Babylon 5/Recap/S01/E04 Infection

Season 1, Episode 4:

Infection
"We have to stay here and there's a simple reason why. Ask ten different scientists about the environment, population control, genetics and you'll get ten different answers, but there's one thing every scientist on the planet agrees on. Whether it happens in a hundred years or a thousand years or a million years, eventually our Sun will grow cold and go out. When that happens, it won't just take us. It'll take Marilyn Monroe and Lao-Tzu, Einstein, Morobuto, Buddy Holly, Aristophanes .. and all of this .. all of this was for nothing unless we go to the stars."

- Commander Jeffrey Sinclair

-

It is the second anniversary since Babylon 5 became operational despite the doubts and the naysayers. A young reporter has come to the station to cover the event. Meanwhile, Doctor Franklin gets a visit from His old professor, Dr. Hendricks, who comes with an interesting offer. He has acquired some old technology from a planet called Ikarra VII that he asks Franklin to scan, which reveals veins, capillaries, and traces of DNA. It is an organic device, a level of technology only dreamed of by Earth scientists. He offers to bring Franklin in on the project which will surely put him in the history books.

What Franklin does not know is that the devices are being smuggled onto the station, and that some of them are beginning to activate. The man doing the smuggling, Nelson Drake, who has already killed a dockworker for trying to inspect his cargo is beginning to be affected by the devices.

The body of the dead dockworker is being autopsied, but there is no indication of anything strange yet. All indications are of death by natural causes.

Fifteen hours into their studies, Franklin is beginning to have reservations, questioning what they will do with the technology of they figure it out, and expressing more misgivings over how it was acquired, saying it felt like grave-robbing. While they do this, Nelson begins changing into some...thing. He goes to Medlab and shoots Franklin, saying "Protect!"as he does.

Sinclair and Garibaldi come to see how Franklin is doing and he tells them about the organic devices. When Garibaldi asks why they weren't quarantined, Franklin can only say he thought they had been.

In the meantime, Nelson begins rampaging through Downbelow, killing those he comes across. Eventually, he begins heading toward the main corridor.

Franklin examines the devices and finds a data cache. The information reveals that the battle suit that is controlling Nelson was created to protect the Ikarrans from foreign threats, so they programmed them to only accept commands from a "pure Ikarrans". As a result, the weapon would not accept commands from anyone and wound up destroying the entire population.

With this knowledge, Sinclair decides to appeal to the personality of the weapon's creator. After a long confrontation, he persuades it to look into Nelson's memories, and see the planet devoid of life. The creature falls into despair and pulls the center device from its chest. After that it reverts back to Nelson Drake.

After the incident has passed, Franklin confronts Dr. Hendricks, who admits that he was going to sell the devices to arms manufacturers once he confirmed that they were weapons. He says that there is still time to make a fortune on them, but Franklin has already turned him in.

Shortly after, two officers from Earthforce arrive to take possession of the weapons.

This episode contains examples of:

 * A Nazi by Any Other Name: Sinclair compares the Ikarrans' idea of a pure Ikarran to the theories of the Aryan Nation.
 * Death Seeker: Garibaldi is beginning to think Sinclair is one. Specifically, he's looking for a Dying Moment of Awesome.
 * Early Installment Weirdness: This episode was apparently influenced by the thought that they needed to make the show appeal to Star Trek fans. Fortunately they abandoned that train of thought fairly quickly.
 * Foreshadowing: Franklin mentions that pro-Earth hate groups are becoming more prominent.
 * This episode is also the first one to mention the war a thousand years ago.
 * I Shall Taunt You: Sinclair decides to lead the Ikarran into the docking area by making it mad.
 * Lost Technology
 * Million-to-One Chance: The station's chances for survival were not optimistic.
 * My God, What Have I Done?: Sinclair persuades the Ikarran to look into Drake's memories and see what has become of Ikarra, at which point it falls to its knees begging for forgiveness.
 * Not Listening to Me, Are You?: Stephen gets so absorbed in the research that Hendricks tries to draw him out with the statement, "There's a Martian war machine parked outside; they'd like a word with you about the common cold".
 * Omnicidal Maniac: The result of wearing the suit.
 * Powered Armor: A biological one, but it's still powered armor.
 * Screw the Money, I Have Rules: When Franklin turns in his old professor, rather than accept his offer.
 * Talking the Monster to Death: Leads to the My God, What Have I Done? moment above.
 * Thrown Out the Airlock: Was the intention but Sinclair manages to make it back down.
 * War Is Hell: The Ikarrans were invaded numerous times before they came up with the protectors. Garibaldi also discusses this with Sinclair, specifically the effect the Minbari War had on some people.