Signs and Portents

"Signs and Portents" is an episode from the first season of the science-fiction television series Babylon 5. It is the first episode of the series to dramatically advance the series arc and set up the events which lead up to the Shadow War; it was also used as the title for the entire first season.

Synopsis

Sinclair and the command staff are concerned by the increase in raider activity on incoming ships, and the fact they cannot trace down the origin of the ships. Sinclair also speaks in private to Garibaldi about the 24 hours he had blacked out during the final battle of the Earth-Minbari war and asks if he can investigate it.

Ambassador Mollari obtains the Eye, a Centauri artifact dating back several generations. He arranges for its return to the Centauri Emperor through Lord Kiro and his aunt, Lady Ladira. Once they arrive and make the necessary arrangements, Lady Ladira has premonitions of the future that involve "the Shadows" and the destruction of Babylon 5. She tells Mollari that she had seen Kiro's death proceeded by these "Shadows" since his first birthday and fears it is coming soon.

A human, Mr. Morden, arrives on the station. He arranges to speak with some of the ambassadors, drilling them to learn what they really want for their race. G'Kar of the Narn speaks to wiping out the Centauri race from the galaxy. Mollari speaks to having the Centauri regain their place as the premiere race among the galaxy, regaining their former glory. When Morden speaks to Minbar's ambassador Delann, she sees him in shadows and orders him to leave immediately; after he departs, she asserts to herself that "they're here". Morden secretly watches the Vorlon ambassador Kosh, but does not approach him.

Kiro is ready to leave with the Eye, and Mollari arranges a safe route, unaware they have been watched. Simultaneously, a transport vessel in a nearby section reports a raider attack and Sinclair sends a squad of fighters with Ivanova in the lead to protect it. Sinclair learns of the cargo on the transport ship is of little trade value, and suspect that the attack was a diversion to draw their fighters away from the station, and prepares Garibaldi to launch another squad of fighters. Mollari, Kiro, and Lady Ladira are waylaid by human mercenaries, killing the Centauri guards. They approach their ship, but Sinclair, having discovered their transport was soon scheduled to leave and thus potentially a target, attempts to warn them off. Instead, the human mercenary seizes Kiro and the Eye and boards the ship, with Sinclair allowing it to debark. Mollari insists they stop the ship but Sinclair has disengaged all the jump gates, and thus will have no place to run once it leaves the docking bay. Just then, a new ship, operating on its own jump gate technology, appears near the station, and launches several raider ships. The station crew realize this is how the raiders have moved about sectors as fast as they could, but between Garibaldi and Ivanova's flight team and the station defenses, they are able to defeat most of the raider ships. However, this has given time to the Centauri vessel to land within the larger ship, and it soon jumps off to an unknown sector. Sinclair is confident that by destroying several of the raider fighers, that the raiders will not be able to attack for some time. During these events, Morden faces down Ambassador Kosh.

Aboard the raider's mothership, Lord Kiro argues with the mercaneries, as this has all been part of the plan for Kiro to acquire the Eye himself to sell back the Centauri government, while the mercenaries want to sell it on their black market to raise enough funds to buy additional jump gate-enabled mothership. Suddenly, a alien ship seems to appear from nothing outside their ship and destroys it with a powerful laser.

On Babylon 5, the crew debriefs on damage from the attack, and they learn that Ambassador Kosh's protection suit was harmed, but with no direction reason given from Kosh. Mollari is surprised to find Morden at his quarters; Morden presents him with the box holding the Eye as a gift, and then disappears before Mollari can ask more. Garibaldi tells Sinclair that while he has not found much, he did learn that Sinclair's promotion to station head was set by the Minbari, passing over numerously qualified military and civilian leaders with better qualifications; the ability to chose the station commander was part of the Minbari's demands for establishing Babylon 5. Sinclair sees Lady Ladira to her ship, and she provides Sinclair with her vision of Babylon 5's destruction. He asks if this future is fixed, but Ladira asserts it can be changed.

Arc significance

• This episode marks the first appearance of the enigmatic Morden, the human representative of the Shadows and a character who will later have a connection to future B5 commander John Sheridan.
• This episode also marks the first onscreen appearance by a Shadow vessel.
• Lady Ladira's prophecy about Babylon 5's destruction will be referenced repeatedly over the course of the series, particularly in "War Without End" and, ultimately, "Sleeping in Light".
• Every candidate for the position of Commanding Officer of Babylon 5 was rejected by the Minbari Government except for Sinclair.

Production details

• "Signs and Portents" was originally titled "Raiding Party."
• "What do you want?" is based on the Synanon Game.^[1]
• Ivanova wakes up at 0430, on August 3, 2258. Her computer says it is a Wednesday, but in reality it will be a Tuesday assuming the current calendar progression holds.

External links

• Signs and Portents at The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5

References