SUMMARY: A group of racial fanatics known as the Home Guard is attacking prominent aliens aboard Babylon 5.
When the resident alien ambassadors demand that the fanatics be arrested Commander Sinclair and Garibaldi assure them that the crimes are being investigated.
Meanwhile, Ivanova meets arriving passenger Malcolm Biggs, a special lover whom she hasn't seen in eight years. Malcolm claims he wants to renew their romance. He rents office space aboard Babylon 5 to begin a new business and be near Ivanova. While she appreciates his attentions, Ivanova warns
him that she's dedicated to her duties as an officer.
Two other passengers, Kiron Maray and Aria Tensus, a young Centauri couple, are forcibly escorted by security guards to the office of Londo Mollari. Refusing to obey the ancient tradition of their race and submit to the prearranged marriages to wealthy nobles selected by their parents, the
young lovers stole Centauri credit chits and fled from their planet, hoping to marry each other and start a new life on Babylon 5.
Londo explains that love has no purpose in marriage, but Vir Cotto, his inept assistant and Kiron's cousin, boldly condemns the old tradition, citing Londo's own unhappiness with his three ugly prearranged wives, whom he describes as Famine, Pestelence, and Death.
Reluctantly agreeing with Vir, Londo arranges for Kiron and Aria to live with an influential foster family who will thoroughly teach them Centauri traditions, then marry them "for love" if they still wish it.
As the racial attacks continue, Sinclair and Garibaldi learn that Malcolm is the secret Home Guard organizer. They persuade a shocked Ivanova to help them entrap Malcolm and his unknown compatriots. Pretending to secretly hate all aliens, Sinclair and Ivanova convince Malcolm of their
bigotry.
As Malcolm tests their loyalty by ordering Sinclair to kill a captive alien, Garibaldi traces their rendezvous with his security monitors and the Home Guard terrorists are arrested.
BRASH REFLECTIONS:
Well this episode was wonderful. It showed that just because humanity has gone into space, doesn't mean we're suddenly perfect better human beings like in Trek.
As for the Homeguard symbol, it is in our time the logo of the Gender Equality groups. Just goes to show how easily something designed for good purposes can be corrupted.
As for Sinclair's nit (should we make Michael O'Hare an honorary Guild member?) about Kosh, I didn't even know Kosh's suit HAD a hand.
Funny how the young female Centauri (sorry, the name escapes me right now) seems to be similar looking to a young human girl in the 20th centruy named Winnie Cooper!
Last time Sinclair went to see Kosh, he asked for his permission to enter his quarters before he even put a breather on. This time he puts on a breather and barges straight in. Had he called ahead to warn Kosh he was coming?
Ivanova’s door has a touch of IRTS (It Read The Script): it opens to let Malcolm out before he makes any move towards it. But this is a general fault with doors throughout the series: sometimes they open when you go near them; sometimes they don’t; sometimes you can get them to open simply by saying, “Yes?” to a ‘doorbell’; other times if you say “Yes?” you only get voice contact and you have to say, “Enter” or “Open” to get the door to open ...
By Callie on Thursday, October 28, 2004 - 2:35 am:
Last time Sinclair went to see Kosh, he asked for his permission to enter his quarters before he even put a breather on. This time he puts on a breather and barges straight in. Had he called ahead to warn Kosh he was coming?
Sinclair thought Kosh might be in danger so he didn't bother to knock. Though, I admit that Sinclair should already know that no one could really hurt Kosh.
Ruminations
- An okay episode, though I think the story was kind of weak in certain areas. When Sinclair speaks, sometimes it feels like he's dumbing the situation down. Cabbageheading things if it were.
- Vir took his full ambassidorial authority to another level in this ep by saying he's the ambassidor. I bet Londo regrets giving him that permission.
Nits
- Kosh: "We take no interest in the affairs of others"
Me: Kind of a shift in ideology that exists during the end of the shadow war
- The Drasi attack on the orange clothed human shouldn't have turned out the way it did. The Drasi were taking turns attacking him. He just lets himself get beaten up.
- The hit Sinclair gives Susan's former bf in the end fight looks rather fake. You could tell there wasn't any contact.
- Vir took his full ambassidorial authority to another level in this ep by saying he's the ambassidor. I bet Londo regrets giving him that permission.
An ambassador is the official representative of their country/government. If Vir has been told, and given permission, to act as the official Centari representative - even if it is on a single issue - then he would be more than justified as identifying himself as the ambassador in that context.
Alternatively since Vir is Lando's aide, and Lando's entire staff seems to consist of Vir, then if Lando is not around Vir is the next most senior representative of his government. As such he would presumably be deputy ambassador, and while not totally correct he could probably identify himself as 'Ambassador' in some situations when Lando isn't around.
- Kosh: "We take no interest in the affairs of others"
Me: Kind of a shift in ideology that exists during the end of the shadow war
I think this was obviously an outright lie, even as early as the pilot. If the Vorlons really were not interested in the affairs of others they would never have bothered sending Kosh to B5 in the first place - and Kosh would never have shown up at council meetings.
Other scenes and plots that show the statment to be a lie include;
When Sheridan makes a point of talking to Kosh one of the things he notes is that since he took command of the station Kosh has appeared at council meetings more often. This implies that while unusual Kosh did attend council meetings, and we do get to see Kosh in the chamber throughout season 1 starting with the first episode.
We see Kosh reviewing human history when Sinclar visits him on one occasion. Again, this strongly implies that he does have some interest in the affairs (or at least the history) of other races.
Vorlons (and it seems both versions of Kosh) visited the Mimbari just prior to the Earth-Mimbari war and gave Delen the information she needed to ultimately end the war.
The Vorlons deliberately destroyed a formula that would have granted other species immortality.
- The Drasi attack on the orange clothed human shouldn't have turned out the way it did. The Drasi were taking turns attacking him. He just lets himself get beaten up.
He's probably dying of shame, after being beaten up by B5's most stupid species.