In
the first season episode, “The Parliament of Dreams,” all the sentient species aboard Babylon 5 spend a week celebrating their culture’s dominant
religion. The Centauri host a feast commemorating a time in their history when they battled against
another intelligent species, the Xon, for dominion of their home world. The Minbari perform a ceremony of
rebirth and renewal, which we later learn also doubles as a wedding
ceremony. Unfortunately, we don’t get to
see all the religious ceremonies, as a major portion of the episode concerns an attempt on the life of
Ambassador G’Kar.
When
we first glimpse the Narn Ambassador, he is preparing a meal in his quarters,
and singing this lighthearted Narn song with his beautiful tenor voice.
I'm
thinking of thinking of calling her right
after
my afternoon nap.
I'm
thinking of thinking of sending her flowers,
right
after Bonnie gets back.
So
many fishies left in the sea,
so
many fishies - but no-one for me...
I'm
thinking of thinking of hooking a love,
soon
after supper is done.
As
he sits down to eat, a Narn messenger arrives and asks, “Are you Ambassador
G’Kar?” Annoyed, G’Kar responds, “This
is Ambassador G’Kar’s quarters. This is Ambassador G'Kar's table. This is
Ambassador G'Kar's dinner! What part of
this progression escapes you?" The
messenger leaves him with a memory crystal, stressing that the message is
urgent. With a growl, G’Kar rises, and
places the memory crystal in his computer.
All thoughts of his meal evaporate as an old political adversary,
Du’Rog, reminds G’Kar of how he once disgraced Du’Rog before the Narn
Council. Now that he is dying, Du’Rog is
liquidating his assets to hire an assassin.
Du’Rog says that while the assassin is close to him, G’Kar will not learn the identity of his killer…until it is too late.
 |
| Ambassador G'Kar loses his appetite. |
G’Kar
bursts into action, intent on protecting himself any way he can. Complicating matters is the arrival of his new
aide Na’Toth. She is replacing Ko’Dath,
his former aide who died during an airlock malfunction. While Na’Toth’s suggestions seem wise, her governmental
sponsor was Li’Dak, and Li’Dak’s sponsor was his nemesis Du’Rog!
By
pairing the celebration of religion with a tale of revenge, writer and producer
J. Michael Straczynski suggests that, as much as we grow as a society, and as
evolved as our species may become, as individuals we will still inflict harm on others, and occasionally “repay evil with evil.” Yet religion gives us a means through which we can
stretch ourselves, and attempt to embody our highest ideals.
In
the final scene, Commander Sinclair demonstrates “Earth’s dominant belief
system” to the ambassadors of the major alien races. Instead of holding a particular ceremony,
Sinclair lines up representatives of various Human religions. Having survived his encounter with death—a
situation caused by how he harmed others in the past--G’Kar follows as Sinclair introduces each representative’s name and Faith, and shakes
his or her hand.
Even more solemnly than
the commander, G’Kar greets each person, shaking hands or bowing. Perhaps he has learned something that will
light the way to his transformation later on. Perhaps he recognizes now, more than ever,
that the ultimate expression of religion is not only that we love and respect
those who believe like we do, but that we love and respect those who believe
differently, whether they be atheists, Roman Catholics, Zen Buddhists, Muslim,
Jew, Greek Orthodox, Taoist, Shinto, Hindu, or any of the other 250 Humans who
have assembled on the space station to represent “Earth’s dominant belief system.”
Dragon
Dave
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