312: A Late Delivery from Avalon
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First broadcast week of |
A new arrival on Babylon 5 claims he is Arthur, King of the Britons, and Franklin is worried about the state of his mental health. Garibaldi is also having difficulties obtaining a much-needed parcel of various foodstuffs from the Post Office. Marcus befriends "Arthur", discovering that he has come to the station because he feels he is needed. Escaping from MedLab, he sets off to right the wrongs of Down Below, with the help of G'Kar whom he dubs the Red Knight. Sheridan strikes a deal with most races of the League of Non-Aligned Worlds to maintain a joint defence of Babylon 5 from attack. Franklin discovers "Arthur's" true identity: David MacIntyre, a former Earthforce officer and gunner aboard the Prometheus. It was he who fired the first shot in the Earth-Minbari War, and now, on the fifteenth anniversary of its commencement, he has come to Babylon 5 to return Excalibur to the "lady of the lake": Delenn, in repentance for his guilt. Cured, he leaves for the Narn homeworld to join the resistance movement. Garibaldi blackmails the Post Office into giving him his parcel in return for not charging rent now that Babylon 5 is not Earth property.
Notes: Marcus likens the Babylon 5 crew to figures from the Arthurian legend: he is Galahad, Franklin is Bedevere, Sheridan is Arthur, the Council is their own Round Table - but, he asks, who is Morgana Le Fay? The answer is revealed in Shadow Dancing / Z'ha'dum. The flashback of MacIntyre firing the first shot in the Earth-Minbari War is seen again in In the Beginning. Alternatively, flashbacks to the Battle of the Line seen here were first seen in And the Sky Full of Stars. Reference is made to Sebastian (Comes the Inquisitor) when the crew consider if MacIntyre is the real Arthur, kidnapped by the Vorlons.
The soundtrack of this episode is available on CD.
Guest Cast: Michael York appears as Arthur/MacIntyre. He is a renowned British actor whose credits include Logan's Run, The Island of Doctor Moreau, Cabaret and the Austin Powers movies.
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