Babylon 5 (1994–1998): Season 1, Episode 4 - Infection - full transcript
A living weapon wreaks havoc on the station.
- When is the commander due back?
- Soon.
- How soon?
- Longer than a little while, not later.
- He's checking a damaged transport.
- Isn't that done by someone else?
He'll grab any chance to take out
a ship. He's like that.
Well, I haven't seen him
since I came aboard.
- Have you ever tried one of these?
- What is it?
According to the translator, it's
either an aphrodisiac or a floor wax.
Mr. Garibaldi...
Please. Michael. Did I mention
I really enjoy your broadcasts?
If this interview hadn't been
set up weeks ago...
...I'd swear Commander Sinclair
didn't want to be interviewed.
- I can't imagine that.
- This is an event!
This is the second anniversary
of Babylon 5 going online.
When this station opened...
...75% of ISN viewers said
this place wouldn't last five minutes!
Lloyd's of London put the odds of this
station lasting one year at 500-to-1.
Against!
Is there a bathroom around here?
Third door to your left.
That way.
The blue one is for methane breathers.
I'd steer clear, if I were you.
What the hell.
If that thing leaves a waxy yellow
buildup on anything...
...I'm coming back here.
Julie, hand me that separator.
I've just about got the RNA strand
where I want it.
Get it yourself.
Vance? What are you doing here?
I was in the sector, I thought I'd
stop by and visit my favorite student.
I've come to offer an adventure,
Stephen.
Possibly the biggest you've ever had.
What kind of adventure?
You'll find out soon enough.
Savor the mystery, Stephen.
We don't get nearly enough of them.
Tired?
Yeah, long day.
But your ship's the last one in.
Anything to declare?
Any plants? Nonsentient pets?
Organic matter?
Nothing organic.
Just some pottery and stonework.
Funny thing.
The bottom of the box on the inside is
four inches shorter than the outside.
Like there was a hidden compartment.
I'd almost think you were
smuggling something in.
Not a chance!
No, it's just packing material
to protect the stuff.
Here, let me show you.
It was the dawn
of the Third Age of mankind...
... 1 0 years after
the Earth-Minbari War.
The Babylon Project
was a dream given form.
Its goal: to prevent another war
by creating a place...
... where humans and aliens
could work out their differences.
It's a port of call,
home away from home...
... for diplomats, hustlers
entrepreneurs and wanderers.
Humans and aliens,
wrapped in 2,500,000 tons...
... of spinning metal,
all alone in the night.
It can be a dangerous place.
But it's our last,
best hope for peace.
This is the story of the last
of the Babylon stations.
The year is 2258.
The name of the place is Babylon 5.
- How does it look?
- Looks like natural causes.
- Heart attack.
- That suddenly?
It's possible. I'll know more
after we do an autopsy.
- Did you know him?
- No, he just started the other day.
Nothing in his personnel jacket
about a heart condition.
And exactly which medical school
did you attend, Mr. Garibaldi?
Nothing personal, doc.
I just want to be sure.
So do I.
I'll assign my best people
to the autopsy. Fair enough?
Meanwhile, go on with work as usual.
As soon as I hear anything,
I'll tell you.
Go ahead and remove the body now.
We had a problem
at one of the docking bays.
What is this all about?
I need your help.
You're an archaeologist.
Everything you touch is dead.
My area of expertise is more current,
and a lot warmer.
I'd like to introduce you
to my assistant.
Nelson, meet Dr. Stephen Franklin,
one of the best students I've had.
In the area of alien history,
anatomy and culture.
Dr. Hendricks told me all about you
on our way from our dig on lkarra 7.
Dig?
You found something.
Show him.
That's funny, I just had
an energy spike on my screen.
- Same here.
- What's the location?
I thought it was around Medlab.
I'm not sure.
It was just there for a second.
Might have been a malfunction.
- Run a diagnostic check to be sure.
- Will do.
We were on a dig
for Interplanetary Expeditions...
...when we found these artifacts
in a vault...
...buried nearly a mile
beneath the surface of lkarra 7.
Ikarra 7 is a dead world.
But that proves what I've said
for years.
Ikarra was once home to a highly
advanced, space-faring society.
Extraordinary. How old are they?
Minimum, 1 000 years.
No chips, no sign of wear or age.
It's as if they were made yesterday.
What were they made to do?
That's where you come in.
- Vance, I told you...
- I know, I know. Humor me.
Put it in your medical scanner.
Veins, capillaries, traces of DNA.
This is composed of living tissue.
This is organic technology.
The one trick that Earth
hasn't yet cracked.
The ability to create living ships
that thrive in the vacuum.
Weapons that produce power
through internal generation...
...like a firefly lights up at night.
The ultimate synthesis of
machine technology and living tissue.
Magnificent.
This was a scanner of some kind.
The entire surface tissue
is photosensitive.
Retinal cones and rods to detect
wideband light frequencies. Amazing!
Why didn't you tell me
when you arrived?
I did. We've only been here
a few hours.
But organic material has to be
quarantined for 48 hours.
We put it through quarantine
at the transfer station off Proxima 3.
It's all approved and authorized.
Nelson has all the paperwork.
Don't you see what this means?
This is a blueprint
for living machines.
The Vorlons have one.
Some say the Minbari have them.
We haven't seen them up close
to know how they work.
But with your expertise in genetics
and my background in archaeology...
...we now have the chance.
There are better-equipped
facilities on Earth.
I need someone I can trust.
You once told me that you wanted
your name to go down in history.
Alongside Fleming. Salk.
Jenner.
Takahashi.
Well, this is it, Stephen.
This is the mother lode.
I can't do it without you.
I need your help.
So are you in or out?
Finish unpacking, Nelson.
We have a lot of work ahead of us.
There you are.
Any word on the autopsy?
They think it's natural causes.
We'll know tomorrow.
We've also scheduled security to cover
the Narn-Centauri negotiations.
We can call it a day.
And you, lt. Commander?
Isn't the night shift on duty?
We picked up strange readings.
I'm waiting to see if it happens again.
- Is it serious?
- I'm trying to find out.
Keep me informed.
And get some sleep.
I will.
Oh, and your interview
is scheduled for 1 1 00 hours.
Swell.
Which reminds me.
She's waiting for me.
Why are you ducking her?
Last time I gave an interview, they
told me to say what I really felt.
After it aired, I got transferred
to an outpost so remote...
...you couldn't find it
with a hunting dog.
Just be that charming commander
we've all come to know and love.
What could happen?
They fire you, and I get promoted.
- I don't see a problem here.
- How sharper than a serpent's tooth.
With all this technology,
you think there'd be a clock!
Stephen, it's been 1 5 hours.
We're gonna grow old and die in here.
Stephen?
There's a Martian war machine outside.
They'd like a word with you
about the common cold.
Tell them to make an appointment.
Something's been bothering me
ever since you got here.
Even if we figure out how this works,
what happens then?
We apply for a secondary patent...
...and sell it to
an Earth corporation.
That's what I'm talking about.
You're a brilliant man, Vance.
You were an inspiration to me.
You should make discoveries,
not raid dead worlds...
...for whatever you can
scavenge and sell!
Right. Mountains of paper.
Vanishing grants.
Who has time?
Exactly! That's my point!
This may be important,
but you didn't create it.
You just found it.
It's a shortcut.
I don't like corporations financing
expeditions to alien worlds...
...so they can steal
the technology they have.
It feels like grave-robbing.
Do you know the cost of an
off-world expedition?
More money than a professor
makes in a lifetime.
If the corporations won't pay,
who will?
In the last five years, I've seen
things off-world you can't imagine.
I stood in the lbendi Desert and saw
all seven moons go into eclipse.
I've walked in vaults sealed longer
than humans have existed...
...breathing air that's
5 million years old.
Call that a shortcut if you will...
...but I've lived.
By God, Stephen, I have lived.
At least my hands are clean.
How about yours?
- What's that supposed to mean?
- Who is Interplanetary Expeditions?
You said they fronted this expedition,
but I can't find information on them.
I didn't come halfway across space
to argue with you.
I came for your help and friendship.
If that's too big a burden...
No, it is not. I just wish you'd
stop taking shortcuts.
I suggest we get a good night's sleep
and start again tomorrow.
If you have any questions,
I'll be glad to answer them. Fair?
Yeah.
And we made it out of the desert.
Later, Commander Sinclair put me
on security for Babylon 5.
- It's been a great time...
- Yes, I'm sure it has.
I've come across several rumors about
your record prior to Babylon 5.
That you were fired five times and
this is your last chance to make good.
Care to comment?
I'd rather have my tonsils taken out
through my ears.
Lights!
Nelson?
Vance?
My God!
Nelson, what happened?
Protect.
When did it happen?
- Last night. He's in the infirmary.
- What's his condition?
Stunned. Bumps and bruises.
Dr. Hernandez says it's okay
to ask questions.
- You shouldn't be walking around yet.
- I'm a doctor. I know what I'm doing.
On second thought... .
Do you remember anything?
Not much. I turned around
and there he was, like I said.
The weapon was like the
organic artifacts we worked on.
Organic? Were they checked at customs?
I was told they were.
Check into it.
This Nelson, who's he working for?
- Vance Hendricks.
- The one who brought in the artifacts?
Interesting.
I haven't heard a satisfactory answer.
I'm getting tired of asking for one.
Dr. Franklin was attacked by your
assistant, covered in armor...
...similar to the artifacts
you brought here.
Which weren't cleared for access.
Organic material requires quarantine.
There's no record of that here
or at Proxima 3.
I'm as much in the dark as you are.
Nelson told me that he checked them.
I believed him.
A dangerous alien technology
was smuggled aboard this station.
I hold you personally responsible.
Is that clear?
Yes, it is. Any news
of Stephen's condition?
They're checking him out.
He took a pretty bad hit.
But I'm told he's gonna be okay.
He's up and around.
Thank God.
What can you tell us
about these artifacts?
They're a kind of organic technology.
Limited energy.
In order to achieve mobility,
they graft onto another life form.
It's possible that they'd try
to assimilate Nelson.
My guess would be
that he's under their control.
For what purpose?
Why would they assimilate Nelson
but not you?
Unknown. As to what it wants,
that depends on its programming.
According to Dr. Franklin,
before it fired, it said, "Protect. "
Might that be the key
to its program?
Maybe.
But the question is, protect who?
And from what?
That information may be
contained in the artifacts...
...if I could assist Dr. Franklin
in decoding them.
If I'm responsible for this,
the least I can do is help finish it.
Done.
That's what I told her!
Protect.
I've picked up
that energy flash again!
Grey 1 3, Level B.
And there's something else.
The energy pattern has changed.
It's 20% more powerful than before.
I have security on the link.
We've got two
fatalities in Grey 1 3.
Same thing that attacked doc.
We're in pursuit on Grey 7.
I'm moving to a level two alert.
Keep this channel open.
Commander, is there a problem?
Some kind of attack?
Ms. Cramer, you are in a secure
area. You will leave now.
This is news. And the
people have a right to know.
You'll spend
two days in the brig!
- I want this weapon triangulated!
- Confirmed.
I want this thing pinned
down to within 1 0 feet.
Coming up now.
Commander?
Don't. You're too young
to experience that much pain.
He's cornered
in Grey 5.
We can take him. We need lights.
He blacked out the place.
Coming online now.
Take him down!
Protect.
Go!
Move in!
Damn!
We've lost him.
He burned through a sublevel
moving between bulkheads.
The bulkheads make it
difficult to pinpoint location.
We won't know until he fires.
Have your teams sweep
each sector moving inward.
Two on a team,
five-minute proximity.
Confirmed, security out.
Vance, come here.
I think I found something.
There. Organic patterns in this piece
emulate synaptic relays in the brain.
Cross-genetic equivalents of
serotonin to transfer information.
A data storage device?
With that information, we
might get an idea of the lkarrans.
And more importantly,
why they made these things.
Fire up the biosensor,
let's see if we can tap into it.
We're moving through every section to
flush him out, but he's underground.
To do the most damage, he'll
head for the greatest population.
Central corridor is a prime target.
His record shows
a hit-and-run pattern.
Every time he strikes, it chews
up energy. He has to recharge.
Couple of problems.
One: His periods
of latency are shorter.
Two: The energy level when he
fires increases by 20 percent.
The last burst
was off the scale.
If he builds power at that rate,
he could destroy the station.
So the next chance we get to stop
him might be our last chance.
All right, listen up!
I need this cleared!
Room to maneuver.
I want guards on the doors,
second level and catwalk.
Move it! Let's go!
- Energy readings off the scale.
- It's on the move again.
It's heading for the
central corridor.
Garibaldi, it's
heading your way.
We'll be ready for it.
Win, lose or draw, it
will know it was in a fight.
Drop the pressure
doors on all sides.
- Give Garibaldi time to get set.
- Affirmative.
We've accessed the organic
memory banks of an artifact.
Make it short. Let me
know when it's on the move.
The lkarrans were invaded
half a dozen times.
Each assault deadlier.
They created the perfect weapon...
...able to adapt to any situation,
capable of independent thought.
Temperature up 90 degrees
in Brown 2, Level C.
It would take years to create synthetic
intelligence, so they incorporated...
...brain-wave patterns of a
researcher into the weapons.
That's him. His name was Tularr.
But people can be fooled.
To prevent confusion
by an enemy's instructions...
...they hardwired the machine, half
not to respond to any impure lkarrans.
Just one problem, how do
you define a pure lkarran?
Or a pure human?
No one is pure. No one.
Temperature's up 500 degrees.
Doctor, I'm joining
Mr. Garibaldi on the line.
Who set the parameters
of being pure lkarran?
A coalition of religious fanatics
and military extremists.
They programmed the weapons
with standards based on ideology.
Like the Nazi ideal
of the perfect Aryan.
In the next invasion,
1 1 machines were released.
They stopped invaders by killing anyone
not matching the pure, perfect lkarran.
Then the machines
turned on their creators.
They exterminated based on deviations
of what they consider normal.
They killed until
the last lkarran was dead.
And the weapons?
They were destroyed
by centuries of neglect.
Except number 1 2
which is here...
...protecting a world that's
been dead for 1 000 years.
You said they incorporated the brain
patterns of one of their researchers.
Is there anything
we can reason with?
There's a personality matrix.
It's subsumed by its programming.
We'll have to find a way
around the program's logic.
Better head back to Medlab.
I suspect we'll need your services.
Weapon!
Not yet!
I want it point-blank.
Fire!
Cease fire!
It's in the next level!
It's a straight line to the civilians.
- How many men there?
- Not enough.
We hit it with everything we had.
Weapons big enough to kill it
would kill everybody.
- We'll have to blow out the hull.
- Where are you going?
I'll lure it to the dock area
and blow out the air lock.
Nothing can live
in a vacuum!
How will you get it there?
By going straight to its personality
matrix. I'll try and make it mad!
Make it mad?
Are you nuts?! Commander!
Tularr?
Tularr of lkarra 7?
My name.
My name!
Who knows my name?
Who knows my name?
Your name is dead, Tularr.
Your world is dead.
Ikarra lives!
lkarra must be protected!
You failed. You've
failed in your mission!
Ikarra is dead!
By your own hand!
You and others like you!
That is a lie!
It is a lie!
Ikarra is dead!
Protect!
Ready to initiate
emergency decompression.
Wait! Wait!
- Come on!
- Protect.
- Protect who? From what?
- Impure!
Yes, impure! You must protect
against all who are not pure lkarran!
Yes!
And your own people,
how pure were they?
- Pure!
- How pure?
They didn't feed you facts,
they fed you propaganda!
They programmed you with standards
of genetic purity no one could match!
- Not even your own people!
- Liar!
Seal area. Stand by
to blow air lock, depressurize.
If we depressurize now,
you'll be killed.
Only one way out past that thing.
I'm dead either way. Seal it. Now!
- Stand by.
- Ikarra lives!
Ikarra must be protected!
There is no lkarra!
Not the way you remember it.
The others like you, they
beat the invaders, all right.
Just like they were programmed. They
killed anything that was different.
Alien. But we're all
aliens to one another.
Flawed, impure, different!
No!
Too tall, too short,
too dark, too light!
Imperfect!
They were killed, and
the killing went on and on!
No!
The man you took over,
Nelson, he's seen lkarra!
Ikarra after the others
finished protecting it!
Cleansing it of every slightest
variation in genetics!
You can access his memories.
See for yourself!
Look inside his mind.
See what he's seen.
Go on, look into his mind.
He can't hide the truth,
he can't lie to you!
Look deep.
Look at it!
A desert.
Yes.
Dead.
A thousand years dead.
There's your pure world,
your perfect world!
- We did this?
- Yes.
- No!
- Damn you, look at it!
You and the rest, you forgot
the first rule of a fanatic:
When you become obsessed with
the enemy, you become the enemy!
Ikarra!
Great Maker...
...forgive us...
...this madness.
Forgive us.
Stephen, how's Nelson?
- Medlab 2, resting.
- Good.
Vance, I found this
in Nelson's effects.
It's meant for cardio stimulation.
If used on a healthy person, it could
cause cardiac infarction and death.
The body of the customs guard
had two tiny marks on the back!
So small we missed them at first,
but they do match the prongs there.
I spoke to Nelson.
He confirms things I'd hoped
I was wrong about.
You knew he didn't put the
artifacts through quarantine.
He was acting on your
orders the whole time.
For God's sake, Vance, why?
Interplanetary Expeditions...
...the corporation that financed
the dig on lkarra 7, is a front.
A front for a bioweapons supplier.
I could have turned over the artifacts,
taken the standard commission.
But if they were what I suspected,
organic weapons, then I could...
...hold back on delivery, and they...
- Pay millions?
Or more. More money
than you can conceive.
Before you took the chance, you had
to be sure, so you brought them here.
You endangered a quarter million humans
and aliens to raise your profit margin!
I thought I'd control it.
I didn't expect anyone to be hurt.
- And the murdered customs guard?
- We had to get them past customs.
Nelson said he'd do it. I didn't
ask how. There was too much at stake.
That's why the weapon
bonded to him, not us.
- It needed someone willing to kill.
- Look, we can work all this out.
We can sell artifacts
to Interplanetary Expeditions.
They have the muscle
to clean up this mess.
All you have to do is...
...not turn me in.
I mean, just think what you
could do with all that money.
It's too late.
Stephen.
Come.
You've looked better.
- Can I talk to you for a second?
- Sure.
You were willing to risk
your life to stop that thing.
- I didn't...
- Let me finish.
It's the third time in a year
you've put yourself on the line.
I didn't know anyone was counting.
Jeff...
...you're my friend.
You've been my friend longer
than you've been my officer...
...so I think I'm
entitled to say this.
We were both in
Earthforce during the war.
I wasn't on the line,
but I did my share.
I know a lot of guys who came
out of the war changed.
Some came out better,
some came out worse.
A lot of them have this problem.
The war gave them definition,
direction, purpose!
Without it, they look for ways
to go out in a blaze of glory.
Some people call that
being a hero. Maybe.
I don't know,
I've never been one.
Me, I think they're looking
for something worth dying for...
...because it's easier than finding
something worth living for.
Finished?
Yeah.
I guess that covers it.
Michael...
...I don't have an answer for you...
...and...
...I think maybe I should.
Thanks.
You seem troubled, doctor.
No, I'm just thinking.
The lkarra fought against invaders
like we fought against the Minbari.
They became obsessed with it.
Back home there's
a growing pro-Earth movement.
Rumors of hate groups
targeting aliens.
And on all sides, the fanatics.
They think society has to be protected
against anyone who's different.
I'm starting to wonder if what we just
saw is a preview of things to come?
I can't believe
we'd be that foolish.
Santayana: "Those who do not remember
the past are condemned to repeat it. "
I must confiscate the artifacts
and transfer them to Earth Central.
On whose authority?
Earthforce,
bioweapon division.
Something about studying them
for planetary security reasons.
It seems no one
reads Santayana anymore.
Excuse me. I'll be over there, getting
drunk with the rest of the aliens.
So, after all you've just gone
through, I have to ask you...
...the same question people back home
are asking about space these days.
Is it worth it?
Should we pull back, forget
the whole thing as a bad idea...
...and take care of our
problems at home?
No. We have to stay here.
There's a simple reason why.
Ask 1 0 scientists about environment,
population control, genetics...
...you'll get 1 0 different answers.
But there's one thing every
scientist on the planet agrees on.
Whether it happens in 1 00 years,
or 1 000 years or a million years...
...eventually our sun will
grow cold and go out.
When that happens,
it won't just take us...
...it will take Marilyn Monroe,
and Lao-tzu and Einstein...
...and Morobuto and Buddy
Holly and Aristophanes... .
And all of this...
...all of this...
...was for nothing...
...unless we go to the stars.
Subtitles by
SDI Media Group
[ENGLISH]
Babylon 5 is produced
by Babylonian Productions, Inc...
... and distributed by Warner Bros.
Domestic TV Distribution.
- Soon.
- How soon?
- Longer than a little while, not later.
- He's checking a damaged transport.
- Isn't that done by someone else?
He'll grab any chance to take out
a ship. He's like that.
Well, I haven't seen him
since I came aboard.
- Have you ever tried one of these?
- What is it?
According to the translator, it's
either an aphrodisiac or a floor wax.
Mr. Garibaldi...
Please. Michael. Did I mention
I really enjoy your broadcasts?
If this interview hadn't been
set up weeks ago...
...I'd swear Commander Sinclair
didn't want to be interviewed.
- I can't imagine that.
- This is an event!
This is the second anniversary
of Babylon 5 going online.
When this station opened...
...75% of ISN viewers said
this place wouldn't last five minutes!
Lloyd's of London put the odds of this
station lasting one year at 500-to-1.
Against!
Is there a bathroom around here?
Third door to your left.
That way.
The blue one is for methane breathers.
I'd steer clear, if I were you.
What the hell.
If that thing leaves a waxy yellow
buildup on anything...
...I'm coming back here.
Julie, hand me that separator.
I've just about got the RNA strand
where I want it.
Get it yourself.
Vance? What are you doing here?
I was in the sector, I thought I'd
stop by and visit my favorite student.
I've come to offer an adventure,
Stephen.
Possibly the biggest you've ever had.
What kind of adventure?
You'll find out soon enough.
Savor the mystery, Stephen.
We don't get nearly enough of them.
Tired?
Yeah, long day.
But your ship's the last one in.
Anything to declare?
Any plants? Nonsentient pets?
Organic matter?
Nothing organic.
Just some pottery and stonework.
Funny thing.
The bottom of the box on the inside is
four inches shorter than the outside.
Like there was a hidden compartment.
I'd almost think you were
smuggling something in.
Not a chance!
No, it's just packing material
to protect the stuff.
Here, let me show you.
It was the dawn
of the Third Age of mankind...
... 1 0 years after
the Earth-Minbari War.
The Babylon Project
was a dream given form.
Its goal: to prevent another war
by creating a place...
... where humans and aliens
could work out their differences.
It's a port of call,
home away from home...
... for diplomats, hustlers
entrepreneurs and wanderers.
Humans and aliens,
wrapped in 2,500,000 tons...
... of spinning metal,
all alone in the night.
It can be a dangerous place.
But it's our last,
best hope for peace.
This is the story of the last
of the Babylon stations.
The year is 2258.
The name of the place is Babylon 5.
- How does it look?
- Looks like natural causes.
- Heart attack.
- That suddenly?
It's possible. I'll know more
after we do an autopsy.
- Did you know him?
- No, he just started the other day.
Nothing in his personnel jacket
about a heart condition.
And exactly which medical school
did you attend, Mr. Garibaldi?
Nothing personal, doc.
I just want to be sure.
So do I.
I'll assign my best people
to the autopsy. Fair enough?
Meanwhile, go on with work as usual.
As soon as I hear anything,
I'll tell you.
Go ahead and remove the body now.
We had a problem
at one of the docking bays.
What is this all about?
I need your help.
You're an archaeologist.
Everything you touch is dead.
My area of expertise is more current,
and a lot warmer.
I'd like to introduce you
to my assistant.
Nelson, meet Dr. Stephen Franklin,
one of the best students I've had.
In the area of alien history,
anatomy and culture.
Dr. Hendricks told me all about you
on our way from our dig on lkarra 7.
Dig?
You found something.
Show him.
That's funny, I just had
an energy spike on my screen.
- Same here.
- What's the location?
I thought it was around Medlab.
I'm not sure.
It was just there for a second.
Might have been a malfunction.
- Run a diagnostic check to be sure.
- Will do.
We were on a dig
for Interplanetary Expeditions...
...when we found these artifacts
in a vault...
...buried nearly a mile
beneath the surface of lkarra 7.
Ikarra 7 is a dead world.
But that proves what I've said
for years.
Ikarra was once home to a highly
advanced, space-faring society.
Extraordinary. How old are they?
Minimum, 1 000 years.
No chips, no sign of wear or age.
It's as if they were made yesterday.
What were they made to do?
That's where you come in.
- Vance, I told you...
- I know, I know. Humor me.
Put it in your medical scanner.
Veins, capillaries, traces of DNA.
This is composed of living tissue.
This is organic technology.
The one trick that Earth
hasn't yet cracked.
The ability to create living ships
that thrive in the vacuum.
Weapons that produce power
through internal generation...
...like a firefly lights up at night.
The ultimate synthesis of
machine technology and living tissue.
Magnificent.
This was a scanner of some kind.
The entire surface tissue
is photosensitive.
Retinal cones and rods to detect
wideband light frequencies. Amazing!
Why didn't you tell me
when you arrived?
I did. We've only been here
a few hours.
But organic material has to be
quarantined for 48 hours.
We put it through quarantine
at the transfer station off Proxima 3.
It's all approved and authorized.
Nelson has all the paperwork.
Don't you see what this means?
This is a blueprint
for living machines.
The Vorlons have one.
Some say the Minbari have them.
We haven't seen them up close
to know how they work.
But with your expertise in genetics
and my background in archaeology...
...we now have the chance.
There are better-equipped
facilities on Earth.
I need someone I can trust.
You once told me that you wanted
your name to go down in history.
Alongside Fleming. Salk.
Jenner.
Takahashi.
Well, this is it, Stephen.
This is the mother lode.
I can't do it without you.
I need your help.
So are you in or out?
Finish unpacking, Nelson.
We have a lot of work ahead of us.
There you are.
Any word on the autopsy?
They think it's natural causes.
We'll know tomorrow.
We've also scheduled security to cover
the Narn-Centauri negotiations.
We can call it a day.
And you, lt. Commander?
Isn't the night shift on duty?
We picked up strange readings.
I'm waiting to see if it happens again.
- Is it serious?
- I'm trying to find out.
Keep me informed.
And get some sleep.
I will.
Oh, and your interview
is scheduled for 1 1 00 hours.
Swell.
Which reminds me.
She's waiting for me.
Why are you ducking her?
Last time I gave an interview, they
told me to say what I really felt.
After it aired, I got transferred
to an outpost so remote...
...you couldn't find it
with a hunting dog.
Just be that charming commander
we've all come to know and love.
What could happen?
They fire you, and I get promoted.
- I don't see a problem here.
- How sharper than a serpent's tooth.
With all this technology,
you think there'd be a clock!
Stephen, it's been 1 5 hours.
We're gonna grow old and die in here.
Stephen?
There's a Martian war machine outside.
They'd like a word with you
about the common cold.
Tell them to make an appointment.
Something's been bothering me
ever since you got here.
Even if we figure out how this works,
what happens then?
We apply for a secondary patent...
...and sell it to
an Earth corporation.
That's what I'm talking about.
You're a brilliant man, Vance.
You were an inspiration to me.
You should make discoveries,
not raid dead worlds...
...for whatever you can
scavenge and sell!
Right. Mountains of paper.
Vanishing grants.
Who has time?
Exactly! That's my point!
This may be important,
but you didn't create it.
You just found it.
It's a shortcut.
I don't like corporations financing
expeditions to alien worlds...
...so they can steal
the technology they have.
It feels like grave-robbing.
Do you know the cost of an
off-world expedition?
More money than a professor
makes in a lifetime.
If the corporations won't pay,
who will?
In the last five years, I've seen
things off-world you can't imagine.
I stood in the lbendi Desert and saw
all seven moons go into eclipse.
I've walked in vaults sealed longer
than humans have existed...
...breathing air that's
5 million years old.
Call that a shortcut if you will...
...but I've lived.
By God, Stephen, I have lived.
At least my hands are clean.
How about yours?
- What's that supposed to mean?
- Who is Interplanetary Expeditions?
You said they fronted this expedition,
but I can't find information on them.
I didn't come halfway across space
to argue with you.
I came for your help and friendship.
If that's too big a burden...
No, it is not. I just wish you'd
stop taking shortcuts.
I suggest we get a good night's sleep
and start again tomorrow.
If you have any questions,
I'll be glad to answer them. Fair?
Yeah.
And we made it out of the desert.
Later, Commander Sinclair put me
on security for Babylon 5.
- It's been a great time...
- Yes, I'm sure it has.
I've come across several rumors about
your record prior to Babylon 5.
That you were fired five times and
this is your last chance to make good.
Care to comment?
I'd rather have my tonsils taken out
through my ears.
Lights!
Nelson?
Vance?
My God!
Nelson, what happened?
Protect.
When did it happen?
- Last night. He's in the infirmary.
- What's his condition?
Stunned. Bumps and bruises.
Dr. Hernandez says it's okay
to ask questions.
- You shouldn't be walking around yet.
- I'm a doctor. I know what I'm doing.
On second thought... .
Do you remember anything?
Not much. I turned around
and there he was, like I said.
The weapon was like the
organic artifacts we worked on.
Organic? Were they checked at customs?
I was told they were.
Check into it.
This Nelson, who's he working for?
- Vance Hendricks.
- The one who brought in the artifacts?
Interesting.
I haven't heard a satisfactory answer.
I'm getting tired of asking for one.
Dr. Franklin was attacked by your
assistant, covered in armor...
...similar to the artifacts
you brought here.
Which weren't cleared for access.
Organic material requires quarantine.
There's no record of that here
or at Proxima 3.
I'm as much in the dark as you are.
Nelson told me that he checked them.
I believed him.
A dangerous alien technology
was smuggled aboard this station.
I hold you personally responsible.
Is that clear?
Yes, it is. Any news
of Stephen's condition?
They're checking him out.
He took a pretty bad hit.
But I'm told he's gonna be okay.
He's up and around.
Thank God.
What can you tell us
about these artifacts?
They're a kind of organic technology.
Limited energy.
In order to achieve mobility,
they graft onto another life form.
It's possible that they'd try
to assimilate Nelson.
My guess would be
that he's under their control.
For what purpose?
Why would they assimilate Nelson
but not you?
Unknown. As to what it wants,
that depends on its programming.
According to Dr. Franklin,
before it fired, it said, "Protect. "
Might that be the key
to its program?
Maybe.
But the question is, protect who?
And from what?
That information may be
contained in the artifacts...
...if I could assist Dr. Franklin
in decoding them.
If I'm responsible for this,
the least I can do is help finish it.
Done.
That's what I told her!
Protect.
I've picked up
that energy flash again!
Grey 1 3, Level B.
And there's something else.
The energy pattern has changed.
It's 20% more powerful than before.
I have security on the link.
We've got two
fatalities in Grey 1 3.
Same thing that attacked doc.
We're in pursuit on Grey 7.
I'm moving to a level two alert.
Keep this channel open.
Commander, is there a problem?
Some kind of attack?
Ms. Cramer, you are in a secure
area. You will leave now.
This is news. And the
people have a right to know.
You'll spend
two days in the brig!
- I want this weapon triangulated!
- Confirmed.
I want this thing pinned
down to within 1 0 feet.
Coming up now.
Commander?
Don't. You're too young
to experience that much pain.
He's cornered
in Grey 5.
We can take him. We need lights.
He blacked out the place.
Coming online now.
Take him down!
Protect.
Go!
Move in!
Damn!
We've lost him.
He burned through a sublevel
moving between bulkheads.
The bulkheads make it
difficult to pinpoint location.
We won't know until he fires.
Have your teams sweep
each sector moving inward.
Two on a team,
five-minute proximity.
Confirmed, security out.
Vance, come here.
I think I found something.
There. Organic patterns in this piece
emulate synaptic relays in the brain.
Cross-genetic equivalents of
serotonin to transfer information.
A data storage device?
With that information, we
might get an idea of the lkarrans.
And more importantly,
why they made these things.
Fire up the biosensor,
let's see if we can tap into it.
We're moving through every section to
flush him out, but he's underground.
To do the most damage, he'll
head for the greatest population.
Central corridor is a prime target.
His record shows
a hit-and-run pattern.
Every time he strikes, it chews
up energy. He has to recharge.
Couple of problems.
One: His periods
of latency are shorter.
Two: The energy level when he
fires increases by 20 percent.
The last burst
was off the scale.
If he builds power at that rate,
he could destroy the station.
So the next chance we get to stop
him might be our last chance.
All right, listen up!
I need this cleared!
Room to maneuver.
I want guards on the doors,
second level and catwalk.
Move it! Let's go!
- Energy readings off the scale.
- It's on the move again.
It's heading for the
central corridor.
Garibaldi, it's
heading your way.
We'll be ready for it.
Win, lose or draw, it
will know it was in a fight.
Drop the pressure
doors on all sides.
- Give Garibaldi time to get set.
- Affirmative.
We've accessed the organic
memory banks of an artifact.
Make it short. Let me
know when it's on the move.
The lkarrans were invaded
half a dozen times.
Each assault deadlier.
They created the perfect weapon...
...able to adapt to any situation,
capable of independent thought.
Temperature up 90 degrees
in Brown 2, Level C.
It would take years to create synthetic
intelligence, so they incorporated...
...brain-wave patterns of a
researcher into the weapons.
That's him. His name was Tularr.
But people can be fooled.
To prevent confusion
by an enemy's instructions...
...they hardwired the machine, half
not to respond to any impure lkarrans.
Just one problem, how do
you define a pure lkarran?
Or a pure human?
No one is pure. No one.
Temperature's up 500 degrees.
Doctor, I'm joining
Mr. Garibaldi on the line.
Who set the parameters
of being pure lkarran?
A coalition of religious fanatics
and military extremists.
They programmed the weapons
with standards based on ideology.
Like the Nazi ideal
of the perfect Aryan.
In the next invasion,
1 1 machines were released.
They stopped invaders by killing anyone
not matching the pure, perfect lkarran.
Then the machines
turned on their creators.
They exterminated based on deviations
of what they consider normal.
They killed until
the last lkarran was dead.
And the weapons?
They were destroyed
by centuries of neglect.
Except number 1 2
which is here...
...protecting a world that's
been dead for 1 000 years.
You said they incorporated the brain
patterns of one of their researchers.
Is there anything
we can reason with?
There's a personality matrix.
It's subsumed by its programming.
We'll have to find a way
around the program's logic.
Better head back to Medlab.
I suspect we'll need your services.
Weapon!
Not yet!
I want it point-blank.
Fire!
Cease fire!
It's in the next level!
It's a straight line to the civilians.
- How many men there?
- Not enough.
We hit it with everything we had.
Weapons big enough to kill it
would kill everybody.
- We'll have to blow out the hull.
- Where are you going?
I'll lure it to the dock area
and blow out the air lock.
Nothing can live
in a vacuum!
How will you get it there?
By going straight to its personality
matrix. I'll try and make it mad!
Make it mad?
Are you nuts?! Commander!
Tularr?
Tularr of lkarra 7?
My name.
My name!
Who knows my name?
Who knows my name?
Your name is dead, Tularr.
Your world is dead.
Ikarra lives!
lkarra must be protected!
You failed. You've
failed in your mission!
Ikarra is dead!
By your own hand!
You and others like you!
That is a lie!
It is a lie!
Ikarra is dead!
Protect!
Ready to initiate
emergency decompression.
Wait! Wait!
- Come on!
- Protect.
- Protect who? From what?
- Impure!
Yes, impure! You must protect
against all who are not pure lkarran!
Yes!
And your own people,
how pure were they?
- Pure!
- How pure?
They didn't feed you facts,
they fed you propaganda!
They programmed you with standards
of genetic purity no one could match!
- Not even your own people!
- Liar!
Seal area. Stand by
to blow air lock, depressurize.
If we depressurize now,
you'll be killed.
Only one way out past that thing.
I'm dead either way. Seal it. Now!
- Stand by.
- Ikarra lives!
Ikarra must be protected!
There is no lkarra!
Not the way you remember it.
The others like you, they
beat the invaders, all right.
Just like they were programmed. They
killed anything that was different.
Alien. But we're all
aliens to one another.
Flawed, impure, different!
No!
Too tall, too short,
too dark, too light!
Imperfect!
They were killed, and
the killing went on and on!
No!
The man you took over,
Nelson, he's seen lkarra!
Ikarra after the others
finished protecting it!
Cleansing it of every slightest
variation in genetics!
You can access his memories.
See for yourself!
Look inside his mind.
See what he's seen.
Go on, look into his mind.
He can't hide the truth,
he can't lie to you!
Look deep.
Look at it!
A desert.
Yes.
Dead.
A thousand years dead.
There's your pure world,
your perfect world!
- We did this?
- Yes.
- No!
- Damn you, look at it!
You and the rest, you forgot
the first rule of a fanatic:
When you become obsessed with
the enemy, you become the enemy!
Ikarra!
Great Maker...
...forgive us...
...this madness.
Forgive us.
Stephen, how's Nelson?
- Medlab 2, resting.
- Good.
Vance, I found this
in Nelson's effects.
It's meant for cardio stimulation.
If used on a healthy person, it could
cause cardiac infarction and death.
The body of the customs guard
had two tiny marks on the back!
So small we missed them at first,
but they do match the prongs there.
I spoke to Nelson.
He confirms things I'd hoped
I was wrong about.
You knew he didn't put the
artifacts through quarantine.
He was acting on your
orders the whole time.
For God's sake, Vance, why?
Interplanetary Expeditions...
...the corporation that financed
the dig on lkarra 7, is a front.
A front for a bioweapons supplier.
I could have turned over the artifacts,
taken the standard commission.
But if they were what I suspected,
organic weapons, then I could...
...hold back on delivery, and they...
- Pay millions?
Or more. More money
than you can conceive.
Before you took the chance, you had
to be sure, so you brought them here.
You endangered a quarter million humans
and aliens to raise your profit margin!
I thought I'd control it.
I didn't expect anyone to be hurt.
- And the murdered customs guard?
- We had to get them past customs.
Nelson said he'd do it. I didn't
ask how. There was too much at stake.
That's why the weapon
bonded to him, not us.
- It needed someone willing to kill.
- Look, we can work all this out.
We can sell artifacts
to Interplanetary Expeditions.
They have the muscle
to clean up this mess.
All you have to do is...
...not turn me in.
I mean, just think what you
could do with all that money.
It's too late.
Stephen.
Come.
You've looked better.
- Can I talk to you for a second?
- Sure.
You were willing to risk
your life to stop that thing.
- I didn't...
- Let me finish.
It's the third time in a year
you've put yourself on the line.
I didn't know anyone was counting.
Jeff...
...you're my friend.
You've been my friend longer
than you've been my officer...
...so I think I'm
entitled to say this.
We were both in
Earthforce during the war.
I wasn't on the line,
but I did my share.
I know a lot of guys who came
out of the war changed.
Some came out better,
some came out worse.
A lot of them have this problem.
The war gave them definition,
direction, purpose!
Without it, they look for ways
to go out in a blaze of glory.
Some people call that
being a hero. Maybe.
I don't know,
I've never been one.
Me, I think they're looking
for something worth dying for...
...because it's easier than finding
something worth living for.
Finished?
Yeah.
I guess that covers it.
Michael...
...I don't have an answer for you...
...and...
...I think maybe I should.
Thanks.
You seem troubled, doctor.
No, I'm just thinking.
The lkarra fought against invaders
like we fought against the Minbari.
They became obsessed with it.
Back home there's
a growing pro-Earth movement.
Rumors of hate groups
targeting aliens.
And on all sides, the fanatics.
They think society has to be protected
against anyone who's different.
I'm starting to wonder if what we just
saw is a preview of things to come?
I can't believe
we'd be that foolish.
Santayana: "Those who do not remember
the past are condemned to repeat it. "
I must confiscate the artifacts
and transfer them to Earth Central.
On whose authority?
Earthforce,
bioweapon division.
Something about studying them
for planetary security reasons.
It seems no one
reads Santayana anymore.
Excuse me. I'll be over there, getting
drunk with the rest of the aliens.
So, after all you've just gone
through, I have to ask you...
...the same question people back home
are asking about space these days.
Is it worth it?
Should we pull back, forget
the whole thing as a bad idea...
...and take care of our
problems at home?
No. We have to stay here.
There's a simple reason why.
Ask 1 0 scientists about environment,
population control, genetics...
...you'll get 1 0 different answers.
But there's one thing every
scientist on the planet agrees on.
Whether it happens in 1 00 years,
or 1 000 years or a million years...
...eventually our sun will
grow cold and go out.
When that happens,
it won't just take us...
...it will take Marilyn Monroe,
and Lao-tzu and Einstein...
...and Morobuto and Buddy
Holly and Aristophanes... .
And all of this...
...all of this...
...was for nothing...
...unless we go to the stars.
Subtitles by
SDI Media Group
[ENGLISH]
Babylon 5 is produced
by Babylonian Productions, Inc...
... and distributed by Warner Bros.
Domestic TV Distribution.