Grail

This article refers to the episode from the first season of Babylon 5. You may be looking for the religious icon, Holy Grail.

GRAIL
Series	Babylon 5
Season	Season 1
Episode	15
Production Number	109
First Aired	6 July 1994
Broadcast Order	15th
Production Credits
Written By	Christy Marx
Directed By	Richard Compton
Executive Producer	Douglas Netter J. Michael Straczynski
Producer	John Copeland
Co-Producer	Richard Compton
Director of Photography	John C. Flinn, III A.S.C.
Editor	Lisa M. Citron
Chronology
Story Date	July, 2258
Chronological Order
Preceded by	Legacies
Followed by	Signs and Portents
Broadcast Order
Preceded by	TKO
Followed by	Eyes

Grail is an episode from the first season of Babylon 5, which is collectively entitled Signs and Portents.

A man comes to Babylon 5 asking the alien ambassadors for information that can help him with his quest to find the Holy Grail. A Downbelow gangster gives security problems by mindwiping all who oppose him.

Cast

Starring

• Michael O'Hare as Commander Jeffrey Sinclair
• Claudia Christian as Lt. Commander Susan Ivanova
• Jerry Doyle as Security Chief Michael Garibaldi
• Mira Furlan as Delenn

Also starring

• Richard Biggs as Dr. Stephen Franklin
• Andrea Thompson as Talia Winters
• Stephen Furst as Vir
• Bill Mumy as Lennier
• Caitlin Brown as Na'Toth

With

• Andreas Katsulas as G'Kar
• Peter Jurasik as Londo

Guest starring

• David Warner as Aldous Gajic
• William Sanderson as Deuce
• Tom Booker as Jinxo
• Jim Norton as Ombuds Wellington

Co-starring

• Linda Lodge as Mirriam Runningdear

Featuring

• Ardwight Chamberlain as Kosh (voice)
• John Flinn as Mr. Flinn
• Marianne Robertson as Tech #1

Cast notes

• Regular cast members appearing in this episode are Jeffrey Sinclair, Susan Ivanova, Michael Garibaldi, Delenn, Stephen Franklin, Vir Cotto, Lennier, and Londo Mollari.
• This is Ambassador Kosh's seventh appearance.

Summary

Introduction

Delenn (with Lennier) approaches Commander Sinclair and Michael Garibaldi while they enjoy a meal in the Zócalo. Delenn is surprised that Sinclair is not on his way to customs to meet a "distinguished visitor" about to arrive. Sinclair does not know to whom she is referring, but politely agrees to meet the newcomer (along with Garibaldi and an honor guard).

Meanwhile, in Downbelow, a man named Jinxo is approached by Deuce, someone whom he owes a great deal of money. To prove his point, he shows him a woman, Mirriam Runningdear, bound up nearby. He explains that Runningdear is supposed to testify against him later that day. A tentacle emerges from the shadows and attaches to the woman's forehead – she screams for a moment, then stops with a blank expression. The tentacle withdraws into a Vorlon encounter suit and Deuce introduces Ambassador Kosh.

Act I

Ombuds Wellington presides over a courtroom on Babylon 5, dealing with a civil suit between a human (Flinn) and a Vree.

In the customs area, a man named Aldous Gajic disembarks from his ship, to the excitement of Delenn and Lennier. Commander Sinclair formally welcomes him aboard, but is barely able to keep a straight face when Gajic explains he is there seeking the Holy Grail. The man says he neglected to inform the commander since he thought it was only a matter between him and the other ambassadors, as he is searching for the Grail on other worlds. Garibaldi rolls his eyes, and the commander leaves him to show Aldous to a currency exchange. The Minbari, however, are looking forward to discussing more with him and call him a "True Seeker." Privately, Delenn approaches Sinclair to ask about his reaction and Sinclair admits the Grail is a myth and the search of it not taking seriously. She chides him, telling him that the journey of knowledge and bettering one's people is what is important, not the destination. Interestingly, when Sinclair supposes he is the only "Seeker" on the station, she suggests that Sinclair himself is a "True Seeker" without knowing it. Sinclair watches her go and gets a call from Franklin.

Gajic, while using an ATM, has his pocket picked by Jinxo, but Garibaldi is nearby and catches him. He places Jinxo under arrest and insists Gajic accompany them to the courtroom to deal with the matter.

Franklin has Runningdear in Medlab, and reports to Sinclair that she is brain damaged. It may be possible to rehabilitate her, but the damage is extensive. Garibaldi arrives wanting to clean out all of Down Below, since this is the third instance in a series of bizarre murders, each involving the victim being completely "mind wiped." Garibaldi is upset to learn the victim as Mirriam Runningdeer, aware that she was about to testify against Deuce.

In the courtroom, Ombuds Wellington pronounces judgment for Jinxo's crime: he is to leave the station and be barred from returning for five years. The judge further notes that Jinxo is a skilled zero gravity construction worker who could get work on just about any construction project and says that as a gesture toward helping him that court will pay for his passage. Jinxo loudly protests, insisting that he cannot leave the station for any reason. Gajic then approaches the bench and offers to take Jinxo into his personal custody. Wellington agrees to this offer. The next case on the docket is Deuce's criminal charge (extortion), but with no witness, Wellington reluctantly must dismiss the case.

As they leave the courtroom, Gajic asks Jinxo why he believes he cannot leave the station. Jinxo explains he is convinced the station will explode if he leaves, explaining he is "cursed." He warns Gajic that Deuce is coming for him soon.

Act II

Jinxo explains his "curse." He worked on all five of the Babylon stations. On the first three, each was destroyed during a period when he had taken leave. He took no leave during the building of Babylon 4, but as he departed the completed station, it mysteriously vanished without a trace. Thus, he believes he is the cause for all the misfortunes. Gajic, however, points out that he is actually lucky, having escaped misfortune at each stage along the way.

Garibaldi fumes over Deuce getting away. Dr. Franklin and Lt. Comm. Ivanova join Garibaldi and Sinclair, explaining they may have an answer to what is causing the mind wipes: an alien lifeform called a Na'ka'leen Feeder, a quasi-sentient beast kept under quarantine by the Centauri Republic. Armed with this news, Sinclair seeks out Ambassador Londo Mollari in the casino. Mollari is aware of the creatures, and is terrified at the prospect of one of them being aboard. He heads straight back to his quarters, telling Sinclair he will have all the relevant files sent to him.

Gajic meets with Delenn and Lennier to discuss the Grail. They have no knowledge of such an artifact, but they promise that the Federation will keep an eye out for it and bring it to him if they ever find it.

In Downbelow, Deuce meets with "Kosh," who craves more food (and sounds nothing like Kosh). Deuce orders one of his cronies to bring him Jinxo and Wellington.

Act III

Sinclair, Ivanova, and Garibaldi go over the data supplied by Londo. Dr. Franklin confirms that the victims were affected by a Feeder. Garibaldi, having seen Deuce speaking briefly to Jinxo in the courtroom, decides to track down Jinxo to see if he knows anything important.

Gajic and Jinxo patiently await Londo Mollari's attention in his quarters while Londo screams at a Centauri official via a transmission. Londo insists that the quarantine over the Feeders be put back in place. He then impatiently turns to Gajic. Vir Cotto explains what Gajic is looking for and also happily explains that he has already done a thorough review of all Centauri records and there is no knowledge of the Grail.

After leaving Mollari's quarters, Jinxo asks Gajic about how he ever started on his quest. Gajic explains how he used to be an accountant with a wife and two children, until a tragic accident on Mars claimed the lives of his family. He was consumed by grief until meeting a dying man who himself had been seeking the Grail. That man had such an impact on Gajic that upon his death, Gajic took up his quest as his own.

Wellington heads to his quarters after a long day on the bench, but he is kidnapped upon his arrival. Meanwhile, Deuce's thugs attack Jinxo, but Gajic fights them off. The two proceed on their way into the Alien Sector to meet with Ambassador Kosh. As soon as he sees Kosh, Jinxo panics and runs into Downbelow. Gajic follows him, where Jinxo explains he saw "Kosh" eat someone's mind. Gajic insists he come forward with this information. They are attacked again by Deuce's thugs. Jinxo escapes, but Gajic is captured. The thug announces they'll feed him to the "Vorlon" if he doesn't find Deuce.

Act IV

Garibaldi links Sinclair, alerting him to Wellington's kidnapping.

Gajic is brought to a secluded area in Downbelow. Wellington is there, bound to a chair. "Kosh" approaches slowly.

Jinxo finds Sinclair and quickly explains about the "Vorlon." Sinclair links to Garibaldi and has him trace his signal to where Jinxo is taking him.

Gajic fearlessly stands between "Kosh" and Wellington and stands down the tentacle. He beckons the Feeder to come out of the suit and face him. The Feeder obliges, emerging from the suit and drawing itself up to its full height. It moves towards Gajic, who offers no resistance. Before it can reach him, though, Garibaldi and a security team storm the location (along with Sinclair and Jinxo). A firefight ensues against Deuce and his men. Gajic is mortally wounded shielding Jinxo from Deuce's PPG. Afterward, the Feeder is killed. Before Gajic dies, he requests Sinclair witness and he bequeaths all he has (including his quest) to Jinxo, who accepts.

Later, Sinclair meets with the real Kosh in his quarters, explaining how Deuce was able to acquire a fake encounter suit (the intent being to make people believe the Vorlons were working for him). It pleases Kosh that some people find his mysterious nature uncomfortable.

Delenn joins Sinclair in the customs area to see the departure of Gajic's body. Jinxo is leaving too, ready to start the search again. Delenn offers him a small token of her admiration of Gajic, to be buried with his body. Both Sinclair and Garibaldi wish Thomas well ("Jinxo" no more) as he leaves.

Act V

Garibaldi personally informs Londo and Vir that the Feeder is dead (though he still has to have some fun at their expense).

In C'n'C, Sinclair, Ivanova, and Garibaldi watch as the shuttle departs. They hold their breath as it enters the jumpgate, but nothing happens. "No boom today," Ivanova says.

Memorable quotes

“

"On Earth, the Grail is nothing but a myth – it's a nice story to tell your kids. For someone to spend his entire life looking for it is... well, it's not often taken very seriously."
"How sad. He is a holy man – a true seeker. Among my people, a true seeker is treated with the utmost reverence and respect. It doesn't matter that his Grail may or may not exist, what matters is that he strives for the perfection of his soul – for the salvation of his race... that he has never wavered or lost faith."
"I wish him luck. He's probably the only true seeker we have."
"Then perhaps you don't know yourself... as well as you think."

– Sinclair and Delenn, discussing Aldous Gajic

“

"There are two castes of Minbari: the warrior caste and the religious cast. The warrior caste would not understand – it is not their way."
"So we will not tell them, and spare them the confusion."

– Lennier and Delenn, to Aldous

“

"These two sides of your culture – do they ever agree on anything?"
"Yes, and when they do, it is a terrible thing – a terrible power, as recent events have shown us. Let us hope it never again happens in our lifetime."

– Aldous and Delenn

“

"Do you think he's genuine?"
"Aldous? Yes. The question is, a genuine what? One person's lunatic is another's true seeker."
"You've been hanging out with Delenn too much!"

– Garibaldi and Sinclair

“

"I was too young to fight in the Minbari War, so when I got the chance to work space construction, I jumped for it. The day I went to work on the Babylon Station–we didn't number them at first, you know–I thought that was the best day of my life! I worked a few months, had some leave, so I took it. And the station's infrastructure collapsed. Sabotaged. They never found out who.

I remember.

So I went to work on the second one. The firm still owned my contract until the station was finished. I took leave a second time, and that station was sabotaged. And then when B3 blew up, well, that's when I got the name Jinxo. When I went to work on B4, I didn't take any leave! I was there every minute until we finished it. I thought the Curse was gone. But as I was leaving on the shuttle, I looked back…and the station just sort of…wrinkled, twisted like putty, and then just disappeared. The minute I left. So then when they decided to build B5, I had to work on it. And I have to stay. I have to!

I'd say that you have the wrong nickname. They should have called you Lucky!

How do you figure?

To have escaped the worst each time, that's a blessing. You're a very lucky man. Perhaps each time, you were exactly where you were meant to be.

I never thought of it like that.

We never do."

– Thomas "Jinxo" Jordan tells his story, and the story of the "Babylon Curse," to Aldous Gajic.

“

"Vir! What are you doing?"
"Being efficient, sir!"
"A few more like you, Vir, and the entire Centauri Republic will 'efficient' itself to extinction!"

– Londo and Vir

“

"It's a hard thing to live your life searching for something and never find it."
"Are you speaking of Aldous... or someone else?"

– Sinclair and Delenn

“

"We've confiscated the fake encounter suit. It's a pretty close match to your own, at least on the outside."
"Why?"
"Deuce wanted to make people think he had the Vorlons working for him. He figured it would add to his image and intimidate people."
"Why?"
"Well, after all, no one knows exactly what you look like, that makes some people a little nervous."
"Good."

– Sinclair and Kosh

“

"No "boom" today, "boom" tomorrow. There's always a "boom" tomorrow. What? Look, somebody's got to have some damn perspective around here. Boom. Sooner or Later... Boom!"

– Ivanova to Garibaldi and Sinclair, after they each say: "No Boom."

Continuity

• The disappearance of Babylon 4 is briefly mentioned.
• Delenn and Lennier explain about the Warrior Caste and the Religious Caste. This is the first time this concept is discussed on the series, though here the Minbari are said to have two castes. Subsequent to this episode, it would be established that there are three castes, the other being the Worker Caste. An explanation could be that the Worker Caste was considered to be on lower level compared the other castes.

Behind the Scenes

• "Grail" episode writer Christy Marx named the character Aldous Gajic after Mira Furlan's husband, Goran Gajic.

External links

• Episode guide page for Grail at the Lurker's Guide