Chrysalis (''Babylon 5'')

"Chrysalis"
Babylon 5 episode
Delenn ready to undergo change
Episode no. Season 1
Episode 22
Directed by Janet Greek
Written by J. Michael Straczynski
Production code 112
Original air date October 3, 1994
Guest appearance(s)

Ed Wasser (Morden)
Julia Nickson (Catherine Sakai)
Macaulay Bruton (Garibaldi's Aid)

"Chrysalis" is the final episode of the first season of the science fiction television series Babylon 5.

Synopsis

New Year's Eve is approach for Babylon 5, and the station is getting ready to celebrate. The humans on board also follow news that President Santiago is making a tour of the various colonies aboard Earth Force One. Sakai is spending time at the station with Sinclair, and they consider getting married. They later give this news to Ivanova and Garibaldi, asking them to be the maid of honor and best man, respectively.

Ambassadors Mollari and G'Kar argue about Quadrant 37 to the Council of Aligned Worlds. While the area of space is neutral, the Centauri have taken issue with a large Narn military station that the have constructed there, and Mollari demands for its removal, but G'Kar refuses to agree. When talks break down, Sinclair speaks to G'Kar about being more open to negotiations, which he will consider. Meanwhile, Mollari is approached by Morden. Morden explains that if Mollari tells his government that the ambassador will take care of the problem in Quadrant 37 personally, then Morden's associates will be able to help. Mollari agrees, though unclear what Morden intends. Some time later, the Narn outpost in the quadrant is attacked by strange black ships, destroying all facilities there and leaving no survivors. G'Kar is devastated by the news, knowing that none of the other races have this type of technology. G'Kar vows not to rest until he finds out who did this, and leaves the station, informing his aide Na'Toth that he will not be back for sometime but will keep her appraised of his progress. Mollari is shocked with what Morden's associates were able to do, but Morden reminds him that he only asks for a favor to be determined in the future.

Ambassador Delenn is preparing to use the triluminary, and learns from her aide Lennier that when he asked her question to Kosh, he simply replied yes. She goes to see Kosh, knowing what she is about to do has been destined. Kosh opens his encounter suit to show her his true form, and she says that the next time he sees her, she will not be the same. Delenn goes to see Sinclair, who is in the midst of dealing with the Quadrant 37 situation and is too busy to talk further; she insists he come talk when he has more time. With the triluminary placed in its stand, it creates a chrysalis, which she enters, while Lennier oversees the process.

A wounded man disembarks from a shuttle onto the station, and Garibaldi is there to catch him before he collapse. The man mutters something about "they're going to kill him" before he passes out. The man later dies from his wounds in medlab, but Garibaldi recognizes him as Petrov, a former lurker on Babylon 5 that worked to turn his life around. Garibaldi tracks down information of who may have killed him, discovering a man named Devereaux may have been responsible. Garibaldi has Devereaux held in the brig while he continues the investigation. Discovering that Devereaux was smuggling goods, he finds Devereaux had left one shipment behind, and proceeds to review its contents with his aide. They find the contents include jamming devices and translocators, set for the Io jump point. Garibaldi realizes that the President's ship is soon to arrive there, and tells his aid to guard the contents while he rushes to warn Sinclair. However, Garibaldi runs into Devereaux and his men, and then is shot and mortally wounded by his aide, who had been working with Devereaux. Garibaldi manages to crawl his way to an elevator and is found by some residents, where he is rushed to medlab. While Dr. Franklin rushes to stablize Garibaldi, Sinclair arrives, and Garibaldi is able to warn him about the threat to the President. Sinclair tries to reach the Earth's government in time, but all channels are blocked. Earth Force One is destroyed, with all hands lost. In the wake, Vice President Morgan Clark, who had left the tour earlier due to an illness, is sworn in as President, and promises to focus on the needs of humans first.

Sometime after these events, Kosh finds Sinclair and reminds him that he forgot about Delenn. Sinclair rushes to her quartrers to find her completely cocooned within the chrysalis. When he returns to his quarters with Sakai, he tells her that nothing is the same anymore.

Arc significance

This is the final episode of the first season, and ends with a number of questions hanging. Unlike most Season One episodes, nearly every scene in this episode is relevant to the story arc.

  • Delenn starts to undergo a transformation.
  • There is a mysterious connection between Delenn and Kosh.
  • The plot to kill President Santiago, first seen in "Survivors", comes to fruition.
  • The Shadows attack a Narn outpost on behalf of Londo Mollari.
  • It is evident Morden has some invisible masters/helpers.
  • Garibaldi's aide, Jack, has attempted to kill him to keep the assassination plot secret.
  • Sinclair has proposed marriage to Catherine Sakai.

Production details

  • Garibaldi's shot in the back is foreshadowed 8 episodes earlier in "TKO".
  • The question Delenn asks Kosh through Lennier, to which the answer is "Yes," is revealed in Season Two.
  • The episode first aired in the United Kingdom on October 3, 1994, and in the United States on October 26. This detail is significant because many British viewers, US viewers, and the creator/executive producer, were all communicating with each other via various online services at the time (starting in 1991).[1]
  • This is the last episode in which the T'Loth Narn Cruiser is seen. They were completely replaced with the G'Quan Cruisers beginning in the second season. This is explained in universe as a controlled phase out of the cobbled together T'Loth; they were used to attack Ragesh 3 and to defend quadrant 37 because the former was not defended and the latter was considered unimportant. Meanwhile, the rest of the T'Loths were scrapped to provide materials for the massive buildup of G'Quans off screen. The production crew has indicated that Strackzynski felt that the T'Loth looked too generic compared to the other major race ships or even some of the ship of the non-aligned worlds, and ordering its replacement was one of the first things he did upon receiving the second season pickup.

References

  1. ↑ "GEnie information". Ftp.midwinter.com. Retrieved 2012-01-05.

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