“Whatever Happened to Mr. Garibaldi?” is episode two of season four of Babylon 5.
Dr Franklin is narrating his personal log. He says that it is nine days since Sheridan was presumed killed at Z’ha’dum and Garibaldi had disappeared whilst on patrol. In the previous episode, “The Hour of the Wolf”, Ivanova, Delenn, Lennier and Lyta had headed to the planet to see if Lyta could detect Sheridan. She couldn’t. Although Sheridan did seem to be alive, somewhere below the surface, and he had met a strange alien. The League of Non-Aligned Worlds has broken up and the members are returning to their homeworlds to prepare for the next stage of the war. They know that the enemy will strike back and Franklin says there is a rumour that this time will be the last, this time will end it. Until, all they can do is wait, to try and find something useful to do before the end. But, short of handholding or giving a sympathetic ear, the doctor can’t think of anything. Then Lennier arrives, saying that he is committing a breach of protocol coming to Franklin. That there is a problem with Delenn.
Sheridan is dreaming, of a strange energy and a voice asking who he is and what does he want. He wakes up and the alien is sat, watching. The alien says to Sheridan he was dreaming, and asks about what. The alien continues, saying that Sheridan is thinking of escape again. But there is no way off Z’ha’dum, so Sheridan should simply give up. The captain replies that the first duty of a prisoner is to escape. The alien asks if a prisoner of love, or of joy, should escape. He says that Sheridan is upset that the alien won’t tell him his name. But if the alien tells the captain that his name is Lorien, it tells Sheridan nothing and leaves Lorien at a disadvantage. For words have meaning and names power. The universe began with a word, but which came first. The word, or the thought behind the word. Language cannot be created without thought but thought can’t be conceived without language.
Lorien, for this would seem to be the alien’s name, says that he can see that Sheridan is too wrapped up in the question to consider larger issues. The question is ‘Who are you?’ something Lorien says is a dangerous question, for there is never a good answer. ‘What you are?’, that, Lorien says he can answer. Sheridan is dead. Lorien asks Sheridan how long he has been here and Sheridan replies a day, maybe two. Lorien tells him that it is nine, and he has not eaten. He should be starving, he should be hungry and thirsty, but he isn’t. Lorien asks Sheridan if the blood still flows through his veins and the captain takes his own pulse. But can’t find one. Lorien tells him he is quite, quite dead.
Sheridan says it’s a trick and Lorien asks him if it is, and what’s the last thing Sheridan remembers before waking up here. Sheridan replies that he remembered falling, as the voice of Kosh urged him to jump off a balcony before the White Star hit in “Z’ha’dum”. Sheridan says he fell a long way, that it seemed to go on forever. Lorien tells him that nothing goes on forever; we all hit bottom sooner or later. There are two possibilities, Lorien continues. Either Sheridan has hit bottom, in which case he is dead. Or he is still falling, and this is all a dream. Unless the captain is between moments. Lorien says that everyone has a finite amount of time and Sheridan’s is almost used up. He is trapped between seconds; tick, he’s alive, tock, he’s dead. Sheridan grabs Lorien and demands to know what he’s up to. When the question ‘Who are you?’ is asked, Lorien looks at Sheridan and the latter remembers his dream. Lorien says to Sheridan that he is coming to closer. Whether to tick or tock, only time will tell, and between moments, they have all the time in the world.
On a stormy planet, G’Kar walks into a bar. He approaches a seated human, asking him if he is Isaac, because he can give G’Kar some information. Isaac replies maybe and G’Kar shows him something. A piece of a Starfury that Isaac sold to a trader. Isaac replies that it’s legal, because it’s salvage. G’Kar says he heard that Isaac found an abandoned Starfury floating dead in Sector 87. There is a partial ID, which G’Kar says matches that of a Starfury belonging to a friend of his.
Isaac tells G’Kar he has nothing to say, and G’Kar responds that a Starfury is too small to stumble across by accident. A man intervenes at this point and tells G’Kar that Isaac doesn’t want to talk to G’Kar. G’Kar replies that they are having a private conversation and that it is no concern of the man’s. Who says it is his bar and he is making it his concern. G’Kar has come a long way, and he plans to finish the conversation. The man does not agree, and Marcus appears at this point. Marcus and G’Kar fight, but leave when the owner sets off an alarm. When they are gone, the owner tells a Centauri soldier that he might have something for him.
Delenn is meditating in her quarters. Her door bleeps a number of times before she finally asks the person to enter. It’s Dr Franklin and Delenn asks him if there is a problem. He says that she should tell him; he has heard she has had nothing to eat or drink in seven days. Delenn tells him that the fast goes on for two weeks. He replies that he understands that this is normal for Minbari, but Delenn is partly human and her system can’t handle the stress. He knows this is how Minbari deal with grief but nothing is served by Delenn endangering her own life.
Delenn tells him justice. Because Sheridan is gone and the alliance is crumbling and it’s all her fault. She was afraid that Sheridan’s wife was alive but was afraid to find out. She denied Sheridan the right to make the choice and when he learned he went away. Delenn loved him and wanted to protect him. If he is dead, their souls will join again.
Marcus tells G’Kar that they are still looking for him. G’Kar says that doesn’t make sense, no-one was harmed in the fight (well, not permanently). Marcus replies that’s what worries him. G’Kar basically tells Marcus if he gets worried every time the universe fails to make sense, he will never not be worried. He wants to know what Marcus is doing there. Marcus says he heard that G’Kar was looking for Garibaldi under the assumption that he was in trouble; Marcus came looking for G’Kar under the assumption that G’Kar would get into trouble. Marcus says that those looking for G’Kar are eager to find him and G’Kar tells Marcus that presumably troubles him. Marcus asks why G’Kar is doing this. G’Kar replies that Garibaldi is his friend, and he never had a friend who wasn’t a Narn before. Marcus replies he never had a friend who was a Narn. And few of any other kind either.
The bar owner is looking at some wanted posters with some Centauri soldiers. They ask him if he was sure it was a Narn. He’s sure. Then the owner comes across a picture of G’Kar, and says that’s him. There is apparently a reward for his capture, dead or alive. The man asks which pays the most. Marcus, meanwhile, has gone to visit Isaac, to encourage him to talk.
Delenn arrives and asks Franklin if he wanted to see her. The doctor replies that Ivanova asked him to go through the captain’s personal effects, to sort out what to keep, what to store and what to send back to his family. The commander also gave Franklin the password to Sheridan’s personal log and other official files. Franklin hands Delenn a crystal and says he thinks she will want to see it, then leaves her alone to do so.
Marcus returns to G’Kar and tells him Isaac got the location of Garibaldi’s Starfury from someone at Interplanetary Expeditions. Marcus asks G’Kar what he plans to do next and he replies that, after he sleeps, he will go back to the place the Starfury was found. G’Kar wants Marcus to return to Babylon 5 and check out the name Isaac gave up. Marcus is concerned about G’Kar but G’Kar replies that he can take care of himself, and will be offended if Marcus stays. This is a personal mission for him and he has to do it alone. After Marcus has gone and G’Kar is asleep, he wakes up to hear some noises. Which were from Centauri soldiers. Who manage to take him down. Perhaps G’Kar should have let Marcus stay.
Some of what happened to Garibaldi is revealed, or at least where he is now. Although who has him is not directly revealed, it can be guessed what organisation, and specifically who, has him. Delenn decides to make a rather dangerous move to put heart back into the League worlds. In the previous episode Londo had decided that the mad Emperor Cartagia needed to be removed from the throne and summoned Vir to help him do it. Now Londo seeks help from a perhaps more unexpected source. Lorien, during one of his rather lengthy philosophical conversations with Sheridan, reveals just what and who he is.