B5 - Episode 1x02 - Soul Hunter

[nymeria_dw]

Weird, weird episode...

A strange, badly damaged ship approaches the station: its occupant is the member of an alien species called Soul Hunters. Their goal is to collect special souls at the moment of death, thus preserving the knowledge and wisdom of the deceased forever.   

Babylon5's creator, JMS, is a declared atheist – and yet during the run of the five seasons there are many instances where he tackles the subject of spirituality and religious beliefs. What's interesting – and thought provoking – is that he never tries to find answers, but simply to drive his viewers to think. This episode is one of those instances.

What is the soul? We encounter Dr. Franklin's scientific skepticism when he thinks that a personality might be stored into some sort of matrix, yet he doesn't seem too convinced of the possibility. We see Commander Sinclair's openness to any theory and Ambassador Delenn's firm conviction that the soul exists and that it can be re-incarnated in a new body, so preserving the wisdom of a previous generation for the future ones.

The last  scene of the episode, where we see Delenn freeing the captive souls stolen by the Hunter, is a very intriguing one: no matter our personal beliefs, that wisp of... something coming out of the sphere and blowing through the wind-chimes is a powerful image.

Besides these deep considerations, just as important are the first inklings about a bigger picture: Delenn is not just a minor functionary invested with ambassadorial duties, she once belonged to the Minbari ruling body. The first question would of course be "what is she doing here, and why?", and it is compounded by what the Soul Hunter says to Sinclair, "They're using you!"   Add to this the discovery that Delenn must be planning something (again, the Hunter sees the plan as he attempts her soul's transfer) and we have the first pieces of a puzzle, a very complex and intriguing one.

"Soul Hunter" is very much about Delenn, and the Minbari: the Ambassador played a very minor role in the opening episode, but here she's at the forefront of it all, first when she recognizes the new arrival for what he is and then for her very uncharacteristic show of aggressiveness. We can see how Sinclair is taken aback by it, and so are viewers: Minbari appear as very spiritual, very "new age" characters, and here for the first time is revealed their dual nature and their capacity for violence.

The background tapestry becomes richer with the further details delivered by this episode: the blame for the war between Humans and Minbari seems to fall on Earth's shoulders – the Hunter says to Sinclair: "Your fault, your war", and reminds him that in that moment the greatest Minbari leader lost his life, and that Delenn was there.  At this point  these might look like minute details, but once they can be viewed in the right perspective they will take on a powerful meaning.  It *is* so difficult to try and avoid spoilers....

And on that note, just one quote, but a very important one:

Soul Hunter: Minbari: pale, bloodless. Look in their eyes and see nothing but mirrors, infinities of reflection.

Great line – pity that my lips are sealed....

Comments

[diarmi.livejournal.com]

Oh, you managed to see so much in this episode! I'm not a fan, definitely every episode without Londo or G'Kar automatically goes down in quality :) And Delenn is so unnaturally hysterical here, from my point of view rather out of character, even considering how serious soul stealing is for Minbari. Though yeah - there's some stuff hinting to lots of secrets and spoilers.

The last scene of the episode, where we see Delenn freeing the captive souls stolen by the Hunter, is a very intriguing one: no matter our personal beliefs, that wisp of... something coming out of the sphere and blowing through the wind-chimes is a powerful image.

That's what it was? I mean - I've been always wondering about this scene because for me it usually looks like she's playing with those "souls", there's not actual proof that they... go away, wherever they should go... ? ;)

Random thoughts:
- Franklin arriving to B5 is so excited to be there,
- I like how dirty some sections of B5 are, it adds nice reality,
- I like the burial into the sun and this whole scene.

[nymeria-55.livejournal.com]

Agreed on the strange behavior by Delenn: of course they were all beginning to understand their characters, so we can give them some room to... grow :-)
But it annoyed me a little, as well...


I've been always wondering about this scene because for me it usually looks like she's playing with those "souls
That's the way I see it - and I might be wrong: but earlier on Delenn made it quite clear she thought souls had to complete their journey of re-incarnation in the next generation. So freeing them meant for her letting them out of an unnatural prison. My 2 cents... :-)

The dirty sections of Down Below are indeed slums, so it's right to expect some dirt and generally bad living conditions. That's what I love about JMS's writing, his adherence to truth, without the slightest hint of utopia.

As for the burial in space, it made me think - of course - of a similar moment in season 3, when the coffins will be many more... :-(

And take heart! Next one is a Londo episode, and one of my favorites :-)

Thanks for stopping by! *wave*