Babylon 5

Acts of Sacrifice - Ivanova has sex with an alien! (sort of...!) But my favorite part of the episode is the scene in the bar when Londo settles up his debts to Garibaldi and and bares himself to how lonely he is becoming and how he cherishes Garibaldi as his friend. "It is good to have friends, is it not?" It makes it hard to despise Londo even though we know we should.

Bytes from Divided Loyalties-

"I didn't know you read Universe Today."

"After our last encounter with your reporters, I felt that I should be more prepared in the future. I find this notion of the press a fascinating, but sometimes troubling concept."

*** Listen to her Captain Smiley. Would save you a bunch of grief in a couple of years when ISN returns ***
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"Ever since I touched Ambassador Kosh, I've been drawn there (Vorlon Space). Sooner or later, I'm gonna make it. And they'll let me in. I know it."
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"Why is it that every time you finally get things calmed down and everything's going great, life decides to kick you in the butt?"

"But what?"

"What?"

"You said that life decides to kick you, but...?"

"No, no... it's a part of the body. It's... uh... you have the damndest gaps in your vocabulary."
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"That's one cabinet that will never threaten us again."
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"Mr Garibaldi."

(Lyta sends the Control password. Garibaldi begins to shake and grab his head, covering his eyes)

"Boo! Gotcha!"

"Michael, if you ever do that to me again..."

"Sorry. Just couldn't help myself."
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"Now look at us! This is exactly what Psi Corps wants. They want us paranoid, afraid of each other. Divide and conquer- it's the oldest rule in the book. You know that."

"I guess it wouldn't be a good time for me to suggest we all join hands and sing 'Kumbaya'?"

"Mr Garibaldi--"
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"The Corps is mother! The Corps is father! You're dead Lyta Alexander! We'll find you! The Corps will find you!"
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The Long, Twilight Struggle

Londo gets to find out just how far the newly aggressive Centauri Republic he helped to create will go to win their war.

Everyone wave bye bye to the Narn homeworld.

Bytes from The Long, Twilight Struggle

*** You ever wonder what happened to Emperor Turhan's telepaths? Especially since they probably knew that Londo lied about his last words. ***
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"We have no intention of invading Narn. Flattening it, yes."
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"This has been a hard and trying year for you, Captain Sheridan. It might be helpful for you to know that you are not alone. That in the long, twilight struggle which lies ahead of us, there is the possibility of hope."
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"Is it difficult to be alone here, Draal?"

"I'm never alone. My thoughts are always among the stars. And there are a few others living here who maintain the Great Machine. I speak with them from time to time. They are quite interesting. There is one in particular who..."
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"So much to do. So little time. We must get to work. Zathras! Zathras! Never around when he is needed."

*** Amazing how one little reference just blows you away if you remembered where you heard it a year ago ***
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*** You know it's pretty bad when you come back to the station and you hear air raid sirens going off ***
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"Officials in Earth Dome confirm that the Centauri Republic has begun a devastating frontal assault on the Narn homeworld. Reports continue to come in alleging the main Narn fleet has been neutralized, and that Narn is completely encircled by its enemies."
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"With the planetary bombardment in its 4th day, the Narn government continues in its refusal for surrender. Minbari, Vorlon, Earth and other governments have filed official protests with the Centauri Republic for their use of mass drivers against the civilian population. But so far, the protests have had no effect. Although communication with the Narn homeworld is difficult due to the attacks, word has reached ISN of cities utterly destroyed, hundreds of thousands of casualties, and the total elimination of power and water over most of the Narn planetary surface. Most of their major cities have fallen, food shipments have stopped, the planetary economy has collapsed, and medical treatment is virtually non-existent. Government analysts predict that unless the Narn government surrenders soon, their entire infrastructure will be totally destroyed.

To quote Senator Ronald Quantrell: They are being bombed back into the Stone Age."
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"Captain Sheridan, I have been instructed by my government to come to you and ask for... sanctuary."
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"Nevertheless, at this moment GKar is no longer an official representative of Narn, and must be removed from this council. Now!!!"

"No dictator, no invader... can hold an imprisoned population by force of arms forever. There is no greater power in the universe than the need for freedom. Against that power, governments and tyrants and armies can not stand. The Centauri learned this lesson once. We will teach it to them again. Though it take a thousand years, we will be free."
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"Tell the other Rangers, the ambassadors, everyone in this Army of Light, that Babylon 5 stands with you. Tell them from this place, we will deliver notice to the parliaments of conquerors that a line has been drawn against the darkness, and we will hold that line no matter the cost."
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Comes the Inquisitor

Ah, my favorite 2nd season episode. Sebastian rocks

Cruel Angel wrote:

Comes the Inquisitor

Ah, my favorite 2nd season episode. Sebastian rocks

Gotta share my personal favorite lines:

"How do you know the Chosen Ones? "No greater love hath a man than he lay down his life for his brother." Not for millions…not for glory…not for fame. For one person, in the dark, where no one will ever know or see."

"Good luck to you in your holy cause, Captain Sheridan. May your choices have better results than mine. Remembered, not as a messenger, remembered not as a reformer, not as a prophet, not as a hero, not even as Sebastian. Remembered only .. as Jack."

Rust wrote:

"How do you know the Chosen Ones? "No greater love hath a man than he lay down his life for his brother." Not for millions…not for glory…not for fame. For one person, in the dark, where no one will ever know or see."

It's pretty sad that out of everyone Sebastian had tested, they all failed. It ended up being all about caring more about themselves than about others. Kinda like in real life.

Bytes from Comes the Inquisitor-

"If you do the right thing, for the wrong reasons, the work becomes corrupted, impure, and ultimately self destructive. Ambassador Kosh wishes confirmation that the right people are in the right place at the right time."
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"Nothing changes. Corruption. Immorality. Chaos."
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"Yes, the Vorlons have been to Earth. The Vorlons have been everywhere. The Vorlons are. My name is Sebatstian. I resided at 14B, Heresford Lane in London in the year of our Lord 1888. I was found by the Vorlons, taken, transported and brought into their service. They told me everything about everything. And the scales fell from my eyes, and they were opened to a universe of majesty and terror that you could never imagine."
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"I never start a conversation unless I know where it's going, but I always leave a little room for someone to disappoint me."
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"Who are you?"

"Delenn?"

"Unacceptable answer. I already know your name. Who are you?"

"I- I am the ambassador for Minbar."

"Unacceptable. That is only your title. What other people call you when you choose to hide behind formalities. Who are you?

"I'm the daughter of--"

"Unacceptable.

What a sad thing you are. Unable to answer such a simple question without falling back on references and genealogies and what other people call you. Have you nothing of your own? Nothing to stand on that is not provided, defined, delineated, stamped, sanctioned, numbered and approved by others? How can you be expected to fight for others when you haven't the fairest idea who you are?"

*** A very Prisoner-esque line right in there ***
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"Do you know how many have stood before me as you stand now? Proud. Defiant. Full of their own bloated self-importance. Confident that they are chosen, special, favored of God. All of them have broken. And better for everyone that they did. Better to spare others the illusion of false hope.

You have the audacity to presume that you are on a mission from God. Embarked upon a holy cause. I don't believe it. By the time you leave here, neither will you."
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"If you believe you are the chosen, then you must risk everything on the premise that the universe will not let you die."
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"Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. How do you apologize to them?"

"I can't."

"Then I can not forgive."
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"If I believe I'm here now for a reason--"

"And if the world says otherwise?"

"Then the world is wrong!"

"And Delenn is right? But perhaps the world is right and Delenn is wrong. Have you ever considered that? Have you?"

"Yes. Sometimes."

"Then there may yet be hope for you."
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"And what am I? Please tell me."

"You are a creature who has received pain. And given pain. And taken too much joy in its application. You have aspired to dreams and been disappointed, because you are not strong enough or worthy enough or right enough. So you lash out at anyone who believes they can make a difference, because it reminds you of your own failure. You have to prove they're just as bad, just as flawed as you are. Am I close, Mr Sebastian?"

"Bang."
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"And the final player in our little drama arrives at last."
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"Go to Hades."

"This is Hades. And you are its chief, damned soul."
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"You would trade your life for his? But you have a destiny. Is that destiny not worth one life?"

"If I fall, another will take my place. And another. And another."

"But your great cause..."

"This is my cause! Life! One life or a billion, it's all the same!"
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"How do you know the Chosen Ones? No greater love hath a man than he lay down his life for his brother. Not for millions. Not for glory. Not for fame. For one person. In the dark, where no one will ever know, or ever see.

I have been in the service of the Vorlons for centuries looking for you. Diogenes with his lamp, looking for an honest man willing to die for all the wrong reasons. At last my job is finished. Yours is just beginning.

When the darkness comes, know this. You are the right people, in the right place, at the right time. "
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"The city was drowning in decay, chaos, immorality. A message needed to be sent, etched in blood for all the world to see. A warning. In the pursuit of my holy cause, I did things. Terrible things. Unspeakable things. The world condemned me, but it didn't matter, because I believed I was right and the world was wrong. I believed I was the divine messenger. I believed I was-- "

"Chosen?"

"I was found by the Vorlons, They showed me the terrible depth of my mistake. My crime. My presumption."
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"Good luck to you in your holy cause, Captain Sheridan. May your choices have better results than mine. Remembered not as a messenger. Remembered not as a reformer. Not as a prophet. Not as a hero. Not even... as Sebastian. Remembered only... as Jack."
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And so the year 2259 draws to a close...

The Fall of Night

This was actually the first episode of the series I got to see in 'real time'. The Gathering aired during the last week I was in college, then I went home. During the year and a half between then and grad school, my home town did not get a channel that aired B5.

When I got to grad school in Fall of 95, I was working for the Psych Dept as a graduate assistant. I noticed that one of the professors had a Star Trek mousepad, and asked her if she was a fan. She was, and for a few minutes we started talking Trek... then she asked me- Do you watch Babylon 5? I told her that after the movie, I hadn't been able to see any since my home town didn't get it.

Next day at work, she shows up with a stack of VHS tapes and tells me- This is season 1. Watch them all in order. Tell me when you are done, and I will bring you the rest so you can get up to speed.

And thus was my introduction to Babylon 5

Bytes from The Fall of Night-

"Londo. Everything is falling apart, and the Centauri are right in the middle of it. Can't your people see that? Can't you see that?"

"I do not have to listen to this. Your authority ends at Babylon 5, Captain. Do not start getting delusions of grandeur. You will not survive them."

*** You think that Londo has noticed that obstacles to what the Centauri are doing seem to disappear with extreme prejudice... but with that line, I always have wondered if Londo himself ordered the hit on Sheridan ***
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(referring to the 'ghost' in hyperspace) "Said it looked like a cross between a spider and your worst nightmare."
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*** Ah, Mr Lantz. Roy Dotrice playing yet another deluded, self serving bureaucrat. Commissioner Simmons got what he deserved though in Space 1999 ***
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*** You know your ships are uber cool when they scream in people's minds. ***
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"I'm here to sign a non-aggression treaty with the Centauri. Before I leave here, there will be an Earth Centauri Alliance that will guarantee peace for Earth. We will, at last, know peace in our time."
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"Merry Christmas. Happy Hanukkah. Whatever."

"Really, I... I don't really have one of these. What is it?"

"It's shrapnel from the Black Star. I checked and Earth Force archives actually had a few pieces in storage. Took some doing, but I talked them into giving me one."

"Why?"

"Everyone said it was impossible to take out a Minbari war cruiser. But you did it. The way things are going, I figured it might be nice to have a reminder that the impossible is possible."

*** Fear not Ivanova... Captain Smiley is master of the impossible. He has a whole section in his resume devoted to it ***
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"You destroyed a Centauri warship!"

"You're darn straight!"
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"I assume this apology has already been written?"

"No need. You can phrase it any way you see fit. As with everything else, it's the thought that counts."
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"I apologize. I'm sorry.

I'm sorry we had to defend ourselves against an unwarranted attack. I'm sorry that your crew was stupid enough to fire on a station filled with over a quarter million civilians, including your own people. And I'm sorry I waited as long as I did before I blew them all straight to Hades.

As with everything else, it's the thought that counts."
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"The Shadows will know what Kosh has done. They will worry, afraid that he would not reveal himself unless the Vorlons were prepared to stand against them."

"Are they?"

"I do not think so. But as long as the Shadows believe that the rest of us are unaware of their existence, we have time to prepare."

"Let's just hope that nobody finds out about them until-"

"Captain, Zeta Squadron has just got back. Lt Keffer is reported missing."
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*** From the bloopers- ***

"And you Ambassador Mollari, what did you see?"

"I thought I saw a puddy cat. I did see a puddy cat."
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"It was the end of the Earth year 2259, and the war was upon us. As anticipated, a few days after the Earth Centauri treaty was announced, the Centauri widened their war to include many of the League of Non- Aligned Worlds. And there was another war brewing closer to home. A personal one whose cost would be higher than any of us could imagine.

We came to this place because Babylon 5 was our last, best hope for peace. By the end of 2259, we knew that it had failed. But in so doing, it became something greater. As the war expanded, it became our last best hope for victory.

Because sometimes peace is another word for surrender... and secrets have a way of getting out."
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"When our ship found a distress beacon attached to an Earth Force recording device, these images, released exclusively to ISN, were found on that recording. Strategic analysts in Earth Dome have indicated they don't know who this new race might be, but promise to find out."
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Well, been away for the weekend, time to start season 4!!

Ronpur wrote:

Well, been away for the weekend, time to start season 4!!

Good stuff... but Season 4 to me is uneven. The beginning push to the end of the Vorlon Shadow War- great. Once it shifts to the Garibaldi/ Edgars/ Mars arc, it slows down and doesn't thrill me much... but then once the major push is back to the civil war on Earth, it's great again.

Still, I'd take the Mars arc over the telepath colony arc in Season 5. Yuck.

Hunter, Prey - Decent episode, but not memorable.

There All the Honor Lies - Sheridan is set up for murder, B5 becomes a "Deep Space Franchise" and Londo stands up for Vir. I wish that when Sheridan orders the B5 merch to be boxed up, he would have sent some of it to me! That was some cool stuff! Great character stuff for Vir and the nature of his relationship with Londo. They need each other.

And Now for a Word - I really like this one. It's interesting to get the points of view from all involved on B5 and it's purpose and the Narn-Centauri conflict from the parties involved by way of an ISN news program. It shows how people say on TV things they may or may not actually feel because they're on camera. On a side note, this is the episode with Franklin's "spacing" speech. Thouroughly depressing. He must be great at parties...

In the Shadow of Z'ha'dum - Where do I start? Series-changing episode. Waaaaay too much to list here. Still my favorite part is Vir's answer to Morden's question of "What do you want?" He replies, "I'd like to live just long enough to be there when they cut off your head and stick it on a pike as a warning to the next ten generations that some favors come with too high a price. I would look up at your lifeless eyes and wave like this. Can you and your associates arrange that for me, Mr. Morden?" Priceless.

SeaDevil wrote:

And Now for a Word -
On a side note, this is the episode with Franklin's "spacing" speech. Thouroughly depressing. He must be great at parties...

Yup, Stephen really needs to lighten up. He was prolly coming down off of his last Stim fix and needed another hit.

And now, the year 2260 begins- "The Point of No Return"

Matters of Honor

Welcome Marcus!

And the intro of a lil ol ship called the White Star

Bytes from Matters of Honor-

"And now that we've done everything that you have asked, you want us to simply disappear."

"I do believe you have it surrounded, Mr Morden."
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"My job is to find out what you or any of the other races know about this ship."

"I'm sorry, Mr Endawi, I wish I could be of some help to you, but this is the first time I have seen a ship like this."
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"You said you'd never seen one before."

"That part was true. Descriptions of these ships have come down to us from the last great war, but I have never actually seen on until this moment. These ships... once they target you, never stop, never slow down, never give up until they have destroyed you. They are nearly invincible."

"I don't believe that. Every ship has a weakness."

"Believe what you will, until experience changes your mind. Take a good look, John, and remember it well. That is the face of our enemy."
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"Can you tell me if you have seen this before?"

"Yes. In a dream. I'm standing somewhere on Centauri Prime I think. I'm looking up, and there are ships just like this, passing overhead. First a few, and then more. A thousand. Two thousand. So many they blot out the sun. A terrible sight.
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"This area over here is for the Centauri. Conquer all the worlds you like, we won't bother you. As long as it's understood that this area is ours. You can take anything you want over here, we'll take everything over there."

"What guarantee do we have that your forces will not decide to turn around and attack us?"

"None. Ambassador, we both know what promises and treaties mean. All I can tell you is that we have what we want. The rest is of no concern to us."

"Done. We go our separate ways, and owe each other nothing."

"Of course. Oh, one small exception hardly worth mentioning. This world, it's on the border of your space, but we have a vested interest in it. I've taken the liberty of asking Lord Refa to secure it for us."

"Refa?"

"Well, you said you wanted nothing more to do with us, and he was quite open to my request."
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"I'm not authorized for that kind of information."

"But you're the head of security."

"And what kind of head of security would I be if I let people like me know things that I'm not supposed to know? I know what I know because I have to know it. And if I don't have to know it, I don't tell me, and I don't let anyone else tell me either. "
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"I'm not authorized to have any official conversation with the Narn without Centauri approval."

"So you'll ask unofficially. And I can give you reasonable assurances that the head of security will not report you for doing so."

"Because you won't tell yourself about it?"

"I try never to get involved in my own life. Too much trouble."
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"The White Star is a new breed of Minbari warship. Smaller than our other fleet ships, and faster than anything else her size. It used both Minbari and Vorlon technology. Most important, unlike other vessels her size, this one can make its own jump point into hyperspace."

"I'll take two."
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"I know this is a longshot, Mr GKar, but if there is anything you can tell us about this ship..."

"Finally. They came to our world over a thousand of your years ago. Long before we went to the stars ourselves. They set up a base on one of our southern continents. They took little interest in us. GQuan believed they were engaged in a war far outside our own world. ... This ship and your ship is the same."
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*** The shot and everyone's reaction to seeing the Shadow vessel in orbit around Zagros 7 is epic ***
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"Listen to me, Captain. You don't know what you're dealing with. The weapons on this ship aren't strong enough to hurt a Shadow vessel that size. We must find help. We cannot hope to destroy a ship like that alone."

"With all due respect, Ambassador, I've heard that before."

*** Yup, Sheridan is about to add to the Impossible Accomplishments section of his resume again ***
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"The ship is a complete mystery to all of them."

"Good. My associates will be very happy to hear that."
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Convictions

Welcome Brother Theo!

Bytes from Convictions-

"Chaos is coming."
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"It's obvious that the Centauri are the ones planting these bombs!... The explosion that almost killed your captain was caused by a Centauri!"

"That was an isolated incident and there is no reason to believe that it had anything to do with this."

"No, of course not. I supposed we've had a convention of mad bombers arrive here at the station! Yes, that must be it. From now on, I must remember to check the Babylon 5 social calendar more often."
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"How many Centauri does it take to screw in a light bulb? Just one. But, in the great old days of the Republic, hundreds of servants would change thousands of light bulbs at our slightest whim! Well, I guess you had to be there."
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"You forget the terms of our surrender. The penalty for killing of any Centauri by any Narn will be the death of 500 Narns, including the perpetrator's own family! But I don't have to kill you. I don't have to do anything. And I still get to watch you die. I find this most appealing!" (starts to laugh)

"This is insane. We must work together."

(trying to contain his laughter) "No. As the humans say: Up yours! Die!"

"We're in here! Can anyone hear us!?! "

(in a funny voice) "I hear you."
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"Not many fishes left in the sea... not many fishes, just Londo and me..."
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*** If Sheridan had just put his link around front instead of behind (literally), he would have been ok ***
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"It's nothing personal. It's just the times."
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"I spoke to Ambassador Mollari a little while ago. He's most grateful for what you did. The Centaruum will probably want to give you a medal for this."

"I should have stayed in the coma."
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"Bastard."

"Monster."

"Fanatic."

"Murderer."

"You are insane!"

"And that's why we'll win."
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A Day in the Strife

O those pesky alien probes....

And the Centauri try and put their own Narn puppet errrr.... ambassador on B5.

Bytes from A Day in the Strife-

"Without a gun, you got nothing to back you up."

(Sheridan hands him a PPG and takes the guy's metal pipe)

"You've got the gun. All I got is... what I've got."

"No way. I drop you, your guards will kill me."

"Maybe, maybe not. Anything happens to me, everyone gets an instant promotion."

*** That Shadow vessel victory is just adding to the swagger ***
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*** Yay! Ta'Lon's return after the Strieb encounter ***
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"Sometimes I miss that we do not talk anymore, Delenn."

"We never really talked, Londo."
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"I'm not entirely sure what my superiors back home would think if I suddenly began showing up places with a Narn bodyguard."

"They would say: here is a man who will live to be 150."
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"The probe finds worthy candidates and eliminates those it considers less evolved. Less intelligent."

"Sort of like an interstellar gardener? Plucking out weeds so just the flowers can grow? Let's just hope the high IQ boys back home give us all the right answers to this test; otherwise, we are gonna get hit with a 500,000 megaton weed whacker."
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"You have been promoted. You will earn more money. Receive more attention. Women may even come to find you attractive in time."

*** Lyndisty! ***
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"I carry my sword in my hand. You carry yours in your heart and in your mind."
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Cruel Angel wrote:

"You forget the terms of our surrender. The penalty for killing of any Centauri by any Narn will be the death of 500 Narns, including the perpetrator's own family! But I don't have to kill you. I don't have to do anything. And I still get to watch you die. I find this most appealing!" (starts to laugh)

"This is insane. We must work together."

(trying to contain his laughter) "No. As the humans say: Up yours! Die!"

"We're in here! Can anyone hear us!?! "

(in a funny voice) "I hear you."

I loved those sequences! Those two really had some remarkable chemistry together!

Passing Through Gethsemane

Not one of my favs, but good to see Lyta back

Cruel Angel wrote:

Passing Through Gethsemane

Not one of my favs, but good to see Lyta back

I love this episode. So sad and touching.

Three episodes about death and loss...

Knives - Londo must kill an old friend in a duel in order to save his family's honor. The look of terror and shock on Londo's face as he holds his dead friend in his arms is a wonderful piece of acting from the terriffic Peter Jurasik. Tragic personal loss for Londo.

Confessions and Lamentations - The Markab race has a plague that is untreatale and incurable. All Delenn and Lennier can do is give them aid and comfort. It isn't enough. The Markab all die and all they can do is helplessly watch. Devastating. All Delenn can do is cry. Us, too.

Divided Loyalties - There is a sleeper agent on B5 and Lyta is back on station to expose him/her. Once exposed, the person we know is destroyed for the new implanted personality. And he/she is closer than you think. Even having seen this episode several times, the scene where the sleeper is exposed is still shocking. A crushing personal blow to members of the crew. And to those who enjoyed the character now lost forever.

Three great episodes.

Bytes from Passing Through Gethsemane-

"Gambling is one of the lesser sins. I've always thought that if you're gonna sin, you may as well go for one of the really big ones."
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"Nobody's ever been to the Vorlon homeworld and back again. Yet she goes, comes back like she just took a trip to the corner store, and now she's working for Kosh. Is anybody else as creeped out about this as I am?"

(Sheridan, Susan, and Stephen raise their hands)
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"Death walks among you."
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"They say Valen was a Minbari not born of Minbari."
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*** I wonder... just how DID the revenge squad know that Edward survived the fire at the interim facility if everyone in authority declared him dead? They said it took 9 years to track him down. Did they set fire to the facility and know he got away? ***
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"I believe you were saying that forgiveness is a hard thing, but something ever to strive for. Were you not, Captain?"
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