SUMMARY: As the Earthforce president and his staff travel to Babylon 5 to dedicate the opening of a new docking bay, an explosion destroys part of the construction site. A worker is critically injured. Major Lianna Kemmer, the president's security adviser, and her assistant, Agent Cutter arrive to inspect Babylon 5's safety precautions.
Lianna is hostile to Mr. Garibaldi. Suspecting a personal grievance that might hamper the investigation, Commander Sinclair, confronts Garibaldi about Lianna. Garibaldi confesses that 13 years ago, while working as a guard for a mining company, he was close friends with Frank Kemmer, a pilot, and his young daughter, Lianna.
They helped him stay sober when the pressure of defying corrupt supervisors tempted him to drink too much alcohol. When the vengeful supervisors sabotaged a launch pad that accidentally killed Frank, Garibaldi was blamed for being careless. The mining company edited the accident report to avoid a scandal, but Lianna never believed that her "Uncle Mike" was innocent of killing her father. Garibaldi became a guilt-ridden alcoholic for several years.
Ignoring the protests of Dr. Franklin, Lianna interrogates Nolan. Before he dies, Nolan insists
that Garibaldi put a bomb in the construction site. Lianna temporarily relieves Garibaldi of his duty when Cutter finds evidence of the bomb and a detailed blueprint of the site in Garibaldi's living quarters. Lianna arrests Garibaldi for sabotage, but after proclaiming his innocence to her once again, Garibaldi flees into the crowded interior of Babylon 5.
Convinced that Garibaldi is loyal, Sinclair orders his own security man, Lou Welch, to search Nolan's living quarters.
While eluding Lianna and Cutter, Garibaldi frantically searches Babylon 5 to learn who incriminated him as the saboteur. He hides in a tavern in Down Below, the station's equivalent of a criminal underworld, and escapes his troubles by drinking., As the president's ship docks, Lianna and Cutter capture Garibaldi and take him to his security office., Welch returns with
evidence that Nolan belonged to a subversive radical group called the Home Guard (See "The War Prayer"). Nolan himself was the saboteur who inadvertently triggered the explosion intended to destroy the new fighter squadron that the President was presenting to Babylon 5.
Lianna and Garibaldi hurry to the docking bay to inspect for more bombs. There they meet Cutter, another Home Guard terrorist in disguise, who is preparing to detonate another explosion after the president's speech. Garibaldi fights with Cutter and injures him before he can activate the bomb.
After the ceremony, Garibaldi thanks Sinclair for his devotion. Their personal friendship is reaffirmed. Lianna apologizes to Garibaldi for blaming him for her father's death. After reaffirming their friendship as well, Lianna departs with the president's staff, promises to visit Babylon 5 again to see her "Uncle Mike."
BRASH REFLECTIONS: Earth Force One is a beautiful ship.
Alot of fans might have complained about Lianna's roughness, but I think that that's the kind of attitude someone assigned to protect someone like the President SHOULD have.
When the transport tube stops, an announcement says that this is the stop for the Cobra Bays. Jeff and Michael get off, but so does a Centauri. Why would a Centauri be getting off at the Cobra Bays? Yet neither Michael nor Jeff take any notice.
Did anyone else think that Lianna’s salutes were really badly done, as if she’d never saluted in her life before? If the actress was that bad at it, couldn’t someone on set have shown her how to salute and given her enough practice that she looked a bit more relaxed with it?
After Garibaldi escapes from the pursuing security guards in the alien sector he starts rolling up his left sleeve. The camera changes angle and he’s suddenly rolling up his right sleeve!
Reflecting Lianna’s change of heart towards Michael at the end of the episode, her hair which has been tightly tied up before now is suddenly free. Ick. Too obvious – it made me groan.
Reflecting Lianna’s change of heart towards Michael at the end of the episode, her hair which has been tightly tied up before now is suddenly free. Ick. Too obvious – it made me groan.
Maybe she had it up because she didn't know if she'd be getting into a fire fight and wanted it out of the way, but at the end, its as if she's off duty and let it flow etc.
Possible Nits
- why did Sinclair say OMG? The guy has a space suit on. His suit didn't look like it was burned as would be expected in an explosion; so he is probably all right.
- When Garibaldi fights the 3 aliens, why is there a spot light that looks like a bulls eye? It just looks odd, what's it supposed to be, an indicator light for where the bad guys should stand?