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Recap and discussion for In the Beginning
Dec. 3rd, 2018 08:36 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alexcatIn the Beginning
This one was made after Season 4 – so there are spoilers.
It begins on the last day of Londo Mollari’s life. With Centauri Prime in flames, two children come into the throne room. Their nurse comes for them, but the Emperor speaks with them, asking them what they’d like, making the little boy emperor for 5 minutes – time to do one thing. The little boy asks for a story.
Londo tells the tale of how Delenn came to the Grey Council and of the Earth Minbari war. He reveals his part here and there – he refused to sell arms to earth before they made contact with the Minbari, though G’kar and the Narn did. He authorized an attack on the secret peace meeting between Sheridan and Lenonn.
We see how John Sheridan missed being on the ship that killed Dukhat because he was loyal to his captain and how much later, his loyalty made him the only captain to destroy a major Minbari ship.
We see that Dukhat was already meeting with the Vorlons regarding the Shadows and how the warrior caste was already a bunch of jerks.
Susan Ivanova sends her brother, Ganya, off to the Battle of the Line.
This fills in some of the blanks about first contact with the Minbari and some background about the Minbari. The entire war was simply several miscommunications and several too stubborn people who would listen to no one else. Plus Delenn’s rage at losing Dukhat. We see that the Minbari already knew that the Shadows were coming and knew that the humans were supposed to help in their war with them.
At the end, it is the last day of Londo’s life. He has John and Delenn prisoner and asks for enough drink to make him drunk enough to let them go. He sends the children away with the promise they will remember him.
*
Quotes:
The quiet ones are the ones that change the universe... The loud ones only take the credit. - Londo Mollari
The War. The humans, I think, knew they were doomed. Where another race would surrender to despair, the humans fought back with greater strength. They made the Minbari fight for every inch of space. In my life, I have never seen anything like it; They would weep, they would pray, they would say goodbye to their loved ones, and then throw themselves without fear or hesitation at the very face of death itself, never surrendering. No one who saw them fighting against the inevitable could help but be moved to tears by their courage. Their stubborn nobility. When they ran out of ships, they used guns, when they ran out guns they used knives and sticks and bare hands. They were magnificent. I only hope that when it is my time, I may die with half as much dignity as I saw in their eyes in the end. They did this for two years they never ran out of courage but in the end, they ran out of time. - Londo Mollari
Londo Mollari: What do you want?
Luc: Tell me a story!
Centauri Woman:Luc!
Londo Mollari: No, no, it's alright. He did far better with that question than I did.
This is my favorite one --- I love Londo’s answer.
*
Questions:
1. I don’t remember the answer to this one – did Delenn ever tell John that she began the Earth-Minbari War?
2. Londo was there but how much of it did he cause? Just the hit on the peace meeting?
3. Would things have gone different if Sheridan had been onboard during the first contact?
4. So…we know Valen was Sinclair, but in an earlier version, we just hear that some humans have Minbari souls. Was this retrofitted later to fit the way the series played out? If Sinclair had stayed, would things have been different? I know what JMS says but what do you think?
*
Sources:
The Lurker’s Guide to Babylon 5: http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/countries/us/guide/111.html
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120711/quotes/?tab=qt&ref_=tt_trv_qu
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babylon_5:_In_the_Beginning
The Babylon Project: https://babylon5.fandom.com/wiki/In_the_Beginning
cap-that.com: http://www.cap-that.com/b5/in-the-beginning/?page=1
This one was made after Season 4 – so there are spoilers.
It begins on the last day of Londo Mollari’s life. With Centauri Prime in flames, two children come into the throne room. Their nurse comes for them, but the Emperor speaks with them, asking them what they’d like, making the little boy emperor for 5 minutes – time to do one thing. The little boy asks for a story.
Londo tells the tale of how Delenn came to the Grey Council and of the Earth Minbari war. He reveals his part here and there – he refused to sell arms to earth before they made contact with the Minbari, though G’kar and the Narn did. He authorized an attack on the secret peace meeting between Sheridan and Lenonn.
We see how John Sheridan missed being on the ship that killed Dukhat because he was loyal to his captain and how much later, his loyalty made him the only captain to destroy a major Minbari ship.
We see that Dukhat was already meeting with the Vorlons regarding the Shadows and how the warrior caste was already a bunch of jerks.
Susan Ivanova sends her brother, Ganya, off to the Battle of the Line.
This fills in some of the blanks about first contact with the Minbari and some background about the Minbari. The entire war was simply several miscommunications and several too stubborn people who would listen to no one else. Plus Delenn’s rage at losing Dukhat. We see that the Minbari already knew that the Shadows were coming and knew that the humans were supposed to help in their war with them.
At the end, it is the last day of Londo’s life. He has John and Delenn prisoner and asks for enough drink to make him drunk enough to let them go. He sends the children away with the promise they will remember him.
*
Quotes:
The quiet ones are the ones that change the universe... The loud ones only take the credit. - Londo Mollari
The War. The humans, I think, knew they were doomed. Where another race would surrender to despair, the humans fought back with greater strength. They made the Minbari fight for every inch of space. In my life, I have never seen anything like it; They would weep, they would pray, they would say goodbye to their loved ones, and then throw themselves without fear or hesitation at the very face of death itself, never surrendering. No one who saw them fighting against the inevitable could help but be moved to tears by their courage. Their stubborn nobility. When they ran out of ships, they used guns, when they ran out guns they used knives and sticks and bare hands. They were magnificent. I only hope that when it is my time, I may die with half as much dignity as I saw in their eyes in the end. They did this for two years they never ran out of courage but in the end, they ran out of time. - Londo Mollari
Londo Mollari: What do you want?
Luc: Tell me a story!
Centauri Woman:Luc!
Londo Mollari: No, no, it's alright. He did far better with that question than I did.
This is my favorite one --- I love Londo’s answer.
*
Questions:
1. I don’t remember the answer to this one – did Delenn ever tell John that she began the Earth-Minbari War?
2. Londo was there but how much of it did he cause? Just the hit on the peace meeting?
3. Would things have gone different if Sheridan had been onboard during the first contact?
4. So…we know Valen was Sinclair, but in an earlier version, we just hear that some humans have Minbari souls. Was this retrofitted later to fit the way the series played out? If Sinclair had stayed, would things have been different? I know what JMS says but what do you think?
*
Sources:
The Lurker’s Guide to Babylon 5: http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/countries/us/guide/111.html
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120711/quotes/?tab=qt&ref_=tt_trv_qu
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babylon_5:_In_the_Beginning
The Babylon Project: https://babylon5.fandom.com/wiki/In_the_Beginning
cap-that.com: http://www.cap-that.com/b5/in-the-beginning/?page=1
