Zocalo: Spoiler-free Discussion of “Comes the Inquisitor”

You may have been surprised by a couple of turns in this episode: the presence of a genuine-if-creepy Victorian Gentleman and the task Kosh puts before him and Ambassador Delenn. What’d you think? (Please leave your spoilers in the other thread.)

6 thoughts on “Zocalo: Spoiler-free Discussion of “Comes the Inquisitor””

  1. I was most upset at the way season 2 was split, for the selfish reason that I was 14 and my family was leaving the country for half a year, before the last 4 eps aired. The night we got back, I turned on the TV at B5’s usual time, not knowing what episode it would be (or even if it was new or a rerun, as season 3 was airing by then). And it was this episode. I didn’t see the previous 2 until much later. But in retrospect, that might have been the moment when B5 went from a thing I liked a lot to a reason to survive my current week.

  2. Lenier early on explains that the right thing must be done for the right reasons, otherwise it will become corrupted.

    I prefer a more pragmatic approach that while it’s great when that happens, I’ll settle for people doing the right thing for the wrong reasons as better than the alternatives.

    Are the Minbari too fussy?

    1. From what we’ve seen of the Minbari so far, there does seem to be a persistent collective stick up their butts.

      But in this case, the episode implies that it’s the Vorlons who are worried about people doing the right thing for what they consider the right reasons. And we still don’t know enough about them to know if they’re being overly fussy or not.

    2. I’m more on Lenier’s side on this. Back when I lived in Ontario, I did psychological assessments for clergy candidates (I’m a personality psychologist) who are on track for ordination. Part of what I tested for was simple individual differences, and used that to provide some guidance (for example, how a introverted pastor differs from an extroverted pastor).

      Another part of what I did, however, was administer the Narcissistic Personality Inventory. I’m all in favor of people wanting to be ordained ministers (I’d better be; I married one), but some people are drawn to ministry professions because they get off on the idea of being the “spiritual leader,” and having people looking up to them for answers. I’ve moved in these circles long enough to have a ton of knowledge (some of it first-hand) of the damage that can be inflicted on a church when the leadership is motivated by ego rather than other-focused service.

      Sadly, I probably couldn’t get away with torturing clergy candidates to see if they have a self-sacrificial heart.

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