Chrysalis (Babylon 5)

"Chrysalis"
Babylon 5 episode
Delenn ready to undergo change
Episode no.	Season 1 Episode 22
Directed by	Janet Greek
Written by	J. Michael Straczynski
Production code	112
Original air date	3 October 1994
Guest stars
Julia Nickson (Catherine Sakai)
Episode chronology
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List of Babylon 5 episodes

"Chrysalis" is the final episode of the first season of the science fiction television series Babylon 5.

Synopsis

Mollari and G'Kar argue about Quadrant 37.

An informant Lurker named Petrov dies in Garibaldi's arms with the statement, "They're going to kill him." This triggers an investigation by Garibaldi.

Sinclair proposes marriage to Catherine Sakai and she says yes.

As Mollari complains to Vir, Morden contacts Mollari and offers his help.

Lennier relays to Delenn the answer to a question she asked of Kosh. The answer was, true to the Vorlon's cryptic speak patterns, "Yes." Delenn leaves to see Kosh.

Garibaldi discovers a Lurker involved with Petrov who informs Garibaldi that Petrov once worked for someone named Devereaux.

Mollari meets Morden and Morden says that his associates want to help Mollari with his career. Morden tells Mollari that he will take care of Quadrant 37 in return for a favor in the future.

Kosh reveals himself to Delenn. She tells him that he will not see her again as she is now.

Garibaldi finds Devereaux and detains him for questioning.

At dinner, Sinclair and Sakai ask Garibaldi to be best man and Ivanova to be maid of honor. The dinner is interrupted by Garibaldi's investigation; Devereaux is "missing."

The Narn outpost in Quadrant 37 is destroyed by two Shadow vessels.

Ivanova is watching the news and learns that Vice President Clark leaves the President's tour due to illness.

During Garibaldi's investigation, he finds devices that could be used as a jamming device. They are set to transmit near the transfer point at Io on the channel of EarthForce One. Garibaldi's aide watches him call Sinclair to meet for an ultraviolet priority problem, but Garibaldi refuses to discuss it over the link. On his way to meet Sinclair, Garibaldi confronts Devereaux, and is shot in the back by his aide.

Delenn shows Sinclair the Triluminary and agrees to tell him about what happened to him while he was on the Minbari ship at the Battle of the Line in the Earth-Minbari War. Sinclair wants to find Garibaldi first. She warns him that she doesn't have much time.

G'Kar learns of the destruction of the base in Quadrant 37. Ten thousand Narn warriors were killed. G'Kar realizes that none of the species that have the power to do it would use their power in this manner. He tells Na'Toth that "there's someone else out there."

Shortly after the countdown to January 1, 2259, Garibaldi is found in an elevator tube lift.

Delenn attaches the Triluminary to the chrysalis device she built. It activates.

Garibaldi manages to tell Sinclair that they're going to kill the President at the transfer point at Io before he loses consciousness again. Unfortunately the channels are already being jammed, so Sinclair can’t warn anyone. As they watch ISN, EarthForce One explodes killing the President.

Sinclair asks Garibaldi's aide to continue the investigation and to protect Garibaldi.

Mollari is upset that Morden's associates caused the death of 10,000 Narns. Morden explains that Mollari is now a hero to his people and that was the point.

Sinclair is not believed when he tells a Senator about the assassination attempt. The explosion is considered an accident caused by a malfunction.

Garibaldi's aide killed Devereaux and his men. The security team realizes that his story about their deaths is not completely the truth, but covers for him anyway.

While watching Vice President Morgan Clark being sworn in as President, Sinclair is approached by Kosh. Kosh says, "And so it begins," and reminds Sinclair that he has forgotten something. When Sinclair goes to Delenn's quarters, Delenn is already in a cocoon and undergoing a mysterious transformation.

G'Kar returns to his homeworld to find more information about the destruction of the base in Quadrant 37.

Garibaldi is being operated on and the outcome is uncertain.

Morden is communicating with two alien beings in his quarters. They are non-humanoid, non-bipedal, and do not have solid bodies that can be clearly seen, but can be perceived through the warping of light effected by their bodies. They discuss their plans for Mollari.

Sinclair's last words of the episode and season are "Nothing's the same anymore."

Arc significance

This is the final episode of the first season, and ends with a number of questions hanging. Unlike most Season One episodes, nearly every scene in this episode is relevant to the story arc.

• Delenn starts to undergo a transformation.
• There is a mysterious connection between Delenn and Kosh.
• There is a plot to kill President Luis Santiago.
• The Shadows attack a Narn outpost on behalf of Londo Mollari.
• It is evident Morden has some invisible masters/helpers.
• Garibaldi's aide has attempted to kill him to keep the assassination plot secret.
• Sinclair has proposed marriage to Catherine Sakai.

Production details

• Garibaldi's shot in the back is foreshadowed 8 episodes earlier in "TKO".
• The question Delenn asks Kosh through Lennier, to which the answer is "Yes," is revealed in Season Two.
• The episode first aired in the United Kingdom on October 3, 1994, and in the United States on October 26. This detail is significant because many British viewers, US viewers, and the creator/executive producer, were all communicating with each other via various online services at the time (starting in 1991^[1]).
• This is the last episode in which the interesting looking T'Loth Narn Cruiser is seen. They were completely replaced with the G'Quan Cruisers beginning in the second season. This is explained in universe as a controlled phase out of the cobbled together T'Loth; they were used to attack Ragesh 3 and to defend quadrant 37 because the former was not defended and the latter was considered unimportant. Meanwhile, the rest of the T'Loths were scrapped to provide materials for the massive buildup of G'Quans off screen. The production crew has indicated that Strackzynski felt that the T'Loth looked too generic compared to the other major race ships or even some of the ship of the non-aligned worlds, and ordering its replacement was one of the first things he did upon receiving the second season pickup. The G'Quan, however, looks as if it were built from one of the wings of the T'Loth, and as such, is not as imposing in appearance when the two are compared.

References

1. ^ ftp://ftp.midwinter.com/pub/Babylon-5/GEnie/index.html

External links

• Chrysalis at The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5
• "Chrysalis" at the Internet Movie Database