Sheridan helps a Narn cruiser that survived the war. Earth makes a deal with the Centauri, and Zack realizes that he’s made a deal with the devil. Fans cheer as Keffer proves that stupid is fatal.
(First aired in the U.S. on November 1, 1995)
Written by J. Michael Straczynski
Directed by Janet Greek
| It's the Thought That Counts |
| LONDO: Your authority ends at Babylon 5, Captain. Do not start gettingdelusions of grandeur - you will not survive them. |
SHERIDAN: It may not have been politically convenient, but morally andlegally it was the right decision. |
SHERIDAN. I apologize. I am sorry. I'm sorry we had to defend ourselves against an unwarranted attack. I'm sorry that your crew was stupid enough to fire on a station filled with a quarter-million civilians, including your own people. And I'm sorry I waited as long as I did before I blew them all straight to hell! |
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GUEST STARS
Roy Dotrice – Frederick Lantze
Jeff Conaway – Zack Allan
Juli Doland – Pilot #1
Rick Hamilton – Mitch
Robin Sachs – Na’Kal
John Vickery – Mr. Welles
John Vickery is better known as the Minbari warrior Neroon, though he would return as Mr. Welles in the short-lived
Crusade spin-off series.
WATCH OUT FOR
* Where the other pilots saw the Shadow ship. Sector 14 is where Babylon 4 disappeared.
* Sheridan and a mirror. There are more symbolic reflections in his future.
ANALYSIS
Despite the ripping good plot, "The Fall of Night" has plenty of time for symbolism. This show is perfectly balanced, which is why it is one of B5’s most successful episodes.
The extended World War II metaphor reaches its logical conclusion here. "In the Shadow of Z’ha’dum" saw Sheridan worrying about the example of Coventry, and Lantze’s goal of achieving "peace in our time" is a direct quote from Neville Chamberlain, the British prime minister now best known for appeasing the Nazis.
Meanwhile, new symbols are developing. Sheridan stares at his uniform, wondering what it means to him any more. Ivanova suggests that they will redefine the uniform -- but while she’s sort of right, the uniform that is coming goes far beyond what she or Sheridan can imagine at this point.
Finally, those oranges play one last symbolic role. They sit on Sheridan’s table in his last scene for the season, a reminder of how far he’s come in the year since his arrival.
SUMMING IT UP
"We came to this place because Babylon 5 was our last, best hope for peace. By the end of 2259, we knew that it had failed.
But in doing so it became something greater. As the war expanded, it became our last, best hope for victory – because sometimes peace is another word for surrender, and because secrets have a way of getting out."
-- Ivanova
COMING UP NEXT
"Matters of Honor"
Blue eyes, distressed hair
Marcus leaps into action
Buckle your swashes.
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