The War Prayer (Babylon 5)

A string of attacks on aliens has occurred on Babylon 5, the latest being the stabbing and branding of Minbari poet, Shaal Mayan. Commander Sinclair is pressured by Minbari ambassador Delenn to find the culprit, and he orders Security Chief Garibaldi to investigate in depth. Narn ambassador G'kar, however, insists more action must be done, and beings to rally the other aliens aboard, creating a tense situation.

Meanwhile, Centauri ambassador Londo Mollari must deal with his aide Vir Cotto's cousin Kiron and his girlfriend Aria, who have fled the Centauri homeworld as they have been arranged to be wed into different families. Mollari asserts that it is Centauri morals for assigned marriages, love having no place in their society. That evening, Kiron and Aria are attacked in a similar manner to the previous attack, leaving Kiron in a coma.

Elsewhere, Ivanova discovers that her former associate from the academy, Malcolm Biggs, has arrived on the station. While he remains secretive as to his business reasons for being there, Malcolm does express interest in rekindling his relationship with Ivanova.

Aria stays by Kiron's side, but Mollari suggests that there is no point in Aria waiting around should Kiron die. After Aria leaves, Shaal talks to Mollari about love, and that that from her writings, she found that the measure of a value of a person is how much capacity they have to love and love others. Vir finds Mollari later: Mollari tells Vir a tale from his father who had complained that his shoes were too tight, but it did not matter as he had forgotten how to dance; Mollari now feels the same way.

When Kiron wakes, Mollari gladly tells him and Aria that he has arranged for the two to return to Centauri Prime and stay with his cousin, a powerful figure in the government, to be schooled in Centauri customs in such that when they are old enough, they will be able to choose who they can marry. This solution pleases both them and Vir.

Ivanova brings Malcolm to a reception where Sinclair purposely speaks out against the alien presence. Malcolm later invites Sinclair and Ivanova to a meeting, there introducing them to his agents that have been behind the attacks. Malcolm explains their intent to assassinate the four key ambassadors on Babylon 5 in an attempt to force the alien ambassadors off Earth. Sinclair and Ivanova turn on Malcolm and his men, as security officers arrive to arrest them.

As they are taken off the station, Ivanova expresses her resentment to Malcolm for the direction he has taken.[1]

According to showrunner J. Michael Straczynski, the title refers to a short prose writing of the same title – written to highlight the humanity of participants of both sides in war – by Mark Twain, which, according to Straczynski, "should be read by everyone."[15]

Regarding Mark Twain, Straczynski wrote, "He's always been a seminal influence on my work. I have pretty much everything he's ever written, absent the five volume set of his journals that's only available to libraries. 'The Man Who Corrupted Hadleyburg' is still one of my favorite pieces, as is 'The War Prayer,' leading to its nod in B5."[16]

As Babylon 5 was conceived with an overall five-year story arc, the episode was written as both an individual story and with another level, where the hints of the larger story arc were given. The series' creator, J. Michael Straczynski indicates that the episodes can be watched for the individual stories, the character stories, or the story arc.

The episode was written by D.C. Fontana who has written episodes for many television series, including a large number of episodes for various Star Trek series. Fontana was a writer for the Star Trek: The Next Generation pilot episode, "Encounter at Farpoint." She also wrote two other Babylon 5 scripts, "Legacies" and "A Distant Star". Fontana wrote the episode, based on a premise by Straczynski the series creator. Only the pilot was available for research purposes, so she spent some time speaking with Straczynski to get a feel for the series.[17]

Rowan Kaiser, writing in The A.V. Club, notes that the episode develops the idea that human culture in the year 2258 isn't entirely pleasant. Kaiser writes, "This isn't a necessary revelation after 'Infection' and 'Mind War', but it's not meant to be a revelation—it's a premise."[18]

Kaiser also identifies the theme of regret appearing throughout the episode. He writes, "Ivanova has regrets, though she claims not to, about leaving Malcolm eight years prior. Delenn has a conversation with her friend, where she's asked 'Do you regret the choices that you've made?' 'Sometimes,' responds Delenn, but she makes it clear that those don't define her. Londo, on the other hand, lets his regrets define him. 'My shoes are too tight. But it does not matter, for I have forgotten how to dance,' he tells Vir, as a metaphor for him forgetting himself in favor of tradition, of propriety, and of power."[18]

Elias Rosner, writing in the Multiversity Comics website, also singles out this scene, with Londo discussing with Vir about what it means to be trapped in his own ways, to have forgotten what it is to be young. Rosner observes, "It's a profound scene that's the right balance of clarity and mystique. Londo's words carry all the weight in the world and in that moment, we understand where he is and what he is thinking. [...] It's a fantastic bit of dialogue that is revealing in all the right ways."[19]

• The War Prayer at The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5
• The War Prayer text of 1905 piece by Mark Twain