Recap and discussion for 5 x 11 – Phoenix Rising

And we finally are done with Byron and the telepath melodrama!!!

Bester and his Bloodhounds open the show, with Bester telling them to find the teeps, especially the ones who are loose and to try not to kill them. He says Earth Dome has given him jurisdiction and he means to change their minds and make good little teeps out of them…he repeats “The Corps is Mother, the Corps is Father.” to them and he will repeat it at least one more time during this episode.


Lochley is not happy about but has no choice.

Byron calls Sheridan and just as they seem about to have a dialog, Bester pops in and tells him not to trust Byron, that he doesn’t keep his word.

Byron signs off. Lyta asks him about what Bester said and he doesn’t answer.

Sheridan asks Lochley if she’s seen Garibaldi since Bester came onto the station.

Garibaldi is where Bester is. He tells him to hit the record button on the computer and to0 confess to what he did to him and to Sheridan. Bester tells Garibaldi that he can’t harm him because he programmed a version of Asimov’s Law of Robotics so that he can’t harm Bester or knowingly allow harm to come to Bester.

Lyta asks again about Byron and Bester and he tells her he is a P12 and became a PsiCop under Bester. They were rounding up some rogues and a ship full of ‘mundanes’ were helping them. Bester ordered him to shoot the ship and he objected but Bester got him to do it anyway. NO one listened when he reported it back at Psi Corps so he left. He dedicated himself to nonviolence and now he feels like he has failed.

The free-range telepaths have decided to take some hostages. Yay, great idea. They kill some people then head to Medlab One, where Michael has just asked Stephen to look in his head… and take it hostage. If they aren’t freed and given a homeworld in 2 hours, they’ll start killing people. Oh and free Byron too.

Byron decides he and Lyta have to find a way to Medlab and stop the insanity.

Bester yaps about having jurisdiction. Lochley says they can’t negotiate with terrorists.

The 2 hours are almost up when Lyta finds a way to Medlab and she and Byron talk Peter into letting them by. Garibaldi is trying to talk the teeps down when Sheridan says they will not negotiate with terrorists. Byron comes and shoots Thomas.

The response comes in to Sheridan and Lochley from Byron. He says he and the ones who committed violence will surrender if they will allow the others to leave. They all agree and when they meet, Bester and his teeps charge in and the situation turns bad again. A chemical is leaking and Byron shoots it and the teeps with him (the ones involved in the hostage thing) all die.
Kaboom!


Bester seems truly confused as to why they really didn’t want to go with him and his goon squad.

Franklin asks Sheriden about Garibaldi, who is in his room drinking.

Lyta rallies the remaining teeps with ‘Remember Byron.”

We hear a news report from Garibaldi’s room that there has been a bombing at PsiCorps and someone wrote ‘Remember Byron” on the wall.


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Quotes:
Byron: We are no longer who we were. We are what we have become. What you made us!

ISN newscaster: In other breaking news, ISN has just learned that the main headquarters for the Psi Corps was bombed early this morning by unknown parties. The only clues found at the scene were the words "Remember Byron" painted on the side of the building. More after this.

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Questions:
1. Knowing how he would handle it, why didn’t Lochley try some other means before calling Bester in?
2. How do you think he meant to ‘change their minds’?
3. Why wasn’t Bester arrested for his actions after he no longer had jurisdiction?
4. Will anyone actually miss Byron?
5. Was Zack right? He called him a cult leader and a martyr wannabe.
6. There was some suggestion that Garibaldi took up drinking to try to drown the Asimov directive in much the same way that the regent and Londo took up drinking to squelch the Keeper. Yes or no?
7. Who was the phoenix?

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Sources:
The Babylon Project: http://babylon5.wikia.com/wiki/Phoenix_Rising
Lurker’s Guide to Babylon 5: http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/countries/us/guide/099.html
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0517678/quotes/?tab=qt&ref_=tt_trv_qu