Contents: Overview - Backplot - Questions - Analysis - Notes - JMS

Overview

An old acquaintance requests Londo's help. Sheridan is plagued by visions nobody else can see. Carmen Argenziano as Urza Jaddo. William Forward as Refa.

Sub-genre: Drama/Intrigue
P5 Rating: 7.21

Production number: 216
Original air date: May 17, 1995

Written by Larry DiTillio
Directed by Stephen Posey

Backplot

• In his youth, Londo was a swordfighter of no small repute, and House Mollari was one of the most well-respected in the Republic.
• Earth Force has confiscated all the files on the Babylon 4 incident (cf. "Babylon Squared,") but Garibaldi had the foresight to make a copy first.
• Refa and his associates on Centauri Prime are consolidating their power by having their political opponents declared traitors. Some of those opponents are well aware of his involvement in the assassination of the Prime Minister (cf. "The Coming of Shadows.")

Unanswered Questions

• What was the creature? Was it involved somehow in Babylon 4's movement through time, or did it just happen by Sector 14 after the fact?
• Will Londo's support of Urza have an effect on Refa's plans?

Analysis

• The fact that there's still a spacetime rift of some sort in Sector 14 suggests that it may be possible to travel freely back and forth between 2259 and whenever the creature came from. Unless, of course, the creature was involved in Babylon 4's time travel; in that case, its presence may have caused the rift to reopen.
• Londo believes he has a destiny to fulfill. What exactly does he think it is? Is it based in part on his dream? (cf. "The Coming of Shadows") Or is it a more general notion of bringing the Centauri back to power with the help of Morden, without any specific role for himself?

Notes

• The names of the last Centauri Emperor and Prime Minister, Turhan and Malachi respectively, just happen to be the first names of the actors who played those roles in "The Coming of Shadows."
• Garibaldi and Sheridan were getting a large number of foul balls on the baseball diamond. Since the station is spinning, the Coriolis effect would make playing baseball an interesting proposition, to say the least, especially near the center of rotation -- a high enough ball would pass beyond the axis and land on some other section of the interior, perhaps even the "ceiling!"
• Visual gaffe: When Londo was knocked down and he dropped his sword, the sword fell and skidded on Londo's left. But when he reached for the sword to deliver the fatal blow, it appeared that he reached to his right.
• Effects glitch: In the closing shot of the station, the background starfield and part of Epsilon 3 are briefly visible through the docking bay, as if part of the station has just turned transparent.
• The Centauri method of dealing with traitors -- execution followed by confiscation of property -- is similar to what the Romans used to do, and it apparently has the same effect. Romans who knew they were about to be convicted of treason often committed suicide to prevent their families' inheritances from being seized.

jms speaks

• Actually, Sheridan WAS hitting fair and home run balls in the front of the show; later, though, when he was more rattled, they were all foul.
• Actually, the chronological order was *supposed* to be "Knives," THEN "Z'ha'dum." In "Knives" you get the reminder about Anna, then in "Z'ha'dum" you get the payoff. That was originally how they were intended to be aired, but there was *so much* CGI work and rotoscope work and creature animation involved in "Knives" that it got flopped to second in that order. So while it works *best* the way it was intended, it still works okay in this order.
• Correct, the critter in "Knives" was most *definitely* not a Vorlon.

Last update: March 15, 1998