Who are You? What Do You Want?

In an episode entitled "Whatever Happened to Mr. Garibaldi?" some incredibly important and thought-provoking things happen. One of the things I wanted to discuss in this article is John Sheridan's death. We see John caught in a beam of light while a voice asks him "Who are you? What do you want?" It appears to be a dream - he keeps waking up, or at least appears to be waking up. In the beginning, John is surprised that Lorien knows the significance of the question - who are you? Lorien actually says "There is never a good answer" But that for Sheridan it is easy, he is dead. Then once Sheridan verifies he has no pulse he knows it is true.

Lorien explains time as Tick and Tock, which I find interesting. One moment is Tick, the next is Tock. Tick, you drop the peanut butter, Tock you catch it - to use a very mundane example. Tick, Sheridan has fallen and hit the bottom, and is dead, but he and the Kosh are clinging to life, and Lorien has found them, and they are in-between, and they have not hit Tock yet. Lorien explains about in-between and says that Sheridan could be in-between moments, perhaps the Tick has happened, but the Tock has not.

So, one question answered: Who are you? You are dead. But Sheridan doesn't want that answer. This is why he is fighting the Tock with Kosh. He walks some more, but comes back to the same fire - he realizes this and says he has come full circle. Lorien notes that everyone does everyone eventually. You can't escape the inevitable - to Tock in Sheridan's case. The War with the Shadows in the larger Babylon 5 universe, even in our own lives. He is still trying to find a way out through a passageway, but Lorien says the only way out is to surrender to Tock. It is a mental way out - a psychological acceptance of the truth of death, of reality, of what must be. Sheridan chose to come to Z'ha'dum, even though he didn't trust Anna, even though Kosh told him he couldn't save him on Z'ha'dum. He made this decision, and he must accept these consequences and his sacrifice.

Lorien says you can't stop death because of fear of what others might do or not do without you. That's not enough. That's not embracing life - that's fleeing death. That's why Sheridan is caught in-between. He is fleeing death. His friends need him not to be afraid., and for him to be able to answer who are you, why are you and what do you want.

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