Wikia

SIC TRANSIT VIR

Babylon 5, Episode 3x12 Production number: 313 First aired: 15th April 1996 56th Babylon 5 episode to be aired
Production Credits
Written By: J. Michael Straczynski Directed By: Jesus Trevino Executive Producer: Douglas Netter & J. Michael Straczynski Producer: John Copeland Production Designer: John Iacovelli Director of Photography: John C. Flinn, III A.S.C. Editor: Suzanne Sternlicht Music By: Christopher Franke
Episode Chronology
Story Date: June 30th - July 5th, 2260
Chronological Order
Preceded by: Ceremonies of Light and Dark
Followed by: A Late Delivery from Avalon
Broadcast Order
Preceded by: Ceremonies of Light and Dark
Followed by: A Late Delivery from Avalon
Episode Gallery

Vir Cotto is suddenly the center of attention as a marriage is arranged for him. Trouble is that he has to hide from her the fact that he's been smuggling Narns out of Centauri space.

CastEdit

SummaryEdit

IntroEdit

Cmdr. Susan Ivanova walks into C&C, ready to start another watch. However, all eyes are fixated on her. As she wonders what is going on, she then realizes that she is naked.

Ivanova awakens with a scream from her nightmare, even as the station's computer delivers a wake-up call. This isn't the first time she's had this nightmare.

Vir Cotto is on Centauri Prime. Having delivered his reports concerning events on Minbar, he is admiring the Imperial Throne when a minister runs into him. Vir is scares he's going to ask why Vir is eyeing the throne, but all he wants to do is comment on his reports and pass on a new joke he'd heard: "What is more dangerous than a locked room full of angry Narns? One angry Narn with the key." Vir seems relieved, but it is short-lived as he reaches his room. The joke actually has some significance for him, as it is literally a room full of Narns.

Act IEdit

Ivanova talk about her nightmares with Capt. John Sheridan without going into too much detail. Sheridan thinks it's a sign of mental turmoil caused by station's transition to independence and suggests giving it time to settle. Though his note of having a nightmare of going to work naked unsettles Ivanova.

Ambassador Londo Mollari has a problem. A roach is plaguing his quarters. After several attempts to swat it, he tries throwing things at it and stomping it: to no effect. He tries to request B5 Maintenance to adddress the problem, but they're backlogged and won't be there for some time. Desperate, Londo finally resorts to drawing a coutari from the wall. After a few strikes, he finally manages to impale the roach on its tip. But then he looks at it up close and believes it to be smaller than the one he saw earlier; he then rages that more of them are in his quarters. Just then, his doorbell rings. When he opens the door, a Centauri woman enters.

Vir arrives back on Babylon 5. He's surprised Londo isn't there to greet him at the arrivals area.

Sheridan and Delenn walk together and talk of affairs. With Clark too busy dealing with dissent back hom on Earth, and with the Resistance using the time to gather forces and develop strategies, Babylon 5 is being overlooked for the moment, and Sheridan welcomes the reprieve. Indeed, this gives him an opportunity to ask Delenn out to dinner, before matters of state separate them again. She accepts the offer.

Just as he closes his bedroom, Londo's doorbell rings. He opens the door, and Vir enters. They engage in a little small talk about affairs back home, though Vir does still show some small annoyance at Londo's break with custom. Before things deteriorate further, Londo proceeds to introduce Vir to the woman who arrived earlier. Her name is Lyndisty, and there is an arrangement for Vir to marry her.

Act IIEdit

Vir is having trouble wrapping his brain around the idea of an arranged marriage: especially to him. Londo tries to relieve some of the tension, but then he tries to respond to the encroachment of another roach, asking Vir and Lyndisty to help him seek it out so he can eliminate it "before it develops language skills."

Zack Allan walks into C&C, rather nervously as he normally doesn't visit the Command Deck. After a quick look-around, he explains the reason for his visit. There has been an increase in the number of Narns transiting through the station. While Ivanova welcome that news (since it means more Narns are fleeing Centauri control), Zack presents her with copies of their transit papers. It's the name of the authorizing individual that jumps out at Allan and now at Ivanova: "Abrahamo Lincolni" And then Ivanova notices the name of the office from which the papers came. She gapes; he nods.

Vir and Lyndisty walk through the garden. Vir tries to learn just how much about him she knows. Lyndisty appears sincere, but Vir is still nervous about the whole affair and wants to delay the marriage. She tries to make her case by kissing him, and Vir admits it was one to remember.

Vir goes to Ivanova. He's here to confess of his use of a fake official, but Ivanova cuts him off, revealing they already know. The transit papers came through his position as Centauri Ambassador to Minbar, and only he with his extensive Human contact would know enough about Earth history to use an Earth name as the basis for a fake Centauri bureaucrat. Vir explains that he's trying to shuttle Narns off the homeworld to Centauri work camps: not ideal, but better than their current situations. He's faking the details because the general Centauri attitude is that Narns deserve whatever brutality they get. In other words, Vir is operating an underground railroad under the nose of his own government.

In his quarters, Sheridan is making an honest attempt at making Delenn a home-cooked meal. The result is a mess in his kitchen, but Delenn appreciates his effort. Meanwhile Lyndisty finds Vir in the halls of Green 2. Just then, a Narn approaches them, drawing a knife, and declaring he's found "the murderer." Vir stands in defense of her. The Narn charges, but Vir grabs the knife arm and holds him off. Security relays the alarm of the assault, and this reaches Sheridan in his quarters, one level above. Meanwhile, the Narn kicks Vir away. Then, Sheridan charges the Narn, knocking him down. The Narn fights back, cutting his arm with the knife, and the two trade blows before Allan and Security arrive, PPGs drawn. The Narn declares, "Shon'kar" and raises his knife, forcing them to shoot him dead.

Act IIIEdit

Ivanova in C&C talks with Sheridan, in Medlab getting his arm bandaged. He reports that Vir doesn't know any motivation for the attack. He notes the Narn's use of "Shon'kar": a blood oath. This meant the Narn was out for revenge. He asks Ivanova to investigate the Narn to see of any possible connections.

Lyndisty sees to Vir's injuries, and she shows genuine admiration for him. Vir promises to protect her.

But later, Ivanova relays some bad news to Vir. He's at risk of another attack, as the pouch brother of the dead Narn is aboard as well, and by Narn tradition, the Shon'kar now falls to that brother. The only other thing Vir can think about is his arranged marriage to Lyndisty. While on the subject, Vir tries to ask for romantic advice, given that he's a complete novice on the matter, but Centauri sexual practices leave her at a loss. Besides, her own past troubles with relationships make her a bad woman to give advice. She offers some advice, though, and Vir seems genuinely overwhelmed with it.

Delenn laters checks up on Sheridan. The cut on his arm isn't too serious, and it'll heal in due time. However, Delenn shows concern about him jumping into these dangerous situations. But Sheridan feels obligated to help when the situation was happening so close to him. The station seems awash in feelings of romance, and Delenn feels the same way. But before things can get more intimate, Ivanova interrupts. She's found a connection between Vir and the dead Narn.

Sheridan and Ivanova talk with Londo and Vir in their quarters. Ivanova reveals Vir's involvement in the underground railroad. The trouble is that all the Narns listed in the record have been declared dead. The dead Narn was related to some of those Narns.

Meanwhile, the other Narn appraoches Lyndisty.

Act IVEdit

When pressed on the atrocities, Vir reveals there was no atrociy: the deaths are all fake. The Narns on that list were all children, women, and cultural leaders largely ignored by the Centauri but in desperate need of medical treatment. He'd faked their deaths to the Centauri would ignore their disappearance as they were taken to other worlds for medical care and then sent elsewhere. Londo points out that Vir has abused his position, and now he has to cover it up before the scandal threatens both of them. But that leaves the issue of the Narn who attacked Vir.

In the garden, Vir contemplates his actions when Lyndisty appears. As they talk, her stance on Narns becomes clearer, and Vir realizes that she has a strong bigotry towards Narns. Then, she offers him something to cheer him up.

It turns out to be the other Narn. She had needed no help in capturing him, as it turns out she's a trained fighter who has her fair share of Narn kills under her belt. She had been particilatping in Narn culls and had killed the Narn's kin; the Shon'kar the Narn had declared had been against her. And now she offers Vir the Narn's life and a knife with which to finish the job as a testimony of their marriage.

Act VEdit

Back in his quarters, Londo explains all the favors he'd had to call in to cover up Vir's transgressions. Thankfully, it's not the first time it has happened, so Londo is able to deflect some of the blame to Minbari cultural influences. The whole incident is never to be spoken again. As it stands, he is being relieved of his ambassadorial position and recalled to B5. As for his arranged marriage, it's being postponed in light of Vir's minor loss of prestige (which is all they know of the affair). The hope is that Vir will recover from his misstep, allowing the marriage to go ahead.

Sheridan walks into C&C to discover Ivanova at his station...and using a picture of him doctored to make him look like a Centauri. It turns out she's fleshing out the identity of "Abrahamo Lincolni". While Londo knows of Vir's faking deaths to get injured Narns off-world, he doesn't know of Lincolni, and this gives B5 a valuable tool to funnel Narns away from Centauri control. Even if they can get a few off, it would still be a moral victory. More importantly, it gives Ivanova purpose again, allowing her to put her nightmares to rest. Sheridan jokingly assigns her the role of "sneak-in-residence".

Vir apoligizes to Lyndisty as she is about to leave. She kisses him again before leaving, and Vir admits to himself that relationships are bound to get rocky at times.

Memorable QuotesEdit

"I heard a funny joke today.

What is more dangerous than a room filled with angry Narns?"

"One....angry Narn...with a key!!!!!"

Minister Virini with Vir about a funny joke Edit

NotesEdit

Chief of Security Michael Garibaldi does not appear in this episode. This was to give actor Jerry Doyle additional time to recover from a broken wrist he suffered during filming of "Severed Dreams". The situation gave an opportunity to provide more screen time for Jeff Conaway (Zack Allan) in preparation for his promotion in season four.

DVD ReleaseEdit

This episode, along with the other 21 from Season 3 have been released on DVD with extensive Special Features.

External LinkEdit

Episode guide page for Sic Transit Vir at the Lurker's Guide

Babylon 5 Season 3 "Point of No Return"
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Wikia

Sic Transit Vir

Contents

CastEdit

Regular CastEdit

Guest StarringEdit

FeaturingEdit

Cast NotesEdit