Lyta Alexander returns to Babylon 5, searching for a Psi Corps agent. Whoever knows her password is not going to win $5,000, though . . .
(First aired in the U.S. on October 11, 1995)
Written by J. Michael Straczynski
Directed by Jesus Trevino
| Threats and Perils |
| DELENN: I find this notion of the press a fascinating and sometimes troubling concept. |
SHERIDAN: Why is it every time you get things calmed down, and things are going great, life decides to kick you in the butt? |
TALIA: That's one cabinet that will never threaten us again. |
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GUEST STARS
Patricia Tallman -- Lyta Alexander
Jeff Conaway -- Zack Allen
WATCH OUT FOR
* Rangers
at work on Mars.
*The bathroom dedicated to Pak’ma’ra use.
* The reflection of Lyta’s face in Delenn’s hanging crystals.
* The sound of Kosh emerging from his suit.
ANALYSIS
So long, Talia, we barely knew ye. Andrea Thompson’s departure is a perfect example of the perils facing a five-year story. A single writer’s vision may drive the show, but sometimes the actors don’t cooperate.
Joe Straczynski was always aware of this problem, and made plans to deal with it. He put trapdoors under each character, and had to use them on
Sinclair, Talia and Ivanova.
Each departure still disrupted the series, though. Talia’s disappearance
wasted several episodes of character development. It made her slow turn against the Corps irrelevant, and Ivanova’s affair with her became so understated as to be invisible.
Straczynski salvaged what he could. Talia’s
encounter with Kosh comes up again, this time putting the Vorlons in opposition to Psi Corps as an organization, not to foreshadow any more personal future confrontation between Talia and Kosh. The focus also shifts on Talia and Ivanova’s relationship, making it into a setup for Ivanova’s future romantic difficulties.
Opportunities knocking
In the long run, Straczynski’s plan was flexible enough to benefit from this change. With Talia – and later, Warren Keffer – departing, he gained budget and screen time to introduce the swashbuckling Marcus Cole, who was far more interesting than either of those characters.
The telepath story also swung back toward the Vorlon connection. Lyta became the representative telepath, and her experiences drove some important plot developments in the fourth and fifth seasons.
Straczynski dodged narrative bullets with Sinclair and Talia. (Nobody cared about Keffer.) He must have heaved a sigh of relief a few weeks later, never guessing that in two years he’d have to replace B5’s most popular character.
COMING UP NEXT
"The Long, Twilight Struggle"
A cough foreshadows
Centauri lion’s winter
No spring in Narn steps.
Unlike Mr. Aylott, the
editor is sure there is a Warren Keffer Estrogen Brigade & Fan Club lurking out there, and would like to remind them that all dangerous opinions espoused in this piece belong to the author.
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