History Recap / BabylonFiveS03E12SicTransitVir

* LiteralMinded: Delenn's reaction when Sheridan asks if he can "see her tonight" is to ask if he's not seeing her now and joke about being invisible. Sheridan runs with it by saying he wants to see her in ''differently'', like in dinner candlelight.

* LiteralMinded: Delenn's reaction when Sheridan asks if he can "see her tonight" is to ask if he's not seeing her now and joke about being invisible. Sheridan runs with it by saying he wants to see her in a ''different'' light, like dinner candlelight.

* BadassBureaucrat: Through recordkeeping, Vir has freed ''thousands'' of Narns. How? By concocting a false identity and [[DeathFakedForYou declaring them dead]] in Centauri databases, then smuggling them offworld. Although Vir got caught, his clean work creating the false identity meant its cover was still intact so Ivanova acquired it, embellished it a bit more with an altered photo of Captain Sheridan as a Centauri and continued the work.
* BelievingTheirOwnLies: Lyndisty acts like she genuinely believes everything she says about the Narn. And she has probably been met with a lot of aggression. [[SarcasmMode It's not like getting your planet bombed back to the stone age would make anyone angry.]]

** Vir notes that everytime he comes back to the station it seems someone hits him. First [[Recap/BabylonFiveS03E06DustToDust G'Kar]], then when he [[Recap/BabylonFiveS03E09PointOfNoReturn got caught in the riot]], and now this.

** In-universe example: Londo's BugWar resembles the Centauri view of the Narn. Bugs look bigger if you're scared of them, and Londo's estimation of how big they were was quite off. He also said that they are evolving right before his eyes, and the Narn are now working for station security.

** Ivanova and Zack do this when Zack shows her who's office Lincolni's papers came through.

** Ivanova's advise to Vir is that "enthusiasm, sincerity, genuine compassion and humor can carry you through any lack of prior experience with high numerical value". [[spoiler:[[Recap/BabylonFiveS04E03TheSummoning This is a description of Marcus.]]]]

* IDidWhatIHadToDo: In an unusual good example Vir says that he had to do something to help the Narn. Londo's response is that he in turn will have to deal with Vir.

* LiteralMinded: Delenn's reaction when Sheridan asks if he can "see her tonight" is to ask if he's not seeing her now and joke about being invisible.

* MakesSenseInContext: "I'm sorry, I was otherwise engaged. Engaged and married as it is. Not that I knew about it..."

* MercyKill: Lyndisty claims the her family has been more humane than the Narn deserved.

* NotInMyBackyard: Vir claims that there are many Centauri who would rather see the Narn suffer back home than be given "comfortable quarters" in "work camps" too close to Centauri prime, even if that would mean that they were working for the Centauri and would be too far away from Narn to rebuild anything.

* NotWearingPantsDream: Ivanova has the fully naked kind in the beginning.
** Claudia Christian apparently had the option of doing it naked or in her nightgown. She opted for naked because [[NakedPeopleAreFunny it was funnier that way]].
** Interestingly, the fact that she's short on clothing is only the ''second'' thing we notice wrong with the scene. The first? Ivanova is [[NotAMorningPerson actually chipper in the morning]].

** Played for laughs when Londo realizes that there was more than one bug.

** Despite the focus on Narn-Centauri relations G'Kar is nowhere to be seen.

** Ivanova doesn't tell Vir that she's taking up the mantel as Lincolni.

** The phrase "Sic transit" is often used in the phrase "Sic transit gloria mundi" which translates to "Thus passes the glory of the world".

* RedHerring: The Narn wasn't trying to kill Vir.
* RefugeInAudacity: Creating a fake bureaucrat and having him approve of transit papers for those your government want broken/dead and officially declaring them dead while smuggling them to safety. And if that wasn't enough Vir was meeting with Narns. ''In the Centauri royal palace.''

* RightUnderTheirNoses: Whatever those Narns were doing in Vir's room it's fairly certain that other Centauri would not approve. [[WordOfGod Word of the Great Maker]] is that the minister who joked about a room full of Narns didn't know about Vir's UndergroundRailroad.[[invoked]]
* RudelyHangingUp: The end of a phone call in which Londo has gotten increasingly freaked out at the idea of having the wait for an exterminator.

* SamaritanSyndrome: Vir has been chomping at the bit to help the Narns ever since the war ended. With his posting to Minbar he finally has a chance and takes it. Unfortunately, he's forced to reveal the details in front of Londo who promptly shuts the whole thing down, which is probably fortunate for Vir in that Londo just confines him to B5. Anyone else would have probably had him for treason, and then tried to use it against Londo. All this, and Vir's final comment about his rescue operation is still that his only regret is that he wasn't able to save more of them.

* SigilSpam: The symbol of the Centauri republic resembles their hair and is quite appropriately on the back of their official papers. If you look closely you can also see a whole wall and a door decorated with the shape when Vir is leaving the throne room.

* TheTalk: Once Vir realizes he's been shafted into an arranged marriage, he takes the opportunity to ask Ivanova for advise about courting women.

** In-universe, Virini tells Vir that he should follow his own judgement in the future when making reports instead of letting Londo rewrite them. Vir looks happy.

Zack shows up on C&C with some reports of heavier than usual Narn traffic, which was arranged by someone name Abrahamo Lincolni, which is obviously not a Centauri name. When Ivanova checks which office they came from she's struck speechless.

In Sheridan's quarters, he's showing off his dish, flarn. Delenn is surpised and delighted at first but as she tries it her face changes and she asks about a picture behind him, adding salt while his back is turned.

They spend some time getting to know each other. The marriage was [[ArrangedMarriage arranged by her mother and his uncle]]. She says Londo has told her all about him, to which he jokes it only the good parts, "It was a very short conversation!" Vir had wanted to marry for love but Lyndisty assures him when the time comes it will be.

Later, Vir is with Londo who has arranged for the closing of the Minbar mission. He’s making sure the records are purged and forbids Vir to speak of it [[LetUsNeverSpeakOfThisAgain ever again]], and he will stay on Babylon 5 under Londo’s tutelage. It also puts the marriage on hold for the time being.

* AnswerCut: Ivanova asks who's office Lincolni's papers came through. Cut to Vir.

!Sic Transit Vir

* GenderNeutralWriting: "I knew if I followed you long enough I would find the murderer."

* BadassBureaucrat: Through recordkeeping, Vir has freed ''thousands'' of Narns. How? By [[DeathFakedForYou declaring them dead]] in Centauri databases, then smuggling them offworld.

* DefectorFromDecadence: Being sent to Minbar seems to have this effect on the Centauri. Vir found a way to help the Narn and according to [[WordOfGod Word of the Great Maker]] the last envoy dropped his Centauri citizenship and was last heard of trying to grow a bone.

* FanOfThePast: [[WordOfGod Word of the Great Maker]] is that Sheridan is this. When he arrived on the station he quoted Lincoln, which may have inspired Vir's name for his fake bureaucrat.

* RightUnderTheirNoses: Whatever those Narns were doing in Vir's room it's fairly certain that other Centauri would not approve. [[WordOfGod Word of The Great Maker]] is that the minister who joked about a room full of Narns didn't know about Vir's UndergroundRailroad.

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: After Lyndisty has captured the Narn she offers Vir the honor of killing him. Vir is obviously reluctant, but to refuse might expose his true sentiments... and we never see how the scene is resolved. [[WordOfGod Word of The Great Maker]] is that a deleted scene included a line about the Narn being in Medlab. Or, rather, the next scene was trimmed by one line...that one. His defense is that it was a late editing session. [[invoked]]

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: After Lyndisty has captured the Narn she offers Vir the honor of killing him. Vir is obviously reluctant, but to refuse might expose his true sentiments... and we never see how the scene is resolved.
** [[WordOfGod Word of The Great Maker]] is that a deleted scene included a line about the Narn being in Medlab. Or, rather, the next scene was trimmed by one line...that one. His defense is that it was a late editing session.

** In-universe, Virini tells Vir that he should follow his own judgement in the future when making reports instead of letting Londo write them. Vir looks happy.

* BittersweetEnding: Vir's UndergroundRailroad is exposed and he is demoted from his position on Minbar. His bride turned out to be CuteAndPsycho. Nonetheless, he did lead 2000 Narns to safety and Ivanova is taking over as Lincolni.

* BlatantLies: No Vir, the meeting with the commander did not go as well as could be expected. Whatever the plan was it didn't involve Ivanova already knowing about Lincolni.

* DefectorFromDecadence: Being sent to Minbar seems to have this effect on the Centauri. Vir found a way to help the Narn and according to [[WordOfGod Word of The Great Maker]] the last envoy dropped his Centauri citizenship and was last heard of trying to grow a bone.

* OutOfOrder: This episode and A Late Delivery From Avalon were swapped. This explains why there are Drazi, Vree and Minbari ships outside the station in both Ivanova's dream and reality, they were supposed to have signed up to protect the station in the previous episode.

* RestrictedRescueOperation: Heavily implied. Vir was stationed on Minbar and set up a secret identity to smuggle Narn refugees there while [[DeathFakedForYou declaring them dead]] in Centauri databases. He would've had to smuggle a few at a time to avoid suspicion without knowing how many he could get away with while spending time on the bureaucracy of it. Whatever ships he used had a limited size. He talks as if he was making decisions on who to get out.

** Vir was representing the Centauri on Minbar. Minbar was officially neutral in the war between Centauri and Narn. Therefore no one would have thought anything of it if Vir just did his job. Instead he found the time to set up an UndergroundRailroad for the Narn, proving that [[Recap/BabylonFiveS02E21ComesTheInquisitor he was the right person in the right place at the right time.]]

** Some fans' reaction to Vir lamenting that no one would ever think him a hero for his efforts. They point out that surely the Narns he smuggled to safety must surely appreciate his efforts.
** In-universe Virini tells Vir that he should follow his own judgement in the future when making reports. Vir looks happy.

Vir is on Centauri Prime admiring the throne in the palace when Minister Virini comes to congratulate him on a good report, even though it clearly had Londo’s touch in places, something they found irritating. As Vir goes off to prepare for his trip to Babylon 5, the minister tells a joke about a room full of angry Narns. Vir laughs nervously then goes to his room which is full of Narns.

* LockedOutOfTheLoop: The command staff has been helping Narns without telling any Centauri about it. Vir is attempting to keep everyone out of the loop regarding his rescue operation which is also helping the Narn.

* LethalChef: Sheridan. He makes up for it with big portions. Even after adding salt Delenn didn't look like she liked it. We didn't get to see Sheridan's reaction since they were interrupted.

* IntriguedByHumanity: Vir has at some point learned enough about Earth history to find an appropriate figure to name his Narn-freeing Centauri after.

* DidNotThinkThisThrough: More Narns than usual have been arriving on the station, many of them with papers approved of by "Abrahamo Lincolni". Ivanova discovers that Vir has invented Lincolni. Vir and Lyndisty are then attacked by a Narn with a Shon'Kar against at least one of them. Nobody investigates Lyndisty, instead Ivanova discovers that the Narns that have been arriving on the station are declared dead in Centauri databases and confronts Londo about it. She proceeds to not listen to Vir's attempt at interrupting her and blows his cover.

** Londo is reading [[Recap/BabylonFiveS02E19DividedLoyalties Universe Today.]]
** [[Recap/BabylonFiveS03E11CeremoniesOfLightAndDark The rest of the crew isn't wearing their Earthforce uniforms anymore either.]] Only the command staff has the ranger symbol on their uniforms.
** This is the second time Zack has [[Recap/BabylonFiveS02E12ActsOfSacrifice shot and killed a charging Narn at point-blank range]].
** According to Londo things are [[Recap/BabylonFiveS01E22Chrysalis "triple-damned".]]
** [[Recap/BabylonFiveS03E03ADayInTheStrife When Vir was promoted]] Londo said that women may even come to find him attractive.
** [[Recap/BabylonFiveS03E09PointOfNoReturn When Londo suggested that Vir's report should say that the Minbari don't have a well defined sense of morality]] Vir lost his temper and almost walked out on Londo. We now see just how native he has gone.
** [[Recap/BabylonFiveS02E21ComesTheInquisitor G'Kar rejected the apology of one of the Centauri who didn't want the war]] [[Recap/BabylonFiveS02E09TheComingOfShadows (the other being Emperor Turhan)]] since he couldn't apologize to the dead. Here Vir has found his answer, he can do something for the living.

* BavarianFireDrill: Everyone involved in the rescue operation acted like Abrahamo Lincolni was really important. He doesn't exist even if his file says he has worked on the Centauri relocation bureau for 12 earth years. This is a variation of the trope since Vir pretended to obey someone important instead of acting like he was important.

* TheAtoner: Ivanova picks up the mantle as Lincolni after accidentally blowing Vir's cover.

* AMillionIsAStatistic: Londo has this approach to 2000 dead Narns.

-->'''Vir''': No, no, I mean one. You see, we have six. We have six, you see, and each one is a different level of intimacy and pleasure. So, you know, first you have one and that's eh-ngh. And then there's two, and then by the time you get to five, it's *pant, pant*...\\

* ZeroPercentApprovalRating: The fact that Ivanova and Sheridan thought that Vir of all Centauri had actually killed the Narns is really telling of what they think of the Centauri.

* LawfulEvil: Played with. Lyndisty didn't break any Centauri laws, but there are probably interstellar treaties that the Centauri see as [[Recap/BabylonFiveS02E20TheLongTwilightStruggle "ink on a page".]]

* PunchClockVillain: Lyndisty is perfectly nice when she's not helping her father on Narn.