508: Secrets of the Soul

Franklin, compiling his database on inter-species diseases, approaches the Hyach ambassador to acquire their medical histories.  Confused by the fact that the records only seem to date back about eight hundred years, Franklin does some more research and discovers that the Hyach and the Hyach-doh were a parallel-evolved species and that the Hyach-doh were wiped out in racial purity wars.  As a result the Hyach are dying, robbed of the genetic balance their evolution with the Hyach-doh seemed to give them.  Meanwhile, Byron is trying to stop his group from revenge-killing a thug in Down Below, but fails and he is beaten to death.  Zack imprisons Byron for the crime.  After he is released, Lyta tries to comfort him, and they make love - Byron willing to endure the surprises the Vorlons have left deep inside Lyta's mind.  He sees an image of Lyta and millions of other alien foetuses growing in tubes, and determines that as the telepaths were created by the Vorlons to fight the Shadows, the telepaths deserve a better life among the mundanes - and is ready to try and make the mundanes realize their plight.

Notes: Talia Winters mentioned the process of telepath love-making in Mind War.  We first discovered Lyta's "conditioning" by the Vorlons in Passing Through Gethsemane.

This episode was written as a replacement for one by Peter David and Bill (Lennier) Mumy, Dying to be Heard, which involved Londo's successor as Ambassador.