The war of the ages is over, and on Babylon 5 the party of the ages is raging. Sheridan watches from a catwalk, brooding over the cost, but as he sees Delenn he decides to just enjoy the moment before more trouble comes.
Trouble doesn’t waste any time as on Earth, Mr. Bester is informed that President Clark has started a new program involving several branches of Earth Gov. The purpose: shut down Babylon 5.
On Centauri Prime, Londo is preparing to return to Babylon 5 until things around the court settle down. Before he does, he informs Minister Virini that rather than name a new emperor, the Centaurum had decided to appoint a regent to take more time in selecting the new emperor. Virini is stunned to learn they named him as regent. Londo says if Virini needs any help, he'll be on Babylon 5, then heads off. Virini looks around, then decides to give his first order.
- Virini: (grabbing a curtain) I'm thinking pastels.
Dr. Franklin is examining G'Kar's eye socket to see what damage there was. He thinks he could fit G'Kar with a prosthetic, but it would take some time.
In his quarters, Garibaldi seems to start remembering something about his captivity, but a strange message comes which comprises of colors in a strange pattern. He watches it, then has the computer delete it. He then goes to Sheridan's office and resigns his position. The others try to talk him out of it, but Garibaldi says he's tired of dealing with things he doesn't understand, and since they're technically all free agents, he can do whatever he wants. He wants to strike out on his own and forge his own path.
Zack is training some security personnel in the customs area when Londo comes back. Immediately after Bester comes in, asking to see the captain. Zack is then called away himself.
G'Kar goes to see Garibaldi. Michael, seeing him with one eye for the first time, along with the severe look the Narn is giving him, tries to apologize for getting him into that mess, but G'Kar grabs him in a big hug
- G'Kar: Welcome hooooome, Mister Garibaldi!
G'Kar isn't bothered by what happened, at least not too much, because it put him in the position to arrange for his world's freedom.
Zack has just been informed of Garibaldi's resignation. He can't believe it, but Sheridan is putting him in charge of Security. Then he needs to find Lyta and bring her to the conference room. A call comes from C&C to turn on ISN which is running a story on how President Clark has ordered all travel to and from Babylon 5 stopped with military force.
Zack goes to get Lyta, who is getting some new stuff for her quarters. He tells her that Sheridan wants her to keep an eye on Bester while he's here. She's apprehensive since she's a blip and he'd arrest her if he sees her, but Zack assures her the captain won't let that happen. That's not the only thing bothering her, as it seems lately that people are afraid of her, but she agrees to come.
Londo is doing some shopping when he sees G'Kar. He takes a moment to steel himself then goes to see what the Narn wants.
- G'Kar: My world is now free. You no longer exist in my universe. Pray that we never notice one another again.
The command staff have gathered to meet Bester, who is not happy to have Lyta there, but Sheridan shuts down his objections and demands he get to the point. With the Shadows having gone beyond the Rim with the rest of the First Ones, President Clark's grip on power is looking rather shaky. Now that Clark is on his own, he's trying to take out Babylon 5 before they come after him. Phase 1 is a propaganda war, but before he tells them about phase 2 he wants something. He wants to go to Z'Ha'Dum to look for technology that can free Carolyn from the Shadow implants. As the other debate, Bester tries to get a read on them but finds himself being blocked. Lyta gives him a smug grin.
Sheridan agrees to return to Z'Ha'Dum, and Bester tells them the next step in Clark's plan. He’s arranged for Psi Corps’ Black Omega squadron to attack and destroy one of the Earth Force patrols, and leave evidence that it was done by the station. They need to be stopped immediately.
- Bester: It's ironic, I suppose; save the Earthforce patrol and continue the blockade of Babylon 5, let them be destroyed and be framed for murder and lose sympathy back home. For you it's a lose-lose proposition.
Garibaldi hands the codes to lock down the station over to Zack. The two have a discussion about change and what it means. Garibaldi assures him he'll make a good chief.
On the White Star Sheridan and Delenn take a moment to themselves. Sheridan complains about not ever getting a break before trouble comes, but Delenn tells him he'd be bored out of his skull if it wasn’t always like this.
- Delenn: You're one of those people who will pick up a rope that has gotten all tangled up and spend an entire day untangling it, because it's a challenge, because it defies your sense of order in the universe and because you can. Sometimes I imagine you on a beach with absolutely nothing to do.
Sheridan: And?
Delenn: And the picture always ends with you head imploding!
Sheridan: You haven't known me that long to know me so well.
Delenn: Well, we're old souls. Deal with it.
Black Omega emerges from hyperspace and prepares to attack, but Ivanova leads Alpha Squadron in and warns the patrol just as the Omega fighters open fire. Together they manage to take out the ambush, the patrol pilots astonished that B5 would help them like this.
Bester comes to find Lyta. Her talent is getting stronger, so naturally, he wants to secure that for the Corps. But where the Corps is mother, the Corps is father, Lyta considers herself an orphan. She walks off, but Bester reminds her that he knows things about her she wouldn’t want the others to know.
The White Star jumps in around Z'Ha'Dum, and detect a large number of ships exiting through the local jumpgate. They aren't Shadow ships, and Delenn explains that the Shadows had allies who assisted in their efforts. Scans pick up nothing, no signals, Lyta can't pick up anything telepathically, and and Bester thinks they can go in. Sheridan suddenly orders them to turn around and as Bester angrily demands they land the planet explodes.
Back on the station, Zack brings Bester to the cryopod where Carolyn is being kept. He takes a few moments to talk about what he did, how he sent his best people out to die, especially since he'd essentially killed them himself. And he didn't even get what he wanted. He still has something coming for them.
Lyta is still decorating when Sheridan comes to visit. Something has been bothering him, the only way the planet could have blown up right at that moment is if someone triggered it. The only one who could have would have been a telepath, a powerful one. He's thinking that she's far more powerful than she lets on, and that she's the one who triggered it. She poses several possible reasons, to hurt Bester, more Vorlon programming, or keeping Shadow tech out of anyone's hands. Sheridan is glad this is all hypothetical, since if she hypothetically did anything like that without consulting him first, he'd turn her right over to Psi Corps.
In C&C Ivanova is monitoring the gold channels, where Clark is doing cartwheels trying to explain the incident away. He won't try that again. It's good news, but Sheridan once again finds something to worry about.
Where did those ships from Z'Ha'Dum go?
This episode contains examples of:
- Answer Cut: Right after Sheridan asks where the ships at Z'Ha'dum went we cut to Minister Virini and his new friend.
- Big Damn Heroes: Ivanova and Alpha Squadron arrive just as Black Omega springs their ambush.
- Blackmail: Bester apparently knows things things about Lyta she doesn't want to get out.
- Black Comedy: G'Kar is rather droll about his lost eye, making dry comments on the skill of the Centauri that removed it and the instrument used, which G'Kar couldn't see very well from end-on.
- Brick Joke: Right after Sheridan leaves Lyta's quarters, Zack comes in with the pizza he promised.
- Call-Back:
- We pick up right after the end of the Shadow War.
- Clark tried taking B5 by force last year.
- The creature attached to Regent Virini's shoulder is the kind Londo will have in the future.
- Continuity Nod:
- Garibaldi claims to have eyes in the back of his head since being shot in the back.
- Bester has some dirt on Lyta, no doubt from when she interned with the Psi Cops.
- Dance Party Ending: Well Opening in this case as the episode starts with B5 having a colossal party after the end of the Shadow War.
- Didn't See That Coming: The Earthforce patrol was not expecting to be ambushed by Black Omega but they likely did consider the possibility of being ambushed in general. However they really weren't expecting to be rescued by the very "enemy" they were blockading.
- Earth-Shattering Kaboom: The allies of the Shadows evacuate Z'ha'dum, then seemingly set a self destruct that goes off soon after the White Star arrives.
- False Flag Operation: The Black Omega Squadron is going to attack the Earth Alliance starfuries and leave "evidence" that Babylon 5 was behind the attack since President Clark needs B5 to attack Earth ships.
- Fantastic Fireworks: In the opening we see a display put on by the station's Starfurys, which seem to work perfectly well in the vacuum of space.
- Foreshadowing: While Bester is speaking to Caroline, he mentions that he has things in store for Sheridan's crew, ones that will hurt them a lot more than he's been hurt.
- Frameup: President Clark's intention is to destroy an Earthforce patrol and leave evidence that Babylon 5 was responsible. Thanks to Bester's warning, it backfires.
- Hyperspeed Ambush: Black Omega intends to take the patrolling Earthforce picket by surprise and destroy them, leaving Babylon 5 to take the blame, but Ivanova's squadron gets there in time and helps the blockade starfuries destroy the Black Omega fighters.
- Naval Blockade: President Clark has Earthforce cut off all traffic between the Earth Alliance and Babylon 5.
- Royal Inbreeding: Minister Virini suggests this for a reason why the Royal bloodlines have left something to be desired lately.Virini: I always say, when you reduce a family tree to a family bush, you just can't hide as much beneath it!
- Stealth Pun: When Zack is giving the briefing to his subordinate regarding customs, Londo and Bester come through the gate within a minute of each other. Zack then decides to get out of there, since for all he knows the next arrival could be the Second Coming. After he leaves, the subordinate checks through three Elvis Impersonators. The three Kings.
- There Are No Coincidences: Sheridan realizes something's up when Z'Ha'Dum explodes right after they arrive.
- Touched by Vorlons: While it's clear that Lyta was modified when she went to Vorlon space by now, we start to get hints of just how powerful she actually is.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Sheridan realizes the timing of the above mentioned explosion is no coincidence and the only one who could have tipped them off was the most powerful telepath on board while they were in hyperspace. When he confronts Lyta about it, she doesn't bother to deny it, and he angrily responds that if she ever does anything like that again he will let Psi Corps do whatever they want to her. Although the way he says it it seems that his only real problem was that she did it behind his back.
- You Are in Command Now: Minister Milo Virini is made Regent by the Centaurum.
