When the series began, Londo was but a foppish buffoon that was put in a position of Ambassador on Babylon 5, a position that was, at first, not considered important by his own government. When the Centauri sent Londo an aide, it turned out to be another seemingly buffoon named Vir Cotto. Londo debauched and drank through life on the station, not taking his job, or himself very seriously. Then one day, a mysterious stranger named Morden approached Londo and asked what would normally be an innocent question.
Morden asked several of the ambassadors on the station the same question and got a variety of answers. “What do you want?” seems such a small question, but when Morden asked Londo that question, and after trying to dismiss Morden out of hand, Londo actually gave an answer that started him down a path lined with the deaths of millions of beings. Londo, in essence stated that he wanted to see his people restored to their former prominence in the galaxy. Mr. Morden apparently had the resources to help Londo achieve that goal, but the cost was high.
Little did Londo know, but he had made a deal with the Devil, as sure as the legendary Faust did.
At any rate, at the end of the series, Londo had become Emperor of the devastated Centauri Republic faced with the task of rebuilding in the aftermath of what the Shadows had left behind. Londo makes the supreme sacrifice to save what is left of his Republic by allowing agents of the Shadows, the Drakh, to place a Keeper on his shoulder that would monitor his every move and every thought. When we last see Londo, he seems appears as a lonely and despondent ruler who is at the mercy of those that will rebuild the Centauri republic in their own image.
So what happened to Londo after that last scene in the television series? What happened to Vir and how does he rise to become Emperor of the Centauri Republic? And what of that vision that we saw during the series with Londo and G’Kar choking the life out of each other? Those answers are explored in this three book series penned by Peter David.
The Long Night Of Centauri Prime: Book I Of The Legions Of Fire Series By Peter David (1998)
At the end of the series, Londo has become Emperor of Centauri Prime, but he also comes under the influence of the Drakh, agents of the Shadows who are determined to continue the agenda of their former masters. The Drakh have planted nuclear explosives all over Centauri Prime and threaten to destroy the planet unless Londo submits to taking on a creature known as a Keeper. This Keeper will watch every move that Londo makes as well as monitor every thought he has. After Londo makes a speech to the Centauri people in the form of a giant hologram, telling his people that they will once again become the great society that they once were, he decides to take a walk around the city.
As Londo walks, he contemplates suicide, when he is suddenly struck in the head by a rock. It is soon discovered that the person who threw the projectile was Senna, the daughter of Lord Refa, who has taken up residence with a family of refugees. Londo offers her a place in his palace. When she refuses to accept his offer, Londo returns to his palace and learns that if he drinks enough, he can dull the senses of his Keeper and have time to himself. He decides to take an opportunity to carry out his suicide plan. Before he is able to complete his plan, his Captain of the Guard, Durla, escorts Senna into the room. Circumstances have caused Senna to change her mind and take Londo up on his offer. This causes Londo to also have a change of heart; he believes that if he can save just one person on Centauri Prime, perhaps he will be able to make the difference that his people need.
The Drakh who is manipulating Londo, Shiv’kala, orders Londo to promote Durla to Minister of Internal Security. At first Londo refuses, but Shiv’kala threatens to eliminate Senna if he doesn’t comply. Durla is promoted and begins to advance his own agenda, transforming Centauri Prime into a police state that uses ruthless methods to keep order.
Meanwhile, on Babylon 5, the Drakh continue their plot to smash the Alliance with an attempt on the life of President Sheridan. Thanks to Vir, this plot fails. Vir then travels to Centauri Prime to investigate what is going on and is approached by Techno-Mages.
Vir knows that there is something going on that threatens to destroy his home world, The Techno-Mages have their own plan to set things right that involves Vir. But thanks to Durla, Vir is being watched by Mariel, Londo’s former wife and it seems hopeless that things will be set right.
Armies Of Light And Dark: Book II Of The Legions Of Fire Series by Peter David (2000)
Picking up in from where the last book leaves off, Vir and the Techno-Mages head to a planet where there has been an excavation taking place for some time. It not commonly known that many Centauri workers have been sent there and have been disappearing.
Vir and the Mages find a gate there that builds the cloud vessels that were responsible for the destruction of the Narn Homeworld. It is also learned that this planet killer is intended to be used against Earth. Vir manages to destroy the planet and after returning through the gate, it falls to ruin and stops the plans the Drakh have of a swift victory for them.
Vir has become quite enamoured with Mariel, who is spying for Durla. When Vir learns that he is being badly used by Mariel, he becomes angry and asks a mage to cast a spell on her to make her hopelessly in love with him. But this is all part of a greater plan to turn Durla’s spy against him as Vir sends Mariel to Durla.
Meanwhile, in the aftermath of the attempted assassination attempt, Sheridan sends Garibaldi to Centauri Prime to find out what is happening there. G’kar will accompany him as well as Lou Welch, who is charged with watching Garibaldi’s back. After arriving, Garibaldi tells Londo that they are there to investigate a plant that is suspected of making munitions that can be used to start a war with the Alliance, Lou feigns and illness and stays behind as Garibaldi is off to inspect the suspected munitions plant.
Lou, under the cover of a cloak that hides him from sight, follows a member of the Prime Candidates, an organization of youth that has been put together by Durla to support his activities and infiltrate high levels of government and spy for him. Lou follows Throk into their headquarters and is seen by Shiv’Kala, who is able to see through the cloak, and uncovers Lou. Throk kills Lou. Garibaldi is incensed at this and vows to get to the bottom of the situation, but Vir tells him that it is an internal affair of the Centauri Republic and that it will be handled internally.
Vir begins to gather and inform followers that will effect real change on Centauri Prime while Durla becomes Prime Minister and begins a purge of those that would oppose him. Londo makes a decree that off-worlders are no longer welcome on Centauri Prime. This is generally taken as an attempt of Londo to show his power, but he writes in his journal that it is actually to keep others from suffering the same fate as Lou Welch.
Out Of The Darkness: Book III Of The Legions Of Fire Series By Peter David (2000)
In this third and final book of the series, Durla has assembled a huge fleet of warships and sends them out to destroy some of the smaller alliance worlds. While Sheridan tells the Alliance that they should use the White Star fleet to stop the Centauri, they are unwilling to do so. At about the same time, G’kar is disguised as a Centauri and saves Durla from an assassination attempt, but is caught and is to be killed until Londo intervenes and makes him a guest, but will not allow him to leave Centauri Prime.
In the television episode, Objects at Rest, Londo had delivered a gift to be given to Sheridan and Delenn’s child on his sixteenth birthday. The gift was an urn, but the Drakh put a Keeper in the base of the urn. On the night of his sixteenth birthday, the Keeper in the urn frees itself and attaches itself to David Sheridan, who immediately steals a ship and heads for Centauri Prime where he is delivered into the hands of Durla. When Londo learns of this, he confronts Durla and they struggle, but Londo’s keeper stops the struggle. When Sheridan and Delenn arrive, they are arrested and are to be put to death.
Garibaldi informs Vir about all of this, Vir heads to Centauri Prime to help with David’s rescue, but he also learns about the Drakh influence that has been there for a number of years.
Durla readies his fleet to begin attacking the major worlds of the Alliance and publicly announces the attack, but his plans are thwarted by Vir and his Legions of Fire when they detonate a bomb underneath the Tower of Power, the headquarters of the Drakh. With the Drakh exposed, the people begin to realize what has been happening. Durla refuses to believe the evidence of the Drakh influence and attempts to launch the fleets, but is again stopped, but this time by Mariel.
Shiv’kala tells Londo to tell the Centauri people that the Drakh are friends that have been with them to help them rebuild and insists that Londo continue with Durla’s plans. When londo refuses, Shiv’kala detonates a third of the bombs that were planted on Centauri Prime, Londo finally agrees to what he is being ordered to do. In the meantime, With the help of the Techno-Mages, Vir is able to locate all of the bombs and have them neutralized.
Londo calls G’kar to the throne room and asks G’kar to kill him to stop the Drakh influence. G’kar refuses at first , but is finally convinced that it is the right thing to do, but while he had Londo by the throat, the Keeper awakens and Londo begins to also choke G’kar. Both die in the struggle. When Vir arrives to help Londo, he finds what has happened and is immediately approached by Shiv’kala who attempts to kill him, but Vir manages to escape to centauri Prime.
Meanwhile, leaving Shiv’kala alone on Centauri Prime, the other Drakh abandon the planet, Vir makes a claim for the throne and returns to Centauri Prime, and with the help of Garibaldi, kills Shiv’kala.
According to what I have learned about this book series, it was written by Peter David from outlines that were given to him by J. Michael Straczynski. That would make these books, without a question Babylon 5 canon. And in my opinion, JMS could not have chosen a better writer for the job.
Peter David shows that he did do his homework as far as the characters are concerned. As one reads the series, it is not hard to hear the voices of the characters, especially in Londo’s little quips. The other characters that are familiar to B5 fans are also equally accurately recreated. But one of my favorite parts of these stories was to see the growth that took place on the series carried on through these stories.
One of the most developed characters on the series was that of Vir Cotto. When Vir first arrived on Babylon 5, he was such a buffoon. He stuttered and more or less tripped over himself with almost every step. This character grew to be very popular with me, as well as the fans. As time went on, while still seeming to provide comic relief on the television series, he began to show backbone, standing up to Londo on occasion and asserting himself when needed. But in this series of books, we see that Vir has become a force to be reckoned with and not anywhere the buffoon that he was first presented to be.
A major scene from the trilogy that stands out in my mind is when Garibaldi intended to go to Centauri Prime and handle things his way. Vir backed him down and stood his ground with an attitude that even took Garibaldi by surprise. In that one scene, Vir became a viable candidate to be a leader, and the emperor of the Centauri Prime.
As an avid fan of Peter David’s work, especially in the Star Trek, I really enjoyed these three stories and the way that they were written. It is obvious that the author has a great deal of respect for the B5 universe and it clearly comes through in this instance. As was the last B5 book I reviewed (To Dream In The City Of Sorrows), I consider this must reading for B5 fans who what to know what happens to Londo and the Centauri Republic after the close of the television series.If there is anything that I didn't care for in these books was the term "Tower of Power" for the place where the Drakh were holed up. Every time I saw this term I thought about that R&B group that appeared in the late 1960's that also went by that name.
As I read this, it got me thinking that perhaps the entire series was actually intended to actually be the rise and fall of Londo Mollari. So much of the series centers on Londo, his triumphs and his failures, his mistakes, and the few things he did get right. I have also heard this before from others, thought I might have heard it from JMS, and was told the same by my partner on the Babylon Project Podcast, Raul Ybarra.
One thing that is worth noting here is that the first two books in the Legions of Fire series are pretty easy to find, but the third book seems to be rare. All three are out of print, so you might consider checking out your local library, inter-library loan, or if you have a friend who has the books or knows where to get them.
Well, there it is...
Q'aplaH!
