Written by J.Michael Straczynski and Larry DiTillio
Directed by Stephen L. Posey

If Shakespeare were writing Babylon 5, he would probably title it The Tragedy of Londo Mollari. Londo is at the heart of the ongoing story, and it is his character arc from rejected buffoon to Emperor that is the catalyst for events depicted here. In his quest for dignity, he is about to cause the death of millions of beings throughout the galaxy. In Knives, he takes another step down the slippery slope he is teetering on at this point.

Centauri Ambassador Londo Mollari (Peter Jurasik) and his assistant, Vir (Stephen Furst) are discussing Centauri opera when an apparent assassin grabs Londo. However, it is a friend of Londo’s playing a joke on him. Urza Jaddo (Carmen Argenziano) is a renowned Centauri swordsman. The two enjoy time together as old friends while Jaddo reports that Londo’s star is rising back on Centauri. Urza comes out against the Narn War, stating that is not what the previous emperor wanted. Of course, we know which side Londo is on. Urza appeals to Londo to help him as he and his house are about to be branded as traitors.

However, when Londo contacts Lord Refa (William Forward) back on Centauri, they refuse to help him and tell him that this could have a detrimental effect on Londo’s future if he presses the issue. Regardless, Londo stands up for his friend and Vir is happy with what he sees, at the moment. When Londo tells Urza he’s taken care of it, Urza bristles that Londo is aligned with Lord Refa. He tells Londo Refa is the one who presented the resolution to brand him a traitor. The two argue, and Urza challenges Londo to a duel to the death to save the honor of his house.

Londo allows him the opportunity to back down, but Urza refuses to. In the end, Urza says he needs to save his family from the pending disgrace and begs Londo to protect them. Londo eventually confesses to Vir that Urza sacrificed himself to protect his family, knowing that by the laws of Morago that the loser’s family becomes a part of the victor’s and thereby is protected from the disgrace of the resolution back on Centauri.

Meanwhile, Commander Sheridan (Bruce Boxleitner) is taking batting practice as a way of blowing off steam when Mr. Garibaldi (Jerry Doyle) wanders in. He tells Sheridan about the problems in Grey Sector, which has had numerous stories come out of it since Babylon 5 went online. Some believe that the area of the station is haunted.

Despite Garibaldi’s caution, Sheridan begins to explore Grey Sector. He sees it as an adventure until he comes across a body. He’s trying to alert Mr. Garibaldi when the alien seems to come back to life and grab him. Dr. Franklin (Richard Biggs) examines Sheridan and doesn’t find anything other than some elevated epinephrine levels. Sheridan is resting in his quarters when he awakens to see a creature hovering nearby. He shoots at it and it disappears. Garibaldi responds to the notification of gunfire in Sheridan’s quarters. Sheridan recognized the creature as something he’d seen before.

Garibaldi reports that the alien Sheridan found earlier committed suicide. Sheridan tries to find an explanation, but Garibaldi is hesitant to accept his reasoning. When Sheridan is in C&C, he begins hallucinating, but won’t acknowledge it. He even sees what he thinks is the ship his wife was on when she was last seen breaking up outside the station, but there’s nothing there.

Sheridan is trying to blow off steam again when Garibaldi seeks him out. He tells him the dead alien came through Sector 14, and then tells Sheridan the story of Babylon 4 appearing. Sheridan couldn’t find anything in the Station records about it, but Garibaldi kept a copy of the records EarthForce erased.

The next hallucination Sheridan sends him out in one of the Starfuries. He won’t tell Commander Ivanova (Claudia Christian) where he is going, and she radios Garibaldi. Garibaldi follows him out. Sheridan tells him that he’s giving someone a ride. When they arrive in Sector 14, something seems to come out of Sheridan into space. Sheridan loses consciousness and Garibaldi must take hold of his Starfury to bring him back.

Sheridan’s storyline really was a side story to the slow descent of Londo Mollari selling his soul. At the start of this episode, he is insistent that he would never cause harm to come to his old friend. By the end, he is the one holding the weapon that killed him. Londo thinks his integrity is still intact. He would do anything to defeat the Narn after the embarrassment the Centauri suffered when the Narn threw the Centauri off of their planet. As we have seen up until now, Londo is as much about perceptions not just of the Centauri race, but also himself on a personal level. In Knives, however, the choices he has made come home to roost.

I really liked the idea of a Centauri hippie, which is what Urza seems to be. Urza was a follower of the previous Emperor, who did not want a war with the Narn despite what Londo had said otherwise. He’s considered a traitor because he advocates for peace rather than war. Urza makes no apologies for his opinion, and when he voices it, it does tug at Londo in the beginning. However, when push comes to shove, Londo wants the power and prestige he currently enjoys to continue, which is his failing.

Viewers learn a bit more about Centauri culture with Londo detailing his relationship with Urza earlier in his life. It also acknowledges Londo’s history when he speaks of Adira. Of course, that is also part of what led to Londo’s desire to be seen as more than a doddering old fool.

Sheridan’s story is interesting as it takes him another step away from military hero to leader. It’s typical of stories where an alien inhabits a human’s body for whatever reason, but the way Sheridan takes the time to figure out what is going on is another demonstration that he is open to listening and learning, rather than a shoot first and asking questions later attitude.

Knives is an important story along the overall story arc of the series. It’s building characters and showing viewers why they do some of the things they do. For Londo, in particular, it’s another step down the slippery slope of who he will become and what he will be remembered for.

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