Delenn's out of the cocoon. Garibaldi brushes against a new world order. G'Kar makes a discovery. Sheridan grieves for his dead wife. Oh, and Mister Morden's associates makes things go boom.
(Originally Aired on November 9, 1994)
Written by J. Michael Straczynski
Directed by Jim Johnston
| The More Things Change |
| MORDEN: Simply choose your target: a colony, an outpost. . . .LONDO: (laughing): Why don't you eliminate the entire Narn homeworld while you're at it?MORDEN: One thing at a time, Ambassador. One thing at a time. |
SHERIDAN: I don't think losing my head of security two weeks into the job will look good on my resume. |
GARIBALDI'S AIDE: There's a new order coming back home, Garibaldi. Youcan either be part of it or you can be stepped on, a winner or a loser. I'm with the side that's gonna win. |
GUEST STARS
Beverly Leech - Elizabeth Sheridan
Macaulay Bruton - Garibaldi's Aide
Beth Toussaint - Anna Sheridan
Ed Wasser - Morden
WATCH OUT FOR
* New footage in the opening credits. This episode contains three new images: the "Welcome to Babylon 5" sign, G'Kar addressing the Advisory Council and the Shadow ship destroying the Narn heavy cruiser.
* The first face of Anna Sheridan, the only time the character will be played by Beth Toussaint. When Anna returns to the station in "Shadow Dancing" and "Z'ha'dum," she will be played by Melissa Gilbert, Bruce Boxleitner's real-life wife.
ANALYSIS
Garibaldi's attacker has been revealed. G'Kar has a handle on the Shadows. Delenn has emerged.
We're getting some answers here to questions from "
", but don't allow the answers to lull you into a moment of peace; they're just interim answers -- explanations. Although they resolve certain matters of plot, they're really just opening up larger questions.
The immediate matter of who betrayed Garibaldi is over. The Bad Guy has been caught. Unfortunately, the ship he was transferred to doesn't officially exist and he's disappeared, taking all evidence of a possible conspiracy with him.
Before vanishing, the would-be assassin alluded to a new order, echoing a sentiment Sinclair voiced
. This time, however, the comment takes on even more sinister overtones, especially after a parting shot links the conspiracy to the Psi Cop Bester in another allusion to paranoid TV classic The Prisoner.
Shadows of Earth and heaven
Looking ahead, we know the Nightwatch is coming. We know how President Clark came to power and just how far he will go to maintain his position. We know how Psi Corps is involved in the problems of Earth on every level.
G'Kar's investigation of the worlds out at the Rim also point us to the growing problem of the Shadows. This episode marks the first naming of their world, Z'ha'dum, along with the first mention of the Icarus and its fate on that world -- events later reexamined in "In the Shadow of Z'ha'dum" and "Z'ha'Dum".
The Book of G'Quan seems a solid reference on the Shadows, but G'Kar is unable to convince the others of what must be done. It is not until "Ship of Tears" that the emerging alliance against the Shadows brings G'Kar into their trust; for now, he must wander alone.
Elsewhere, Londo's half-joking request to Morden will come back to haunt him, and this episode marks the meeting of Captain Sheridan and his future wife, Delenn.
Delenn's introduction to Sheridan is noteworthy. Dressed in white and veiled, she is led into the council chambers, where she reveals her new half-human, half-Minbari nature. It's a moment that echoes a wedding ceremony
Foreshadowing? The episode is full of it.
COMING UP NEXT
"The Geometry of Shadows"
Purple Drazi? Green?
Londo craves an audience,
sees big grabbing hand.
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