Written by J. Michael Straczynski
Directed by Michael Vejar

There’s a scene in this episode that I would have sworn was different than what aired. Perhaps I am confusing it with another scene later in the series, but my (false) memory was that much more transpired between G’Kar (Andreas Katsulas) and Centauri Ambassador Londo Mollari (Peter Jurasik) while trapped in the elevator.

Ambassador Kosh’s appearance as a revered figure to various races when he rescued Captain Sheridan (Bruce Boxleitner) from the bombing has drawn pilgrimage by many races to Babylon 5. The Drazi saw him as Droshala and Zack (Jeff Conaway) has to deal with newly arrived Drazi missionaries. Also arriving is Brother Theo (Louis Turenne) and his followers.

Commander Susan Ivanova (Claudia Christian) has received anonymous threats to the station and has let Mr. Garibaldi (Jerry Doyle) know. Meanwhile, in Downbelow, a scavenger triggers a bomb. At first, Mr. Garibaldi wasn’t sure if it was a bomb, especially since there weren’t any political statements. However, when he locates the origin of the blast, there’s no other explanation for what happened.

Ivanova meets with Brother Theo and states they have applied for permanent residency on Babylon 5. They believe God has appeared to beings of other worlds with a different name, and they wish to learn about them. Brother Theo reassures her they are not there to be a drain on the station, nor to harass the other races. They just want to learn from those who are willing to talk.

Lennier (Bill Mumy) is waiting for Minbari Ambassador Delenn’s (Mira Furlan) return when another bomb goes off. He saves her life, as well as that of Ambassador Londo Mollari before being trapped behind blast doors. Londo begins to keep vigil by Lennier’s side.

Mr. Garibaldi meets with Captain Sheridan and Ivanova and tells them what he knows so far. They are trying to trace the plastique explosive used in the bombing. G’Kar accuses the Centauri of being behind the bombings while Londo accuses the Narn. Ivanova comes up with the idea of having Brother Theo’s followers review the security footage for them, looking for a possible suspect in the aftermath of the bombings. They identify one of the maintenance workers as a suspect.

While trying to escape another bomb, Londo and G’Kar become trapped in an elevator together. G’Kar refuses to work with Londo to get out of the elevator, saying he would rather watch him die.

As Sheridan and Garibaldi arrive to take the suspect, Carlson (Patrick Kilpatrick) into custody, he triggers another blast. Sheridan volunteers to be a hostage in order to buy them time to find the bomb he says he has wired to blow up the station.

On the surface, Convictions appears to be like many other science fiction series episodes where a madman creates chaos for the sake of chaos. The “good guys” are in a race against time to thwart him. However, there’s a lot beneath the surface here. Tensions are simmering on Babylon 5 with the Centauri and the Command staff know there’s something wrong in Earth Government, but can’t put their finger on what’s going on. These tensions are having a ripple effect, creating a scenario that’s enticing to someone like Carlson. The idea of reviewing security footage to see who sticks around to admire their work is the perfect response. It might be a little too easy and too convenient, but it works.

Londo and G’Kar becoming trapped together is also a bit of a trope, but it’s setting up an easing of tension between the two individuals, if not their races. G’Kar knows that under Centauri rule, if he kills Londo, five hundred Narn on the Narn Homeworld will be killed in retribution, so he is looking forward to just sitting there and watching Londo die without helping him either way. G’Kar is at the point where he doesn’t care about himself. We’ll see more of how the events of the past two years have taken a toll on him, and he’s almost to the point where it’s easier to give up than to continue to fight.

Brother Theo and his followers are introduced here and will have an impact this season as well. It’s interesting that so many races are now making a pilgrimage to Babylon 5, which makes it ripe for various belief systems that will come out of these events. He made a terrific speech about respecting how the different races have been visited by the same God. I always marvel that J. Michael Straczynski is an atheist and yet seems to have his finger on what our religious beliefs should look like. Babylon 5 has always been a very spiritual show, and that it’s all the more relevant today than it was when it first aired shows how humanity never seems to learn from its mistakes.

Lennier is sidelined for most of this episode. It was due to the death of Bill Mumy’s father and he felt he couldn’t perform as well as needed. This was a convenient way to do that, having him be a victim of one of the bombings. It also puts him in the position of Londo Mollari owing his life to Lennier. Delenn does as well, but the Minbari don’t have the same selfish streak that the Centauri seem to have, so it’s unremarkable to Delenn that Lennier did this, even though she is concerned about whether or not he will survive. It’s a small change to the show that works very well in the long term.

What could have been just filler ends up being so much more in Convictions. There are seeds planted for a few things that will pan out down the road. It’s setting up a tumultuous season on the station by showing the chaos and tension that’s now present.

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