Babylon 5/Tropes Q to Z: Difference between revisions

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** Also Charles Dexter, the Black Rose Killer, AKA {{spoiler|Brother Edward.}}

* [[Serious Business]]: Drazi politics.

{{quote| ''Green.''~~ ~~

{{quote|''Green.''

'''''[[What Do You Mean It's Not Heinous?|Purple]]''''' }}

* [[Sham Ceremony]]: {{spoiler|President Clark}}'s installation ceremony.

* [[Shame If Something Happened]]: Refa to Londo, after the latter voices his disgust at the [[Witch Hunt]] perpetrated on his Urza Jaddo.

** Also Londo to Lyta

{{quote| ''I understand the Psi Corps is looking for you. I would hate it if they were to find you here.''}}

{{quote|''I understand the Psi Corps is looking for you. I would hate it if they were to find you here.''}}

* [[He Knows Too Much|She Knows Too Much]]: Despite intentionally leaving Talia alive as a witness, Abel Horn is later ordered to terminate her after she scans his mind.

* [[Shell Game]]: The literal shell game is seen in "Soul Hunter", where a hustler tries it on in Downbelow and gets knifed by a suspicious mark.

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** Much later on, Sheridan finds himself trapped in one by an Earth Force torturer, not as the torture implement itself, but as a way [[Restraining Bolt|to show that he can't attack him]] if unchained.

* [[Shoot Out the Lock]]: Sheridan [[Averted Trope|advises against it]]: The door his opponents are trapped behind is made of an alloy immune to PPG blasts.

* [[Shout-Out]]: In one of President Clark's propaganda moves, he has ISN and a psychiatrist make up Mimbari War Syndrome, which is similar to [[Die Hard|Helsinki Syndrome]].

** The PSI corps greeting [[The Prisoner|"Be seeing you"]], complete with the eye-in-the-forhead gesture.

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* [[Something That Begins With Boring]]: Marcus and Franklin on the way to Mars.

** Leading to this [[Crowning Moment of Funny|hilarious]] exchange:

{{quote| '''Marcus:''' I spy with my little eye, something that begins with "E."~~ ~~

{{quote|'''Marcus:''' I spy with my little eye, something that begins with "E."

'''Franklin:''' What? No...not...~~ ~~

'''Franklin:''' What? No...not...

'''Marcus and Franklin:''' Even more boxes. (forced laughter)~~ ~~

'''Marcus and Franklin:''' Even more boxes. (forced laughter)

'''Franklin:''' And that's when I shot him, Your Honor. }}

* [[Soundtrack Dissonance]]: Lord Refa is brutally (and deservedly) murdered to the sounds of a gospel chorus. Doubles as [[Crowning Music of Awesome]].

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** Also, it is generally accepted as fact that anybody who goes to Z'Ha'Dum never comes back. {{spoiler|It gradually becomes apparent that this isn't entirely true, though it is very likely that you will not come back ''unchanged''.}}

* [[Stiff Upper Lip]]: Lennier's dryness and calmness sometimes give the impression of this.

{{quote| Initiating the "getting the hell out of here manuever".}}

{{quote|Initiating the "getting the hell out of here manuever".}}

* [[Stealth Hi Bye]]: Mr Morden pulls one on Londo at the end of "Signs and Portents".

* [[Stealth in Space]]: The Minbari warships have some kind of electronic countermeasure that prevents Earther ships from being able to get a solid lock on them. Sheridan intentionally has the White Star fleet go without their stealth systems running during the {{spoiler|Earth Alliance Civil War}} in order to show his opponents that he isn't just trying to slaughter them.

** The Vorlons are able to ''fold Hyperspace in on itself'', creating pockets that are nigh-impossible for the younger races to locate.

* [[Stealth Insult]]: Londo tells one of Emperor Cartagia's ministers that when he previously met the man, he was an infant, drooling on himself, and later a teenager trying to peek up girl's skirts...

{{quote| '''Cartagia''': Ah, Molari! It's wonderful to see you again!~~ ~~

{{quote|'''Cartagia''': Ah, Molari! It's wonderful to see you again!

'''Londo''': And you, Your Majesty, I could swear you have not changed since the last few times I saw you. *smirk*~~ ~~

'''Londo''': And you, Your Majesty, I could swear you have not changed since the last few times I saw you. *smirk*

''Cartagia's minister rolls his eyes'' }}

* [[Drugs Are Bad|Stims Are Bad]]

* [[Street Urchin]]: Alisa Beldon, when we first meet her.

* [[Stop Helping Me!]]: When Vir becomes the Centauri Ambassador to Minbar, Londo keeps offering him advice on how to phrase his reports, much to Vir's chagrin.

{{quote| '''Londo:''' Say instead "They are a decadent people, interested only in the pursuit of...of dubious pleasures." The "dubious" part is very important. It doesn't mean anything, but it scares them every time.}}

{{quote|'''Londo:''' Say instead "They are a decadent people, interested only in the pursuit of...of dubious pleasures." The "dubious" part is very important. It doesn't mean anything, but it scares them every time.}}

* [[Subliminal Seduction]]: "THE PSI CORPS IS YOUR FRIEND. TRUST THE CORPS."

* [[Subspace Ansible]]: Tachyon relays.

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* [[Tasty Gold]]: Somebody in a low dive in Downbelow tests a coin this way in "Survivors".

* [[Tattooed Crook]]: The thug in "Survivors".

{{quote| '''Garibaldi:''' All that tattooing seeping into your brain? You think I have nothing better to do than bust you every few days?}}

{{quote|'''Garibaldi:''' All that tattooing seeping into your brain? You think I have nothing better to do than bust you every few days?}}

* [[Team Handstack]]: In "TKO", Walker Smith, Garibaldi, and Caliban do one before Walker goes into the ring. (Caliban gives the other two a "what is this strange earthling custom?" look before he joins in.)

* [[Technology Marches On]]: The thick digital tablets used by the station personnel might have looked futuristic in the mid 90's when the show was produced. Also, the [[Snowy Screen of Death|snowy static]] shown on a screen whenever a camera is taken out is jarring if you are used to modern screens that simply switch to a blank black or blue screen when their signal is lost.

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* [[Third Person Person]]: Zathras.

* [[This Is the Part Where]]: The assassin in "The Parliament of Dreams":

{{quote| '''Assassin:''' ''([[Sarcastic Clapping|claps sarcastically]])'' And this is the part where I'm supposed to decide I trust you, drop my guard, and let you shoot me in the back. Sorry.}}

{{quote|'''Assassin:''' ''([[Sarcastic Clapping|claps sarcastically]])'' And this is the part where I'm supposed to decide I trust you, drop my guard, and let you shoot me in the back. Sorry.}}

* [[This Means War]]: "The Coming of Shadows" inaugurates an all-out war between the Centauri Republic and the Narn.

* [[This Was His True Form]]: The end of "Infection" plays out like this for the guy taken over by [[The Corruption]] {{spoiler|though it's quickly established that he's only unconscious, not dead}}. Notable because it's a supposedly sciency weapon, and it took hours to transform him into the monstrous form, but once it leaves him he's back to normal in seconds, just like magic.

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* [[Trigger Phrase]]: Lyta's "password" for uncovering the Psi Corps agent among Sheridan's ranks.

* [[Truce Zone]]: The Babylon stations were all built to be this. So much for that idea.

{{quote| "The Babylon project was our last, best hope for peace. It failed. But in the year of the Shadow war, it became something greater - our last, best hope for victory". }}

{{quote|"The Babylon project was our last, best hope for peace. It failed. But in the year of the Shadow war, it became something greater - our last, best hope for victory". }}

* [[Trust Password]]: In "A Late Delivery From Avalon", a deluded man claiming to be King Arthur gets into a scuffle with station guards. Marcus decides to put his accent to good use, bowing before "Arthur" and claiming that Galahad and Lancelot are onboard, as well. "Arthur's" face [[Subverted Trope|immediately darkens]]; Galahad and Lancelot died at the Battle of Camlann!

* [[Trying to Catch Me Fighting Dirty]]: Sheridan's famous victory against the Minbari flagship, ''Drala Fi'' ("Black Star" in English), by converting an [[Asteroid Thicket]] into a makeshift minefield. The Minbari didn't appreciate this little improvisation, despite the unlikelihood of an Earthforce ship being able to take out a Minbari warcruiser in a ''fair'' fight. Instead, Sheridan was labeled "Starkiller" and smeared throughout Minbar as a [[The Butcher|butcher]] and coward.

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** Characters are repeatedly being described as having "Gone beyond the Rim" when the actor playing them dies. This is most noticeable in {{spoiler|G'Kar}} who continued to be a prominent character even after the show ended until the actor playing him died of lung cancer.

** Many aliens seem to have a habit of saying "As the humans say" before using a well known Earth expression. Or occasionally massacring it, for [[Rule of Funny|the funny]].

{{quote| Londo: "I feel like I'm...what are those Earth creatures? Webbed feet, goes 'quack'?~~ ~~

{{quote|Londo: "I feel like I'm...what are those Earth creatures? Webbed feet, goes 'quack'?

Vir: "Cats!"~~ ~~

Vir: "Cats!"

Londo: "Yes. I feel like I'm being nibbled to death by cats!" }}

** Sheridan: "Well, as my great granddad used to say, cool"

** A more literal example, Vir's "Spoo-for-brains"

** In the first season, "stroke" is occasionally used basically as a substitute for "fuck" (with "stroke" presumably referring to masturbation). This doesn't really appear again afterwards, except in the episode "Gropos":

{{quote| '''Sergeant-Major''': Where the strokin' H do you think you're going, private?}}

{{quote|'''Sergeant-Major''': Where the strokin' H do you think you're going, private?}}

** In at least one instance, a character refers to himself as being "honked off."

** And there's Sheridan's exclamation of "Abso-fraggin-lutely!" Delenn repeats it in a later episode, in an inapppropriate but hilarious fashion.

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* [[Voice of the Resistance]]: [[Trope Namer]].

* [[Volleying Insults]]: In "Convictions", Londo and G'Kar are trapped in an elevator. They exchange a final volley of insults as a rescue crew approaches -- much to G'Kar's annoyance, as he'd seen the incident as a chance to watch Londo die without political reprisals.

{{quote| '''Londo:''' There, you see? I am going to ''live''!~~ ~~

{{quote|'''Londo:''' There, you see? I am going to ''live''!

'''G'kar:''' So it would seem. Well, it ''is'' an imperfect universe.~~ ~~

'''G'kar:''' So it would seem. Well, it ''is'' an imperfect universe.

'''Londo:''' Bastard.~~ ~~

'''Londo:''' Bastard.

'''G'kar:''' Monster.~~ ~~

'''G'kar:''' Monster.

'''Londo:''' Fanatic!~~ ~~

'''Londo:''' Fanatic!

'''G'kar:''' ''Murderer.''~~ ~~

'''G'kar:''' ''Murderer.''

'''Londo:''' [[You're Insane!|You are insane!]]

'''G'kar:''' And ''that'' is why we'll win.

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* [[Warts and All]]:

** Played in a heartwarming manner between Lennier and Delenn in ''Atonement'':

{{quote| Delenn, I have pledged myself to your side... come fire or storm or darkness or death. Can understanding be a greater danger?}}

{{quote|Delenn, I have pledged myself to your side... come fire or storm or darkness or death. Can understanding be a greater danger?}}

** Also from Vir to Londo although Londo's warts were more obvious.

* [[We Are Everywhere]]: Played for laughs ([[Nightmare Fuel|sort of]]) in a televised Psi Corps recruitment ad.

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{{quote|{{spoiler|I'm Anna Sheridan. John's wife.}}|{{spoiler|Note- this is while Delenn is spending the (first) night with John.}}}}

** The last line of ''Comes The Inquisitor'':

{{quote| '''Sebastian:''' Good luck to you in your holy cause, Captain Sheridan. May your choices have better results than mine. Remembered not as a messenger, remembered not as a reformer, not as a prophet, not as a hero, not even as Sebastian... Remembered only... {{spoiler|[[Jack the Ripper|as "Jack."]]}}}}

{{quote|'''Sebastian:''' Good luck to you in your holy cause, Captain Sheridan. May your choices have better results than mine. Remembered not as a messenger, remembered not as a reformer, not as a prophet, not as a hero, not even as Sebastian... Remembered only... {{spoiler|[[Jack the Ripper|as "Jack."]]}}}}

** From ''Atonement'', via [[Flash Back]]:

{{quote| '''{{spoiler|Satai Delenn}}:''' Animals! Brutal! [[Berserk Button|They deserve no mercy!]] Strike them down, follow them back to their base and [[Disproportionate Retribution|kill all of them, all of them!]] ''[[Disproportionate Retribution|No mercy!]]''}}

{{quote|'''{{spoiler|Satai Delenn}}:''' Animals! Brutal! [[Berserk Button|They deserve no mercy!]] Strike them down, follow them back to their base and [[Disproportionate Retribution|kill all of them, all of them!]] ''[[Disproportionate Retribution|No mercy!]]''}}

* [[What Could Have Been]]: The role of Knight Two in "And the Sky Full of Stars" was originally offered to [[The Prisoner|Patrick McGoohan]] (who couldn't fit it into his filming schedule) and then [[Walter Koenig]] (who was too ill to take it). Koenig, of course, was [[Happy Ending|later cast as Alfred Bester]].

* [[What Could Possibly Go Wrong?]]: Nice one, Sheridan.

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** For that matter, why do people keep insisting on naming ships Marie Celeste?

* [[What Do You Mean It's Not Awesome?]]: Londo stabbing a bug in his quarters with an antique Centauri knife.

{{quote| "'''THIS''' will teach you to trifle with the Centauri!"}}

{{quote|"'''THIS''' will teach you to trifle with the Centauri!"}}

* [[What Do You Mean It's Not Heinous?]]: Earth Gov trying to make Sheridan pay fifty credits a month rent for his spacious quarters, which appear to be larger than many apartments on Earth.

** Sheridan claims that it's not the money, it's the principle of the thing. If he lets the bureaucrats back on Earth get a toe in the door, then they'll start micromanaging his job until he can't wipe his nose without a countersigned order.

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* [[What Measure Is a Non-Cute?]]: Spoo. The Interstellar Animals Rights Protection League's official policy on the treatment of spoo is "Kill 'em.".

* [[What You Are in the Dark]]: Sebastian's inquisition is about establishing what Delenn {{spoiler|and Sheridan}} are in the dark, as the answer to this question is of vital importance to the Vorlons. When he's satisfied that they measures up he gives a rather epic speech on the topic.

{{quote| How do you know the Chosen Ones? No greater love hath a man than he lay down his life for his brother. Not for millions. Not for glory, not for fame... For one person. In the dark. Where no one will ever know or see.}}

{{quote|How do you know the Chosen Ones? No greater love hath a man than he lay down his life for his brother. Not for millions. Not for glory, not for fame... For one person. In the dark. Where no one will ever know or see.}}

* [[What Happened to the Mouse?]]:

** The character of Lennier abruptly departs from the show in the penultimate episode. He is the only major character whose fate at the end of the series remains unknown.

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* [[Who Wants to Live Forever?]]:

** Lorien explains to Susan that he and his race were born naturally immortal.

{{quote| '''Lorien:''' At first we were kept in balance by birth rate. Few of us were ever born, less than a handful each year. Then I think, the Universe decided that to appreciate life, for there to be change and growth, life had to be short. So, the generations that followed us grew old, infirm, and died. But those of us who were first, went on. We discovered the Vorlons and the Shadows when they were infant races and nourished them, helped them and all the other races you call the First Ones. In time, most of them died, or passed beyond the rim to whatever lies in the darkness between galaxies. We've lived too long, seen too much. To live on as we have is to leave behind joy and love and companionship, because we know it to be transitory, of the moment. We know it will turn to ash. Only those whose lives are brief can imagine that love is eternal. You should embrace that remarkable illusion, it may be the greatest gift your race has ever received.}}

{{quote|'''Lorien:''' At first we were kept in balance by birth rate. Few of us were ever born, less than a handful each year. Then I think, the Universe decided that to appreciate life, for there to be change and growth, life had to be short. So, the generations that followed us grew old, infirm, and died. But those of us who were first, went on. We discovered the Vorlons and the Shadows when they were infant races and nourished them, helped them and all the other races you call the First Ones. In time, most of them died, or passed beyond the rim to whatever lies in the darkness between galaxies. We've lived too long, seen too much. To live on as we have is to leave behind joy and love and companionship, because we know it to be transitory, of the moment. We know it will turn to ash. Only those whose lives are brief can imagine that love is eternal. You should embrace that remarkable illusion, it may be the greatest gift your race has ever received.}}

** Subverted in "Deathwalker", when a war-criminal creates a serum for immortality. Every government wants it for themselves. The catch: for the serum to work for one individual, certain components which can't be produced artificially must be extracted from another member of the same race, a process which is fatal to the other person. She intends for the billions who will die for the immortality of others as revenge for the defeat and extermination of her people in a previous war. Even knowing this, Sinclair and the others can't stop her from walking away unharmed. {{spoiler|Then the Vorlons blow up her ship with her and her serum in it.}}

* [[Who Watches the Watchmen?]]: Actually, nobody monitors Psi-Corps.

* [[Will Not Tell a Lie]]: The Minbari like to think of themselves as this, but it's at best an [[Informed Attribute]]. Their definition of 'lie' is extremely flexible. Notably it doesn't include lying to save another person's honour (which forms the basis of the plot of the second season episode "There All The Honour Lies") or lying by omission. And some Minbari characters, including Delenn who is easily the most prominent one on the show, just plain ''ignore'' this supposedly deeply ingrained aspect of their culture; one fan quipped on Usenet that "the way to tell whether Delenn is lying is to check whether her mouth is moving", and no-one (including JMS, then a regular contributor to that newsgroup) disagreed.