417: The Face of the Enemy

More Earthforce ships join the campaign against Clark, once Sheridan convinces them that his actions are not misguided.  The Agamemnon joins the fleet and Sheridan is pleased to have the opportunity to visit his old crew.  Franklin and Lyta arrive on Mars, where Number One and the resistance are wary of having Lyta - and the shipment of telepaths - around.  Garibaldi has managed to take Sheridan's father into custody and sets up a meeting with Sheridan... where he is tranquilized, and finally falls to be captured by Clark's agents.

William Edgars finally tells Garibaldi his plan - a drug he has invented that harms only telepaths, along with an antidote, in order to prevent them from proliferating and eventually becoming "higher class" citizens.  Garibaldi is met by Bester, who reveals he was behind Garibaldi's "conditioning" when he was turned over to the Psi Cops after his capture by the Shadows.  He implanted Garibaldi with the notion that his commanding officers were no longer to be trusted, and was using him to gather information.  With the knowledge of Edgars' intentions, Bester arranges to have him and his colleagues killed.  Only Lise Hampton appears to have escaped the massacre.  Bester releases Garibaldi, leaving him with the memories of his actions intact.  Ivanova takes charge of the fleet, and when she hears about Garibaldi's betrayal she orders the station staff to shoot him on sight.

Notes: Lyta mentions her fears about a war between telepaths and "mundanes" (see also Rising Star).  Bester's involvement with Garibaldi's conditioning was first hinted at in Epiphanies and Moments of Transition - but we could see Psi Corps were involved when he was first captured (Whatever Happened to Mr Garibaldi?).

The soundtrack of this episode is available on CD.

Guest Cast: Walter Koenig returns as Bester; Efram Zimbalist Jr as William Edgars; Mark Schneider as Wade (Racing Mars, Conflicts of Interest); Denise Gentile as Lise Hampton-Edgars; Marjorie Monaghan as Number One; and Richard Gant as Captain Edward Macdougan (No Surrender, No Retreat).  Series conceptual consultant Harlan Ellison makes a cameo as one of the Psi Cops present at Garibaldi's capture.  David Purdham makes his first appearance as Captain James (Between the Darkness and the Light, Endgame).