History Recap / BabylonFiveS01E20BabylonSquared

!Babylon Squared

As the shuttles fly back to Babylon 5 the One looks out the window at them, then removes his helmet. An elderly Jeffrey Sinclair turns around and laments that everything happened just the way he remembered it. A woman, with Delenn's voice, talks to him and tells him the others are waiting. The elder Sinclair looks back out the window then walks off.

* {{Filler}}: The conversation Sinclair and Garibaldi have in the shuttle.
* FishOutOfTemporalWater: downplayed, since 1) B4 has only been gone for four years, and 2) Krantz and the staff know it from the start. Zathras might be a more straight example, but it's difficult to say because he is so eccentric as it is.

* ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy: a rare heroic example. During the BadFuture, Garibaldi and the other B5 security troops are clearly and visibly FiringInTheAirALot. This might be justified, depending on where the thing-that-is-breaking-through-the-door is breaking through ''from'', but the scene is too short to establish any meaningful geography.

* OmniscientCouncilOfVagueness: it transpires that the Minbari are led by one, the Grey Council. It has nine members. Satai Delenn is, and always has been, one of them. And now they want her to be the supreme ruler of the entire Minbari race.

* UnstuckInTime: Mentioned word by word.

* FilchingFoofForFun: Ivanova, awakened early and short on sleep, dozes off at breakfast as Sinclair quotes a meditation chant. Sinclair and Garibaldi then hide everybody's food and wake her up, causing her to think that she's a half-hour behind schedule.

** This episode is the first mention of the Minbari hero Valen, who will prove to be relevant later.

The search turns up a strange clue. Scratched into the harness buckle is "B4". Babylon 4 was Babylon 5's predecessor and vanished in that same sector. A call comes down from C&C saying they are receiving a distress call...from Babylon 4. They head up to C&C and Sinclair orders the transmission's ID code to be compared to Babylon 4's stored in the archive. It matches and the computer identifies it as genuine. Despite Garibaldi's skeptical reaction, Sinclair orders the transmission put on the screen.

* FishOutOfTemporalWater

* SuspiciouslySpecificDenial: Sinclair is '''NOT''' the One!

* OfficialPresidentialTransport: We get our first look at the ''Valen'tha'', the war cruiser that the Grey Council meets aboard. Delenn's comment suggest that if she were named their Chosen One she would never leave the ship ''at all''.

* OfficialPresidentialTransport: We get our first look at the ''Valen'tha'', the war cruiser that the Grey Council meets aboard. Delenn's comment suggest that if she were named their Chisen One she would never leave the ship ''at all''.

Some time later, Ivanova is on the command deck receiving a transmission from the fighter she'd sent to investigate Sector 14. The pilot sees something that he can't believe, but before he can say what it is, he breaks off in a scream. Nothing is heard from him after that, but the homing beacon on his fighter is heading back. When it gets into range a scan shows negative on life signs. The pilot is dead. A medical exam finds a perplexing cause of death, old age. The man had just turned thirty. Sinclair orders traffic rerouted around Sector 14 and a thorough inspection of the fighter.

The search turns up a strange clue. Scratched into the harness buckle is "B4". Babylon 4 was Babylon 5's predecessor and vanished in that same sector. A call comes down from C&C saying they are receiving a distress call...from Babylon 4. They head up to C&C and Sinclair orders the transmission's ID code to be compared to Babylon 4's stored in the archive. IT matches and the computer identifies it as genuine. Despite Garibaldi's skeptical reaction, Sinclair orders the transmission put on the screen.

Delenn is with the Grey Council again, to make her case. She recounts the end of the Earth-Minbari War and why they ordered the surrender. She was to study them, to determine if they are truly the ones the prophecies have spoken of, and she is certain they are. The others are doubtful, and list off humanity's shortcomings, but Delenn sees them as strengths. They do not give up or back down, and come back stronger. Despite her arguments, the council still does not see why it has to be her, and not another.She tells them it is the calling of her heart. Eventually the Council puts it to a vote on whether to support her. Four lights wink out, but the rest stand in her favor. They withdraw the offer; another will be chosen as their leader.

->Great War. Terrible War. There is much killings. Everyone fighting. A great darkness. It is the end of everything. Zathras warned but, oh no, no one listened to poor Zathras, no. Great War, but great hope of peace. Need place. Place to gather, to fight, to organize.

The search turns up a strange clue. Scratched into the harness buckle is "B4". Babylon 4 was Babylon 5's predecessor and vanished in that same sector. A call comes down from C&C saying they are receiving a distress call...from Babylon 4. They head up to C&C and Sinclair orders the transmission's ID code to be compared to Babylon 4's stored in the archive. IT matches and the computer identifies it as genuine. Despite Garibaldi's skeptic reaction, Sinclair orders the transmission put on the screen.

Throughout all this, Delenn has left the station in her private ship. She travels to a remote sector of space and there is met by a Minbari warcruiser. Onboard, she is dressed in a grey hooded cloak and enters the darkened chamber where she takes her place as on of the Grey Council. Her colleagues welcome her back, and tell her that the time has come to choose a new leader, and, after much deliberation, they have decided on her. She asks about the prophecy, but they try to placate her by telling her it will attend to itself.

An Earthforce officer appears and makes an urgent request for help. He has a crew of around 1300 to evacuate before whatever happened to them happens again. Sinclair responds and promises help, but the transmission ends when another disturbance occurs. Ivanova notices the time stamp is dated four years ago. Sinclair decides to lead an expedition to find the station and evacuate it if possible. He leaves Ivanova orders to notify Earth Central if they are not heard from in eight hours, and to send no further ships.

On the Grey Council's ship, Delenn is expressing reserves about accepting the position. A part of her wants to, but her heart tells her to remain on Babylon 5.She wants to reconvene the council, which has never been done before. Before that, she is warned that there will be consequences, and she says she is prepared.

Someone calls for the major, saying, "It's back!" He, Sinclair and Garibaldi rush out to see a figure in a blue space suit fading in and out. Zathras follows and says,"It is the One!" The One seems to be in pain and that he stopped the time shift to allow the station's crew to get off. Sinclair reaches out to the figure, but when they touch he is knocked back. Zathras then rushes over to the One, and gives him a device that he says he fixed. The One vanishes and Zathras tries to escape but is captured again. He warns them that they are finished and must leave or be trapped there forever.

As the shuttles fly back to Babylon 5 the One looks out the window at them, then removes his helmet. An elderly Jeffrey Sinclair turns around and laments that everything happened just the way he remembered it. A woman, with Delenn's voice talks to him and tells him the others are waiting. The elder Sinclair looks back out the window then walks off.

Delenn herself is still aboard the warcruiser when one of the other council members comes up to her. He tells her that if she is right, she will need something which he gives her. IT is a triluminary, a small triangular object that they both hold in reverence. He tells her of great changes he senses and tells her that he will be there if she needs him. She thanks him and returns to her ship for the trip back.

* WithOrWithoutYou: Major Krantz tells Sinclair this, who has paused to help Zathras while the station is on the verge of vanishing again.

* TheReveal: When the One takes off his helmet.

Ivanova joins Sinclair and Garibaldi for breakfast. She is not at her best as she is not a morning person, especially when C&C wakes her up early to inform her of some strange emissions from Sector 14. Sinclair on the other hand says he thinks it's the best part of the day, and recounts his time studying with Jesuits. Each morning began at 5 in the morning for sunrise mass then an hour of meditation. His recollection puts the drowsy Ivanova to sleep, and he and Garibaldi clear their plates then wake her acting as though it's half an hour later, which would make her late. They chuckle and wait for her inevitable temper eruption.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: Tons of it, from the revelation of Sinclair as the One, to Ivanova's throwaway line at the end.

-->'''Ivanova''': If [Babylon 4 does show up again] this time I'm going and Garibaldi's staying here.

->"Great War. Terrible War. There is much killings. Everyone fighting. A great darkness. It is the end of everything. Zathras warned but, oh no, no one listened to poor Zathras, no. Great War, but great hope of peace. Need place. Place to gather, to fight, to organize."

-->"Great War. Terrible War. There is much killings. Everyone fighting. A great darkness. It is the end of everything. Zathras warned but, oh no, no one listened to poor Zathras, no. Great War, but great hope of peace. Need place. Place to gather, to fight, to organize."