A Late Delivery from Avalon

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Babylon 5 episode
"A Late Delivery from Avalon"

Season	3
Episode no.	13
Prod. code	312
Airdate	22 April 1996
Writer(s)	J. Michael Straczynski
Director	Jesus Trevino
Guest star(s)	Michael York (Arthur) Michael Kagan (Emmett Farquaha)
Year	2260
Episode chronology
Previous episode	Sic Transit Vir
Next episode	Ship of Tears

A Late Delivery from Avalon is an episode from the third season of the science-fiction television series Babylon 5.

1 Plot synopsis
2 Arc significance
3 Production details
4 Trivia
5 External link

[edit] Plot synopsis

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

A man arrives at the station, claiming to be King Arthur. Given that Jack the Ripper actually did show up on the station last year, the possibility that he is telling the truth cannot be dismissed out of hand ...

He helps out an old woman who had been robbed of everything, including her husband's picture. He finds the thieves beating up another man, confronts them and beats them all with skilful sword and fist combat. Then more of the gang turns up, but G'Kar, who had looked on the fight with admiration, jumps in and helps "Arthur" give the new malefactors a thorough beating. Then the pair drink together, and "Arthur" impresses G'Kar with talk of the round table and fight against injustice, then knights him as "Sir G'Kar, the Red Knight".

Meanwhile, Dr Franklin finds out that "Arthur" is the gunnery sergeant who had fired the fateful shots on the Minbari ship that started the Earth-Minbari War. Despite serving with valor on the Battle of the Line, he was deeply troubled. So his mind took on the new persona of Arthur, and replaced the misunderstanding of the Minbari's open gun ports with a knight who drew his sword to kill an adder, likewise misunderstood as an aggressive move.

The only way to heal his trouble was for "Arthur" to return Excalibur to the Lady of the Lake, a role Delenn willingly accepted. After "Arthur" recovered, he took off with some Narns, and G'Kar promised Dr Franklin that he would have a position of authority with the resistance, who needed men of his calibre and ideas.