“Signs and Portents” is episode thirteen of season one of Babylon 5.
Ivanova is woken up by her alarm at 4:30 AM. She goes to C&C and speaks to Sinclair. According to Ivanova, she’s always had a hard time getting up when it’s dark outside. Sinclair says that in space it’s always dark. This appears to be the problem. They receive a distress signal from a Starfury pilot who is escorting a transport that has been attacked by raiders. Although Babylon 5 launches a wing of fighters to assist, the Starfury is destroyed well before anyone can reach it.
Elsewhere, a human man arrives on the station. When customs asks for his ID, it seems that it hasn’t been updated in some time. The man says that he’s spent the last few years doing exploration out on the Rim.
Sinclair is meeting with Ivanova and Garibaldi about the raider problem. The attacks are happening close to the station, and something needs to be done to show ships travelling to Babylon 5 are safe. The raider ships are small fighters, so they need to use a jumpgate, yet they are still gone before anyone arrives. Measures need to be taken to stop the attacks.
After Ivanova leaves, Sinclair asks if Garibaldi can do him a favour. He’s started remembering things about the missing time he lost after the Battle of the Line. In “And the Sky Full of Stars”, whilst probing Sinclair’s mind it was discovered that Sinclair had been taken onboard a Minbari cruiser, and taken before what looks like the Minbari governing body, the Grey Council. One member of which was Delenn. Sinclair has got as far as he can by himself, and asks Garibaldi if he’ll investigate.
Londo meets with a man who has found something for him. It is something called the Eye, the oldest symbol of Centauri nobility, and it belonged to the first Emperor. It was lost in battle over a century ago. After Londo and the person he was meeting leave, it seems the man who just arrived on the station was eavesdropping.
That man, Mr. Morden, has an appointment with G’Kar. The appointment was given because of a recommendation from an important Narn. Morden has one question for G’Kar: ‘What do you want?’ G’Kar wants justice, and for the Centauri to be erased from existence, but as long as the Narn homeworld is safe, he’s happy.
Londo meets with another Centauri, a Lord Kiro, who has arrived on the station with his aunt, the Lady Ladira. Who is a seer and sees Babylon 5’s destruction. When Londo quizzes Kiro about this, the latter says not to worry – for his aunt once said that he would be killed by the shadows. The Eye is the symbol of Lord Kiro’s house, but he has to turn it over to the Emperor. Kiro does not seem happy about this, and there are also problems back home.
Morden also meets with Delenn, and asks the same question. She, however, appears to recognise what he represents, having a sort of vision and, after she has told Morden to leave, her comment of ‘They’re here.’ Whatever is here is evidently bad.
When Ambassador Kosh returns, Morden avoids him – for it seems that Kosh knows something about him as well. Londo, however, when asked what he wants, says that he wants the Centauri Republic to return to its former glory. Of the three ambassadors asked, he’s the only one who truly seems to want something.
Mr. Morden is the first sign of things to come, of things that are back and of what will soon happen. There is another sign later in the episode. As Delenn said, something truly is back.