The Parliament of Dreams
Encyclopedia
"The Parliament of Dreams" is an episode from the first season of the science-fiction television series Babylon 5
.
arranges a week-long festival of religious and cultural exchange on the station. The Centauri
celebrate with a lavish party, commemorating the victory of the Centauri over the other sentient life on their world, the Xon. After the war, they will look around and count how many of them survived and they celebrate their good fortune (rather than mourn those who have been killed, an unusually positive outlook in life which perhaps describes the Centauri, in contrast to the bitter and perpetually angry Narns). In the party Londo Mollari gets extremely drunk and passes out. The Minbari
host a session of prayers, a rebirth ceremony wherein the "old" self is "killed" and a new and better one is reborn. (This is mirrored some two years later when Delenn hosts another ritual in "Ceremonies of Light and Dark
".)
G'Kar's enjoyment of the festival is tempered when a courier brings word that an old political rival of his, Du'Rog, is arranging to have him assassinated. A paranoid G'Kar first suspects his new diplomatic attache, Na'Toth
, but learns too late that the true assassin is the courier himself, the Thenta Makur member Tu'Pari. After being subjected to a brief torture session, Na'Toth intervenes, beating G'Kar in order to appear allied with Tu'Pari, but in actuality, deactivating the torture-inducing binds. G'Kar then easily disables Tu'Pari and then arranges him to remain unconscious until after his commission's deadline while depositing a large sum of money in his account to make it look like he was bribed into violating his commitment. Since the guild penalty for that is death, G'Kar and Na'Toth encourage him to flee.
Jeffrey Sinclair
meets an old flame, Catherine Sakai, and rekindles their on-off romantic relationship, before hosting a celebration of Earth religion in which he introduces the major station personnel to a line of people, all of different faiths - the line extends some distance all the way to the final credits.
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...
.
Synopsis
The Earth AllianceEarth Alliance (Babylon 5)
The Earth Alliance is the name of a fictional alliance of the nations of Earth and off-world colonies in the television series Babylon 5. The transition of Earth government from a democratic, elected government to an authoritarian, militaristic one and back to a democracy again is a major theme of...
arranges a week-long festival of religious and cultural exchange on the station. The 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...
celebrate with a lavish party, commemorating the victory of the Centauri over the other sentient life on their world, the Xon. After the war, they will look around and count how many of them survived and they celebrate their good fortune (rather than mourn those who have been killed, an unusually positive outlook in life which perhaps describes the Centauri, in contrast to the bitter and perpetually angry Narns). In the party Londo Mollari gets extremely drunk and passes out. The Minbari
Minbari
The 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....
host a session of prayers, a rebirth ceremony wherein the "old" self is "killed" and a new and better one is reborn. (This is mirrored some two years later when Delenn hosts another ritual in "Ceremonies of Light and Dark
Ceremonies of Light and Dark
"Ceremonies of Light and Dark" is an episode from the third season of the science fiction television series Babylon 5.-Synopsis:Undercover members of the Nightwatch target Delenn....
".)
G'Kar's enjoyment of the festival is tempered when a courier brings word that an old political rival of his, Du'Rog, is arranging to have him assassinated. A paranoid G'Kar first suspects his new diplomatic attache, Na'Toth
Na'Toth
Na'Toth is a fictional character in the universe of the science fiction television series Babylon 5. Na'Toth is the aide to Narn Ambassador G'Kar, one of the main characters of the series...
, but learns too late that the true assassin is the courier himself, the Thenta Makur member Tu'Pari. After being subjected to a brief torture session, Na'Toth intervenes, beating G'Kar in order to appear allied with Tu'Pari, but in actuality, deactivating the torture-inducing binds. G'Kar then easily disables Tu'Pari and then arranges him to remain unconscious until after his commission's deadline while depositing a large sum of money in his account to make it look like he was bribed into violating his commitment. Since the guild penalty for that is death, G'Kar and Na'Toth encourage him to flee.
Jeffrey 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...
meets an old flame, Catherine Sakai, and rekindles their on-off romantic relationship, before hosting a celebration of Earth religion in which he introduces the major station personnel to a line of people, all of different faiths - the line extends some distance all the way to the final credits.
Arc significance
- Introduces Catherine Sakai as Sinclair's love interest.
- Introduces Na'Toth, G'Kar's personal aide.
- Introduces LennierLennierLennier is a character in the fictional universe of the science-fiction television series Babylon 5, played by Bill Mumy. He is Minbari and acts as ambassadorial aide to Delenn throughout most of the series.-Background and career:...
, Delenn's personal aide. - Introduces the phrase "And so it begins."
Production details
- "The Parliament of Dreams" was originally titled "Carnival!"
- This episode marks the first appearance of Na'Toth, G'Kar's diplomatic attache, played by Caitlin Brown. She replaced Ko'Dath, who appeared only in "Born to the PurpleBorn to the Purple"Born to the Purple" is an episode from the first season of the science-fiction television series Babylon 5. This episode is named after the Greek word Porphyrogenitos, referring to special birthright or privileged heritage, royal birth.-Synopsis:...
," and was played by Mary WoronovMary WoronovMary Woronov is an American actress and writer. She is primarily known for her roles in independent and cult films. Woronov has appeared in over 80 movies, as well as numerous appearances in mainstream television series, such as Charlie's Angels and Knight Rider.-Early life:Woronov was born in the...
. Woronov left the show after encountering problems with the extensive makeup process; Brown was called in at the last minute to replace her. In the second season, Na'Toth was played by Mary Kay AdamsMary Kay AdamsMary Kay Adams is an American actress known for her roles in television, on the soap opera Guiding Light and as Na'Toth in the second season of the science fiction television series Babylon 5....
.
- LennierLennierLennier is a character in the fictional universe of the science-fiction television series Babylon 5, played by Bill Mumy. He is Minbari and acts as ambassadorial aide to Delenn throughout most of the series.-Background and career:...
also makes his first appearance, despite being named in the credits in each of the previous four episodes.
- Won Emmy AwardEmmy AwardAn Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
for "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Makeup for a Series" 1994.