Mind War

"Mind War" is an episode from the first season of the science-fiction television series Babylon 5.

Synopsis

Jason Ironheart, Talia Winters' old instructor at Psi-Corps, arrives at Babylon 5, having recently evaded capture. Psi-Corps agents Alfred Bester and his assistant Kelsey arrive shortly thereafter, and meet with Sinclair, Ivanova, and Winters, warning them that Ironheart is aboard and they need to perform a manhunt for them. To verify that Winters has not yet met him, Bester and Kelsey put Winters under an intense mind probe, but find no contact. Sinclair asks Bester if there is any danger to the station from Ironheart, but Bester assures them he is safe.

Ironheart contacts Winters and asks her to visit. In his guest quarters, he explains that he is an advanced test subject from Psi-Corps, an attempt to raise the telepathic abilities of humans well beyond any known levels. The tests they performed on him gave him advanced telekinesis, for which he believes that Psi-Corps wants to use him as a secret assassin. However, his abilities are growing beyond his control, and as he speaks to Winters, he suffers a "mind quake", shaking the nearby area violently. He begs Winters to leave, after which he creates a psychic barrier around his quarters and several sections around it. Alerted to the situation, Sinclair accosts Bester in lying to him as one of his security men was injured trying to pass the barrier. Some time later, Winters convinces Ironheart to let him in, and he warns her that he cannot control his powers and must leave the station. Winters discreetly relays this to Sinclair, and he agrees to meet with Ironheart, and after hearing his story, agrees to help him escape. He has security clear a path to the docking bay, but Bester learns of this and attempts to stop them. As both Bester and Kelsey places Ironheart under a psychic assault, but Ironheart resists and uses his powers to psychically destroy Kelsey. Sinclair knocks Bester out, giving Winters time to escort Ironheart to his ship. Once launched, Ironheart's powers fully transform him into an ethereal being. He thanks Sinclair for his help and gives Winters a "gift" before his form departs. Later, Sinclair convinces Bester to lie in his report, that Ironheart was killed in his ship, otherwise he will threaten to show how Bester lied to him. That evening, in her quarters, Winters finds she now has primitive telekinesis.

Meanwhile, Catherine Sakai is told of a planet named Sigma 957 which an excavation company would like a survey of, willing to pay her a handsome sum for it. As she prepares, Narn ambassador G'Kar warns her not to go, as the planet is inhospitable and not worth the effort, but she goes anyway. When she arrives, a ship of alien origin passes hers in orbit before disappearing, and her ship loses power, causing her orbit to decay. However, she is rescued in time by two Narn fighters summoned to help her by G'Kar. Back on Babylon 5, she asks G'Kar why he helped, and he vaguely passes on a sound reason. She also asks about the ship, but G'Kar deflects this question as well, saying that there are beings that have been in the galaxy much longer than they have, and compares her encounter to that of an ant being picked up by a human - they might not even know she was there.

Arc significance

• Sigma-957 is introduced. The ancient species first seen in this episode would later be recruited by Ivanova and Marcus to help the Army of Light defeat the Shadows.
• G'Kar explains that certain species in the galaxy are billions of years older than most of the others. This is the first formal introduction into the concept of the First Ones, though it would later be revealed that the Vorlons were also First Ones.
• Introduces the recurring character of Psi Cop Bester and the role of the Psi Cops in the lives of Psi Corps telepaths.
• Introduction of Jason Ironheart's gift to Talia.
• Quantium-40 is revealed as a necessary substance for the manufacture of Jumpgates.
• First appearance of Garibaldi's Aide, Jack, who will last appear in Revelations.

Production details

• Alfred Bester is named after the science fiction writer.

External links

• Mind War at The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5