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Infection (Babylon 5)
Encyclopedia
"Infection" is an episode from the first season of the science fiction television series Babylon 5
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A-Plot
Dr. Vance Hendricks brings to Babylon 5 a deadly weapon from a long-dead civilization that is revived and wreaks havoc on the station.
The artifacts are confiscated by EarthForce Bioweapons Division.
reporter attempts to interview Commander Sinclair
, in the end succeeding, but not without some difficulty.
Babylon 5
Babylon 5 is an American science fiction television series created, produced and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. The show centers on a space station named Babylon 5: a focal point for politics, diplomacy, and conflict during the years 2257–2262...
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A-PlotA-PlotA-Plot is a cinema and television term referring to the plotline that drives the story. This does not necessarily mean it is the most important, but rather the one that forces most of the action....
Dr. Vance Hendricks brings to Babylon 5 a deadly weapon from a long-dead civilization that is revived and wreaks havoc on the station.The artifacts are confiscated by EarthForce Bioweapons Division.
B-Plot
An ISNInterstellar Network News
Interstellar Network News is a fictional TV news network in the Babylon 5 universe. ISN's motto is The Galaxy's Most Important Network. ISN was modelled on real-world news outlets, such as CNN....
reporter attempts to interview Commander Sinclair
Jeffrey Sinclair
Jeffrey Sinclair is a character in the fictional universe of the science fiction television series Babylon 5, played by actor Michael O'Hare. He was a regular in the first season of the show, as Commander of the Babylon 5 station, and made a number of guest appearances afterward.-Early life and...
, in the end succeeding, but not without some difficulty.
Arc significance
- "Infection" marks the first mention of Interplanetary Expeditions, or IPX, an archaeological research corporation with ties to secret government projects and weapons research. The company is featured prominently in the third season episode "Messages from EarthMessages from Earth"Messages from Earth" is an episode from the third season of the science fiction television series Babylon 5.-Synopsis:Marcus Cole escorts Dr. Mary Kirkish, a former member of Interplanetary Expeditions, to meet with the Babylon 5 War Council about something that is so secretive that Marcus had to...
." - Garibaldi has been fired from 5 different jobs for "unspecified personal problems". His assignment on Babylon 5 is probably his last shot in Earth Force.
- The VorlonVorlonA Vorlon is a member of a fictional alien species in the Babylon 5 television series and fictional universe. The Vorlon species is a member of the First Ones, a group made up of the earliest species to gain sentience in the galaxy...
s have technology based on organic systems, and there is a strong hint that the MinbariMinbariThe Minbari are a fictional alien race featured in the television show Babylon 5. The Minbari characters of Delenn and Lennier figure prominently throughout the series; Neroon, Draal, and Dukhat are less prominent Minbari characters....
do as well. - Towards the end of the episode, Garibaldi comments on Sinclair's rash bravery, which seemed common among veterans of the Earth-Minbari War. He notes, "I think they're looking for something worth dying for because it's easier than finding something worth living for." This line of thinking is repeated by LorienLorien (Babylon 5)Lorien is a fictional character from the universe of the science fiction television series Babylon 5. He appears at the start of season four and again in the last episode of the show. Lórien is also a name given to one of the Valar, god-like beings in the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien, of whom series...
in the Season 4 episode Whatever Happened to Mr. Garibaldi?Whatever Happened to Mr. Garibaldi?"Whatever Happened to Mr. Garibaldi?" is an episode from the fourth season of the science fiction television series Babylon 5.-Synopsis:G'Kar is captured by the Centauri while searching for Mr... - A growing anti-alien sentiment among humans is first mentioned in this episode.
- The Ikarran civilization that produced the technology central to the plot died off approximately 1000 years prior to the episode. This puts the extinction of the Ikarrans at roughly the same time as the previous Shadow War and the time of Valen. Dr. Franklin reveals that the Ikarrans faced a series of attacks, each more devastating than the previous one, and that the weapons found on the planet were their attempt to fend off the last attack, 1000 years prior. The Shadows believed in starting wars in order to promote evolution, so it is likely that these attacks came, either directly or indirectly, from the Shadows.
- In the an interview for ISN, Sinclair notes that there will come a time when the Earth's Sun will grow cold and go out leaving the only hope for humanity and the preservation of human history is to go to the stars. This foreshadows the events of "The Deconstruction of Falling Stars" wherein Humans abandon Earth for the Vorlon homeworld complete with the whole of human knowledge. He specifically states that it will happen if "not in a hundred years, or a thousand years or a million years". The timeline for TDFS has humans leaving earth one million years after the events depicted in the series.
Production details
- "Infection" was the first regular episode of Babylon 5 to be filmed. Coincidentally, guest star Marshall R. TeagueMarshall R. TeagueMarshall R. Teague is an American film and television actor. He is known for his role in the 1989 cult movie Road House and for his recurring role on the 1990s science fiction series Babylon 5 as a Narn named Ta'Lon...
also appeared in "Objects at RestObjects at Rest"Objects at Rest" is the penultimate episode from the fifth season of the science-fiction television series Babylon 5.-Synopsis:Delenn and Sheridan relocate to Minbar; Lennier betrays Sheridan when an accident takes place on board the Minbari cruiser transporting him and Delenn to Minbar.Michael...
", the final episode of the series to be filmed, in which he played Ta'Lon. - A reference to Star TrekStar TrekStar Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
technical consultant Michael OkudaMichael Okuda- Work in Star Trek :In the mid-1980s, he designed the look of animated computer displays for the Enterprise-A bridge in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. This led to a staff position on Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1987 as a scenic artist, adding detail to set designs and props...
can be seen when a medical scan of the alien artefact shows "Okudazin" as one of the contents. Okuda himself inserted many in jokes into the LCARSLCARSIn the Star Trek fictional universe, LCARS is a fictional computer operating system depicted in the Star Trek television series and motion pictures. Within Star Trek chronology, the term was first used in Star Trek: The Next Generation and in subsequent shows...
computer displays for Star Trek referencing other science fiction franchises.
Memorable quotes
- You forgot the first rule of a fanatic: when you become obsessed with the enemy, you become the enemy. - Michael O'Hare as "Jeffrey Sinclair"
External links
- Infection at The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5 is a fan-run website that includes detailed episode guides and analyses, production history notes, background materials, references, and other information related to the science fiction epic, Babylon 5...
- Infection at Babylon 5 Episode Guide