Sheridan and Lochley are in C&C reminiscing. Neither could sleep so they spend some time talking. Alliance's facilities on Minbar are complete; they can leave any time. Hard to believe it's been nearly a year already.
- Lochley: Where does the time go?
Sheridan: That way.
Lochley: And what's out there?
Sheridan: The Rim.
Lochley: And beyond that?
Sheridan: The truth.
Sheridan explains that he just wants to slip away, no pomp or ceremony. Lochley says she understands then takes the opportunity to thank him for bringing her here. Despite her misgivings at first, the place kind of grew on her. Sheridan understands, it'll be hard for him to leave as well.
After a moment, Lochley suggests they go get breakfast. They'll be online soon and they have more ships than usual coming in. She's about to walk off, but Sheridan has something to tell her.
- Sheridan: Captain, you're welcome. And in case I don't get to say this later, it's been good having you here. Knowing that this place is in good hands makes the leaving easier.
Ta'Lon is at G'Kar's quarters ringing the chime where Vir finds him and tells him G'Kar's gone. And he's not coming back, possibly ever. And no one knows where he went. That confuses Ta'Lon, he was asked to come here as soon as possible. Why would G'Kar do this? Vir apologizes, but he doesn't know anything more.
As he leaves, Ta'Lon overrides the terminal and goes in. He calls for lights and the computer recognizes his voice and begins to play a message from G'Kar. He explains that he had to leave Babylon 5 sooner than he expected so he wasn't able to tell Ta'Lon in person, hence the recording. With him gone, the position of ambassador for the Narn has been left open and G'Kar wants Ta'Lon to fill it. G'Kar continues, no doubt Ta'lon is wondering why him? ("To say the least.") G'Kar can only explain his choice, whether Ta'Lon chooses to accept is up to him. G'Kar believes that there is a time for enlightenment and a time to get things done. He himself has become a distraction, and wants someone who can lead them more practically, rebuilding their world and building ties with the Alliance.
- G'Kar: In order to serve our people, both here and at home, one must be warrior and priest in equal measure. In recent months, I have become more priest than warrior. Perhaps it is time for someone who is more warrior than priest. You may believe that you are not ready, but you are as ready as I was when I first came to Babylon 5. Check the records, I think you'll be amused.
G'Kar then explains that a copy of this message will automatically be sent to Sheridan and the others. He closes by bidding Ta'Lon to serve their people well.
In the Zocalo, Doctor Franklin is informing Doctor Hobbs that he wants her to take over as head of Medlab. She's not sure she's fit for the position, there are others more knowledgeable or qualified than she is. She's been bouncing around the various Medlabs for years. Franklin thinks that makes her perfect. The rest are specialists, working specific types of cases; the medical head needs to be a generalist, someone who knows enough about everything to keep a handle on it all, and is willing to fight for what she thinks is right. And that's her. Hobbs relents and thanks him for his confidence. As for himself, he leaves for Earth tonight, he has to get to the Xenobiology Division as soon as possible. And as for Delenn, he's done everything he can regarding her pregnancy; the doctors on Minbar will take over when they get there. But he will say good-bye, and as Sheridan appears out of the lift, he goes to do just that.
Delenn is packing in her quarters when Lennier shows up. He didn't tell her because he wanted it to be a surprise. He's on a break from training, and he decided to take it here. Delenn is happy to see him, and it would give her a break to relax some. She goes to make some tea while Lennier picks up a picture of her and Sheridan, looking at it unhappily.
Sheridan is in his office where Ms. Holloran is finishing her intelligence brief. One minor skirmish, but other than that things have been pretty quiet. Sheridan asks for more detail on the skirmish, and she explains it has to do with Brakiri using a Drazi brothel as a layover (Zack finds that really amusing), but Brakiri have this taboo about touching...Sheridan stops her there. But since that was the only thing of note, they can head out whenever they want. He thanks her and she gets up and leaves. Sheridan's impressed, she's very thorough. She won't be going to Minbar with the rest, the point of her job is to gather information, which always seems to find its way to B5, so she'd have an easier time doing her job here. Garibaldi wouldn't have been able to do this from Mars either. Speaking of, Zack asks if anyone's heard from him.
Garibaldi is currently cementing his hold on his new empire. He's brought in a bunch of troublemakers, backtalkers and malcontents and made them the new Board of Directors for Edgars Industries. He defines their job in very simple terms.
- Garibaldi: Your job is to tell me where we screwed up, so we can go back and fix it. The position entitles you to a 100% salary increase effective immediately plus benefits. One part of your job is to tell me if I've screwed up, to stand your ground. Now, if you're right, you get a bonus. If you're wrong, I will eat you for lunch. Does anyone have a problem with that?
The new board look at each other, but don't object.
The door chimes and Lennier comes to tell them they're ready to go. Delenn goes to make one last check, leaving Sheridan and Lennier alone. Sheridan takes the time to thank him for coming out, it means a lot to both of them. He asks if Lennier will be staying long, but he should get back to training as soon as possible. Sheridan tells him he'd always be welcome to come by for a visit, which Lennier says he will keep in mind. Delenn comes back and says they're ready.
On station, Stephen heads into the docking bay, takes one last look around, then continues on.
Later, Sheridan and Delenn are watching ISN, showing footage of a White Star arriving at the station, supposedly the one that will transport them to Minbar. The exact time is classified, but ISN seems to know more than they should, which annoys Sheridan, who begins going off on reporters nosing around, wondering how they're supposed to leave quietly like this.
They head out, but when they emerge from the lift they find a crowd gathered. Lochley informs them ISN broke their plans, so they might want to say something before they leave. Sheridan defers to Delenn to say a few words. Delenn recalls when she first came to Babylon 5, about the languages she had to learn, and how some words seem to come easier than others. One such is "good-bye".
- Delenn: There is no corresponding word for "good-bye" in Minbari. All our partings contain within them the possibility of meeting again, in other places, in other times, in other lives. So, you will excuse me if I do not say "good-bye". Our souls are a part of this place. Our hopes the foundation of our future, and we will pass this way again.
With that, they continue on. In the docking bay they meet with Zack. There were problems in Brown Sector, but he managed to get away long enough to see them before they left. Sheridan thinks it's good that one of them will still be around.
- Zack: Who, me? Absolutely! Hell, I'll probably still be here when they turn off the lights.
They bid each other well, then watch as they board their flyer. On the White Star, they find the captain was asked to remain behind so Sheridan and Delenn could command it on their way home. Before they leave, Sheridan orders the ship to the front of the station and match rotation so they can see directly into C&C. On the deck, David Corwin, Tessa Holloran, Vir Cotto, Captain Lochley, Zack Allen, Ta'Lon and Lillian Hobbs are all lined up. Lochley steps forward and salutes Sheridan. Aboard the White Star, Sheridan returns the salute then orders them to get underway.
As they travel, Sheridan is restless, constantly pacing, much to Delenn's annoyance. She suggests he take a walk, but he insists he's fine. Then he decides to go for a walk.
As he roams the corridors, a Ranger nearby discovers a leak in the weapons system. Sheridan arrives just as the alarm goes off and tries to get the Ranger out. Unfortunately, the computer seals off the room just then, trapping Sheridan and the Ranger inside. Outside Lennier approaches the door, and Sheridan calls for him to hit the override. Lennier hesitates, then begins backing away. Sheridan calls for him to come back, but he runs off. Sheridan is now trapped inside a room filling with toxic gas and begins looking for an alternative. He grabs the Ranger's pike and begins hitting the door with it. Lennier doesn't get far before he stops his conscience makes him go back. Meanwhile, Sheridan, finding hitting the door does little good, retracts the pike then activates it right into the door, breaking through it. He clears the door, then picks up the Ranger and gets them out just as Lennier arrives. Delenn shows up a moment later, demanding to know what happened, but Lennier can't bring himself to tell her and runs off.
In the launch bay, Lennier takes one of the fighters and takes off. Delenn tries to contact him, urging him to come back and work this out, but he shuts off the comm and flies on.
Later Sheridan and Delenn are taking stock of the situation. Delenn ordered his quarters in Tuzanor searched, and his diary was found. It showed certain feelings for her and his opinion that their marriage is a mistake, but nothing to indicate malicious intent. Then how does she explain what he did?
- Delenn: There are moments when we all become someone else, something other than what we are. It takes only a moment, but we spend the rest of our lives looking back at that moment in shame. For one instant, out of a lifetime of service, he became all of his own worst instincts. I can't even imagine what he's feeling right now.
She notes that he was on his way back when she arrived. Perhaps he'd changed his mind? Or he wanted to make sure Sheridan was dead but there's no way to know. Delenn asks if Lennier were to tell them that he had changed his mind, would he believe him? Sheridan thinks he would despite himself, but it wouldn't change the fact that there would have to be consequences for what he did. Delenn understands, and is sure Lennier does as well.
For now, Delenn wants to delay their arrival, give him time to recover, but he won't have any of it. If they're the slightest bit late, it will cause a stir and rumors will start flying. No, they arrive on schedule. They'll just pass off his strange cough as a cold. And what Lennier did will remain on this ship. Telling what he did would do no good at this point. They'll give him the room he needs until they can talk to him.
The White Star arrives on Minbar amid fireworks and lands in Tuzanor. Sheridan and Delenn are brought to their new home and Sheridan takes a moment to admire the view.
"Still walking around with your head in the clouds, eh, Sheridan?" Sheridan turns around to see Emperor Londo Mollari standing there.
That evening, they are having dinner as Londo talks about being in positions of power.
- Londo: It is not so much the people who are pleased to see you in office. It's the people who are furious that you're even alive, no less holding a position of power. Knowing that every day you succeed, they die a little more inside. Makes the endeavor eminently satisfying.
Delenn notes that he's much more friendly now than he was on Centauri Prime; he used rather harsh language against the Alliance during his speech. Londo passes it off as just playing to the crowd, getting them fired up for the challenges ahead. That was politics, this is friendship. And he had to come and pay his respects when he learned Delenn was pregnant. He wants to offer a toast, but there are no appropriate drinks. No Brivari or even some Earth whiskey? Sheridan left them behind since they're so dangerous to the Minbari. Londo looks a little dismayed; and his...associates don't allow him such things anymore. As he says this, Delenn sees something on his shoulder; a blurry shape of...something. Londo then brings up his gift. What gift?
The gift is an ancient urn which he says is passed down to the heir to the throne when he or she comes of age. Sheridan and Delenn are impressed, but they can't accept. Londo insists since he has no heirs and thinks the Centaurum will try to eliminate the position of emperor when he's gone. Just then, an aide approaches to tell Delenn something. She excuses herself to go see what it is. Sheridan thanks Londo for the gift and asks when to give it. On the 16th birthday. He also notices the bottom is sealed, which Londo explains as having water from a river that ran by the first royal palace two thousand years ago.
Delenn comes to answer a call from Lennier. He wanted to apologize, but she urges him to come back. He thinks there is nothing to be done about it. He intends to go away, consider himself and what he's done until he can redeem himself. She doesn't want him to leave, but he assures her they will meet again.
- Lennier: And on that day, though I know I will never earn your love, I will earn your forgiveness.
Until then he bids her honor his memory and be happy, for her sake as well as Sheridan's, then ends the call.
Londo is about to leave, Centauri Prime gives him little time, but he has something he wants them to know.
- Londo: I want you to know...that you are my friends, and you will always be my friends no matter what happens. I want you to know that this day, this day with you means more to me than you will ever know.
As his guards show up, it's time for him to go, but Sheridan says he's always welcome back. As he leaves, Sheridan asks if it was Lennier who called. Delenn says it was, but it would take too long to explain what they talked about. She'll do it later. He then asks if she's OK, and she says for the first time she thinks she'll be alright.
On his ship, Londo is getting a drink as the Drakh tells him he did well and may have an hour free of them as a reward.
- Londo: Now what?
Drakh: Now we await the passage of years.
Londo: Years?
Drakh: We are very patient.
In the urn for their child, a dormant keeper sits.
That night, John gets up and goes to record a message. He notes it's their first night on Minbar, their new home. The conversation with Londo got him thinking about when his child comes of age, which is twenty-one on Earth, a day he'll never live to see. He only has nineteen years left. He doesn't know who his child will be or what they will become, he just knows he will love them because they are his child, and Delenn's. He will give that love freely and to the best of his ability, but for their 21st birthday, he decides something more is required, so he offers some advice.
- John: Delenn is the greatest ally you will ever have. Her depths of courage and compassion are unmatched in my experience. Look to her for wisdom and fire in equal measure. And if you ever have any doubt, talk to her. She will never judge you. She will only love you. From time to time, you will make mistakes. They're inevitable. Sometimes those mistakes will be huge. What matters is that you learn from them. There's nothing wrong with falling down, as long as you end up just two inches taller when you pick yourself up off the floor. At times you may end up far away from home. You may not be sure of where you belong anymore. But home is always there. Because home is not a place. It's wherever your passion takes you. As you continue on your path, you will lose some friends and gain new ones. The process is painful, but often necessary. They will change and you will change because life is change. From time to time they must find their own way, and that way may not be yours. Enjoy them for what they are, and remember them for what they were. There's not much left, except I believe...I really do believe that sooner or later, no matter what happens, things do work out. Oh, we have hard times, we suffer, we lose loved ones. The road's never easy. It was never meant to be easy. But in the long run, if you stay true to what you believe, things do work out. (pause) Always be willing to fight for what you believe in, it doesn't matter if a thousand people agree with you or one person agrees with you. It doesn't matter if you stand completely alone. Fight for what you believe in. Which brings me to the first piece of advice my dad ever gave me and now I'm giving it to you: "Never..."
Delenn: "Never start a fight, but always finish it."
John: Always finish it.
He ends the recording and Delenn comes over with some advice of her own, get some sleep. John intends to do just that. He may even sleep in in the morning. Delenn thinks that's a good idea and they share a kiss.
- John: Have I told you today how much I love you?
Delenn: Yes. But you may continue to repeat it for as long as you like.
John: Oh, I plan to, every day that I can.
This episode contains examples of:
- Dead Man Writing: Sheridan's message to his child is presumably for after his death.
- Detect Evil: Delenn momentarily senses something on Londo's shoulder, but doesn't seem to quite know what it is and the impression doesn't last.
- Epic Tracking Shot: As Sheridan and Delenn leave the station on the White Star, Sheridan has the White Star stop outside the observation window of the station's command deck so he can exchange a final salute with Lochley. As he does, there is a tracking shot that starts on Sheridan, travels out through the front window of the White Star, across to the station, in through the observation window, and ends on Lochley.
- Fighting from the Inside: Londo repeatedly asks Sheridan if he has any booze. Sheridan dismisses this as just another example of Londo being B5's resident lush, but the viewer is painfully aware that he's trying to surreptitiously put his Keeper to sleep so he can warn Sheridan and Delenn about what's in the urn.
- Hire the Critic: In-Universe The various malcontents of Edgars Industries figure they're about to be fired because of their countless complaints about the company. Instead, they're now the ones in charge of it.
- Insurrectionist Inheritor: Garibaldi has assembled a new Board of Directors from people with a history of making trouble and talking back to authority. He makes it clear that he welcomes that attitude... as long as they can back up their complaints with facts and aren't simply bellyaching.
- Internal Homage: As Sheridan and Delenn leave the station, there's a shot that zooms in to the observation window of the station's command deck to show the station's new command crew standing in a row looking out; it echoes a similar shot of the station's original command crew that featured in the show's first title sequence.
- Meaningful Echo: When Sheridan asks Londo why he didn't bring his own booze to dinner on Minbar, the Emperor replies somewhat sadly that his "Associates" don't allow him such pleasures anymore.
- Murder the Hypotenuse: When Sheridan gets trapped in an area filling with poisonous gas, Lennier walks away, leaving him (and another Ranger) to die.
- My God, What Have I Done?: When Lennier realizes his betrayal by leaving Sheridan to die, he tries to hurry back to make amends... only to find someone else has rescued Sheridan, branding Lennier as a traitor to the Rangers.
- Sealed Evil in a Can: The urn Londo gives to Sheridan and Delenn for their child has a Keeper inside.
- Series Fauxnale: This episode possesses several hallmarks of a typical finale: the main characters move on to the next phase of their lives (including a poignant Changing of the Guard moment), the protagonist gives a final speech that serves as an effective summary of his character journey, and the show's signature couple close the story with a kiss. Of course, the real series finale had been filmed a year earlier, so this episode had the unusual job of closing out the season, but not the series.
