An unearthed Shadow vessel cannot be allowed into Earth’s hands, so Sheridan must take arms against a sea of troubles, including his old ship. Meanwhile, G’Kar decides to write a bestseller.

(Originally aired on February 19, 1996)

Written by J. Michael Straczynski
Directed by Michael Vejar

Tending the Home Fires

MARCUS: And they have much to be concerned about. There's always the threat of an attack by, say, a giant space dragon, the kind that eats the sun once every 30 days. It's a nuisance, but what can you expect from reptiles? Did I mention that my nose is on fire? That I have 15 wild badgers living in my trousers?    More Stories The Name of the Place: SPACE.com's Babylon 5 Nexus Babylon 5 - 'Exogenesis' Babylon 5 - 'Dust to Dust' Babylon 5 - 'Voices of Authority'    Related Links SPACE.com's television coverage Babylon 5 The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5 [Ivanova glares at him.] MARCUS: I'm sorry. Would you prefer ferrets?

SHERIDAN: We'll be back this way again, and one way or another, we will finish this.

GUEST STARS

Nancy Stafford -- Mary Kirkish
Vaughn Armstrong -- Nightwatch Officer

WATCH OUT FOR

* Hypernauts in the mist. As the White Star emerges from hyperspace after leaving Ganymede, set the VCR on slow. You will catch a quick image from the animated series Hypernauts, a show whose effects derived from the same computers used on Babylon 5. Without the slower speed, you will see only an off-color flash.

* Captain out of uniform. Sheridan does not wear his Earth Alliance uniform while en route to Ganymede. He will take the old uniform off for good in two episodes.

ANALYSIS

"Messages from Earth" kicks off a three-episode sequence taking us into the heart of the conflict with President Clark, and the change is palpable.

Twice, we relax after Sheridan and company solve a problem only to confront another, even worse, threat. Things look good until that second problem hits in full force.

The White Star destroys the Shadow vessel in Jupiter’s atmosphere, and we all breathe a sigh of relief. But then the Agamemnon arrives and starts blasting at the good guys, giving Sheridan an opportunity to echo the film Casablanca when he says, "Of all the ships why did it have to be the Agamemnon ?"

Still, Sheridan and Delenn arrive safely back to Babylon 5 by story’s end. There's a comic moment when Marcus tries to explain to Ivanova exactly what his place is on the station.

We relax. And again, bad news hits: Sheridan tells Ivanova to turn on ISN, and we learn that President Clark has declared martial law on Earth.

The hardest hits are the ones we don't expect. With Earth taking another turn for the worse, the hits are just beginning.

They serve, those who wait

While Sheridan, Delenn, and Lennier were off to Ganymede, most of the cast were left back on the station to cover for the captain. How they handle the responsibility is telling.

Zack is entering a dark period. The Nightwatch has him in its grasp, and his will to resist is beginning to crumble. Zack will do what he must do for Nightwatch, even though it pains him to do so.

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More than anyone, Ivanova is lost in herself while Sheridan is gone -- distracted, unable to focus on what she is doing. We will see a similar reaction from her in "The Hour of the Wolf" after the captain goes to Z’ha’dum and disappears.

Marcus, who throws himself into danger consistently, expected that he would be the one to attack the Shadow ship. Why such constant risk-taking? He is paying for his own past, and he does not expect to survive the conflict to come.

COMING UP NEXT

"Point of No Return"

Nightwatch takes over,
but the Narns are deputized.
Londo gets bad news.