Confessions and Lamentations

"Confessions and Lamentations"
Babylon 5 episode
Episode no.	Season 2 Episode 18
Directed by	Kevin G. Cremin
Written by	J. Michael Straczynski
Production code	218
Original air date	May 24, 1995
Guest appearances
Rosie Malek-Yonan (Doctor) Jim Norton (Dr. Lazarenn)

"Confessions and Lamentations" is an episode from the second season of the science fiction television series Babylon 5.

Synopsis

Babylon 5 learns of a missing Markab transport ship, and sends a squad of Starfuries to locate it. The squad locates the ship but discovers its entire crew, over 200, are dead. As it is brought back to Babylon 5, Dr. Franklin discovers several Markab have also died of seemingly natural causes. With help of his Markab friend and medical colleague, Dr. Lazarenn, Franklin affirms that the Markab died from a disease that the Markab had thought been eradicated centuries earlier, and due to the closed environment of the station, poses a potential epidemic scenario. Franklin, Lazarenn, and the medbay staff work around the clock to determine how the disease spreads and if it can crosses species.

While Captain Sheridan orders the station to stop all inbound and outbound traffic to prevent its spread further, Garibaldi warns of potential violence once the news about the situation spreads across the station. The command staff consider isolating the Markab into one sector, but Franklin warns this would only cause the disease to spread faster. Sheridan decides to not take any immediate action outside of ordering security to help bring in all living Markab for medical tests, and to put an immediate stop to any violence that might break out. The Markab ambassador Fashar accuses Sheridan and the humans that this disease is a result of the Markab's interactions with humans, and despite Franklin's warnings, has ordered his people to gather in a secure area to stay isolated from humans, believing this will eliminate the disease. Ambassador Delenn seeks Sherdian's permission for her and Lennier to join the Markab as to provide hope and comfort, even though she knows she will be forced to stay there until the situation is resulted. Sheridan agrees, but realizes as she leaves that the two have formed a romantic bond. While there, Delenn helps a young Markab girl, whom she had previously comforted when her father's body was found, to locate her mother; Delenn tells the girl about her own childhood experience of being separated from her parents, but told by a priest to have hope, and was found soon afterwards.

Another body is found, but this time of a Pak'ma'ra, showing the same signs as the Markab disease, and Franklin fears that the disease will infect other species. Lazarenn asks to be the one to examine the body in the sealed medbay, which Franklin reluctantly allows. While in isolation, Franklin and Lazarenn talk; Lazarenn warns Franklin about his overuse of stimpaks to keep himself awake, while Franklin compares this disease to the Black Death from medieval Earth history. Lazarenn eventually comes down with the disease, and tells Franklin to use his body as a test subject to try to track the progress of its spread. Franklin rushes to try to find any equivalency between the biological aspects of the Markab and Pak'ma'ra, but unfortunately, Lazarenn succumbs to the disease and dies. Franklin throws a fit of rage just as the computer comes back with a match. Franklin reports his results to Sheridan - the disease attacks the neuro-chemicals along the nervous system rather than the cell structures themselves, disrupting basic body actions. At the present, this only leaves a few species like the Markab and Pak'ma'ra vulnerable to it, and if given regular doses of medicine designed to increase production of the neuro-chemicals, over time they will become resistant to it. Sherdian, Ivanova, and Franklin rush to the isolated section only to find that all the Markab are dead, confirmed by Delenn and Lennier. Sheridan comforts Delenn.

It is discovered that the entire Markab homeworld population has died as well as those in major population sectors; a slim hope is that some Markab in outlying colonies managed to survive. While hearing this over the news at a station bar, Franklin is put off by the crude jokes against the Markab race, and walks away.

Arc significance

• Dr. Lazarenn notes Dr. Franklin's unhealthy "stims" intake.
• Delenn and Lennier invite Sheridan to dinner in return for the human-style dinner Sheridan shared with Delenn earlier in the season.
• Sheridan tells Delenn to call him "John" in a scene that shows the beginning of romantic feelings in their relationship. Later Delenn cries on John's shoulder, grieving for the dead Markab.
• Lt. Keffer's "expeditions into hyperspace" are mentioned and ended.
• An entire alien species in the Babylon 5 universe becomes extinct. Later in the series, Sheridan destroys their jumpgate in order to escape a Shadow vessel and to prevent grave robbers from pillaging the dead planet.

Production details

• A rare departure from "no kids or cute robots", the episode features a character named in the end credits as "Markab Girl" portrayed by Bluejean Ashley Secrist.
• Season two episode numbers and production numbers are back in sync.

Cultural references

• The Drafa plague, with its attached religious taboos, is seen by many as an allegory for the AIDS epidemic. Straczynski has repeatedly denied this was the intention, pointing instead to the stated parallels with the Black Death.

Trivia

After Sheridan leaves at the end of the meal, Delenn and Lennier share a terse exchange in Minbari which is not subtitled. JMS has gone on record as saying he wanted to leave the content to the viewer's imagination but Bill Mumy did provide a translation at the Wolf 359 convention in Blackpool in 1997. It is not clear if this is the official translation or simply what he had in mind when performing the scene.

Lennier: "I think I overcooked the Flarn."

Delenn: "Forget the stupid Flarn".

External links

• Confessions and Lamentations at The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5