The War Prayer (Babylon 5)

"The War Prayer" is an episode from the first season of the science fiction television series Babylon 5. The title of the episode comes from the Mark Twain story of the same name.^[1]

Synopsis

A young Centauri couple seek to defy the marriage customs of their families, while the Homeguard—a "pro-Earth" terrorist group—are responsible for several attacks against aliens, including Shaal Mayan, a prominent Minbari poet.

Arc significance

• The Homeguard, a radical pro-Earth group, make their first appearance.
• Kosh is seen studying images from Earth, prompting discussion of the enigma he and the Vorlons represent. The removal of telepath Lyta Alexander and Medical Officer Benjamin Kyle back to Earth (characters from the pilot who did not carry over to the first season) is attributed to being the only humans to have had direct contact with a Vorlon.
• Marriages are usually arranged in Centauri society. The custom is also a major plot element in episodes "Soul Mates" and "Sic Transit Vir".
• Londo refers to his three wives as "Famine, Pestilence, and Death," three of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. This foreshadows that the fourth horseman -- War -- would be Londo himself, when his involvement with the Shadows would lead to renewed war with the Narn Regime beginning with "The Coming of Shadows."

References

External links

• The War Prayer at The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5