Written by J. Michael Straczynski and Larry DiTillio
Directed by Menachem Binetski

Hunter, Prey is an episode that builds on much of what we’ve already learned in the series about a conspiracy in Earth’s government. Last season ended with the mysterious “accident” involving President Santiago. There has been talk since then among a number of EarthForce officers that something doesn’t seem right with the sequence of events leading up to the accident, and the fact that the Vice President became mysteriously ill right before the trip.

As the episode opens, Commander Sheridan (Bruce Boxleitner) and Commander Ivanova (Claudia Christian) are admiring the Vorlon vessel in one of their hangar bays. Sheridan reaches his hand out to it and then is forced to back away. Ivanova tells him the last maintenance crew they had in there refused to come back, saying the vessel talked to them in their sleep. Sheridan wants to unravel the mystery of the Vorlons. They do not know that the Vorlan Ambassador, Kosh, is lurking nearby.

Mr. Garibaldi (Jerry Doyle) comes to get them. He has received a communication from Earth warning them about a fugitive. Dr. Everett Jacobs (Tony Steedman) was the former physician to the President, and allegedly made off with top secret information. Derek Cranston (Bernie Casey) arrives in pursuit of the fugitive. Garibaldi and Sheridan don’t believe what Cranston is telling them about Dr. Jacobs but go along with what he wants until they can figure out what is going on.

Garibaldi visits Dr. Franklin (Richard Biggs), who vigorously defends Dr. Jacobs. Meanwhile, Dr. Jacobs turns up on the station promenade, looking to get a new Identicard made. Cranston meets with the security force to brief them about tracking down Dr. Jacobs. Zack (Jeff Conaway) has misgivings about the assignment.

Sheridan receives a message from General Hague through a messenger. The messenger (Wanda de Jesus) tells Sheridan that he’s in danger. Dr. Jacobs was President Clark’s personal physician when he allegedly left EarthForce One due to a virus. A day later, President Santiago, who was aboard the transport, was killed when it had “an accident.” She tells Sheridan that Dr. Jacobs can testify that Clark was not sick at all, which is why some people want him eliminated.

Dr. Jacobs runs into trouble in Down-Below where the criminal element see an opportunity to make something off of him. He is carrying a data crystal with all of the data about President Clark’s health, proving he was not ill when he left EarthForce One. Meanwhile, Mr. Garibaldi and Dr. Franklin are scrambling to find Dr. Jacobs before those who want him silenced do.

Hunter, Prey serves to put an end to the conspiracy theory about President Santiago’s death. They now know for sure that the Vice President (now President) knew beforehand that something was going to happen to that ship and did not get on it. The question is what they will do with the information. That isn’t clear, yet, but it’s a start.

The Vorlons play prominently in this story, but we still don’t know much about them. Ambassador Kosh talks to Sheridan several times throughout the story, but, as usual, he seems to talk in riddles. His words have a deeper meaning once a viewer knows how the entire series will play out, but without that knowledge it’s circulus. However, he comes through for them when they need to protect Dr. Jacobs from the scans Cranston wants to run to see if Jacobs is aboard the station.

The trust that has formed between Sheridan and the crew since he replaced Commander Sinclair is cemented here. They don’t question him at all when he wants to help Dr. Jacobs. Initially, Sheridan thinks the story Cranston gives him is fishy, and he turns to Dr. Franklin for confirmation of his suspicions. The senior staff works together against the investigator from Earth. This is where I felt a real camaraderie between the cast in terms of the roles they are playing. They seem at ease with each other to the point that they aren’t afraid to let down their guard. Sheridan is being more than the military commander and blindly loyal soldier Earth government was expecting him to be, and the crew is rallying around him.

Special effects with the Vorlon vessel are great, especially considering this was 30 years ago. Still, there are times, even with the remastering, that it’s obvious the actors are against a green screen. The remastering, though, gives the Vorlon ship much more detail than viewers were able to see on the original DVD set, which is nice.

Hunter, Prey marks the point where the series really begins to rely on what was set up leading up to this point. It’s not the place to start the series. From here on out, viewers will really have to have watched the episodes prior to this to know what’s going on. More important, information about the background of each of the major characters as to their actions. At this point, we know where Dr. Franklin’s heart lies when it comes to doing the right thing. We know how Garibaldi likes to buck the system. We know that Ivanova is a career soldier, but also has a moral compass she will follow. It’s that background that can be better appreciated during this episode, and vice-versa.

From this point out, I don’t recommend you pick up the series here. This was the first show with such an overall story-arc and at the very least, you would need to begin with the first episode of the second season, but I recommend starting from the beginning.

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