History Recap / BabylonFiveS04E14MomentsOfTransition

Garibaldi is woken up in the middle of the night by a call from William Edgars. He has another package arriving on B5 that he wants Garibaldi to get past customs and through to Io. Edgars doesn't trust anyone except Garibaldi, for now, to make it happen, and Garibaldi says he'll do it. He then asks when he'll be coming to Mars for the face-to-face Edgars promised and is simply told, "In the fullness of time".

** On a less fatal note Lyta refuses to "take handouts" from the command staff, despite the fact that they'd likely be quite willing to help her out.

* HonorBeforeReason: Delenn and Neroon invoke this on Shakiri, forcing him to choose between death or humiliation.

* NavalBlockade: Earthforce ships have a blockade going around the colony of Proxima III. One ship participating in it ruthlessly destroys two passenger liners attempting to escape, killing over ten thousand civilians, and [[BerserkButton provoking]] Sheridan into going on the offensive.

* ShouldHaveThoughtOfThatBeforeX: Shakiri's last-ditch effort to save his dignity is rebuffed with this.
--> '''Shakiri''': Delenn... [[WeCanRuleTogether we can walk out together. Share the power]]. No one will speak against us.\\
'''Delenn''': '''''[[ShutUpHannibal NO!]]'''''\\
'''Shakiri''': There are other ways!\\
'''Delenn''': ''Then you should have explored them before you tore our people apart!''

* YoureInsane: Lyta's reaction when Bester says he "wants her body":''' "[[NoIndoorVoice Are you out of your mind?]]"'''
** ActuallyPrettyFunny: Bester points out that this is a [[RhetoricalQuestionBlunder hilarious question to ask a mind-reader]], given that he spends so much time in ''other'' peoples' minds.

Lyta is watching Ivanova's story on another defection from Earth Force when Bester come up. She's not in the mood to talk, but Bester has a proposition anyway. He can slide her name off the rogue list into a special category for deep cover agents. She'd have to wear the badge, and the gloves, and the 10% fee to the Corps, but there's something else. He wants her body. Not in the way it sounds, but just when she's not using it anymore. He has a power of attorney giving him access to her body after she dies, of natural causes, of course, otherwise the contract is null and void. He knows the Vorlons altered her, and he wants to know how. It's a chance to put her life back together, but she just stalks off. He'll be there a few days in case she changes her mind. Meanwhile, Garibaldi was watching the whole thing.

She declares that she is willing to endure the Starfire Wheel, and calls Shakiri to do the same or be seen as unworthy. Lennier tries to talk her out of it, and Shakiri tries to find a way out of it. Neroon reminds him he said that for a warrior, death was one of two consequences, neither valued nor feared above the other. Why is he afraid then? His pride challenged, Shakiri joins Delenn. He immediately recoils in pain and tries to persuade Delenn to walk out with him, and share the power. She flatly refuses, and as the wheel open further, the pain becomes too much and [[DirtyCoward he throws himself out]]. Delenn remains, which confuses Neroon. When she proposed this she said she would come out of the fire after Shakiri did. Suddenly she collapses, and Neroon goes in after her. He picks her up and hands her to Lennier, then stand inside the circle.

The wheel opens completely and Neroon is incinerated, leaving stunned onlookers behind.

On Babylon 5, Sheridan is getting ready for the day when Ivanova storms in. She has news, bad news. Worse, it's not just a rumor. She has footage of an Earth Force warship firing on and destroying two starliners carrying sick and wounded near Proxima III. There were ten thousand casualties. Sheridan decides this has gone on long enough. It's time to move. Whether they're ready or not, they're taking the fight to Clark. Ivanova reminds him that they were trying to find a way without shooting at their own people, that the crews were following orders, but Sheridan says anyone who executes such an order is guilty of war crimes. If some want to join them, fine, but the rest will get what's coming to them.

* DirtyCoward: Shakiri is ultimately revealed to be this.

* NavalBlockade: Earth Force ships have a blockade going around the colony of Proxima III. One ship participating in it ruthlessly destroys two passenger liners attempting to escape, killing over ten thousand civilians, and [[BerserkButton provoking]] Sheridan into going on the offensive.

* ThisMeansWar: After learning that [=EarthForce=] is firing on unarmed civilian transports, Sheridan declares that they will put an end to it.

* {{Pride}}: Shakiri's weakness, used against him when Delenn enters the wheel to prove her willingness to sacrifice her life for her people, and forcing him to do the same or be disgraced. His pride forces him into the wheel, his cowardice forces him out.

* ScrewTheMoneyIHaveRules: Lyta refuses Zack's request to scan Garibaldi without his knowledge on these grounds, though she does admit she might consider it if it were anyone else.

She declares that she is willing to endure the Starfire Wheel, and calls Shakiri to do the same or be seen as unworthy. Lennier tries to talk her out of it, and Shakiri tries to find a way out of it. Neroon reminds him that for a warrior, death was one of two consequences, neither valued nor feared above the other. Why is he afraid then? His pride challenged, Shakiri joins Delenn. He immediately recoils in pain and tries to persuade Delenn to walk out with him, and share the power. She flatly refuses, and as the wheel open further, the pain becomes too much and [[DirtyCoward he throws himself out]]. Delenn remains, which confuses Neroon. When she proposed this she said she would come out of the fire after Shakiri did. Suddenly she collapses, and Neroon goes in after her. He picks her up and hands her to Lennier, then stand inside the circle.

* IncendiaryExponent: The Minbari decided caste dominance in ancient times by having the caste leaders step into the Starfire Wheel. This literally burns them to death if they remain inside for too long - which they're supposed to do, to prove their willingness to face danger themselves, not just force others into it. They who burn longest, win.

** Neroon reminds Shakiri what he said about life and death being simply two possibilities to get him to join Delenn in the Starfire Wheel.

* YoureInsane: Lyta's reaction when Bester says he wants her body:''' "[[NoIndoorVoice Are you out of your mind?]]"'''

* DoomedMoralVictor: The Starfire Wheel is designed to invoke this. The leaders of a Minbari civil conflict would enter to face the same fate they had sent so many others under them to, and the one who jumped out first was declared unfit to lead. Any leaders who stayed until the wheel fully opened became this by default, with their side winning and having the right to set terms but the leader themself being dead. Delenn almost lets it happen to herself, until Neroon takes her place.
* TheEngineer: Delenn gives the Worker Caste a majority control of the Grey Council. As she points out, prayer is fleeting, and wars come to an end. But what is built, ''endures''.

* NoPointsForNeutrality: Averted. The Worker Caste doesn't seem to have taken part in the fighting and Delenn gives them the majority on the new Grey Council. She reasons that they are the only ones without an agenda to push, and are mainly concerned with keeping the Minbari Federation operating. Also, they were the ones who had to clean up after every war the Warrior and Religious castes got them into.

* DoomedMoralVictor: The Starfire Wheel is designed to invoke this. The leaders would enter to face the same fate they had sent so many others under them to, and the one who jumped out first was declared unfit to lead. Any leaders who stayed until the wheel fully opened became this by default, with their side winning and having the right to set terms but the leader themself being dead. Delenn almost lets it happen to herself, until Neroon takes her place.

* DoomedMoralVictor: The Starfire Wheel is designed to invoke this. The leaders would enter to face the same fate they had sent so many others to, and the one who jumped out first was declared unfit to lead. Any leaders who stayed until the wheel fully opened became this by default. Delenn almost lets it happen to herself, until Neroon takes her place.

-->'''Neroon''': I was born Warrior Caste! But I see now the calling of my heart is religious! The war is over! Listen to her! LISTEN!

For their desire to build the future, they will now have the chance to do that. The Religious and Warrior Castes will serve as advisers. She bids them judge wisely and justly. And the center, the place of the Chosen One, is reserved in memory of Neroon, until it is taken by the One Who is to Come.

* BerserkButton: In this episode we see exactly what it takes to make John Sheridan and Susan Ivanova start a civil war. (Answer: Firing on unarmed civilian liners carrying wounded refugees with no provocation.)

* IncendiaryExponent: The Minbari decided caste dominance in olden times by having the caste leaders step into the Starfire Wheel. This literally burns them to death if they remain inside for too long - which they're supposed to do, to prove their willingness to face danger themselves, not just force others into it. They who burn longest, win.

* DoomedMoralVictor: The Starfire Wheel is designed to invoke this. The leaders would enter to face the safe fate they had sent so many others to, and the one who jumped out first was declared unfit to lead. Any leaders who stayed until the wheel fully opened became this by default. Delenn almost lets it happen to herself, until Neroon takes her place.