It follows Dr. Franklin's ethical dilemma after he encounters a dying boy whose parents refuse to allow him to receive treatment that will save him, and Commander Susan Ivanova's mission to rescue a stranded transport ship in Raider territory.
[1] Dr. Franklin faces an ethical dilemma when the parents of Shon, a dying alien child, refuse to let him operate for religious reasons.
Though realizing the boy wants to live, he eventually turns down Franklin's request, in order to maintain the cultural neutrality of the station.
With Shon near death, his parents spend more time with him before they depart; as soon as they leave, Franklin decides to operate anyway.
After they leave, Franklin checks Hernandez's notes on the species in the medical database and realizes that they had brought a robe used for spiritual journeys, not physical ones.
Commander Susan Ivanova gets Sinclair to allow her to lead a squadron of fighters into Raider territory in order to rescue a stranded transport ship, the Asimov.
[3] The Babylon 5 makeup department involved in this episode – consisting of Everett Burrell, Greg Funk, Mary Kay Morse, Ron Pipes and John Vulich – won the 1994 Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Makeup for a Series for episode 5 of the season, "The Parliament of Dreams".
The positioning of the four engine pods at the extremities of the craft was inspired by Ron Cobb's design for the Gunstar fighter from The Last Starfighter.
Club, points out that this episode did a good job of not favoring one belief worldview over another, letting the viewer make the decision.
But those beliefs are tied into a certain arrogance, demonstrated when he demands an apology in apparent victory over a pissed-off Sinclair.
"[13] Elias Rosner, writing in the entertainment magazine website Multiversity Comics, observes that the episode is the character of Dr. Franklin's first failure on the show.
"[14] Rosner notes that the episode refrains from passing judgement on Franklin or the parents exclusively, but rather, points out the problems with both.
"For Franklin, it's his arrogance in believing that he knows best, knows all, no matter what ... For the family, it is their utter unwillingness to bend to save their child's life and their pride.
[15]Jules-Pierre Malartre, writing in the science fiction review site, Den of Geek, describes Richard Biggs' performance as Dr. Stephen Franklin as "brilliant" and "emotionally charged", in a powerful episode which deals with a timeless issue: scientific advancement vs religion.
Malartre notes that it is not a matter of right versus wrong, but rather the pros and cons of "a religion that has survived faster-than-light travel clashing against the social values of a multicultural, advanced community ... and the personal beliefs of a medical doctor with the power of life over death.