Franklin was a character with an abnormally high amount of integrity. He was a workaholic, much like his father, who he made every effort to not be like. Eventually his job consumed him. He turned to stims to fill the void in his life that his profession had created. After nearly killing a patient and an extremely uncharacteristic outburst in front of his staff, his best friend Michael Garibaldi conducted a private investigation and almost turned him in when he found out the truth, that Franklin had an addiction. It was this private investigation that lead Franklin to check the records himself so he could prove Garibaldi wrong. Unfortunately, Michael was right and as a man of science, Franklin looked at the numbers and they added up to an stim-dependency. So, he took a hiatus from MedLab and went on walkabout trying to 'find himself'. He eventually did but it nearly cost him his life. He decided that life was the most important reason to go on.
He rejoined the rest of the crew and was a rock that the crew could rely on during the Shadow War and the War of Independence against President Clarke and the Nightwatch. Eventually Franklin took a post as Head of Xenobiology at Earthdome, leaving Babylon 5 for good.
Franklin, the character lived to see old age, a luxury that the actor who played him did not get. Richard Biggs passed on May 22nd, 2004 from a brain aneurism. He left behind a wife and two children and to this day there is a fund to help his family. Richard Biggs immortalized the character of Doctor Franklin by lending much of his own spirit to his portrayal. Truly one of the most endearing characters in the series and often the person who remained most human during the difficult transitions in the show. Richard Biggs will be sorely missed by the acting world and the fans of Babylon 5 ... but he will forever live on in our minds and in our hearts.
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