With Sinclair gone (in-show named to be the first permanent Earth ambassador to Minbar), the centerpiece starring role for the series goes to John Sheridan, played by Bruce Boxleitner. Where Sinclair is quiet, Sheridan is brash; where Sinclair is known as a peacemaker and mysteriously beloved of (some of) the Minbari, Sheridan is a war hero on Earth whose reputation among the Minbari is as an ignoble killer.
This ep throws Sheridan right into the middle of all of that, as a renegade Minbari war cruiser which fled into self-imposed exile after the war, resurfaces as a potential threat to the station. Sheridan establishes himself as heroic protagonist (not just EarthForce goon, as ever other visiting soldier to date has been), managing to resolve the crisis without increasing his warmongering soldier reputation — not that the Minbari seem impressed.
While the episode is very much about Sheridan’s settling in at the base, as almost a sidelight to all this we get Lennier playing the first major role he’s had to date (aside from B plots), as he reveals to Sheridan and Ivanova why the Minbari quit the war: they discovered that Minbari souls were transmigrating to Human bodies, and Minbari do not kill Minbari. That’s also the reason for the growing schism between the Minbari Priest and Warrior castes that drive’s this ep’s action, as the whole soul thing is a closely held secret that only the Grey Council know about. Minbari society, with a history of stability, is being shaken apart in a way similar to what’s happening with Earth — only we’re seeing the results sooner.
It all comes out a little exposition-heavy (though some new footage of the Battle of the Line breaks that up), and I suspect in a universe we still had O’Hare this would all have come a bit later (and from Delenn). But Mumy does a decent job of it, and of monologging as he tends to Delenn’s cocoon.
This is still only Part 2 (originally literally named “Chrysalis Part 2”) of an episode trilogy; left immediately unresolved are what G’kar’s up to, Garibaldi still lying in a coma, and What Lurks Within the Chrysalis. That comes out (so to speak) in the appropriately-named “Revelations”. And, of course, there are other wheels within wheels, related to what’s happening back on Earth, and how that plays into why Sheridan was really sent to B5.
The episode has some clunky bits. Sheridan’s inordinately puppylike in his enthusiasm as he arrives (though that’s worn off by the end. Sheridan is also a mixed bag — one minute being concerned over the Minbari’s reaction to his selection, the next minute defensively yelling at them for dissing his appointment, and then after that wondering if he should have been assigned in the first place. His pre-established relationship with Ivanova from an earlier command doesn’t quite gel, veering from explaining stuff to her like she’s a junior officer to their seeming to be near-equal confidants — “Yeah, they had something going,” quoth my daughter. The technical bits in the plot are also a bit clunky — they make more sense and are better telegraphed than “Star Trek” deus ex technobabble, but rely on the idea that EarthForce tech hasn’t really changed since the war over a decade before (not just the same inabilities but the same sensor units), which makes no sense except to drive the plot forward.
There are two other significant cast changes in S.2 — Mary Kay Adams as a much less biting (or interesting) Na’toth, and the intro of Robert Rusler as pilot Warren Keffer — a character who will play an interesting role later in the season, but who has to be awkwardly shoe-horned in all the rest of the time (rumor has it because the studio wanted a “Top Gun” type romantic pilot).
It’s not nearly the WHAM episode of of “Chrysalis,” but it moves things along, it opens the doors for new viewers, it has some great Ivanova lines, and it establishes Sheridan as the new commander of the station. A good start.
Most Dramatic Moment: Plenty of drama, but none of it jawdropping. Maybe Sheridan and Ivanova reacting to the Trigati’s final decision. Maybe Ivanova talking about her impotence to stop Santiago’s assassination.
Most Amusing Moment: Ivanova, inadvertently late to meet her new CO, runs into the arrival lounge and yanks the security officer there forward to be an honor guard.
Most Arc-ish Moment: Lennier infodumps about the Battle of the Line.
Overall Rating: 3.9 / 5
Lurker’s Guide: http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/countries/us/guide/023.html
Babylon Project: http://babylon5.wikia.com/wiki/Points_of_Departure
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0517680/
AV Club: http://www.avclub.com/review/babylon-5-points-of-departurerevelations-93241 (spoilers for the next ep)
Noise2Signal: http://noise2sig.nl/2011/05/29/babylon-5-points-of-departure/