Messages from Earth

MESSAGES FROM EARTH
Series	Babylon 5
Season	Season 3
Episode	08
Production Number	308
First Aired	19th February 1996
Broadcast Order	52nd
Production Credits
Written By	J. Michael Straczynski
Directed By	Michael Vejar
Executive Producer	Douglas Netter & J. Michael Straczynski
Producer	John Copeland
Production Designer	John Iacovelli
Director of Photography	John C. Flinn, III A.S.C.
Editor	Skip Robinson
Music By	Christopher Franke
Chronology
Story Date	March 18th - April 8th, 2260
Chronological Order
Preceded by	Exogenesis
Followed by	Point of No Return
Broadcast Order
Preceded by	Exogenesis
Followed by	Point of No Return

A startling revelation leads Sheridan and Delenn on a dangerous mission into Earth Alliance space. The Nightwatch expands its influence over Babylon 5.

Cast

Regular Cast

• Bruce Boxleitner as Captain John Sheridan
• Claudia Christian as Commander Susan Ivanova
• Jerry Doyle as Michael Garibaldi
• Mira Furlan as Ambassador Delenn
• Richard Biggs as Dr. Stephen Franklin
• Bill Mumy as Lennier
• Jason Carter as Marcus Cole
• Stephen Furst as Vir Cotto
• Jeff Conaway as Security Chief Zack Allan
• Andreas Katsulas as G'Kar
• Peter Jurasik as Ambassador Londo Mollari

Guest Starring

• Nancy Stafford as Dr. Mary Kirkish
• Vaughn Armstrong as Security Guard #1

Featuring

• Merrin Dungey as Security Guard #2
• Vimi Mani as ISN Anchor
• Loraine Shields as Cook

Cast Notes

• Regular characters appearing in this episode are John Sheridan, Susan Ivanova, Michael Garibaldi, Delenn, Stephen Franklin, Lennier, Zack Allan, Marcus Cole, and G'Kar.

Summary

Introduction

John Sheridan, Susan Ivanova, and Michael Garibaldi are having breakfast, with Garibaldi complaining about eating the same thing for three years. Ivanova's breakfast arrives: it is fresh bacon and eggs. This surprises everyone, since getting fresh food out to the station is nearly impossible. Ivanova reveals that it is from Marcus Cole. She helped him get an identicard, so he returned the favor by surprising her.

In Downbelow, Cole and Mary Kirkish escape from a group of assailants. Cole manages to fight them off, but Kirkish is injured.

Act I

Sheridan and Ivanova watch the latest news reports with trepidation. First, a story on President Santiago's assassination and another on the Shadows. Meanwhile, Cole takes Kirkish to Medlab and entrusts her to Dr. Stephen Franklin's care. Cole explains she was being captured by bounty hunters, who Cole describes as "businessmen (of a sort)" under contract and insists Franklin keep a close eye on her.

Garibaldi visits G'Kar in prison. Surprisingly, he finds G'Kar in rather good spirits. G'Kar even jokes that his singing is making others believe he's being tortured. He explains he has been looking inward and learning more about who he is. He is also writing down his experiences with the war and the fall of the Narn Homeworld in the hope of correcting it. He also asks Garibaldi what he thought about the Book of G'Quan.

Garibaldi explains to Sheridan that he arranged for Cole to bring Mary Kirkish to Babylon 5 after hearing that she was on the run. A former member of Interplanetary Expeditions, she witnessed the excavation of a Shadow Vessel in Syria Planum on Mars. Kirkish briefs the command crew on her knowledge.

Act II

Kirkish tells the crew about the Earth efforts to learn about the Shadow Vessel. One person died by touching it with his bare hands. They were all told to leave to a further base and, there, they watched as a second Shadow Vessel arrived and freed the first one from the Martian soil. Garilbaldi relates his own involvement, having witnessed part of it, and reveals he retrieved a charred Psi Corps badge. Kirkish then reveals that another vessel has been found on Ganymede but, this time, the Earth Alliance has no intention of letting it go.

Sheridan makes a decision, deciding to head to Ganymede with the White Star to destroy the Shadow Vessel. Despite the risks of detection, Sheridan is determined to succeed as Clark must not get the technology. Sheridan, Delenn, and Lennier take the White Star to Earth-controlled space.

Act III

At a Nightwatch meeting, Zack Allan learns that many high-ranking officials and personalities throughout the Earth Alliance will be arrested and charged as conspirators to sell Humanity out to the alien races. As a result, Nightwatch will increase their surveillance operations. Allan is uncomfortable with the increased surveillance, but the others are not. One officer notes the captain is missing.

En route to Ganymede, Lennier recommends that Sheridan get some sleep to prepare him for the mission ahead. He meets Delenn in the sleeping quarters and has trouble sleeping in the Minbari beds. Delenn offers to watch him sleep and catch him if he falls.

As Cole briefs Ivanova on enemy movements, he finds that she is distracted; he starts slipping in nonsense statements until she pays attention. They have a frank conversation about Cole's place in the conspiracy. Ivanova blames Cole for Sheridan leaving, believing that he would do nothing else when confronted with the information. Cole believes that Sheridan would have sent him, and Ivanova reveals that she is uncertain of her place in the world now they are going up against Earth.

The White Star arrives at Jupiter, which triggers alarms. By intercepting transmissions, they learn that Earth is attempting to reactivate the Shadow vessel by providing a living person for it to merge with. The Shadow vessel activates and blasts free of its holdings.

Act IV

The Shadow vessel's merging with its pilot was handled incorrectly, driving the Shadow vessel mad. As it destroys its surroundings, Sheridan engages the Shadow vessel with the White Star. Sheridan decides to lure the Shadow vessel into Jupiter's atmosphere, intending to destroy it in the planet's gravity well. Sheridan's plan works, with the Shadow vessel being crushed while the White Star escapes the gravity well.

As they attempt to leave Jupiter, however, the EAS Agamemnon arrives, firing into the atmosphere. Sheridan refuses to engage the Agamemnon. Refusing to fight or surrender, Delenn suggests opening a jump point in the atmosphere. The plan is successful, and the White Star escapes Earth space.

Act V

Sheridan, Ivanova, and Garibaldi watch ISN. Official reports state that the Ganymede base was destroyed by an alien ship that was subsequently destroyed by the Agamemnon. Allan is summoned to a meeting by the local Nightwatch representative. He is concerned that Sheridan's absence from the station is cause for concern and wants him to investigate. Allan is now conflicted between his friendships and his job.

Cole visits Ivanova with a mock org chart, showing his position with the organizational structure of B5. Ivanova, amused, wonders why Cole made it, and he replies it was simply to make her laugh. As he leaves, Sheridan contacts Ivanova and tells her to watch the news. She learns that President Clark has declared martial law.

Continuity

Garibaldi's perspective of the events at Syria Planum had previously been alluded to with his conversation with Mary Ann Cramer in "Infection" and was depicted in detail in the four part comic book series "Shadows of Past and Present". In incident will later be referred to in "Z'ha'dum" as the impetus for the Icarus mission while other details and witnesses are mentioned in the novels Deadly Relations - Bester Ascendant and The Shadow Within.

DVD Release

This episode, along with the other 21 from Season 3 have been released on DVD with extensive Special Features.

External Link

Episode guide page for Messages from Earth at the Lurker's Guide