History Recap / BabylonFiveS01E01MidnightOnTheFiringLine

* HistoryMarchesOn: Viewed now, it can seem odd that Sinclair doesn't include the September 11th attacks among the most despicable sneak attacks in human history.

Londo finally receives a recording taken from the colony and finds Narn heavy fighters appearing in it. Enraged, he storms off to confront G'Kar, who had just found out about it himself. The two trade insults until they are broken apart by station security. Later, while Sinclair visits, Londo admits that his nephew is a leader on Ragesh 3, and he tells of a dream he has that predicts his death as he and another strangle each other. Londo knows who the other person is: "Twenty years from now, G'Kar and I will die with our hands around each others' throats."

As the day begins at the remote Centauri colony of Ragesh 3, the routine is broken when an unknown force jumps in and begins attacking. Unable to match the attackers the small defense force is quickly overwhelmed. On Babylon 5, Londo is just introducing his new attache, Vir, who has brought the news of the attack. An emergency meeting of the Babylon 5 Advisory Council is called, but no one knows what is happening just yet. Sinclair advises they adjourn and consult with their governments.

The next day the meeting of the League of Non-Aligned Worlds is about to commence and Sinclair has been ordered to vote against sanctions. Ivanova reports to him that Garibaldi is about to launch the mission to intercept the next raider attack, but he suddenly realizes there's a connection and he decides to fly the mission himself. He sends Ivanova to the meeting in his place. She votes in favor of the sanctions, because [[BlatantLies Sinclair was unable to find her before he left and tell her not to]].

-->'''Londo''': What could you possibly gain by attacking a small colony?
-->'''G'Kar''': Curious, we asked the same thing when you invaded our world. The wheel turns, does it not, Ambassador?

* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Sinclair lays into G'Kar for his people's cowardly sneak attack, citing Pearl Harbor and some fictional ones from humanity's future.

* IKEAWeaponry: Londo's PPG, constructed from various objects concealed in his quarters. WordOfGod is that the components would have been spotted coming aboard the station, but that they were sent in [[DiplomaticImmunity diplomatic packages]].

At the meeting, G'Kar tries to say that the planet was one of the ones the Centauri took from them. Delenn calls him out on this, but he says they are about to receive a transmission from the colony, and Londo's nephew appears on the screen and gives a message saying that the Narns did not attack, and were actually asked to come and lend assistance. G'Kar then asks for a vote to dismiss charges.

The next day the meeting of the League of Non-Aligned Worlds is about to commence and Sinclair has been ordered to vote against sanctions. Ivanova, about to leave on a mission to intercept the next raider attack, reports to him, but he suddenly realizes there's a connection and he decides to fly the mission himself. He sends Ivanova to the meeting in his place. She votes in favor of the sanctions, because [[BlatantLies Sinclair was unable to find her before he left and tell her not to]].

And in other news, incumbant president Luis Santiago wins his bid for re-election as President of the Earth Alliance. This will be important later.

-->'''G'Kar''': Funny, we asked the same thing when you invaded our world. The wheel turns, does it not, Ambassador?

The next day the meeting of the League of Non-Aligned Worlds is about to commence and Sinclair has been ordered to vote against sanctions. Ivanova, about to leave on a mission to intercept the next raider attack, reports to him, and he unexpectedly decides to fly the mission himself. He sends Ivanova to the meeting in his place. She votes in favor of the sanctions, because [[BlatantLies Sinclair was unable to find her before he left and tell her not to]].

* AMindIsTerribleThingToRead: When Londo goes off to kill G'Kar, he runs into Talia Winters, who picks up his thoughts, and runs off to tell Garibaldi.

* ReassignmentBackfire: {{Inverted}}: Londo has his nephew assigned to Ragesh 3 ''because'' it's a quiet backwater: He doesn't want him serving anywhere that he will be put in danger. So of course the Narn choose to attack and seize it.

Londo finally receives a recording taken from the colony and finds Narn heavy fighters appearing in it. Enraged, he storms off to confront G'Kar, who had just found out about it himself. The two trade insults until they are broken apart by station security. Later, while Sinclair visits, he admits that his nephew is a leader on Ragesh 3, and he tells of a dream he has that predicts his death as he and another strangle each other, and that he know who the other person is.

"Twenty years from now, G'Kar and I will die with our hands around each others' throats."

After Garibaldi returns, he says that the raiders are getting heavy weapons from somewhere, and that there must be a leak in the trading companies.

The next day the meeting of the League of Non-Aligned Worlds is about to commence and Sinclair has been ordered to vote against sanctions. Ivanova comes to him about to leave on a mission to intercept the next raider attack, but something occurs to him and he decides to fly the mission himself and tells her to go to the meeting in his place, [[BlatantLies but he couldn't find her before he left, so she still thought they were voting for sanctions]].

After he leaves, the meeting begins. G'Kar tries to say that the planet was one of the ones the Centauri took from them. Delenn calls him out on this, but he says they are about to receive a transmission from the colony, and Londo's nephew appears on the screen and gives a message saying that the Narns did not attack, and were actually asked to come and lend assistance. G'Kar then asks for a vote to dismiss charges.

Sinclair finds the raiders attacking the transport and orders his fighters to engage. After a quick fight they raiders begin to retreat. Instead of pursuing, Sinclair heads the other way, figuring they would lead him away from a base of some sort, which he finds in a small asteroid field.

Back on the station Londo has had enough. He assembles a weapon from components hidden throughout his quarters heads out, but he runs into Ms. Winters, who senses his intention: kill G'Kar. She warns Garibaldi who heads Londo off and convinces him to back down. When Sinclair returns, he has G'Kar sent to his office, where he presents everything he found on his mission, including the Narn agent watching over the weapons the Narns sold to the raiders, and data crystals containing information that Ragesh 3 actually was invaded and the transmission was made under duress. Faced with this, G'Kar is forced to back down.

And in other news, incumbant president Luis Santiago wins his bid for re-election as President of the Earth Alliance.

This is an InnocuouslyImportantEpisode: the importance of events in this episode becomes clear later.

* IKEAWeaponry: Londo's PPG, constructed from various objects concealed in his quarters. WordOfGod is that the components would have been spotted coming aboard the station, but that they were sent in [[DiplomaticImmunity diplomatic packages]].
* ReassignmentBackfire: {{Inverted}}: Londo has his nephew assigned to Ragesh 3 ''because'' it's a quiet backwater: He doesn't want him serving anywhere that he will be put in danger. So of course the Narn choose to attack and seize it.
* TropeNamer: For InnocuouslyImportantEpisode's original name: MidnightOnTheFiringLine

''"The wheel turns, does it not?"''

When a Centauri colony is invaded by the Narn, Sinclair is left to mediate between the Centauri and Narn ambassadors, Londo Mollari and G'Kar, before war breaks out. Lt. Commander Susan Ivanova, the station's new [[TheLancer second-in-command]], deals with the problem of pirates attacking ships in Babylon 5 space. This is an InnocuouslyImportantEpisode: the importance of events in this episode becomes clear later.

* ReassignmentBackfire: {{Inverted}}: Londo has his newphew assigned to Ragesh 3 ''because'' it's a quiet backwater: He doesn't want him serving anywhere that he will be put in danger. So of course the Narn choose to attack and seize it.

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![[MidnightOnTheFiringLine Midnight on the Firing Line]]

When a Centauri colony is invaded by the Narn, Sinclair is left to mediate between the Centauri and Narn ambassadors, Londo Mollari and G'Kar, before war breaks out. Lt. Commander Susan Ivanova, the station's new [[TheLancer second-in-command]], deals with the problem of pirates attacking ships in Babylon 5 space.

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