“Matters of Honor” is episode one of season three of Babylon 5.
In the season two finale, “The Fall of Night”, a Centauri warship had been destroyed after it attacked Babylon 5 which was protecting perhaps the last Narn heavy cruiser. This annoyed Director Lantz of the Ministry of Peace, for Earth Alliance was signing a treaty with the Centauri Republic so that they could finally have, as Lantz put it ‘Peace in our time.’ A phrase infamous in history. Mr Welles of the Nightwatch agreed that Sheridan had acting correctly, and had followed his orders; perhaps they had realised that punishing officers for following orders could have potentially awful consequences in the future.
Sheridan had been told to apologise, though, and the apology he was practicing was anything but. However, as Sheridan was on his way, two Centauri left a bomb on his transport. Sheridan noticed this in time and threw himself out of the transport before it exploded. Which meant he was drifting in the cylinder and would quickly impact with the ground. So Kosh left his encounter suit to rescue Sheridan and those watching, of many different races, saw something different. Something they all recognised.
This could cause problems. Delenn said that this would lead the Shadows to believe that the Vorlons were ready. She didn’t believe they were committed as yet. Still, as long as the Shadows believed no-one else knew about them, they had time. Lieutenant Keffer, however, had followed up on a report of the ship type in “A Distant Star” and found one. A Shadow vessel. Whose existence he had recorded with his gun camera, just before it destroyed him. Now, that video is out.
In the cylinder where Sheridan’s transport exploded is being repaired and Sheridan himself is speaking to Ambassador Kosh on the ground. Sheridan didn’t manage to thank Kosh for saving his life at the time and he wasn’t able to get hold of him afterwards. Kosh tells Sheridan that being seen by so many was a great strain, and that he returned to his ship to rest. Sheridan asks why, even though no-one knows it was him and they all saw something from the legends of their own world (except Londo, who saw nothing), Kosh took the risk after hiding himself for so long.
Kosh’s reply is simple. Necessary. Sheridan responds that as an answer it is short, to the point, utterly useless and totally consistent with what he’s come to expect from a Vorlon. Kosh’s reply to that is as short as his first. Good. Sheridan wants to know how he can be certain that Kosh is the same Vorlon. Kosh tells him that he has always been here. Which Sheridan points out Kosh said about him as well. Another short answer. Yes. Sheridan says he really hates it when Kosh does that. This is also good. Vorlons seem to delight in being annoying.
Elsewhere, a craft is trying to flee a ringed planet. The pilot of the ship, a Drazi, says that they have nearly cleared the barrier. Another person tells the Drazi to eject him. The ship is being fired upon by some sort of defence platforms. Finally, the Drazi launches a smaller ship before his own is destroyed. The smaller ship gets damaged but heads through the jump gate to Babylon 5.
There is a new introduction for the season. Babylon 5 is described, as previously, as being the last, best hope for peace. But this time the introduction says it failed. Instead, in the year of the Shadow War, it became the last, best hope for victory.
Sheridan and Ivanova are waiting for someone to arrive; Sheridan is fed up of unexpected and unexplained visits by VIPs. Ivanova asks him where his sense of mystery and adventure are. Sheridan wants to know if Ivanova is trying to cheer him up. She says no, and Sheridan responds that he is glad of that, as he hates being cheered up. It’s depressing. Ivanova’s response is to tell him they are all going to die horrible, lingering deaths. Sheridan feels so much better now. The VIP is David Endawi from Earthforce Special Intelligence Division. He has something for Sheridan and Ivanova’s ears only, but also wants to speak to Delenn.
Garibaldi wheels in a man to the, new, Medlab. The man is the pilot of the small ship, but they don’t know anything about him. Life support on the man’s ship was mostly off and the log had been deleted. Dr Franklin summons another doctor to Medlab, saying that the patient isn’t going anywhere, but when Franklin turns around, the man is gone.
Mr Morden meets with Londo, who tells the former that he has done a great deal of thinking. Now that the Narn War is over, Londo believes that it is time to reconsider their relationship. Londo says the Centauri have a manifest destiny, and that they can achieve this just as well without Morden or his associates. They are no longer necessary. Morden responds that, now they have done everything asked of them, Londo just wants them to disappear. Londo is pleased Morden understands. Morden points out that the Centauri are moving on several other worlds, and that his associates might still be needed. Londo disagrees. Morden agrees to what Londo wants oddly easily, but tells him that there is one small detail of bookkeeping to clear up in Londo’s quarters.
Mr Endawi tells Sheridan, Ivanova and Delenn that he is going to speak to the other ambassadors to, but as the Minbari are one of the older races, they may have some knowledge. He shows them the video from Keffer’s gun camera. Endawi is told that Keffer was doing unauthorised investigations, even though he was told not to, but he never really said what into. According to Endawi, after studying the video for days, all that they have discovered about the ship Keffer filmed is that it is big, powerful and unknown. So he wants to find out what other races know about the ship.
Delenn, when asked, says she has never seen the ship before and Endawi leaves to speak to others. Afterwards, Sheridan says to Delenn that a few months ago, in “In the Shadow of Z’ha’dum”, Delenn had told him about the Shadows. He asks if it’s one of their ships. Sheridan questions why she had said she had never seen one and Delenn says she hasn’t, until now. She has only read descriptions. Delenn says that the ships are nearly invincible, but Sheridan believes that every ship has its weakness.
Endawi’s questions to the other ambassadors do not get much. Londo says that he has seen the ship before, in a dream. A terrifying dream, with thousands of them, so many they blocked out the sun. G’Kar, no longer an ambassador, is spoken to off the record; he recognises the ship and has a drawing of one in a Narn holy book. Neither source is really great.
The man from earlier is Marcus, and he is a Ranger. He seeks out Delenn, through Lennier, who then bring Marcus to a meeting with Sheridan, Garibaldi and Ivanova. Sheridan apologises to Ivanova for not telling her about the Rangers before, but she already knows everything. As Ivanova points out, the day she doesn’t know everything that happens on the station is the day Sheridan should worry.
According to Marcus, the planet he fled from, Zagros VII, has been blockaded by the Centauri. It is a minor Drazi colony, and they have problems with the Centauri on more important worlds. However, it also has the biggest Ranger training camp; they are not all on Minbar. Marcus believes that the Ranger camp is why the Centauri are there, and wants to break the blockade long enough for the Rangers to get out. Garibaldi says that to do so will require a warship, major ordinance and a crew, and they already have had problems from shooting at the Centauri. There will be a means that cannot be traced back, if they can help.
Londo may have had second thoughts about dealing with Morden’s ‘associates’ but this does not mean Morden cannot reach out to other Centauri, and get help from them. There are also problems back on Earth. Not surprising, really, when the man running the government made secret deals to assassinate his predecessor so that he could gain power.