TKO (Babylon 5)
Encyclopedia
"TKO" is an episode from the first season of the science fiction
television series Babylon 5
.
comes to terms with her father's death (see Born to the Purple
), an old friend of Garibaldi
's comes to the station to participate in a dangerous alien martial arts contest.
Garibaldi
arrests two aliens who are trying to buy illegal drugs (called "slappers" because the drugs are absorbed from a skin patch), one of the aliens is about to stab him, but then an old friend of Garibaldi's punches the man who was about to stab him.
Meanwhile Susan's father's friend Rabbi
Koslov, comes to her and tries to convince her to sit shiva for her father, which includes going over her head to Sinclair
. That last move is particularly upsetting to Susan who consider an unwanted intrusion in her life like her father would have done.
Garibaldi's friend, Walker Smith, tells him that since he can no longer box commercially due to being "framed like a picture," he is going to compete in the mutai, a savage alien fighting arena. The muta-do, or head of the mutai aboard, will not let him compete. Another alien also says that if he or any other human competes in the mutai, they will get trouble.
Rabbi Koslov is finally able to convince Susan to sit shiva for her father.
Later, an alien who was at the mutai comes to Walker and tells him how he can get into the mutai. Walker and Garibaldi visit a mutai match and watch the best fighter, Gyor, fight a Drazi; Gyor wins easily. An open challenge is then made to anyone to fight Gyor. Walker speaks up to accept the challenge, and by the customs of the mutai, Gyor cannot refuse. Three cycles later he and Gyor fight.
At the same time, Ivanova, Rabbi Koslov, and Sinclair sit shiva for Susan's father.
Walker and Gyor fight a brutal, lengthy, and even bout until both collapse to the floor. The muta-do calls a draw, and Gyor honors Walker's bravery. The episode ends with both Walker and Rabbi Koslov leaving.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
television series Babylon 5
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
As Susan IvanovaSusan Ivanova
Susan Ivanova is a fictional character in the science fiction television series Babylon 5, played by Claudia Christian.-Character overview:...
comes to terms with her father's death (see Born to the Purple
Born to the Purple
"Born to the Purple" is an episode from the first season of the science-fiction television series Babylon 5. This episode is named after the Greek word Porphyrogenitos, referring to special birthright or privileged heritage, royal birth.-Synopsis:...
), an old friend of 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:...
's comes to the station to participate in a dangerous alien martial arts contest.
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:...
arrests two aliens who are trying to buy illegal drugs (called "slappers" because the drugs are absorbed from a skin patch), one of the aliens is about to stab him, but then an old friend of Garibaldi's punches the man who was about to stab him.
Meanwhile Susan's father's friend Rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
Koslov, comes to her and tries to convince her to sit shiva for her father, which includes going over her head to Sinclair
Jeffrey Sinclair
Jeffrey Sinclair is a character in the fictional universe of the science fiction television series Babylon 5, played by actor Michael O'Hare. He was a regular in the first season of the show, as Commander of the Babylon 5 station, and made a number of guest appearances afterward.-Early life and...
. That last move is particularly upsetting to Susan who consider an unwanted intrusion in her life like her father would have done.
Garibaldi's friend, Walker Smith, tells him that since he can no longer box commercially due to being "framed like a picture," he is going to compete in the mutai, a savage alien fighting arena. The muta-do, or head of the mutai aboard, will not let him compete. Another alien also says that if he or any other human competes in the mutai, they will get trouble.
Rabbi Koslov is finally able to convince Susan to sit shiva for her father.
Later, an alien who was at the mutai comes to Walker and tells him how he can get into the mutai. Walker and Garibaldi visit a mutai match and watch the best fighter, Gyor, fight a Drazi; Gyor wins easily. An open challenge is then made to anyone to fight Gyor. Walker speaks up to accept the challenge, and by the customs of the mutai, Gyor cannot refuse. Three cycles later he and Gyor fight.
At the same time, Ivanova, Rabbi Koslov, and Sinclair sit shiva for Susan's father.
Walker and Gyor fight a brutal, lengthy, and even bout until both collapse to the floor. The muta-do calls a draw, and Gyor honors Walker's bravery. The episode ends with both Walker and Rabbi Koslov leaving.
Arc significance
- First explicit reference to Ivanova'sSusan IvanovaSusan Ivanova is a fictional character in the science fiction television series Babylon 5, played by Claudia Christian.-Character overview:...
JudaismJudaismJudaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
. - Walker Smith remarks twice (at the beginning and end of the episode) that Garibaldi should learn to "watch [his] back." This will have later significance in the first season finale.
Production details
- The ZimaZimaZima is a clear, lightly carbonated, alcoholic beverage, made and distributed by the Coors Brewing Company, ultimately MillerCoors. Introduced in 1993, it was marketed not as a beer, but as an alternative to beer, an early example of what is now often referred to as alcopop. Its domestic production...
reference is considered by Executive Producer StraczynskiJ. Michael StraczynskiJoseph Michael Straczynski , known professionally as J. Michael Straczynski and informally as Joe Straczynski or JMS, is an American writer and television producer. He works in films, television series, novels, short stories, comic books, and radio dramas. He is a playwright, a former journalist,...
a joke, not a product placementProduct placementProduct placement, or embedded marketing, is a form of advertisement, where branded goods or services are placed in a context usually devoid of ads, such as movies, music videos, the story line of television shows, or news programs. The product placement is often not disclosed at the time that the...
. - Walker Smith is a reference to Sugar Ray RobinsonSugar Ray RobinsonSugar Ray Robinson was an African-American professional boxer. Frequently cited as the greatest boxer of all time, Robinson's performances in the welterweight and middleweight divisions prompted sportswriters to create "pound for pound" rankings, where they compared fighters regardless of weight...
. - The Harlan EllisonHarlan EllisonHarlan 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...
reference is to a still-unpublished (as of 2008) autobiography.
External links
- TKO at The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5 is a fan-run website that includes detailed episode guides and analyses, production history notes, background materials, references, and other information related to the science fiction epic, Babylon 5...