Contents: Overview - Backplot - Questions - Analysis - Notes - JMS

Overview

The Vorlons step up their battle against the Shadows. Londo uncovers a new wrinkle in his plan to unseat Emperor Cartagia. Sheridan asks Garibaldi to remove Kosh from the station. Delenn gets a surprise from Sheridan. Ed Wasser as Morden. Wortham Krimmer as Emperor Cartagia. Wayne Alexander as Lorien.

P5 Rating: 8.78

Production number: 404
Original air week: November 25, 1996
DVD release date: January 6, 2004

Written by J. Michael Straczynski
Directed by David Eagle

Plot Points

• With the help of Lorien and the original Kosh, Sheridan has successfully removed the new Vorlon ambassador from the station, possibly killing it in the process.
• Lorien healed Sheridan at Z'ha'dum by transferring some of his own life energy into Sheridan. Sheridan has at most 20 years left to live.
• Londo owes Sheridan a favor.
• Emperor Cartagia has plucked out G'Kar's eye, as Londo saw in his dream ("The Coming of Shadows.")

Unanswered Questions

• Why is Lorien keeping such close watch on Sheridan?
• How does Sheridan plan to stop the Vorlons?
• Why did Kosh's ship go berserk during the battle? What was it trying to do? (See jms speaks)
• Now that the Vorlons have been seen without their illusions in place, will they still bother to maintain their angelic facades around the younger races?
• What was the Vorlon "cause" that compelled Lyta to cooperate with them? Did they explain their true motives to her, or did they feed her a palatable lie?

Analysis

• Sheridan and Lorien appear to have gotten to know each other well. What has each of them been getting from the relationship? So far, Lorien doesn't appear to be feeding Sheridan specific information about the Vorlons or the Shadows (though that could be happening offscreen.) He seems to be providing moral and philosophical support more than anything else, aside from the occasional dose of life energy. What is Sheridan giving him in return? Presumably it's something worth leaving Z'ha'dum to get.
• Sheridan authorized the transfer of refugees to Epsilon 3 without even consulting with Draal. How does he know Draal wouldn't object? If the planet is still available as a defense mechanism for the station, Draal would most likely need to tell the crew where to set up camp, lest they put refugees right on top of an underground weapon. It's also interesting that the surface of Epsilon 3 is apparently habitable, given that oxygen masks were required to breathe underground ("A Voice in the Wilderness.") Perhaps the crew is assuming Draal will provide an appropriate atmosphere.
• Kosh expressed outrage, not surprise, that a human could mentally imprison a Vorlon. Perhaps the Vorlons have a weakness like the Shadows', and can be contained by sufficiently powerful telepaths.
• Is the difference in color between the two Vorlons significant? It may simply be due to the fact that what emerged from Sheridan wasn't just Kosh, but a combination of Kosh, Sheridan, and Lorien.
• Delenn recognized Kosh immediately. Does that mean she had previously seen his true form? If so, it was most likely in "Chrysalis," though why he would let her see through his mask then isn't clear, since he most likely projected an image to her in "The Fall of Night."
• Lorien's healing technique resembles that of the healing machine from "The Quality of Mercy." Could that machine be used to further extend Sheridan's life, or Lorien's, for that matter? How much life does Lorien have left?
• When he used it on Z'ha'dum, it obviously extended to the original Kosh as well, since Kosh was able to battle his successor.
• Sheridan's shortened lifespan may be the terrible price Delenn mentioned in the flashforward in "War Without End, Part Two." At that time, 17 years in the future, he would only have another two or three years left to live, barring other developments. (See jms speaks)
• Kosh gave his life willingly to stop the other Vorlon. Perhaps that goal was what he needed to live for, his version of Sheridan's devotion to Delenn. If he had to come to terms with his own death as Sheridan did, such self-sacrifice was presumably somewhat easier when the time came.
• Is the original Kosh the only Vorlon to oppose what's going on now? Perhaps they're factionalized much like the Minbari, and the new Kosh represented the more belligerent faction, which has the upper hand at the moment. In any case, why did the original Kosh care about the younger races more than his replacement?
• How much of Kosh is still left in Sheridan in the form of memories and knowledge? Was Kosh's presence instrumental in putting together whatever plan Sheridan has in mind?
• Londo clearly plans to strike at Cartagia on Narn, where presumably he'll be an easier target than he is in the royal palace. But even if he succeeds, what then? The Shadows will still be on Centauri Prime, with only a few days left until the projected arrival of the Vorlon fleet. It's unlikely Morden and his associates would look favorably on a request to leave the planet, and even if they went away immediately, Centauri Prime would still have been touched by the Shadows and thus would still be a target.
• By failing to suggest a punishment for G'Kar, Londo has likely just wasted his first chance for redemption: saving the eye that does not see ("Point of No Return.")
• Cartagia's vision of the end of Centauri Prime ("Let it all end in fire") may be related to Kosh's reply to Emperor Turhan in "The Coming of Shadows," to whom he said that things would end "in fire."
• In fact, Kosh may have been saying more than the Emperor knew; perhaps he foresaw the deployment of the Vorlon planet-killer, or believed it likely, and figured it'd be used against Centauri Prime. If so, how long have the Vorlons been planning their current course of action?
• Garibaldi theorized to Franklin that he might have been caught in the hyperspace backwash when the Shadows pulled out. This was first mentioned as a danger in "Signs and Portents," in which Sinclair warns Ivanova to stay away from the raider mothership to avoid being pulled into its backwash.

Notes

• The list of sites accepting refugees from Ventari III, as shown in Ivanova's broadcast:
  • Tizino Prime (presumed destroyed later in the episode)
  • Mokafa Station
  • Drazi Fendamir Research Colony
  • Kazomi III
  • D'Grn IV
  • L'Gn'Daort
  • Nacambad Colony
  • 7 Lukantha
  • Oqmritkz
  • Velatastat
  • Lesser Krindar
  • Greater Krindar
• The rightmost head in Cartagia's shadow cabinet is Andreas Katsulas (G'Kar.) See jms speaks.
• "Apotheosis" means "elevation to divine status," or more simply, deification.
• The two Koshes left the scene of the firefight through the ceiling. If they were headed for space, they took the long way there; to get outside through the ceiling, they'd have to pass through the center of the station.

jms speaks

• [[10/13]] In response to a CompuServe message
  That was really excellent. Let me explain to you how excellent it was: I was taking a break on CIS because I was trying to work through the heart of a scene between Delenn and Sheridan in script 403. It was a little fuzzy there in places, and I usually log off and putter around rather than trying to write it when it isn't all there yet in my head. Your analysis helped me clarify something in my own mind which was there in the first place but hadn't yet racked into focus yet. It would've done so eventually, it always does, but you may have saved me an hour or two of going back over their relationship in my head and pulling out the emotional and thematic undercurrents of what's been established over the last couple of seasons.

  Good stuff.

• One is falling toward something which is rising, therefore promising imminent conflict.

• Which storyline does the title refer to?
  Interpretation is everything...I prefer to leave it that way.

• Does it end in a cliffhanger?
  No, it doesn't exactly end with a cliffhanger.

  It does, however, end on a cliff.

• So earlier this week we did the audio mix on almost all of 404, "Falling Toward Apotheosis," which airs this coming week. We did all but 7 minutes, because they were seven...big...minutes.

  Last night, after working at the stage from early morning on, John Copeland, George Johnsen and I left about 7 p.m. to go and mix the audio for those seven minutes.

  We finished at 2:30 a.m. (And I had to get up at 7:30 a.m. for a meeting, no less.)

  Point being...if you've got a friend with a good TV and a spiffy audio or surround sound system, you may want to watch this next one over at their place.

  Just a thought.

• Which seven minutes?
  From Lyta's entrance to Kosh's place, to Lorien's hand.

• About the shadow cabinet
  Yes, that's Andreas' head, which I personally moved over to where it would be beside Peter...who complained (in jest) that Andreas was again stealing the scene from him.

• Why is everyone acting strangely toward Garibaldi?
  The main reason for the non-big reaction to Garibaldi is that none of them really know of anything that went on. He says he just got caught in the hyperspace backwash, and his ship got swiped. And it's a fairly thin story, so there's some questioning of what's not being said, or is this the whole story? So people are bound to be a bit more tentative...and, again, there's a big huge war on, and pilots returning from missions at the height of WW2 were given a handshake and told to get back into the plane for the next mission.

• Have we seen a Vorlon's true appearance?
  That's pretty much what they look like.

• Actually, we kinda decided to cut back a bit on lens flare...because that particular one is now used in so many places, it's become a cliche. We tried out a new kind of flare in the Kosh2 scene, when he nails Sheridan, you can just sorta see it...once everyone else does what we've been doing, we tend to move on to newer areas.

• Why didn't Kosh project an illusion?
  Because it takes concentration to pull it off, and Kosh2 was kinda distracted....

• The encounter suit was mainly to mask them.

• The idea was to short out and "crack" the suit, getting the vorlon out, so the last of Kosh and Lorien and Sheridan could deal with him in a weakened and more vulnerable state.

• The Vorlons looked a bit like Shadows.
  I didn't think they looked that much alike. But then, no two people ever see Vorlons in quite the same way, I guess.

• If Vorlons are amorphous energy beings, how was Kosh poisoned in "The Gathering?"
  Remember, they do have a certain physicality about them, even in that form, and the nature of the poison was such that it would affect that kind of life form using a crystalline base (note in the pilot the screen reads analyzing crystalline structure, and you filter light or refract or distort it using a crystalline structure).

• Silicon or crystalline based lifeforms are still lifeforms, just not the same as carbon-based lifeforms (like us).

• Yes, that's a Vorlon...and there was a physicality to them, shown by the fact that it could strike out and hit things. It's not a ghost or anything of that nature, it can be hurt and killed.

• What was Delenn doing at the fight?
  Well, I think it's pretty obvious she would've known about it, given her proximity to Sheridan...and if I knew something this big was going on, sure as heck *I'd* want to be there to see it.

• What was Kosh's ship doing?
  It was responding to Kosh2's commands to get out of there so he/it could enter it and escape.

• Wouldn't the original Kosh have stopped it from tearing the station apart?
  There wasn't enough left for that...it was just a hint of him, that later needed to be bolstered by both Lorien and Sheridan to hit even a part of its original ability.

• Kosh went with the new vorlon into the ship, and that final blast was what did the job ultimately.

• Didn't Lyta already tell the new Kosh that Sheridan had a piece of the old Kosh?
  Actually, she said, "I think, it's possible, someone else does." But she didn't specify Sheridan, and likely wouldn't have until she knew absolutely for certain...and until she knew a little more about the vorlon she was dealing with.

• Was Kosh aware of what was being planned?
  I'd say it was aware of this, yes...and you can hear just a trace of its voice just before it emerges.

• All trace of Kosh is gone. He/it will never be seen again, in any form, exempting flashbacks, of which none are currently planned.

• Was it necessary to kill the new Kosh?
  Had Kosh2 left when asked, it wouldn't have had to be done, no. It was vaguely possible, but they had to plan as if he would not do so, which in fact was what happened.

• The idea was to force Kosh2 out of the station, to where it could be destroyed outside with a minimum of damage to the station. Delenn wasn't happy about it, but also recognizes that war means sometimes having to kill somebody.

• With two of their ambassadors dead, won't the Vorlons take revenge against B5?
  Of course, at the moment, the vorlons are a little busy...but given time, yes, they would do exactly that.

• Did the original storyline call for the first Kosh to be killed in this episode?
  Best to leave what might've been out...what is, is better.

• There's a lot more to be said of the story of Kosh, and the Vorlons in general...and part of me says explain it later...and another part says that if you explain mysteries too much, it destroys them.

• Morden is living in denial...he's afraid, and hoping he's right. Centauri Prime has more civilians than any other planet or colony hit so far: three billion people. The shadows are hoping a figure that high will daunt even the Vorlons.

  The wings are just how we perceived them, to some extent, though we did see a hint of wings as the last of Kosh emerged from Sheridan. (We also heard the wing flap sound, and the sound of Kosh's voice for the last time right after Lorien's "Now.")

  Dr. Kyle saw the angelic form...even in its reduced state, it held itself together enough to maintain that form.

• Was Sheridan almost dead in "War Without End, Part Two?"
  Yep, at the time of that flash-forward, Sheridan has at most 2-3 years left to live.

• Had he followed Delenn's advice, would he be in the same situation anyway?
  Had he not gone to Z'ha'dum, he would've avoided that fate, but caused another.

• Minbari can easily live to about 140 or so.

• Was it fair of Sheridan to propose to Delenn after Lorien's bad news?
  Well, I think it's better for someone to know that first, then find out about it later. "Oh, good, we're going to spend the rest of our lives together...oh, by the way, now that you've committed, you should know...."

  Uh, uh.

• Delenn is spending a lot of time fawning over Sheridan.
  "Considering her past role in Minbari society, though, I expect her to snap out of it pretty soon. She was *trained* to take charge, and even the things she's endured lately won't supress that conditioning forever."

  Oh, most definitely...count on it. She's done more than enough "oh john" stuff for my tastes...that will start to change, and soon.

• Too much depression and guilt lately, and she's been for the most part a passive character lately, while others acted around her. Now it's about time for her to start becoming active again. There's fire and steel in *use*, and fire and steel waiting to be called upon...time to shift from the latter to the former.

• How does the Minbari sleep-watching ritual compare in seriousness to Sheridan's marriage proposal?
  Well, I think it fair to say that with Delenn starting the ritual, there had already been kind of an implicit understanding that this was going to be more than just a fling...and there's still a long road ahead of them before this can be finalized.

• Why doesn't Cartagia have the telepaths seen in "The Coming of Shadows?"
  They weren't prophetesses, they were communications-telepaths, and the emperor can use them if he perceives the need to keep in contact with events in the royal court. Cartagia could give a fig for what goes at home, which will be ash soon anyway....

• Cartagia wouldn't go to Narn just because Londo asked.
  Except, of course, this trip with G'Kar was in his best interest, and Cartagia is always responsive to what's best for Cartagia.

• For my money, the truly frightening thing about Cartagia is that he is motivated entirely by whim, by caprice...he can give you something wonderful one moment, then turn around and have you killed the next. You *never* know which way he'll flip from moment to moment.

• Why didn't Londo try to save G'Kar's eye?
  Yeah...would've been nice if Londo had at least tried to do something about the eye that did not see Cartagia's splendor....

• The Londo stuff is nice, and you do get a sense of the kind of person he was before the empire began to slip, and his fortunes with it. He can definitely pull it out when he wants to.

• Only 3 billion people on Centauri Prime?
  Basically, I figured with a culture in decline, often the birth rate goes down; it's also a fairly small world, all things considered...and a LOT of them live on other colonies, they've been spreading out a lot longer than we have...and of course they have always been sensible about birth control and population growth, one of their few wisdoms, and one we could learn from.

• Was Kosh's comment about Sheridan opening an unexpected door in "The Hour of the Wolf" related to the change in Vorlon strategy?
  They couldn't break the rules of engagement, but he did...and started things moving.

• Wasn't the planet-killer a break in the rules?
  That *followed* his trip to Z'ha'dum...so yes, the rules began to slip after that.

Last update: October 13, 2024