Soul Mates (''Babylon 5'')

"Soul Mates"
Babylon 5 episode
Episode no. Season 2
Episode 7
Directed by John C. Flinn, III
Written by Peter David
Production code 208
Original air date December 14, 1994
Guest appearance(s)

Keith Szarabajka (Matthew Stoner)
Lois Nettleton (Daggair)
Blair Valk (Mariel)
David L. Crowley (Lou Welch)
Carel Struycken (Trader)
Jane Carr (Timov)

"Soul Mates" is a second-season episode of the science fiction television series Babylon 5.

Synopsis

Ambassador Mollari's thirtieth year of ascension is approaching, and he has invited his three wives, Daggair, Mariel, and Timov, to the station, as he plans to divorce two of them as part of a special boon granted him by the Centauri Emperor, which would cut their financial and political influence within the Empire. While Daggair and Mariel appear to vie for Mollari's favor through both emotion and sexual support, Timov remains fully dismissive of Mollari's intentions and refuses to compete.

Garibaldi sees a strange man, Matthew Stoner, arrive on station, with people acting strange about him. In speaking of the matter to Sheridan, Talia Winters recognizes the man, as he was to be her husband in a Psi-Corps mandated marriage. However, Stoner had been put through experimentation that appeared to cause him to lose his telepathic abilities, and he was let go from Psi-Corps, ending the marriage. Stoner later approaches Talia, suggesting she come back with him to Psi-Corps headquarters to recreate the same experience to eliminate her telepathic abilities, but she refuses. Garibaldi remains suspicious since no one has been known to leave Psi-Corps alive and with their mind intact. He finds Stoner selling Centauri artifacts to a dealer in the bazaar, but his paperwork for the artifacts are legitimate. Garibaldi still takes Stoner in for questioning, fearing he may be here to harm Talia.

Mollari holds a celebration for his ascension for all, where he is given various gifts. Mariel presents him with one of Stoner's artifcact she purchased, but as Mollari picks it up, two small darts fire out and hit his head, causing him to convulse over. In medlab, Dr. Franklin determines that Mollari has been injected with a virus and while can craft an antivirus to fight it, he might not be able to make it in time and suggests a blood transfusion would be best, but no one on the station is known to have his blood type. Garibaldi confronts Stoner again, learning that the artifact was taken from a part of Centauri space that become occupied by the Narm, and likely was trapped as payback. Stoner admits to no wrongdoing.

Daggair approaches Dr. Franklin and offers to be a blood donor for Mollari, explaining that while if he should die before his decision that all three wives would benefit greatly, she has higher morales than that. Narm ambassador G'kar meets with Mariel, having figured that she knew that the artifact would react to Mollari, and warns her that Mollari may figure this out in time. Eventually, Mollari recovers with the transfusion, and announces he has selected Daggair to remain his wife, as since she otherwise resents him, he will always know his place with her around.

Garibaldi discovers oddities with the guard procedure around Stoner, and discovers that Talia, having steadfastly refused to travel with Stoner, now seems ready to go. Garibaldi and Sheridan recognize Stoner never really left Psi-Corps but instead had become an empath from the experience, allowing him to influence others. Arrangements are made to take him back to Earth under careful guard to prevent others being influenced by him.

In a separate plot line, Ivanova helps the recently-transformed Delenn deal with learning how to care for her human hair and other new aspects of her human form.

Arc significance

  • Delenn's "odd cramps" suggest she may be sexually compatible with humans.
  • Londo's choice of the blunt but dutiful Timov for his remaining wife over his flattering but treacherous other wives shows his preference for integrity and the basis for his later costly attempts at redemption after being the pawn of the Shadows.

Production details

  • The episode's original title was "Pestilence, Famine and Death".[1] Londo coyly referred to his wives by those exact titles (and in that exact order) in The War Prayer. A holdover from this original title is the fact that Timov is Vomit spelt backwards.[2] The episode's writer, Peter David, reportedly said that "Daggair is Pestilence, Timov is Famine, and Mariel is Death... You all realize, of course, that Londo is--by process of elimination-- War."[3]
  • Timov is the daughter of Alghul (ghul or ghoul), literally, The Demon. Note references to Lovecraft and Gaiman in the article on ghouls.[4]
  • "Soul Mates" was originally intended to air after "A Race Through Dark Places", rather than before.[5] Talia's desire to leave the Corps in this episode is a result of the events of "A Race Through Dark Places".[3]

References

  1. ↑ "Subject: Keffler should be Keffer." at JMSNews 1994-09-23
  2. ↑ Peter David speaks about "Soul Mates"
  3. 1 2 Steven Grimm (July 13, 2004). "The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5: Soul Mates". The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5. Retrieved May 5, 2014.
  4. ↑ Notes on "Soul Mates"
  5. ↑ JMS Speaks on "A Race Through Dark Places"


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