“The Paragon of Animals” is episode three of season five of Babylon 5.
The council is in turmoil and Sheridan calls it to order. He tells them that the Alliance is moving as quickly as it can. The members were promised tech advances and haven’t got them yet – first they need to sign the Declaration of Principles. They’ve agreed to everything else. The Drazi ambassador replies that morality cannot be legislated. G’Kar agrees that they can’t. but they can encourage proper behaviour towards others. Londo tells the council that the Centauri government has already signed and G’Kar tells them that if the Centauri can sign it, everyone can. Londo agrees that this is correct – then realises that this isn’t exactly complimentary. The Drazi claim that they do not need to sign it, because they already behave properly, and want to know who agrees with them. Everyone, by the looks of it.
Afterwards, Garibaldi finds Sheridan and says that was quite a little circus going on. Londo thinks they should drop the Declaration of Principles. Garibaldi replies to consider the source. G’Kar is taking it personally because he wrote it. Authors. Delenn is ready to strange someone – which is saying something for her. Garibaldi agrees with Londo. Now is not the time to start legislating morality and ethics – that’s something they’ve been working on for six thousand years. He believes they need to work on more concrete issues. He wants to be less touchy feely and show people the iron fist inside the velvet glove. The others respect strength if nothing else. Sheridan wants a different way. Garibaldi believes the Alliance will stand or fall depending on what is done in the next six months and, sooner or later, it will require the use of force. Garibaldi didn’t seek Sheridan out simply to depress him. He can do that any time.
Probably sooner rather than later. On a planet, ships are bombing the ground and some people are huddling away from the attacks. A man enters and tells another that he has come. They have come. He is a Ranger and he will help them. He will take word of their situation to Babylon 5 and the Alliance and they will come and save them.
G’Kar is working on modifying the Declaration of Principles in the council chamber. Londo, Sheridan and Delenn are talking about problems as Garibaldi is watching. Londo wants a drink. When it is asked what they can offer one race to get them to cooperate, Londo offers his body. G’Kar seconds that motion. Garibaldi wants to talk about telepaths, specifically the small colony who saved Sheridan’s life in “No Compromises”. He wants more complete reports, and humans and Narns are the only races that don’t use telepaths in information gathering or military uses. And the Narns don’t use them only because they don’t have them. Garibaldi doesn’t like telepaths, or guns, but if everyone else has a gun, he wants the biggest one. Garibaldi just wants to ask. They may say no. Garibaldi is given the go ahead. He finds Byron. He says no before Garibaldi even poses the question.
The jump gate opens and a battered White Star comes tumbling out. The Ranger onboard needs medical assistance and is taken to Medlab. The Ranger manages to say to help them all or they are all going to die, then goes into a coma. One from which he won’t awaken, according to Dr Franklin. They need to get inside the Ranger’s mind, and Lyta is asked for help. She sees the Ranger talking to the people who were being bombarded. Ten years ago, raiders started coming and plundering their world. This time they chose to fight, and will die without aid. Lyta also sees the Ranger, and is in his mind the moment he dies.
The world is on the edge of Drazi space, but the Drazi have never claimed them as a protectorate. Sheridan tells Delenn that the people, the Enphili, are on their own unless they help. Which means getting into a firefight. The Enphili asked for help and, according to the Declaration, G’Kar says that this means they are obliged to help. Londo thinks this is inconvenient and Sheridan agrees – but they knew it would come. He just wishes he knew what to send out. Whoever is doing the bombing trashed a White Star; this means superior firepower, strength in numbers – or both. Delenn says that if they are going to make a point, make sure no-one misses it. How many White Stars to send? All of them. Dukat told her that terror is also a form of communication.
Sheridan speaks to the Drazi ambassador first, who appears to be up to something. Byron gets drawn in, after Garibaldi asks Lyta to intervene, and also mentions to Lyta that telepaths aren’t humans – they are better than humans. In the retrospective from 100 years in the future in “The Deconstruction of Falling Stars”, it was stated that Sheridan considered allowing the telepath colony on the station to be his biggest mistake. It looks like problems are already becoming potential on that front.
Being in the Ranger’s mind when he died has affected Lyta. She tells Garibaldi that it takes a piece of the telepath’s soul when that happens. There is a rumour that Bester was too deep inside another’s mind when they died, and when he came back out, he was changed. He saw death far too closely than anyone but the person dying is supposed to, and the death took the best part of him as well. Throughout, G’Kar is constantly working on rewriting his Declaration of Principles.