Season 2, Episode 1 – Points of Departure

January 2259

We begin the episode aboard the Agamemnon, where we meet John Sheridan. General Hague calls from Earthdome and tells Sheridan that the rogue Minbari warship Trigati has been spotted near Babylon 5 and that he wants him to hunt it. He also tells Sheridan something that we do not hear.

Ivanova is alone and reporting what has happened when she gets a communication from Hague. Sinclair will not be returning as he is going to Minbar as permanent Ambassador and they are being assigned a new captain, one John Sheridan of the Agamemnon. Ivanova had served under him at IO.

One of the Grey Council. Hedronn, is in Delenn’s quarters with Lennier. He tells Lennier he should tell the new Captain why the Earth/MInbari War ended as it did. He also tells him that the Trigati is apparently nearby as well.

Sheridan arrives, ready to give his ‘good luck’ speech but events get in the way of that. Ivanova tells him Garibaldi is still in a coma, G’kar is missing, Delenn is in a cocoon, just for starters. She asks why was he assigned to B5 and he says he was the late president’s favorite to replace Sinclair and he has also worked with the Non-aligned worlds as well as the Narn and Centauri. But to the Minbari, he is Star Killer because he destroyed several of their ships by mining an asteroid field and blowing them up.

Hedronn meets Kalain from the Trigati and is threatened but they both agree they hate Sheridan. Kalain then goes to the Green Sector where he challenged by a guard and he knocks the guard down.

Hedronn asks to see Sheridanand they trade words but he does inform them that the Trigati is nearby.

They find Kalain in Delenn’s headquarters though he hasn’t hurt her, he surrenders easily and is taken away. Lennier tells Sheridan that humans were found to have Minbari souls and that is why the war ended. He said he told them because changes are coming.

A Minbari warship comes through the gate – the Trigati. The actin captains says they are there for death and honor. Kalain commits suicide just as the Minbari ship out hunting the Ytigati comes through the gate and disables the Trigati. The captain blows up the Trigati.

Sheridan gives his ;good luck’ speech to an empty C’n’C.

Lennier talks to Delenn and as he leaves the station, her chrysalis begins to crack.

*

Captain Sheridan!

I have to admit that I found Sheridan a bit silly after Sinclair had often been so serious about things, but I soon got used to him. His style was so very different. Whereas Sinclair was a man of the people with some very real demons of his own, Sheridan was the consummate soldier, a man of honor bound to get the job done. I think we see this sense of honor over and over as the story moves forward.

Delenn in the cocoon!

What would she be? Why did she do this? Did her changing really serve a purpose in the eyes of humans? Minbari? Does anyone understand anything about the Minbari ever?

The Trigati – a plot device to get Sheridan to B5? Maybe.

*

And now for some quotes:
Sheridan: What's our status?
Ivanova: The Chief of Security is in critical condition in MedLab. He thinks there's a conspiracy concerning the President's death. Ambassador G'Kar has mysteriously vanished, after two years we still don't know what Ambassador Kosh looks like inside his encounter suit, and Ambassador Delenn is in a cocoon.
Sheridan: A cocoon? As in, a moth or a butterfly.
Ivanova: Yes sir. [Holds one hand at chin height] 'Bout yea high.
Sheridan: Interesting place you have here.

Sheridan’s Good Luck Speech:
When I was 21, I visited Tibet. I went to see the new Dalai Lama. Uh, you do that sort of thing when you're 21 and the son of a diplomatic envoy. We had a simple dinner. Rice, raisins, carrots—steamed, not boiled—and green tea. When it was over, he looked at me and said, "Do you understand?" I said no, I didn't. "Good beginning," he said. "You'll be even better when you begin to understand what you do not understand." After reading some of your reports, I begin to understand what I don't understand about Babylon 5. But I couldn't wish for a more capable and skilled group of people to learn from. It was an early Earth President, Abraham Lincoln, who best described our current situation. He said…
[he gets interrupted by a security alarm]
[delivering the rest of his speech to an empty C&C] It was an early Earth president, Abraham Lincoln, who best described our situation. "The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise to the occasion. We cannot escape history. We will be remembered in spite of ourselves. The fiery trial though which we pass will light us down in honor or dishonor to the last generation. We shall nobly save or meanly lose our last, best hope of Earth." [He looks around with a satisfied smile.] Five minutes to spare.

*

Questions:

1. Sinclair or Sheridan?
2. How do you think President Clark knew about the Minbari souls thing?
3. Do YOU believe the Minbari souls thing?
4. What did you think Delenn was going to be?
5. Do you think the Minbari hated Sheridan because he defeated their ship or because they thought the way he did it was dishonorable?
6. Did the thought occur to you that Sheridan was a toady for Clark?


Sources:
The Lurker’s Guide, Season2, Ep. 1: http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/countries/us/guide/023.html
The Babylon Project: http://babylon5.wikia.com/wiki/Points_of_Departure
Wikiquote: Babylon 5: https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Babylon_5#Points_of_Departure
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105946/episodes?season=2&ref_=tt_eps_sn_2