Babylon 5, Season 3: Point of No Return

[Opening credits voiceover.]

Susan Ivanova:
The Babylon Project was our last, best hope for peace. It failed. But in the year of the Shadow War, it became something greater: our last, best hope…for victory. The year is 2260. The place, Babylon 5.

[Sheridan approaches Kosh to thank him for saving his life.]

John Sheridan:
You've been back and forth to your homeworld so many times since you got here, how do I know you're the same Vorlon? Inside that Encounter Suit you could be anyone.

Kosh:
I have always been here.

Sheridan:
Oh yeah? You said that about me too.

Kosh:
Yes.

Sheridan:
[slightly unnerved] I really hate it when you do that.

Kosh:
Good.

[Ivanova chides Sheridan on his impatience over an arriving VIP on a mysterious mission.]

Susan Ivanova:
Leave it to you to try and take all the fun out of life. I mean, come on, where's your sense of mystery, of adventure?

Sheridan:
Are you trying to cheer me up?

Ivanova:
No, sir! Wouldn't dream of it.

Sheridan:
Good! I hate being cheered up. It's…depressing.

Ivanova:
So, in that case…we're all going to die horrible, painful, lingering deaths.

Sheridan:
Thank you. I feel so much better now.

[Ivanova preempts Sheridan's belated revelation of the Rangers by detailing what he was going to say.]

Ivanova:
Captain, the day something happens around here and I don't know about it, worry.

[Marcus shows off a brand-new ship to Sheridan and Ivanova.]

Sheridan:
My God! It's beautiful!

Marcus Cole:
Her name is the White Star. And she's yours, Captain.

David Endawi, EarthForce Intelligence:
This is quite irregular, Mr. Garibaldi! I was assured that Captain Sheridan or Commander Ivanova would be available!

Michael Garibaldi:
They got called away on urgent business.

Endawi:
What kind of business?

Garibaldi:
I'm not authorized for that kind of information.

Endawi:
But…you're the head of Security.

Garibaldi:
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 mean,] 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. Now look, we've tried most of the other ambassadors. Why don't you speak to G'Kar? Maybe he knows something about this ship.

Endawi:
Under the terms of our recent treaty, I am not authorized to have any official conversation with the Narn without Centauri approval.

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

Endawi:
[slowly] Because you won't tell yourself about it.

Garibaldi:
I try never to get involved in my own life. Too much trouble.

Endawi:
[confused] This is a very strange place you have here, Mr. Garibaldi.

Garibaldi:
Thank you.

[The White Star is fleeing a Shadow ship in hyperspace, and Sheridan has an idea for beating it.]

Sheridan:
Tell me, Commander…have you ever wondered what would happen if you opened a jump point while inside a jump gate?

Ivanova:
No! And neither should you! EarthForce experimented with the idea during the Minbari War. They called it the Bonehead Maneuver. [to Lennier] No offense.

Lennier:
[more curious than offended] None taken.

[A clandestine trio on Earth consider the premature leak of a Shadow ship sighting.]

Morden:
Your government can dismiss this as an isolated incident.

Psi Cop:
I don't know. There's something about this idea of a threat to planetary security I find very appealing. As long as we keep the real truth to ourselves, there's no reason we can't use this situation to speed up the program here at home.

[Drazi missionaries ask a distracted Garibaldi about the recent sighting of their holy figure Droshalla.]

Michael Garibaldi:
Zack, do me a favor and explain the missionary, uh… position to these folks.

[Lennier is in the arrivals area, stuck between two humans--one drunk, one sleeping on his shoulder.]

Drunk:
I said "Sheila," "Sheila," I says, "you change that vid channel one more time and I'm outta here, you got it?" Well, she did, I did, and here I am! You shoulda seen the look on her face, let me tell you! But it's great! I get to meet all kinds of people! I mean, look! Me sitting next to you, a Minbari! You know, us in that war and all. But I don't hold a grudge, no sir! You know what? I say live and let live! You know, look, I got hair, you got a bone! So where you goin'?

Lennier:
Home. I have been diagnosed with Netter's Syndrome. Since I have only seven days to live, I thought I would return home to put my affairs in order before the end.

Drunk:
Netter's Syndrome? I've had a few syndromes, but I've never heard of that one.

Lennier:
Neither had I. Apparently it's spread by physical contact.

[The drunk realizes he's still got Lennier by the shoulder.]

Drunk:
Uh, I gotta make a call. [He gets up and walks away, while the sleeping human rolls off of Lennier's shoulder.]

Lennier:
[to himself] I will do penance later.

[Ivanova has recruited Brother Theo and his monks to help locate a bomber.]

Garibaldi:
May I be the first to say that this is the nuttiest idea you've ever had.

Susan Ivanova:
Thank you.

[Lennier wakes from a coma after saving Londo and Delenn's lives in a bombing.]

Delenn:
Welcome back! How do you feel?

Lennier:
As though a great many heavy objects had fallen on me. But I suspect I will live.

[Londo and G'Kar are about to be pulled out of a bombed-out transport tube]

Londo Mollari:
There, you see? I'm going to live!

G'Kar:
So it would seem. Well, it is an imperfect universe.

Londo:
Bastard.

G'Kar:
Monster.

Londo:
Fanatic!

G'Kar:
Murderer!

Londo:
You are insane!

G'Kar:
And that is why we'll win.

Londo:
"Go be the ambassador to Babylon 5," they say. "It will be an easy assignment!" I hate my life.

G'Kar:
So do I.

Londo:
Shut up!

[Ivanova passes the alien questionnaire results to Corwin.]

Susan Ivanova:
Check these figures again, make sure they came through the translator okay. I don't want to get killed because of a typo. It'd be embarrassing.

Ivanova:
If I live through this job without completely losing my mind, it will be a miracle of biblical proportions!

David Corwin:
Well, there goes my faith in the Almighty.

G'Kar:
If I stay here, your families are in jeopardy. Is anything more important than their safety?

Narn:
Yes. Their freedom. It's better to die in the cause of freedom than to live in comfort as a slave.

John Sheridan:
Concentrate all you want-there's nowhere you can go!

Brother Theo:
I'd expect a comment like that from someone with no clearly defined pattern of faith!

Sheridan:
I believe in a little bit of everything. I'm…eclectic. Open-minded.

Brother Theo:
Rudderless! Directionless! Cast adrift without compass on an ocean of ecclesiastical possibilities! Tossed by the winds, this way, that way!

Sheridan:
Aw, I'm hearing a lot of talk, and you still haven't made a move.

Brother Theo:
Your Ambassador Delenn has a wonderful phrase: "Faith…manages!" [Moves a chess piece.] Check…and I do believe…mate?

[Sheridan is initially dumbstruck, then Ivanova, who was watching, gets a call from C&C. After she's finished with the call:
]

Sheridan:
You wanna tell me where you learned that little move?

Brother Theo:
[smiling] Divine inspiration.

[Ambassador Kosh meets with Ivanova in Docking Bay 13.]

Susan Ivanova:
Ambassador. You wanted to see me?

Kosh:
Yes. Formality. Ritual. You should be informed.

Ivanova:
Informed of what?

Kosh:
Returning.

[a surprise passenger emerges from Kosh's transport]

Lyta Alexander:
Hello, Commander. I said I'd be back.

[in conference with Sheridan, Ivanova, and Franklin, Garibaldi offers his take on Lyta's return]

Michael Garibaldi:
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?

[the three others all raise their hands]

Londo Mollari:
Lyta Alexander! As I live and breathe…

Lyta:
I suggest you remove your hand, Ambassador, or you won't be doing either for very long.

. . .

Londo:
Lyta, I understand the Psi Corps is looking for you. I would hate very much for them to find you.

Lyta:
So would I. Because I'm not with the Corps anymore. That means I'm not bound by their rules! [She gets right in his face.] So if someone were to turn me in, I'd find him. And before they took me, I'd plant a nightmare deep in his mind where no one else could find or remove it. And that person would spend every night for the rest of his life…screaming!

[she turns around and walks away]

Londo:
Fine! And keep your threats to yourself! [to himself] Nightmares. Hmph! The way my life has been going lately, who'd notice?

[Theo tends to the mortally wounded Edward after getting him down from the makeshift cross]

Brother Edward:
Is there enough forgiveness for what I've done?

Brother Theo:
Always, Edward, always. Take my hand. [Edward fumbles, and Theo takes his hand.] Through the mysteries of our redemption, may Almighty God release you from all punishments in this life and in the life to come. [Sheridan joins them, a look of dismay on his face as he realizes what's going on.] May He open to you the gates of Paradise and welcome you to everlasting joy. Father, look with compassion on Your servant Edward, who has trusted in Your promises. Welcome him to Your Kingdom in peace. By the authority which the Apostolic See has given me, I grant you a full pardon and remission of all your sins. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

[Zack complains about his uniform to an exasperated Garibaldi.]

Zack Allan:
I look like I'm wearing a circus tent! Any minute now, a little teeny car with 16 clowns in it is gonna come flying out my butt!

[Garibaldi's link beeps.]

Michael Garibaldi:
Garibaldi's Fashion Express. Go.

Draal:
[addressing the command staff] Good afternoon, everyone! Captain, Delenn tells me that you're going to try contacting the First Ones. It is a magnificent idea-a daring and splendid idea! In doing so, you will see things no human has ever seen before! It will be…fun! Assuming you're not vaporized, dissected, or otherwise killed in an assortment of supremely horrible and painful ways! Exciting, isn't it?

Draal:
I asked for Captain Sheridan!

Ivanova:
Um…He's busy.

Draal:
I don't like surprises!

Ivanova:
Really? Love 'em, myself. To me, everything's a surprise! You're a surprise. This place is a surprise. You see this? [She holds up a finger.] Paper cut. Hurts like hell! Anybody else would be upset, but to me, it's just one more wonderful surprise! I mean, I even surprise myself sometimes! So I guess there's nothing wrong with me surprising you. Right?

[Draal's angry facade cracks, and he bursts out laughing.]

Draal:
I like you! You're trouble!

Ivanova:
[laughing in relief] Well, thank you! That's the nicest thing anybody's said about me in days!

[Over dinner, new Babylon 5 "political officer" Julie Musante asks Sheridan about "lurkers".]

John Sheridan:
It's our version of the homeless. In many ways, we have the same problem Earth does.

Julie Musante:
Mmm. Earth doesn't have homeless.

Sheridan:
Excuse me?

Musante:
We don't have the problem. Yes, there are some "displaced" people, here and there, but, uh… they've chosen to be in that position. They're either lazy, or they're criminal, or they're mentally unstable.

Sheridan:
They can't get a job!

Musante:
EarthGov has promised a job to anyone that wants one. So, if someone doesn't have a job, they must not want one.

. . .

[Musante runs down a list of all the social problems EarthGov has suddenly solved.]

Sheridan:
And, uh w-when exactly did all this happen?

Musante:
When we rewrote the dictionary.

. . .

Sheridan:
You can't deal with the problems by pretending they don't exist.

[using the Great Machine, Ivanova "overhears" a conversation from the past]

Vice-President Clark:
I have wanted Santiago dead for so long…I wasn't sure we could really pull it off. You're sure it's done?

Morden:
EarthForce 1 will never return from Io. The power is now yours, Clark. Mister…President.

[Ivanova holographically observes Sheridan being seduced by Julie Musante]

Susan Ivanova:
Good luck, Captain. I think you're about to go where…everyone has gone before. [N]

[Ivanova and Marcus are trying to communicate with the "Walkers," the First Ones near Sigma 957]

Walkers:
Vorlons Tavutna Chog!

Marcus Cole:
I think you just hit a nerve. The Vorlons must owe them money or something.

Ivanova:
At least it tells us that they understand our language. They're just not willing to speak to us in it.

Marcus:
Who knew they were French? …Sorry.

. . .

[while waiting for a response from the Walkers]

Ivanova:
Damn it! I really don't want to screw this up!

Marcus:
Then don't. The Minbari taught me, "Claim victory in your heart and the universe will follow."

Ivanova:
Fine. Great. Claim victory in your heart and up your…

[the Walkers reappear]

Walkers:
ZOG!

Ivanova:
"Zog"? What do you mean, zog? Zog what? Zog yes, zog no?

[the Walkers' ship turns to leave]

Marcus:
It's leaving. My guess is "zog" means "no".

Ivanova:
Like hell. I am not letting them leave here without saying yes.

Marcus:
Really? And how do you propose stopping them? Perhaps a big red and white sign with the word "stop" on it? …I'll put a bucket on my head and pretend to be the ancient Vorlon god Boogee.

Ivanova:
[gets an idea] That's it!

Marcus:
Fine. I'll get a bucket.

Ivanova:
No, I meant the Vorlons. Open a comm channel now!

G'Kar:
I told you I could help. The Book of G'Quan. Read it. We'll talk afterwards.

Garibaldi:
I don't read Narn.

G'Kar:
[walking away from Garibaldi's quarters] Learn!

[Bester calls ahead to warn of his imminent arrival.]

Alfred Bester:
I'm in pursuit of an individual who's a danger to your station, Earth, and the Psi Corps.

Susan Ivanova:
Well, that's two legitimate things to worry about.

[The "conspiracy of light" worries about exposure by Bester.]

Michael Garibaldi:
And after that, there are only two options. He turns us in, we're court-martialled, then shot for treason. Or we kill him, before he has a chance to tell anybody.

Stephen Franklin:
I will not support murder. We can not kill him.

Ivanova:
Can we wound him? Just a little?

[Bester loudly disclaims any prior knowledge of the Talia Winters debacle.]

Bester:
On the other hand, we learned some interesting things about Miss Winters, in the course of her debriefing and dissec- that is, examination.

. . .

[Bester, agreeing to take a psi-surpressing drug, sneers at the command staff's distrust.]

Bester:
I'm here to save your butts! Next time, show a little gratitude.

[He leaves.]

Franklin:
On the other hand, maybe wounding him isn't such a bad idea after all.

[Bester confronts Garibaldi about his insulting comments.]

Bester:
My blood is the same color as yours, and what I do, I do to protect Earth, same as you. You don't like how I do it, that's your prerogative. But there are things going on out there that you know nothing about. Threats to the human race that no one ever hears about - because we stop them. There's dangers all around us! And whether you like us or not, we may be all that stands between you and the abyss.

[Bester surprises Garibaldi with some psychological, not psychic, interrogation skills.]

Bester:
Liars are always afraid that somebody's going to see through them. So I just provided him with a vehicle for his paranoia. Your captain's opinions notwithstanding, the badge and the uniform do have certain…advantages.

Garibaldi:
Like intimidation?

Bester:
Absolutely! Just like…your badge, and…your uniform.

[Londo rephrases Vir's report on the Minbari to make them look bad, to Vir's horror.]

Vir Cotto:
They are deeply spiritual people!

Londo Mollari:
Yes, now that you can leave in. It always scares people.

[Marcus meets with an informant in Downbelow]

Informant:
Message from Ranger One on Minbar. He recommends our people go on a heightened state of alert and pull back from Earth space. Word is something screwy's going on back home.

Marcus Cole:
This is not exactly a revelation.

[Marcus and Garbaldi argue over Lurkers]

Marcus:
Well thank you, Mr. Garibaldi, one of the leading minds of the 14th century. "Have we no workhouses? Have we no prisons?" Mr. Marley here'd like to have a word with you! He's the fellow in the chains! Ignore the moans, it's just gas!

Michael Garibaldi:
Don't you ever shut up?

Marcus:
Not until I get what I want. Why? Do you think silent meditation would work better?

Garibaldi:
Ivanova was right. You are a pain in the ass.

Michael Garibaldi:
You know, I've been stuck in this tin can for three years. I haven't taken a vacation-okay, okay, it's my fault, I had the leave coming, I just didn't take it. And the pay sucks, I knew that when I signed on! And nobody said I'd survive the job! Now, I give you all that. But where in my contract does it say that I have to eat the same food for breakfast every day for three years?

John Sheridan:
[matter-of-fact] Paragraph 47, Subsection 19, Clause 9A. You can find it in the index under S.U.A.E.I.

Garibaldi:
S.U…A.E.I.?

Sheridan, Susan Ivanova:
[in unison] Shut Up And Eat It.

[About Marcus, who had arranged for a special breakfast to be delivered for her]

Ivanova:
I'm going to kill him…after breakfast…if I can find him.

[Marcus notices that a preoccupied Ivanova isn't really listening to his status report.]

Marcus Cole:
And they have much to be concerned about. There's always the threat of an attack by, say, a giant space dragon-the kind that eats the sun every 30 days? It's a nuisance, but what can you expect from reptiles? Did I mention that my nose is on fire, and that I have 15 wild badgers living in my trousers?

[She finally looks at him, annoyed.]

Marcus:
I'm sorry. Would you prefer ferrets?

[The White Star struggles to escape Jupiter's pull]

Sheridan:
Full power! Give me everything you've got!

Lennier:
If I were holding anything back, I would tell you.

Londo Mollari:
"The Minbari put great emphasis on art, literature, and music." Yes, but say instead they are decadent people interested only in the pursuit of…of dubious pleasures. The dubious part is very important. It doesn't mean anything, but it scares people every time.

Vir Cotto:
I thought the purpose of filing these reports was to provide accurate intelligence!

Mollari:
Vir, intelligence has nothing to do with politics!

General Smits:
Captain. I'm sure you've been following the news.

John Sheridan:
Yes, sir. If I may ask, what's your opinion?

General Smits:
My opinion has nothing to do with this, Captain, and neither does yours! Our job is to follow orders from the Commander in Chief and respect the chain of command! If you have different opinions, I suggest you file them in a deep dark place where nobody'll ever find them! Am I clear?

G'Kar:
You must understand, Ta'Lon. I have had a revelation!

Ta'Lon:
What kind of revelation?

G'Kar:
A most profound and substantial one, Ta'Lon. The kind of revelation that transforms your mind, your soul, your heart-even your flesh-so that you are a new creature, reborn in the instant of understanding.

Ta'Lon:
That was a stirring reply, Citizen G'Kar. Unfortunately, while all answers are replies, not all replies are answers. You did not answer the question that I asked. What do you understand now that you did not understand before?

Sheridan:
[over the PA system] This is the Captain. If I can have your attention! As of this time, 0315 Earth Standard Time, I am placing you under arrest for conspiracy to mutiny and failure to obey the chain of command. The order for Night Watch to take over Babylon 5 security came from the Political Office! The Political Office, despite its connection to the President, is a civilian agency outside the direct chain of command! Orders affecting military personnel must come from within the military hierarchy, starting from the President, through the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to your immediate superior officers. A Senator cannot give you a direct order! A governor cannot give you a direct order! And neither can the Political Office! Make no mistake, this is an illegal order! Now, we've contacted Earthdome and requested confirmation of this order through proper channels. But, since we seem to be having trouble with communications, this may take several days. Until then, you have two choices. You can stay where you are, or you can leave, one at a time. On your way out, you'll turn in your link, identicard, and weapons. You'll be restricted to quarters until the revised orders come in. When that happens, anyone who wants to file a complaint against me can do so. Otherwise…have a pleasant stay. Oh, and one other thing. If I were you, I wouldn't use my weapons on the airlocks. They're a solid beryllium alloy. The ricochet is a killer.

Lady Morella:
What we are about to say is for your ears only, Ambassador Mollari. We will not repeat it to others in the Royal Court, and suggest you do the same. If it comes out, we will deny this conversation ever took place.

Londo:
Of course.

Morella:
You have a chance few others will ever have, Mollari. You still have three opportunities to avoid the fire that waits for you at the end of your journey. You have already wasted two others. You must save the eye that does not see. You must not kill the one who is already dead. And at the last, you must surrender yourself to your greatest fear, knowing that it will destroy you. Now if you have failed all the others, that is your final chance for redemption.

Londo:
I…don't understand!

Morella:
The future reveals itself only reluctantly, Ambassador. Take the sign for what it is. Look for it when it appears!

Londo:
I will. Thank you!

Morella:
One more thing. You will be Emperor. That part of your destiny cannot be avoided.

Londo:
I see.

Morella:
[to Vir] You will also be Emperor.

[Vir starts laughing.]

Morella:
Why are you laughing?

Vir:
I…I thought you were joking!

Morella:
We do not joke in the face of prophecy, Vir.

Londo:
Lady Morella, please! We cannot both be Emperor!

Morella:
Correct. One of you will become Emperor after the other is dead. That is all we see and all we wish to see.

[A furious Delenn attempts to convene the Grey Council.]

Acolyte:
I told you, Delenn, they will not speak to you.

Delenn:
Then they will listen to me! [She tries to go around him, but he blocks her path.] I served the Council for sixteen cycles. I was the chosen of Dukhat to replace him! I held him when he died! His blood is on my hands, his spirit in my eyes, his word on my lips! You will step aside in his name and mine, or-in Valen's name-I will tear this ship apart with my bare hands until I find them! Move aside!

[He wisely moves out of the way.]

. . .

[Delenn speaks to the Council.]

Delenn:
Three years. For three years, I warned you this day was coming. But you would not listen. "Pride," you said! "Presumption!" And now the Shadows are on the move. The Centauri and the younger worlds are at war, the Narns have fallen... even the humans are fighting one another. The pride was yours! The presumption was yours! For a thousand years, we have been awaiting the fulfillment of prophecy. And when it finally happens, you scorn it-you reject it-because you no longer believe it yourselves!

[She confronts one of the Grey Council directly.]

Delenn:
"We stand between the candle and the star, between the darkness and the light." You say the words, but your hearts are empty-your ears closed to the truth! You stand for nothing but your own petty interests!

[She confronts a second Grey Council member.]

Delenn:
"The problems of others are not our concern." I do not blame you for standing silent in your shame. You, who knew what was coming, but refused to take up the burden of this war! If the Warrior Caste will not fight, then the rest of us will!

[Now she confronts the leader, the one who carries the staff.]

Delenn:
If the Council has lost its way, if it will not lead…if we have abandoned our covenant with Valen…! [Grabs the leader's staff and raises it over her head.] Then the Council should be broken…[She snaps the staff in two and throws both halves to the floor.]…as was prophesied! We must stand with the others-now, before it's too late! Between the Religious Caste and the Worker Caste, we control two thirds of our forces! And to you I say, listen to the voice of your conscience! Break the Council, and come with me! Our time of isolation is over! We move now, together, or not at all!

[Sheridan talks to his father before the imminent battle.]

David Sheridan:
Son…I follow the news. Well, I did until ISN went black! I see what's going on. Your mother doesn't like to think about it. You know how she is. John, I can't imagine the kind of decisions that are going through your mind right now. I'm sure they're not easy. The important ones never are. But when push comes to shove, you've always done the right thing. What was the first lession I ever taught you?

John Sheridan:
Never start a fight, but always finish it.

[Sheridan addresses the entire station before the battle.]

Sheridan:
May I have your attention, please? In the last few hours, we have learned that warships are coming this way from Earth. Their orders are to seize command of Babylon 5 by force. As commanding officer and military governor of Babylon 5, I cannot allow this to happen. President Clark has violated the Earth Alliance Constitution by dissolving the Senate, declaring martial law, and personally ordering the bombing of civilian targets on the Mars Colony! He is personally responsible for the deaths of hundreds of innocent people! Following these attacks, Orion 7 and Proxima 3 have broken away from the Earth Alliance and declared independence! Babylon 5 now joins with them! As of this moment, Babylon 5 is seceding from the Earth Alliance! We will remain an independent state until President Clark is removed from office! At the end of this current crisis, anyone who wishes to leave for Earth is free to do so. Meanwhile, for you own safety, I urge everyone to stay in your quarters until this is over. That is all.

[Major Ryan, aboard the Alexander, tries to get Captain Hiroshi and her crew to evacuate the heavily damaged Churchill.]

Ryan:
Hiroshi! Get out of there! Get to the life pods!

Sandra Hiroshi:
Too late to get out! Our primary systems are hit! We've got fire on all decks now! There's nothing we can do except…[the link goes dead]

Ryan:
Hiroshi?…Hiroshi!

[the Churchill plows into the Clark-loyal Roanoke, consuming both ships in a cloud of fire]

[As the immediate danger is cleared.]

Sheridan:
Damage report.

David Corwin:
Damage to all sectors. They're still fighting in Brown Sector.

Sheridan:
Get some more troops down there. Hull integrity?

Corwin:
Not good. EVA teams en route. It's a good thing this stopped when it did. We couldn't take much more. [Jumpgate alarm goes off.] Oh, no!

[Outside, the jumpgate opens and three more Clark-loyal destroyers come through]

Captain Drake, EarthForce:
This is Captain Drake to Babylon 5. You are ordered to surrender and prepare to be boarded, by order of President Clark.

[Another alarm goes off in C&C]

Corwin:
Captain…jump points forming right on top of us!

Sheridan:
[deflated] How many?

Corwin:
Four!

[The jump points produce three Minbari cruisers and the White Star, with Delenn in the captain's chair]

Delenn:
This is Ambassador Delenn of the Minbari. Babylon 5 is under our protection. Withdraw…or be destroyed!

Drake:
Negative. We have authority here. Do not force us to engage your ship.

Delenn:
Why not? Only one human captain has ever survived battle with a Minbari fleet. He is behind me. You are in front of me. If you value your lives, be somewhere else.

Delenn:
Prophecy is a poor guide to the future. You only understand it when the event's already upon you.

[A funeral service for the pilots killed in the battle for Babylon 5]

John Sheridan:
In breaking away from Earth, we have begun a difficult and uncertain journey, and none of us can see its end. But our cause remains a just one. That truth honors and sanctifies our fallen comrades who have made the ultimate sacrifice so that we might carry on the work that is ahead of us. We are gathered here today to honor their memory and their names.

Susan Ivanova:
Hamilton. Rodriguez. Spinelli. Singh. Osterman. Massey. Cooper. Kim. Indari. Nagashima. Lietz. Mankowski. [as she reads the names, a line of torpedoes files out of the docking ring, watched over by a squadron of Starfuries]

Sheridan:
From the stars we came. To the stars we return, from now until the end of time. We therefore commit these bodies to the deep.

[Londo is disturbed by front-line reports of Centauri conflicts.]

Londo Mollari:
Now, I have been studying these reports from the front lines. You'll note the plural form-lines. Is there anyone along our border with whom we are not currently at war?

Lord Antono Refa:
We need room to expand.

Londo:
Only an idiot fights a war on two fronts. Only the heir to the throne of the kingdom of idiots would fight a war on twelve fronts.

. . .

[Londo insists that Refa discontinue his association with Morden's "associates".]

Refa:
You walked away from the greatest power I have ever seen! And now you expect me to do the same? They are the key to my eventual rise to the throne! Why would I abandon them?

Londo:
Because I have asked you. Because your loyalty to our people should be greater than your ambition. And because I have poisoned your drink.

[Lord Refa looks in astonishment at Londo]:

Londo:
Yes…and it is very interesting poison. It comes in two parts. Both are harmless on their own. But when combined…quite lethal. The first settles into the bloodstream, and the intestinal walls. It stays there for years. Silent…dormant…waiting. When the other half of the poison enters your system the two meet, have a little party in your cardiovascular system…and suddenly, you are quite dead.

Refa:
Why? Why did you do this?

Londo:
To guarantee your cooperation! And because sooner or later, you would do it to me! As we are returning to the old ways, Refa, and poison was always the instrument of choice in the old Republic, being something of a sentimentalist, I got here first.

[the command staff changes the access codes for the station's computer system]

Sheridan:
This is Captain John J. Sheridan. Serial number XO7Y39-Alpha. Security code: obsidian.

Ivanova:
This is Commander Susan Ivanova. Serial number Z48M27-Epsilon. Security code: griffin.

Michael Garibaldi:
This is Chief Warrant Officer Michael Garibaldi. Serial number V17L98. Security code: peekaboo.

. . .

Ivanova:
Peekaboo?

Garibaldi:
Would you have guessed it?

Thug:
We don't talk to security. Why should we talk to you?

Marcus Cole:
Because if you don't, then in five minutes, I will be the only person at this table still standing.

[the thug starts laughing]

Marcus:
Five minutes after that, I'll be the only person in this room still standing.

. . .

[after Marcus clears out the bar]

Marcus:
Bugger! Now I have to wait for someone to wake up!

[he is approached from behind by Lennier, who almost gets hit]

Lennier:
I would advise against it. [looks at the wreckage] I see they trained you well back home.

Marcus:
Well, they said I was carrying around a lot of repressed anger.

Lennier:
And?

Marcus:
I'm not repressed anymore!

[Marcus squeezes information out of a reluctant lurker.]

Marcus:
You see? It's like I've always said: "You can get more with a kind word and a two-by-four than you can with just a kind word." paraphrased from Al Capone, "You can get much farther with a kind word and a gun than you can with a kind word alone."

paraphrased from Al Capone, "You can get much farther with a kind word and a gun than you can with a kind word alone."

[Sheridan pounds on the Nightwatch member who knifed Delenn.]

Sheridan:
No more! No more of you! No more Nightwatch, no more hostages, no more lies! Not on my station! Not on my watch! No more!

[one last big punch]

Sheridan:
No more!

[Sheridan is inviting Delenn to dinner in his quarters]

John Sheridan:
You know, every time that I have seen you lately, we've been in the middle of a crisis! A revolution! I mean, this is the first time in months that it's been this quiet! It won't last. It never does. But as long as it's here…I'd like to see you tonight.

Delenn:
Are you not seeing me now? I would assume that you see me every time we meet. Unless I have become translucent, or insubstantial, and no one has thought to inform me until now.

Sheridan:
Then let me say I'd like to see you in a different light. Candlelight, for instance. Over dinner?

Delenn:
Tonight?

Sheridan:
Tomorrow we may be involved in another crisis, another battle! This may be the last chance we'll get for a while. You know, back home we have a saying. "Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die!"

Delenn:
Humans can be a very depressing people.

Sheridan:
Only if we get turned down for dinner.

Delenn:
Well, we cannot have that, now can we?

[Entertaining Vir and his new wife, Londo is also struggling with a pest infestation.]

Londo Mollari:
I swear, they are evolving right before my eyes.

[He turns to Vir and Lyndisty.]

Londo:
If you see something this big with eight legs coming your way, let me know. I have to kill it before it develops language skills.

[after he and Lyndisty kiss for the first time]

Vir Cotto:
If kisses could kill, that one would have flattened several small towns!

[Marcus and Franklin talk about the poor lives of Lurkers.]

Stephen Franklin:
A lot of folks around here seem to think that lurkers deserve what they get. They figure it's better to let them die and…

Marcus Cole:
"…and thus deplete the surplus population." Dickens! You know, um…I used to think that it was awful that life was so unfair. Then I thought, wouldn't it be much worse if life were fair, and all the terrible things that happen to us come because we actually deserve them? So, now I take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe.

[After fighting the thieves with Arthur]

G'Kar:
By G'Quan, I can't recall the last time I was in a fight like that! No moral ambiguity, no hopeless battle against ancient and overwhelming forces! They were the bad guys, as you say, and we were the good guys. And they made a very satisfying thump when they hit the floor.

[Garibaldi and a security officer are breaking in to a post office storage room.]

Michael Garibaldi:
What are you so nervous about? We went up against the entire Earth Alliance and two carrier groups.

Security Officer:
Yeah, but this is the post office. This could get us in real trouble.

[Marcus and Dr. Franklin have just seen "Arthur" off.]

Marcus:
Where my people come from, his story has great power. I'll miss him.

Franklin:
Even if he wasn't Arthur?

Marcus:
[as Kosh appears] Now, now! Next thing you'll be saying is he's not Merlin! [Franklin laughs.] Merlin was a great teacher, you know!

Franklin:
I'm not hearing this.

Marcus:
They say he aged backwards. That was how he was able to foretell the future-by remembering it! Which means he came from the future! Maybe he had Arthur form the Round Table by remembering us! We're forming one of our own, after all. Which makes you Percival. I'm Galahad, him being sinless and all. Sheridan is Arthur. Ivanova, perhaps Gawain. I think we both know who Mordred is. So the question is…who is Morgana le Fay?

John Sheridan:
Mr. Bester, we no longer have any ties to Earth or to the Psi Corps. So we don't have to put up with you or your games. Now, I am sitting on four brand-new unidirectional pulse cannons. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't blow you out of the sky!

Alfred Bester:
Because you're curious? Kill me, and you'll never know what brought me all the way out here. I think if you weigh that against the brief satisfaction of "blowing me out of the sky", you'll do the right thing.

[There is a long pause.]

Bester:
Captain?

Sheridan:
I'm thinking it over!

Bester:
[not exactly reassured] Ah!…Good!

Bester:
I was expecting the Captain.

Susan Ivanova:
He sent me.

Bester:
Did he? He has a better sense of humor than I thought. Please, sit.

Ivanova:
I'd rather stand.

Bester:
I suspect you'd rather walk out that door and wall me up inside! Do a little re-creation of "The Cask of Amontillado". "For the love of God, Montresor!"

Ivanova:
If you get near a point, make it!

Sheridan:
So, how did you find out about all this?

Bester:
I'm a telepath. Work it out.

[Bester is admiring the White Star's bridge]

Sheridan:
Try not to drool on the controls.

Bester:
You said something, Captain?

Sheridan:
Mm. Not a word. Just burped.

. . .

Sheridan:
Mr. Bester.

Bester:
Captain Sheridan.

Sheridan:
Get the hell out of my chair.

[Morden accosts Vir as he runs errands for Londo.]

Morden:
Anything I can do to help?

Vir Cotto:
Um…Short of dying? No, can't think of a thing.

John Sheridan:
For three years now you've been pulling everyone's strings, getting us to do all the work, and you haven't done a damn thing but stand there and look cryptic! Well, it's about time you start pulling your own weight around here. […] I hear you've got a saying: "Understanding is a three-edged sword"? Well, we've got a saying, too: "Put your money where your mouth is"!

Kosh:
Impudent.

Sheridan:
Yeah? Well, maybe that's the only way to get through to you. You said you wanted to teach me to fight legends. Well, you're a legend too, and I am not going away until you agree!

Kosh:
Incorrect. Leave. Now.

Sheridan:
No.

Kosh:
Disobedient!

Sheridan:
Up yours!

[he gets thrown against the wall by an energy blast from Kosh]

Sheridan:
So, the real Kosh shows his colors at last, huh? You angry now? Angry enough to kill me? Because that's the only way I'm leaving. Unless your people get off their encounter-suited butts and do something, I've got nothing to lose! God, my own government wants to kill me, and if we lose this war, I'm just as dead! Our only chance is to get the other races on board for this fight and right now you're the key to doing that.

Kosh:
It is not yet time.

Sheridan:
And who decides that time? You? You put me in this position. You asked me to fight this damn war! Well, it's about time you let me fight it my way! How many people have already died fighting this war of yours, huh? How many more will die before you come down off that mountain and get involved? Ships, colonies, whole worlds are being destroyed out there, and you do nothing! How many more? How many more, Kosh? How many more dead before you're satisfied? Huh?

Kosh:
I will do as you ask. But there is a price to pay. I will not be there to help you when you go to Z'ha'dum.

Sheridan:
You already said if I go to Z'ha'dum, I'll die.

Kosh:
Yes, now.

Sheridan:
All right. If that's the trade-off. If you want to withhold your help when the time comes, that's fine. I'll go it alone.

Kosh:
You do not understand. But you will.

Rathenn:
I have the strangest feeling I will never see him again.

Vorlon:
He is the closed circle. He is returning to the beginning.

Rathenn:
The beginning of what?

[The Vorlon turns and moves away.]

John Sheridan:
You know, back at the station, I was pretty surprised to see you walk into the War Room. When an ambassador comes to visit, we usually have some advance warning.

Jeffrey Sinclair:
There wasn't time. And believe me, my being here is as much of a surprise to me as it is to you.

Sheridan:
Is it? [pause] Delenn either knew you were here or knew you were coming. Your timing seems like more than just a coincidence.

Sinclair:
There are no coincidences, Captain.

Sheridan:
That's not much of an answer.

Marcus Cole:
Captain, if I were you, I'd quit while I was ahead. Back on Minbar, there was a saying among the other Rangers: "The only way to get a straight answer out of Ranger One was to look at every reply in a mirror while hanging upside down from the ceiling."

Sheridan:
[laughs] Did it work?

Marcus:
Oddly enough, yes. Or after a while you passed out and had a vision. Either way, the result was pretty much the same.

[Delenn explains how they need to steal Babylon 4 in order to save Babylon 5.]

Sheridan:
So you believe this?

Sinclair:
I believe it.

Marcus:
If Entil'Zha believes it, I believe it.

Susan Ivanova:
I'll be in the car.

Sinclair:
Zathras, this is very important. When you meet me again, it will be me, but it won't be me now. So you're not to say anything to me that might change the past. Do you understand?

Zathras:
Zathras understand. [pauses] No. Zathras not understand. But Zathras do! Zathras good at doings, not understandings.

. . .

[Zathras is confused about what he's not supposed to say.]

Sheridan:
W-what else is on this list of things you're not supposed to mention?

Zathras:
Zathras… does not remember. But if Zathras remember later, Zathras tells you.

Sinclair:
I need Lennier to stay on the ship. Can you get the equipment up here by yourself?

Zathras:
Yes, yes! Zathras is used to being beast of burden to other people's needs. Very sad life! Probably have very sad death, but at least there is symmetry!

Sinclair:
Ready?

Delenn:
Why do your people always ask if someone is ready right before you're going to do something massively unwise?

Sinclair:
[smiling] Tradition.

Londo Mollari:
[his last words, in a glimpse of the future] We have unfinished business between us, G'Kar. Let us make an end of it quickly, before it stops me. I am as tired of my life as you are.

Zathras:
All Minbari belief is around three. Three castes-Worker, Warrior, Religious. Three languages-Light, Dark and Grey. The nine of the Grey Council, three times three. All is three. As you are three. As you are one. As you are the One. You [points to Sinclair] are the One who was. You [points at Delenn] are the One who is. And you-[points at Sheridan]-you are the One who will be. You are the beginning [Sinclair] of the story, and the middle [Delenn] of the story, and the end [Sheridan] of the story…that creates the next great story.

Ivanova:
C'mon c'mon, grab what you need. We're running out of time.

Zathras:
Cannot run out of time. There is infinite time. You are finite. Zathras is finite. [picking up tool] THIS is wrong tool.

Na'Kal:
Breen! You've managed to import breen from Homeworld! How?

G'Kar:
It, uh…isn't actually breen.

Na'Kal:
The smell, the taste-!

G'Kar:
It's an Earth food. They are called Swedish meatballs. It's a strange thing, but every sentient race has its own version of these Swedish meatballs! I suspect it's one of those great universal mysteries which will either never be explained, or which would drive you mad if you ever learned the truth.[N]

[Franklin explains the principles of "walkabout" to Garibaldi.]

Stephen Franklin:
You know, as a Foundationist, I was always taught that if you're not careful, you can lose yourself in the world. You get too busy with things, not busy enough with yourself! Spend your days and nights living someone else's agendas, fighting someone else's battles, and you're doing the work you're supposed to be doing, but every day there's less and less of you in it all! Till one day, you come to a fork in the road, and because you're distracted, you're not thinking. You lose yourself. You go right, and the rest of you, the really important part of you, goes left! And you don't even know you've done it till you realize, you finally realize, that you don't have any idea who you are when you're not doing all those things!

Michael Garibaldi:
Stephen…you don't really believe there are two of you, do you?

Franklin:
[chuckles] No, it's a metaphor! All right, there isn't literally another me walking around the station. But the principle is real! I realized I didn't have any idea who I was when I wasn't being a doctor, and I think I was using the stims to avoid facing that. Now I gotta fix it.

Garibaldi:
How?

Franklin:
By going walkabout. You just leave everything, and you start walking. I mean, the Foundation adopted the idea from the Aborigines back on Earth. The theory is, if you're separated from yourself, you start walking and you keep walking until you meet yourself. Then you sit down, and you have a long talk. Talk about everything that you've learned, everything that you've felt, and you talk until you've run out of words. Now, that's vital, because the real important things can't be said. And then, if you're lucky, you look up, and there's just you. Then you can go home.

Garibaldi:
It's easy to fight when you've got a lot of ships to work with. The real crunch comes when you're down to almost nothing! Then you either play it safe and you probably lose it all, or you take a chance! After what we've been through with your people, Sheridan was crazy to send our pilots out to fight for your ship! They didn't want to go, they didn't want to get blown out of the sky and leave B5 defenseless, and they sure as hell didn't want to die! But they did it because Sheridan told them to do it and because it was right!

G'Kar:
This time it is possible he could be wrong.

Garibaldi:
Yeah, it's possible. But you don't follow an order because you know for sure it's gonna work out! You do what you're told! Because your CO has the moral authority that says, "You may not come back! But the cause is just and fair and necessary!" That's why Sheridan is out there, and damn it, that's where that cruiser should be, too! It's not Na'Kal's decision, G'Kar. He doesn't see the big picture-you do! So in my book, and your book, that makes it your responsibility! Deal with it!

[Lennier is alarmed about Neroon's challenge to Delenn assuming the title of Entil'Zha.]

Delenn:
It should come as no surprise. We knew the warrior caste was unhappy with our activities.

Lennier:
Unhappy?! Delenn, he's planning to kill you!

Delenn:
That is…one interpretation.

Lennier:
He said he would use any and all means necessary. I respectfully suggest that he intends to go far beyond harsh language.

[Beating the tar out of Marcus, Neroon suggests the human need not be bound by Minbari honor.]

Marcus Cole:
I am a Ranger! We walk in the dark places no others will enter! We stand on the bridge and no one may pass! We live for the One, we die for the One!

[Lennier aproaches Marcus for help with Neroon]

Lennier:
I'm trying to keep a promise. By breaking a promise. I was told not to mention this to anyone in the chain of command. You were not mentioned by name but that is implicit. However, by telling you, the captain need not find out about it and I will not have broken the promise.

Marcus:
I'm in awe, Lennier. The way you can take a simple proposition and turn it inside out so that it says what you want it to say rather than what it actually says. Does this come naturally or did you attend some sort of…martial arts class for the philosophically inclined?

Lennier:
Delenn, all we know is that we will die. It is only a matter of how, when, and whether or not it is with honor.

[Neroon comes to Marcus' bed in Medlab to honor him.]

Neroon:
Denn-Shar, you said. To the death…and death there was. The death was mine. To see a Human invoke the name of Valen. To be willing to die for one of my kind when I was intent upon killing one of my own. The rightness of my cause disappeared. Strange, that a human in his last moments would be more Minbari than I. Perhaps it is true what Delenn said: That we are not of the same blood, but we are of the same heart.

[Neroon turns to leave.]

Marcus:
The next time…the next time you want a revelation…could you possibly find a way…that isn't quite so…uncomfortable?

[Neroon laughs out loud.]

[Ivanova and Brother Theo are at customs to greet a group of religious leaders]

Reverend William Dexter:
Are you starting in already, Theo? I tell you, in fifty years of living and forty years of serving the Lord, I have never met a sorrier soul than Brother Theo here!

Susan Ivanova:
Well, I wouldn't say…

Brother Theo:
Thank you! But I'd prefer to leave judgments as to the state of my soul to someone better qualified, and perhaps a bit less loud!

Rev. Dexter:
But it says in the Bible to make a joyful noise unto the Lord!

Brother Theo:
[grinning] I've heard you sing, Will. And take my word for it, that is not what the Good Lord had in mind when He said, "a joyful noise"!

[Delenn finds Sheridan in the War Room, going over reports]

Delenn:
Ivanova sent me to find you. She said you haven't been sleeping, you have hardly been eating; she said that you have been, in her words, "carrying on cranky." I looked up the word "cranky." It said "grouchy." I looked up "grouchy," it said "crotchety." No wonder you have such an eccentric culture: none of your words have their own meaning! You have to look up one word to understand another. It never ends.

John Sheridan:
[not paying attention] Something here doesn't make sense.

Delenn:
That is what I thought when I came across "crotchety." This cannot be a real word, I said.

Sheridan:
The Shadows keep attacking random targets! Very illogical! On the other hand, once engaged, their tactics are very successful! Very logical! It's-it's a contradiction!

Delenn:
Unless the random attacks are logical in some way we haven't yet determined.

Sheridan:
Exactly.

Delenn:
[grinning] So you have been sitting here trying to think illogically about logical possibilities, or logically about illogical possibilities.

Sheridan:
Hm? Yes, yes.

Delenn:
Well, no wonder you are cranky! [he looks at her in confusion, oblivious to everything she's just said] Grouchy? [still nothing] Never mind. Your face just broke the language barrier.

Sheridan:
Ah…I haven't had a good night's sleep since Kosh died. I'm having the kind of nightmares that make your hair stand on end.

Delenn:
Well, that would explain the Centauri. You need food…and rest!

Sheridan:
[annoyed] Aah.

Delenn:
The humans who you've been waiting for have arrived and would like to have dinner with us.

Sheridan:
No, no, I don't have time! If they want to come here…

Delenn:
So I told them yes!

Sheridan:
Delenn!

Delenn:
Since Minbari do not lie, except to save another, my reputation is now at stake. If you say no, I will be publicly dishonored.

Sheridan:
[realizing he's been beaten] You don't fight fair!

Delenn:
True! Dinner is in two standard hours. I will see you there! [heads to the door]

Sheridan:
[muttering] Pain in the butt.

Delenn:
[over her shoulder] Grouch.

Rev. Dexter:
I'd rather do something and make a mistake than be frightened into doing nothing. That's the problem back home. Folks have been conned into thinking they can't change the world. Have to accept what is. I'll tell you something, my friends, the world is changing every day. The only question is, who's doing it?

Rev. Dexter:
You know, before I got married, Emily used to come by sometimes and help me clean out my apartment. Well, I asked her, "How come you're so eager to help clean up my place when your place is just as bad?" She said, "Because cleaning up your place helps me to forget what a mess I've made of mine, and…when I sweep my floor, all I've done is sweep my floor. But, when I help you clean up your place, I am helping you."

Rev. Dexter:
Every day, here and at home, we are warned about the enemy. But who is the enemy? Is it the alien? Well, we are all alien to one another. Is it the one who believes differently than we do? No, oh no, my friends. The enemy is fear. The enemy is ignorance. The enemy is the one who tells you that you must hate that which is different. Because, in the end, that hate will turn on you. And that same hate will destroy you.

[Marcus and Ivanova see the Shadow fleet.]

Susan Ivanova:
That's a lot of ships.

Marcus Cole:
That's a bloody awful lot of ships.

Ivanova:
Jump engines back on line yet?

Marcus:
No. If I signal the fleet, this lot might pick it up. If they do and we can't get away…

Ivanova:
Well…who wants to live forever?

Marcus:
I do, actually! But what the hell…

[Marcus teaches Ivanova a little of the Minbari language.]

Marcus:
Nu'zen fel'ani in-a lis'e medran. [translation: You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.]

Ivanova:
And what does that mean?

Marcus:
It's…just a greeting. It means…"My words are inadequate to the burden of my heart."

Ivanova:
Well, that's an unusual greeting.

Marcus:
Well…they're an unusual people.

Stephen Franklin:
I can't go back, but I can appreciate what I have right now, and I can define myself by what I am, instead of what I'm not.

John Sheridan:
And what are you?

Franklin:
Alive. Everything else is negotiable.

[A surprise visitor makes her way to Sheridan's quarters.]

Anna Sheridan:
Hello. You must be Delenn. I'm Anna Sheridan. John's wife.

Delenn:
Humans have a phrase: "What is past, is prologue." […] Minbari also have a phrase: "What is past, is also sometimes the future."

[G'Kar is showing Ivanova the shipment of high-yield thermonuclear bombs]

Susan Ivanova:
So the next time we find out where the Shadows plan to strike, we can mine the area. And as soon as they come out of hyperspace-

G'Kar:
Then, as you so concisely say, "Boom!"

John Sheridan:
I trusted you, Delenn. I cared for you. I let myself start to love you. Do you know what that means? Do you know how hard that was for me? All along a little part of me was still in love with Anna, even though she was gone. I had to fight that part off every time I…I thought about you, about holding you, about building a life with the two of us.

[last lines of the season]

G'Kar:
It was the end of the Earth year 2260, and the war had paused, suddenly and unexpectedly. All around us, it was as if the universe were holding its breath…waiting. All of life can be broken down into moments of transition, or moments…of revelation. This had the feeling of both. […] G'Quan wrote, "There is a greater darkness than the one we fight. It is the darkness of the soul that has lost its way. The war we fight is not against powers and principalities, it is against chaos and despair. Greater than the death of flesh is the death of hope. The death of dreams. Against this peril we can never surrender." The future is all around us, waiting in moments of transition, to be born in moments of revelation. No one knows the shape of that future, or where it will take us. We know only that it is always born…in pain.