Recap and Discussion for 2 x 13 – Hunter, Prey

The episode begins with Sheridan going to Bay 13 to see Kosh’s ship. It si large and green and extents some sort of ‘arm’ to stop Sheridan when he gets too close. Ivanova tells him that the crew on the ship will not come into this bay because the ship sings to them.

Garibaldi comes into the bay with some important news and Koch steps out as they leave and communicates with his ship somehow.

The go back to Sheridan’s quarters and Garibaldi explains that he’s gotten a coded message from Earthforce Special Intelligence that they are looking for President Clark’s former physician, Dr. Jacobs, who they say has stolen important information that could harm Earthforce. They are ordered to shoot to kill if they find him.

ESI Agent Cranston and his men come aboard to search for Dr. Jacobs. He says they will use B5 security to help them look. After Cranston leaves, Sheridan and Garibaldi say they will go along until they find out what is really going on. Garibaldi goes to talk to Franklin, who was a student of Jacobs at Harvard. Franklin says Jacobs is a fine man and would not do something wrong.

Jacobs is on the station. He tries to buy new ID papers from a man who gets skittish and closes his shop. Jacobs is taking stims to stay awake so he won’t get caught. Max, one of the criminal element on the station, is watching.

Sheridan approaches Kosh and tries to make conversation about his ship and such and Kosh asks him “Why?” Sheridan mentions that he felt Kosh in his head when he was recently held on an alien ship. Kosh tells him he sought understanding so he listened to the song.

ESI and B5 security are checking the station level by level, grid by grid. Zack says this will take forever and Cranston shows them a device that will pick up the tracking chip implanted in all government personnel and help them find Jacobs.

Garibaldi is telling this to Sheridan when Sheridan sees a red ribbon tied to a post. He goes to a designated place and gives a signal with his flashlight. A woman appears and tells him she’s from the general, Hague, I assume and that Dr. Jacobs has proof that Clark was not sick as he claimed when he left Santiago’s ship the day before the explosion. The woman tells him they must find Jacobs abd secure his data.

Sheridan calls Garibaldi and tells him what is going on.

The ESI go into Medlab with their scanning devices while Franklin gets a Happy Birthday message from Garibaldi. He rechecks the message after ESI leaves and is told to meet Garibaldi.

Security comes close to finding Dr. Jacobs but he gets away. Max, however, catches him and decides to try to extort money out of someone. He takes Jacobs but finds little of value until he comes across the data crystal the old man carries. He also takes a pocketwatch from the president from him, which he apparently sells quickly.

Crantson insists to Sheridan and Ivanova that Jacobs has to be in Down Below. Sheridan comes up with “Downtown” to throw them off the scent and to give Garibaldi and Franklin some more time.

Kosh asks to see Sheridan again.

Garibaldi and Franklin see someone selling jacobs’ watch in Down Below and they make the man tell them where he got it.

Max contacts Cranston and wants to sell him the data crystal for 10,000 credits.

Sheridan and Kosh have another of their bizarre conversations in which Kosh tells Sheridan he is not yet ready. Kosh says he will teach him when he is ready to fight legends.

Franklin and Garibaldi find Jacobs; he tells them max has the crystal. Garibaldi finds Max and gets they crystal back.

Cranston finds out that they could have used the station’s internal scanners to look for Jacobs all along and he gets angry. Ivanova tells him you can catch more flies with honey that vinegar.

Jacobs tells them about Clark and they realize they need to hide him…and they do. In Kosh’s ship. The station’s scanners do not find him there. When Jacobs wakes after getting out of Kosh’s ship, he says it sang to him. Sheridan says that is proof that it’s a living ship.

Sheridan gives the crystal to the woman and she says she’ll see him next time. She says ‘as long as there is a next time, there’s a chance we’ll win.’

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Quotes:

Merchant: I don't give out names. It's bad for business.
Michael Garibaldi: Yeah well so is having your eyeballs spooned out and served on toast. Now make up your mind and make it up fast because it's getting awfully close to my breakfast time.

G: "I don't believe anybody!"
F: "What a wonderful world you live in..."
– Garibaldi and Franklin

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Questions:
1. Did you make sense out of Kosh’s words?
2. Do you think Cranston had any idea they were keeping information from him?
3. Why had they not scanned Kosh’s ship before Cranston did it?
4. There seemed to be a moment in the first part that Sheridan and Garibaldi believed the SEI’s report. Wouldn’t they already be suspicious of a security force from earth?

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Sources:
The Lurker’s Guide to Babylon 5: http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/countries/us/guide/035.html#AN:outfit
The Babylon Project: http://babylon5.wikia.com/wiki/Hunter,_Prey
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunter,_Prey
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0517655/trivia?tab=qt&ref_=tt_trv_qu