Over Here: Col. Lochley asks a Catholic priest to come to Babylon 5 a few days before President Sheridan is to arrive for the Interstellar Alliance’s tenth anniversary celebration. A crew member who recently returned from a vacation on Earth had been complaining of hearing voices before finally barricading himself in a section of the station. The crewman, Burke, is now restrained within a security cell and claiming to be possessed by a demonic spirit. The priest is skeptical at first, suspecting mental illness or some kind of hoax. But after a demonstration of the being’s power, he is convinced. He is unsure whether or not to try to perform an exorcism immediately, or summon additional help from Earth. If he calls for help, the word of the reason will spread. And while this may cause some panic, it would also lead to a renewed purpose for a Church that has been declining toward irrelevance. The demonic being claims this is, in fact, its purpose – that it was trapped in space by God so that starfaring humans would find reason to believe. The being’s apparent eagerness to be exorcised gives Lochley and the priest pause: there is another agenda here. But denying the demon’s wish would seem to condemn Burke to suffer, and that responsibility may be too much to bear.
Over There: En route to Babylon 5 for the anniversary celebration, Sheridan begrudgingly gives an interview to ISN. He mentions his regret that Londo will not be at the celebration to represent the Centauri, but that his ship will be picking up Prince Regent Vintari, third in line to the throne. The night before the rendezvous, Galen appears to Sheridan in a dream, and shows him a vision of the destruction of New York City. In 30 years, he says, Emperor Vintari will attempt to restore the Republic’s former glory by destroying an old adversary: Earth. This can all be prevented if Sheridan will simply kill Vintari now. But when Sheridan meets the young man, who already feels trapped by the political intrigues of the Republic, he begins to doubt that he can kill a man for actions he has not yet committed.
written by J. Michael Straczynski
directed by J. Michael Straczynski
music by Christopher FrankeCast: Bruce Boxleitner (President John Sheridan), Tracy Scoggins (Col. Elizabeth Lochley), Peter Woodward (Galen)
LogBook entry by Dave Thomer