Why did the Vorlons pick Jack The Ripper?

[Truth_Seeker]

Maybe this question has been answered already but I wonder why did the Vorlons pick exactly Jack The Ripper to be their Inquisitor?Any clues?

 

[hypatia]

That's a very good question.

I've always asumed this:

Jack was a man who took his own self-importance to be so great that it justified any kind of sick, deviant behavior he might engage in. (He seems to refer to his killing spree as being a failed or misguided kind of experiment of his own, didn't he?)

Who would be better at spotting one like himself? Someone who the Vorlons definitely did NOT want leading the struggle. Someone who found himself (or herself) to be more important even than the struggle itself, to the point where he was willing to break any rule without blinking about the depravity it took to break them.

Ironically, Delenn and Sherridan finished the series of wars once and for all by doing just that. By breaking standard rules of engagement, to the point where they turned on their makers, the Vorlons, themselves. But the Vorlons weren't looking for someone to do that.

But I'm really guessing here. The basic reason, I think, was a kind of "who better to spot a fake than the ultimate fake himself"?

 

[KoshFan]

Sebastian was a false prophet, who had seen how truly false he was. He would stop at nothing to prove that everyone else in that position was as false as he had been. Only true self-sacrifice of the kind Delenn and Sheridan were willing to carry out (all alone in the dark, with no one to ever know or glorify them) was enough to break his resolve.

He was an excellent inquisitor, because he could transfer his own self-loathing onto his subjects.

Ironically, Delenn and Sherridan finished the series of wars once and for all by doing just that. By breaking standard rules of engagement, to the point where they turned on their makers, the Vorlons, themselves. But the Vorlons weren't looking for someone to do that.

I'm not sure they were breaking this particular rule, since they were certainly not in it for themselves, which is what Sebastian was watching for. I do wonder... perhaps Kosh had an inkling. He certainly took Sebastian's approval into account when he threw in with Sheridan against his own kind.

 

[Truth_Seeker]

Your answers are pretty good.So the Vorlons didn't take him for this job because of his "wisdom" but because they made him realize his mistake and now he's determined to prove that everyone else has the same dellusions of doing the right thing that he had.

 

[hypatia]

Yea, basically that's it, I think. He did say, I think, that he was chosen because he'd be ideal for the task, or something. And Delenn and Sherridan didn't "pass" until they were at their wit's end and told him that they didn't matter, others would "rise up" to take their places, or however it was put.

But it's a great question, nonetheless. I can actually think of others that might be considered more suitable by me, because I always think of Jack the Ripper as a madman, not a crusader. And Jack enjoyed torture a bit too much to do the job objectively, I'd think.

But then I'm not a Vorlon.

 

[vacantlook]

...and told him that they didn't matter, others would "rise up" to take their places, or however it was put.

And interestingly, the Shadows recognized this too. When he confronted Sheridan, Justin told him that they couldn't just kill him because someone would just come along and replace him.

...as a madman, not a crusader.

That prompts a good question: Is there a difference between a crusader and a madman?

 

[Alluveal]

Ironically, Delenn and Sherridan finished the series of wars once and for all by doing just that. By breaking standard rules of engagement, to the point where they turned on their makers, the Vorlons, themselves. But the Vorlons weren't looking for someone to do that.

Agreed, but, Delenn passed by proving she would give up her life, fame, renown (to die alone in the dark, unremarked) in order to do her part in the coming Shadow War. I believe this is what Sheridan and Delenn did—they took the ultimate chance and defied the Shadows and the Vorlons (suicide, I tell ya!) placing the future of many races at ultimate risk.

I honestly think Sebastian’s role was that of “gatekeeper” or “guardian” in terms of Campbell’s monomyth / the crossing of a threshold.

As for why the Vorlons chose him, he does his job without flinching, without the ability to feel pity or remorse for his actions. He is never swayed by emotion or cries for help. He simply does.

 

[hypatia]

A crusader claims to have a larger mission motivating his acts, and some kind of divine something on his "side". I don't think all madmen think this. But yea, that'd be the only difference I can think of.

A shame about the word crusade, though, isn't it? The word itself doesn't mean evil and killing. We've just grown to think of it that way. B5 fans would know better, though, if they followed the spin-off series.

 

[GaribaldisHair]

I imagine the difference between a crusader and a madman would be much like the difference between a madman and a genius ... it depends to a great extent on your perspective.

 

[Telepath]

Sebastian was a false prophet, who had seen how truly false he was. He would stop at nothing to prove that everyone else in that position was as false as he had been. Only true self-sacrifice of the kind Delenn and Sheridan were willing to carry out (all alone in the dark, with no one to ever know or glorify them) was enough to break his resolve.

And the best thing about it is that the Vorlons, who propagate self-sacrifice for the greater good, succumb to the sin of pride, as did Sebastian, by starting a rampage across the galaxy in their greed for victory over the shadows. The Vorlons have become Rippers.