512: Phoenix Rising

Directed by
David J. Eagle

First broadcast week of
1 April 1998

Garibaldi confronts Bester in an attempt to force him to admit to his brainwashing - however, Bester is not bowed by Garibaldi's threats and informs him that any attempt by Garibaldi on his life will be unsuccessful due to a telepathic over-ride he has stored in his mind.  Byron tells Lyta why he is on the run from the Psi Cops: he used to be one of them, until the time he was forced to destroy a ship full of mundanes who were smuggling rogue telepaths.  Garibaldi and Franklin are caught in MedLab when a group of telepaths blockade themselves inside and refuse to negotiate.  Byron emerges from Down Below to end the siege - agreeing to Sheridan's demands to surrender those of his people who were directly responsible for the recent violence, in return for letting the innocent ones go free.  When Bester's men arrive on the scene a shoot-out begins and Byrons says goodbye to Lyta before he sacrifices himself in a chemical explosion to avoid being taken by the Psi Corps.  Lyta assures the remaining telepaths that she will carry on Byron's legacy as he intended.  Garibaldi begins to drown his sorrows in a bottle of liquor...

Notes: Byron is revealed to be a former Psi Cop, interned to Bester (their prior relationship was hinted at in Strange Relations, and seen in the novel Deadly Relations).  Garibaldi refers to his conditioning by Bester, seen in Whatever Happened to Mr Garibaldi? and The Face of the Enemy.  Garibaldi's former drinking problem was first raised in Survivors, and continues to build throughout this season.  The siege in MedLab was the scene played out from the "flashback" in The Deconstruction of Falling Stars.  Byron sings a line from the song the telepaths were singing in Strange Relations.

Bester calls his mind block on Garibaldi an "Asimov", referring to Isaac Asimov's Laws of Robotics defined in his literary works.

Guest Cast: Walter Koenig returns as Bester.