Ceremonies of Light and Dark
Encyclopedia
"Ceremonies of Light and Dark" is an episode from the third season of the science fiction television series Babylon 5
.
target Delenn
.
Delenn attempts to repeat the Rebirth Ceremony first seen in "The Parliament of Dreams
".
Londo Mollari tells Lord Refa
to break his ties with the Shadows and reduce the number of border wars the Centauri
are currently involved in. To ensure compliance, Londo slips Refa one half of a binary poison and explains to Refa that should he continue, he will be secretly given the second half of the poison.
) is an artificial intelligence
personality that was originally installed into the Babylon 5 computer as construction on the station was being finished and the station went on-line. Engineers decided to try having a computer with a personality run the station, but they quickly shut the program down after realizing that the artificial personality wasn't working correctly.
Since that time the personality had lain dormant in the Babylon 5 computer
systems. Sparky the Computer was not removed from the system and was quickly forgotten. Sparky reemerged just after Babylon 5 declared independence from Earth while Michael Garibaldi
and the command staff were working to replace all the system pass codes to keep Earth from locking them out of their own computers. When all the password changes had been implemented, the computer was shut down and rebooted. Once it came back up Sparky's personality was on line, something Garibaldi quickly realized when the computer testily asked him what he wanted.
For the next several hours Sparky kept talking to Garibaldi, greatly annoying the security chief. Finally in frustration Garibaldi shot out one of the computer speakers just so he wouldn't have to listen to Sparky any more. The technicians were able to purge Sparky the Computer from the Babylon 5 computer systems shortly afterwards.
Babylon 5
Babylon 5 is an American science fiction television series created, produced and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. The show centers on a space station named Babylon 5: a focal point for politics, diplomacy, and conflict during the years 2257–2262...
.
Synopsis
Undercover members of the NightwatchNightwatch (Babylon 5)
In the Babylon 5 science fiction universe, Nightwatch was an Earth Alliance paramilitary organization set up during the Presidency of Morgan Clark...
target Delenn
Delenn
Delenn is a fictional lead character in the universe of the science fiction television series Babylon 5, played by Mira Furlan.-Overview:Delenn, an alien ambassador and leader from the planet Minbar, is one of the pivotal characters in Babylon 5....
.
Delenn attempts to repeat the Rebirth Ceremony first seen in "The Parliament of Dreams
The Parliament of Dreams
"The Parliament of Dreams" is an episode from the first season of the science-fiction television series Babylon 5.-Synopsis:The Earth Alliance arranges a week-long festival of religious and cultural exchange on the station. The Centauri celebrate with a lavish party, commemorating the victory of...
".
Londo Mollari tells Lord Refa
Lord Refa
Lord Antono Refa is a fictional character from the universe of the science fiction television series Babylon 5, played by William Forward. He is a regular guest character in the second and third seasons.-Personality:...
to break his ties with the Shadows and reduce the number of border wars the Centauri
Centauri (Babylon 5)
The Centauri are a humanoid species in the fictional universe of the Babylon 5 television series. They were the first alien species to make open contact with the human race. Their homeworld is Centauri Prime, a small Earth-like planet consisting of two large continents and several smaller islands...
are currently involved in. To ensure compliance, Londo slips Refa one half of a binary poison and explains to Refa that should he continue, he will be secretly given the second half of the poison.
Sparky the Computer
Sparky the Computer (portrayed by Harlan EllisonHarlan Ellison
Harlan Jay Ellison is an American writer. His principal genre is speculative fiction.His published works include over 1,700 short stories, novellas, screenplays, teleplays, essays, a wide range of criticism covering literature, film, television, and print media...
) is an artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
personality that was originally installed into the Babylon 5 computer as construction on the station was being finished and the station went on-line. Engineers decided to try having a computer with a personality run the station, but they quickly shut the program down after realizing that the artificial personality wasn't working correctly.
Since that time the personality had lain dormant in the Babylon 5 computer
Computer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
systems. Sparky the Computer was not removed from the system and was quickly forgotten. Sparky reemerged just after Babylon 5 declared independence from Earth while Michael Garibaldi
Michael Garibaldi
Michael Garibaldi is a lead fictional character in the universe of the science fiction television series Babylon 5, played by Jerry Doyle.-Overview:...
and the command staff were working to replace all the system pass codes to keep Earth from locking them out of their own computers. When all the password changes had been implemented, the computer was shut down and rebooted. Once it came back up Sparky's personality was on line, something Garibaldi quickly realized when the computer testily asked him what he wanted.
For the next several hours Sparky kept talking to Garibaldi, greatly annoying the security chief. Finally in frustration Garibaldi shot out one of the computer speakers just so he wouldn't have to listen to Sparky any more. The technicians were able to purge Sparky the Computer from the Babylon 5 computer systems shortly afterwards.
Arc significance
- The station command crew adopts new uniforms, supplied by Delenn, to replace their EarthForce uniforms.
- LennierLennierLennier is a character in the fictional universe of the science-fiction television series Babylon 5, played by Bill Mumy. He is Minbari and acts as ambassadorial aide to Delenn throughout most of the series.-Background and career:...
confesses to MarcusMarcus ColeMarcus Cole, played by Jason Carter, is a fictional character in the universe of the science-fiction television series Babylon 5. He was a regular in the third and fourth seasons of the show...
that he is in love with Delenn, even though he knows that she will never return that love. - SheridanJohn Sheridan (Babylon 5)John J. Sheridan is a lead character in the fictional universe of the science-fiction television series Babylon 5, played by Bruce Boxleitner. For most of the series, he is the commander of the Babylon 5 station; during the series' final season he is the President of the Interstellar...
expresses his love for Delenn for the first time. - Michael GaribaldiMichael GaribaldiMichael Garibaldi is a lead fictional character in the universe of the science fiction television series Babylon 5, played by Jerry Doyle.-Overview:...
admits he is afraid all of the time, of what he might do if he ever let go. - Commander IvanovaSusan IvanovaSusan Ivanova is a fictional character in the science fiction television series Babylon 5, played by Claudia Christian.-Character overview:...
states, "I think I loved TaliaTalia WintersTalia Winters is a fictional character appearing on the science fiction television show Babylon 5 during its first and second seasons. She was portrayed by actress Andrea Thompson....
." This is a denotative reference to a same-sex relationshipSame-sex relationshipA same-sex relationship is a relationship between two persons of the same sex and can take many forms, from romantic and sexual, to non-romantic close relationships. The term is mainly associated with gay and lesbian people...
. - FranklinStephen FranklinStephen Franklin is a lead character in the fictional universe of the science fiction television series Babylon 5, played by the late Richard Biggs. He serves as the chief medical officer on the Babylon 5 space station.-Personality:...
admits to DelennDelennDelenn is a fictional lead character in the universe of the science fiction television series Babylon 5, played by Mira Furlan.-Overview:Delenn, an alien ambassador and leader from the planet Minbar, is one of the pivotal characters in Babylon 5....
that he has a problem with stims. - Mollari persuades RefaLord RefaLord Antono Refa is a fictional character from the universe of the science fiction television series Babylon 5, played by William Forward. He is a regular guest character in the second and third seasons.-Personality:...
to break off his relationship with MordenMorden (Babylon 5)Morden is a fictional character in the universe of the science fiction television series Babylon 5, played by Ed Wasser. He is a recurring antagonist in the show.-Overview:...
, by poisoning him.