Signs And Portents

Space battles everywhere and whoa momma did that big black ship just pulverize that other ship! I would love to have the visions as long as I didn’t have to lose what little hair I have left in order to attain them. That Morden is a dreamy dude, I would so sell out the rest of the galaxy for him. Lord Kiro on the other hand is not so much on the dreamy end and a wee bit too moody for my tastes.

Written By: J. Michael Straczynski

Directed By: Janet Greek

Bare Essentials:

A Plot - The Raiders are afoot again. They enact a plan to get a Centauri artifact, the Eye, off of B5. They do so while taking Lord Kiro hostage at the same time. They do take considerable losses in enacting their plan but with the Eye and Kiro they should make more than enough money to buy as many new ships as they want.

B Plot - Londo is in charge of the recently found Centauri artifact, the Eye. Lord Kiro and his aunt, Lady Ladira, arrive on station to transport the Eye back to Centauri Prime. It turns out that Kiro has been working with Raiders and together they hatch a plan to steal the Eye and use it to put Kiro atop the throne of Centauri Prime. The Raiders have other ideas however and turn on Kiro the moment they have him and the Eye aboard their Battle Wagon. As they are informing Kiro of their plans they are attacked and destroyed by a Shadow Battle Crab.

C Plot - A mysterious man, Mr. Morden is on station. He asks Delenn, Londo, and G’Kar one simple question but only the answer of Londo seems to satisfy him. He runs afoul of Kosh and in their confrontation Kosh’s encounter suit is damaged, indicating that Morden is a major player of some type. As his last act before leaving the station he returns the Eye to Londo, aligning himself with the vessel that destroyed the Raiders.

D Plot - Lady Ladira has a vision of B5’s destruction. She allows Sinclair to partake in this vision.

More Arc, Less Arch:

Of course the character of Morden and his associates will have a lasting impact on the series. Morden will pop up in numerous episodes while his associates, The Shadows, are the big villains for the first three seasons of Babylon 5.

When Morden comes to see Delenn she is working on the machine that will come into play with her in the episode Chrysalis and later for Commander Sinclair in the episode, War Without End, Part 2.

The symbol that appears on Delenn’s forehead in her meeting with Morden is a sign that she is a member of the Grey Council. This was previously seen on another Grey Council member in And The Sky Full Of Stars. The fact that this symbol reacts to Morden is a big deal and is a sign that the Shadows have returned to the galaxy at large. Not only is it a sign that they have returned in the general sense, but it is a sign that Morden is not alone and has actual Shadows with him, a fact that will be fully revealed in, Chrysalis and In The Shadows Of Z’ha’dum.

Morden’s lone act of returning the Eye to Londo has implications for the entire series. This one act literally affects the entire scope of the series and the universe. It will have ramifications on almost every single episode from here on out.

Sinclair was far down the list of candidates to helm B5, like way far down. The only reason he was put in charge at all was at the behest of the Minbari. This was also the condition upon which the Minbari agreed to help fund the station, they were to be allowed to unconditionally pick its commander. This all ties into their belief that Sinclair has a Minbari soul, that of Valen no less, and is broached in In The Beginning, And The Sky Full Of Stars, Chrysalis, Points Of Departure and War Without End Parts 1 & 2 along with a few others eps and the book To Dream In The City Of Sorrows.

The vision Lady Ladira shows Sinclair of B5 being destroyed is both true and false. It is false in that it is shown to be an alternate future in Babylon Squared and War Without End, Part 1. But, it is true as it is shown that her exact image is the last moments of B5 in Sleeping In Light.

Who Are You? What Do Yo… Hey, I’m Asking The Questions Here!:

Based on the name of the battle where the Eye was lost it appears to have been lost on some Narn world. Why would the Centauri allow such a revered object to be present during an off-world battle?

Why did Morden bother seeing Delenn? The Shadows know that the Minbari are loyal servants of the Vorlons, so what did he, and the Shadows, hope to find out by seeing her? Perhaps it was their intention to try and glean from Delenn just how much other races know about their return?

How come the symbol on Delenn’s forehead only reacts this one time? How come it doesn’t react any of the other times she is in the presence of the Shadows themselves or their servants? For that matter why create a symbol that lights up out of nowhere the moment your ancient enemy is around?

Idiosyncratic Musings:

Garibaldi’s willingness to help Sinclair despite the possibility of a bad ending shows his bulldog mentality yet again. But it also shows how fiercely loyal he is to those close to him under any circumstances.

G’Kar’s flustered reaction to Morden’s question of “and then” offers great insight into the short sightedness of the Narn. They can only see their revenge against the Centauri and nothing else beyond that. This will be their eventual downfall until G’Kar finally realizes their mistake and begins the process of enlightening them to the larger picture. It is quite amazing how two simple words from Morden send G’Kar into a complete state of bewilderment, because he honestly has no idea of what exists in the universe at this point outside of revenge against the Centauri.

Morden hiding from Kosh at the onset helps to add to his mystery and to really point out how powerful Kosh and the Vorlons really are. The final confrontation between the two is intensely high drama and they don’t even have to show one second of the actual physical nature of the confrontation to achieve that effect. At the end of that confrontation we are left with even more mystery, about both Morden and Kosh, especially since Kosh’s encounter suit is damaged. We are now given a new person and from what we find out later an entirely new race to fear.

Londo’s response to Morden’s question is perfect for the Shadows. It shows the right amount of desperation and fanatical devotion to a cause while also grasping the bigger picture. That is why the Shadows choose Londo over G’Kar. It isn’t that he’s an evil man while G’Kar isn’t or anything like that. Rather it is that he has a better grasp of the bigger picture and wants more than G’Kar does and because of that fits far better into the Shadows plans.

I See What You Did There:

Mr. Morden makes the first of many appearances on station, although at this point it is not known what his purpose is nor has he been named yet.

Lieutenant (Junior-Grade) Corwin makes his first appearance, unnamed on Babylon 5. His character will be around for all five seasons as well as in a few of the movies.

It’s Not Kosher If It’s Not Kosh:

“Leave this place. They are not for you. Go. Leave. Now.”

Say It Again Mac:

Lt. Commander Ivanova, “Why does my mouth always taste like old carpet in the morning?”

Mr. Morden, “What do you want?”

Lady Ladira, “I see death. Destruction. Fire. Babylon will fall. This place will be destroyed.”

Delenn, “They’re here.”

Londo, “I want my people to reclaim their rightful place in the galaxy. I want to see the Centauri stretch forth their hand and command the stars. I want a rebirth of glory, a renaissance of power. I want to stop running through my life like a man late for an appointment afraid to look back, or to look forward. I want us to be what we used to be. I want… I want it all back the way that it was.” Powerful, powerful words.

Ladira again, “The Shadows have come for us all.”

Yes, I Am A Fleet Junkie:

The pre-title sequence features a battle between a lone Aurora Class Starfury Heavy Fighter and a group of Zephyr 109 Light Fighter’s. The Zephyr’s prove how well they work when in pack hunting mode by swarming the Starfury and completely overwhelming it before shooting the vessel out of space.

This is the first time we get to see Kosh’s ship, and it is a Ambassador Class Light Cruiser. Like all Vorlon ships it is alive and has a bio-armor hull. Its armament consists of one Vorlon death ray, several lightning guns, and it is jump capable. The Ambassador’s don’t carry any fighter craft, but they don’t need them. In the Vorlon ship hierarchy these are considered measly transport ships, and yet they are more powerful and destructive than any ship used by any of the non-First One races in the galaxy. Chew on that for a bit.

The Raiders plan is actually quite smart and would have worked if not for the fact that the Shadows made their presence felt for the first time. They achieved their end goal and were willing tactically to take the risks to achieve that goal. Any losses were acceptable losses so even having to run the gauntlet and lose as many Zephyr’s as they did was perfectly acceptable as long as they made it out with the Eye and Lord Kiro.

The Raiders main vessel is a Battle Wagon Class Light Carrier. It is purely a ship transport as it has no armament of weapons whatsoever. It is capable of forming its own jump point and can carry twenty one Zephyr’s. Outside of that it is completely defenseless and its hull is not the sturdiest found in space.

In the battle at B5 the Raiders use stall tactics from the start. They never intend to win the battle, they merely want to stall B5 long enough to receive their cargo and get out. They were outnumbered and outgunned by the Starfuries and the B5 defense grid. Their idea of a successful stall and retreat was halted by the genius of Sinclair as he used the grid with the Starfuries to create a firing gauntlet that the Zephyr’s had no hope of getting out of. The liabilities of the Zephyr’s are put on display again, the grid slices through them like nothing as do the Starfuries. The final battle numbers illustrate this better than I can. Eleven Zephyr’s were destroyed while four others were damaged/captured. Compare that to only minor surface damage to B5, three damaged Starfuries and only two destroyed.

Bear witness to the scariest vessel in B5 space, the Shadow Battle-Crab Class Attack Cruiser. These babies are behemoths, mammoth in size and only comparable to the capital ships of other First Ones. They are alive and do feature a bio-armor hull. They are controlled by a lone occupant that merges with the ship and serves as the equivalent of a CPU in a computer. Their exit from hyperspace appears to be more like a decloaking so they may have cloaking capabilities as well. They carry 40 Spitfire Class Heavy Fighters, although as I will tell you at a later point carry may be a misnomer, or entirely accurate. Their armament consists of one Shadow death ray and energy mines. The Battle-Crabs are extremely powerful and are well above any non-First One vessel in space.

A lone Shadow Battle-Crab phases out of hyperspace and slices through the Raiders Battle Wagon like butter. As I said, a very, very powerful ship.

It’s Your Cultural Imperative:

The Eye is the oldest symbol of Centauri nobility. It dates all the way back to the first Emperor and the first noble house, that of Kiro. It is a jewel that was lost over a hundred years prior at the Battle Of Nu’Shok.

Centauri women have the ability to be seers and prophetesses. They can see visions of possible futures and foretell these possible events. However Lord Kiro’s disbelief in his aunt’s visions makes the point that not all Centauri believe in these seers like Londo does.

The Shadows make their first appearance in Signs And Portents. We don’t actually get to see the Shadows yet, so I’ll tell you their physical characteristics at a later time when it is revealed. We also aren’t privy to any information on them yet, so that will be revealed by moi at a later date as well. At this point all we know is that The Shadows are extremely powerful and very feared.

I Think This Might Be Based On Something:

The main Raider identifies himself as “Six” this may be a nod to the TV series The Prisoner, a common theme in Babylon 5.

According to the Lurker, the episodes title is probably reference to the radio drama, On A Note Of Triumph by Norman Corwin. Although not named yet the character that Joshua Cox plays is probably named after Norman Corwin.

You Look Mighty Familiar:

Lyn Red Williams, the security officer that greets Morden, played Jax Briggs in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. However he should be most well known for portraying Sabre on the long running TV series, American Gladiators.

Joshua Cox, Corwin, had one notable role as Midwife Riggs for the entire run of Strong Medicine.

Whip Hubley, the main Raider, instantly jumped out at me because he was Hollywood in Top Gun. He also portrayed Michael Russo in Black Scorpion II: Aftershock.

Gerrit Graham, Lord Kiro, played the Q member Quinn in the Star Trek: Voyager episode, Death Wish. He also played Dr. Victor Frankenstein in the TV series Weird Science for one episode, Searching For Boris Karloff. He also voiced Milo in The Tick Vs. episode Armless But Not Harmless and the character of Franklin Sherman on numerous episodes of The Critic.

Casting Ahead:

Doug McCoy returns as the unnamed Starfury pilot from B5, this time he’s Ivanova’s wingman as they go to help the Achilles.

That Wasn’t Supposed To Happen:

As nitpicky as it may be the day given by Ivanova’s computer at the beginning is wrong. If the date is August 3rd, 2258 that would fall on a Tuesday, not a Wednesday.

As Garibaldi and Sinclair are leaving the men’s room at the end of the episode they are passed in the hall outside the bathroom by someone on their way in. The one problem is that this person is a woman and the bathroom is clearly marked as a male only one.

When Morden enters Londo’s quarters with the Eye the door never closes behind him and it actually stays open throughout the entire scene. This is in contrast to the fact that the doors always close right after someone enters.

The Ombuds Have Decided:

This is B5 at its finest, it is as simple as that. The pacing, acting, writing, lighting, camera work, directing, everything is as spot on as you would want an episode of TV to be. The character interactions all make sense and every one of them drives the show forward. Signs And Portents moves at such a brisk pace that it is over before you know it, it draws you in and doesn’t let go of your throat until the moment the credit comes up. The only negatives in the entire episode were the two tiny faux pas listed above. That is all that stops Signs And Portents from getting a perfect grade. Tremendous, breathtaking television.

Morden’s simple answer of “yes” in regards to the question of whether or not he found anything interesting while traveling the rim is very coy. It’s a smart was of immediately creating a mystery and certain air about the character.

The camera work in the scene where Sinclair begins to confide in Garibaldi that he now knows more about the missing hours of his life is a thing to behold. The camera pans and follows Sinclair as he walks closer and closer to Garibaldi. With each step he utters another word about his upcoming revelation that he is going to divulge to Garibaldi and the camera continues to follow him as he closes in on Garibaldi. It’s a brilliant bit of camera work to visually represent the fact that Sinclair is closing any remaining distance between the two by letting Garibaldi this deep into his life.

Having Kiro name the major villain of the series first three seasons in an anecdotal story to Londo without even knowing he was doing as such was a sweet irony play. The fact that at the end of the episode Ladira’s vision about his death comes true and he is killed by Shadows is neat gem that most shows would never even consider doing.

The lighting in the Morden/Delenn scene is superb. The shadows crossing over him just as Delenn reacts negatively to his presence is a great visual and very powerful imagery.

The battle between B5 and the Raiders works really well. The CGI looks great, and the drama and action of what is happening outside the station is mixed in very well with what is going on inside the station. The fact that the Raiders and Sinclair used actual strategy in the battle is a nice change of pace from what had been seen in sci-fi up till this point. The standard was two forces lining up opposite each other and trading shots until one was destroyed or surrendered. Needless to say strategic cunning and planning is much better than that.

Lord Kiro’s plan is idiotic, but not in a bad storytelling sense mind you. I really like that they would allow a character to be this stupid. It completely jives with his sense of self-importance and his desperation for allies in his bid for power that he would be stupid enough to trust the Raiders. For as idiotic as his planning may have been the performance of Gerrit Graham as Kiro was tremendous. He brought a gravitas to the role and managed to keep him grounded despite how idiotic he eventually turned out to be.

While most of the episode is tense and drama filled the scene with Ivanova bemusing her mouth’s unnatural texture as well as the confrontation at the transport lift between G’Kar and Londo adds a bit of levity to the episode. Those two scenes stop the episode from being balls to the wall action and intrigue, but they are good scenes and add to the episode as a whole. Both are funny as all can be and both are mundane moments that offer small insights into key characters.

Rating:

99/100

A

That’s all for this excellent episode, next I shall return with TKO, and I’m pretty sure that will be a giant step backwards.

Cheers,

Bill

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