A living weapon wreaks havoc on the station.A living weapon wreaks havoc on the station.A living weapon wreaks havoc on the station.
- Delenn
- (credit only)
- Talia Winters
- (credit only)
- Vir Cotto
- (credit only)
- Na'Toth
- (as Caitlin Brown)
- (credit only)
- G'Kar
- (credit only)
- Londo Mollari
- (credit only)
- Nelson Drake
- (as Marshall Teague)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAfter Dr. Franklin scans the organic artifact, a monitor shows it contains "Thiamine, Riboflavin, Niacin, Xanthan, Maltodextrin, Okudazin". The first three are Vitamin B1, B2, and B3, Xanthan and Maltodextrin are food additives (thickening agents), and Okudazin is a nod to Michael Okuda, technical consultant and scenic art supervisor for the Star Trek franchise, who used to include similar references to other science fiction series in his view-screens.
- GoofsWhile Franklin and Hendricks discuss the morality of plundering dead civilizations for their technology, Franklin uses the non-existent word "scavage" for what is certainly "scavenge".
- Quotes
[last lines]
Mary Ann Cramer: I have to ask you the same question people back home are asking about space these days. Is it worth it? Should we just pull back? Forget the whole thing as a bad idea, and take care of our own problems, at home.
Cmdr. Jeffrey Sinclair: No. We have to stay here. And there's a simple reason why. Ask ten different scientists about the environment, population control, genetics, and you'll get ten different answers, but there's one thing every scientist on the planet agrees on. Whether it happens in a hundred years or a thousand years or a million years, eventually our Sun will grow cold and go out. When that happens, it won't just take us. It'll take Marilyn Monroe, and Lao-Tzu, and Einstein, and Morobuto, and Buddy Holly, and Aristophanes, and - all of this - all of this - was for nothing. Unless we go to the stars.
- ConnectionsReferenced in Babylon 5: Hunter, Prey (1995)
This can be viewed as a standalone episode as the alien bio-weapon is dealt with by the time it is finished. However there are hints at ongoing plots that may or may not become important later on... it is so long since I first watched the series that I can't recall. There is the secret bio-weapons company that funded Hendricks's explorations and later demanded the items be handed over and there is talk of people on Earth who want nothing to do with alien civilisation.
The main story is decent enough even though the fact that we see Drake commit murder tells us something shady is going on a little too soon. The presence of David McCallum, at the time best known for his work in 'The Man from UNCLE' but now known as 'Ducky' from 'NCIS', adds a touch of class to proceedings as Dr Hendricks. The way the alien device takes over Drake is entertaining and it is certainly a formidably threat even if its ultimate defeat is a little cliché. The secondary story involving the reporter felt a little tacked on and didn't add much to the story. Overall a decent enough episode.
- Tweekums
- May 27, 2018