Question about Lorien.

[Joansie]

I was watching "Into the Fire" last night and have a question. When Lorien was in Ivanova's suite waiting for her, he said something that started me to think. Did Lorien know that something bad was going to happen to Ivanova and the fact that she would lose Marcus? It was just the things he said surrounding his comment that she should embrace love.

[Jan]

I don't recall any indications that Lorien could see the future, I just think he was an excellent psychologist.

Look at the question and comment he had for Sheridan: {heavy paraphrase} Finding something worth dying for is easy. Do you have anything worth living for? Look at when he asked it. Sheridan had deliberately walked into a trap, discovered that his dead wife wasn't dead, 'just' a zombie, his home planet wanted him dead. He'd *planned* to nuke Z'ha'dum and set up the white star to do it by remote control by crashing into the planet. Could Sheridan be blamed for not minding being able to rest from everything he'd gone through by being willing to die? Lorien presented the challenge to Sheridan to live.

Then look at Susan. From the first time we met her, we saw how she'd closed herself from feeling, even to not allowing herself to grieve for her father's death. What greater challenge could Lorien present to her than to allow herself to love again?

We know from what JMS has told us that it would have been Susan who fell in love with Byron in the 5th season. Since JMS tends to set things up pretty far in advance, perhaps it would have been the loss of Marcus that would get her to consider taking the chance to love Byron. Of course, that would have been a huge mistake given Byron's eventual fate.

At least that's what I think. But I didn't think it until you asked the question. Fun.

Jan

[Joansie]

Thanks Jan, appreciate the response.