Following the death of Branmer, a great Minbari warrior, it is requested that his body lay in state aboard Babylon 5 so respects can be paid. Commander Sinclair accepts and arrangements are made. Neroon, the Minbari commander returning the body insists that only Minbari guards are present. The next day it emerges that Branmer's body has vanished... Neroon is furious and blames Sinclair; Garibaldi starts investigating. In a secondary story a nascent telepath's abilities awaken; both Ivanova and telepath Talia Winters are there at the time and each has differing views about what should happen to the girl; Talia believes she must return to Earth and Psi Corps, Ivanova believes she should explore other options before deciding.
This was an enjoyable episode with two interesting stories that ultimately combine to give a satisfying conclusion. The story of Branmer's body gives us further insights into Minbari culture and social structure as well as reminding us that not all Minbari agree with their decision to surrender at the Battle of the Line. The story does have one unfortunate, and rather obvious plot hole; why does nobody point out that Minbari were in charge of guarding the body when Neroon says he will hold Sinclair responsible? The story of the young telepath is also enjoyable; as well as the question of what will ultimately become of the girl it reminds us that the Narn are the only major race without telepaths before finally leading to the discovery of the truth about what happened to Branmer's body. As the episode reaches its conclusion things are mentioned that will no doubt be important in upcoming episodes. Overall another solid episode that provides character development and a decent story.
This was an enjoyable episode with two interesting stories that ultimately combine to give a satisfying conclusion. The story of Branmer's body gives us further insights into Minbari culture and social structure as well as reminding us that not all Minbari agree with their decision to surrender at the Battle of the Line. The story does have one unfortunate, and rather obvious plot hole; why does nobody point out that Minbari were in charge of guarding the body when Neroon says he will hold Sinclair responsible? The story of the young telepath is also enjoyable; as well as the question of what will ultimately become of the girl it reminds us that the Narn are the only major race without telepaths before finally leading to the discovery of the truth about what happened to Branmer's body. As the episode reaches its conclusion things are mentioned that will no doubt be important in upcoming episodes. Overall another solid episode that provides character development and a decent story.
