The Centauri Emperor comes to Babylon 5 on a mission of peace, but fate and the Shadows conspire to start a war.

Written by J. Michael Straczynski
Directed by Janet Greek

Making American Politics Look Friendly

REFA: We've taken the liberty of writing your speech for you.

G'KAR: I had the dagger in my hand! And he has the indecency to start dying on his own!

LONDO: He said that we are both damned.    More Stories The Name of the Place: SPACE.com's Babylon 5 Nexus Babylon 5 - 'A Race Through Dark Places' Babylon 5 - 'Soul Mates' Babylon 5 - 'Spider in the Web'    Related Links SPACE.com's television coverage Babylon 5 The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5 REFA: Well. It's a small enough price to pay for immortality.

GUEST STARS

Fredrick Lehne – Ranger
Malachi Throne – Centauri Prime Minister
Jeff Conaway – Zack Allen
William Forward – Refa
Turhan Bey – Emperor Turhan
Michael O’Hare – Jeffrey Sinclair

WATCH OUT FOR

* The Shadow ships passing overhead in Londo’s dream. J. Michael Straczynski says a similar image has appeared in his own dreams for most of his life.

ANALYSIS

There are moments when history hangs in the balance. A few minutes, a few votes, one bad decision can change its path.

The assassination of Archduke Ferdinand succeeded because his driver took a wrong turn, providing the flashpoint that started the First World War. In the U.S. Civil War, the South lost the battle of Antietam because Union soldiers found a set of battle plans dropped by a Confederate courier.

Babylon 5 knows all about might-have-beens. Nearly every triumph is matched by a lost opportunity, a squandered chance for tragedy to be averted.

What if the Emperor had reached Babylon 5 a day sooner? What if he had sent G’Kar advance notice of his intentions? Could the bloody Narn-Centauri war have been averted?

Maybe. Maybe not.

Great men? Or unstoppable forces?

The Archduke’s assassination was merely an excuse. The nations of Europe were itching for a fight, driven by years of pent-up animosities and imperial agendas. A victory at Antietam would have helped the South, but the North had a huge advantage in manpower and industrial production.

Emperor Turhan had the best of intentions, but he was alone. He was dying. A conspiracy opposed to his ideals was already in motion, drawing on a hundred years of interspecies hatred.

Does this contradict "the power of one mind to change the universe?" Not necessarily. This story is full of determined and powerful leaders, from Sheridan and Santiago to Clark and Mollari, and not all change the galaxy overnight -- if at all.

After a year in office, Santiago was just beginning to accomplish his goals when he was assassinated, and Clark’s consolidation of power took just as long. It took Sheridan years to free Earth and build the Interstellar Alliance, and even the mighty Shadows had to tell Londo to be patient. Destroying the Narn homeworld had to happen "in good time."

The few minutes -- a few votes here and there -- the bad decisions are only half the story. You can’t understand or change history without taking a longer view.

COMING UP NEXT

"GROPOS"

Soldiers march through
Fighting, laughing, making love.
Futile exercises.