BABYLON 5
Season 3

Available on DVD

Matters of Honour

A Ranger called Marcus makes it out of a training camp that has come under attack from the Centauri and travels to Babylon 5 in search of Delenn, asking for help to save his comrades. Sheridan agrees that they cannot let the Rangers die, but lacks the forces to take action. Delenn introduces him to the White Star, a new line in Minbari warship technology, the most advanced ship they have every built. It is to be tested first day out, however, when a Shadow warship shows up and decides to take pursuit.

The pieces are being moved around the chess board as the opening of the game is over, positions are solidified and the attacks begin. What looks like it is going to be a dry tactical story perks up considerably once the White Star is introduced and Sheridan gets to take on a Shadow frigate for the first time. Once again he proves his effective line in unconventional tactics, but more importantly he takes the decision that it is time to start acting rather than reacting. That promises much for the new season.

The tactical thinking, though, is still there as Mollari attempts to sever ties with the Shadows only to find himself outmanoeuvred and an investigation into identifying a Shadow ship on a bit of film turns into something much more sinister.

Convictions

A bomber is running amok on the station striking and random and causing terror. He appears to have no political agenda and when Garibaldi tracks him down, he reveals his ultimate purpose is to be remembered, no matter for what. His last bomb has left G'Kar and Mollari trapped in a turbolift as the air is gradually burned away.

This rather simplistic storyline is saved by the face-off between G'Kar and Mollari in the turbolift. This is dramatic, tense and also funny all at the same time and is a very nice piece of writing well-played by Andreas Katsulas and Peter Jurasik, but it will only really work for those who are aware of the past situation between these two.

The rest of the episode is flat and tepid by comparison. The arrival of the monks promises some unwelcome religious overtones in future episodes.

A Day in the Strife

A powerful probe appears outside the station demanding the answer to some very involved questions and promising great rewards in return. With only a few hours in which to gather the data that will stop their destruction everyone gets stressed and a doctor who should know better starts taking stims. G'Kar takes a decision about his future and Vir has a decision taken about his.

Forget the story about the probe, that's just filler to make the episode last the full length. What interests J Michael Straczynski, and therefore us, in this episode is G'Kar's position in the universe. Now that the government he represented has fallen, he is a figurehead with a cause, but no status. When the Centauri promise to harass and murder his followers' families, how can he do anything but surrender himselfe up. He had not counted on the feelings of his followers, however. It is interesting to see how this savage monster of earlier series has evolved into something deeper and more important over time.

Ambassador Mollari seems to be going the other way with flashes of both his humanity and his inhumanity as he taunts a beaten Narn, but sends Vir away to prevent him from being tainted by what Mollari is becoming. This is good character writing and we wish it could extend to all the stories.

Passing Through Gethsemane

One of the monks living on the station starts to hear strange voices calling him a killer and see warnings painted in blood on the walls. He is left black roses and is called Charlie. Understandably perturbed, he digs deeper into the mystery and learns that he was a killer before his mind was wiped in punishment of his crimes and a new personality implanted. Now the relatives of his victims have come for revenge.

Is the murder of a murderer acceptable justice or merely revenge. Is the wiping out of personality and the creation of another one not the same thing as the murder of the body? The questions raised by this episode are more interesting than the episode itself. As soon as the mind-wipe method is mentioned on the tv it is obvious what is happening to the monk and there is only the question of how to be answered.

Brad Dourif produces another in his seemingly unending supply of borderline madmen, toned down for the story, but recognisably unhinged and giving the story more convictiont than it probably deserves and why oh why must there always be a sledgehammer reiteration of the moral of the story moment at the end? We're clever enough to get it. Really.

Voices of Authority

A new political watchdog arrives from Earth to muzzle some of Sheridan's less government-friendly comments and actions. Whilst he is juggling his schedule around keeping her at arm's length, Ivanova heads out to a remote region of space to make contact with some of the First Ones, the mysterious ancient races that fought the Shadows once before.

Whilst the point that the show is trying to make about how embattled regimes will increasingly abandon freedom to maintain power is an important one, the subtlety with which it is bludgeoned home is disappointing. The political officer is so obvious in her manner and speech that she couldn't possibly have risen to such an important task as the one she is presented with. It's interesting that the plot, paralleling the rise of Nazi Germany, now shows so much relevance to the post 9/11 western world.

The side story of the contact with the Old Ones is equally unconvincing, especially the schoolground psychology that Ivanova employs to gain the First Ones' aid.

Dust to Dust

Psi cop Bester comes to Babylon 5 once again, this time in pursuit of a dealer of an illegal drug called 'dust'. The drug enhances latent telepathic abilities, allowing the taker to literally rip the memories out of a victim's head. G'Kar sees it as an opportunity to gain Narn telepaths and learn Centauri secrets, but after testing the drug for himself on the memory of Londo Mollari, he finds the experience strangely affecting.

What starts off as a simple enough story of drugs and telepaths becomes something altogether deeper and more subtle once G'Kar takes it and has a revelation. Following his experience, he appears to be a changed Narn. One of the strengths of this show is the development that it allows its characters. Few are as they first were, but one of the greatest changes has been in G'Kar and this is another step in his development, again aided immensely by the excellent performance of Andreas Katsulas under all the makeup. It is he who makes the character and the transition believable and compelling.

we are always pleased to see psi cop Bester (as played by Walter Koenig). His pantomime villainy is a pleasing counterpoint to the pomposity that can sometimes pervade the show, bringing it back down to earth (as it were).

Exogenesis

Some of the drifters and losers in down below are starting to act a bit wierd, like having purpose and not having lung-wrenching coughing fits. Marcus believes that something is causing this change in behaviour and fails to interest Mr Garibaldi, but does get Dr Franklin to take a look, only for both of them to be taken prisoner by the people now under the influence of an alien parasite.

Alien parasites taking over humans by wrapping around their brains or nervous systems are ten a penny in the sci fi serial and this doesn't bring anything very new to the subject other than the aliens are actually benign constructs that want to improve their hosts' lives rather than ruin them. Unfortunately, they don't exactly improve the audience's lives as there is nothing here that we haven't seen before and done better. We are also subjected to quotes from Shakespeare as the show tries to stake a claim for legitimacy beyond its remit.

Messages From Earth

News comes that the Earth Alliance discovered a shadow vessel on Mars years before an hushed up the whole thing. The secret has emerged now because another one is being prepared on Ganymede to be used by the Alliance against all comers. Sheridan determines to destroy the vessel before it can be used, but it is launched before he can get to it and he has to take on a fully-armed and operational Shadow ship.

The set up to the story is a bit overblown in the direction, but the plot kicks in when the news is revealed about the Shadow vessel and Sheridan decides to take action. We have to go through another of Sheridan's nostalgic monologues (one of the most annoying things about the show and the biggest weakness) about not being able to sleep before we get down the point of the episode - the stand off between White Star and Shadow vessel.

The fight itself is exciting and, though short, satisfying in the manner of its resolution. The arrival of the Earth ship and the escape from it is somewhat of an anticlimax after that. It just goes to show that the series is at its best when the Shadows are about and the deterioration of Earth's relationship with Babylon 5 is far less interesting.

Point of No Return

As the evidence that President Clark was responsible for the death of his predecessor mounts, the man takes a bold step and declares martial law, dissolving the Senate and reigning in the military. On Babylon 5, the Night Watch sympathisers are given power over security, much to Mr Garibaldi's righteous anger. Captain Sheridan has a plan, but it doesn't come without its own risks.

As the political situation melts down on Earth and the President seizes control using fear of outside influence, terrorism and propaganda to make his move, it is fascinating to see how this aspect of the story has retained its relevance in these troubled times. Although it clearly parallels the rise of the nazis in Germany as its template, it also reminds us of what we are willing to give up in the name of fear of an unseen enemy and that gives us reason to pause for thought (hopefully).

Unfortunately, the plot is less interesting than its undercurrents as the battle is on for security assistant chief Zack's soul. The promised point of no rtuern also turns out to be nothing of the kind. The aside in which Mollari invites a high-ranking Centauri seer to the station in order to get a reading of his future from her only to find out that the future holds more surprises than he might have thought is a distraction, but a pleasant one thanks to the presence of Majel Barrett (any of the STAR TREK franchise series) as the seer.

Severed Dreams

When a rebel ship comes to Babylon 5 looking for a place to effect repairs, they are given sanctuary by Sheridan, but a second ship arrives with news that President Clark's forces are right behind with orders to take the station by force if necessary. Sheridan takes the decision to secede from the Earth Alliance and declare Babylon 5 an independent state. A state that is about to go to war for its very existence.

Wow, this episode ups the stakes in just about every way that it can. On the personal level there is Delenn going before the Grey Council to demand that they act as the prophecies demand or face the consequences. In this episode she is not a woman to be taken lightly and Mira Furlan gives an excellent performance, embodying that power of will. There's nobody in the audience that would take her on without some serious second thoughts and that's the truth.

And then there is the battle for Babylon 5. It's a real battle. This is not a few ships flying around in cheap effects shots being shown from different angles to look like they're fresh, but full on space combat with swirling camera moves, exploding fighters, huge starships colliding and lasers burning all over the place. It's a hell of a spectacle, but it also takes the time to count the cost, to show the dead and injured and not all the senior staff come through it unscathed. This is the most ambitious special effects sequence that the show has come up with yet and even though advances in the medium will probably date it in no time, it is still impressive.

Ceremonies of Dark and Light

Following the breakaway from Earth, Delenn thinks that it would be a good time to hold a rebirth ceremony. Everyone else seems to be too busy. The Nightwatch have not chosen to go quietly into the night and kidnap Delenn, demanding that the station be returned to Earth jurisdiction. The kidnapping causes more than a few of the station's personnel to confront their inner fears.

BABYLON 5 has never been a show to skimp on its characters. That has been one of its strengths, but there are times when character development is at the forefront and smothers any plot that there might be and this is one of those episodes. Everyone taking part in the ceremony has to reveal an innermost secret that they have never told anyone to someone else. Marcus admits his fear of failure, Garibaldi that he is scared of falling off the wagon every day and Doctor Franklin admits that he might have a problem with the stimulants he uses to stay awake on long shifts. Both Lennier and Sheridan admit their differing loves of Delenn and Ivanova admits a love for Talia Winters (in a purely sisterly, non-lesbian way we're sure, or this is a much bigger character reveal than we thought). The ceremony is a blunt and unsubtle device to give characters a bit more depth and therefore less effective than it might have been.

It is, at least, more effective than the kidnapping plot. The kidnappers are such pantomime villains, scarred eyes and psyches all around, that it is impossible to believe in them at all. It would have been much better had they been just ordinary types working on the belief that breaking away from Earth was treason.

Sic Transit Vir

One of the strengths of BABYLON 5 is the care with which all of the characters, including the more minor ones, have been detailed. Stephen Furst's Vir Cotto has been a comedy sidekick since the start of the show, but as with all the other characters he has been evolving and now we see what he has evolved into, a man of honour and courage despite his outward appearance of fear and ineptitude. It is nice to see him brought to the centre of the spotlight for once and in a story that is befitting of him.

This being Vir, there is plenty of humour in the situation, especially in his relationship with Mollari, but when it is revealed exactly what his future bride is like there is a really chilling quality to the episode. Londo's reactions to the twists through which Vir's involvement with the passage of Narns through the Centauri forced labour camps also casts light once again on his darker side.

A Late Delivery From Avalon

A man comes aboard Babylon 5 dressed in chainmail and carrying a very large sword. He calls the sword Excalibur and claims that he is Arthur, king of the Britons. Dr Franklin learns the true identity of the man, but is then faced with a hard choice - is a harmless delusion worse than a truth that risks full madness?

King Arthur walking onto a space station in the far future? It's an idea that is utterly absurd, but the plot manages to take such a ridiculous idea and turn it into an affecting and occasionally touching episode. The man isn't Arthur, but it is the revelation of who he is and what happened that drove him to such a delusion is the core of the story and, although the resolution lacks the punch that it ought to have, there is real power in that.

Michael York (LOGAN'S RUN) plays the man who would be King Arthur and manages to make him much less of a fool than he might otherwise have been.

Ship of Tears

Alfred Bester, nobody's favourite psy-cop is back, but this time the information that he brings with him might allow for a strike against the Shadows. A ship carrying weapons parts will be passing through a known part of hyperspace, but the weapons turn out to be telepaths altered cybernetically to be the computer centres of shadow vessels. One of them, who also turns out to be Bester's lover, attempts to take over the Medlab systems.

Once again the stakes have been raised in the main story of the Shadows. Apart from the revelation of what the Shadows are using their modified humans for and how that might possibly be used against them is only part of it, although it is the larger part of the story. There is a very powerful moment between Delenn and G'Kar as she is forced to explain how his people were sacrificed in the larger preparations for the war that is to come. This is beautifully played by the increasingly impressive Andreas Katsulas and Mira Furlan.

That war moves one step closer in the final moments. As a weapon against the Shadows becomes apparent, they move out from their hiding places and strike openly for the first time. The war is finally upon the galaxy.

Interludes and Examinations

The war is not going well. The Shadows are striking at random wherever they wish and without reprisal. The other races are unwilling to get involved in the main fight because they don't want to take on an enemy that they have no chance of winning. A victory against the Shadows, any victory, might change their minds and turn the tide. There is only one way to get that victory, to bring the Vorlons into the fight. Kosh is initially unwilling, but is finally convinced, but any victory comes at a price.

After the really very good Ship of Tears, the stakes are raised once again in this episode. We haven't seen much of Kosh this season, but the Vorlons have been in the background right from the start. Bringing them into the fight takes it up another notch and the consequences of that action are both unexpected and shocking. If nothing has brought home the seriousness of the fight then this will.

On top of this there is Londo' story. The love of his life (see Born to the Purple for the back story) is coming back to the station. Unfortunately, Mr Mordern and the Shadows have other plans, plans that require him to have a burning thirst for vengeance.

With this episode, BABYLON 5 has stepped up in quality another gear. It is completely unmissable now.

War Without End Part One

Ambassador Sinclair, the first commander of Babylon 5 receives a letter that was written some nine hundred years before and yet which is addressed personally to him. It takes him back to Babylon 5 where he gathers a team to take through a time rift in order to hijack Babylon 4 and take it back in time to act as a base in the last fight against the Shadows.

A direct sequel to the Season 1 episode Babylon Squared, this episode is plotted to within an inch of its life. Time travel can cause all kinds of loose ends to be flapping around, but it is clear from fairly early on that the loose ends that were left flapping around at the end of that episode are here to be tied up neatly. It's the middle episode of what is clearly meant as a trilogy of episodes and so there are no answers here, but there is a clear pattern and by the end of the next episode that pattern should be complete.

Whatever the case, it's just fun to see Zathras again, probably one the most entertaining aliens that the show has ever produced.

War Without End Part Two

The race is on to prepare Babylon 4 for its trip back in time to act as a base of operations in the last shadow war. Whilst past and present collide on the station, Sheridan is lost in time, moving forward to a time when he and Delenn have a son, Mollari is an emperor controlled by an alien beastie and awaiting only his death at the hands of G'Kar. There is, however, one great secret that is to be revealed, a secret that will alter Minbari mythology forever.

It is almost impossible to review this episode without discussing the immense secret that is revealed at its end and so if you intend to see the episode and haven't already it might be wise to stop reading at this point.

The reason that we love science fiction so much is its ability to challenge us and our perception of things, to create a sense of awe and to occasionally come up with a concept so totally audacious that it takes the very breath away. The finale of this story is one of the those moments. When the truth about Sinclair is revealed, a secret that ties into the very heart of Minbari mythology and history and their very sense of being, it has been so perfectly prepared that it is awe inspiring not only in its conception but in its execution. Since the first episode of the first season this moment has been prepared for. In small phrases, short lectures on Minbari tradition and hints of history the groundwork has been laid with precision. We defy any long-term viewer to see this and not mutter 'No Way' as their jaw heads floorwards at high speed.

Building up stories like this is what the show has done so well, creating plot arcs from a single, unified view, a single concept of what this universe is all about. J Michael Straczynski has written every episode of this season so far and all the pivotal episodes in the previous two. His is the vision and here it is expressed in its purest form and we can only salute him. With this episode, BABYLON 5 has come up with its first masterpiece. It surely doesn't come better than this.

Walkabout

Dr Franklin has resigned his post and is on walkabout, an ancient tradition that his religion (Foundationist) has borrowed from the aborigines. If he walks far enough, he will meet himself. Instead, he meets a beautiful singer, but one who is suffering from illness. Sheridan, meanwhile, decides to test out the hypothesis that telepaths can be used as a weapon against the seemingly almighty shadow vessels. The only way to do that, however, is to take one on in battle.

Dr Franklin's story has been kind of on the back burner for a lot of this season, but he certainly steps out centre stage in this episode. Sadly, his story isn't exactly new or compelling. It's also up against the White Star taking on a shadow vessel, something that it just can't compete with.

There are also hints, with the arrival of the new ambassador from the Vorlons that death was not quite the end of Ambassador Kosh.

Grey 17 is Missing

When a maintenance man disappears in Grey Sector, Garibaldi goes to investigate and discovers that there is a whole level that is missing, hidden away. It is inhabited by a group of religious zealots and a very nasty creature called a Zarg. With Commander Sinclair now gone, Delenn is selected as the new leader of the Rangers, but one of the warrior caste, known as Neroon, decides to challenge her. Marcus is sent to delay him until her investiture is complete.

It's a while since BABYLON 5 had a 'monster of the week' episode and this is it. The Zarg is, without a doubt, just about the single worst alien that the show has ever come up with. It's a man in a rubber suit and a ridiculously unconvincing rubber suite at that. It's supposed to be the most dangerous creature in the sector and yet Garibaldi manages to kill it with nothing more than a steam pipe. Oh and some bullets. Robert Englund (yes, Freddie Kruger himself) appears as the leader of the cult to very little effect whatsoever.

The story of Delenn's investiture fares better and adds some depth to the political situation she caused by the dissolving of the Grey Council that ran Minbari affairs, but considering the quality of some of the other episodes recently this is a real let down.

And the Rock Cried Out, No Hiding Place

As a group of religious leaders visits Babylon 5 with important news as to what is happening on Earth, Sheridan finally figures out what the Shadows are planning and Delenn shows him the forces that he will have at his command. Ambassador Mollari brings to fruition a plan to destroy his rival Lord Refa by luring G'Kar to Narn into a trap.

If ever there was any doubt that the often buffoon-like Londo Mollari is a skilled and merciless schemer then this episode lays that to rest. The Centauri political system is based on skullduggery, machination and murder. Refa and Mollari turn out to be two masters of the art, but only one can come out on top, or even alive.

With only two episodes left, the set up is made with the Shadows plan revealed and the fleet ranged against them also revealed. If that wasn't enough to whet your appetite then the subtitles announcing that it is 'Z minus 14' is guaranteed to excite. There is one 'Z' that has been in the background of all this and that is Z'ha'dum, but Sheridan has been warned that to go there is to die. 'Excited' just isn't big enough a word.

Shadow Dancing

Sheridan gathers his forces together to make a stand against the Shadows. With surprise on their side, the allies might just be able to give them a bloody nose. Dr Franklin has more than a bloody nose when he is stabbed in a brawl and left to die. Visited by himself, his scarred psyche battles for the right to live.

In any other show, this would be the series finale. Huge armadas of spaceships in full on battle, a special effects extravaganza, intercut with the more personal struggle of one man against his own baser nature. It's not subtle perhaps, but it is bloody powerful and makes good on the promise of the season's build up.

The thing is that this episode, excellent though it may be, is only the penultimate one and the surprise manner of the Shadows' revenge sets up a finale that just cannot be missed.

Z'Ha'Dum

Anna Sheridan, John's wife long thought to have been killed in the Icarus incident on Z'Ha'Dum has returned to his life, just as his relationship with Delenn was reaching a crucial stage. She comes with an invitation from the Shadows, an offer that if he returns with her then he will finally learn what it is really all about, what is the Shadows' purpose.

Well, we thought after the superb Shadow Dancing that this was not going to be able to top of the season, but we were wrong. Oh so wrong. The twist of having Sheridan's wife return, but in the service of the Shadows and claiming that it is Delenn and Kosh that have been the enemy all along is a whole subversion of what has gone before and is audacious in the extreme, but there is better yet to come.

Although having the purpose of the Shadows' war explained by a little old overacting man is a bit of a cop out, the important thing is the explanation itself. It not only is credible, but it makes perfect sense of all that has passed before it. In that moment the Shadows pass from genocidal boogeymen to fully-rounded alien beings with a view that might not be ours, but which we can understand. It's breathtaking writing.

But that isn't enough. In the final minutes the station is threatened by an armada of shadow vessels and Captain Sheridan is last seen...well that would be telling, but we let out a cry of pain as we realised this was the end and that we are going to have to wait months to find out what happens next. It seems like an eternity.