And so it begins.

Written by J. Michael Straczynski
Directed by Janet Greek

Nothing's the Same Anymore

LONDO: Keep this up, G'Kar, and soon you won't have a planet to protect.

SINCLAIR: Look, do you want to get married or don't you? SAKAI: Yes. SINCLAIR: Well, good. How's April by you?

LONDO: This is like being nibbled to death by . . . what are those Earth creatures called? Feathers. Long bills. Webbed feet. Go quack.    More Stories Space Powers Babylon 5 Star's Congressional Bid Babylon 5 - 'Quality of Mercy' Babylon 5 - 'Babylon Squared' Babylon 5 - 'A Voice in the Wilderness II'    Related Links SPACE.com's television coverage Babylon 5 The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5 VIR: Cats. LONDO: Cats. I'm being nibbled to death by cats.

GUEST STARS

Julia Nickson - Catherine Sakai
Macaulay Bruton - Garibaldi's aide
Edward Conery - Devereaux
Ed Wasser - Morden

WATCH OUT FOR

* Vice President Clark taking the oath of office. According to J. Michael Straczynski, this scene was staged using Lyndon Johnson's swearing in after President Kennedy's assassination as a visual reference.

ANALYSIS

Watching the first season of Babylon 5 was watching Straczynski roll a stone slowly up a steep hill. During its meticulous ascent, the rolling stone that is the series gathers no shortage of narrative moss, including the growing conflict between Narn and Centauri, Earth's increased isolationism and xenophobia, and the plans the Minbari -- especially Delenn -- have for Sinclair.

This is the episode where the stone reaches the top of the hill and starts down the other side. Momentum is still building, but anyone who doesn't get out of the way when the story reaches top speed over the next two seasons is going to get flattened.

Two roads diverged in Grid Epsilon

Shifting tortured metaphors slightly from Camus to Newton, both Londo and G'Kar have their motion arrested by outside forces in this episode.

For G'Kar, this interference becomes profoundly transformative. The attack on the Narn outpost in Sector 37 demonstrates that there are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in his philosophy. Specifically, a power heretofore unknown -- to everyone but the Vorlons and Minbari -- is on the move.

To G'Kar's credit, despite all the shouting, manipulation and penny dreadful villainy he got up to early in the series, this revelation motivates him to look beyond the immediate Narn-Centauri conflict and investigate this potentially more devastating enemy.

In contrast, Londo's relationship with Morden colors his perspective on the situation. Although he responds to the obliteration of the Narn outpost with a certain amount of horror, the tragedy of this scene lies in the fact that he isn't more horrified by the massacre. Indeed, the fact that he bears a share of the responsibility for the attack barely seems to register.

Even more troubling is Londo's relative equanimity when Morden says his associates may some day ask for a favor in exchange for their assistance. Londo clearly appears to understand that he is making a deal with the devil. Unfortunately, Morden's grand promises allow him to believe he is getting the better part of the deal.

This, then, is the very character flaw that makes Londo such a perfect agent for the Shadows in the coming seasons.

COMING UP NEXT

"Points of Departure" --
Sinclair's out, Sheridan's in.
Season two begins.