There's Drazi fighting in the hallways, Centauri diplomats looking for endorsements and the Chief finally decides to get back into his old uniform.
(Originally aired on November 16, 1994)
Written by J. Michael Straczynski
Directed by Michael Vejar
| Crimes Against Ivanova and the Galaxy |
| IVANOVA: As you all know, we're having a bit of a problem here right now. The aforementioned problem being that you keep trying to beat each other senseless with blunt instruments, banging up against the bulkhead, pounding, mugging, jumping, and generally carrying on cranky. |
GREEN DRAZI: Rules of contest older than contact with other races. Do not mention aliens. Rules change caught up in committee, not come through yet. |
ELRIC: As I look at you, Ambassador Mollari, I see a great hand, reaching out of the stars. The hand is your hand, and I hear sounds: the sounds of billions of people calling your name.
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| |  | LONDO: My followers?ELRIC: Your victims. |
GUEST STARS
Michael Ansara - Elric
William Forward - Lord Refa
Kim Strauss - Green Drazi
Michael Ansara played the Klingon Kang on both Star Trek and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. A busy man in the science-fiction genre, he also played Kane on Buck Rogers in the 25th Century and provided the voice of Mr. Freeze in Batman: The Animated Series.
WATCH OUT FOR
* Characters versed in classic 20th century literature. The Technomage "Elric" is named after Michael Moorcock's anti-hero and quotes from The Lord of the Rings in his warning to Vir about the habits of wizards.
* A "shadow" in the title. This is the first of five episodes spaced throughout the series which include the word "shadow." Look for two more this season alone.
ANALYSIS
Seen from another culture, politics must look odd. Think back four years ago when aliens Kang and Kodos walked the streets of the animated universe of The Simpsons chanting Clin-ton and BobDole. Who's to say that any one culture has it right, much less any alien world?
In this episode, we see two ways of choosing a new leader. For the Drazi, the struggle is a physical one. Green Drazi and Purple Drazi -- allegiances determined by the choice of a scarf -- fight one another. The stronger group holds dominance for five years.
The Centauri engage in a more subtle process: scheming and plotting. The emperor is old, grieving for the vanished past and lacking the power to change the future. He will be dead before the season is half over.
Meanwhile, Lord Refa comes to dangle an opportunity in front of Londo. While Londo only too eagerly embraces the idea of fate, Vir becomes prominent when he must go forth to do Londo's bidding -- and becomes his boss's conscience.
Elric's warnings are only the edge of the dark prophecies poor Londo seems to be accumulating.
All my spoo, bought asunder
Despite the dark overtones of the plot, the episode also contains moments of sheer comic joy. Witness Londo returning to his quarters, only to find a world gone techno-mad. Not only does Narn opera seems almost as bad as its Deep Space Nine cousin Klingon opera, but Londo also learns that he has bought 200,000 shares in a spoo ranch, continuing the ongoing references to that dread substance.
The image of Londo with technodemons crawling on his back is one to be savored as well.
Ivanova's resolution of the Drazi crisis is much like any of her diplomatic missions -- she succeeds, but only by confounding the expectations of everyone else. Here, her use of semantics allow her to end the Drazi factionalizing.
The broken foot incident wasn't originally in the script, but when Claudia Christian broke her own ankle right before shooting, the script had to be rewritten. This, in turn, made it possible for Garibaldi to play a wider role in the episode, leading to some wonderful comic interplay between the two.
Moments of happy fun. Moments of darkness approaching. Another day in the Season Two world of Babylon 5.
COMING UP NEXT
"A Distant Star"
Hyperspace distress
call alerts Shadow vessel
while Chief smuggles food.
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