Warning - Wikipedia contains spoilers.
"Who am I? I am Susan Ivanova, Commander, daughter of Andrei and Sophie Ivanov. I am the right hand of vengeance, and the boot that is going to kick your sorry ass all the way back to Earth. I am death incarnate, and the last living thing that you are ever going to see. God sent me."
For many, the popular series Babylon 5 was exemplified by the character of Commander Susan Ivanova, second in command of the Babylon 5 station. Ivanova, portrayed by Claudia Christian, avoids many of the cliches endemic to modern sci-fi television. She is tough, assertive and self-confident, while being cynical and playfully witty. Her character is complex and evolving, never taking the easy path of stereotype.
Much of her appeal came from her quick-witted dialogue, which often lightened tensions in the serious, dramatic scenes that were the hallmark of the series. Another character who filled this role is Marcus Cole.
Like many of the characters, Susan Ivanova seemed locked in a tragic cycle. The particular millstone around Susan's neck was love. In the episode Divided Loyalties, she and the resident telepath, Talia Winters, become romantically involved. However, Talia's personality is destroyed by an implanted hypnotic trigger, and she rejects Ivanova's love for her as foolish and weak. Ivanova is left weeping and vulnerable when Talia returns to Earth.
(This incident is also notable in that it illustrates the B5 approach to same-sex relationships; they are simply a normal part of life, and people in the B5 universe are not automatically considered to be heterosexual. Many pointed out the contrast between this approach and that of Star Trek, a series that was criticised for keeping homosexuality at arm's length. Indeed, most TV programs of the 1990s had this attitude towards non-heterosexual relationships.)
Ivanova's most tragic loss comes when Marcus Cole, who had slowly fallen in love with her over 44 episodes, sacrifices his own life to save her from a mortal wound she received in the episode Endgame, during the final battle against President Clark. The scene where Marcus lies slumped beside an unconscious Ivanova, transferring his life-force to her via an alien execution device, is a high point of dramatic pathos.
