Text 7074, 159 rader
Skriven 2006-08-27 19:25:00 av Robert E Starr JR (7571.babylon5)
Ärende: In Valen's Name, Part Thr
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The final comics trilogy comes to a satisfying close, wrapping up the
story of Babylon 4, while providing a suitable coda for the story of
Sinclair and Valen at the same time.


THE PLOT

Surrounded by the unidentified alien force, Sheridan comes up with a
desperate plan. He goes out, all on his own, in one of the ancient
Minbari fighters. He hopes to keep the aliens sufficiently intrigued
with him to buy time for Garibaldi to get some additional ships
working. With luck, he might even be able to initiate communications
with them.

Unfortunately, Sheridan's unfamiliarity with ancient Minbari ship
design leads to a misunderstanding, one that makes the aliens even more
eager for conflict, with the Ramde actively claiming the right to take
Sheridan's head!

Meanwhile, Delenn's search of the records on Babylon 4 presents her
with the story of the Tak'cha, as Ramde Zarwin recounts his own
relationship with Valen. Zarwin is embittered at having been rejected
by Valen. "We saw the logical extension of what he taught us," Zarwin
says, "and were rejected... Although we followed him into fire, into
darkness, into death, he would not follow us. Now, what sort of leader
is that?"

Zarwin and his people misinterpret Valen's teachings to be focused on
the glory of war, rather than the desire to protect the innocent and
bring about peace. Valen is appalled as he comes to realize that his
very teachings are making the Tack'cha increasingly warlike and
aggressive. And even as Valen feels the burden of his future knowledge
- his ability to prevent the Earth/Minbari War by leaving a message for
either Delenn or Dukhat, and his responsibility to let that war occur
regardless - the Tak'cha begin attacking defenseless worlds in Valen's
name. "Those who will not follow you into fire, into darkness, into
death," Ramde Zarwin explains, "do not deserve to follow you, and so,
instead, must precede you."


THE GOOD

The final comics arc closes very nicely, with good attention to
thematic consistency. Though the bulk of the action occurs in the
present - with Sheridan's attempts to communicate with the Tak'cha
thwarted by misunderstanding - the driving emotional and thematic force
of this storyline is rooted in the series' past. This is the end of
Sinclair's story, Valen's story. And as must be the case with "the
closed circle," the end occurs back at the beginning.

>From the moment we met him in "The Gathering," Sinclair's character was
defined around the Earth/Minbari War. That war, and particularly its
ending, left Sinclair haunted, with deep emotional scars. It was a war
that began with a misunderstanding. It is appropriate, then, that the
end of Sinclair's story is marked with further misunderstandings, which
reverberate across a millennium to affect Sheridan and his crew, as
well.

Sinclair always valued the protection of the innocent above any
personal glory. When he took on the mantle of Valen, he took it on as
yet another burden - appropriate, for a man who always carried the
weight of the universe on his shoulders. But as Valen, it was his
responsibility not only to shape Minbari society, but to lead it in
such a way as to attain victory in a mammoth war against the Shadows.
His teachings had to be directed at winning a war. No matter how much
he, personally, valued peace, it cannot be that much of a surprise that
an alien ally, with an alien set of values and an alien moral code,
would interpret his teachings in a warlike manner... which, itself,
inevitably adds an even greater burden onto Sinclair's shoulders. The
Sinclair we know could not possibly avoid blaming himself.

When the Tak'cha attack a peaceful race for simply not wanting to
involve themselves in the Shadow War, Valen becomes enraged and rejects
the Tak'cha completely. The Tak'cha are left bewildered, not
understanding how they could have angered Valen when - by their
interpretation - they were just following his teachings. Another
misunderstanding.

This moment, in which Sinclair/Valen lashes out when he should probably
make sure to explain very clearly why the Tak'cha's acts go against his
values, is also entirely consistent with the Sinclair we knew in Season
One. Sinclair was never a flawless character. In addition to his
tendency to carry more responsibility than any one man could healthily
bear, Sinclair was an angry man. We saw flashes of his anger in "The
War Prayer," more in "And the Sky Full of Stars," more still in his
dealing with Neroon in "Legacies."  "Legacies," in particular, had
Sinclair apparently having to physically restrain himself from
attacking Neroon with his bare hands.

With the Tak'cha having slaughtered innocents in his name, it is little
surprise that Sinclair's temper would flare up again. But it leads to
another misunderstanding. The Tak'cha simply do not comprehend what
they did wrong. As a result, their culture remains warlike across the
centuries. Sinclair/Valen's final words to the Tak'cha value
compassion. But with no context given, the Tak'cha simply integrate the
concept of "compassion" with their own, warlike culture - leading them
to interpret "compassion" as destroying a ship of civilians who would
otherwise die more slowly.

Finally, the misunderstandings continue as Sheridan's accident leads
the Tak'cha to believe they have been attacked. It is here that past
and present truly intersect, as the only thing that saves the regulars
is the very fact that Delenn has been viewing the records of the
Tak'cha and of Valen. Delenn ends the misunderstandings in the only way
that's possible - by having learned from history.

The story ends with a final message from Sinclair/Valen. He is still
carrying burdens. Everything in him calls out to him to prevent the
Earth/Minbari War, but he cannot. "I cannot deviate from the circle,"
he notes. "I am the beginning of the story, as Zathras said... And as a
prisoner of it... I dare not change the end."

Most intriguing are Sinclair's final words. He says that he's received
his reward. "I've found her, at long last... I've found her," he says.
On first glance, I assume that the "her" he refers to is Catherine,
swept back in time during the events of "To Dream in the City of
Sorrows."  But the message, in which he says "I've found her," is
addressed in part to Catherine. Assuming that is not an error on writer
Peter David's part, then Catherine cannot be the "her" that Sinclair
has found. Which still leaves that one question in Sinclair's arc. If
Catherine is not who Sinclair has found... then who, exactly, is "her?"


THE BAD

The artwork, inevitably. In this issue, the art is actually worse than
in the previous two. The characters are even less distinct from each
other. I often had to look closely and read over the lines a couple
times to know who was speaking - was it Sheridan or Garibaldi, was it
Delenn or Ivanova? The faces of the men looked too similar in this
issue, as did the faces of the women. The backgrounds remain
indistinct. And while I suppose artist David Roach may have been trying
for a "noir" feel, many of the panels are so dark that it is difficult
to make out what action is supposed to be occurring.

Then again, that's been this comic series' major stumbling block
throughout. With the exception of the "Shadows: Past and Present" arc,
all of the comics have held true to this pattern: stories that were
decent to very good, hampered by artwork that is mediocre to quite bad.

Fortunately, the story is good, and I do value story over artwork.
Having found this third installment to be the most satisfying of all
three, from a standpoint of story, theme, and character, I feel secure
enough awarding it:


My Final Rating: 9/10


Overall Rating for "In Valen's Name": 8/10
                                                                               
                                               
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