“The Ragged Edge” is episode twelve of season five of Babylon 5.
Sheridan is signing papers when Delenn enters and asks if he is ready. He says that he has a few more copies of the treaty to sign before the meeting. Delenn says they are already late and he asks if she can delay them. She’ll tell them they are going to declare war on Earth. That will give them something positive to think about. Sheridan says good, give him the paperwork to sign, not really realising what Delenn said until after she’s gone.
When Sheridan arrives in the council chambers, he starts apologising for being late, until he realises that Delenn is the only one there. The members have voted to boycott meetings of the council until the Alliance can guarantee the safety of the shipping lines or at least find out who is behind the attacks. The member governments can only use their militaries within their own borders without incident; the attacks are happening in the spaces between. What is the point of the Alliance if it can’t protect its members or find out who is responsible? Sheridan agrees that they have a point. They need a break, a witness or something. Badly. Elsewhere, another ship is under attack, and the pilot seems to escape in a lifepod.
G’Kar and Londo are arriving back on the station. Londo says it was a relief to leave and a joy to return home. Now it’s a relief to be back on the station, as he wasn’t happy at home. G’Kar suggests that perhaps Londo is not meant to be happy no matter where he is. Londo thought it was G’Kar’s job to protect him. G’Kar is; the warrior in him is protecting him physically but the Narn in G’Kar has decided that Londo’s spirit needs more protection. Londo wonders why everyone is looking at them. They – Narns – are looking at G’Kar. He’s only been away a month. Londo suggests that the lack of G’Kar’s company improves it.
Garibaldi is in bed – he didn’t die in the previous episode, “Phoenix Rising”, unlike the impression given in “The Deconstruction of Falling Stars” – when Zack contacts him. It’s 10 o’clock and Garibaldi looks like crap. Garibaldi suggests he is coming down with a touch of flu. Garibaldi has already missed an appointment with Zack but Delenn has called a meeting in Sheridan’s office. Afterwards, it turns out that Garibaldi’s illness came out of a bottle.
Delenn tells everyone there is some potential good news. The Rangers discovered a lifepod missing after an attack on a Drazi ship. There are problems though. It was a human transport, and therefore being used to smuggle illegal goods into Drazi space. Everyone signs on prohibiting some stuff illegal, but then uses smugglers to get it anyway, so that they can deny any knowledge. There’ll be no cooperation from the Drazi government and if the person in the lifepod survived, he will need to be found and convinced to testify. Garibaldi knows someone who works as a security consultant on the Drazi homeworld. Dr Franklin offers to accompany him, but Garibaldi doesn’t want him, saying it’s too delicate. Or perhaps because the doctor would notice that Garibaldi is off the wagon again.
There are many more Narns bowing to G’Kar when he finds Ta’Lon outside his quarters. Ta’Lon has been taking stuff to the homeworld, stuff the Alliance allows and other stuff, big and small. Some of which G’Kar may recognise. G’Kar wants to know what else Ta’Lon took and enters his quarters. Asking Ta’Lon where his book is, the one he has been writing for the past two years. According to Ta’Lon, all anyone knew was that Londo had taken G’Kar to Centauri Prime. He may have been a prisoner, about to be executed.
G’Kar wants to know where his book is. It is the only copy. That seems to be the point. The Kha’Ri were concerned that, if anything happened to G’Kar, his book would never see the light of day. So Ta’Lon… liberated it and took it home. Those who read it were moved and made a few copies for others. Then a few more. How many more? Well, there was some confusion after the book went to the printers. Five or six hundred… thousand. It’s outselling the Book of G’Quan. G’Kar is a religious icon.
Londo later says to G’Kar – who is being followed by Narns – that he didn’t know G’Kar had children. Nor did G’Kar. Londo agrees that it is most unsettling when that happens. And when it happens to G’Kar, most amusing. The book is useful for getting along with other races. Yes, Londo is in it, but not by name. The term he is referred to by is ‘Prideful Windcatcher.’
On the Drazi homeworld, Garibaldi is met by his friend Tafiq. According to Tafiq, the pilot is in hiding. His employers were not happy about the loss of the ship and the Drazi who were waiting for the illegal goods want to take the losses out on the pilot. And it’s easier to deny anything illegal was going on if the pilot is dead. The pilot has a great incentive to leave, but getting off planet will be tricky. Meanwhile. they will have a drink. This results in Garibaldi being passed out drunk when Tafiq is shot.
G’Kar is hiding from his acolytes so Ta’Lon has a word with him. Ta’Lon also promises that he will kill G’Kar if the messenger becomes greater than the message. Ta’Lon is a warrior; that is what he has to offer. G’Kar’s teaching methods are… unusual. Dr Franklin has got a message from Earthdome which could result in a personal change. On the Drazi homeworld, things go quite badly wrong, mostly because Garibaldi was drunk. There is a clue, though, one whose meaning is discovered quite by accident. But still no true evidence.