"'Dreamers, shapers, singers, makers.' Part of me says we'll not see their like again. And the part of me that still believes in magic says don't be so sure."
I love this show because of how it remains, episode to episode, so busy, with all these stories demanding a bit of attention. Captain Sheridan informs Ivanova of her new promotion to Commander, giving her the difficult task of dealing with a race known as Drazi who have two different groups fighting simply because of the difference in colored fabric (!), purple and green scarves picked at random from a giant bowl. It is a yearlong conflict that usually results in scuffles and pummeling but such outbursts of violence typically happen with the potential of danger happening to anyone else in the vicinity / area of their skirmishes.
My favorite part of the episode is the arrival of Michael Ansara (I think fans of 70s / 80s sci-fi and horror cheer when he appears) as an enigmatic "leader" of a rarely seen species called the "Techno-mages" who have curious powers and wisdom, with a reputation for using technology and wizardry in amazing ways. Ansara's Elric has an important conversation with Sheridan that I think does rise this episode, The Geometry of Shadows, beyond the oft-used "derogatory" term of "filler" regarding having to escape a great darkness that is coming (this is used a lot during the early part of the series to describe the Shadows, as we see them destroy easily military forces in space in certain quadrants; it is also said in dialogue that they destroy whole settlements on worlds).
Furthermore, Elric also tells Ambassador Mollari (eyeing his endorsement as further incentive for him to gain power on his homeworld) that he will acquire great power through nefarious methods and with plenty of victims. We get a taste of what Elric can do when he "casts a spell" that causes Mollari's profit accounts to purchase stocks in companies that are relatively unprofitable because the Ambassador tried to bug Sheridan's office when attaining a handshake and sort-of endorsement from a techno-mage (proof of this would supposedly carry weight with the Centari Homeworld). We are told during conversation with a Centari of certain standing that the Emperor on the Homeworld is feeble, old, and deteriorating to Mollari setting up the potential for his future achievement of attaining that powerful position, in turn catapulting the world / race into a dangerous period of their existence in history.
Garibaldi recovers from his near-fatal back blast from his second-in-command but mulls over re-attaining his position as Security Chief due to matters such as whether he can trust Sheridan or even belong / deserve it any longer (his faith in his abilities because he could not see the betrayal coming is rattled). It will take Ivanova's kidnapping at the hands of the green Drazi and how he figures out why (they want the purple Drazi to be shot into space from a certain deck!) and where she is to re-affirm he still belongs in the position. Sheridan is not amused to be taken for a patsy when Mollari convinces him to have a meeting with Elric, the three of them, just because the Ambassador was wanting to benefit his positional standing with the Centari Homeworld.
So, again, even with several characters not even featured, the show has a ton of story going on. I like how the ending left open a possible return of the techno-mage even though Elric told Sheridan that their people would probably never be seen on the B5's side of the universe again. Sheridan and Elric's conversation about magic and philosophy is probably my personal favorite scene because of the actors in the roles opposite each other. The orange blossom was an especially nice touch concerning a memory of Sheridan's shared with Elric and how it is produced seemingly from magic.
I love this show because of how it remains, episode to episode, so busy, with all these stories demanding a bit of attention. Captain Sheridan informs Ivanova of her new promotion to Commander, giving her the difficult task of dealing with a race known as Drazi who have two different groups fighting simply because of the difference in colored fabric (!), purple and green scarves picked at random from a giant bowl. It is a yearlong conflict that usually results in scuffles and pummeling but such outbursts of violence typically happen with the potential of danger happening to anyone else in the vicinity / area of their skirmishes.
My favorite part of the episode is the arrival of Michael Ansara (I think fans of 70s / 80s sci-fi and horror cheer when he appears) as an enigmatic "leader" of a rarely seen species called the "Techno-mages" who have curious powers and wisdom, with a reputation for using technology and wizardry in amazing ways. Ansara's Elric has an important conversation with Sheridan that I think does rise this episode, The Geometry of Shadows, beyond the oft-used "derogatory" term of "filler" regarding having to escape a great darkness that is coming (this is used a lot during the early part of the series to describe the Shadows, as we see them destroy easily military forces in space in certain quadrants; it is also said in dialogue that they destroy whole settlements on worlds).
Furthermore, Elric also tells Ambassador Mollari (eyeing his endorsement as further incentive for him to gain power on his homeworld) that he will acquire great power through nefarious methods and with plenty of victims. We get a taste of what Elric can do when he "casts a spell" that causes Mollari's profit accounts to purchase stocks in companies that are relatively unprofitable because the Ambassador tried to bug Sheridan's office when attaining a handshake and sort-of endorsement from a techno-mage (proof of this would supposedly carry weight with the Centari Homeworld). We are told during conversation with a Centari of certain standing that the Emperor on the Homeworld is feeble, old, and deteriorating to Mollari setting up the potential for his future achievement of attaining that powerful position, in turn catapulting the world / race into a dangerous period of their existence in history.
Garibaldi recovers from his near-fatal back blast from his second-in-command but mulls over re-attaining his position as Security Chief due to matters such as whether he can trust Sheridan or even belong / deserve it any longer (his faith in his abilities because he could not see the betrayal coming is rattled). It will take Ivanova's kidnapping at the hands of the green Drazi and how he figures out why (they want the purple Drazi to be shot into space from a certain deck!) and where she is to re-affirm he still belongs in the position. Sheridan is not amused to be taken for a patsy when Mollari convinces him to have a meeting with Elric, the three of them, just because the Ambassador was wanting to benefit his positional standing with the Centari Homeworld.
So, again, even with several characters not even featured, the show has a ton of story going on. I like how the ending left open a possible return of the techno-mage even though Elric told Sheridan that their people would probably never be seen on the B5's side of the universe again. Sheridan and Elric's conversation about magic and philosophy is probably my personal favorite scene because of the actors in the roles opposite each other. The orange blossom was an especially nice touch concerning a memory of Sheridan's shared with Elric and how it is produced seemingly from magic.
