Discussion and Recap for 2 x 5 – The Long Dark

“This is the Copernicus. We come in peace.”

The ship is old and it’s headed to Babylon 5.

Down below, a lurker begins ranting and raving, then praying and running wildly down the corridor.

The man is now in the Zocalo shouting about ‘armies of darkness’ and ‘soldiers of the devil’ before Garibaldi takes him in.

After the opening credits, Ivanova and Sheridan talk about the ship. Sheridan identifies it as a sleeper ship used for deep space exploration before jumpgate technology from the Centauri. It’s about a hundred years old and a scan shows a life form aboard.

Garibaldi, Sheridan, Ivanova and Franklin board the ship. They find one stasis pod with a dead man inside. And the other has a beautiful woman and they rush her to the Medlab to keep her alive.

Meanwhile, the man named Amis is shouting again. Garibaldi shows a great deal of cpompassion for the man, asking him about her service but Amis doesn’t want to talk about it.

The woman wakes and is frightened but Franklin comforts her.

Ivanova discovers that the cryotube did not malfunction and that the man inside was deliberately killed. Dr. Franklin says he died from having all his organs removed.

The woman, Mariah Cirrus, asks to see her husband and they must tell her he’s dead.

Amis goes to the Copernicus.

Dr. Franklin shows Mariah around the station and G’kar tells her darkly that she’d be better off going to when she came from. She has a vision of something in the cryotube with her and passes out. He takes her to his quarters where she kisses him… why I don’t know but Franklin stops her.

Amis says the soldier of darkness came on the Copernicus.

An alien is taken by the thing from the Copernicus somewhere in Downbelow.

The Lurker’s body is brought to Medlab and Franklin confirms it was killed in the same manner as Will Cirrus.

Amis tells Garibaldi his story: He was one of 47 men attacked on a small moon during the war and all the others were killed by what he believes to be this creature. Franklin is skeptical but Garibadli believes Amis. The aliens are getting nervous as well and want something done. One of the Markab speaks of a darkness long ago and they do believe this is a soldier of darkness.

Amis and Garibaldi look but can’t find it. Mariah wants to find it as well since it killed her husband.

Sheridan and ivanova say the Minbari were blamed with killing all of Amis’ fellow soldiers.

Garibaldi finds Amis hanging up and shoots to get him down. Ivanova and Sheridan and several soldiers come and they kill the thing… it looks like a demon, sort of.

Amis is okay and Mariah decides to go home to Earth.

The ship was programmed to go to the rim…presumably to Z’ha’dum to their masters, the Shadows.

In the end, G’kar is looking at the Book of G’Quan and sees the very creature who was aboard the ship.

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Quotes:
"Take my advice and go back to the time you came from. The future isn't what it used to be."
– G'Kar to Mariah Cirrus

"YOU, WITH THE HAIR!"
– Amis, to Londo

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Questions
1. Were you surprised at Garibaldi’s compassion for Amis, given his attitude toward most everyone on the station?
2. So why wasn’t Mariah thin like Amis had been when the creature ‘snacked’ on him?
3. Did you think the bit with Franklin and Mariah was a bit much? I mean she just found out her husband died and she’s snogging Franklin?

Sources:
The Lurker’s Guide: http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/countries/us/guide/027.html
The Babylon Project: http://babylon5.wikia.com/wiki/The_Long_Dark