1.18
A Voice In The Wilderness, Part 1
What is up with the people on B5 always helping weird and mysterious aliens that just finished telling them they’re all going to die? C’mon people, just once let the alien die and roll the dice! I will mention this later because I love it that much, but Sinclair’s mobster track suit is so darn BOSS~. Oh Talia, why do you harbor so much hatred within you, it’s damn near frightening!
Written By: J. Michael Straczynski
Directed By: Janet Greek
Bare Essentials:
A Plot - Things are happening on Epsilon 3, the planet near B5. Ivanova and Sinclair eventually go planet side to investigate and discover a highly advanced alien dwelling and a dying alien at the center of it. While they are leaving the planet with the alien something big is coming out of the jump gate as the episode closes…
B Plot - Mars is in the middle of a revolt. Garibaldi is trying to get through to an old flame of his. He is unsuccessful and not even the help of Talia Winters and his knowledge of a hidden Psi Corps training facility on the planet can get a message through. Talia is able to find out that Garibaldi’s old flame is not on the list of survivors, but Garibaldi holds out hope that she is alright.
C Plot - Delenn’s old mentor Draal has come to visit her, for the last time apparently. He is either leaving Minbar to travel or to die, take your own guess.
More Arc, Less Arch:
Draals’ concerns about growing unrest on Minbar follows the thread first started in Legacies. It will be continued in episodes like season two’s All Alone In The Night, season three’s Severed Dreams and Grey 17 Is Missing. It will come to an end in season four’s Rumors, Bargains And Lies, and Moments Of Transition.
Psi Corps has a secret training facility on Syria Planum on Mars and Garibaldi knows about it of course, as shown in issues 5-8 of the comic series. This will be delved into again in the episodes Messages From Earth and The Face Of The Enemy.
Who Are You? What Do Yo… Hey, I’m Asking The Questions Here!:
I can not be alone in thinking that the chalice that Delenn uses to pour Draal a drink out of looks like a bong?
Idiosyncratic Musings:
The sad truth about Londo’s take on the relations between Centauri and Narn is that he’s completely correct. Hatred borne that deep cannot be turned away from, not among two collective groups of people at least. That is why no matter what the Narn and Centauri are destined to be at each others throats and hate each other.
I like the ISN reporter with the lily white complexion and the ethnic last name of Mobotabwe. It shows how much JMS believes in the blending of all cultures. While I don’t share his belief that cultures will ever be that blended, it is a good thing to hope for.
The scene with Londo and Garibaldi does a stellar job of showing a more human side of Londo and why you feel for him as he slides deeper and deeper into the darkness in later seasons. While at the same time it shows Londo’s coy side when he walks away without paying for his drink and leaves the bill with Garibaldi.
I See What You Did There:
Sinclair was born and raised on Mars.
Garibaldi spent a good deal of his life on Mars, and was fired from four jobs in a row before taking his position as Chief Of Security on B5.
I love, love, love Sinclair’s pimp track suit. It makes him look like an aging Jersey mobster and it is glorious.
Rathenn is mentioned by Delenn and Draal in passing. He is a character that will appear later in the series as well as in some comics and novels.
Lise Hampton is mentioned by Garibaldi, she is a character that will play a prominent role in later episodes.
Londo was married to a stripper at one point.
The Free Mars movement is responsible for the fighting on Mars.
Ivanova and Sinclair come across a weird looking alien corpse in the alien dwelling that I can’t recall having seen at any other point in the series.
Say It Again Mac:
Londo, “Obviously what you consider a pocket I consider a tent.”
Londo again, “If the Narns all stood together in one place, and hated. All at the same time. That hatred could fly across dozens of light years and reduce Centauri Prime to a ball of ash.”
Ivanova, “And just one more thing. On your trip back I’d like you to take the time to learn the Babylon 5 mantra. Ivanova is always right. I will listen to Ivanova. I will not ignore Ivanova’s recommendations. Ivanova is god. And, if this happens again, Ivanova will personally rip your lungs out. Babylon Control Out. Heh, civilians…”
More from Londo, “Now, I go to spread happiness to the rest of the station. It’s a terrible responsibility, but I have learned to live with it.”
Yes, I Am A Fleet Junkie:
Ivanova shows nice tactical awareness by using the fire of the Starfuries to attract the missiles being shot up from Epsilon 3 away from their intended targets. Later when Ivanova is on Epsilon 3, C&C successfully uses her tactics again.
Let’s Go Planet Side:
Finally we are allowed to see the planet that is right next to B5, Epsilon 3. From space it looks tan, pale and barren. On the planet all we get to see is a never ending stream of rock formations and caverns. Ivanova does reveal that the gravity outside the shuttle is .75 of Earth norm while the atmosphere consists of 90% carbon dioxide. But, it’s never made clear if she means the planet or the alien dwelling.
It’s Your Cultural Imperative:
There is a nation on Earth known as the Indonesian Consortium, as well as a city on Mars called Olympus Mons.
I Think This Might Be Based On Something:
The chasm with the catwalk in the alien dwelling is a direct visual homage to the 1956 movie, Forbidden Planet.
It’s probably not related at all, but the initial shot of Varn in the machine instantly reminded me of the shot that would take place many years later of Neo being swallowed up by the machines in Matrix: Revolutions.
The title of this episode is taken from a verse in Isaiah in The Bible.
You Look Mighty Familiar:
Louis Turenne, Draal, played the role of Auguste in the forgettable Hellraiser: Bloodline. He also portrayed Pierce in the episode of The Incredible Hulk entitled Equinox.
Jim Ishida, Dr. Tasaki, would be most remembered for his bit role as Iko “Jitz” Fujitsu in Back To The Future, Part II.
Kathryn Cressida, Kat the Bartender, voiced DeeDee, the sister of Dexter in Dexter’s Laboratory in a few episodes as well as the movie Dexter’s Rude Removal, although she didn’t voice the role throughout the whole series.
Casting Ahead:
Lenore Kasdorf returns as the ISN Reporter, she was previously seen in TKO.
That Wasn’t Supposed To Happen:
If, as we are shown numerous timers, the missiles were being fired from the fissure then Sinclair and Ivanova should not have been able to enter it. The Starfuries were only protecting them in the upper atmosphere and there was nothing to protect them from a missile coming right out of the fissure and at them as they attempted to enter.
Another problem I have rests with the issue of the inhabitants of the alien dwelling on Epsilon 3. Sinclair and Ivanova come across a decayed alien corpse inside the structure and Varn appears to be helpless and alone. We know from episodes to come that there is a whole troupe of Zathras’ running around the dwelling. Where are they for all of this? How come they aren’t helping Varn, and why would they leave an alien corpse in the hall like that? Maybe it was a warning sign, but it’s supposedly near impossible to get to the surface of Epsilon 3 because of The Great Machine. With that being the case the alien body ends up coming across like a simple plot contrivance to warn Sinclair and Ivanova about the lasers.
I don’t like the idea of the B5 sensors picking up the seismic activity on Epsilon 3. It has an automated defense system and they have never been on planet or been deep into the planet. Therefore they never would have put any sensors in place to pick up that sort of thing.
The Ombuds Have Decided:
A Voice In The Wilderness, Part 1 isn’t a bad episode, but it’s not a meaningful episode. It’s an episode where nothing really happens and all the events are structured to set up the second part. It doesn’t really strive to be good or bad, and as such it ends up being an episode that just is. One of the areas where it does hit a home run for the most part is dialogue. This episode features quite a bit of great dialogue and only a few instances where the dialogue feels forced.
There is a nice payoff in this episode to the gag established earlier in the season of Garibaldi being in the transport lift anytime Talia goes to enter it.
The look at the inside of the alien dwelling, on the catwalk, is impressive. The chasm looks deep, the colors are vibrant, it looks real, and it does give off a vibe of superior technology.
Londo’s recitation of the hokey pokey and his subsequent outrage about its lack of meaning is a very funny bit. It appears to be a completely useless scene, but it is one of those essential, yet mundane and funny, moments that help to make the characters so real.
Draal’s speech about the “Principles Of Sentient Life” is a very clumsy attempt at justifying his actions in the next episode. It’s not that his actions need justification mind you, but rather having him make grand statements like this one makes it obvious what he is going to do and cheapens his actions.
Draal’s other speech about going to the sea is a bit muddled and hard to decipher. Based on the way he talks it sounds as if all he is doing is leaving Minbar and going to live out the rest of his years among the alien races. However based on the way Delenn responds it seems like him going out to sea means he is going off to die. This is one instance where the speech needed to be cleared up a little bit so that the actual meaning was a bit more clear.
The hostility displayed by Talia towards Garibaldi seems out of place and pops up out of nowhere. It ruins the nice gag scene they had earlier on and it comes across like an attempt to make Garibaldi’s story about Lise seem more emotional because it cracks Talia’s hard shell.
I have a problem with the entire “Ooh, the planet is firing missiles at us” scene. The missiles were moving slow as molasses. The shuttle easily dodged one of them in a bad looking CGI shot and the one that did make contact barely did any damage. This was not an impressive first showing for a planet that is supposed to be really powerful. In all actuality that is the problem with The Great Machine, it is built up as really powerful, but it never comes across as powerful at all.
Ivanova’s line about Russian stupidity and the need to catalogue it is one of those instances on Babylon 5 where the humor feels forced as opposed to flowing naturally through the episode or scene.
Rating:
62/100
C-
If the title wasn’t enough of a clue, this is a two parter. That’s why next time we enter the woods again for A Voice In The Wilderness, Part 2. This time I’m hoping to find Sasquatch, or at least a path that isn’t quite so filled with prickly bushes.
Cheers,
Bill
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