"The War Prayer" discussion [spoilers]

[ruuger]

This is the discussion post for the episode 1X07, "The War Prayer". 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 War Prayer" at Lurker's Guide.

Comments

II. Everyone Else

[selenak.livejournal.com]

The main plot can be summed up with: Xenophobia Is Bad. Which I agree with, of course, but this show quite often finds ways of making those points a tad subtler. Also, this is the third ex (fourth if we count the pilot) of a regular to show up, which feels repetitive, and there is no end in sight (aka we'll meet Lise before the season is over). It doesn't help that Claudia Christian is acting somewhat stiff in the early scenes with Susan and her old lover, or that the guy in question is about as more dimensional as Franklin's old professor, also only a few episodes earlier, which to say not at all. I didn't really feel Susan's disappointment when she realised what he was up to on the station. In retrospect and bearing the whole show in mind (i.e. both the Talia and the Marcus experience to come), I do feel very sorry for her - Susan Ivanova really can enter "unluckiest in love" competitions on this station - and of course I'm glad that at no point is she presented as a damsel in distress, but as someone whose resolve is immediate, once she finds out the truth, but I can't help but wonder whether I would have been grabbed more by this plot if her ex had been someone the audience could, for however short a while, actually wish her to be with.

On the bright side of things again, I really like Shaal Mayan, Delenn's interaction with her (Delenn & other Minbari scenes are usually of the win), and Delenn being in a rare severe mode with Sinclair. Also, I appreciate the continuity of G'Kar doing what in this season is presented as rabble-rousing and in future seasons will be presented as making inspiring, defiant speeches - it all depends on the narrative point of view, doesn't it? - as well as Sinclair still being somewhat cool towards him, though not as openly hostile as he was in "Midnight on the Firing Line". The warming up happens gradually.
Continuity-wise, growing xenophobia on Earth is of course important, and the episode via Sinclair's faked speech makes an effort to tie it to the relatively recent Earth/Minbari war, which makes sense. I find myself wondering whether a stronger emotional punch wouldn't have been if our villain of the hour had been an old war comrade of Sinclair's OR Ivanova's, with his willingness to go after aliens directly tied to his experience in a genocidal war. It would have made them feel far more conflicted, too. Ah well. On to the next episode!

Re: II. Everyone Else

[4thofeleven.livejournal.com]

I find myself wondering whether a stronger emotional punch wouldn't have been if our villain of the hour had been an old war comrade of Sinclair's OR Ivanova's, with his willingness to go after aliens directly tied to his experience in a genocidal war.

Oh, that would have been wonderful! I was thinking something similar during Sinclair's bit about how "We had a saying; the only good alien is a dead one" - compare it with his line next episode about how after the Battle of the Line, for years afterward he had to fight the urge to strangle every Minbari he saw, and you kind of wonder how much Sinclair was just saying what he thought Home Guard wanted to hear, and how much of it was real feelings he used to have...

Re: II. Everyone Else

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Sinclair's arc of eventually ending up as Valen (and giving up his human existence for this) is all the more powerful if you consider he must have gone through a phase where he hated every Minbari he saw. Now obviously by the time we meet him in B5, he's not just past that but actively interested in working for reconciliation, but yes, he probably dug up some emotions he at some point felt though knew to be wrong in order to fool Malcolm.