Season 1, Episode 13 – Signs and Portents

At long last, Morden and his question: What do you want?

After Ivanova wakes and we hear a distress call from a Starfury that is destroyed before Delta Wing can scramble to save him, Morden boards the station, telling the men who checks him in that he’s been out on the Rim for a while. Sinclair wonders how the raiders manage to disappear so quickly.

In another matter, Sinclair asks Garibaldi to look into what happened after the Battle of the line. He says he’s beginning to remember some things and apparently tells Garibaldi all he remembers offscreen.

Aman who is apparently someone who finds lost items for a large fee shows up and gives Londo a box with the Eye in it – a jewel (?) that belonged to the first Centauri emperor. Our friend Morden is watching as this transaction takes place. G;kar and Londo snarl at one another while waiting for the lift.

Mr. Morden visits G’kar, asks him what he wants and G’kar mostly ignores him and then finally goes into a speech detailing what he wants for the Narn. He finally says he wants the Centauri erased but he will not say more when pressed so Morden finally goes up and goes away.

Lord Kiro and Lady Ladira arrive and are greeted by Londo. Lady Ladira is a seer and has a vision of the station being destroyed. The take her to Medlab but she is fine. Kiro says her visions do not always comes true – says she’s seen him killed by “shadows” and says that’s just silly.

There is someone watching and reporting to someone unseen.

Kiro asks to see the Eye.

Mr. Morden goes to see Delenn. She seems to be disturbed by him and when she looks at him, he appears to be in shadow. She tells him to go and says “They’re here” after his departure.

Londo and Kiro discuss the Eye and how the Emperor has not been seen in public for a year. He says the people are losing confidence in the government. Kiro says the Eye was once his family’s and that he should take the Eye and declare himself emperor. Londo tells him that would never work.

The Achilles messages B5 that it’s being attacked. Ivanova and Delta wing launch. The man from before reports to someone that they’ve taken the bait. After they get there, Ivanova is worried because the raiders are gone.

Kiro is ready to leave with the Eye.

Londo meets Morden finally. Londo blows him off then finally says he’d love to see the Centauri have a rebirth of their former glory.

Sinclair finds out the cargo on the Achilles is not important enough to steal and realizes its’ a diversion so they can attack the station. He calls Ivanova back./

Meanwhile the strange man grabs Londo, Kiro and Ladira and asks for the Eye. He takes Kiro with him when he leaves.

The Raiders open a jump point and come through in their Mothership. B5 attacks and fends off the raiders but Kiro’s ship with him and the Eye goes aboard the Mothership and it leaves.

Morden goes to see Kosh, who tells him to leave and says, “They are not for you.”

Kiro had hored the raiders to steal the Eye and him but they betray him and decide to ransom him to the Cantauri. A dark spidery looking ship comes to them and destroys the raider ship.

Morden visits Londo again and returns the Eye from ‘friends you don’t know you have.”

Garibaldi reports that the only thing he’s found out is that Jeff was not the first choice to run B5 but the Minbari insisted it be him.

Ladira tells Sinclair that the future is not certain…


Quotes:

Mr. Morden: What do you want?

Londo: Do you really want to know what I want? Do you really want to know the truth? I want my people to reclaim their rightful place in the galaxy. I want to see the Centauri stretch forth their hand again and command the stars. I want a rebirth of glory, a renaissance of power! I want to stop running through my life like a man late for an appointment, afraid to look back or look forward. I want us to be what we used to be! I want... I want it all back the way it was. Does that answer your question?

Questions:

1. Think back to the first time you saw this episode: did you think Mr. Morden would be of any importance?
2. Remember the comment about Kosh having some damage to his suit? Do you think he fought Morden? If not, who?
3. Did you suspect Lord Kiro from the beginning?
4. How would rate the battle sequences?


Sources:
The Lurker’s Guide to Babylon 5: http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/countries/us/guide/013.html
The Babylon Project; http://babylon5.wikia.com/wiki/Signs_and_Portents
Internet Movie Data Base: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0517690/trivia?tab=qt&ref_=tt_trv_qu