"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

[4thofeleven.livejournal.com]

I find there’s actually less to say about arc episodes like this than the more stand alone filler; most of the questions raised here were resolved by the end of the series, and there’s fewer anomalies and oddities to point out.

- The Knights seem pretty prepared and organised; one wonders who was behind them – and how many other Line veterans they’d previously targeted in this way.

- Special effects look a lot cleaner and more detailed than before – not just the Battle of the Line, but the exterior station shots as well. Don’t know if it’s just my DVD or what…

- I love the way the Battle of the Line is depicted; you only see the bits Sinclair personally saw, and you never get much of a coherent sense of the battle as a whole. It really feels like bits of dreams and half-recovered memories, not just a regular flashback.

- It always kinds of bugs me that we get shots of the exterior of the elevator and of a darkened Babylon 5. This is all in Sinclair’s mind – from whose point of view are those shots?! Yeah, it’s a pet peeve of mine when flashbacks or hallucinations show things the protagonist isn’t aware of…

- The Psi-Corps endorsed Vice-President Clark, according to the newspaper Garibaldi’s reading. Not that trivial details like that will ever prove relevant or anything… *grin*

- We get a fair bit of character information on Sinclair. He identifies himself very strongly with his job and his role as commander of Babylon 5 – that’s useful, as it provides an excuse for all the scenes in his mind to take place in the existing sets…

- Seriously, though, I like that the episode addresses things like that, and it is in line with his established characterisation. And it’s not like this is a clip show; the episode revolves around what Sinclair was doing before the series started.

- Is Garibaldi’s second in command’s complete incompetence in checking Benson’s credit account meant to be a plot point? That he’s intentionally sabotaging the search for Sinclair? He is part of Clark’s conspiracy, and the Knights have to have some sort of support from high up.

- I think it’s fun that the two times we see Sinclair facing the Grey Council have a lot of differences – the first time, they’re all already around him and the lights come on one by one, and he doesn’t see Delenn’s face. Second time, he’s remembering more and presumably his recollection is more accurate; now the Council all move into the lights simultaneously. This is an experience that’s been deliberately suppressed – it makes sense that he only remembers the broad strokes, and isn’t too sure about the details.

- One has to wonder why the second Knight thinks he needs to follow Sinclair into a crowded area to kill him, rather than just packing up his stuff and trying to sneak off the station. I can’t help but feel he’s at least partially motivated by the desire to avenge his partner…

- I am very glad that the sparkly tin-foil triangles fell out of fashion among the Minbari Grey Council. Is the other Council member meant to be another Religious Caste Satai, or is he Warrior Caste?

- I’ve said before, I really like the storyline of Sinclair slowly putting the pieces together. I really think it’s a shame Sinclair didn’t stick around long enough to see him finally uncover the whole truth. I’m also curious as to how Sinclair and Delenn’s relationship would have worked out once he found out just how much she’d been concealing from him.

[widsidh.livejournal.com]

- The Knights seem pretty prepared and organised; one wonders who was behind them – and how many other Line veterans they’d previously targeted in this way.

Yes, one wonders who is behind them - is it even Earth?
If not, that may be another reason the Psi Corps wasn't used.
But I do think the are targeting Sinclair specifically.

- Is Garibaldi’s second in command’s complete incompetence in checking Benson’s credit account meant to be a plot point? That he’s intentionally sabotaging the search for Sinclair? He is part of Clark’s conspiracy, and the Knights have to have some sort of support from high up.


Or maybe this is just JMS's commentary on the imperfection in the workings of police forces etc. in general...
?

[shapinglight]

- I’ve said before, I really like the storyline of Sinclair slowly putting the pieces together. I really think it’s a shame Sinclair didn’t stick around long enough to see him finally uncover the whole truth. I’m also curious as to how Sinclair and Delenn’s relationship would have worked out once he found out just how much she’d been concealing from him.

Oh me too! And it's so long since I watched the show that I've forgotten how much of that we discover in season 3. Not a lot, I think.