Mark Watches ‘Babylon 5’: S02E01 – Points of Departure

In the first episode of the second season of Babylon 5, I wasn’t ready, and I feel like half my predictions are ALREADY WRONG. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Babylon 5. 

What the fuck WHAT THE FUCK

Chrysalis

So the previous episode was just a gigantic neon sign warning me that HEY, EVERYTHING IS GONNA CHANGE, BUCKLE IN LOSER. I feel like this episode gave me a HUGE update to the mythology of this show, but also continues to leave me in the darkness. Something is coming, and Delenn’s transformation is clearly tied to it. (As is Sinclair’s re-assignment, the introduction of Sinclair, and the Minbari cultural schism.) But I thought that she had the approval of the Grey Council, and this episode outright confirms that she ACCELERATED the prophecy. (What exactly is that prophecy? Is it tied to the Minbari souls dilemma?) She wasn’t supposed to transform this early, and whatever the reason for it, it has pushed the timeline further along. 

I’m drawn back to Lennier’s words near the end of “Points of Departure,” and before I get to that: damn, Lennier (and Bill Mumy) is so fucking great in this episode. I enjoyed getting to see him be in charge rather than Delenn. (There’s an interesting parallel between him and Ivanova in this episode, too, since both of them are in leadership roles in the absence of their colleague.) In that role, though, he still worries, more so than I believe we’ve seen before. And he has good reason for that! He reveals to Sheridan and Ivanova the real reason for the surrender at the Battle of the Line, and sharing a secret of that importance is TERRIFYING. But it made sense that the message came through a character like Lennier. The religious caste of the Minbari, in general, seems more willing to work with humans, to appreciate and understand them. AND NOW WE KNOW WHY. Oh my god, all the stuff about the river of souls was important because SOULS ARE BEING BORN INTO HUMANS. How? HOW IS THAT EVEN HAPPENING? That’s not important right now, and unlike Sheridan, I fully believe this is real. And what a messed up predicament! The warrior caste believes the surrender is bullshit (more on that in a moment), and now, it’s become a moral requirement that humans not be killed because they might be holding a Minbari soul. So, how the hell are the humans and Minbari supposed to come together to defeat the darkness if there are four different factions at odds? 

Sheridan

I don’t know if there was behind-the-scenes stuff that would explain Sinclair’s sudden, dramatic departure, but without knowing them, I still found the story engaging. There’s something bold about teasing us with the answer to Sinclair’s history, having that delayed by Delenn’s transformation, and then, at the opening of the next season, ripping Sinclair away from the narrative. I feel like there’s still a possibility that he can come back, and I hope that is the case. I would love some closure for his character. (Please don’t tell me about this sort of stuff; I want to be surprised about a return if it is happening.) 

But this wouldn’t be as satisfying and intriguing if it weren’t for the introduction of Sheridan at this exact point. Even if I never learned what prompted Michael O’Hare to leave the show, this was such a fantastic place to insert a new character into the main protagonist spot. In just forty-odd minutes, JMS manages to introduce us to a character, explain why they’re complicated, and then show us how their presence absolutely matters to the story. So they don’t feel like a random insert; it felt intentional.

Sheridan is not Sinclair at all. I feel like Sheridan’s military experience differs from Sinclair’s, and because of that, there’s a gruffness to him that is closer to the surface. We see that in the first episode, and I wonder if that’s why he was second in line to command Babylon 5. What if this station was initially intended not to be diplomatic, but military? It makes sense, especially after the Earth-Minbari war. (And I really REALLY want to see if the show will delve into the reasons for it starting. Yes, Dukhat was murdered, but I feel like there’s more to that story, too.) So, now the Earth Force leaders have gotten what they wanted, but is that a good thing?

Well, not to some people, and the appointment of Commander Sheridan comes with one HELL of a bit of baggage. Sheridan’s reputation as the StarKiller is an immediate complication for Babylon 5, and one thing that utterly pleased me about this episode was Sheridan’s journey. He was confident and brash in the earlier parts of the episode when talking about taking out a massive Minbari warship, and he was openly unapologetic. And I understood that! The Minbari were trying to wipe out the humans (sort of), and Sheridan was defending his home. Why should he feel guilt over that?

But after the Trigati returns to operation after 12 years, Sheridan isn’t so sure, and that journey was a surprise to me. He handled this conflict extremely well, and his knowledge of some of the more complicated parts of Minbari society definitely helped him. But even after correctly determining that the Trigati was trying to bait him into fighting, he still questions himself. Should he have accepted this position? Is his presence just going to exacerbate the Minbari, and how much trouble will that cause for the many species and people living on Babylon 5? I greatly appreciated that level of introspection from the main character IN THE FIRST EPISODE. It immediately made me want to see more from him. How can the Minbari and Earth get along if Sheridan infuriates so many Minbari?

The back-to-back punch of this episode and “Chrysalis” was a lot, y’all, and I feel like Babylon 5 just became a different show. Big changes are in the winds, indeed.

The video for “Points of Departure” can be downloaded here for $0.99.

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