306: Dust to Dust

As Londo welcomes Vir back from Minbar, the War Council debates their options over the imminent arrival of Psi Cop Bester.  His mind-scanning abilities could endanger the "conspiracy of light", but Sheridan refuses to allow Ivanova to shoot down his ship.  Delenn offers an alternative: a group of Minbari telepaths to block his scans, until he agrees to take a drug to suppress his powers.  He reluctantly chooses the latter option, and informs the crew of the presence of "Dust", a drug which increases the telepathic ability of humans, and may now be circulating amongst the aliens on the station.

As Garibaldi and Bester track down the dealers, G'Kar seeks it for himself and for the telepathically-challenged Narn.  He takes some and goes on a rampage, heading straight for Londo Mollari.  Invading Londo's mind, he sees his alliances with the Shadows, and his part in the conquest of Narn - before receiving something of a revelation, unaware that in reality it is Kosh contacting him.  Believing he has been blessed, he accepts a 60-day prison sentence for his actions and to consider his new calling.

Notes: Psi Corps themselves created the Dust to produce new telepaths among the normal population but so far it has proven ineffective; Dust was mentioned previously in Hunter, Prey.  Bester lets slip that Talia Winters was "dissected" for experimentation - her conditioning was unknown to him (Divided Loyalties).  The lack of telepaths amongst the Narn was first mentioned in The Gathering and is explored later in Ship of Tears.

Whilst inside Londo's mind, G'Kar sees the truth behind his appointment to Babylon 5 (it was originally considered a joke by the Centauri); Londo discussing the attacks on the Narn with Morden (Revelations); Londo's dream of his death (Midnight on the Firing Line, The Coming of Shadows, War Without End, Part II); the hand reaching from the sun (The Geometry of Shadows); and the arrival of the Shadows on Centauri Prime (The Coming of Shadows, The Hour of the Wolf).  G'Kar also sees his own father's death by being tied to a tree - as described in And Now For a Word.  Kosh's comment to G'Kar - "I have always been here" - was used previously in All Alone in the Night and Matters of Honor, and heard again in Interludes and Examinations and In the Beginning.

Guest Cast: Walter Koenig returns as Bester.  Jim Norton appears as the Narn in G'Kar's vision - he previously appeared as Ombuds Wellington (Grail, The Quality of Mercy) and Lazarenn (Confessions and Lamentations).  Judy Levitt also appears as a Psi Cop - she is Walter Koenig's wife and appeared with him in A Race Through Dark Places.