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

Overview

Franklin and Marcus try to convince the leaders of the resistance to go along with Sheridan's plan to unseat Clark. Delenn investigates a series of attacks on Minbari allies. Minbar begins to slide toward civil war. Marjorie Monaghan as Number One. Paolo Seganti as Phillipe. G.W. Stevens as Forell.

P5 Rating: 8.30

Production number: 411
Original air week: April 28, 1997
DVD release date: January 6, 2004

Written by J. Michael Straczynski
Directed by John Flinn III

An episodic soundtrack is available.

Plot Points

• At least one race, the Drakh, made its home on Z'ha'dum during the Shadows' tenure there. They evacuated before Z'ha'dum's destruction and are in search of a new home and revenge against the people who defeated their masters.
• Marcus and Franklin have convinced the resistance movement on Earth and Mars to follow Sheridan's lead, and to refrain from future terrorist attacks aimed at destabilizing Earth's government.
• Ivanova is preparing for an additional job, as head of the "Voice of the Resistance," an attempt to counter ISN by broadcasting opposition views, as well as messages intended for the resistance fighters themselves, to Mars and Earth.
• ISN, meanwhile, seems to be preparing Earth's citizenry for an eventual assault on Babylon 5, building up public support for such a move in advance.
• Sheridan was involved in the suppression of the food riots on Mars after the Earth-Minbari War, for which he's resented by some Mars residents.

Unanswered Questions

• Are the Drakh the only survivors of Z'ha'dum? How many of them remain?
• Are the Drakh the ones responsible for planting Keepers on the Centauri Regent ("Epiphanies") and Captain Jack ("Racing Mars")?
• Why did the Drakh emissary appear to shimmer? Do the Drakh have access to the Shadows' invisibility technology?
• What does the warrior caste hope to gain by forcing the other castes out of cities?

Analysis

• Franklin has bought into Sheridan's cult of personality, though it's not entirely clear why. His reaction to the skeptical resistance leader is exactly the kind of thing Garibaldi complained about in "Racing Mars," and may be counterproductive in that it makes Garibaldi's allegations all the more credible.
• Phillipe bombed the Red Planet Hotel, which was where Franklin and Marcus were staying. Was the appearance of the Earth security forces there a coincidence, or were they after Franklin and Marcus?
• Why does Sheridan think he has the power to promise Mars independence after Clark is out of office? Does Sheridan plan to assume the presidency himself? Or was that simply more improvisation on Franklin's part? Presumably not; it's unlikely Sheridan gave him the authority to make that kind of promise without consultation.
• How will Sheridan break through Earth's jamming of outside broadcasts? Franklin was able to get a message back to Babylon 5, but presumably it's a thornier problem to try to broadcast programming to all of Earth. Perhaps he'll enlist the help of Draal; Epsilon 3 likely has the power to cut through whatever interference Earth can muster. Delenn is unlikely to be able to provide any Minbari assistance, considering what's going on on Minbar, though the White Star fleet might be useful mobile transmitters.
• If Number One indeed treats all her former lovers like she treated Phillipe, Franklin may be in for a rough ride.
• In the first scene with Franklin, Number One rubbed her neck, similar to Captain Jack before his Keeper was discovered ("Racing Mars.") Any significance, or just a stiff neck?
• The Drakh ships, especially the transport, looked more Vorlon in design than Shadow. Have they looted the Vorlon homeworld as well, or is it just a coincidence?
• The Drakh aren't the only race who worked for the Shadows, though of course they might have been the only ones to escape with technology from Z'ha'dum. Neither the surgeons and pilot in "Ship of Tears" nor the creature in "The Long Dark" were Drakh in appearance, though the latter arguably bore a resemblance when it was shown briefly reflected in Mariah's tube.
• It's also possible the Drakh weren't allies of the Shadows at all; the Vorlons may have similarly had minor races acting as aides, and those aides would likely be just as upset as the Shadows' about Sheridan and Delenn driving their masters away. Of course, the statement that the Drakh had just lost their home would seem to indicate that Delenn's supposition about their association with the Shadows was correct; the Vorlon homeworld is probably still intact.
• The Drakh may have some kind of group mind. At the very least, they have a different notion of personal identity than most other races. They appear to regard the name "Drakh" as both a collective name and a personal one, and their emissary interrupted Forell before he could utter Delenn's name, dismissing it as "unimportant." On the other hand, they're familiar enough with the notion of individual names to recognize Delenn's once it was spoken.
• Delenn's reaction to the destruction of White Star 16, while arguably justified, bore similarity to her reaction to the death of Dukhat: ordering a relentless attack on those responsible. Of course, this time she was in control of the situation and wasn't enraged, but it's interesting in light of her earlier comment that she wouldn't repeat the mistakes made during first contact with humanity.
• Delenn commented to Sheridan that she felt humans could have been Minbar's most dangerous enemy due to their ability to form communities of diverse elements. This echoes her comment in "And Now For a Word," in which she said that the forming of communities was one of humanity's greatest strengths.

Notes

• Marcus said he was from Arisia Colony. That's a reference to the Lensman series by E. E. "Doc" Smith.
• Sheridan referred to the Drakh as "wild cards." And in fact, "Drakh" is "card" pronounced backwards.
• One of the Minbari seen reacting in fear from the Drakh emissary is Dennis Michael, a CNN entertainment reporter and a big fan of the series. He was also a Narn in "Comes the Inquisitor."
• As the Drakh emissary entered the White Star's bridge, the lights on the wall dimmed.
• The real reason the Drakh shimmered, according to special effects technician Ken Busick, was that the costume didn't look convincing enough. So to give the Drakh an otherworldly appearance, the scene was digitally manipulated in postproduction.

jms speaks

• Why did Franklin send a video message?
  So they could see him and know by seeing him that he arrived safely; a text message could be sent by *anyone* who could've intercepted them.

• The issue of waste of bandwidth is not as big a deal to an advanced technology (from today's standards); also, any really good telepath could rip out those codes and keys in about 10 seconds. Further, they would've had a password to use (as in "the board," which he used) to verify that he was all right and not being forced to make the call.

• In that scenario, there is no such thing as ANY kind of secure communication, which puts us pretty much back where we started.

• About the Drakh ships
  I indicated a flower-like design. With the lethalness behind them, it seemed like a nice contrast.

• White Star 16 wasn't too tough.
  Of course, you have no way of knowing how many previous hits it took during the fight, and are assuming it only got two.

• Why did Delenn run?
  As she states in the episode, they were at that time *surrounded* and if they turned to fire, would get destroyed. Firepower doesn't solve every problem; one good hand-held Lancet missile can put down a full-sized cruiser if it hits right. They were in the MIDDLE of the Drakh, just as they said, and that's NOT a defensible position. They had to get away, outside that group, so they could mount an offensive. This they did.

Last update: May 27, 2024