Re-Watching DS9

[Lord Garth]

Okay, I went back, started over from the beginning, finished it, and it still left me cold.

"Deathwalker" (B5 S1E9)

Spoiler

This is one time where being thrown into the whole Babylon 5 Universe works against it. This episode was the first I heard of the Dilgar War, it hasn't been talked about like the Earth-Minbari War, so I don' t have as much context or any investment. I'm on the outside looking in. We're introduced to a war criminal, Jah'dur, a.k.a. Deathwalker. She's a war criminal who's killed countless people and conducted genetic experiments on them. She's the last surviving Jah'dur and, when she's discovered, the inhabitants of Babylon 5 are outraged. Earth Defense wants Jah'dur to be tried, and the Council votes against it.

Sinclair tries to work out a compromise with everyone who's outraged that I still can't wrap my head around, but Jah'dur will develop a way for people to become immortal that scientists can further develop, and then she'll be turned over to the authorities. My first thought is: anyone against immortality wouldn't view this as a good thing and many would be against reaping the benefits of her work on principle.

Koth is finally given something more to do as the Vorlon Ambassador. But it amounts to finding out stuff about Talia that we aren't told about, and having the Vorlons just blow up the ship Jah'dur is one. His reason? "You're not ready for immortality." The End. Would've been nice if he was there when they voted, but I guess he wanted no part of this at all.

"Deathwalker" had the potential to be a "Duet" or a "Conscience of the King", but it was neither. It wasn't even close. As such, and because of the way this was handled, I think my first impression was right. I give this episode a 5.

There's nothing bad about the episode, but nothing good either. It's a wash.

I was hoping for some follow-up from "And the Sky Full of Stars", but I have to keep reminding myself this is '90s TV. The pay-off will come later.

Two episodes left until we're evened back out.

 

[Ray Hardgrit]

Spoiler: Deathwalker

I'm a bit surprised you didn't like Deathwalker as it tends to be one of the higher rated episodes of the first season. Jha'dur is a great villain whose complexity comes in the ways she's screwing everyone over rather than in her own motivations. No one on Babylon 5 is exactly as they appear, but once they figured out who she was she more than lived up to her reputation as an absolute monster. Plus she works as a catalyst to get others to reveal their true selves as well, with G'Kar especially being tested to see how far he'll go for the good of his people. But Kosh is also pushed into making a choice that reveals that he's not so detached from the affairs of other races as he seems. There's just no point in him turning up to vote when the Vorlons always have the final say.

I was less entertained by the Talia side of the episode where Kosh basically just torments her the whole time and we never fully learn why, but his presence and sinister behavior does at least make the resolution of the immortality plot feel like less of a deus ex machina. It didn't come out of nowhere, Kosh was there the whole time!

It is a bit frustrating having to wait for things like And the Sky Full of Stars to lead to anything, but I think one thing Babylon 5 has in common with Deep Space Nine is that even when it's not overtly serialised it's still putting down foundations for later stories to build on. It's not like The X-Files, where the monster of the week stories and the plot episodes are entirely separate, as even a story like Deathwalker is revealing something about the universe and the players.

 

[DonIago]

Man, I feel as though when it comes to Babylon 5, saying "one of the higher rated episodes of the first season" is damning with faint praise.

 

[Ray Hardgrit]

IMDb voters considered it to be the 66th best episode of the whole show! (Personally I'd put it at 84).

 

[DonIago]

Eh, IMDb voter scores aren't reliable anyhow.

 

[Lord Garth]

I'm the guy who likes Discovery! So I think the ship has sailed between me and general consensus!

But seriously, though, I like the idea behind Deathwalker, and she had a cool design, I just wish she was in a different story.

I'm watching "The War Prayer" (B5) right now. Great quote: "Love?!!! What does love have to do with marriage?!" I'll just let that sit right there...

By the way, I heard this song at the restaurant today, and I can't believe I didn't post this song to go along with that quote!

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[Lord Garth]

On to something I thought was much better!

"Believers" (B5 S1E10)

Spoiler

This episode was far more relatable for me as a viewer, it's straight-forward, and I don't feel like I'm from the outside looking in. This episode focused on Dr. Franklin and they knocked it out of the park! Dr. Franklin has is caring for an ailing child, Shon, who's dying and tells the parents he can be saved with surgery. The parents refuse because it's against their religion. In Onteen culture, they think that only food animals can be cut open. They believe if you perform surgery on someone, the body lives but the spirit is dead.

Franklin goes to Sinclair to see if he can overrule the parents wishes. Meanwhile, Shon's parents to go all the Ambassadors to see if they can intervene. Franklin gets nowhere because Sinclair's hands are tied. Shon's parents get nowhere because the Ambassadors are caught up in red tape. In both cases, we get to see how bureaucracy stops anything from getting done.

But Franklin is steadfast in wanting to save his patient and Shon's parents are steadfast in refusing surgery. The way the episode was building up, I expected that Franklin wouldn't follow orders, and it delivered! Franklin saves Shon anyway. Then the twist: Shon's parents kill him anyway!

Obviously, I side with Franklin. I'm glad he's a doctor with such high moral conviction. He'll try to save anyone, no matter the cost. Even if it means disobeying orders, he's following a code where he wants to save people no matter what.

I immediately compared what Franklin did to what Star Trek doctors would do. McCoy and Bashir would complain a lot, and I mean a LOT, but wouldn't have gone against orders. If "Suspicions" is anything to go by, Crusher would've performed the surgery against the parents' wishes. For most of VOY, the Doctor would've reluctantly listened to the parents, but by the seventh season I think he wouldn't have, if "Critical Care" is anything to go by.

To the side, Ivanova finally gets more to do, by leading a wing of fighters out to rescue a starliner from Raider Space.

Overall, I give this episode a 10.

Shout out to David Gerrold as the writer! Two TOS writers in under 10 episodes! Star Trek's loss was Babylon 5's gain.

One episode left and we're caught back up.

 

[Ray Hardgrit]

Spoiler: Believers

I've been wondering what you were going to think about Believers. From the podcasts, reactions and reviews I've found, I get the impression that it's probably the most divisive episode of the entire Babylon 5 franchise. Some people really like it, others think it's basically character assassination for Franklin and it really affects how they see him afterwards. I think that's partly because it can be interpreted as purely 'science good, religion bad', as it doesn't really make it clear that Franklin is a religious man as well.

Personally I thought it was a pretty good story and it does a good job of really showing how awkward and complicated the situation is for everyone. Even the scenes with the ambassadors have some shades of grey to them, as maybe they're showing off a bit about the different cultures or maybe they're showing how each person excuses themselves from a choice they want nothing to do with. Poor Sinclair is put in the situation of deciding whether the Babylon Project is worth the cost of a child's life and the fact that he says yes and somehow comes out of it all looking morally pure says a lot about the quality of the writing.

I think this is one of the episodes that demonstrates why the show needs the standalone world building stories that don't push the plot forward, and not just because it's one of them. Soul Hunter isn't exactly the highlight of season 1, but it really complicates the issues here. Something was going on in that story that was beyond Franklin's ability to explain with his current level of medical technology, so maybe these guys really do have a problem with their souls leaking out from paper cuts. It seems implausible and the kid seemed pretty normal afterwards, but there's that tiny bit of doubt. Either way, Franklin was arrogant to assume that saving the kid would be the end of things and he didn't need to think a step further.

And Ivanova got like two scenes, which is nice. I'll never complain about getting more Ivanova, even if her story was missing a story.

 

[Farscape One]

I always liked "BELIEVERS". But something always bothered me.

Spoiler

Franklin did not have the right to perform the surgery. He imposed his values and his beliefs onto his patient, and went against the wishes of the family. That is completely wrong and unethical. I feel like this did some character assassination of Franklin.

I admire that he wants to save lives at any cost, but it is the patient's decision whether to use whatever treatment or surgery or procedure that is offered. A doctor's job is to present the patients with choices for treatments, not force their beliefs/values onto them.

It's why Dr. Crusher grated on me and is my least favorite CMO of the franchise... especially the events of "Ethics" make it clear that she imposes her will and beliefs far too much onto others.

It goes against a fundamental right of people... choice. If that choice means denying a life-saving treatment, that is their life and choice.

 

[Lord Garth]

Time for me to go into religion. I don't need to put anything in spoilers. My father came to America from Iran in the late-'70s and married an American woman. He's Muslim, she was Catholic. When I was born, they decided they wouldn't raise me on religion, and that I'd choose my own religion. I ended up choosing neither. I wouldn't so far as to say I'm a hard-core atheist, but I am agonistic. I don't know what will happen after I die, it's a big mystery to me. I favor science and I'm all for whatever can cure us of our ailments and can help us live longer. I'm in favor of stem-cell research and the like.

It's interesting to look at various religions and their takes on life, creation, and moral values. My second film, The Holy Maple Tree, is a religious satire but, even though it's a satire, I take other people's beliefs seriously have characters of different faiths -- and different levels of faith -- and have them talk about and argue about the Afterlife.

Here's a quick trailer for it. The film itself is 90 minutes and I'm working on the finishing touches before I submit it to festivals.

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One of my favorite movies is Contact, where Jodie Foster's character, Dr. Arroway, faces objections about her being the Human representative who makes contact with extra-terrestrial life, and the objection is over the fact that she doesn't believe in God.

So, to circle this back around to include DS9 as well, it's what fascinates me about episodes like "In the Hands of the Prophets" where we get to see Science vs. Religion played out in the classroom.

 

[Lord Garth]

I always liked "BELIEVERS". But something always bothered me.

Spoiler

Franklin did not have the right to perform the surgery. He imposed his values and his beliefs onto his patient, and went against the wishes of the family. That is completely wrong and unethical. I feel like this did some character assassination of Franklin.

I admire that he wants to save lives at any cost, but it is the patient's decision whether to use whatever treatment or surgery or procedure that is offered. A doctor's job is to present the patients with choices for treatments, not force their beliefs/values onto them.

It's why Dr. Crusher grated on me and is my least favorite CMO of the franchise... especially the events of "Ethics" make it clear that she imposes her will and beliefs far too much onto others.

It goes against a fundamental right of people... choice. If that choice means denying a life-saving treatment, that is their life and choice.

Spoiler

I agree that he didn't have the right to do that. But that's what I like about it. It gives him a serious character flaw. He's so convinced he's doing the right thing that he can't see he isn't.

 

[DonIago]

Spoiler: B5 Stuff

I'm with Farscape on this one, and I think some of Franklin's less appealing side here will factor into later episodes...and yet it's interesting to me that I find I can often like the character despite his behavior here.

But I would not want him to be my primary caregiver because he shows that he's willing to put his beliefs over those of myself and my loved ones, and that's terrifying.

 

[Ray Hardgrit]

Does it matter how old the episodes are when people are still watching them for the first time? Especially as the show's secrets haven't become pop culture general knowledge.

Personally I wouldn't like it if I clicked a thread called 'Re-Watching DS9' and got unmarked spoilers for something else in it, so I'm happy to keep using the spoiler boxes here.

 

[Lord Garth]

It's also a nice visual shorthand at a quick glance. Spoiler Tag? It's B5. No spoiler tag? It's DS9.

 

[DonIago]

It's also a nice visual shorthand at a quick glance. Spoiler Tag? It's B5. No spoiler tag? It's DS9.

That's fair, I guess, though somewhat counter to Ray's point immediately preceding..

 

[Lord Garth]

That's fair, I guess, though somewhat counter to Ray's point immediately preceding..

There were a few things I already knew before I started.

Spoiler

Walter Keonig, Bill Mumy, a guy with funny hair, and I know Sinclair won't be there the whole time

But that's all I knew. Everything else I'm finding out as I watch.

 

[Poltargyst]

On to something I thought was much better!

"Believers" (B5 S1E10)

Spoiler

This episode was far more relatable for me as a viewer, it's straight-forward, and I don't feel like I'm from the outside looking in. This episode focused on Dr. Franklin and they knocked it out of the park! Dr. Franklin has is caring for an ailing child, Shon, who's dying and tells the parents he can be saved with surgery. The parents refuse because it's against their religion. In Onteen culture, they think that only food animals can be cut open. They believe if you perform surgery on someone, the body lives but the spirit is dead.

Franklin goes to Sinclair to see if he can overrule the parents wishes. Meanwhile, Shon's parents to go all the Ambassadors to see if they can intervene. Franklin gets nowhere because Sinclair's hands are tied. Shon's parents get nowhere because the Ambassadors are caught up in red tape. In both cases, we get to see how bureaucracy stops anything from getting done.

But Franklin is steadfast in wanting to save his patient and Shon's parents are steadfast in refusing surgery. The way the episode was building up, I expected that Franklin wouldn't follow orders, and it delivered! Franklin saves Shon anyway. Then the twist: Shon's parents kill him anyway!

Obviously, I side with Franklin. I'm glad he's a doctor with such high moral conviction. He'll try to save anyone, no matter the cost. Even if it means disobeying orders, he's following a code where he wants to save people no matter what.

I immediately compared what Franklin did to what Star Trek doctors would do. McCoy and Bashir would complain a lot, and I mean a LOT, but wouldn't have gone against orders. If "Suspicions" is anything to go by, Crusher would've performed the surgery against the parents' wishes. For most of VOY, the Doctor would've reluctantly listened to the parents, but by the seventh season I think he wouldn't have, if "Critical Care" is anything to go by.

To the side, Ivanova finally gets more to do, by leading a wing of fighters out to rescue a starliner from Raider Space.

Overall, I give this episode a 10.

Shout out to David Gerrold as the writer! Two TOS writers in under 10 episodes! Star Trek's loss was Babylon 5's gain.

One episode left and we're caught back up.

I'm not so sure McCoy and Bashir wouldn't have too.

 

[Lord Garth]

One more episode of B5 to go, then it's back to DS9 and alternating back-and-forth more or less 1-to-1.

Five episodes in four days. This is the largest concentrated dose of Babylon 5 I've ever had. 10 episodes already, and the pilot, and I've only thought there was one misfire. For a '90s show, that's a pretty good ratio.

And, from what I understand, the show gets better in later seasons. So, if I already like it at this stage, I'm looking forward to later on!

 

[Lord Garth]

"Survivors" (B5 S1E11)

Spoiler

This one is pretty straight-forward. There's an explosion, before the President Santiago is due to arrive on the station, Garabaldi is framed for it, and then Major Kemmer, head of the President's security detail, overzealously wants to bring Garabaldi to "justice". She believes the frame-up 110%. She also has a personal vendetta. Her father was killed by enemies of Garabaldi's 17 years earlier. As far as she's concerned, Garabaldi's already guilty.

When Garabaldi is on the run from Kemmer and her soldiers, that's when we get to see him in full Not-Bruce Willis Mode. Eventually they're able to figure out how Garabaldi was framed, Kemmer apologizes, and things get tied up. It couldn't be any more straight-forward than that.

What I like is that they didn't make Kemmer impervious to reason. Once she sees that Garabaldi isn't guilty, she accepts that and doesn't press further. It would've been so easy for the episode to have gone the other way but it didn't.

I also loved seeing Sinclair and Ivanova stand up for Garabaldi and not let Kemmer walk all over them.

My favorite scene in the episode is when the guards are looking for Garabaldi, he hides in a bar, and he borrows the hat of a patron next to him to blend into the crowd.

That's all I have to say. Not much to it, but I enjoyed it a lot. I give it a 9.

And that's it! All caught up!

I figured that if B5 has 22-episode seasons, DS9 has 26-episode seasons, and B5 seasons started mid-way through DS9 seasons, then a B5 Season would last from DS9 Season X Episode 13 to DS9 Season Y Episode 9. Giving me a window of four DS9 episodes between seasons of Babylon 5 where I can re-watch the season in a binge before moving onto the next one, to see if my perspective changed any or to pick up anything I missed the first time around. Once I figured all of this out, it made staying on track even more important.

Next Time: "The Collaborator" (DS9). To be honest, I'm glad I'm watching this one two weeks after the 2024 Election instead of sooner. It's bad enough my preferred candidate lost IRL. I didn't feel like watching a preferred candidate of mine on a TV show lose too, especially right afterwards.

 

[Lord Garth]

"The Collaborator" (first half)

Oh my God. Watching this episode has "too soon" written all over it. The beginning of the episode has Bariel in Kira's quarters. They think Bariel is going to win and become the next Kai. Later on, on the Promenade, Winn greets Bariel. Winn also thinks Bariel is going to win. This reminds of how I've felt with half of every US Presidential Election since 2000; the first one I was old enough to vote in. Gore, Kerry, Hillary Clinton, Harris. What do they all have in common? They all lost. And here, on DS9, we've got Bariel. To say this episode hits differently than it did when I was a teenager is an understatement.

When Bariel and Winn talk to each other, it's like the politest way of saying, "Fuck you" to each other I've ever seen. One of the differences between Bariel and Winn is that Bariel believes the Prophets' love is unconditional, while Winn thinks it isn't. What I think is most interesting is the Bajorans voting for what type of theocracy they want. I've looked up a list of theocratic democracies IRL. Afghanistan, Iran, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, Vatican City, and Yemen. But we'll stick to Bajor.

Nice follow-up to "In the Hands of the Prophets" when Kira tells Winn she'll increase security. Winn says she doesn't need the extra protection, and Kira clarifies that it's actually because of the violence she caused the last time she was on the station. Which, of course, Winn still denies and will deny forever.

Kubus. A Bajoran Collaborator who worked for the Cardassians during the Occupation is spotted on the station and Odo arrests him. "Welcome home. You're under arrest." I remembered that line! When Bariel has an Orb Experience, he sees Opaka, he sees Winn, he has inner-doubts about being worthy of following in Opaka's path (you're getting them now?), and then a Bajoran cleric offers him box that contains a serpent. Not exactly a deep, mind-bending analysis to say the serpent represents Kubus. Which, even if I didn't already know what happens, it would've made me think there's a connection between Kubus and Bariel. If that wouldn't have driven it home, then Bariel pulling out a noose sure would've!

When Kubus was arrested, the camera cut to Winn. After Kira spoke to Kubis and said he was #4 on the list of Collaborators who were exiled and never allowed back to Bajor (#4!!!!), the next shot has Winn entering Sisko's office. Both times, there was a cut to Winn. A visual cue there's a connection if not between Winn and Kubus, then definitely a connection between Winn and the reason Kubus is on the station.

Sisko and Winn (or Sisko vs. Winn): An interesting exchange. Last season, Winn called Sisko the Devil. Now she wants Sisko to appear with her before the Election. Sisko correctly calls this an act that would make it look like he was endorsing her, which he won't do. He makes clear he won't endorse anyone. Sisko asks Winn if she still sees him as the enemy. She says no. But I think that's all politics. Someone as convinced of her convictions as she is? Winn, for sure, still sees Sisko as the Devil. So, what this tells me is that Winn is willing to be endorsed by who she thinks of as the Devil if it means helping her gain power.

Then the Midpoint Twist: I didn't remember any of this at all. Both a huge surprise and not a surprise at all, at the same time, that Winn granted Kubus sanctuary on Bajor. Kubis had new information an incident called the Kendra Valley Massacre. Someone who everyone thought was responsible for it, a Bajoran named Bek, was just a pawn and he was working for... Bariel! That says something about the directing of this episode where all the visual cues clued me in. There was a connection between Kubus and Bariel. There was a connection between Kubus being on the station and Winn. And Winn used Kubis to get dirt on Bariel.

I have to look up who directed this episode. They did an amazing job and I have to give whoever it was credit. ... looking it up... Cliff Bole!

I'll leave it here for now. I'll come back to the second half of the episode tonight. Only because I'm running out of time and have to get going. This episode is perfect so far. I don't say that lightly. I can't find a single fault with it, so far. Everything's on-point.