History Recap / BabylonFiveS02E18ConfessionsAndLamentations

Franklin is desperately trying to find a connection between the Markab and pak'ma'ra when Lazarenn succumbs to the plague. Moments later a match is found in the specialized nerve cells that both species possess. He quickly creates a vaccine and rushes it to the quarantine zone, but it's too late. Delenn and Lennier sit a midst a room of Markab bodies and slowly stand and walk out. Sheridan asks if there are any survivors and Lennier says there are not. He leaves, but Delenn turns to Sheridan and begins crying into his shoulder.

* TooDumbToLive: The entire SPECIES of Markab. Against all evidence they insist that the disease only takes the 'sinful', they hid it from other species for over a YEAR, and actively tried to prevent Stephen from even realizing it is a disease. He still finds a cure in less than a week, after the Markab have become functionally extinct.

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything:
** Loads of Markabs going into a quarantine zone, carrying their belongings, surrounded by armed guards - with the notion that [[{{UsefulNotes/TheHolocaust}} none of them will return]]? However, in this case, the Markabs were isolating themselves by choice, and the guards were there to prevent anyone else from trying to attack them.
** A closer analogue would be the AIDS epidemic, what with the social stigma around drafa. Franklin even name drops it at one point.

** Franklin finds a possible treatment to the plague and brings Sheridan & Ivanova to the isolation zone to administer the 500 doses they've prepared....only to discover that they're too late.

** We see an example of a crazed Franklin, possibly from both the stress of beating the plague and lack of sleep (caused by taking stims). It is given more next season and causes problems for him in the future.

** We see an example of a crazed Franklin, possibly from both the stress of beating the plague and lack of sleep (caused by taking stims).

* HeroicBSOD: Both Delenn and Lennier as a result of witnessing all of the Markab in the isolation area dying from the Drafa. Sheridan and Franklin experienced only the aftermath.

* TakeMyHand: A variant. After Garibaldi drove off a mob for beating up a Markab, the injured Markab reached out to Garibaldi. Garibaldi hesitated before taking his hand to help. At that point, it was not established whether the disease can spread to other species.

* TakeMyHand: A variant. After Garibaldi drove off a mob for beating up a Markab, the injured Markab reached out to Garibaldi. Garibaldi hesitated before taking his hand to help. (At that point, it was not established whether the disease can spread to other species.)
* ThisIsGonnaSuck: Garibaldi comes across as pragmatic during the staff briefing on the Drafa outbreak. He correctly asserts that once news becomes public, the general population will view the Markab as scapegoats and adovocates quarantine because it will be easier for his security force to protect them.

* ParanoiaFuel: The station is put into quarantine when the plague is discovered, and much of the plot centers on not understanding how the plague spreads or who it can infect, with many people acting out of fear rather than reason. Doctor Franklin's own medical staff becomes more and more hesitant to risk exposing themselves to the plague, and has to be verbally browbeaten into getting to work. At one point, Garibaldi saves a Markab who was being attacked, and hesitates for a long moment before taking his hand to help him up.

** Maybe even more so than AIDS, the situation on the station is eerily similar as the world during the COVID-19/coronavirus pandemic, with whole populations going into quarantine, and the violence shown against the Markabs mirroring the increased racism reported against Chinese people.

* ThisIsGonnaSuck: Garibaldi comes across as pragmatic during the staff briefing on the Drafa outbreak. He correctly asserts that once news becomes public, the general population will view the Markab as scapegoats and adovocates quarantine because it will be easier for his security force to protect them.

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: Loads of Markabs going into a quarantine zone, carrying their belongings, surrounded by armed guards - with the notion that [[{{UsefulNotes/TheHolocaust}} none of them will return]]?
** However, in this case, the Markabs were isolating themselves by choice, and the guards were there to prevent anyone else from trying to attack them.

* ShoutOut: Delenn comforts Sheridan with the words "all life is transitory, and a dream". This statement refers to several seventeenth century plays, among them some written by WilliamShakespeare, but also the known play ''Theatre/LifeIsADream'' by Spanish playwright Calderon.

As the ambassador herds his people into a sealed area, Franklin tries to find someone to perform an autopsy on one of the dead Markab. He's about to go in himself when Lazarenn offers to do it. He will perform the autopsy and then stay in the hermetically-sealed isolab, where, if he becomes infected, they will be able to monitor the disease's progress from the start.

* ThePlague: The Drafa.

* ThisIsGonnaSuck: Garibaldi comes across as pragmatic during the staff briefing on the Drafa outbreak. He correctly asserts that once news becomes public, the general population will view the Markab as scapegoats.

** [[spoiler: SenselessSacrifice: The work proved too late to save his people.]]