“Walkabout” is episode eighteen of season three of Babylon 5.
The episode opens with a typical exterior view of Babylon 5 and Londo is complaining – loudly – about a Narn heavy cruiser, which comes into view. Londo is telling Garibaldi that, by treaty, all Narn warships are to be turned over to Centauri forces. Garibaldi replies that they didn’t sign that treaty. If Londo has a problem, he should take it up with Earth. If Earth hadn’t forced them to break away, they wouldn’t need the mutual protection agreement. They will take every ship they can. Londo wants to know what guarantee there is that the Narn ship won’t open fire on the next Centauri vessel. Garibaldi tells him the same guarantee that none of the other Narns would break into Londo’s quarters in the middle of the night and slit his throat. Londo replies that Garibaldi never game him that promise. The chief says Londo’s right – and to sleep tight.
Lyta Alexander arrives in Medlab looking for Dr Franklin. Dr Hobbs tells her that Franklin has taken a leave of absence from his post as chief of staff (he realised he was addicted to stims). Lyta says she has only just arrived, and wants to know about the death of Ambassador Kosh. For, in “Interludes and Examinations”, Sheridan had got the Vorlons to help against the Shadows. Kosh had told him that this would mean that Kosh wouldn’t be there to help Sheridan later. What Kosh didn’t state was this would be because he was dead – for Morden and his associates attacked him. Hobbs tells Lyta that this is confidential; Lyta replies that she knows Kosh is dead; she was his aide. She wants to know if anyone was there when Kosh died, if anyone spoke to him. The answer is no.
A Vorlon ship is arriving through the gate, holding the new ambassador. Garibaldi arrives in C&C and gives Ivanova a heads up about a War Council meeting that afternoon. Ivanova is going to link the captain about the Vorlon’s arrival. Garibaldi says he can do that. When Ivanova questions the chief further. Who admits that, after everything that has been going on, Sheridan has decided to go for a walk. To stretch his legs. Outside. On the forward cargo stabilisers. Outside the station, Sheridan knows the Vorlon vessel is incoming, for he can see it. Especially when it approaches him.
G’Kar is in his quarters serving Warleader Na’Kal, the captain of the Narn ship, some food. Na’Kal tastes his food and thinks it’s breen, asking how G’Kar got it from homeworld. G’Kar replies that it isn’t breen, even though Na’Kal says that it tastes and smells like it. It’s actually Swedish meatballs. G’Kar says that it’s strange, but every sentient race has its own version of the dish. One of the universe’s great mysteries, that will never be explained. Or whose explanation will drive you mad.
G’Kar asks Na’Kal how many ships survived the war. The warleader tells him that the Centauri were very thorough; no more than ten. A mix of dreadnaughts, heavy cruisers and medium warships. However, the Centauri were in such a hurry to get to homeworld that they left a numbers of ships disabled, not destroyed. They are being repaired now. Na’Kal’s ship is in good condition, but he says that if they hadn’t been given shelter by Sheridan – in “The Fall of Night” – it would be a different story. Na’Kal wants to know when they strike back. G’Kar replies that they don’t. For now. Not until they have repaired the other ships. For now, the most important thing they can do is to lend their forces to protect Babylon 5. For if the station falls, they all fall.
Ivanova and Sheridan are waiting to meet the new Vorlon ambassador and the captain says he thought Garibaldi was coming. Ivanova replies that the chief was. Until she told him that Dr Franklin had not left his quarters in nearly four days and that no-one has seen him lately. Sheridan replies that he hopes Franklin is alright and he really should have gone to see him. But things got hectic. Again. The new ambassador arrives and he’s not very talkative. Even for a Vorlon. Ivanova tells the Vorlon that they have done as his government asked and kept Kosh’s death secret, and that for all intents and purposes the new ambassador is to take Kosh’s place and to be referred to as Kosh in public. The Vorlon’s suit nods in agreement. Sheridan says that they don’t know the new ambassador’s real name. The ambassador says ‘Kosh.’ The captain says yes, that’s how he is to be addressed in public, but what about in private. ‘Kosh.’ ‘We are all Kosh.’ Well, that was enlightening. As ‘Kosh’ leaves Sheridan comments to Ivanova that yes, he’s a Vorlon alright.
Garibaldi finds Franklin in a market in Down Below. By following his purchases of food and supplies, and because he was travelling in a straight line. So Garibaldi simply went ahead of him. Garibaldi wants to know what Franklin is doing; he replies that it’s a long story. Garibaldi complains that everything is a long story. Why can’t some of them be short? So Franklin give him the short version – ‘Walkabout.’ It’s that or the long version.
The long version starts with Franklin saying that everything you are doing can end up distracting you from what is actually you. You lose yourself; one day part of you goes one way and the real you goes another. The chief says to the doctor that surely he doesn’t believe there are two of him. Franklin says no – it’s a metaphor. He found he had no idea as to who he was when he wasn’t being a doctor, and was using stims to fix it. So he went on walkabout, where you leave everything behind and start walking. The Aborigines say that when you become separated from yourself you walk until you meet yourself, then sit down and have a long talk until you are talked out. Garibaldi thinks it’s crazy, and he says Franklin is a doctor and a scientist. Franklin simply says ‘And?’ Garibaldi says ‘And what?’ To which Franklin says ‘Exactly.’
The new Vorlon ambassador meets with Lyta in a corridor; she was on her way to see him. He starts choking her – it seems he wants to know where a piece of Kosh is. Lyta says she wasn’t here and she’s sorry. The ambassador says ‘Failed.’ There is no other that Lyta knows of. The inference is that Kosh is gone. The ambassador releases Lyta and tells her to follow.
Later, Sheridan asks Lyta how she is doing with the new ambassador. She repeats ‘Fine’ twice, not sounding very convincing as she does. Which Sheridan catches. Lyta says that the Vorlons are a delicate people; they do not react well to change and they are not forgiving of mistakes. It’s been a long time since one of them died and they are taking it hard. Sheridan continues talking but Lyta is losing focus – then, when Sheridan asks her if there is a problem, hears Kosh’s voice. Sheridan has something he would like Lyta to do.
In the War Room later, Sheridan explains how Garibaldi, in “Ship of Tears”, came up with a theory that the Shadows are vulnerable to telepaths. That they can interfere with their ships’ organic technology, and jam their central operating systems, making them vulnerable. G’Kar points out that there were a lot of conditional phrases in that. Sheridan says exactly. They might be right, but war does not tolerate ambiguity. So they need to find out if they are right by testing the proposition.
Sheridan says that he is going to take the White Star out, along with Lyta, and wait in hyperspace for a Shadow attack. They will then engage the Shadows and attempt to disable, then destroy, one of their ships. Ivanova points out that the last two times they went up against a Shadow vessel, they only won by outsmarting them. They’ve never tried a head-on confrontation. Which is why the captain thinks it’s essential. He’s only going to take a skeleton crew, because of the risks, and says to Lennier that he needs a translator and that Lennier will be an asset, but it’s his choice. Lennier, of course, affirms. Sheridan continues, saying that even if they succeed in jamming the Shadow vessel, the White Star may not have enough firepower by itself to destroy it. So he would like some other ships along. G’Kar says that the only Narn ship capable is the heavy cruiser, and he will speak to the captain. Delenn agrees to send a Minbari ship. Everyone else… does not jump in.
Delenn says that they don’t know what strength of telepath may be needed, and Lyta is only a P5. She may not be strong enough. Ivanova agrees, and suggests sending backup in the form of Minbari telepaths on the other ship. Sheridan replies that he is trying to minimise the risk, but Garibaldi says that not being able to bring back solid info does not minimise the risk. Everyone but Sheridan on the War Council agrees; he is overruled.
Na’Kal thinks it’s a fool’s mission. They recovered data on their fleet’s last battle with the Shadows. They never had a chance. He says they cannot risk their few remaining ships, their only chance to regain their homeworld, on this. G’Kar tells him that without support, Sheridan’s chances are lower. Na’Kal says they cannot squander resources; if the captain dies, he dies. Garibaldi is rather unhappy with G’Kar about this and is not shy about making his unhappiness clear.
During his walkabout, Franklin stops in a bar and listens to a singer, becoming quite entranced. After the singer, Cailyn, has finished, it seems the attraction is mutual. She has a secret though.