Plot Synopsis:
In this episode, four different threads dovetail into one story:
First of all, when the episode opens, we find the crew of Babylon 5 currently dealing with a new - and more ferocious - string of Raider attacks. These attacks are drawing closer to the station itself and are being perpetrated with lightning speed. No one has figured out how this new group of Raiders has, thus far, eluded capture.
Secondly, a good-looking young stranger by the name of Morden is lurking about the station asking each of the alien ambassadors in turn one simple question: "What do you want?" G'Kar is the first to be queried in this way; after stalling for a few moments, he tells Morden, without mincing words, that he would like to see the Centauri erased. Morden encourages G'Kar to ask for more, but G'Kar doesn't see the point. Next, Morden goes to see Delenn -- but he gets no answer at all from the Minbari, who sees a shadow fall over Morden and concludes at once that he is bad news. Then Morden tracks down Londo; Londo, like G'Kar, tries to dismiss Morden's question as nonsense, but when pressed, he reveals his desire that his people once again become a powerful force in the galaxy. This answer seems to please Morden the most (more on what he does about it in a moment). And finally, Morden runs into Kosh, whom he's been trying to avoid. "They are not for you," Kosh intones, after which he commands Morden to leave the station. Later, Kosh asks for supplies to fix his encounter suit, implying that he and Morden - or something else - got into a scuffle.
Third, the Centauri government has just paid a steep price to retrieve a priceless artifact - the Eye - that was lost a century ago, and it is Londo's responsibility to turn the Eye over to Lord Kiro, heir to the first Centauri emperor, so that it may be returned to Centauri Prime. When Lord Kiro arrives, however, we see that he resents having to give the Eye to the current Centauri government; indeed, he claims that the Eye - and the throne, for that matter - rightfully belongs to his noble house. Londo counsels him not to act foolishly. "These are not the good old days," he observes wryly.
Fourth, a Centauri prophetess, Lady Ladira, is visiting the station with the aforementioned Lord Kiro. Upon arrival, she has a vision in which the station is destroyed. She has also predicted that Lord Kiro will one day be killed "by shadows."
Now here's how all of the above comes together: One group of Raiders attacks a cargo ship a considerable distance away, thus luring Babylon 5's Delta Wing away from the station. In the meantime, a second group of Raiders takes Lord Kiro hostage just as Londo and Lord Kiro are carrying the Eye to Lord Kiro's ship. As a fleet of Raiders assaults the station, a large mothership jumps into normal space, thus explaining how the Raiders have been able to disappear so quickly after making their attacks. Lord Kiro's liner is flown into the mothership, and the mothership jumps to hyperspace.
It is then revealed that Lord Kiro has been in league with the Raiders all along. It was his hope that the Raiders would help him usurp the Centauri throne -- but the Raiders have a different idea. Going back on the deal they made with Lord Kiro, they decide they are going to hold both the Eye and Kiro himself for a ransom. Before this scheme can come to fruition, however, the Raider mothership is attacked and destroyed by a REALLY HUGE SPIDERY SHIP THAT COMES OUT OF NOWHERE.
Back on the station, Londo, having lost one of the Republic's most important heirlooms, is certain that his career is kaput -- but then Morden arrives bearing a gift: the Eye. Londo is both astonished and elated that Morden's friends were able to recover the Eye, but Morden disappears before Londo has a chance to properly thank him. Off screen, Morden promises that he and Londo will meet again soon. Cue the ominous music.
Oh, and incidentally, Garibaldi also does some digging at Sinclair's request and discovers that the Minbari government specifically requested that Sinclair be named commander of Babylon 5.
Overall: 9.0
The first full-fledged Arc Episode, Signs and Portents draws you in with several maddening hints of things to come.
Stephanie S.'s Ratings:
Writing: 9.0
Below, my co-author discusses how appreciation for this episode grows with hindsight - and he is certainly not wrong. Once you have seen, say, how Londo's arc ends, you do feel the moment in which his doom starts to fall upon him all the more keenly. But I would also like to make a case for this episode's impact on the unspoiled viewer. Having played the role of Newbie Tormentor on multiple occasions, I can attest to this episode's power to leave a new fan gibbering. "What the hell was that ship?" they almost always cry. "You'll find out," I reply, cackling madly as I skip merrily away.
If you know nothing else about this canon save what has happened in the previous twelve episodes, Signs and Portents presents you with a series of tantalizing mysteries. What is that vessel that cut through the Raiders' mothership like a knife through butter? What does Delenn sense around Morden that so alarms her? What does Morden care what the ambassadors want? Whom is he serving? Who - or what - damaged Kosh's encounter suit? And why did the Minbari demand that Sinclair command Babylon 5? The plot thickens, as the common parlance has it.
Acting: 8.0
Ed Wasser is perfect as Mr. Morden - a handsome, smiling snake-oil salesman whom you wouldn't trust as far as you could throw him. And we also see come classic performances from Andreas Katsulas and (especially) Peter Jurasik, who manages to convey Londo's bottomless well of ambition and frustration in just two little words - "I want". Unfortunately, this episode's overall score on the acting dimension is driven below feature range both by Fredi Olster's eye-rollingly over-the-top portrayal of Lady Ladira and by Gerrit Graham's indifferent turn as Lord Kiro. Thank God the Centauri guest actors get better with time.
Message: 10.0
I wouldn't say Straczynski is the most brilliant science fiction writer of his era, but there are several things he gets very, very right. His portrayal of evil, for example, is genuinely inspired. The Prince of Lies doesn't generally approach you in his true form, nor does he entice you with things that don't at least appear good. Instead, he comes in the guise of something - or someone - attractive and bears gifts with the promise of more to come. "You will be like God." "We can make everyone equal." "We can end this dying man's suffering." "It's unfair that this rich man should have so much. Let us take his wealth and give it to those who truly need it." "What ever you want, my friends and I can help you obtain it."
And what makes us vulnerable to the devil's temptations? Straczynski gets this right as well. Only two ambassadors answer Morden's question, but the difference between their answers captures the very definition of original sin. G'Kar's genocidal ambitions shouldn't be dismissed, but notably, they appear to be self-limiting. Londo's inchoate longing to seize control of his life and the universe, on the other hand, is apparently insatiable. G'Kar wants bloody revenge; Londo wants power. The former is an accessory sin; the latter is the very first sin - the one that spawned all the others, and the one Satan considers the most useful.
SABR Matt's Ratings:
Writing: 9.5
This script needs to be viewed in the proper context for the full appreciation of its merit to be received. The problem with doing a fully-continuing 5-year story is that, for your masterpiece to be recognized, the audience has to wait til the end (to see all of the clues you were throwing in early on and to realize the brilliance of your story-telling). As such, if I were watching Signs and Portents without having fore-knowledge of what was to come in this story arc, it would have raised my eyebrows and gotten a very good rating on this blog, but it would not be feature-worthy in my eyes. What makes this script great is the perfect combination of foreshadowing and spot on characterization. J.M.S. is a bit of a hack when it comes to dialogue (my co-author will freely admit this) and some of his politics are just downright naive and goofy. But, he crafted and used several very intriguing and poignant characters PERFECTLY to tell a very ambitious story, and this episode truly sparks the beginning of that epic. When you go back and view it again, you come to realize how well rendered each character is and how their part in the story begins so organically with the simplest of questions. "What do you want?" Ingenious.
Acting: 7.5
I don't share my sister's enthusiasm for Ed Wasser. He was not BAD in his role, but I think he wasn't particularly subtle. We shouldn't have INSTANTLY distrusted him - he played the used-car salesman a little too "on the nose" for my taste. Andreas Katsulas and Peter Jurasik were indeed fantastic in this one though...and this is coming to you from someone who thinks Jurasik in particular may be a bit overrated by his co-author - I don't think it takes as much skill to play a GIGANTIC character like Londo Mollari as she's giving him credit for...most of his work on the show is the kind of thing they teach young acting students not to do...I know that's not inconsistent with his character, but the point is...the subtlety isn't really there and doesn't have to be there for a lot of this franchise's run. That's not to say that Jurasik doesn't show his chops...he's a good actor and shows it when the storyline allows him to do so. But I don't think he's got quite as much real ability as, say, Renee Auberjonois or Armin Shimerman (other character actors of similar repute in sci fi fandom).
Message: 10.0+
One thing my sister and I WILL agree on, however, is the strength of this message and desperate need for the message to be heard in today's "gimme gimme gimme" culture. She's said it all when it comes to temptation and the most dangerous manifestations of desire, but I think it should be added that there's a reason J.M.S. correctly chooses the Centauri to lead the galaxy into peril and not the Narn. History has taught us - time and time again - that the most dangerous society is the one that dreams of conquest, not the one that desires revenge. In other words - it's not just a personal thing...Londo's desire for power is culturally derived. He's a product of his people. G'Kar has a similar excuse for his lust for revenge. J.M.S. manages to tell a personal story AND a larger story that connects with our own human experiences throughout history. Beware the prophet or dictator barking angrily about a nation's rightful place as conqueror. That's a story we've seen the end of dozens of times and it's never pretty.
Highlights:
(At the transport tube.)
LONDO: Ambassador.
G'KAR: Ambassador.
(G'Kar pushes the call button.)
LONDO: I have already pushed it.
G'KAR: Well, I pushed it again.
LONDO: Ah. (A beat.) I hear there is a famine on your world's southern frontier. My condolences.
G'KAR: You should've thought of that before you strip mined our resources.
LONDO: Ah, so it is all our fault, hm?
G'KAR: Precisely.
LONDO: Though I have noticed that your people have continued to exploit your world's resources to build the mighty Narn war machine.
(Now it's really getting heated.)
G'KAR: We have to protect ourselves!
LONDO: By doing to yourselves what you say we did to you? Ah! That's evolution for you!
G'KAR: Now, see here --
LONDO: Take the famine as a blessing, Ambassador: a weeding out of the excess population!
G'KAR: One more remark like that, Mollari, and you will become part of the excess population!
LONDO: Fah! Threats!
G'KAR: Yes, threats!
LONDO: Well, you can go to hell!
G'KAR: And you can kiss my pouch, you --
(The transport tube door closes as the poor human in the middle makes a quick getaway.)
LONDO & G'KAR TOGETHER: Now look what you made me do!
G'KAR: I'm not sure I understand the question, Mr. --
MORDEN: Morden.
G'KAR: Morden, yes. Who did you say authorized this little... chat?
MORDEN: Counselor T'Bar, First Circle.
G'KAR: And does he know what this is about?
MORDEN: No, but in order to see someone of your prominence, I had to get a recommendation. He provided it. (A beat.) You still haven't answered my question, Ambassador. What do you want?
G'KAR: Well, what do you mean, what do I want?
MORDEN: What do you want?
G'KAR: What do I want for supper? What do I want to do this evening? What do I --?
MORDEN: What do you want?
G'KAR: This is pointless. What I want is for you to go away and leave me in peace.
MORDEN: (smiling and getting up) As you say.
(Morden starts to leave.)
G'KAR: Wait!
(Morden stops and turns.)
G'KAR: What do I want? The Centauri stripped my world. I want justice.
MORDEN: But what do you want?
G'KAR: To suck the marrow from their bones and grind their skulls to powder.
MORDEN: What do you want?
G'KAR: To tear down their cities, blacken their sky, sow their ground with salt. To completely, utterly, erase them.
MORDEN: And then what?
G'KAR: Well -- (He pauses.) I don't know. As long as my homeworld's safety is guaranteed, I don't know that it matters. (So close - but not quite what they're looking for.)
MORDEN: Ah! Ambassador - I was just on my way to see you. My name is --
LONDO: I'm sorry, but I don't have time to chat right now. I suggest you make an appointment.
MORDEN: I did.
LONDO: Then make another one. Never a transport tube when you need one.
MORDEN: Ambassador, I was authorized to speak to you by --
LONDO: (annoyed) Yes, yes, what do you want?
MORDEN: That's what I was going to ask you! What do you want?
LONDO: You are a lunatic. Go away. Pester someone else.
(Londo gets into the transport tube. Morden follows.)
LONDO: You are a very persistent young man.
MORDEN: I have to be. I'm not allowed to leave here until you've answered my question. What do you want?
LONDO: This is a silly conversation.
MORDEN: Yes, it is. What do you want?
LONDO: To be left alone.
(Londo gets off the transport tube and starts to walk away.)
MORDEN: Is that it? Is that really all, Ambassador?
(Londo sighs heavily, stops, and turns.)
LONDO: All right. Fine. You really want to know what I want? You really want to know the truth? I want my people to reclaim their rightful place in the galaxy. I want to see the Centauri stretch forth their hand again and command the stars. I want a rebirth of glory - a renaissance of power. I want to stop running through my life as if I'm late for an appointment, afraid to - 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! Does that answer your question?
(Londo leaves.)
MORDEN: Yes. Yes, it does. (And the selection is made.)
(Door chime.)
LONDO: Whoever it is, go away!
(Door chime.)
LONDO: All right. What's one more annoyance? Enter!
(Morden enters carrying a covered box.)
MORDEN: Good evening, Ambassador.
LONDO: You? Go away. I'm in no mood for your games.
MORDEN: I'm leaving shortly. I got what I came for. But, before I go: a gift. (He holds out the box.) From friends you didn't even know you have.
(Londo takes the box and opens it. He is stunned to discover what's inside.)
LONDO: The Eye! How?
(Londo turns, but Morden is gone. He rushes out into the hallway.)
LONDO: Where did you go, eh? Let me buy you a drink! Let me buy you an entire fleet of drinks! How can I ever find you to thank you?
MORDEN: (off screen) We will find you, Ambassador. We will find you. (Gulp. It begins.)
(After Ladira shows Sinclair her vision of the station being destroyed.)
SINCLAIR: This - is it a vision of what might be, or what will be?
LADIRA: The future is always changing. We create the future with our words, our deeds, and with our beliefs. This is a possible future, Commander. And it is my hope that you may yet avoid it.
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