Recap and discussion for 5 x 5 – Learning Curve

We open at the headquarters of the Anla’shok. Delenn has asked for an update on the training and Sech Turval and Sech Durhan are the ones who are going. They choose two of their trainees to go with them. Both are Minbari though I think one may be Warrior and one Religious castes - Rastenn and Tannier.


In the meantime, Babylon 5’s underworld has a new boss. His name is Trace and he says he aims to fill the vacuum left by N’grath, who presumably was killed. His thugs kill someone who owed him money and he brags the station is his. They leave the body for security to find.


The Minbari arrive on B5 and are greeted by Delenn who says she will personally show them around.

Zack sits down with Garibaldi. Capt. Lochley comes in and Garibaldi invites her to sit down. He then begins to berate her about being on the other side during the civil war. Ashe asks him if there were only 2 sides and tells him she did not take up arms against her own government. As a soldier her obligations are loyalty, duty and honor. Several people applaud her when she leaves the room. She gets on the lift with Sheridan and tells him about her conversation with Garibaldi. He asks if she’s having second thoughts. She says no. and he says he doesn’t either.

Zack finds the body that Trace left. The man had been there 2 weeks and run up considerable casino debt. Zack thinks he was left there as a warning. He’s the 3rd body in 2 weeks and no one saw anything, of course. Zack tells them that the killing will not stop and one of them could be the next victim. Trace is there with other denizens of downbelow. He tells his men to kill Zack.

One of the henchmen tells Trace that the authorities on B5 don’t back down and Trace explains that the station is his.

The two Anla’Shok instructors are telling Delenn about their diversity but they admit they have no idea what to do with the Pak’ma’ra. No one wants to be around them and they tend to be ignored and invisible. Delenn says they’d make perfect couriers since they can move unnoticed.

Tarval tells her he worries about Lennier, who seems to train too and is reckless. Delenn says she ois worried about him as well.

Garibaldi is talking about training the teeps that Byron gave them… he assures them they will only be used sparingly and that only he and Zack will have their com-link IDs. When tye go, he asks Zack to pull Lochley’s security jacket. Zack refuses but Garibaldi insists there’s something there… otherwise, why would Sheridan hire the enemy?

Someone calls Zack and says a woman has told them she knows who the murderer is and Zack agrees toi meet her.

The two Rangers trainees are in Downbelow and they walk right by Trace and his thugs. Trace pays the woman who called Zack for him enough money to leave the station and tells his men to kill Zack. The woman objects, not wanting to be responsible for someone being killed. Trace decides to kill her too. The trainees hear her scream and Tannier insists on helping, though Rastenn refuses. He ends being hurt badly but the woman calls security and they arrive in time to save him.

In Medlab, the two Anla’Shok instructors and Delenn talk about "mora'dum", which means terror. Delenn tells Lochley that the Anla’Shok will handle this and the station security need not be involved. Lochley wants to talk to Sheridan about and Delenn assures her that Sheridan agrees. Lochley mentions that doesn’t sound like him, which seems odd to Delenn.

Tannier must face his terror or it will have power over him.

The other trainee says he was afraid to waste his life on something unimportant. Tarval explains that the pursuit of right is not wasted.

When the young man is well enough to walk, Zack clears the area of personnel. Trace’s people tell him this and he seems pleased. Then the lights go out. His men are picked off one by one until he is alone. The Anla’Shok are there. He is given a fighting pike to fight young Tannier and he says he doesn’t know how to use it. Tannier is good with it and soon is beating him up then they throw down their pikes and Tannier beats him hand to hand as well, thus taking his life back.

When the Minbari leave m they ask Delenn to come with them but she says she must stay and she and Joh n will be there soon. She asks that when they do come to Minbar, that Tannier be one of her house guard.

Garibaldi peeps at Lochley’s file.

Delenn asks John about why Lochley knows him so well. He closes their bedroom door and we seem them a bit later, laying back to back. John says he was going to tell her. Delenn says he should have 10 seconds after he thought of it.

BUT WE ARE TOLD!

*

Quotes:
Turval: We create the meaning in our lives. It does not exist independently. Being Anla-shok [Ranger] does not mean worrying about what others will think about us. It does not mean deciding what to do based upon whether or not it serves our sense of ego or destiny. It means living each moment as if it were your last one. It means doing each right thing because it is the right thing. The scale doesn't matter. The where, the when, the how, or in what cause… none of those things matter. In my life, I've discovered very few truths. Here is the greatest truth I know: Your death, Rastenn, will have a meaning if it comes while you're in fullest pursuit of your heart.

Delenn: I'm going to pretend that you were going to tell me this sooner or later.
President John Sheridan: I was just looking for the right time.
Delenn: Ten seconds after you thought of it would have been good.
President John Sheridan: Yeah. Yeah, maybe so.
*
Questions:
1. Did you guess how Lochley knew John? I won’t spoil it because we may have some new watchers but I will say that I didn’t guess it.
2. Did you completely understand the concept of terror? I have to admit that I am not sure that I do.
3. Did you recognize Tarval as the Centauri Emperor who died on Babylon 5?
4. What do you think happened to N’grath?
5. Was Garibaldi right or wrong? Did Lochley actually answer him?

*
Sources:
Imdb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0517663/trivia?tab=qt&ref_=tt_trv_qu
The Lurker’s Guide to Babylon 5: http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/countries/us/guide/093.html
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learning_Curve_(Babylon_5)
The Babylon Project: http://babylon5.wikia.com/wiki/Learning_Curve
Wikiquote: https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Babylon_5#Learning_Curve