Infection

Season 1, Episode 4, Aired
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Episode Summary

Dr. Franklin gets a visit from old friend and mentor, xenoarcheologist Dr. Hendricks. He wants Franklin's help to analyze hi-tech organic artifacts he found on a dead world. But the artifacts seem to have a will of their own, and start to manipulate Hendricks' assistant.
7.1
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Fan Episode Reviews (5)

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  • Infection

    8.5
    "Great"
    By TrueTvWatcher, Dec 31, 2010 Report Abuse
    Infection was a great episode of Babylon 5. I enjoyed watching this episode because there was a lot of character development, action, and drama. I think this series was way ahead of its time. I really enjoyed watching this episode because of the characters, action, and story line. This episode gave viewers a deeper look into the main characters. I look forward to watching more Babylon 5 and seeing where this series is going. I think Babylon 5 may be one of the greatest syfy originals to ever be on television. I can't wait to watch the next episode of Babylon 5!!!!!!!moreless

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    0 0

  • It left me cold...

    5.8
    "Mediocre"
    By Parricida, May 20, 2008 Report Abuse
    There are very few episodes of Babylon 5 that I did not liked but this is one of them - it just did not get to me. I do not think Franklin is weak char. There is nothing like that in Babylon 5 but something on this episode just had no magic. The plot was maybe not the best, I am not sure. Anyway, if not think on the negative sides, this episode did have some great things - like the actions what lead to the final conversation between Sinclair and Garibaldi. That was a really great one - maybe the pearl of the episode and then Sinclair saying to the journalist why this place is worth it.

    It had great moments too, see...moreless

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  • More character development for Sinclair and Franklin

    7.8
    "Good"
    By nazthedeep, Oct 05, 2007 Report Abuse
    Babylon 5 series 1 continues with alternating between the G'Kar / Londo axis and the Sinclair / Delenn / Franklin stories, as we see more about the backstory of Commander Sinclair.

    A bounty hunter, Vance Hendricks, arrives at the station, and turns out to be an old tutor of Franklin. He's discovered some kind of organic technology on a dead planet. Hendricks has an assistant (Nelson) who gets a little too close to the tech and ends up being turned into a cyborg! Every time anyone tries to kill the hybrid, it simply absorbs the energy and get stronger! Sinclair and Garibaldi realise they'll need to take out the dude in short order or the whole of Babylon5 will blow...

    Sinclair goes all gung-ho and launches into the fray, eventually luring the by-now-totally-consumed Nelson into an air lock. At the same time, he figures out that the organic part of the cyborg has a name, a memory and a personality - and it turns out to be a space age version of a Nazi who wans to purify his home planet of all interbreeding. It's a pity that this theme isn't developed - in fact, I didn't even notice it first time through.

    This is an action-orientated episode, with a lot of shooting and running around - but there is a lot more going on beneath the surface that lays down markers for later. We learn that Franklin is deeply moralistic, that Garabaldi has a troubled past, and that Sinclair hasn't ever been the same since the Earth-Minbari war. We also learn that not everyone on Earth thinks the sun shines out of Babylon5 (there is a short sub-plot involving a visiting network TV reporter)

    Solid episode. Not the best in season 1, but a bit more involving than it seems at first look.moreless

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  • the arrival of steven old friend brings promblems to the station

    9.6
    "Superb"
    By seaqueastdsv, Sep 12, 2007 Report Abuse
    this is not my favourite out of this seasons but its ok. this story is mostly based around the new doctor. dr steven franklin. while in the med lab an old freind of stevens arrives on the station with an artafacts. which he brough onto babylon 5. the mans assistant kills a security man who is checking the goods. after a powersirch the item transfrom the man into this strong deadly creature. who is terrorisng the station. the cheif of security michael garibaldi and the commandar go down below to stop the creature from doing any more harm. and place the creature back to his own world.moreless

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  • Not the best episode, but still quite good

    7.1
    "Good"
    By mr_m704, Sep 21, 2005 Report Abuse
    This episode focuses on an old mentor of Dr. Franklins coming to the station to ask for help examining some artefacts he has found on an expedition to a dead world. The interesting thing being these artefacts are organic weapons that caused the destruction of the world they came from.

    I quite liked this episode even though once again it did not have a lot to do with the overall plot. We do get more of an introduction to the doctor who we don't really know much about at this point. There is also a guest appearance from David McCallum (The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Sapphire and Steel). This episode also features the most action we have seen so far with several firefights going on.

    The talk between Sinclair and Garibaldi at the end showed us a bit more about their friendship and was a nice touch. So overall not the best episode but a nice filler that showed us a bit more about some of the characters.
    moreless

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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  • Trivia

    ADD TRIVIA
    • Marshall Teague would later return as the recurring character, Ta'Lon, starting with the second season episode "All Alone in the Night" and through to season five and "Objects at Rest." Edit
    • Plot Hole: When Drake is defeated, the controller is ripped from his chest, and the huge armor just ... disappears. If the controller is converted to energy or something similar, there should be a huge explosion, flash, boom, or another form of energy release. Edit

  • Notes

    ADD NOTES
    • Although this was the fourth episode broadcast, it was the first written. Straczynski later admitted that he was not satisfied with the script, partially because of the difficulty of finding "the fingerprints" of the characters over a year after the pilot had been made. Edit

  • Quotes

    ADD QUOTES
    • Ivanova: If you'll excuse me. If you need me, I'll be over there, getting drunk with the rest of the aliens. Edit
    • Sinclair: You forgot the first rule of a fanatic. When you become obsessed with the enemy, you become the enemy. Edit
    • Sinclair: (About the transformed scientist) I'm gonna try and make it mad. Garibaldi: Make it mad? Are you nuts? Commander! Edit

  • Allusions

    ADD ALLUSIONS
    • Ivanova: Those who can not remember the past are condemned to repeat it. This alludes to George Santayana's statement in his book, The Life of Reason. Edit
    • Sinclair: How sharper than a serpent's tooth.
      Sinclair quotes Shakespeare's King Lear. Edit
    • Dr. Hendricks: There's a Martian war machine outside, and it wants to speak to you about the common cold. This is a reference to H.G. Wells' classic science fiction novel, The War of the Worlds. In that book and the several movie versions, Martians invade Earth but are eventually stopped by Earth-borne diseases. Edit

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