Signs and Portents
Encyclopedia
"Signs and Portents" is an episode from the first season of the science-fiction television series Babylon 5
. It is the first episode of the series to dramatically advance the series "arc
" and set up the events which lead up to the Shadow War
; it was also used as the title for the entire first season.
As raiders increase their activity near the station, a mysterious visitor arrives with an enigmatic question for some of the alien ambassadors. As Mr. Morden
asks "What do you want?" of three of the ambassadors, Mollari entertains some Centauri
visitors, Lord Kiro and his aunt, Lady Ladira.
Sinclair
admits to Garibaldi
that he’s starting to remember what happened to him during the 24 hours of missing time during the end of the Earth-Minbari War
. And asks for his help to discover more.
Mollari receives The Eye, a highly valuable Centauri artifact, from Mr. Reno and is determined to see it returned to the Centauri Emperor.
When Mr. Morden asks G'Kar “What do you want?” G’Kar answers “The Centauri stripped my world. I want Justice ... I want to suck the marrow from their bones and grind their skulls to powder ... to tear down their cities, blacken their sky, sow their ground with salt ... to completely utterly erase them.” Mr. Morden asks "And then what?" G'Kar replies “I don’t know. As long as my homeworld's safety is guaranteed, I don’t know that it matters.”
Lady Ladira, a Centauri prophetess, has a vision: “I see death... destruction... fire. Babylon will fall. This place will be destroyed. Fire... death... pain... fire... death... pain... No. No!” On his first birthday, Lady Ladira had predicted Lord Kiro’s death "by shadows".
Mr. Morden talks to Delenn
. He asks her “What do you want?” During the questioning a triangle appears on Delenn’s forehead and she sees Mr. Morden in shadow. She demands he leaves instead of answering his question. The triangle disappears when Mr. Morden leaves and she states with trepidation: "They're here."
Mr. Morden meets Londo Mollari in the corridor and asks him what he wants. At first, Mollari casually tells Morden that he wants to be left alone. Morden persists, however, so Mollari says what he wants. “I want my people to reclaim their rightful place in the galaxy. I want to see the Centauri stretch forth their hand again and command the stars. I want a rebirth of glory, a renaissance of power. I want to stop running through my life like a man late for an appointment, afraid to look back or to look forward. I want us to be what we used to be. I want it all back the way that it was." Mollari walks away, but Morden is satisfied.
Kosh encounters Morden in a corridor, and commands him to leave, telling him that "they are not for you".
As Lord Kiro and his entourage return to their ship they are ambushed and Kiro is taken hostage. The attackers, with Kiro and The Eye, escape the station in Kiro's ship. To prevent them jumping into hyperspace
Sinclair has the jump gate re-programmed to reject the Centauri ship's ID code. Garibaldi and a squadron of Starfuries
then move in to capture them.
Suddenly a jump point opens and a ship appears. The new ship is a fighter carrier and belongs to the Raiders, it can generate its own jump point which enabled them to stage hit and run attacks without having to use jump gates. The carrier launches fighters to attack the station forcing the Starfuries to break off and deal with them. This allows the Centauri ship to dock with the carrier, which then escapes into hyperspace.
On the carrier it emerges that the raiders were in league with Lord Kiro but they renege on their end of the deal. They plan to take The Eye to sell to the Centauri and ransom Lord Kiro. However, at that moment a strange ship, which will later be identified as a Shadow
ship, appears from nowhere and destroys the raider carrier, killing all aboard. Lady Ladira sees its destruction in a vision.
With the apparent loss of the Eye, Mollari believes his career to be finished. However, Mr. Morden shows up and delivers The Eye to him and then leaves. When Mollari asks how to find him to thank him, Morden responds, "we will find you".
Garibaldi tells Sinclair he did some digging regarding Sinclair's appointment to B5. Apparently all the officers proposed by Earth for command of Babylon 5 were rejected by the Minbari government, which as a co-sponsor of B5 had a say in who ran it, until Sinclair was nominated.
Lady Ladira shows Sinclair her vision of Babylon 5 exploding. She admits that it is merely a vision of what might be, not what will be.
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...
. It is the first episode of the series to dramatically advance the series "arc
Story arc
A story arc is an extended or continuing storyline in episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strips, boardgames, video games, and in some cases, films. On a television program, for example, the story would unfold over many episodes. In television, the use of the story...
" and set up the events which lead up to the Shadow War
Shadow War
The Shadow Wars are a fictional series of wars involving the Shadows in the television science fiction series Babylon 5. There have actually been many Shadow Wars since ancient times in the galaxy. Roughly every thousand years, the Shadows begin a new Shadow War to promote chaos in the universe in...
; it was also used as the title for the entire first season.
Synopsis
The episode starts on August 3, 2258.As raiders increase their activity near the station, a mysterious visitor arrives with an enigmatic question for some of the alien ambassadors. As Mr. Morden
Morden (Babylon 5)
Morden is a fictional character in the universe of the science fiction television series Babylon 5, played by Ed Wasser. He is a recurring antagonist in the show.-Overview:...
asks "What do you want?" of three of the ambassadors, Mollari entertains some Centauri
Centauri (Babylon 5)
The Centauri are a humanoid species in the fictional universe of the Babylon 5 television series. They were the first alien species to make open contact with the human race. Their homeworld is Centauri Prime, a small Earth-like planet consisting of two large continents and several smaller islands...
visitors, Lord Kiro and his aunt, Lady Ladira.
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...
admits to Garibaldi
Michael Garibaldi
Michael Garibaldi is a lead fictional character in the universe of the science fiction television series Babylon 5, played by Jerry Doyle.-Overview:...
that he’s starting to remember what happened to him during the 24 hours of missing time during the end of the Earth-Minbari War
Earth-Minbari War
The Earth–Minbari War is a fictional war that formed a major part of the back story of the science fiction television series, Babylon 5. The war was fought between the Earth Alliance and the Minbari, an older alien race that overwhelmingly outmatched Earth in terms of technology and weapons...
. And asks for his help to discover more.
Mollari receives The Eye, a highly valuable Centauri artifact, from Mr. Reno and is determined to see it returned to the Centauri Emperor.
When Mr. Morden asks G'Kar “What do you want?” G’Kar answers “The Centauri stripped my world. I want Justice ... I want to suck the marrow from their bones and grind their skulls to powder ... to tear down their cities, blacken their sky, sow their ground with salt ... to completely utterly erase them.” Mr. Morden asks "And then what?" G'Kar replies “I don’t know. As long as my homeworld's safety is guaranteed, I don’t know that it matters.”
Lady Ladira, a Centauri prophetess, has a vision: “I see death... destruction... fire. Babylon will fall. This place will be destroyed. Fire... death... pain... fire... death... pain... No. No!” On his first birthday, Lady Ladira had predicted Lord Kiro’s death "by shadows".
Mr. Morden talks to Delenn
Delenn
Delenn is a fictional lead character in the universe of the science fiction television series Babylon 5, played by Mira Furlan.-Overview:Delenn, an alien ambassador and leader from the planet Minbar, is one of the pivotal characters in Babylon 5....
. He asks her “What do you want?” During the questioning a triangle appears on Delenn’s forehead and she sees Mr. Morden in shadow. She demands he leaves instead of answering his question. The triangle disappears when Mr. Morden leaves and she states with trepidation: "They're here."
Mr. Morden meets Londo Mollari in the corridor and asks him what he wants. At first, Mollari casually tells Morden that he wants to be left alone. Morden persists, however, so Mollari says what he wants. “I want my people to reclaim their rightful place in the galaxy. I want to see the Centauri stretch forth their hand again and command the stars. I want a rebirth of glory, a renaissance of power. I want to stop running through my life like a man late for an appointment, afraid to look back or to look forward. I want us to be what we used to be. I want it all back the way that it was." Mollari walks away, but Morden is satisfied.
Kosh encounters Morden in a corridor, and commands him to leave, telling him that "they are not for you".
As Lord Kiro and his entourage return to their ship they are ambushed and Kiro is taken hostage. The attackers, with Kiro and The Eye, escape the station in Kiro's ship. To prevent them jumping into hyperspace
Hyperspace (science fiction)
Hyperspace is a plot device sometimes used in science fiction. It is typically described as an alternative region of space co-existing with our own universe which may be entered using an energy field or other device...
Sinclair has the jump gate re-programmed to reject the Centauri ship's ID code. Garibaldi and a squadron of Starfuries
Starfury
The Starfury fighter is a fictional vessel used by Earthforce, the military branch of the Earth Alliance, in the science fiction television series Babylon 5...
then move in to capture them.
Suddenly a jump point opens and a ship appears. The new ship is a fighter carrier and belongs to the Raiders, it can generate its own jump point which enabled them to stage hit and run attacks without having to use jump gates. The carrier launches fighters to attack the station forcing the Starfuries to break off and deal with them. This allows the Centauri ship to dock with the carrier, which then escapes into hyperspace.
On the carrier it emerges that the raiders were in league with Lord Kiro but they renege on their end of the deal. They plan to take The Eye to sell to the Centauri and ransom Lord Kiro. However, at that moment a strange ship, which will later be identified as a Shadow
Shadow (Babylon 5)
The Shadows are a fictional alien species in the science fiction television series Babylon 5. Their homeworld is Z'ha'dum. In contrast to the Vorlons, whose philosophy is represented by the question "Who are you?", that of the Shadows is represented by the question "What do you want?", centering...
ship, appears from nowhere and destroys the raider carrier, killing all aboard. Lady Ladira sees its destruction in a vision.
With the apparent loss of the Eye, Mollari believes his career to be finished. However, Mr. Morden shows up and delivers The Eye to him and then leaves. When Mollari asks how to find him to thank him, Morden responds, "we will find you".
Garibaldi tells Sinclair he did some digging regarding Sinclair's appointment to B5. Apparently all the officers proposed by Earth for command of Babylon 5 were rejected by the Minbari government, which as a co-sponsor of B5 had a say in who ran it, until Sinclair was nominated.
Lady Ladira shows Sinclair her vision of Babylon 5 exploding. She admits that it is merely a vision of what might be, not what will be.
Arc significance
- This episode marks the first appearance of the enigmatic Mr. MordenMorden (Babylon 5)Morden is a fictional character in the universe of the science fiction television series Babylon 5, played by Ed Wasser. He is a recurring antagonist in the show.-Overview:...
, the human representative of the ShadowsShadow (Babylon 5)The Shadows are a fictional alien species in the science fiction television series Babylon 5. Their homeworld is Z'ha'dum. In contrast to the Vorlons, whose philosophy is represented by the question "Who are you?", that of the Shadows is represented by the question "What do you want?", centering...
and a character who would later have a connection to future B5 commander John SheridanJohn Sheridan (Babylon 5)John J. Sheridan is a lead character in the fictional universe of the science-fiction television series Babylon 5, played by Bruce Boxleitner. For most of the series, he is the commander of the Babylon 5 station; during the series' final season he is the President of the Interstellar...
. - This episode also marks the first onscreen appearance by a Shadow vessel.
- Lady Ladira's prophecy about Babylon 5's destruction will be referenced repeatedly over the course of the series, particularly in "War Without End" and, ultimately, "Sleeping in LightSleeping in Light"Sleeping in Light" is the final episode of the science-fiction television series Babylon 5. The episode was nominated for the 1999 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation.-Plot:...
". - Every candidate for the position Commanding Officer of Babylon 5 was rejected by the Minbari Government except for Sinclair.
Production details
- "Signs and Portents" was originally titled "Raiding Party."
- "What do you want?" is based on the SynanonSynanonThe Synanon organization, initially a drug rehabilitation program, was founded by Charles E. "Chuck" Dederich, Sr., in 1958, in Santa Monica, California, United States...
Game. - Ivanova wakes up at 0430, on August 3rd, 2258. Her computer says it is a Wednesday, but in reality it will be a Tuesday.