Babylon 5: Character Bios: Morden
Morden is another baddie played by the super cool actor, Ed Wasser.
The best thing about Mr. Morden is that he is dead. Don’t you just hate it when you do a review of someone and they die in the next episode. He got clobbered soon after a delightful conversation with Vir on Centauri Prime (see the quote below).
Therefore, if alas, you were to meet Mr. Morden in a pub you would say, “What’s that awful smell?“
Like Sherridans wife Anna, Morden was a member of the crew of the Icarus that travelled to Z’ha’dum. No one survived except Morden (and possibly Anna Sheridan?). Morden was given the choice of serving the Shadows or death. Morden chose to serve and he helped the Shadows win alliances with the Centauri and the Earth Alliance.
At the end of season 4 however, Morden was on Z’ha’dum when Sheridan attacked. The nuclear explosion almost killed him, although a somewhat frazzled Morden was still able to continue his work. I suspect the some Shadow medical technology helped.
He acted as an intermediary between many of the planets that had fallen under the influence of the Shadows. He was seen on Earth talking with the Psi Corps and also on the Drazi homeworld. He was always a capable negotiator and a frightening adversary – lets face it, the cool, calm voice was pretty good too.
Eventually, Londo became disillusioned with the Shadows who had set up a base on Centauri Prime. In an amazingly brave move, Londo destroyed the Shadow settlement and ordered the decapitation of the Shadows chief envoy, Morden. He had Mordens head placed on a large stick at the Gates of the city for all to see.
Although dead, Mr Morden makes a brief but really cool appearance in Season 5 (Day of the Dead) when he gives Lennier some advice and indicates a little of his future.
Some of you may have noticed that Morden is indeed a very capable spy. In the very first episode we saw him with his hair dyed blonde fiddling with the controls in the Command and Control room posing as an officer. He even managed to change his voice a little and some of you ladies may have even thought he was ‘sweet’. Such a dastardly and evil dude deserved all he got! Actually, I suspect the same actor was playing a different character but you never know!
“What do you want?”
“I’d like to live just long enough to be there when they cut off your head and stick it on a pike as a warning to the next ten generations that some favour’s come with too high a price. I’d look up at your lifeless eyes and wave like this. Can you and your associates arrange it for me, Mr. Morden?”
Morden and Vir, In the Shadow of Z’ha’dum
“My associates may turn their eye toward your homeworld“.
“Then we shall pluck it out”
Morden to Londo, Into the Fire
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