Strangers and Comrades

This episode first aired in the US June 25th 1999 on the Sci-Fi Channel and in the UK, Monday 27th 1999 on Sky 1.

Writer: Keith Damron
Director: Richard Compton
Guests: Jerry Doyle (Larson), Kirk B.R. Woller (Bates), Joel Stoffer (Kromagg Lt.), Shane Stevens (Kromagg Solider #2)
Background:
* The Slider are searching for a weapon that will destroy the Kromaggs on Earth Prime.
Additional Notes
* Jerry Doyle played Micael Garibaldi on Babylon 5, for it's entire 5 year run.
* According to the Season 5 Journal the original idea for this episode # was a Victorian world.
* The set used for inside the bunker has actually served the show as Quinn's basement in the past.
Plot:
Voiceover: Diana is in a war zone talking to herself, thinking about Heaven and Hell. She tried to wash her ahnds of blood, but it may or not be working. It pains her.

The vortex opens some distance away from the camera. The Sliders exit in some kind of camp. Diana looks at the PDL. She discovers that they aren't actually on Earth, but instead on another planet caught in hyperspace. The gravity well attracted them there and the timer isn't moving.

CREDITS

Maggie is talking to the others. She dreamt that Quinn and Colin's homeworld and the weapon didn't actually exist. They start to look around the camp, but before they get too far, the soldiers surround them inside one of the tents. They put collars around Sliders' necks and give each of them a shock. All clear; there are no infiltrators. The leader is Sgt. Vernon Larson. He decides without asking the Sliders that they should be suited and geared up to go help the fight in the trenches.

The Sliders are taken to the trenches. When the fighting starts, they find that it's the Kromaggs that they're fighting. Diana is absolutely terrified and she can't fight. Remmy takes her underground away from it.

The next day, Maggie goes to see Diana. She looks awful and has a ringing in her head. Maggie manages to get Diana to sleep and then hides the PDL and timer under the bed.

Remmy goes to talk to Larson to ask him a few questions. They're there to guard the bunker against the Kromaggs, but he won't say what's in it. Remmy tells him that he isn't from 'Kromagg Prime.' Larson is quite surprised.

One of the 'injured' soldiers, presumably a kromagg posing as a human, gets up and looks around the room in which Diana sleeps, the hospital like place. He sees the timer and PDL. When he goes to pick it up and Diana sees him, he morphs into a 'Magg at holds a knife at her. Thankfully, Mallory comes to visit diana and he sees the 'Magg and attacks him. In the end, Maggie shoots the Kromaggot. The Kromaggs must have worked out a way to mock up the detection ring. Larson's world defeated the 'Maggs - Kromagg Prime.

The Kromaggs attack and Diana isn't happy underground. She grabs her jacket and runs out. She goes back to the camp, but she still can't escape the noise. She spots a 'Magg rumaging through the camp. They both see a gun at the same time and go for it. diana gets there first and shoots.

The attack ends and the other Sliders find out that Diana is gone, but they do find the PDL.

the 'Magg has been shot in the shoulder. Diana, in a voice over, realises what she did.

Remmy and Mallory talk. Mallory is finding the fighting hard as well, but he's going the complete other way from Diana.

Diana takes pity on the 'Magg she hurt and gives him a little of her food. She looks at his wound.

Prior to this world, Diana had been teaching Maggie to use the PDL and in return Maggie taught her about Sliding. Maggie tries to figure the PDL thing out.

Larson can't leave the planet, he has no way to, and he also doesn't know what's in the bunker he's guarding. Larson explains to them that the weapon was a dud. It got rid of the Kromaggs, but discovered a while later that it wasn't just lethal to the 'Maggs and the ecology of the world crumbled. Remmy has lot and Maggie tries to talk to him.

There's another Kromagg attack. They've fixed the tank and can move again.

Diana is trying to wash the blood off her hands. She helps the Kromagg up.

Cease fire. Humans go up and over the trenches and stop the tank. Remmy sees Diana approaching with the 'Magg and stops the remaining fighting. Diana is more normal seemingnow. The 'Magg's think there's food in the bunker and they need it. All decide to look inside. Disuade the 'Maggs from coming straight away. Only the four Sliders go.

Mallory blasts the door open when they realise they can't get in any other way. Empty place. Only a box and a console. Inside the box is the Voraton device. Diana accesses the console. They're on an asteroid orbiting a white dwarf which because of it's density is simultaneously existing in that space and their own. The panel controls a stasis field keeping the asteroid in hyperspace.If they turn off the stasis, they may be millions of miles form their Slide window. She needs time. Larson enters and they tell him about the device and new way. Maggie and Remmy go to talk to the other troops. Larson stays. However, once there, Maggie finds Larson dead with no eyes/ REalise the one in the bunker is a Kromagg.

There's a fight in the bunker. The 'Magg dies. Diana can shift in a vortex when the field is down but timing must be precise. The 'Magg's make an announcement that all humans are dead. Maggie sets off the Voraton and then they open the wormhole and Slide.

In the Chandler, Maggie and Remmy talk. Diana and Mallory approach. They discuss what happened and drink to friendship.

Did You Notice?
* The company eats 'C' rations. (???)
* Those trapped here call the place 'Purgatory'
* Mallory never shot a real gun before this episode.
* In the past, Diana used her intellect to sheild herself.
* The Sliders usually charm the locals out of food, drink and ready to wear.
* Maggie liked having a woman to relate to (though she didn't relate too well to Wade).
* All the Sliders get on each others' nerves sometimes.
* The weapon which destroys Kromaggs on a mass scale is called a 'Voraton KR-17'
* Larson has two ex-wives.
* They're on an asteroid orbiting a white dwarf which because of it's density is simultaneously existing in that space and their own. The panel controls a stasis field keeping the asteroid in hyperspace.
* Maggie orders a draft. (check this; did I mean Maggie or Mallory)

Cool Quotes:

"Sliding tip for the newbies: never eat mushrooms on any of the worlds we Slide to!" - Rembrandt
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Sliding's like a box of chocolates..." - Rembrandt
"Don't!" - Maggie
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Looks like the Steven King memorial summer camp!" - Mallory
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"We got ourselves a Robin Williams in the cast!" - Larson about Mallory
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Sliders rule 1B: Don't trust anyone. At least not at first." - Maggie
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"You escaped the Slidecage? Who are you people?" - Larson
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I didn't ask you that!" - Rembrandt to Diana when she reels of a whole load of technobabble.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Is that a good kind of unbelieveable?" - Mallory to Diana
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"A little less sci-fi please!" - Rembrandt to Diana after another lot of technobabble.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I've been paying attention." - Maggie when she understands

Mistakes:
* The first time we see the timer, it's not lit up at all. then, when the Kromagg finds it, the LED is lit up and shows the numbers 130700.
* I don't remember 'Magg weapons doing quite that!
* Larson didn't actually mention the 'KR-17' bit when he talked about the weapon. He just called it the Voraton device.
My Opinion:
Well, here come my thoughts on this episode now I've seen it. In no real order.

That was kind of sneaky vortex they showed at the beginning! From such a distance! But it did look pretty cool. Though what would happen if there was something in the way of it's tail I don't know.

I did like the conversations at the beginning. Maggie seemed to be a little bitchy, but is showed more of a closeness with the casual comments and teasing. It more realistically humorous as well. I'm not explaining this well, so I hope you understand me!!!!

That dream of Maggie's was a little ominous!! Are they intending on making Maggie psychic (sp?) in some way or something? More on this in the next episode review.

I was a little skeptical about the whole hyperspace thing. It was nice to hear a hyperspace reference, but it seemed to push the limits of credibility. A world that can do all that with the white dwarf and all and yet they can't find a way to get rid of the Kromaggs without destroying the planet? And that asteroid didn't look very asteroidy! It almost looked blue, green and planetoidy! (who can pick up that quote then? I'm looking towards Blinker and Robin!) Except for the blue and green bit, thought there did seem to be some vegetation. If the asteroid was placed there, they must have also put the vegetation there for some reason. And I find it hard to buy into the white dwarf. And even harder to buy into the fact that they managed to simulate day and night so accurately!

I like the modern day references! Although what would be REALLY cool is if they had a distorted modern day reference from a world which was different to ours!

Okay, when Maggie hid the timer under the bit of Diana's blanket on the floor, did anyone else think that was a bit stupid?? IMHO, the best thing to do would have been to actually place them in Diana's hands! Wouldn't that have been safer than leaving them on the floor where they could be exposed?

Is it me, or did the 'Maggs change in look *again*? They just looked (and sounded) a little different. I could be me though. And I don't remember the Kromagg weapons doing that disintegration (sp?) thing last season! I thought they just had that energy weapon thing. The one that injured Remmy. The disintegrator thing seemed very like the weapon in Common Ground. I'd be very scared if they could do that!

I found the reactions of the newbie Sliders to be quite realisitic. Obviously, I've never been through it, but I can see how the reactions are justified. I liked all that reacting. I would be more like Diana I think. I don't think I'd particuarly like to be suddenly faced with a raging battle! Yep, I can buy into her reactions. Mallory's reactions weren't unrealistic, he just went in the opposite direction and I think his little talk with Remmy proved that he was feeling it as much as Diana. He went for the get-on-with-it-without-thinking-about-it aproach. Different from the other, but I can understand it just as well. And I think they both managed fine with their parts. At least they weren't ready to pick up a gun and go out blazing in seconds!

I think they're bringing back the teacher-student thing. At first it was Arturo-Quinn, then Arturo died and for the rest of the season there wasn't that. Then Colin joined and it was Quinn-Colin. Now they've both left, it's Diana-Maggie. Of the four left, I think that was the wisest choice. Remmy has been sliding for long enough that he knows enough and doesn't realy need to learn about all that physicy stuff. I don't my find really interested in a Diana-Mallory thing because they knew each other before; there's not a lot to explore really. That leaves Maggie. I can actually see her working with Diana and exchanging information. It figures. While I'm on this track, Maggie says it's good to have a woman to relate to. This I can see as well, but she didn't exactly relate to Wade!

It was kind of a dead way to kill the arc, but what else was there really? Short of actually defeating them. Hmmm. The weapon never seemed that much of a concern until now really, but what about the virus? There were problems with that, but I'm sure they could have worked through it! And there could still be ways out there! There has to be a weakness SOMEwhere! All hope is not lost entirely.

I didn't like all the action. I'm not a big fan of such war-orientated things. I think that might have come from being forced to study War Poetry at GCSE. I know it can show friendship and loyalty, but I'm still not a big fan. Anyway, the whole thing seemed a little empty, as did the notion of the bunker. It wsa okay, but not great.

Having said that, the music went well with it. That was quite good really!

I did not like the Kromagg leader. I suppose we're not meant to. Jerry Doyle is a great actor, and did bring something extra to the role, but the character seemed quite similar to his character on Babylon 5. They had similar senses of humour. Of perhaps it's just me. Anyway, he WAS good. And I can believe him as the leader of that little goup as well. While I'm on the subject of Larson, I'm not sure I see him letting the sliders go to the bunker on their own. I would expect him to send at least one of his men with them. Oh well.

I do like the little sliding rules!!! That's something I'm trying to touch on in my spin-off fanfic.

The Chandler seems to look a lot yellower this season! And different. I would say 'Is is me?' but I seem to have said that a lot today! LOL. It does look different. I'm sure of it.

Overall, this wasn't a bad episode, but it wasn't great either. It was just there. Some nice characterisation, but the plot seemed rather lackluster and other than Larson, we didn't get to know any of the guest characters. They were just there as well.



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