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

Overview

A renegade technomage stands in the way of a mining operation that could save lives on Earth. Scott Paetty as Lt. Meyers. Mik Scriba as Barkeep. Marshall Teague as Capt. Daniels. Edward Woodward as Alwyn.

Production number: 107
Original air date: June 16, 1999
DVD release date: December 7, 2004

Written by J. Michael Straczynski
Directed by Mike Vejar

Plot Points

• Galen was taken in by Elric ("The Geometry of Shadows") after Galen's father died. Elric died shortly after the technomages reached their hiding place.
• Galen isn't the only technomage who disagrees with the group's decision to go into hiding.

Unanswered Questions

• What did Alwyn mean when he said darkness was coming?
• How many other technomages split off from the group and are wandering around the universe?

Analysis

• Could Alwyn really have destroyed ships in orbit? Clearly Gideon's use of the Excalibur's main gun was the backup plan advocated by Galen, so it's plausible that Alwyn's preparations were little more than a light show in reality.
• Gideon referred to Alwyn as a technomage while speaking to Captain Daniels; Daniels didn't seem surprised to hear the term. How widespread is knowledge of the technomages?

Notes

• Alwyn was played by Edward Woodward, father of Peter Woodward, who plays Galen.
• Marshall Teague is a longtime B5 actor; he guest-starred as Nelson Drake in the very first hourlong episode filmed, "Infection," and later played Ta'Lon, the Narn who eventually succeeded G'Kar as ambassador to B5.

jms speaks

• It's a favorite of mine...nice character and humor stuff.

• "By that I mean have the technomages always had abilities just slightly ahead of their contemporaries (and used in a way to APPEAR miraculous), or have they had the benefit of technology from another civilization?"

  This is a question that we were going to build, and answer, in the latter part of the first season...a lot of which will also be in the 3 technomage novels.

Last update: May 27, 2024