Recap and Discussion: 2 X 19 The Long Twilight Struggle
The ending of one war often includes the beginning of the next.
Recap Begins Here:
A scene of Centauri Prime from space dissolves to the The Imperial Palace. Refa caresses the throne, then greets Londo. Exciting times, he says.
1
What is that Chinese curse again?
Refa is very, very comfortable in the Imperial Court. The war is about to end, and Refa wants Londo to be a part of it. Londo is not sure…and he is definitely not sure about Mr. Morden and his 'allies'.
2
Delenn is meditating when a bright light hits her face, and she hears the laughter of Draal.
Corwin sees an energy surge on the planet below, and alerts Ivanova.
Sheridan is in the shower. He comes out and tousles his own hair for us.
Ivanova tells him about the signals from the planet. Draal appears.
“It is time I introduced myself."
tick...tick...tick...
You don’t have any idea who I am, do you?”
They chat. Draal explains why he is John Schuck, and invites Sheridan down for a visit.
“You can bring one other. You’ll know who.”
G’Kar gets bad news from home via G'Sten. They have one chance, to attack a Centauri supply world at Garash 7 and cut their supply line. It is meant to force the Centauri doubt their strategy and fall back. The Centauri want a quick victory. But it will leave the Narn homeworld with only a skeletal defense.
“The window of vulnerability is very small.” Famous last words.
G’Kar is to stay on Babylon Five, but G’Sten wanted to say good-bye to his favorite nephew.
Delenn runs into Sheridan, and seems to know where he is going. Which is more than he does at this point.
Refa knows about the strike on Garash 7. He informs Londo that he is not going to send the Centauri forces to protect their supply line but to the Narn homeworld. The plan is to use mass drivers-this is a war crime. He uses the Hiroshima argument. End the war quickly and with fewer casualities. Few Centauri casualities. Refa wants Londo to send his ‘allies’ to protect Garash 7 and take out the Narn fleet.
“We are here because of you.” Too true.
Londo agrees to this, but no more. No more. More famous last words.
Garibaldi doubts Draal is who he says he is, or is from where he is from. Delenn says he looks stronger, more fit. *giggle* Ivanova confirms the message is genuine. Sheridan wants to go, and he will because he wants to, the end, shut up Mr. Garibaldi.
Refa takes Londo on his little trip to Narn. Destiny awaits.
Sheridan and Delenn go on their joyride.
G’Kar visits MedLab, which is full of wounded Narns, refugees from the war. Stephen has a warning. The refugees were asked about the homeworld defenses. The Centauri pulled out before the system was secured. Stephen sees a parallel from the Earth-Minbari war, and G’Kar believes him. He goes to inform the Narn forces massing against Garash 7.
3
Sheridan follows Delenn, as is his wont.
"Abso-fragging-lutely dammit." Our Minbari is learning.
Sheridan is gobsmacked by the central core of Epsilon 3. He may never go home. Bit prophetic, that.
G’Kar tries to convince G’Sten but the mission is too far along to abort.
"I’ll finish this conversation when I return."
Draal is in the machine but his holograph comes out to talk. Draal is a crusty old teacher type. He tells Sheridan what he knows about him, and that he has decided to trust him. He tells Delenn he likes her transformation. That makes one Minbari (and one human) who does.
4
“It might be helpful for you to know that you are not alone. And that in the long twilight struggle which lies ahead of us, there is a possibility…of hope.”
Or a deus ex machina that is never really used. One of those.
When Narns attack, Shadows appear. It is a one-sided battle, full of screams and sadness. The colorful battle scenes are interspersed with G’Kar in dim candlelight praying fervently for even a glimmer of hope.
5
The Narn ships attempt to flee but the Shadows destabilize the jump gates, taking out the fleet. G’Kar extinguishes the candle and leans back.
Draal sees Delenn and Sheridan back to their ship. Draal mentions the maintenance workers on the planet but then he feels a great disturbance in the Force. As if millions of voices were crying out...
6
Draal tells Delenn to introduce Sheridan to the Others. Delenn says a personal good-bye to Draal. They touch heads. Draal sees her off, then calls for Zathras(!)
Who we first heard of in Babylon Squared!! Awesome! Callback and foreshadowing at the same time!
Ivanova tells Garibaldi about the attack on the Narn homeworld and they prepare to shut down the station. A riot breaks out in the Zocalo. Sheridan and Delenn return from the planet. Ivanova says she has heard rumors of the Centauri using mass drivers.
We see the planetary bombardment of Narn. Zeroing in on Londo, watching from his aloof station on the flagship, we see his reaction. He is aghast, and appalled, at what he has wrought.
7
"I see a great hand reaching out of the stars. The hand is your hand. And I hear sounds. The sounds of billions of people calling your name."
"My followers?"
"Your victims."
The Narns refuse to surrender after 4 days of bombardment. Armed guards line the hallways. C&C staff hear of the devastation, the genocide, leveled against the Narn. Effective cutting from one grim face to another as the reality sinks in.
8
G’Kar hears of the Kha’Ri’s decision to surrender. He wants to return to Narn and be with his people, his family. But the representative there tells him to stay. He also has a message, and asks the hardest thing he has ever asked G’Kar to do.
G’Kar approaches Sheridan in silence, in his office. He asks for Sanctuary.
Londo comes back to the station from his triumphal tour of destruction. Mr. Garibaldi meets him. He is not impressed.
9
Londo makes his announcement at a Council meeting, blaming the destruction of Narn on Narn. He sets up his Treaty of Versailles terms. Even the Pak’mara looks ill. He attempts to humiliate G’Kar by stripping him of his ambassadorship, and attempts to have him extradited for trial.
Sheridan spikes his damn guns.
10
Delenn backs him the hell up. Kosh just stands there.
Londo gets petulant and Sheridan almost goes for him.
11
G’Kar makes his speech.
“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 tyrants and dictators cannot stand. The Centauri learned that lesson once. We will teach it to them again. Though it take a thousand years….We.Will.Be.Free.
Londo hears of the future Centauri plans from the news. They are not going to stop with Narn.
12
Sheridan offers G’Kar his hand. He takes it. It is a victory, albeit a bit hollow, that he now has allies.
Sheridan meets his new forces, and learns of Delenn and Garibaldi’s involvement with the Rangers. Kosh is there too, looking on.
“There must be one fortress of light to stand against the darkness.”
Sheridan and Delenn now have equal authority over the Rangers.
“We will hold that line, no matter what the cost.”
A pivotal epsisode, season ender caliber with callbacks and foreshadowing galore. One war ends, another war is about to erupt, an endless chain of conflict that will take...something different...to break free.
One of G'Kar's most ringing speeches, effective in its quiet force.
I heard Peter Jurasik decribe the filming of the Destruction of Narn scene on a podcast. Apparently he was up on a ladder for the bit where he's watching the mass drivers bomb Narn back to the Stone Age. And he was up there a long, long time while they adjusted everything for the shots. And he really, really had to go but couldn't move. Later he was told that his condition made his appalled and excruciatingly peevish expression really work in the shot.
13
Two interior decoration notes:
Is that the Death Star??
And:
Does Sheridan have a shishi odoshi fountain in his quarters? He really likes the sound of falling water, doesn't he? And Zen gardens. Oh my yes.
Lastly I want to play a game. When I snip the pictures for these recaps I save the files with names that tell me personally what they contain. Let's see if you can match my file names with the pictures. I've put a number by the pictures included in the game, and the possible names are below. I've left out the ones that are a little too obvious (likes Allies, and Sanctuary, and Uncle G'Sten).
a. Give Me a Reason
b. It Never Ends
c. And So It Ends
d. Realities of War
e. Measuring the Drapes
f. Prayer Seldom Helps
g. Up Yours Mollari
h. A Shadow Falls
i. Guts for Garters
j. The General's Son
k. He Likes It Too
l. Reflections of Shadows
m. Fruit of His Desire
Recap Begins Here:
A scene of Centauri Prime from space dissolves to the The Imperial Palace. Refa caresses the throne, then greets Londo. Exciting times, he says.
1
What is that Chinese curse again?
Refa is very, very comfortable in the Imperial Court. The war is about to end, and Refa wants Londo to be a part of it. Londo is not sure…and he is definitely not sure about Mr. Morden and his 'allies'.
2
Delenn is meditating when a bright light hits her face, and she hears the laughter of Draal.
Corwin sees an energy surge on the planet below, and alerts Ivanova.
Sheridan is in the shower. He comes out and tousles his own hair for us.
Ivanova tells him about the signals from the planet. Draal appears.
“It is time I introduced myself."
tick...tick...tick...
You don’t have any idea who I am, do you?”
They chat. Draal explains why he is John Schuck, and invites Sheridan down for a visit.
“You can bring one other. You’ll know who.”
G’Kar gets bad news from home via G'Sten. They have one chance, to attack a Centauri supply world at Garash 7 and cut their supply line. It is meant to force the Centauri doubt their strategy and fall back. The Centauri want a quick victory. But it will leave the Narn homeworld with only a skeletal defense.
“The window of vulnerability is very small.” Famous last words.
G’Kar is to stay on Babylon Five, but G’Sten wanted to say good-bye to his favorite nephew.
Delenn runs into Sheridan, and seems to know where he is going. Which is more than he does at this point.
Refa knows about the strike on Garash 7. He informs Londo that he is not going to send the Centauri forces to protect their supply line but to the Narn homeworld. The plan is to use mass drivers-this is a war crime. He uses the Hiroshima argument. End the war quickly and with fewer casualities. Few Centauri casualities. Refa wants Londo to send his ‘allies’ to protect Garash 7 and take out the Narn fleet.
“We are here because of you.” Too true.
Londo agrees to this, but no more. No more. More famous last words.
Garibaldi doubts Draal is who he says he is, or is from where he is from. Delenn says he looks stronger, more fit. *giggle* Ivanova confirms the message is genuine. Sheridan wants to go, and he will because he wants to, the end, shut up Mr. Garibaldi.
Refa takes Londo on his little trip to Narn. Destiny awaits.
Sheridan and Delenn go on their joyride.
G’Kar visits MedLab, which is full of wounded Narns, refugees from the war. Stephen has a warning. The refugees were asked about the homeworld defenses. The Centauri pulled out before the system was secured. Stephen sees a parallel from the Earth-Minbari war, and G’Kar believes him. He goes to inform the Narn forces massing against Garash 7.
3
Sheridan follows Delenn, as is his wont.
"Abso-fragging-lutely dammit." Our Minbari is learning.
Sheridan is gobsmacked by the central core of Epsilon 3. He may never go home. Bit prophetic, that.
G’Kar tries to convince G’Sten but the mission is too far along to abort.
"I’ll finish this conversation when I return."
Draal is in the machine but his holograph comes out to talk. Draal is a crusty old teacher type. He tells Sheridan what he knows about him, and that he has decided to trust him. He tells Delenn he likes her transformation. That makes one Minbari (and one human) who does.
4
“It might be helpful for you to know that you are not alone. And that in the long twilight struggle which lies ahead of us, there is a possibility…of hope.”
Or a deus ex machina that is never really used. One of those.
When Narns attack, Shadows appear. It is a one-sided battle, full of screams and sadness. The colorful battle scenes are interspersed with G’Kar in dim candlelight praying fervently for even a glimmer of hope.
5
The Narn ships attempt to flee but the Shadows destabilize the jump gates, taking out the fleet. G’Kar extinguishes the candle and leans back.
Draal sees Delenn and Sheridan back to their ship. Draal mentions the maintenance workers on the planet but then he feels a great disturbance in the Force. As if millions of voices were crying out...
6
Draal tells Delenn to introduce Sheridan to the Others. Delenn says a personal good-bye to Draal. They touch heads. Draal sees her off, then calls for Zathras(!)
Who we first heard of in Babylon Squared!! Awesome! Callback and foreshadowing at the same time!
Ivanova tells Garibaldi about the attack on the Narn homeworld and they prepare to shut down the station. A riot breaks out in the Zocalo. Sheridan and Delenn return from the planet. Ivanova says she has heard rumors of the Centauri using mass drivers.
We see the planetary bombardment of Narn. Zeroing in on Londo, watching from his aloof station on the flagship, we see his reaction. He is aghast, and appalled, at what he has wrought.
7
"I see a great hand reaching out of the stars. The hand is your hand. And I hear sounds. The sounds of billions of people calling your name."
"My followers?"
"Your victims."
The Narns refuse to surrender after 4 days of bombardment. Armed guards line the hallways. C&C staff hear of the devastation, the genocide, leveled against the Narn. Effective cutting from one grim face to another as the reality sinks in.
8
G’Kar hears of the Kha’Ri’s decision to surrender. He wants to return to Narn and be with his people, his family. But the representative there tells him to stay. He also has a message, and asks the hardest thing he has ever asked G’Kar to do.
G’Kar approaches Sheridan in silence, in his office. He asks for Sanctuary.
Londo comes back to the station from his triumphal tour of destruction. Mr. Garibaldi meets him. He is not impressed.
9
Londo makes his announcement at a Council meeting, blaming the destruction of Narn on Narn. He sets up his Treaty of Versailles terms. Even the Pak’mara looks ill. He attempts to humiliate G’Kar by stripping him of his ambassadorship, and attempts to have him extradited for trial.
Sheridan spikes his damn guns.
10
Delenn backs him the hell up. Kosh just stands there.
Londo gets petulant and Sheridan almost goes for him.
11
G’Kar makes his speech.
“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 tyrants and dictators cannot stand. The Centauri learned that lesson once. We will teach it to them again. Though it take a thousand years….We.Will.Be.Free.
Londo hears of the future Centauri plans from the news. They are not going to stop with Narn.
12
Sheridan offers G’Kar his hand. He takes it. It is a victory, albeit a bit hollow, that he now has allies.
Sheridan meets his new forces, and learns of Delenn and Garibaldi’s involvement with the Rangers. Kosh is there too, looking on.
“There must be one fortress of light to stand against the darkness.”
Sheridan and Delenn now have equal authority over the Rangers.
“We will hold that line, no matter what the cost.”
A pivotal epsisode, season ender caliber with callbacks and foreshadowing galore. One war ends, another war is about to erupt, an endless chain of conflict that will take...something different...to break free.
One of G'Kar's most ringing speeches, effective in its quiet force.
I heard Peter Jurasik decribe the filming of the Destruction of Narn scene on a podcast. Apparently he was up on a ladder for the bit where he's watching the mass drivers bomb Narn back to the Stone Age. And he was up there a long, long time while they adjusted everything for the shots. And he really, really had to go but couldn't move. Later he was told that his condition made his appalled and excruciatingly peevish expression really work in the shot.
13
Two interior decoration notes:
Is that the Death Star??
And:
Does Sheridan have a shishi odoshi fountain in his quarters? He really likes the sound of falling water, doesn't he? And Zen gardens. Oh my yes.
Lastly I want to play a game. When I snip the pictures for these recaps I save the files with names that tell me personally what they contain. Let's see if you can match my file names with the pictures. I've put a number by the pictures included in the game, and the possible names are below. I've left out the ones that are a little too obvious (likes Allies, and Sanctuary, and Uncle G'Sten).
a. Give Me a Reason
b. It Never Ends
c. And So It Ends
d. Realities of War
e. Measuring the Drapes
f. Prayer Seldom Helps
g. Up Yours Mollari
h. A Shadow Falls
i. Guts for Garters
j. The General's Son
k. He Likes It Too
l. Reflections of Shadows
m. Fruit of His Desire