"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

[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.