Believers

From The Great Machine

Jump to: navigation, search
  • Episode Title: Believers
  • Episode Number: S1E10
  • Original Air Date: April 27, 1994
  • DVD Release Date: November 5, 2002
  • Writer: David Gerrold
  • Director: Richard Compton
  • Guest Stars: Silvana Gallardo, Jonathon Kaplan, Tricia O'Neil, Stephen Lee

Contents

[edit] Preview

Medicine versus faith. The station's vital neutrality policy is at risk if Dr. Franklin performs an operation to save a child but violate the ancient alien religion of the child's parents.

[edit] Synopsis

Spoiler warning: Plot, character development, or ending details follow.

A family of a devout people known as the Children of Time arrive on the station seeking medical treatment for their son, whose respiratory blockage will prove to be fatal if not treated soon.

When Dr. Franklin proposes surgery, however, he stumbles across their belief that puncturing the body allows the spirit to escape, and they refuse his help.

As he manages to stall them by asking them to consider a more risky alternative treatment, Franklin petitions Sinclair for permission to overrule the parents' authority so he can save the child's life.

Sinclair has to walk on eggshells around both parties, but cannot avoid making a ruling on the matter that could undermine Babylon 5's neutral status. And all this time, a child's life is slipping away...and Dr. Franklin decides to take control of the situation himself. (Attrib: B5 LogBook [1])

[edit] Main Plot

  • When emergency medical treatment challenges the patient's religion, Dr. Franklin must choose between his duty to save lives and his need to respect his patients' beliefs.
  • Sinclair, when presented with the dilemma, rules that the procedure cannot be performed without the parents' consent.
  • Franklin's conscience gets the better of him, and he perfoms the surgery anyway, in direct conflict with the beliefs of the species and Sinclair's orders.
  • The patient's parents declare their son dead, and kill the child to slay the demon which, as their beliefs claim, now inhabits his body.

[edit] Backstory

This article is a Stub. You can help The Great Machine by expanding it.

[edit] Characters

Dr. Maya Hernandez, Shon, M'Ola, Tharg

[edit] Season 1 Cast

[edit] Notes

Trivia: Episode writer David Gerrold began his SF career in 1967, at age 23, when he sold an unsolicited script to DesiLu Studios, which later became Star Trek S2E15 (12/29/1967), "The Trouble With Tribbles."

Previous episode:
Deathwalker 		B5 Episode Guide Next episode:
Survivors
Retrieved from "http://tgm.firstones.com/wiki/Believers"
firstones