The streak is over! After episodes 9, 10 and 11 were duds with little redeeming value, episode 12 comes riding over the hill to the rescue. Possessing a great A plot, and a B plot that takes one of the major characters for a developmental spin around the block, this one is one I rewatch anytime I feel like going through some season 1 episodes. The good episodes are here to stay, or at least until we hit “TKO” in two weeks.
This episode opens up on the high stakes drama that is overscheduling of cargo and passenger traffic through a space port. There are wait times, there are impatient captains, bored Ivanovas, and surly dock workers, everything you need for a slice of life episode until all hell breaks loose. After squeezing in a Narn transport that name drops Ambassador G’Kar to cut in line, a computer malfunction puts another ship on a head on collision course for the Narn ship. The Narn panics and causes a massive explosion when he crashes his ship into the station.
Coming back from the opening credits, we see the dockworkers busy with rescue operations. The dock foreman Eduardo, played by Jose Rey, is crushed to learn that his younger brother is among the dead.
The B plot is also set into motion by the dock explosion. The Narn transport was telling the truth when they said they had important cargo for G’Kar. They were transporting a rare plant called G’Quan Eth. G’Kar is devastated by the news that it was lost in the explosion.
G’Kar is present for the next scene of the main plot, kicked off by Neeoma Connally, a fiery union rep played by Katy Boyer. She is pounding on the table and pointing out that the accident was something the union had warned about for years, citing the substandard equipment and the overscheduling. Sinclair tries to respond by saying that the accident could have been due to operator error, but she shoots him down quickly. Connally reminds him that the dockworkers are understaffed and overworked, which makes an operator error completely predictable. Sinclair tries to calm things down but G’Kar is having none of it. He wants someone to be blamed for the accident. Connally points out that all he lost was cargo whereas a dock worker was killed. To his credit G’Kar looks suitably chastened by the comment, even if he still doesn’t want the Narn captain to be blamed.
Garibaldi arrives to end the blame game, finding that sub-standard components installed by the lowest bidder caused the accident. Sinclair and Ivanova get to work trying to figure out how to fix the problem and get things back on schedule. Connally is not satisfied and leaves in a huff. Our favorite Senator, Hidoshi, comes back to talk about budgets and political realities with Sinclair. He informs them that no new money to fix things is coming, unless the President can get the economy in gear. This leaves Sinclair as the one that has to deal with the fact that the new budget completely screws over the dock workers. While he and Garibaldi try to figure out what to do. Ivanova interrupts them to let them know that nearly all the dock workers have called in sick, which Garibaldi identifies as “blue flu”, a way to have a strike without running afoul of anti-strike laws.
Meanwhile G’Kar is trying to find a replacement for the plant, and finds out to his horror that the only person on the station that has one is Londo. Londo also knows this, and promptly uses the fact to taunt G’Kar.
The totally not striking dock workers hold a rally, and list a lot of issues with the docks. Connally tries to cool them down and stop everyone from chanting strike. Garibaldi comes to take her to Sinclair, and she explains that she is busy taking care of a lot of sick workers, to a chorus of fake coughs.
Sinclair, looking quite haggard, implores Connally to get everyone back to work. He raises the specter of something called the Rush Act being invoked. Connally is doubtful, but Sinclair warns her that things back on Earth are changing and not for the better. Garibaldi points out that by going on strike they are forcing a showdown with the Senate, and she counters that there is no way to send the workers back to the docks without improvements. Hidoshi calls again having heard about the strike. He informs Sinclair that a labor negotiator will be sent, to take care of the situation. He also brings up the Rush Act, and gives a little more info to the audience about what it might entail when he orders Sinclair to have troops ready to enforce it.
G’Kar breaks into Londo’s quarters, but sits and endures more mockery from Londo when it becomes clear that the plant is not there. Londo mentions that the plant helps his booze hit harder, before naming an exorbitant price for the plant. G’Kar leaves in a huff. Later he contacts Londo with the money, only for Londo to decline the sale. He cites the events of the first episode as his motivation for a bit of revenge. G’Kar flies into a rage, talking about how he technically can kill Londo and get away with it due to his diplomatic status. He is about to sweep off his desk before he realizes that his holy book is on the table and he pauses.
This is where we get to see a different side of G’Kar. One thing that Babylon 5 does is treat all of the religious characters with respect. Here we get to see that while he is many things he is at least not a hypocrite when it comes to his religion. No one that matters would have seen him throw the book on the ground, but he still has a profound reverence for it. This leads to a nice quiet conversation about faith with Na’ Toth. The conversation also shows off the fact that the Narns have at least two major religions, as well as atheism.
Zento, the labor negotiator played by John Snyder, arrives and just looks like an asshole right out of the gate. He goes to the workers and spouts mealy mouth bullshit buzzwords about recessions and sacrifice. This is received about as well as you think by the union, and Sinclair does everything he can to keep things cool as he attempts to keep the peace.
G’Kar manages to grab a few minutes of the exhausted commander’s time, and explain his predicament. Sinclair to his credit treats the situation as seriously as G’Kar does. He even goes to Londo on G’Kar’s behalf, finding himself mediating in another dispute. Londo is more polite to Sinclair than he was to G’Kar, but throws in some old fashioned racism against Narns generally, and refuses to sell the plant.
Sinclair’s efforts with Zento and Connally go roughly the same as his efforts with G’Kar and Londo. Hearing someone talk about how the government has to cut costs at the expense of regular people hits a bit harder these days, and Connally refuses to accept it on behalf of her union. The meeting explodes and Zento formally decides to go the head breaking route. Connally is not super jazzed about any of this despite how fired up the union rank and file are. She leaves to go warn her people, and sadly invokes Matewan when Sinclair tries to warn her about what could happen.
Sinclair gets accosted by G’Kar, Londo and Cramer, the news reporter, on the command deck, and that brings everything to a head for the exhausted man. Just as he manages to clear everyone out, Hidoshi calls to warn him that the Rush Act has been officially approved, and warns that there are elements in the government that would like to see the strikers put down violently.
Garibaldi moves in with his men, and a fight breaks out almost immediately. He manages to snatch up Connally but his men get pushed back. Sinclair has her and a confused Zento follow him back to the docks, claiming that he will end the strike right now. He clarifies that the Rush Act gives him the authority to end the strike “by any means necessary”, which Zento very smugly confirms. Sinclair then throws the curve ball. With that total authority he reduces the defense budget, and transfers the funds over to the dock budget to address staffing and safety issues. Zento is furious but everyone else rejoices and the crisis is averted.
Before Sinclair can celebrate too much, he is brought back in to deal with Londo and G’Kar. Once again he uses the letter of the law to get his way, pointing out that the plant in question is illegal to import or possess except for medical or religious reasons. This allows him to take custody and then give it over to G’Kar. G’Kar is unimpressed as the time for the ceremony has passed, but Sinclair points out that sunlight travels through space, and they can technically perform their ceremony on Babylon 5 using the light from previous years that has taken ten Narn years to reach them. G’Kar is genuinely touched and grateful, and it is nice to see one of my favorite characters get to show a different side other than pragmatic schemer.
Sinclair is just about to get some rest when Senator Hidoshi calls again. He approves of how the commander handled the situation. He points out that while the rest of the Senate did not like his solution it was popular in the media, so they have decided to let it stand. He then warns the commander that Zento has powerful friends who will be out for some payback down the road. In a serialized show like Babylon 5 that means something.
Next week is the big one, S1E13 “Signs and Portents”. When the whole season is named after the episode you know it has to be a good one.
As always, a reminder that you can watch the episodes on Amazon Prime, and on Tubi which has the same amount of ads but is subscription free.
The Good
- Sinclair gets to show off more of his wisdom here, meditating two different disputes by cleverly using the letter of the law.
- I approve of a union story that is not about pay and benefits. Too often the popular media tries to paint unions with the greedy brush forgetting that they are also pillars of worker safety as well.
- There have been hints in past episodes that G’Kar is a deeper character than he appears, and this episode is the first big showcase for it. He is a character of sincere beliefs.
The Bad
- Not too much here for once. Most of the guest actors acquit themselves well, and both plots hold up.
- In terms of balance I think it would have been nice to have Vir be around Londo in this episode. Vir almost certainly would have not approved of what Londo was doing and that would have been a good Centauri perspective to have.
Arc Points (Spoilers Ahead)
- If season 1 has a theme, it is that things are changing for the worse back on Earth, and Zento is another sign of it with his eagerness to have the strikers put down with force.
- G’Kar’s faith is one of the strongest aspects of his character and this is the first real demonstration of it. It will become even more important to him, when it is nearly all he has left beginning in Season 3.
- This episode was written by Kathryn M. Drennan, who was married to JMS at the time. I like to think that is why it feels more like one of his episodes when compared to the previous three all from different guest writers. Guest writers will disappear in Season 2, and JMS will begin his record-setting run of writing credits at that point.