"And the Sky Full of Stars" discussion [spoilers]

[ruuger]

This is the discussion post for the episode 1X08, "And the Sky Full of Stars". 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 "And the Sky Full of Stars" at Lurker's Guide.

Comments

[selenak.livejournal.com]

This was the episode when I thought there might be something to this JMS' fellows' claim that he wanted to do a "novel on television", with lengthy arcs. I had enjoyed and loved earlier episodes, but this one, which ironically enough I much admired but did not love, was the one that made me sit up and believe there was going a long term mystery, or several, and pay off for them.

In retrospect: it's interesting that each and everyone adresses Sinclair as "Commander" when he's in his own head, including Garibaldi, who rarely does so in real life. What I associate with this is Sheridan's early s2 statements that his wife and his career were the two things that meant the most to him and through which he defined himself, and of course, both in the course of the show are taken away, and he has to find another reply to the "Who are you?" question. Similarly with Sinclair. The constant uses of "commander" are probably a symptom of how much at this stage he still defines himself through his job, but that's already starting to change. Sinclair himself is in the process of change, and here it's highlighted how much when he admits he couldn't look at a Minbari without wanting to kill him/her for years, and this is juxtaposed with the friendship he's already struck up with Delenn.

Something that looks like from a Doylist pov it was mostly a way to heighten the "what are the Minbari up to with Sinclair now?" suspense is the "if he finds out, kill him" order to Delenn, as it doesn't exactly jive with what we later find out, that the triluminarium identified Sinclair as Valen and this - the realisation they had captured and tortured what they thought (not knowing Sinclair was actually Valen in the flesh, the first original version) was the rebirth of their Messiah - shocked them into ending the war at once, with a surrender. My Watsonian explanation is that they simply were afraid that if Sinclair found out he was Valen and turned out to still be an enemy of the Minbari, the damage he could do would be horrendous. Maybe Delenn's report about the War Prayer events heighten fears in this regard, too.

Also, this is one rare case where a medical emergency turned out to have positive effects, as Walter Koenig was originally scheduled to play Knight #2, and if he hadn't had his heart attack and had done so, Bester would never have existed.

Question: if Michael O'Hare had remained on the show, would we have returned to this particular conspiracy and Knight #2? I always suspected that this might have been the case; so instead of Lennier doing the exposition talk in 2.1. about what the Minbari found out, Sinclair finds out through the machine and/or the Knights.

[wychwood]

it's interesting that each and everyone addresses Sinclair as "Commander" when he's in his own head, including Garibaldi, who rarely does so in real life

I agree it's an interesting point - though I think Garibaldi *does* usually call him "Commander" in official circumstances (and he does, at the end, when they're trying to talk him down). In personal conversations he quite often calls him Jeff, but not always.

It's also kind of depersonalising, isn't it? People don't relate to him as an individual, but as his job. So it suggests his overly-strong focus on his job, but also perhaps that he feels quite isolated at this point?

I expect Koenig would have improved this episode, but I agree: B5 without Bester would have been a much poorer place!

[selenak.livejournal.com]

It's also kind of depersonalising, isn't it? People don't relate to him as an individual, but as his job. So it suggests his overly-strong focus on his job, but also perhaps that he feels quite isolated at this point?

Yes, which on the one hand is odd - he's just restarted his relationship with Catherine Sakai, he's got a best friend in Garibaldi and a new friend with Delenn - but on the other, if you see Sinclair as a person in transit - his old self got broken at the Battle of the Line, and he's been trying to avoid the question of who he is now since - not so much.

[swashbuckler332.livejournal.com]

It also ties into Knight 2's observation about how Sinclair's identity is currently tied to Babylon 5. He is somebody whom one can expect to keep his personal relationships separate from his professional ones, but his self-identifier is his function on board the station.

[kitoky.livejournal.com]

Also, this is one rare case where a medical emergency turned out to have positive effects, as Walter Koenig was originally scheduled to play Knight #2, and if he hadn't had his heart attack and had done so, Bester would never have existed.

Really? I didn't know that. But Bester appearing in Mind War---was Walter Koenig not originally cast for that role?

[selenak.livejournal.com]

The episodes weren't shot in the order they were broadcast.