{"id":155079,"date":"2021-08-18T08:24:52","date_gmt":"2021-08-18T14:24:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/?p=155079"},"modified":"2022-01-06T17:26:03","modified_gmt":"2022-01-07T00:26:03","slug":"b5-rewatch-5x03-the-paragon-of-animals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2021\/08\/18\/b5-rewatch-5x03-the-paragon-of-animals.html","title":{"rendered":"B5 Rewatch: 5×03 “The Paragon of Animals”"},"content":{"rendered":"

A-Plot:\u00a0<\/strong>Sheridan is herding cats, trying to get a Declaration of Principles for the Interstellar Alliance written by G’Kar while the various IA members squabble over even the need for such a thing — seeing the IA as a way to get high tech sharing (to them) without necessarily making any sort of moral commitment beyond that mere pragmatism. The Drazi, in particular, resent being told what principles they should abide by.<\/p>\n

Things get more heated when a planet under siege by raiders manage to get word out by Ranger of their plight.<\/p>\n

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Evil raiders, who actually are evil enough (or rendered early enough) to be included in the main titles for the season.<\/figcaption><\/figure>The Ranger and his shattered White Star barely make it to B5, and the Ranger dies on the Medlab table — but not before Lyta Alexander (see “B-Plot”) reveals what’s going on.<\/p>\n

The planet has evidently been being raided for years for crops and resources. When they tried to fight back, their cities and civilization were destroyed. The raiders are coming back one last time, and fear of genocide is in the air.<\/p>\n

Sheridan realizes this is a first make-or-break challenge to the IA, if they really do stand for the principles he thinks they must. He makes plans to send the whole White Star fleet (since a single one got pretty trashed) to intercept the raiders. He notifies the Drazi ambassador, since the system is on the edge of Drazi space; the ambassador asks that they rendezvous with a Drazi fleet first, and then they can act together.<\/p>\n

But some overheard thoughts by Byron (see “B-Plot”) reveals the truth …<\/p>\n

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“I spy, with my mind’s eye, something that is green. And purple.”<\/figcaption><\/figure>… that the raiders are actually backed by the Drazi, and the rendezvous will be an ambush by the Drazi fleet.<\/p>\n

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“Just hold still while we rendezvou with you …”<\/figcaption><\/figure>That provides Sheridan with a way to put the screws to the Drazi … and to get everyone to sign off on the Declaration of Principles.<\/p>\n

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G’Kar quickly passing out copies to be signed or (with a nod toward prosthetic gloves) stamped.<\/figcaption><\/figure>Everyone wins!<\/p>\n

Except the Drazi. What could go wrong?<\/p>\n

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Nervous Drazi ambassador is nervous.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
<\/div>\n

B-Plot: <\/strong>B5 now has telepaths. Sort of. But nobody’s quite sure what to do with them. Garibaldi wants to use them for espionage for the Interstellar Alliance, since all the other races do. Sheridan’s hinky about that, knowing that a Telepath War is coming, but eventually agrees.<\/p>\n