Talk:Signs and Portents

Shadow vessel

"This episode also marks the first onscreen appearance by a Shadow vessel."

So then what was the vessel seen in episode 6, Mind War? -- Horkana 02:51, 16 November 2006 (UTC)

That was one of the First Ones - definitely not a Shadow, although similar in some ways.

80.177.4.201 23:52, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

Bathroom scene significance

The next to last scene in this episode is of a conversation between Jeffrey Sinclair and Michael Garibaldi which starts with both men standing at a urinal. They clean/sanitize their hands under some light emitting device, leave the bathroom (which is at the end of a hallway), and pause by a sign with a symbol to allow a female crew member, apparently headed for the men's room, to pass. Sinclair and Garibaldi must move apart to allow her to pass, and Garibaldi looks back toward her twice -- first as she passes and then again after they round a corner -- but he seems to be ensuring that they are not being overheard more than wondering about the actions of the female crew member. Is there some significance of this scene to Babylon 5's social commentary? It has the appearance of being intentionally staged (with the sign coming into frame just as the female crew member passes), but its message is unclear. 58.147.52.66 (talk) 23:51, 13 December 2009 (UTC)

Was that this episode? I guess it was. I have a vague recollection of JMS saying on the DVD voice-over that it was just a gaffe. There is some sourced commentary at Babylon 5#Themes in the intro paragraph that may be related about "same-sex". On the one hand I thought gender was supposed to be "no big deal". On the other hand, the scene you refer to does seem to make a deal out of it, seemingly inconsistent with the creator's intent. Problem with the voice-overs though, is that many times when I try to listen to them I often start to doze off half way through. I guess it's just one of those things that makes you go, "Hmm". —Aladdin Sane (talk) 03:33, 14 December 2009 (UTC)

On the commentary track of the DVD, JMS says it was just a mistake. Gingermint (talk) 04:30, 28 June 2011 (UTC)