Sinclair stops all the catfights: dock workers, a cocky labor negotiator, Londo and G'kar up to their old tricks. Sinclair's good like that, but don't expect him to earn brownie points back home.

Written by Kathryn M. Drennan
Directed by Jim Johnston

Kathryn Drennan is the wife and sometime "Spousal Overunit" of J. Michael Straczynski, series mastermind. Drennan's entire script circulated anonymously through management before being approved so that there would be no charge of nepotism.

Turn And Face the Stranger (Ch-Ch-Changes)

SINCLAIR: Things are changing on Earth, and not for the best.

G'KAR: And what do you believe in?    More Stories Boxleitner: Make Space Profitable Babylon 5 - 'Survivors' Babylon 5 - 'Believers' Babylon 5 - 'Deathwalker'    Related Links SPACE.com's television coverage Babylon 5 The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5 NA'TOTH: Myself, ambassador. G'KAR: Too easy an answer. We all believe in something greater than ourselves, even if it's just the blind favors of chance.

SINCLAIR: You should never hand someone a gun unless you are sure where they'll point it.

Kate Boyer - Neeoma Connelly
John Snyder - Orin Zento
Jose Rey - Eduardo Delvientos
Aki Aleong - Senator Hidoshi

* Director Jim Johnston making an appearance in front of the cameras. He's the older dock rat wearing a headband who yells out, "Strike!" when Garibaldi arrives. Many of the members of the Docking Guild are actually members of the show's production crew.

Commander Sinclair delivers the goods in this episode, not only solving the dock workers' dilemma but settling a dispute between Londo and G'Kar in a way that allows each to retain face.

Still, the "means" here rely on technicalities. Sinclair is able to use the Rush Act in a way Orin Zento does not anticipate, abiding by the letter of that law but violating its spirit.

Similarly, Sinclair uses a classification of the G'Quon Eth plant -- a technicality -- as a justification for confiscating of the plant from Londo.

However, the universe itself cooperates with this last subterfuge, with sunlight from Narn allowing Sinclair to deliver not just the plant but an important religious holiday to G'Kar and the religious Narns of Babylon 5.

But as the commander observes, things on Earth are changing, and not for the better. Extreme forces are moving into the Earth Alliance. Future conflicts will become even harsher, and technicalities will not alter outcomes as the shadows deepen.

G'Kar's religion is what will sustain him even as his people suffer at the hands of the Centauri. We will later see him expand the scriptural literature of the Narns, writing The Book of G'Kar in prison.

In "War Without End: Part II", we will see Jeffrey Sinclair travel into the past to become transformed into the Minbari leader Valen. In the past, Sinclair-Valen will lead (led) Minbari society into a new spiritual order.

In the here-and-now of this episode, though, we see both G'Kar and Sinclair acting out their convictions. They do what is right because of their beliefs. Both are men of principles, guided by senses of what is right and what is just.

The difference is striking.

Raiders attack ship
while dark mysterious man
asks, "What do you want?"

That's right, it's must-see episode "Signs and Portents".