BABYLON 5 Viewing Order & Chronology

I've covered this before in a few different ways, but I thought it'd be good to put this one to bed by combining two distinct orders for Babylon 5 - the ideal viewing order and the actual chronological order of the episodes - into one post.

All episodes/TV movies are listed in optimal viewing order. I list next to them their chronological dates (where known) so viewers can assemble a chronological date if they really want to.

For the benefit of Amazon Prime viewers, you need to select the pilot episode, The Gathering, from the "Season 1 Bonus Features" at the bottom of the season list, and then watch Episode 1 (Midnight on the Fire Line) afterwards and go from there. The six TV movies and spin-off series Crusade are not yet available on Amazon Prime but apparently are on their way.


Optimal Viewing Order

The Gathering (original pilot movie)

Season 1 in order.*

Season 2 in order apart from making sure A Race Through Dark Places goes before Soul Mates and that Knives goes before In the Shadow of Z'ha'dum, as both Soul Mates and Z'ha'dum depend on character motivations changing due to events in the episode before.

Season 3 in order.**
Season 4 in order.

In the Beginning and Thirdspace (TV movies)

Season 5 in order.

River of Souls and Call to Arms (TV movies)

Crusade in one of the orders listed on the Wiki page. The precise order for Crusade is highly debatable.

Legends of the Rangers and The Lost Tales (TV movies)

Some fans will suggest holding back the final episode of Season 5 proper, Sleeping in Light until after everything else as it is set later and puts the final capstone on the Babylon 5 arc. This is a viable moderation to the viewing order.

Chronological Order of Episodes (spoilers)

This is not a viable viewing order, because the prequel movies and so on spoil events from chronologically later episodes. However, this may be of interest. Confirmed dates - ones given in dialogue, captions or can be inferred by the episode's relationship to episodes with confirmed dates - are given in bold. All other dates are speculative or unknown.

Please note that SPOILERS FOLLOW for new viewers so only click past the jump if you're sure:

BABYLON 5 Rewatch: Season 4, Episodes 19-20

D19: Between the Darkness and the Light

Airdates: 6 October 1997 (US), 27 November 1997 (UK)

Written by J. Michael Straczynski

Directed by David J. Eagle

Cast: Lt. Eisensen (Marc Gomes), Interrogator (Bruce Gray), Number One (Marjorie Monaghan), Captain James (David Purdham), Felicia (Musetta Vander), Guard (Greg Poland), Evan (J.P. Hubbel), First Guard (James Laing), Assistant (Anneliza Scott)

Date: Approximately 30-31 October 2261.

Plot:    Garibaldi, anxious to rescue Sheridan and start paying back for some the things he did whilst under Psi Corps’ control, attempts to contact the Mars Resistance. He is captured and brought before Number One, who offers Franklin the chance to kill him. Franklin almost agrees, but lets Lyta scan Garibaldi to learn the truth. They discover that he was used by Psi Corps, but is now free of their influence. After convincing Number One into helping them, Lyta, Garibaldi and Franklin set out for the Earthforce prison complex.

On Babylon 5 Delenn and Lennier discover that Londo has called a meeting of the Babylon 5 Advisory Council without informing them. They arrive just as the Narn, Centauri and League worlds unanimously vote to send ships to support Ivanova’s fleet.

The liberation fleet is moving towards the Solar system and successfully defeats the Earthforce destroyers Damocles and Orion in combat. In return for leniency at the war crimes tribunal, one of the captured crewmen reports that some of the ships that have joined Ivanova’s fleet are really still working for Clark and are providing intelligence to Earthforce on their movements. Clark is setting a trap involving some new-model destroyers employing lethal technology. Clark wants to destroy the rebel Earthforce vessels in Ivanova’s fleet to make it look like the liberators are really alien invaders. Ivanova decides to take the White Stars by themselves to intercept and destroy the new vessels before they can attack the Earth ships in the fleet.

Garibaldi, Lyta and Franklin arrive at the prison complex and Garibaldi manages to use his well-publicised face as Sheridan’s captor to get past the outer guards. Lyta uses her telepathic powers to overwhelm the inner guards and they rescue Sheridan from his cell. However, they then have to fight their way back out. With the help of the Resistance, Sheridan is put on a shuttle headed for the liberation fleet.

The White Star forces arrive at the ambush coordinates and encounter a large number of Earthforce destroyers fitted with Shadow technology, namely much improved hull armour and superior weaponry. Full-scale battle erupts and, despite heavy losses, the White Stars emerge triumphant. However, when the last enemy vessel explodes the White Star 2 is crippled and Ivanova severely injured. She and Marcus bail out in a lifepod and the ship explodes.

Sheridan’s shuttle reaches the liberation fleet shortly after Minbari, Narn, Centauri and League warships arrive to support them. He assumes command of the Agamemnon and orders a course set for the Mars colony.

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BABYLON 5 Rewatch: Season 4, Episodes 17-18

D17: The Face of the Enemy

Airdates: 9 June 1997 (US), 13 November 1997 (UK)

Written by J. Michael Straczynski

Directed by Michael Vejar

Cast: William Edgars (Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.), Bester (Walter Koenig), Captain Edward MacDougan (Richard Gant), Lise Hampton-Edgars (Denise Gentile), Number One (Marjorie Monaghan), Alison Higgins (Diana Morgan), Captain James (David Purdham), Captain Leo Frank (Ricco Ross), Wade (Mark Schneider), Psi Cop (Harlan Ellison),

Date: Late September or early October 2261.

Plot:    Sheridan’s fleet launches an attack on an Earthforce outpost in an asteroid belt. The defending Earthforce warships, the Hydra and the Delphi, are critically damaged and both surrender after Captain MacDougan of the Vesta confirms that, contrary to ISN and government reports, Sheridan isn’t killing all the Earthforce crew who surrender to him. The EAS Agamemnon, Sheridan’s old command, arrives and Captain James, Sheridan’s former first officer, agrees to swap sides and join Sheridan’s cause.

On Mars Edgars agrees to tell Garibaldi the whole story of his operation in return for Garibaldi’s cooperation in capturing Sheridan. Garibaldi tells Edgars that Sheridan’s father - who has been missing for several months - needs to take a certain kind of drug once every few months to treat an illness he is suffering from. Through the movements of this drug Edgars is able to arrange for Sheridan’s dad to be arrested on Earth. Garibaldi contacts Sheridan on the Agamemnon and tells him that his father is in prison on Mars. Garibaldi has contacts willing to break him out, but only if Sheridan agrees to talk to them face-to-face. Sheridan agrees, despite suspecting a trap, and orders Ivanova to leave Babylon 5 and take command of the fleet in his absence. The Agamemnon has not yet announced its defection and has the latest access codes for getting through the early warning system around the Solar system, so it takes Sheridan to Mars and drops him off in a Thunderbolt. He arrives in a bar to meet with Garibaldi, but Garibaldi knocks him out with a tranquiliser and he is taken into custody by Earthforce personnel.

Back at Edgars’ home, Edgars spills the beans on what is really going on. There is a virus threatening telepaths, but Edgars himself created it. He believes that telepaths are the greatest threat the human race has ever seen and he is determined to remove the threat, for good. The virus is harmless against normal humans, but telepaths die from it. However, his plan is not genocide. The antidote that Garibaldi helped get through B5 Customs must be taken at regular intervals every two weeks or the result is fatal. Edgars plans to use this to keep the telepaths under control. After he leaves, Garibaldi goes into a trance-like state and activates a homing device in his tooth. He then goes to the vac-tube station where Lise tries to talk to him, having overhead some of Edgars’ plans, but Garibaldi tells her to leave. Bester than arrives and scans Garibaldi’s mind to learn Edgar’s intent. He tells Garibaldi that, through the Shadow allies who had infiltrated the Psi Corps (C14), Bester was able to arrange for Garibaldi to be captured when the Shadows surrounded Babylon 5 (C22). Garibaldi was brought to the Psi Corps base on Syria Planum and mentally reprogrammed, his natural tendencies towards paranoia and suspicion massively enhanced. The Psi Corps had long known that someone was planning to move against them, just not who and how. As they hoped, Garibaldi uncovered the conspiracy and now they can move against it. After considering killing Garibaldi, Bester instead removes the mental programming and leaves. A few minutes later Garibaldi wakes up, “normal” once again, and screams as he remembers what has happened to him. He rushes back to Edgars’, but finds Edgars and Wade dead and Lise missing.

Franklin and Lyta arrive on Mars with more than thirty of the frozen telepaths from Babylon 5. Number One dislikes telepaths and isn’t keen on helping them, but Franklin convinces her it is for the greater good. Ivanova takes command of the White Star fleet and, after hearing about Sheridan’s capture, resolves to carry on in his stead. She has standing orders posted that if Garibaldi turns up on Babylon 5, he is to be shot on sight. They proceed to the next target.

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BABYLON 5 Rewatch: Season 4, Episodes 15-16

D15: No Surrender, No Retreat

Airdates: 26 May 1997 (US), 30 October 1997 (UK)

Written by J. Michael Straczynski

Directed by Michael Vejar

Cast: Commander Sandra Levitt (Marcia Mitzman Gaven), Captain Edward MacDougan (Richard Gant), Commander Robert Philby (Neil Bradley), Captain Trevor Hall (Ken Jenkins), Lt. David Corwin (Joshua Cox), Guard (Skip Stellrecht)

Date: 2 September 2261.

Plot:    The White Star fleet arrives at Babylon 5 and Sheridan summons a meeting of the Babylon 5 Advisory Council. In return for the White Stars’ recent defence of their territories against raiders and aliens, he is declaring all the mutual defence treaties between the Earth Alliance and the Narn Regime, Centauri Republic and League of Non-aligned Worlds null and void. He tells them not to get involved in what is to come before asking they each contribute a destroyer-class vessel to the defence of Babylon 5. They agree.

Marcus takes a White Star to an area in hyperspace very close to Proxima III and contacts the rebels. More troops are assaulting the planet and they now think that they will have to surrender in a matter of weeks. Marcus has identified six Omega-class destroyers in orbit: the Heracles, Pollux, Vesta, Juno, Furies and Nemesis. According to the rebels the Heracles and Pollux have fired on civilian vessels, whilst the Vesta and Furies have apparently gone out of their way not to fire on civilians. Sheridan and the rest of the White Star fleet start arriving. They plan to attack in three waves to separate the enemy ships into easily containable groups. The Earthforce fleet begins to disperse to deal with the separate incursions and Captain Hall of the Heracles, commander of the fleet, orders all ships to open fire. However, Captain MacDougan of the Vesta proves reluctant: he used to teach Sheridan at the Earthforce Academy and doesn’t want to fire on him. Commander Philby tries to relieve MacDougan of command but he is overpowered by the bridge crew. MacDougan stands down. The battle is joined and the Furies also refuses to open fire. The Juno jumps out of the system rather than engage the enemy and the Nemesis is crippled by fire from the White Stars and surrenders. The Pollux manages to cripple a White Star, but the vessel crashes into the Pollux and explodes, destroying both ships. The Heracles takes colossal damage, but only surrenders after Commander Levitt relieves Captain Hall of command.

The commanding officers of the four remaining ships meet with Sheridan. Sheridan tells Levitt that the crew of the Heracles are going to have to answer to a war crimes tribunal after this is over, but for now they can decide on their own fate. Levitt decides to take the Heracles to the repair yards at Beta IX and sit out the rest of the war. The Furies will remain and guard Proxima III in case Clark sends another fleet against it. The Nemesis and Vesta both volunteer to join Sheridan’s forces and they are soon joined by other rebel cruisers, including the Alexander. They head for the next target on the way to Earth.

On Babylon 5 G’Kar and Londo decide to issue a joint Narn-Centauri statement approving of Sheridan’s actions. However, Garibaldi grows disgusted at the way Sheridan is handling the situation and leaves Babylon 5 for Mars, planning never to return.

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BABYLON 5 Rewatch: Season 4, Episodes 13-14

D13: Rumours, Bargains and Lies

Airdates: 12 May 1997 (US), 16 October 1997 (UK)

Written by J. Michael Straczynski

Directed by Michael Vejar

Cast: Neroon (John Vickery), Drazi Ambassador (Ron Campbell), Religious Caste #1 (Guy Siner), Religious Caste #2 (Chard Haywood), Brakiri Ambassador (Jonathan Chapman)

Plot: Delenn rendezvouses with the Minbari warcruiser Tukari, a ship controlled by the religious caste. Shai Alyt Neroon of the warrior caste has arrived on board as well. Delenn and Neroon discuss the growing crisis on Minbar – which has now broken out into full civil war – and agree to work together to stop the growing chaos. Some of the religious caste on board, however, believe that Delenn means to surrender to the warrior caste and decide to use poison gas to wipe out all occupants of the ship, including themselves, so the religious caste will keep fighting. When they learn that Delenn and Neroon plan to stop the civil war by cooperating, they panic and try to stop the gas spreading, only to find that Lennier has already dealt with the situation, despite taking some injuries in the process.

Back on Babylon 5 Sheridan sets a series of deceptions in motion, having Marcus and the White Star fleet attack barren asteroids in one sector, having Voice of the Resistance report that nothing of interest happened in that sector and having Londo vehemently deny that White Stars are protecting the borders of Centauri space. Confused, the League ambassadors begin wondering if their borders are under attack by some kind of new, invisible alien force and that Sheridan knows that something is going on and has sent the White Stars to defend Centauri space. They call a meeting of the Babylon 5 Advisory Council (the first in some time) and demand that Sheridan send the White Stars to protect their borders as well. Sheridan agrees, that of course being his plan all along: to get the alien governments to continue their mutual cooperation that began during the Shadow War.

Despite his earlier agreement with Delenn, Neroon leaves the warcruiser in secret at night and flies ahead to Minbar, sending a message to Shai Alyt Shakiri, head of the warrior caste, that the religious caste has fallen for the trap. He now has full access to all of the religious caste plans to defend themselves on Minbar.

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BABYLON 5 Rewatch: Season 4, Episodes 11-12

D11: Lines of Communication

Airdates: 28 April 1997 (US), 2 October 1997 (UK)

Written by J. Michael Straczynski

Directed by John C. Flinn III

Cast: Number One (Marjorie Monaghan), Phillipe (Paolo Seganti), Forell (G.W. Stevens), ISN Reporter (Carolyn Barkin), Emissary (Jean-Luc Martin)

Date: Within a few days of the previous episode.

Plot:    Forell, a member of the Minbari religious caste, arrives on Babylon 5 with disturbing news for Delenn. The Norsai, a peaceful, agrarian race living on the borders of Minbari space, have come under attack from unknown aliens. The Pak’ma’ra are also believed to have suffered raids. Delenn decides to take a taskforce of White Star ships out to investigate.

On Mars a hotel is bombed by elements of the Resistance working without the permission of the high command. Number One disciplines her supporters and Franklin and Marcus meet with the other rebels, offering Babylon 5’s full support. In return the rebels are not to hit civilian targets and are to keep a low profile until a plan for removing Clark and liberating Mars and Proxima III is fully worked out. In return, they will ensure that Mars is given its independence from Earth once President Clark has been removed from office.

The White Star taskforce reaches Norsai space and encounters a group of alien warships. Forell pulls a gun on Delenn and forces the White Stars to follow the alien vessels to their mothership. An alien shuttle docks with the White Star and a strange, humanoid creature who seems to shimmer in and out of existence comes on board. It identifies itself as a Drakh, although it refuses to disclose whether that’s its name or the name of its species (Delenn correctly identifies it as the species). Forell tells Delenn that events on Minbar are spiralling out of control. The warrior caste has evicted the entire population of a mixed-caste city and taken it over for themselves. The Minbari populace had to walk several hundred miles to the nearest city through freezing conditions and more than half of them died, including members of Forell’s family. The warriors are taking more and more power for themselves on Minbar and the religious caste is starting to oppose them. Forell fears that civil war may engulf the Minbari. He has contacted these aliens, the Drakh, and plans to ally them to the religious caste, even though Minbari do not use outsiders to settle inside affairs. Delenn agrees to further talks with the Drakh, but when the Drakh disclose that their homeworld was recently destroyed Lennier becomes disturbed and manages to warn Delenn that the Drakh may be the Shadow servants they saw fleeing Z’ha’dum several months ago (D7). Unfortunately, Forell mentions Delenn’s name, a name the Drakh recognise. Once the Drakh ambassador has returned to his ship the other Drakh fighters target the White Stars with their weapons. Thanks to some impressive manoeuvres the White Stars manage to escape to hyperspace, but Forell is killed in the battle. After effecting minor repairs, the White Stars return to normal space and destroy the Drakh fleet.

Sheridan, increasingly tired of ISN propaganda directed against Babylon 5, begins renovating the War Room with a new idea in mind. He plans to set up a rival news service, “The Voice of the Resistance”, with Ivanova as its main anchor. Ivanova isn’t thrilled about the idea but agrees to take part after her success in updating allied ships on enemy fleet movements during the Shadow War (D4-D5). Delenn arrives back on the station and tells Sheridan that there are troubles on her homeworld. She will be leaving for a while and hopes this time apart will also give Sheridan the resolve to deal with the situation on Earth. They have one last dinner together before she departs for Minbar.

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BABYLON 5: Season 4, Episodes 9-10

D9: Atonement

Airdates: 24 February 1997 (US), 18 September 1997 (UK)

Written by J. Michael Straczynski

Directed by Tony Dow

Cast: Dukhat (Reiner Schone), Callenn (Brian Carpenter), Morann (Robin Atkin Downes)

Date: This episode does not take place long after D8. There are extensive flashbacks to the early 2240s and mid-August 2245.

Plot:    Delenn receives a summons to Minbar by her clan and is compelled to obey. She and Sheridan spend the third of their nights together where the female watches and the male sleeps, before slipping away to the customs bay. Lennier intercepts her there and insists on accompanying her to the homeworld.

Marcus and Franklin are given new orders by Sheridan. Since Earth is playing dirty in its attempts to discredit the station (D7, D8), they have to do the same. He is sending Marcus and Franklin to make contact with the Mars Resistance and make whatever arrangements necessary to secure an alliance. Because of the blockade at certain jump gates, they’re going to have to go the long way around and won’t reach Mars for two weeks. They agree to the mission and set off.

Delenn arrives on Minbar for a meeting with the clan elders, represented by Callenn. They have grave doubts about her decision to take Sheridan as a mate, despite the fact that she is partly human. They want to know her reasons are pure and have arranged the Dreaming. The Dreaming is a holographic imaging chamber whereby the candidate, having taken drugs beforehand enhancing their mental powers, projects his or her thoughts and memories into the air for all to see. During Delenn’s first visit to the Dreaming she sees herself as a young acolyte some twenty years ago. She is assigned to watch over Dukhat during his own Dreaming. Intrigued by her wisdom and intelligence in one so young, he takes her into the Grey Council itself and tells her that the Council is divided over whether or not to make contact with a race known as the humans, who apparently the Centauri have had dealings with for some time. The warriors fear the military threat of the humans, the religious caste dislike of the idea of being exposed to alien belief systems and the workers are opposed to cheap imports at the expense of Minbari labour. Delenn asks about simple curiosity and Dukhat agrees that just being curious is a good reason in itself to contact other worlds, but the Council refuses to consider the idea. Dukhat makes Delenn his aide in return for embarrassing her before the Council. Over the next few years Delenn grows under Dukhat’s tutelage and is eventually elevated to the rank of the Council. When she swears the oath before the Triluminary, it glows. Dukhat goes to talk to her afterwards, but is interrupted by an alarm signal. The Minbari vessels have encountered an alien fleet approaching their space. Delenn confirms they are human warships, having studied Centauri reports. Morann, a warrior caste representative, tells them their gunports are open in the warriors’ tradition of showing respect to an enemy. Dukhat angrily tells them to stand down but the Earth ships open fire, convinced the Minbari are about to fire themselves. During the exchange Dukhat is killed and the Council becomes deadlocked about whether it was an accident or an act of hostility. Delenn, filled with grief and rage, breaks the deadlock by ordering the destruction of humanity.

Lennier is shocked and realises that the other Minbari will believe that Delenn is marrying Sheridan out of guilt for giving the order that broke the Council’s deadlock and began three years of bitter warfare, although he is sure that is not the case. Callenn announces that the Dreaming is over and tells them they will rest for the night and inform them of what they have discovered in the morning. But, in the night, Delenn suddenly realises that Dukhat was trying to say something to her when he died. She re-enters the Dreaming with Lennier and Callenn and they hear Dukhat’s last words, which Delenn herself did not hear at the time: “You are a child of Valen.” Afterwards Lennier raids the archives and confirms Dukhat’s words. Delenn, as hundreds of thousands if not millions of other Minbari, is a descendant of Valen himself. Since Valen was partly human, that means Delenn was partly human even before her transformation. It also means that most of the Minbari species has some trace of human DNA in their genetics, the true meaning of the humans and Minbari sharing the two sides of one soul. If the “purity” of the Minbari race hasn’t existed for a thousand years, then how can that purity be tainted by any children Delenn might have with Sheridan? Callenn admits that this knowledge has been kept secret for fear of confusing and dividing the Minbari race. They decide on a cover story, that Delenn is offering herself to the humans to further the spiritual bond between their species and as a sacrifice to the humans for their losses during the Earth-Minbari War, in the same way pre-Valen Minbari would marry the son and daughter of the two sides in a war to reunite themselves. Delenn is satisfied and heads back to Babylon 5.

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BABYLON 5 Rewatch: Comic Issues 11-14

DC12-DC14: The Psi Corps and You!

Publication Date: December 1995

Written by J. Michael Straczynski (plot) and Tim DeHaas (script)

Artwork by John Ridgway (art) & Robbie Busch (colours)

Date: Mid-2259

Plot:    Diane Matthews, a commercial telepath working for Psi Corps, presents a special magazine from Babylon 5 designed to tell children about Psi Corps and their goals.

Matthews explains that one of the first verified telepaths was her great-great grandfather, William Karges. One hundred years ago, Karges discovered he could read people’s minds. He used this ability to go up through the ranks of the Earthforce military, eventually becoming chief bodyguard to President Robinson. He stopped three terrorist plots and died in the line of duty, identifying a would-be assassin that her other security forces neutralised. Karges died after confessing his secret to the President. Aware that other telepaths existed in hiding, Robinson declared an amnesty, promising support and assistance for any telepaths who came forward. This resulted in a monitoring organisation. As the number of telepaths increased, the organisation metamorphosed into the Psi Corps.

Matthews also relates the story of a young boy named Alfred who discovered his telepathic powers in school. He told Psi Corps straight away, was inducted into the Corps and is now one of its most respected members.

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BABYLON 5 Rewatch: Season 4, Episodes 7-8

D7: Epiphanies

Airdates: 10 February 1997 (US), 4 September 1997 (UK)

Written by J. Michael Straczynski

Directed by John C. Flinn III

Cast: Bester (Walter Koenig), Minister Virini (Damian London), Psi Corps Official (Victor Lundin), Earth Alliance Pilot (Robert Patteri), News Anchor (Lauren Sanchez)

Date: 27-31 January 2261.

Plot:    The Shadow War is over and a great celebration is held on Babylon 5. Just as Sheridan starts relaxing for the first time in six months, events take a turn for the sinister back on Earth. In the Psi Corps Building in Earthdome, Bester is summoned to a meeting with a high-ranking member of the Psi Corps bureaucracy. He is told that something has seriously rattled President Clark and he wants Babylon 5 shut down as soon as possible. To this end Clark has launched a four-pronged plan involving the Psi Corps, the Ministry of Peace, Earthforce and Nightwatch to discredit the station. Bester leaves for Babylon 5 soon after. Meanwhile, ISN reports that the Earth Alliance Senate has imposed a blockade on all Earth Alliance jump gates leading to Babylon 5. From this time forwards all trade and cargo shipments to Babylon 5 are prohibited.

Garibaldi receives a transmission in his quarters, but the transmission is just a patch of swirling colours. Garibaldi, almost as if hypnotised, deletes all trace of the message. He then goes to see Sheridan and the command staff and tells them that he no longer feels able to do his job as Security Chief properly. Now the Shadows are defeated, what next? They can’t go home, they can’t wage war on their own people and Garibaldi doesn’t feel like staying on as Security Chief until he dies of old age. He resigns, telling them he plans to set up his own private investigations firm to help out people who lost belongings and lost other people during the war. Zack Allan is promoted to the rank of Security Chief in his stead.

Bester arrives on Babylon 5 and immediately alerts the crew to Clark’s plans. Bester thinks the abrupt departure of the Shadows has seriously undermined Clark’s confidence and he wants Babylon 5 neutralised before it can move against him. He tells them that in a few hours a Black Omega Psi Corps squadron will attack and destroy the Earthforce patrol guarding the jump gate in Sector 49. Babylon 5 will be framed for the attack and its credibility seriously undermined. In return for this information Bester wants Sheridan to take him to Z’ha’dum to see if the Shadows have left behind any technology that might be useful in saving Carolyn and the other telepaths ‘altered’ by the Shadows. Ivanova takes a Starfury squadron from Babylon 5 to intercept the Black Omegas and successfully destroys the Psi Corps squadron, much to the bemusement of the Earthforce patrol who are under attack.

The White Star 2 arrives at Z’ha’dum but detects activity at the local jump gate. They see a large fleet of alien ships passing through the gate, but are far to away to positively ID the ships. They realise they are seeing the Shadows’ allies leaving with whatever technology they have ransacked from their former masters. Moments later the entire planet starts to break apart. The White Star 2 manages to just get away before Z’ha’dum explodes with tremendous force. They return to Babylon 5 and a thwarted Bester heads back to Earth, pausing only to check on Carolyn’s cryo-freezer. Later, Sheridan confronts Lyta Alexander and points out that the timing of the evacuation was a bit too convenient and that, theoretically, a telepath altered by the Vorlons might have been able to send a warning to the Shadows’ allies about Bester’s impending arrival. Lyta agrees that is possible, but also points out that such a telepath would have to have good reasons, such as not wanting Shadow technology to fall into Psi Corps’ hands, working under hidden Vorlon orders or simply hating Bester and thwarting him in whatever he tries to do. Sheridan is annoyed that she went around him, even though he accepts her reasoning. Zack later arrives to help her sort out her belongings, now she’s allowed to have some following the Vorlons’ departure.

Londo and G’Kar return to Babylon 5 separately. G’Kar’s wounded eye is treated by Dr. Franklin who agrees that it should be possible to replace it with a prosthetic. Londo has left a Centauri minister loyal to the memory of Turhan as Regent until the Centaurum can select a new Emperor. G’Kar refuses to speak to Londo and tells him they no longer exist in the same universe.

Back on Centauri Prime, the Regent awakens in the night from a horrible dream. He looks down at his shoulder and sees a parasitic, one-eyed alien attached to it...

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BABYLON 5 Rewatch: Season 4, Episodes 5-6

D5: The Long Night

Airdates: 27 January 1997 (US), 21 August 1997 (UK)

Written by J. Michael Straczynski

Directed by John Lafia

Cast: Ericsson (Bryan Cranston), Emperor Cartagia (Wortham Krimmer), G’Lorn (Kim Strauss), Jester (William Scudder), Humanoid (Tim Barron), Drazi Ambassador (Ron Campbell), Centauri #1 (Carl Reggiardo), Centauri #2 (Mark Bramhall)

Date: 22-23 January 2261.

Plot:    The Shadows have launched a counter-offensive against the Vorlons, using their own planet-killer, a weapon known as a Death Cloud, to bombard the surface of a Vorlon outpost in Sector 900 with thousands of nuclear bombs, each with a multi-gigaton warhead which burrows into the planet’s core and explodes. The planet disintegrates over the course of several hours. Sheridan is trying to work out how to get the Vorlons and Shadows to fight one another directly: maybe they will massacre one another before Sheridan’s forces intervene. He sends Ivanova and Lorien on a White Star ship to finish locating the rest of the First Ones. Lorien knows where the other ones are and can communicate with them.

On Narn Vir and Londo call a secret meeting with representatives of the Centaurum and the nobility who have accompanied the Royal Court here. They agree that Cartagia must die and agree to support Londo’s plan. Londo has secured a poison-injector which will kill Cartagia and leave almost no trace. They arrange for Cartagia to try G’Kar in front of a group of his own people, but Londo has weakened G’Kar’s chains. Cartagia realises this and orders the chains replaced. G’Kar manages to escape anyway and runs amok. Londo pulls Cartagia to safety but Cartagia realises he is plotting something and starts strangling him. Vir stabs and kills him with the injector. The Centaurum elect Londo Mollari as Prime Minister of the Republic and Londo orders the withdrawal of all Centauri forces, military and otherwise, from Narn. After the Centauri forces depart, the Narns celebrate their freedom and offer G’Kar a post as their new leader. He refuses and suggests they reconvene the Kha’Ri council. When the other Narns start speaking of vengeance, he tells them they are fools and have learned nothing from the past.

Lennier’s analysis of the Vorlon fleet movements indicates that they will reach the planet Coriana VI in three days. Coriana VI has a population of six billion, far more than any other planet destroyed so far. Sheridan decides they must make their stand there. The allied fleet assembles and begins attacking Vorlon bases and convoys, trying to slow their advance. Simultaneously, Sheridan has a White Star taskforce led by Captain Ericsson and White Star 14 attack a Shadow base. White Star 14 has false information indicating that the Rangers have a massive base on Coriana VI. The ship is destroyed (the other White Stars flee), but the Shadows find the data recording in the wreckage and set off for Coriana VI. Sheridan’s fleet departs the station as well, ready for one final battle.

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BABYLON 5 Rewatch: Season 4, Episodes 3-4

D3: The Summoning

Airdates: 18 November 1996 (US), 7 August 1997 (UK)

Written by J. Michael Straczynski

Directed by John McPherson

Cast: Lorien (Wayne Alexander), Emperor Cartagia (Wortham Krimmer), Verano (Eric Zivot), Ambassador Ulkesh (Ardwight Chamberlain), Ambassador Lethke (Jonathan Chapman), Drazi Ambassador (Ron Campbell), Hyach Ambassador (William Scudder)

Date: 17 January 2261.

Plot:    Ivanova and Marcus borrow a White Star ship to go searching for more of the First Ones. Ivanova wants to get some of the First Ones behind them when they attack Z’ha’dum and Delenn agrees.

Following up on G’Kar and Marcus’s discoveries, Zack Allan discovers that Montaigne, the man who found Garibaldi’s fighter and sold parts of it for scrap, has filed a flight-path for his freighter. Zack takes a squadron of Starfuries and shuttles and locates the freighter and disables it. It ejects a lifepod before exploding. Garibaldi is found inside the lifepod and returned the station where Franklin determines he hasn’t been badly injured. Garibaldi wakes up, confused about what happened to him.

On Centauri Prime, Cartagia is enraged that G’Kar will not scream under torture. Eventually, incensed, he has G’Kar lashed with the electro-whip. If he is whipped 40 times he will die. Londo urges him to scream, pointing out that the fate of both their worlds is at stake and G’Kar eventually gives in after the 39^th lash, screaming like a madman. Cartagia is satisfied.

Ambassador Lethke of the Brakiri tells Delenn that many in the League oppose her plans to attack Z’ha’dum. The Drazi and Hyach ambassadors are organising a rally in the Zocalo to denounce her plans and Delenn and Lennier decide to attend in opposition. Lethke also tells Delenn that a Brakiri hyperspace probe has detected an alien vessel of unknown design passing through their sector of space. Its direction indicates it could be heading for B5.

Lyta Alexander is determined to find out what the Vorlons are up to and tries to psi-scan the ambassador. However, he is unimpressed and teaches her a lesson before telling her what they are planning, which horrifies her.

Ivanova and Marcus’s search for the First Ones proves fruitless until they hear of something odd happening in Sector 87-20-42. Along the way, near Sector 70-10-53, they detect an unusual “pocket” in hyperspace, some sort of cloaking field. The ship’s sensors could only detect it because of its Vorlon technology. They take the ship in to investigate and discover a huge fleet of thousands of Vorlon warships, including several more than three miles across. They quickly head back to the station.

The protest in the Zocalo begins and Delenn shows up to oppose them, but is shouted down. The ship detected by the Brakiri docks with Babylon 5 and Sheridan and Lorien disembark. Sheridan confronts the ambassadors and tells them that the Shadows can be beaten now and forever, not just for another thousand years but for good. He convinces them to assemble every last ship they can at Babylon 5 for a final battle to end the war once and for all.

Later, Sheridan, Garibaldi, Lorien, Ivanova, Franklin, Marcus, Lyta, Lennier and Delenn assemble in Sheridan’s office for a briefing. Sheridan tells them what he learned about the Shadows and Vorlons supposedly guiding the younger races but having a huge falling-out which has resulted in generational wars every few centuries (C22). Garibaldi is suspicious of Lorien but Sheridan vouches for him. Ivanova and Lyta then tell them about the Vorlon fleet. The Vorlons’ giant ships are “planet-killers” and have used them to destroy Arkada VII, a planet which was home to a Shadow base. They destroyed the whole planet and more than four million inhabitants just to destroy a few Shadow vessels at a single outpost. They have upped the ante and none of them may survive what is to come next...

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BABYLON 5 Rewatch: Season 4, Episodes 1-2

Season 4: No Surrender, No Retreat

“It was the year of fire, the year of destruction, the year we took back what was ours. It was the year of rebirth, the year of great sadness, the year of pain and a year of joy. It was a new age, it was the end of history, it was the year everything changed.

“The year is 2261. The place: Babylon 5.”

 -  Minbari Aide Lennier, Security Aide Zack Allan, Citizen G’Kar, Telepath Lyta Alexander, Centauri Aide Vir Cotto, Ranger Marcus Cole,

     Minbari Ambassador Delenn, Centauri Ambassador Londo Mollari, Dr. Stephen Franklin, Commander Susan Ivanova, Security Chief Michael Garibaldi, Captain John Sheridan

Regular Cast

Captain John Sheridan                                    Bruce Boxleitner

Commander Susan Ivanova                            Claudia Christian

Security Chief Michael Garibaldi                   Jerry Doyle

Ambassador Delenn                                        Mira Furlan

Dr. Stephen Franklin                                       Richard Biggs

Marcus Cole                                                    Jason Carter

Security Aide Zack Allan                               Jeff Conaway

Lyta Alexander                                               Patricia Tallman

Vir Cotto                                                         Stephen Furst

Lennier                                                            Bill Mumy

G’Kar                                                              Andreas Katsulas

Ambassador Londo Mollari                            Peter Jurasik

Credits

Creator                                                            J. Michael Straczynski

Producer                                                          John Copeland

Executive Producers                                       J. Michael Straczynski & Douglas Netter

Conceptual Consultant                                   Harlan Ellison

Production Designer                                       John Iacovelli

Costume Designer                                          Anne Bruice-Aling

Visual Effects Producers                                Netter Digital

Makeup Supervisor                                        John Vulich

Makeup Producers                                         Optic Nerve Studios

Music Composer                                            Christopher Franke

Music Performers                          Christopher Franke & the Berlin Symphonic Film Orchestra

Between-Season Changes

The changes between Season 3 and Season 4 were fairly restrained. The biggest cast change was the addition of Patricia Tallman to the cast as Lyta Alexander. Tallman had originally been supposed to join the cast full-time in Season 1, but negotiations broke down between the production company and her agent. By the time Season 4 came around the difficulties had been resolved and she was able to join the crew on a permanent basis.

The opening narration to the season was narrated by all twelve of the regular cast. JMS had apparently originally planned to use G’Kar or Delenn to narrate the opening but had eventually decided that by using any of the characters to perform the opening he was effectively saying they would survive long enough to reminisce about the past. This argument is countered by the fact that we already know from episode C17 that Sheridan, Delenn, G’Kar, Londo and Vir all survive for another seventeen years at least so presumably they’ve had plenty of time to reflect on past events.

During the writing of the early part of Season 4, JMS was informed by Warner Brothers that it was unlikely that a fifth season would be commissioned. In the five-year-plan for the series, the Shadow War was resolved in Season 4 but the civil war on Earth remained ongoing until about episode four of Season 5. In the original plan Season 4 would have ended with episode D18. Knowing it was unlikely they would get the fifth year, JMS decided to get rid of several stand-alone episodes he was planning and collapse certain storylines so they could finish in Season 4 instead of Season 5. As a result, the Shadow War ended about three episodes before it was originally planned (although how and why it ended remained the same), the campaign against Earth began only three episodes later and the civil war was resolved before season’s end. The final episode of the entire series, Sleeping in Light, was shot at the end of the season. However, the cable network TNT had bought the rights to show the entire series on re-runs and was keen for the fifth season to be included as well. As a result, TNT co-funded the fifth season plus four TV movies, two to be made between Seasons 4 and 5, the others to be made afterwards. This gave JMS the reprieve he needed and Sleeping in Light was moved to the end of Season 5, whilst the first episode of Season 5 (The Deconstruction of Falling Stars) was moved back to become the final episode of Season 4. Unfortunately, it was far too late to go back and restructure or re-edit episodes from earlier in Season 4, leading to complaints from some critics that the show was moving far too fast at the start of the season.

This situation is why Straczynski again wrote the entire season himself. Originally the hiatus between the Shadow War and the return of the Earth Alliance Civil War plot would have enabled two or three stand-alone episodes written by outside writers to have been included, but the faster pace of events meant that JMS had to write the whole season himself again.

There were two planned season titles for Season 4, but JMS was uncertain about which one to use until he got to the writing of the last seven episodes of the season. The other title remains unknown.

The biggest change between Season 3 and Season 4 was the departure of Foundation Imaging as the CGI studio for the series, along with its owner Ron Thornton who had played a key role as Babylon 5’s key starship and CG designer (along with Steve Burg). This departure was unplanned and acrimonious, with Foundation Imaging informed after delivering the final shots for Babylon 5’s third season in the spring of 1996 that their services would no longer be required. This resulted in Ron Thornton having to let go most of the staff whilst he scrambled to find an alternative contract to allow the company to continue to exist.

During this period Thornton called on his colleague Dan Curry, who worked on the Star Trek franchise as senior visual effects producer, to see if there was scope for Foundation Imaging to pick up work on the only other big SF series in town. Curry offered Foundation a very short gig animating a CG worm for the Season 2 finale of Star Trek: Voyager. When that was delivered, Curry negotiated for Foundation Imaging to take over during Voyager’s third season as the provider of the majority of the show’s visual effects. The producers of both Voyager and Deep Space Nine had been slow to recognise the potential of CGI, preferring the use of motion-controlled models, but ultimately agreed that CG offered them the ability to create much more genuinely “alien” aliens and more interesting starships. Foundation Imaging delivered a few effects shots in Voyager’s third season before creating Species 8472 for the third season finale, as well as delivering epic effects shots depicting battles between the Borg and the new aliens. Foundation Imaging also provided support to Digital Muse on Deep Space Nine, working on the massive fleet battles during the Dominion War. In 2001 they also worked on the Director’s Cut of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, cleaning up the original visual effects and providing some new shots. Foundation Imaging also handled the CGI for Roughnecks: The Starship Troopers Chronicles and the first season of Star Trek: Enterprise before Thornton decided to shutter the company in 2002. He later worked on the 2005 version of Captain Scarlet as CG director and passed away in 2016 at the age of 59.

Replacing Foundation Imaging was Netter Digital, a new effects company founded by Doug Netter, Babylon 5’s executive producer. According to Ron Thornton, there was a breach of contract with Foundation Imaging manoeuvred out the door in favour of the newcomers, who believed they could do the CG work cheaper and more efficiently (as they would be based in the Babylon 5 production offices rather than a separate facility across town). Thornton cited this as a conflict of interest, with Netter having seen Foundation Imaging’s success and illegally moved them out of the door to copy their work and benefit from it. However, the B5 production team (considerably later) counter-claimed that Foundation Imaging were negotiating a deal to do the effects work for the Star Trek series before their departure and were planning to assign only trainees and less-experienced artists to Babylon 5, as the Star Trek deal would be more lucrative. This explanation is contradicted by both the timing and the fact that Foundation Imaging had to lay off most of its workforce in the summer of 1996, which clearly would not have been necessary if the Star Trek deal was already done.

Foundation Imaging considered legal action, but an out-of-court settlement was reached. Netter Digital would go on to provide the CGI for the rest of Babylon 5, the four TV movies and the Crusade spin-off. Foundation would get the last laugh, however, since they recovered, prospered and went on to work for another six years whilst Netter Digital went bust after completing its work on Babylon 5. In an ironic twist of fate, Netter Digital was producing effects for Dan Dare: Pilot of the Future when it collapsed, and Foundation Imaging stepped in to replace them. Netter Digital inherited all the shots Foundation had done for the series to date, plus all the ship models and texture libraries, so there was a consistency of visual appearance carried across. Unfortunately, Netter Digital took a lot of flak for unimaginative space battle shots, scientifically impossible ship manoeuvres and uninspiring ship designs.

The title sequence for this season was once again changed. A collection of scenes from previous seasons was deployed along with both a “hero shot” of each actor and a profile picture.

Christopher Franke’ new theme tune was a more strident, martial variation on the theme from Seasons 1 and 2.

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BABYLON 5 Rewatch: The Novels

When J. Michael Straczynski was planning Babylon 5 in the late 1980s it occurred to him that, should the show get to the screen, it would probably generate spin-off media like books and comics. Straczynski was a huge fan of science fiction literature and comic books – he’d later become one of Marvel’s best-known writers, penning an acclaimed seven-year run on Spider-Man – and didn’t want any B5 tie-ins to be disposable, non-canonical (and thus unimportant, in the eyes of fans) material. He wanted these stories to matter as much as the TV show.

Shortly after the pilot aired, Straczynski was approached by Dell Books. Editor Jeanne Cavelos had taken a liking to the series and was keen to publish a line of books tying into the story. Straczynski was enthusiastic, suggesting they create a prequel to the series, a multi-volume series exploring the characters and what they got up to during the Earth-Minbari War. He likened the structure to the TV series The Winds of War. Dell were intrigued but ultimately rejected the notion, feeling that if readers weren’t picking up the books and getting more stuff like the TV show, they’d be disappointed.

Dell’s initial plan had been for a big line with lots of promoting and marketing, with big-name SFF authors involved. Cavelos had profile in the SFF community, since she’d written some short stories, was a former NASA astrophysicist and was preparing to launch the high-profile Odyssey Writer’s Workshop. As the plans came together, Cavelos cannily asked Kevin J. Anderson to launch the book series. Although his critical reception was “mixed”, Anderson had a high profile thanks to his work on both the Star Wars novel line for Bantam and the X-Files book series and would bring in a lot of other readers. Anderson agreed in principle, but Dell and Warner Brothers got bogged down in legal discussions. Eventually, by the time a deal had been sorted out Dell’s upper management had soured on the project and dramatically reduced the resources available. Anderson found that the money on the table was half of what he’d been originally offered, so decided to abandon the project to focus on his Star Wars work (although given that the Star Wars novel he wrote next – Darksaber – is one of the worst Star Wars novels ever written, this might have been Babylon 5’s lucky escape).

John Vornholt instead picked up the ball and delivered the first novel, Voices, in just twenty-five days.

Later, after the first six books had been published, none of them particularly distinguished (Clark’s Law and Voices are probably the best, but both are still flawed) J. Michael Straczynski put his foot down and decided that the next three books would tie into the story arc in more detail and get more information out than he could in the TV show. Jeanne Cavelos herself, who’d left Dell as an editor and was now available as a freelance novelist, came aboard to write one of the new books, along with Al Sarrantonio and Kathryn Drennan, the latter of whom had also written a TV episode (episode A12, By Any Means Necessary) and was married to Straczynski at the time, meaning she could tap him for more information.

Sarrantonio’s book, Personal Agendas, was also awful but Cavelos’s book, The Shadow Within, and Drennan’s To Dream in the City of Sorrows were both very well-received. Straczynski made them both canonical, dismissing the other seven of the first nine books.

Later, Del Rey took over the Babylon 5 licence and employed two well-known authors – J. Gregory Keyes and Peter David – as well as retaining Cavelos to write three trilogies. These were also very well-received and Straczynski accepted them as canonical as well. We’ll cover those in due time, but here will focus on the two books which tie into the events of Season 3 of the TV series.

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BABYLON 5 Rewatch: Season 3, Episodes 21-22

C21: Shadow Dancing

Airdates: 21 October 1996 (US), 15 September 1996 (UK)

Written by J. Michael Straczynski

Directed by Kim Friedman

Cast: Barbara (Shirley Prestia), Anna (Melissa Gilbert), Drazi Ambassador (Mark Hendrickson), Brakiri Ambassador (Jonathan Chapman), Lt. David Corwin (Joshua Cox), Husband (Doug Cox), Thug #1 (Nicholas Ross Oleson), Thug #2 (John Grantham), Man (J. Gordon Noice)

Date: 15-19 December 2260, Z-minus 6 days to Z-minus 2 days.

Plot:    Delenn calls a meeting of the War Council and tells them that they have discovered a possible location the Shadows are planning to attack. However, they have no way of knowing when the Shadows will strike or how many ships they will bring. She asks that all the races send considerable numbers of ships to the engagement, but the League races are unwilling to risk weakening their defences around their homeworlds. Delenn and Lennier eventually manage to convince them by committing a sizeable Minbari fleet to the trap as well. Meanwhile, Sheridan orders Ivanova and Marcus to take the White Star to Sector 83 and keep an eye out in case the Shadows turn up early. The refugee traffic into the system has died off in the last few weeks so the Shadows may attack at any time, before the refugees feel it is safe to leave the sanctuary of the area and return home. They depart for the system.

Dr. Franklin is still on ‘walkabout’ in Downbelow and sees a man being attacked by two thugs. When he tries to intervene, he is stabbed and left for dead.

Sheridan and Delenn leave Babylon 5 on the Minbari warcruiser Dogato and rendezvous with the League ships and the Narn rebel cruisers. Sheridan feels they don’t have enough ships, but the League worlds sent all they could spare.

The White Star arrives at Sector 83 and takes up a surveillance position behind a moon. After a few hours a Shadow scout vessel appears and the White Star engages it. Crippled, the Shadow scout tries to ram the White Star. The White Star destroys it, but it is damaged in the explosion. It is left dead in the water whilst the automatic systems try to repair the engines, but the main Shadow fleet of more than a dozen vessels appears and begins moving towards the refugee staging ground. With little choice, Ivanova and Marcus send the signal to the main fleet.

Franklin, hallucinating from blood loss, sees another image of himself appear and urge him to fight on and live, instead of just giving up as he always does. He manages to stagger into the local market and he gets taken to Medlab.

One of the Shadow warships breaks off to investigate the crippled White Star, but then a series of jump points opens and the War Council’s fleet emerges. The telepaths start jamming the Shadow vessels, although they can’t stop all of them, and a massive, pitched battle erupts. The new White Stars prove their worth, as do the Minbari, Drazi, Narn and Vree warships, but even so a large portion of the fleet is destroyed and almost all of the ships that survive are heavily damaged. The Shadows retreat after taking substantial losses.

Back on the station the outlook is grim. The Shadow attack was repulsed, but the allies lost twice as many ships as the Shadows. Sheridan now fears a retaliation against B5 itself and has the station put on full defence alert. Franklin recovers from his wounds and starts helping out with the injuries from the battle. Sheridan offers him his job back and he accepts.

In hyperspace a Shadow vessel drops off a smaller craft, which heads towards Babylon 5’s jump gate...

Delenn tells Sheridan that when Minbari couples become close they spend three nights together. The female watches the male as he relaxes during sleep and sees if she approves of his ‘true face’ which is so revealed. Sheridan falls asleep in his quarters whilst Delenn watches. The door opens and a human woman walks in, telling Delenn that she is Anna Sheridan, John’s wife...

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BABYLON 5 Rewatch: Season 3, Episodes 19-20

C19: Grey 17 is Missing

Airdates: 7 October 1996 (US), 1 September 1996 (UK)

Written by J. Michael Straczynski

Directed by John C. Flinn III

Cast: Jeremiah (Robert Englund), Neroon (John Vickey), Rathenn (Time Winters), Supervisor (Katherine Moffat), First Man (Eamonn Roche), Maintenance Worker (Thom Barry)

Date: October or November 2260.

Plot:    Telepaths from many races are arriving at Babylon 5 in response to Sheridan’s plea for help from humans and aliens with psi-abilities. He is trying to put telepaths willing to fight the Shadows on as many League, Minbari and Narn rebel ships as possible to slow down the Shadow advance. However, many telepaths are simply unwilling to go up against the Shadows. Ivanova goes Downbelow and finds Franklin, now deep in the grip of stim withdrawal. Despite this, she gets him to hand over his database containing information on the whereabouts of the rogue telepaths he helped to escape Psi Corps (B7). They should be more willing to repay the debt they owe to Babylon 5.

A maintenance worker goes missing in Grey Sector and Garibaldi investigates. He discovers that a religious sect has taken over level Grey 17 and is using it as a hiding place. The sect believes that they spiritually one with the universe and should return to the universe through one act of purity, namely getting killed by the Zarg they have hidden down here. Garibaldi manages to kill the Zarg and (presumably) has the nutters thrown off the station.

Rathenn, Sinclair’s former aide on Minbar, arrives on Babylon 5 with Sinclair’s belongings, which Delenn arranges to be sent on to his family on Earth and Mars. There is another purpose to Rathenn’s visit as well: Delenn has been almost unanimously elected as the new leader of the Rangers. She is startled but agrees to accept the honour. The Rangers begin gathering at Babylon 5, but another familiar face arrives as well: Neroon of the warrior caste, formerly of the Grey Council. He tells her that the religious caste is treading too much on the toes of the warriors by building ships and arming the Rangers. He suggests she surrender control of the Rangers to the warrior caste - him in particular - and when she refuses he indicates he might take the role of Entil’zha by force. Lennier, concerned for Delenn’s safety, goes to Marcus and tells him of Neroon’s presence. Marcus confronts Neroon and they battle one another, Neroon puzzled as to why the human is intervening in Minbari affairs. After the battle is over - with Marcus almost dead - Neroon realises that the Rangers respect Delenn in a way they would could for him and agrees to accept Delenn as Entil’zha.

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