bit to me. (And I still want a crack fic with all the B5 and Crusade archaelogists running into each other.)
Londo just has one scene in this episode (well, except for being present in the last scene), but it's so outrageously funny when watched first and so moving when watched with the whole show in mind (because this is the scene Londo flashes back to before accepting the Keeper) that it only doesn't steal the show because G'Kar is so good. (Sidenote: isn't it interesting that of the three B5 staff officers, Ivanova is the one who has the most fun and is the most relaxed during the Centauri party, err, ceremony? Which makes sense if you think it through - Sinclair's mind is on his returned immamorata, and Garibaldi is an alcoholic on the wagon who is bound to feel uncomfortable surrounded by people getting smashed.) As always, it's amazing that this light relief scene actually manages to convey a lot of Centauri background, and not just the fact they see a party as the best way to conduct a religious ceremony. There's also the fact they once fought a genocidal war with the other species on their planet. (Bet Vir doesn't find the "last Xorn" joke funny any more a season or two later.) Londo's declamation of the gods makes it clear he doesn't really believe in any of them; the statue of Li, the goddess of passion, has both female and male attributes though at this point in the show the viewers don't know yet what the tentacles mean. We can see Vir has grown far more confident in his relationship with Londo, and utterly comfortable around him. Oh, and I get the two lines that I recently quoted as an example of why a characterisation of Londo as a homophobe doesn't work for me - his telling both Delenn and Garibaldi they are cute.
(On that note: we get Londo/G'Kar slash joke number #2 as Sinclair, upon being told the Minbari ceremony he attended can also work as a marriage ceremony, says "so that's why G'Kar looked to anxious; funny, I didn't think Londo was his type".)
The final scene, with Sinclair having decided to demonstrate Earth's dominant belief system by lining up representatives from every human religion is just beautiful, and this time it really struck me that the first representative he introduces is an atheist. (Upon first watching I hadn't found it particularly noteworthy, but after all the comments about Obama naming atheists along with Christians, Muslims and Jews in his inauguration speech I realized how unsual this was for an American show.)

Catherine is of course another archaeologist, and given what later happens with Anna Sheridan, as well as the Minbari ceremony with its doubling of a marriage/rebirth ritual, it very much looks to me that if Sinclair had remained the show's leading man Catherine would have ended up disappearing at the end of s1 or in early s2 and would have returned, same as Anna did, at the end of s3, while Sinclair and Delenn became an item.

Isn't Catherine a surveyor rather than an archaeologist? In the Babylon 5 universe, archaeologists get a pretty raw deal, but I thought that Catherine was more of a scientist.

(As an aside, my favorite bit characters in this episode are the guys she gets the good-news-Q40 payoff from. They're incredibly cute.)

From what I read in JMS' notes, Catherine would have wound up mind-wiped and unable to remember her and Jeff's relationship. It makes JMS' later comments in Thor about how silly that plotline is rather amusing!

Surveyor, right you are! Though I still say she'd have found Z'ha'Dum.

Incidentally, Catherine mentioning how expensive the food she bought to celebrate with Jeff was reminds me that this used to be an issue in s1 - the price for fresh food, and for example Franklin being able to order meat for medical purposes, but not Garibaldi - but not in the later show. Since G'Kar, Londo and Delenn never seem to have a problem getting the food they want, I assume the ambassadors get their supplies from home?

this used to be an issue in s1 - the price for fresh food, and for example Franklin being able to order meat for medical purposes, but not Garibaldi - but not in the later show

Maybe the hydroponic gardens weren't yet in full use back in S1? I think fresh vegetables were seen a lot in later seasons, but bacon and eggs were still a rare treat in "Messages from Earth".

I hadn't thought of Garibaldi's alcoholism in the context of the banquet! Good catch. We don't know about that yet, do we? So foreshadowing again...

No, we don't know yet, though the reporter last week gave a hint when she mentioned that no one but Sinclair would have Garibaldi and implied there was something dishonorable about the way his last assignments ended.

It just struck me that Garibaldi, who otherwise enjoys hanging out with Londo, really looks uncomfortable during the banquet, when based on the information the viewers have at the time one would expect him to enjoy himself much as Ivanova does - but it makes sense if one remembers he's not on the wagon for that long, and it has to be really hard for him.

We can see Vir has grown far more confident in his relationship with Londo, and utterly comfortable around him.

...when drunk ;-)

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"The Parliament of Dreams" discussion [spoilers]

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