And the Sky Full of Stars

"And the Sky Full of Stars" is an episode from the first season of the science fiction television series Babylon 5. The episode title is derived from a line from Babylon 5's pilot: "…and the sky was full of stars, and every star was an exploding ship — one of ours."

Synopsis

As the episode begins two mysterious men, known only as "Knight Two" and "Knight One", meet at Babylon 5. Together they construct a sophisticated neural device which causes its users to experience a highly realistic but illusionary environment.

They then kidnap Commander Sinclair, the commander of Babylon 5, and attach him to the device. As it develops, both Knight Two and Knight One are members of a covert, sinister organization on Earth which is determined to eliminate all alien influence from the planet. They have kidnapped Sinclair to force him to relive his memories of the Battle of the Line, the final battle of the epic Earth-Minbari War ten years earlier.

Sinclair had led a fighter squadron which was annihilated in the attack; Sinclair's fighter mysteriously vanished for 24 hours and when it reappeared on sensors the Minbari had surrendered. Although Sinclair claims that he has no memory of the missing 24 hours, Knight Two is convinced that he is hiding something and is determined to find out what it is.

At first Sinclair doesn't realize that he's in a simulation; he awakens in his quarters and discovers that his computer and communications don't work. When he leaves his quarters he finds that the entire station is deserted. He finally meets Knight Two, who tells him that he is actually inside a computer-generated illusion; in the real world both Sinclair and Knight Two are strapped into chairs and connected to the neural device. Knight One is monitoring both men to make sure that the machine doesn't damage their brains. Knight Two believes that Sinclair is lying about his experiences at the Battle of the Line, and he accuses Sinclair of being a traitor to humanity. Knight Two's theory is that Sinclair secretly agreed to help the Minbari take over the Earth Alliance from the "inside", and in exchange the Minbari allowed Sinclair to survive the battle. Sinclair angrily responds that Knight Two's accusations are absurd. Knight Two then forces Sinclair to relive the Battle of the Line; Sinclair watches helplessly as his squadron is devastated by Minbari warships. Eventually Sinclair punches Knight Two, causing him to vanish from the simulation and awaken in his chair; Sinclair's simulated "punch" leaves Knight Two in considerable pain.

Meanwhile, on the real Babylon 5 Sinclair's kidnapping has been noticed, and Security Chief Garibaldi begins a station-wide search. Realizing that he doesn't have much time before they are discovered, Knight One gives Sinclair a dangerous dose of drugs which weaken his resistance to the machine. Sinclair then remembers what happened to him. His fighter was damaged, and believing that both he and all of humanity were doomed, Sinclair decided to ram the nearest Minbari cruiser in an act of desperation. His fighter was instead captured and he was taken aboard the Minbari warship. There he was tortured and examined by the Minbari, and he was taken before the reclusive Grey Council, the Minbari's ruling body. There he saw Delenn. After seeing her, Sinclair breaks out of the neural machine and punches Knight Two in the chair next to him, short-circuiting the machine and frying Knight Two's brain. He punches Knight One and steals his pistol. Still drugged, he hallucinates and sees Babylon 5 personnel as Minbari, and shoots at them. Knight One awakens and goes after Sinclair, but is shot and incapacitated by Garibaldi. Sinclair is confronted by Delenn; she convinces him to put down his weapon.

After recovering in medlab, Sinclair tells Ambassador Delenn that he remembers nothing of his experience. However, in his quarters he says in his journal that he remembers some (important) things, and he vows to find out why the Minbari took him aboard during the battle and why Delenn seems to have so much interest in him. In Delenn's quarters a mysterious Minbari tells her that if Sinclair ever learns the truth about what happened to him at the Battle of the Line, he must be killed. As Knight Two is being led off the station back to Earth Sinclair confronts him and asks questions. However, the damage to Knight Two's brain is so severe that he cannot remember even his real name.

Arc significance

• This episode has great significance, as it is the first time that Jeffrey Sinclair begins to move towards understanding his missing 24 hours (mentioned in The Gathering) and realizing the role his identity means he must play, in the future and the past. (See "Chrysalis" and "War Without End", parts 1 and 2.)
• The episode reveals that there is a secret, growing conspiracy within the Earth Alliance to eliminate all alien influence from the planet; this conspiracy will become a major factor in later seasons of the series.
• Delenn is clearly involved in Sinclair's experience aboard the Minbari cruiser.
• First time a triluminary is seen in an episode.
• During his interrogation by the Grey Council, Sinclair asks his captors "What do you want?". That question will have great significance during the series, beginning with the episode "Signs and Portents". It is interesting to note that asking this question of the members of the Grey Council results in a bizarre effect where the words are amplified and echoed around the room. Clearly, one cannot ask this particular question of Grey Council surreptitiously.

Production details

• The role of Knight Two was originally offered to Walter Koenig, who was unable to accept at the time for health reasons. Walter Koenig was later cast as the recurring character of Bester. The role of Knight Two was then offered to The Prisoner star Patrick McGoohan, who likewise wished to accept, but was out of the country at the time of filming, and had to decline as well.

External links

• And the Sky Full of Stars at The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5