In short, one evil motherfucker.

Not much (nothing, actually) is known about Morden prior to 2256...only that he was a fairly normal guy, if somewhat of a lowlife.  In 2256, Morden was a member of the crew of the Icarus, an Earth exploration vessel working with Interplanetary Expiditions to explore the Rim of known space.  Anna Sheridan, John Sheridan's wife, was also a member of the crew.  Their destination was a lil' ol' planet called Z'ha'dum--the same planet serving as the homeworld of the Shadows.

Oops.

The Icarus landed on Z'ha'dum and in short order met up with everyone's favorite Shadows, who were just coming awake after a thousand years of hibernation.  They gave the crew a choice: Work as a minion of the Shadows, or resist and end up a half-dead zombie working for the Shadows anyway.  The crew resisted, and for the most part ended up either dead or as living CPU for the Shadow ships.

Except, of course, for everyone's favorite scumbag Morden.  He said, "Work for unspeakable evil?  Sounds grand!" and started life anew as an agent of the Shadows. 

He first resurfaced in 2258 (Season 1 of Babylon 5), arriving on B5 to meet with the station's ambassadors and scout them out by asking each of them the Shadow Question: What do you want?  Londo Mollari, the Centauri Republic's ambassador, gave the "best" answer and Morden began to help Londo out while subtly placing him under Shadow control.

Throughout the years, Morden would continue to do the Shadows' bidding.  He would finally meet his demise in Season 4's Into the Fire, once Londo had had enough of him once and for all.  In his death, he ironically gave Vir Cotto, Londo's assistant, the only thing he had wanted all along:

"What do I 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 favors come with too high a price. I want to look up at your lifeless eyes and wave, like this..." (In the Shadow of Z'ha'dum)

Morden returned from beyond the grave in Season 5's Day of the Dead, as a curiously philosophical apparition who told Lennier that he would end up betraying the Rangers.  Aside from that, though, his head remains atop a spike outside the Centauri Royal Palace slowly rotting away while birds peck at his dead eyes. 

And good riddance.


The most maddening thing about Mr. Morden (played superbly through all five seasons by Ed Wasser) was the fact that he was such a damn gentleman.  Always calm, always polite, always having that dashing smile on his face while he sawed off your arm and told you in a silky smooth voice that it was a good thing.  Just look at his first appearance in Signs and Portents--he politely speaks with all the ambassadors, leaves peacefully when Delenn kicks him out of her quarters, helps Londo recover a priceless artifact, kills the raiders responsible for its disappearance, and doesn't ask for anything in return!

What a bastard.



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