History Recap / BabylonFiveS01E09Deathwalker

'''Season 1, Episode 9''':
!Deathwalker

* {{Koan}}: How Kosh usually speaks, but in this episode it's pushed up to eleven during his "conversation" with Abbut, to the point of IceCreamKoan.
** To be fair, though, while this time Kosh ''was'' probably being meaningless as part of his misdirection (in contrast to the usual, where there is meaning in his crypticism - often lots of it), a few of his lines are worth paying attention to. Certainly his final words to Talia, where he actually comes close to telling her straight what just happened (as straight as a Vorlon will, anyway...). Also, "a stroke of the brush does not guarantee art from the bristles" is very interesting given later revelations about Vorlon philosophy and Kosh's individualism.

In Medlab, Franklin is looking after his patient when Sinclair arrives. Together, they review the Earth Force record on Jha'dur, the Dilgar known as [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Deathwalker]]. After a lengthy list of atrocities, Franklin notes that this woman must be someone else; she's too young to be Jha'dur, too old to be her daughter, and there is no evidence of any prolonging processes. Garibaldi shows up holding a Dilgar uniform with the rank of Warmaster, Jha'dur's rank, from among her possessions. He also brings some sort of drug. Franklin doesn't recognize it off hand, and needs to run some tests on it before he can say what it is. A message comes for Sinclair that Senator Hidoshi wants is on the line for him.

** Even the League of Non-Aligned Worlds, the races that suffered the most at Deathwalker's hands, allowed her to go to Earth when tempted by the promise of immortality.

** G'Kar grandstands and speaks about the Narn's "keen sense of justice," but he is also happy to let Deathwalker go free for selfish reasons.

[[caption-width-right:350:AndStarring Sarah Douglas as an evil immortal cat-scientist...thing.]]

* ForTheEvulz: Deathwalker clearly takes great enjoyment out of tormenting those around her, and she practically salivates as she describes the chaos her serum will cause. She also has a delicious evil grin on her face when she adds a stipulation to G'kar on what she'd like as an incentive to give him the serum--Na'Toth's head (and when G'Kar is visibly horrified by this request, Jha'dur lets out the most gleefully evil laugh you'd ever see from a female villain not named Cruella De Vil).

* {{Aesoptinum}}

Sinclair goes to meet with her, pausing to tell Londo not to listen to rumors of Deathwalker's presence. Londo's question about whether he would be informed if she were in fact on the station is met with a flat, "No!" In Medlab, he dismisses Franklin, to which the woman responds, "You know the way of command. The Wind Swords are right to fear you." She confirms that she is, Jha'dur. She looks as she does because she has developed a drug that prevents all diseases and grants virtual immortality. The implications are staggering, and she claims that, with the proper resources, she can bring it to the entire galaxy in less than a year.

Kosh's meeting seems to be going well, as well as a seemingly nonsensical stream of cryptic phrases and riddles can. Talia is utterly confused, and after concluding this session, asks what it meant. Kosh responds, "You must listen to the music, not the song." Talia then sees images of herself, [[HallOfMirrors as though through a series of mirrors]].

Sinclair finds Lennier, and tells him the situation. Lennier finds it hard to believe that even the Wind Swords, the most militant of the Warrior Caste would harbor such a villain, but promises to look into it.

G'Kar is talking to Jha'dur, apologizing for the attack and making an offer for her serum. She shows that she knows of him as well, and his accomplishments against the Centauri. He offers to triple Earth's price, which she agrees to consider if he will give her one thing...Na'Toth's head. G'Kar quickly leaves, as Jha'dur [[EvilLaugh cackles in glee]].

The hearing for Jha'dur's fate is about to get under way. Earth will vote in favor of a trial, and Sinclair expects the Minbari to vote in favor as well. The Narn and the Centauri both have had too many dealings with the Dilgar to risk coming out, and since the Vorlons, as usual, have abstained, the deciding vote will be cast by the League, a certain yes.

The jumpgate activates and League warships begins arriving. Sinclair orders Ivanova to stall them and goes to talk to Kalika. He his attempts to placate her are rebuffed and he eventually has to tell her about Jha'dur's discovery. Back in C&C, Ivanova is surprised when the league ships suddenly move out of firing range. Sinclair tells her he played a wild card. He then goes back to chambers to finish negotiations.

Talia is back with Kosh and Abbut. She has one more vision, this time she sees herself being attacked. Kosh suddenly declares their business completed. Abbut takes off his hat, revealing a [[{{Cyborg}} strange cybernetic device]] from which he takes a data crystal which he gives to Kosh, then walks off. Talia asks what is on it and is told, "[[MemoryJar Reflection, surprise, terror]]; for the future." He then leaves.

The situation now resolved, Sinclair goes to talk to Deathwalker one more time. She does not believe they will turn her over after the serum is developed, but he says he will make sure personally, a move she thinks will cost him his command. She mocks them for their attitude that they could never do what she and her kind did. She goes on to tell him the [[PoweredByAForsakenChild main ingredient comes from another sentient being]], and cannot be synthesized. Once the news becomes public, it will cause pandemonium as everyone in the galaxy will try to take advantage of it without becoming a victim, a thought she clearly relishes. "Not like us?" she sneers, "You will ''become'' us!"

* ForTheEvulz: Deathwalker clearly takes great enjoyment out of tormenting those around her, and she practically salivates as she describes the chaos her serum will cause. She also has a delicious evil grin on her face when she adds a stipulation to G'kar on what she'd like as an incentive to give him the serum--Na'Toth's head (and when G'Kar is visibly horrified by this request, Jha'dur lets out the most evil and infectious laugh you'd ever see from a female villain not named Cruella De Vil).

* ImmortalityImmorality: For each person made immortal with the anti-agapic, another sentient being has to be murdered.

** Lennier knows that Jha'dur is an evil woman, but he follows orders in order to keep the secret that she had sanctuary among the Minbari warrior caste. This is an early indication that a Minbari will lie to preserve another's honour, in Lennier's case committing a lie of omission on orders from Delenn, to preserve the honour of the Warrior Caste.
** Even the League of Non-Aligned Worlds, the races that suffered the most at Deathwalker's hands, allowed her to go to Earth when faced with the promise of immortality.
** Doubles as foreshadowing (see above), but the Vorlons demonstrate what happens when they decide to stop abstaining and "vote".

* {{Koan}}: How Kosh usually speaks, but in this episode it's pushed UpToEleven during his "conversation" with Abbut, to the point of IceCreamKoan.

* ForTheEvulz: Deathwalker clearly takes great enjoyment out of tormenting those around her, and she practically salivates as she describes the chaos her serum will cause. She also has a delicious evil grin on her face when she adds a stipulation to G'kar on what she'd like as an incentive to give him the serum--Na'Toth's head (and when G'Kar is visibly horrified by this request, Jha'dur lets out the most evil & infectious laugh you'd ever see from a female villain not named Cruella De Vil).

** Lennier knows that Jha'dur is an evil woman, but he follows orders in order to keep the secret that she had sanctuary among the Minbari warrior caste. This is an early indication that a Minbari will lie to preserve another's honour, in Lennier's case committing a lie of omission on orders from Delenn, to preserve the honour of warrior caste.

Sinclair goes to meet with her, pausing to tell Londo not to listen to rumors of Deathwalker's presence. Londo's question about whether he would be informed if she were in fact on the station is met with a flat, "No!" In Medlab, he dismisses Franklin, to which the woman responds, "You know the way of command. The Windswords are right to fear you." She confirms that she is, Jha'dur. She looks as she does because she has developed a drug that prevents all diseases and grants virtual immortality. The implications are staggering, and she claims that, with the proper resources, she can bring it to the entire galaxy in less than a year.

Sinclair finds Lennier, and tells him the situation. Lennier finds it hard to believe that even the Windswords, the most militant of the Warrior Caste would harbor such a villain, but promises to look into it.

As the hearing begins, Kalika makes a motion for a trial to be held on Babylon 5. The votes go as expected, except the Minbari. Delenn has instructed Lennier to vote against. Kalika declares the League is not finished yet and storms out. When they are the only two left, Lennier apologizes to Sinclair for allowing Deathwalker to go free. When Sinclair asks, he explains that the Windswords did shelter Jha'dur, but the Grey Council only learned of her presence during the Earth-Minbari War. Now, ten years later, they cannot bear the shame of admitting it.

* TheWarJustBefore: The Dilgar War was Earth's first venture onto the interstellar scene, where they accrued a lot of goodwill from what became the League of Non-Aligned Worlds by defeating the genocidal Dilgar. Now they're dealing with one of the last remnants.

** Sinclair wants justice, but he is undercut by Earth's desire for power. As Ivanova so rightly puts it: "Justice or immortality; an intriguing choice."

* ImmoralityImmorality: For each person made immortal with the anti-agapic, another sentient being has to be murdered.

* LastOfHisKind: Jha’dur claims she is indeed the last of the Dilgar. We certainly never see any other survivors on the series.

* AMindIsATerribleThingToRead: A SerialKiller's mind is, anyway. When Talia was in there, she got lost in a HallOfMirrors then surprise-attacked.
* ANaziByAnyOtherName: Deathwalker and her people, the Dilgar.

* EvilutionaryBiologist: Jha'Dur is infamous for her horrific experiments on living beings during the Dilgar War, including Na'Toth's grandfather.

* TheWarJustBefore: The Dilgar War was Earth's first venture onto the interstellar scene. Now they're dealing with one of the last remnants.

** Doubles as foreshadowing (see above), but the Vorlons demonstrate what happens when they decide to stop abstaining and "vote."

Kosh's meeting seems to be going well, as well as a seemingly nonsensical stream of cryptic phrases and riddles can. Talia is utterly confused, and after concluding this session, asks what it meant. Kosh responds, "You must listen to the music, not the song." Talia then sees images of herself, as though through a series of mirrors.

Later, Sinclair and Garibaldi are reflecting on the irony of the situation, when Talia comes up and tells them of her strange experience. The memory she's been flashing back to is of a time she had to enter the mind of a SerialKiller, an experience that disturbed her greatly. Garibaldi tells her Abbut is a Vicar (VCR) capable of recording anything, even brain waves. Sinclair guesses he recorded things she's afraid of for some reason, but no one really knows for sure.