The "Babylon 5" Bear Trivia Quiz

Answer: There All Honor Lies

This is the episode where not only the Babylon Emporium opens (and closes), but where Sheridan kills a Minbari. This Minbari had been a member of Lennier's clan and was trying to get people to be outraged at Sheridan so that he would be taken off the station.

Answer: Peter David

Peter David is also well-known in "Star Trek" circles as the man who wrote several novels. His most famous are probably "Imzadi" and "Triangle: Imzadi II" which deal with the whole Riker and Troi love affair. I have to admit, I don't like his "Star Trek" work but he is quite good writing for "Babylon 5" (he has written both episodes and novels).

Answer: Peter David's wife

She gave it to him not knowing that JMS (J. Michael Straczynski) hated stuffed animals. I guess this is the reason the bear has such an unhappy fate as it does in the show. The bear was later mentioned in the parody song "Five Years" by Tom Smith, which was a take-off of Barenaked Ladies' "One Week."

Answer: baseball

He is wearing the baseball shirt because, as we learn in the show, Captain Sheridan likes to play baseball. In one episode, we see Garibaldi coming into the 'park' and yelling at Sheridan because he's been doing batting practice for hours to 'relax.' As for the bear, his baseball shirt says "JS" and "Ba-Bear-Lon 5" on it and was sporting a cute little baseball hat.

Answer: The creator of the show's name

Joe Straczynski (JS) has the same initials as both Captain John Sheridan and Commander Jeffrey Sinclair. Bruce's wife's initials were MG or Melissa Gilbert. Melissa Gilbert played Anna Sheridan, John's long-lost and thought-dead wife who had been taken over by the Shadows in "Z'Ha'Dum." She is probably better known as having played Laura Ingalls Wilder in "Little House on the Prairie." As for Sheridan's favourite curse, that is "fraggin'".

Answer: Sheridan and Keffer

Sheridan took the bear from Ivanova in the hall after he ordered her to close the store and liquidate all of its inventory. Sheridan then left Ivanova and (it is assumed) spaced the bear. The next (and last) time it is seen, Lieutenant Keffer is on duty patrolling the station in his Star Fury and a mysterious object comes on his screen.

The 'object' hits his window, hangs there for a second then slides off. When he radios C&C about this and is asked to identify the object, Keffer says "No way. Not on a bet." What was that object? The stuffed bear!

Answer: Was spaced

Sheridan ordered Ivanova to close the store. As she turned to leave (with the bear), he takes it from her and goes off to 'space' the bear. For those who don't know, 'spacing' is when you through something (usually someone) out of an airlock into space. Several times throughout the show spacing is referred to. Once, Garibaldi offers to space a criminal.

A second time is when a man complains to Sheridan about how Ivanova was treating him. He said that Ivanova threatened to push him out of an airlock.

Sheridan then reprimanded Ivanova by saying that she should have said she was going to take the man's clothes off before spacing him.

Answer: Ivanova

She had bought it as a souvenir because she thought it was cute. When Sheridan passed her in the hall, he saw the bear and asked where she had gotten it. This is when Sheridan decides to reverse his earlier decision and orders Ivanova to close down the Emporium.

Answer: No

After he bounces off of Lieutenant Keffer's windshield, the bear is never heard from again. It's nice to know that the bear didn't hit any other ships, considering how many came and went to the station before it was destroyed in "Sleeping in Light." However, the bear was later seen in the TV show "Space Cases." Both Peter David (writer) and Bill Mumy (Lennier) were involved with the show and decided to have a little fun.

In the episode of that show, the race which put the bear into space was called The Straczyn (after "Babylon 5" creator Straczynski).

Answer: Vermont Teddy Bear Company

Peter David was quoted as having said "Specifically, on page 13 of their 1994 Winter Collection Catalogue, they have the Custom Embroidered Bears. Ordered with a baseball shirt and hat (NOT jacket), he's 20 inches high and his fur color is 'Pockets' (thick milk chocolate)." The company makes the bears by hand at their factory in Vermont.

As quoted by DaMerlen on the "Babylon 5" messageboard at SciFi.com: "The story behind the bear had been making it's rounds through the fans and someone came up with the bright idea of getting 5 teddy bears and lining them up on the stage where JMS was to appear.

They had Bab-bear-lon written on the back of their shirts. Well, when JMS got on the stage and saw them, he took the first 3, threw them in the trash and said 'The first 3 Bab-bear-lons were destroyed.' Grabbed the 4th one and threw it into the audience 'The fourth one disappeared to who knows where' and then picked up the fifth 'This one is the last. I'll sign it and we'll auction it off to charity.'"