“Objects at Rest” is episode twenty-one of season five of Babylon 5.
Sheridan is in C&C as is Lochley, and he asks her if she couldn’t sleep either. She heard that Delenn is back from Minbar; yes, the new Alliance facilities are almost finished. They can go any time now. Sheridan doesn’t want any ceremonies; just to leave quietly. Lochley wants to thank Sheridan for bringing her here. She wasn’t sure she really wanted the job but the place kind of grows on you. It does. Sheridan finds it hard to leave, but knowing the station is in good hands makes leaving easier.
Ta’Lon is outside G’Kar’s quarters when Vir passes. Vir tells Ta’Lon that G’Kar is not there. He has gone and isn’t coming back; he left a few days ago, in the previous episode, “Objects in Motion”. No, Vir doesn’t know where G’Kar went; no-one does. He wanted it that way. G’Kar sent for Ta’Lon on Narn asking him to come as soon as possible. Vir doesn’t know of any message left. After Vir leaves, Ta’Lon opens the door and orders the lights to come on. The Babcom unit IDs his voice and tells him that there is a message waiting for him for G’Kar.
G’Kar tells Ta’Lon he had to leave sooner than intended. He would have preferred to say this in person. Now that G’Kar is gone, someone else must speak for their people. He’d like that person to be Ta’Lon. G’Kar thinks Ta’Lon is probably asking why him. He is. G’Kar thinks he has become a distraction for their people and someone new needs to take on the role. To rebuild their world and strengthen ties with the Alliance. The job requires a priest and warrior in equal measure. G’Kar has become more priest than warrior; now it is time to go the other way. Ta’Lon is as ready as G’Kar was when he first arrived. Check the records; he will be amused. Sheridan and the others will get a copy of this and will receive Ta’Lon as they do G’Kar.
Dr Franklin is also talking to his chosen successor, Dr Hobbes. She thinks there are others just as qualified. He agrees, naming a few. Hobbes says she has been bouncing from one Medlab to another for the past 3 years. That’s why Franklin chose her. The others are specialists; the chief of staff of a place like this needs a generalist. Franklin is leaving tonight. Hobbes asks about Delenn’s pregnancy, which was discovered in “The Wheel of Fire”. Franklin has done all he can; now it’s up to her doctors back home. Hobbes wants to know if Franklin is going to say goodbye to Sheridan, just as the latter arrives. That’s next on Franklin’s list.
Delenn is packing when Lennier arrives. He didn’t tell her he was coming; that would have made it considerably less of a surprise. He had a break in training for personal time so took his here, to help Delenn move back home.
Tessa Holloran, the newly appointed head of intelligence for the Interstellar Alliance, is briefing Zack, Lochley and Sheridan about a border skirmish between the Brakiri and Drazi. It started from a squabble over visits to a brothel, which Zack finds funny. After a few more bits of information, Sheridan decides he doesn’t really need to hear any more. And that’s it for the briefing. Afterwards, Lochley asks why Holloran isn’t heading to Minbar. Sheridan considered it, but Babylon 5 is a hotspot for intelligence and she would have fewer resources on Minbar. Just as Garibaldi realised he couldn’t do his job living with Lise on Mars. Zack asks if anyone has heard from Garibaldi since he left? No, but Sheridan is sure he’s keeping busy.
Cut to Mars. Garibaldi is meeting with a bunch of people. At the suggestion of his wife, Lise, Garibaldi is taking over the day to day operations of Edgars Industries. One asks why he wants to see them. Because they are troublemakers, stuck in the same midlevel positions for years because of their attitude problems. They complain, talk back and think they can do everything better than their bosses. No, that doesn’t mean they are fired. They have been promoted to the new board of directors; Garibaldi having disposed of the previous one. Garibaldi wants to know where the company screwed up so they can fix it. And to tell him when he does. If they’re right, they will get a bonus. If wrong, he will eat them for lunch.
Sheridan’s wish to leave quietly doesn’t work when the news breaks on ISN. Lochley and a crowd greets him and Delenn as they are leaving. Lochley tells Sheridan he may want to say a few words. Which he then delegates to Delenn.
On the ship, Lennier tells them that the captain is remaining on Babylon 5; Sheridan and Delenn are to captain it. Later, in their quarters, Sheridan is fiddling with things and is restless. He tells Delenn he’s fine. He isn’t. She suggests he goes for a walk. He declines. Then decides to go for a walk. Elsewhere on the ship, a Ranger has discovered a coolant leak. Sheridan comes across him as the alarm sounds and the two are sealed in the room. Lennier arrives and Sheridan asks him to open the door. Lennier doesn’t, and leaves instead. His feelings for Delenn have got out of control and, just as Mr Morden’s apparent ghost told Lennier in “Day of the Dead”, Lennier betrayed his beliefs.
Londo is on Minbar when they arrive, and acts much more friendly than he did in “The Fall of Centauri Prime”. However, Delenn seems to realise that there may be something wrong with Londo. When Londo refers to his ‘associates’; Mr Morden’s term for referring to his Shadow allies.
Although not the last in the series, this is a sort of goodbye episode. The finale, “Sleeping in Light”, is set nearly two decades in the future (and was actually filmed at the end of season four) and usually there are a number of things recommended between this episode and that. These being “The River of Souls”, “The Legend of the Rangers”, “A Call to Arms”, the entirety of Babylon 5: Crusade and “The Lost Tales”. In some viewing orders, “In the Beginning” is also recommended to be slotted in here, rather than between seasons four and five.