#alisa beldon

[mylittleredgirl]

all right! who wants my chrysalis device theories?

i've been pondering the way alisa says this for a while now. i think it's not just that she has never used this word because she lives in space and hasn't been to school since age 12.

i think delenn may not know what it means either. what if "chrysalis" is a proper noun in minbari, the name of the device and nothing else?

it's an english loanword, but one that valen didn't otherwise translate. he's a mysterious guy, and he's not going to tell them too much because revealing his origin would defeat the purpose of transmogrifying in the first place. there's some kind of religious mythology around it or delenn wouldn't know what to do, but presumably nobody has seen the process happen or gone through it in the thousand intervening years.

the minbari don't really know what the device does. delenn knows that she'll either be changed in some way or die ("speak well of me when i'm gone"), but she looks surprised (and terrified) when the device starts spitting out cocoon threads as soon as she adds the triluminary to it. lennier doesn't know what's happening to her in there, and neither of them know what she is when she first emerges.

--

i also find it fascinating that while there's a lot of sacred mystery around the triluminaries, and minbari loooove secrets in general, there's no attempt to hide the rest of the device.

delenn starts playing with it long before she gets the triluminary in hand. she adds pieces to it in front of sinclair, and it's left out in her quarters in plain view of both aliens and other minbari.

i thought for a long time about whether valen left thousand-year-old ikea instructions about exactly how this thing fits together, but i don't think so. we see it arranged on different surfaces in a few configurations in the background of other scenes, so either there's some creativity to it, like a mandala or zen garden, or it's a 3D jigsaw puzzle that makes sense to minbari minds. either way, these can't be the same triangles that valen touched, or she would never handle them so casually.

my theory is that it's a meditative puzzle that isn't unique, and may even be a common decorative activity in religious caste homes. maybe even with a little ceremonial (but not real) triluminary-like triangle to put on top when you're done! if that practice was also a Gift From Valen, it's one way to ensure that both the materials and the knowledge remain available through the generations.

--

and a bonus thought: how did sinclair know how to put it together later on? zathras could have done it for him, but it seems kind of spiritually important to do it yourself. did he learn it on minbar as a meditation technique? did he learn it from her out of context??

[mortalstrife]

"Alisa could become an instrument of great communication between Humans and Minbari. We suffer a lack there, as you know, commander."

minvember relaxed prompt 5: future

[woodsfae]

Babylon 5 s01 E21: Legacies

Table of Contents

Funerals are where family feuds come to light. Plus war trauma triggers for Sinclair.

Omfg. Talia and Susan!! having chemistry!! I’ve been waiting for this all season.

Double drama! An impoverished, telepathic thief, and an ostensibly honor guard Minbari war cruiser coming in for a funeral with its guns ready to fire. B5 has so far often had plot lines that didn’t directly converge but I kinda think these might.

It’s a good time, thematically, to be reminded that the Minbari are a powerhouse of the galaxy and they, along with the Narn and Centauri, are sorta just politely allowing the humans to pretend they’re a power as well while hanging out on B5. Sinclair’s PTSD reaction created an almost eerie dichotomy for me between the nonthreatening-seeming Delenn and the war history reality.

Ah, this thief is a child and a new psi talent. Another obvious ptsd trigger, but for Ivanova. I don’t know what she thinks she could do to protect her from the psicorps, but maybe there’s a secret, anti-facist psi network I don’t know about.

It’s kind of both bold and threatening to roll through Babylon 5 with one of the war leaders who kicked the humans’ asses from one end of the milky way to the other.

Minbari politics, yes! They are so opaque. I’ve been waiting for the great and terrible things that happen when the religious and warring castes of Minbari society agree, but I’m also down to see them disagreeing.

Alisa Beldon, a 14 year old orphan on a space station with no safety net, no money, no way home, and no control over her newly awakened abilities. I understand why Ivanova wants to keep her from the psicorps, but charging her as an adult to the fullest extent of the law is the worst possible way to go about it.

Some immediate differences between the Minbari castes. Warrior Guy wants to fight, wants to force capitulation. Sees speaking to Sinclair as a fight to win. Delenn wants to get on with the ceremony.

Oooo missing corpse!

Politics! I theorize some Minbari stole the body in order to restart the war. And perhaps even a member of the religious caste.

Culture! There is caste mobility, and the war against humanity was triggered by Dukhat’s accidental death and was considered to be a holy war against humanity. And the warrior caste did not uniformly respect the religious caste’s call that it was time for the war to end.

It is fascinating that they ended the war against humanity by surrendering, though it doesn’t seem like they lost power by surrendering.

Options for Alisa! Being a mitochondrial eve for the future of Narn telepaths as a lone human on their planet is sure an option of all time.But she doesn’t seem to like her glimpse of Na’Toth’s mind.

I’m kind of impressed that the war hasn’t restarted already over Branmer’s body.

More culture! I hadn’t known (or remembered?) that the Centauri blitzed the Narn planet. But it does make sense how much they hate each other now. Bummer that the Narn responded by out-slaving and out-warring the Centauri.

Minbari telepaths serve the greater good. And here’s the Alisa/Branmer connection! Love it when I (at least partially) guess correctly.

Don’t attack thirty-nine year olds who look as prematurely old as Sinclair. He’s lived a hard life, gotta be scrappy.

What did I say! Religious caste Minbari know what’s up with the body. But I am pretty sure Delenn doesn’t want to restart the war.

OK, let Delenn try to cover this up and fake a religious miracle. Gatekeep, gaslight, girlboss your way out of this, Delenn.

Yeah the Grey Council doesn’t know about this. She’s really, really risking a lot with this play. Sinclair really is an excellent diplomat when he’s not mid-war-flashback. Neroon is delighted for the honor of Branmer being praised by Sinclair to the Star Raiders even though Delenn just spanked him good.

Human/Minbari relations could do a lot worse than hoping an idealistic teenage who’s been failed by the system repeatedly will bring some connection to the two.

YES PLEASE GO HAVE YOUR DRINKS BABES.

HBO has upped their game and is blocking my screen recording again, so just picture some lovingly rendered gifs of Susan and Talia eyefucking each other here. I’ll find a way to make that true sooner or later.

After my multi-week break I kinda almost miss the Centauri. I definitely miss the Narn but I’m delighted that Na’Toth was featured in this episode. And all the history and culture! I’m impressed by how this could have felt like infodumping but actually made me feel like a feast was parading before me on an unstoppable conveyer belt.

This is a beautifully crafted show, and knowing that Sinclair is on the way out as a series regular is making me appreciate his performance all the more. He is absolutely nailing every aspect of this and truly feels like a fully-realized, complex person. The tension is building immaculately, and he’s sweeping it higher and higher even as the side plots get tidied away.

I am SO HERE for Susan and Talia. MORE OF THAT. They were both babed out to the max. Out here fighting but with fresh hairstyles and immaculate outfits. Augh, I’m so pissed that HBO’s anti screen recording is working today.

Partner: “Stunning tv that stands out from 90s trash. 5/5. Lifechanging tv. Starts people on new journeys […] Oh, I thought the Centauri were the ones that were at war with the humans. The Minbari seem so peaceable.”

I want Alisa Beldon, Thomas Jinxo Jordan and Laura the Healer to meet. On FriendlyDraalPlanet. I feel like they’d all get along.

[dragontopaz]

Alisa Beldon

[inexprymable]

In Legacies, Talia didn't contact the Psi Corps the second she realized Alisa was an unregistered telepath. She was trying to convince Alisa that the Psi Corps was her best choice, but she didn't go behind her or Susan's backs to forcibly bring her to Earth. That's definitely something to think about.

[moocowmoocow]

Babylon 5 rewatch

Alisa Beldon in 1x17 “Legacies”

[crazytarawitch]

Someday I really want to watch Legacies on mute; without audio feel like it would read as Talia and Susan being divorced co-parents (who still love each other, obviously) arguing over things like their daughter's wardrobe.

[notprimetime]

Spotlight on...

For you are with me (5696 words) by Lizardbeth Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Babylon 5 Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Characters: Jeffrey Sinclair, Alisa Beldon Additional Tags: Mentor/Protégé, Families of Choice Summary:

On Minbar telepaths are trained to serve, but for trainee Alisa Beldon her closeness with Jeff Sinclair sets her path.

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