Comes the Inquisitor
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| “Comes the Inquisitor” | |
|---|---|
| Babylon 5 episode | |
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| Episode no. | Season 2 Episode 21 |
| Guest stars | Wayne Alexander (Sebastian) Jack Kelher (Mr. Chase) |
| Written by | J. Michael Straczynski |
| Directed by | Mike Laurence Vejar |
| Production no. | 221 |
| Original airdate | October 25, 1995 August 8, 1995 (UK) |
| Episode chronology | |
| ← Previous | Next → |
| "The Long, Twilight Struggle" | "The Fall of Night" |
| List of Babylon 5 episodes | |
Comes the Inquisitor is an episode from the second season of the science-fiction television series Babylon 5.
Contents |
[edit] Plot synopsis
The Vorlons bring an inqusitor to the station, a man named Sebastian, to test Delenn and Sheridan's readiness to lead the Army of Light. Utilizing incessant questioning and torture, Sebastian eventually concludes that they are, indeed, the "right people, in the right place, at the right time." Sheridan does some investigating, and discovers the shocking truth abut the inquisitor: Sebastian was a serial killer on Earth, in London, in the year 1888, at which time he was abducted by the Vorlons, and taken into their service. The Vorlons have been keeping him alive in "storage" for 400 years, pulling him out whenever his "unique abilities" were needed. That serial killer has been remembered by history as Jack the Ripper.
G'Kar begins buying weapons in order to be smuggled back to the Narn homeworld for an underground resistance against the Centauri occupiers. Garibaldi learns of this, and orders G'Kar to not use Babylon 5 as a port through which these weapons are smuggled. G'Kar agrees, and Garibaldi provides G'Kar with an alternative, safer route.
The Narn population of Babylon 5 begins to question G'Kar's credibility as leader of the Narns on the station. In order to gain their loyalty, G'Kar agrees to get a personal message through to the Narn homeworld, to which all communications have been cut off by the Centauri. G'Kar turns to Sheridan for help in doing this, and Sheridan enlists the Rangers, who successfully get the message through, ending all challenges to G'Kar's leadership of the Babylon 5 Narns.
[edit] Arc significance
- This episode presents another example of someone, in this case the Vorlons, wondering whether or not Delenn has messianic delusions.
[edit] Production details
[edit] Trivia
- Jack the Ripper had been previously referenced in "Mind War", an episode of Babylon 5's first season, where the dubious Earth Alliance agency Psi Corps was claimed to have "all the moral fiber of Jack the Ripper" by series regular Susan Ivanova.
- This episode was referenced in an episode of Babylon 5's fourth season, "Intersections in Real Time". Wayne Alexander, who played Sebastian, alias Jack the Ripper, appeared in that episode as well, portraying a tortured Drazi prisoner.
- Due to a mistake in the screenplay, Sheridan remarks that Jack the Ripper committed his murders on the west side of London, when in fact that murders took place on the east side. The line was dubbed over at some point to correct this error, and the dubbed version can be found on the DVD release. However, the closed captions have not been corrected and still refer to the "west end" of London.
- In the constant fan battle of the originality of Babylon 5 from various Star Trek series' it can be pointed out that Jack the Ripper was featured in a classic episode (Wolf in the Fold) of the original Star Trek.
- Straczynski was in part motivated to write this episode to make the Vorlons appear more morally ambiguous. He wanted to point out that people should not instantly fall for what others say they are.
- Similarities with "The Prisoner" 1960s UK TV series. The whole interrogation premise is similar to how Leo McKern talks to Number 6 in the last two episodes of the Prisoner series. Also Sebastian tells Delenn that she only gives answers that have been "provided, defined, delineated, stamped, sanctioned, numbered and approved by others." This reminds of how Number 6 says "I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed or numbered...my life is my own."
