Why was Delenn on Centuari Prime?

[RoJoHen]

In the crazy time travel episode where Sinclair comes back (Um...War Without End?), Sheridan gets unstuck in time and ends up in prison with Delenn on Centuari Prime. This is also referenced in "In the Beginning."

My question is: why was Delenn in prison? I know it's a weird future scene, so there probably aren't many details, but do any of you awesome B5 experts know the story here? What exactly was going on at that time in the galaxy?

 

[Lindley]

It's covered in Peter David's Legions of Fire trilogy.

Spoiler: LoF: Out of the Darkness

She was pursuing David, who had been compelled to head for Centauri Prime after being taken by the Keeper that Londo left for him. Garibaldi was around there somewhere too.

 

[JoeD80]

You can also pick up the gist of why from "Objects at Rest", which leads into the Centauri books.

 

[Reverend]

JMS did this a few times in the show where he doesn't spell everything out, but leaves enough clues for you to put the pieces together yourself.

Like the fate of Catherine Sakai for example...though in that case you need to read one book and three comics to get all the right pieces on that one, though some of it is alluded to in the show.

 

[MarianLH]

If I recall correctly, she

Spoiler: the novel

becomes a Ranger, and dies a very cliched hero's death.

I can't think of any hints toward that end in the actual show. What scenes are you referring to?


Marian

 

[OmahaStar]

Are you talking about Sakai? Cuz if so, you have it so wrong.

 

[misskim86]

I think she went back in time. I always wondered what Sinclair meant with "I found her" and I never got a straight answer but I think it was her.

aawwwww

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I think she went back in time. I always wondered what Sinclair meant with "I found her" and I never got a straight answer but I think it was her.

AFAIK, it was like this:

Spoiler: Sakai

Some time *before* the events of WWE, Catherine Sakai found herself near the time portal depicted in that episode. She ended up in the past of 1000 years ago - the same timeframe Sinclair would later find himself in when he became Valen.

 

[misskim86]

Which means that Sinclair and Sakai are the ones who gave the Minbari the human DNA

 

[JoeD80]

In Season 5, Garibaldi mentions that Sakai disappeared when he mentions that everything always goes wrong when he eats at Fresh Aire Restaurant.

 

[Harvey]

JMS did this a few times in the show where he doesn't spell everything out, but leaves enough clues for you to put the pieces together yourself.

Like the fate of Catherine Sakai for example...though in that case you need to read one book and three comics to get all the right pieces on that one, though some of it is alluded to in the show.

I'd say this example is the same as the one about Sakai. There are pieces in the series regular, but they don't come close to forming a whole. For that you need the novels. And the novels are great (at least the canon ones), but it's still a shame in my eyes that all of this didn't make its way to screen (and can't at this point).

 

[Reverend]

The pieces of the "fate of Sakai" mystery are as follows (I've headed each quote with the source so those who wish to, can avoid spoilers): -

From: Season 5, Ep15 - "Darkness Ascending"
We were celebrating his engagement to a surveyor named Catherine Sakai.
That same night, though, President Santiago was assassinated...
...I got shot in the back and nearly killed.
Next thing I know, Sinclair was gone. Sakai, she disappeared over a year ago.
Now lvanova's gone, and Franklin's heading back to Earth at the end of the year.
Sometimes I feel like the last soldier on the battlefield.
I'm looking around, wondering, "Where the hell did everybody go?"

Timing is a bit off here, according the the book she disappeared around November 2259 (late season 2.)

From: Season 4, Ep9 - "Atonement"
After the war Valen married and had children. They left Minbar to escape those who would persecute them. After Valen died, his children returned to Minbar.

Why would the children of Valen (one of the most revered figures in Minbari history) fear persecution? Unless of course their mother was an alien and the children "impure".

From: "To Dream in the City Of Sorrows" by Kathryn M. Drennan
Marcus saw that his name was written on the envelope in a familiar script. He also recognized that the envelope was made from a kind of Minbari paper that was only used for important occasions. The paper was made to last for thousands of years, and the older the unused paper was, the more valuable it was. The more important the occasion, the more care was taken to find the oldest sheet of paper possible. Someone had apparently thought this letter very important, since the paper seemed to be very old.
He opened it carefully. Inside was an unsigned note that read: "From both of us, our thanks and friendship.
Continue to dream that better future . . . where perhaps we'll meet again."
Marcus sat back down, unsure what to think. It seemed to be Sinclair's handwriting. But when had it been written? The age of the paper told him nothing. The letter itself could have been written a month ago or a thousand years ago. He looked back up at the statue of Valen, and wondered.
And he couldn't help remember what the Minbari always said.
That Valen would return someday.

Now here is where it gets confusing.

From: "In Valens Name #3" by Peter David
Still...it's been a good life...lives...over all. Delenn, Catherine, Susan, Michael...if any of you see this somehow...don't cry for me. For in the final analysis, I've always been too hard on myself. I'll be content to let history judge me, and all that has been done in Valen's name. And as for me...I've received my own reward...because I've found her. At long last...I've found her.

How can Sakai be with him when he mentions her somehow seeing this message in the future? Unless of course he knows another Catherine that we haven't heard of...

 

[JoeD80]

From: "In Valens Name #3" by Peter David
Still...it's been a good life...lives...over all. Delenn, Catherine, Susan, Michael...if any of you see this somehow...don't cry for me. For in the final analysis, I've always been too hard on myself. I'll be content to let history judge me, and all that has been done in Valen's name. And as for me...I've received my own reward...because I've found her. At long last...I've found her.

How can Sakai be with him when he mentions her somehow seeing this message in the future? Unless of course he knows another Catherine that we haven't heard of...

jms said it was for sure Catherine Sakai that Sinclair was referring to as having found. The listing of Catherine was likely an error in the comic.

Also jms mentioned Sakai having arrived after Sinclair to the past, and Sakai staying human as being part of the scandal that later came for Valen. Also, in the episode "Atonement" we find out that there is a lot of human DNA throughout the Minbari race (of course referring to Sinclair, but could be referring to Sakai's human DNA as well).

 

[OmahaStar]

How can Sakai be with him when he mentions her somehow seeing this message in the future? Unless of course he knows another Catherine that we haven't heard of...

The first time I read that, I thought it had to do with time travel. He has no idea if Babylon 4 will be found, since it happened after he went back. With the time travel "wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey" thing going on, and changes he's made, it could be found in 500 years, a thousand years, or never. He hopes it's found by his friends. It's entirely possible it may have been found by Catherine before she came back in time.

Then again, it could have been a screw-up and he intended to say Carolyn instead.

 

[Ryan Thomas Riddle]

From: "In Valens Name #3" by Peter David
Still...it's been a good life...lives...over all. Delenn, Catherine, Susan, Michael...if any of you see this somehow...don't cry for me. For in the final analysis, I've always been too hard on myself. I'll be content to let history judge me, and all that has been done in Valen's name. And as for me...I've received my own reward...because I've found her. At long last...I've found her.

How can Sakai be with him when he mentions her somehow seeing this message in the future? Unless of course he knows another Catherine that we haven't heard of...

IIRC, JMS stated that it was an editorial error that Catherine's name shouldn't have been in that list of friends. The woman Sinclair/Valen says he's found is supposed to be Catherine.

 

[Jan]

From: "In Valens Name #3" by Peter David
Still...it's been a good life...lives...over all. Delenn, Catherine, Susan, Michael...if any of you see this somehow...don't cry for me. For in the final analysis, I've always been too hard on myself. I'll be content to let history judge me, and all that has been done in Valen's name. And as for me...I've received my own reward...because I've found her. At long last...I've found her.

How can Sakai be with him when he mentions her somehow seeing this message in the future? Unless of course he knows another Catherine that we haven't heard of...

I can't find the post at the moment but JMS has said that it was an error in the comic script, that "I found her" did refer to Sakai.

ETA: Yeah, what middyseafort said...

Jan

 

[Reverend]

Well that's ok then. I had a search for any mention of it too and turned up bugger all, so I'll just take your word for it.