201: Points of Departure

Nine days have passed since President Santiago's death, and everything has gone to hell.  Commander Sinclair has been recalled to Earth; Delenn is still in her cocoon; Garibaldi is still unconscious in MedLab; and Captain John Sheridan of the Agamemnon is ordered by General Hague to take command of Babylon 5.  Sheridan, dubbed "Star Killer" by the Minbari, is a human war hero, being the only officer to successfully destroy a Minbari cruiser during the war - which makes the Minbari very unhappy with his appointment.  Sheridan is warned to beware of the Trigati, a Minbari ship whose commanding officer committed suicide rather than surrender to the humans, which has been missing since the war ended.  Grey Council envoy Hedronn warns Sheridan of possible hostility from the ship's current commander, Kalain, who has been seen on Babylon 5 - and, in protest against the Grey Council, heads straight for Delenn's quarters in an attempt to assassinate her.

Lennier finally reveals to Sheridan the reason for the surrender at the Battle of the Line: the Minbari believe that when their bodies die, their souls are reborn.  For the last thousand years the "soul pool" has been diminishing, and it was only during the Battle of the Line, upon scanning Sinclair, that the Minbari learned their souls are being reborn in humans.  Rather than harm their own souls, the Minbari surrendered, and kept the reasons secret because of the repercussions they could face from both sides.  Sinclair has been permanently reassigned as the first human Ambassador to Minbar.  After Kalain kills himself in custody to make it appear the humans were responsible, the Trigati prepares to fight back until Sheridan realizes that they, far from home and at the end of their exile, actually want to be destroyed and refuses to fall for the ruse.  The ship self-destructs rather than allowing itself to be captured.

Notes: The full story of Sinclair's position on Minbar is revealed in The Coming of Shadows, and the comic strip The Price of Peace follows Sinclair during the transfer.  The Minbari/human souls thread is further explained in War Without End, Atonement and In the Beginning.  Lennier, talking to Delenn's cocoon, talks about the prophecy of humans and Minbari uniting to fight against the darkness.

This episode was originally entitled Chrysalis, Part II.

Guest Cast: Robin Sachs makes his first appearance as Hedronn. Robert Foxworth also makes his first appearance as General Hague.