Watching Babylon 5
Babylon 5 — arguably the best science fiction show ever made, and a great story even if you hate science fiction. B5 was also the show that took the chance and proved that CGI special effects were possible.
Who are you?
Why are you here?
What do you want?
Where are you going?
B5 was a unique project: an entire novel shown as a single 5 year television series. Everyone, from the critics, to the studios, to fans of competing shows (such as Star Trek: TNG) thought the series would not last the first few episodes. The most common complaint was that Americans could not pay attention for the amount of time required to tell the story.
Every year B5 critics would predict the show would not be back the next season — and were proven wrong. Eventually B5 became known as “the little show that could”, and was supported by a fan base that would follow it from network to network, from time slot to time slot, until the story was told, though not without problems: fans missed many shows because networks would shift the time slot or day without warning, or one network would drop it and another would pick it up, again often without warning.
Finally, the entire series is on DVD, but the order is a bit wacky because of production constraints and other factors. Several episodes during the run of the series were delayed and shown later in the sequence than originally intended. The effect isn’t major in most cases, but there are minor things that make more sense if the episodes are viewed in the intended order. JMS has given the ordering here for seasons one and two his blessing (be advised, the first year is average at best, but you need to watch it anyway to understand what is going on. It gets much better after year one — though I like year one if only for nostalgia’s sake. You should watch it while drinking Zima.)
This list also inserts the TV movies into their proper chronological order; for example, “Thirdspace” takes place in the middle of season four. Because the entire series is one five year story, if you see episodes out of order you can ruin cliffhangers and other elements of the plot. One movie in particular, In the Beginning, will spoil the entire plot if you watch it first, so do not see it out of the order presented here!
Departures from the original US airing order are emphasized with **. The number in the parenthesis refers to the disk and then the episode on that disk, for example, (2.4) means disk 2, episode 4. The episodes with M are the movies, for example, (M.2) is the second DVD in the Movie series, In the Beginning; however, like the episodes, the movies are out of order and must be watched as shown here if you don’t want to ruin the story. (M.1) is the pilot, or first movie, The Gathering, which you do see first, and which you are about to see now. Get ready for a fantastic story.
Pilot Movie: Year 2257
1. (M.1) The Gathering
Season One: Signs and Portents - Year 2258
1. (1.1) Midnight on the Firing Line
2. (1.2) Soul Hunter
3. (1.3) Born to the Purple
4. (1.4) Infection
5. (2.1) The Parliament of Dreams
6. (2.2) Mind War
7. (2.3) The War Prayer
8. (2.4) And The Sky Full Of Stars
9. (3.1) Deathwalker
10. (3.2) Believers
11. (3.3) Survivors
12. (3.4) By Any Means Necessary
13. (4.1) Signs and Portents
14. (4.3) ** Grail
15. (4.4) Eyes
16. (5.2) ** A Voice in the Wilderness part 1
17. (5.3) A Voice in the Wilderness part 2
18. (5.4) Babylon Squared
19. (6.1) The Quality of Mercy
20. (4.2) ** TKO
21. (5.1) ** Legacies
22. (6.2) Chrysalis
Easter Egg: Series: Promotional video.
Insert Disk 6 and select Special Features, The Universe of Babylon 5, Data Files then arrow down to Battle of the Line then arrow to the right. A Babylon 5 logo should appear, hit enter.
“The Corps is mother, the Corps is father.” — Psi Corps
Season Two: The Coming Of Shadows - Year 2259
1. (1.1) Points of Departure
2. (1.2) Revelations
3. (1.3) The Geometry of Shadows
4. (1.4) A Distant Star
5. (2.1) The Long Dark
6. (2.2) A Spider in the Web
7. (2.4) ** A Race Through Dark Places
8. (2.3) ** Soul Mates
9. (3.1) The Coming of Shadows
10. (3.2) GROPOS
11. (3.3) All Alone in the Night
12. (3.4) Acts of Sacrifice
13. (4.1) Hunter, Prey
14. (4.2) There All the Honor Lies
15. (4.3) And Now For a Word
16. (5.1) ** Knives
17. (4.4) ** In the Shadow of Z’ha’dum
18. (5.2) Confessions and Lamentations
19. (5.3) Divided Loyalties
20. (5.4) The Long, Twilight Struggle
21. (6.1) Comes the Inquisitor
22. (6.2) The Fall of Night
Easter Egg: Gag-reel
Insert Disk 6 and select Special Features, The Universe of Babylon 5, Data Files then arrow down to Project Lazarus and arrow to the left. A Babylon 5 logo should appear, now just hit enter.
“Anatomically impossible Mr. Garibaldi, but you’re welcome to try — anytime.”
– Bester
Season Three: Point of No Return - Year 2260
1. (1.1) Matters of Honor
2. (1.2) Convictions
3. (1.3) A Day in the Strife
4. (1.4) Passing Through Gethsemane
5. (2.1) Voices of Authority (this was originally meant to air before “Passing Through Gethsemane,” but since the events of this episode tie into the beginning of “Dust to Dust,” and aren’t mentioned at all in “Gethsemane,” the initial airing order is actually an improvement)
6. (2.2) Dust to Dust
7. (2.3) Exogenesis
8. (2.4) Messages from Earth
9. (3.1) Point of No Return
10. (3.2) Severed Dreams
11. (3.3) Ceremonies of Light and Dark
12. (4.1) ** A Late Delivery From Avalon
13. (3.4) ** Sic Transit Vir
14. (4.2) Ship of Tears
15. (4.3) Interludes and Examinations
16. (5.2) ** Walkabout
17. (4.4) War Without End, Part One
18. (5.1) War Without End, Part Two
19. (5.3) Gray 17 Is Missing
20. (5.4) And the Rock Cried Out, No Hiding Place
21. (6.1) Shadow Dancing
22. (6.2) Z’ha’dum
Easter Egg: Gag-reel
Insert Disk 6 and select Special Features, The Universe of Babylon 5, Data Files then arrow right to to Battle for Babylon 5 and then down, a Babylon 5 logo should appear, hit enter.
“Nobody listen to poor Zathras. Very sad life. Probably have very sad death. But at least there is symmetry” — Zathras
Season Four: No Surrender, No Retreat - Year 2261
1. (1.1) The Hour of the Wolf
2. (1.2) Whatever Happened to Mr. Garibaldi?
3. (1.3) The Summoning
4. (1.4) Falling Toward Apotheosis
5. (2.1) The Long Night
6. (2.2) Into the Fire
7. (2.3) Epiphanies
8. (2.4) The Illusion of Truth
9. (M.3) ** Movie - Thirdspace
10. (3.1) Atonement
11. (3.2) Racing Mars
12. (3.3) Lines of Communication
13. (3.4) Conflicts of Interest
14. (4.1) Rumors, Bargains and Lies
15. (4.2) Moments of Transition
16. (4.3) No Surrender, No Retreat
17. (4.4) The Exercise of Vital Powers
18. (5.1) The Face of the Enemy
19. (5.2) Intersections in Real Time
20. (5.3) Between the Darkness and the Light
21. (5.4) Endgame
22. (6.1) Rising Star
23. (6.2) The Deconstruction of Falling Stars - Year 1,000,000
Easter Egg: CGI Fly By.
Insert Disk 6 and select Special Features, The Universe of Babylon 5, Personal Files then arrow down to KOSH II then arrow to the right two times. A Babylon 5 logo highlight, hit enter.
“The Psi Corps is your friend. Trust the Corps.” — Psi Corps
Season Five: The Wheel of Fire - Year 2262
1. (1.1) No Compromises
2. (1.2) The Very Long Night of Londo Mollari
3. (1.3) The Paragon of Animals
4. (1.4) A View from the Gallery
5. (2.1) Learning Curve
6. (2.2) Strange Relations
7. (2.3) Secrets of the Soul
8. (3.1) ** In the Kingdom of the Blind
9. (3.2) A Tragedy of Telepaths
10. (3.3) Phoenix Rising
11. (3.4) The Ragged Edge
12. (2.4) Day of the Dead
13. (4.1) The Corps is Mother, The Corps is Father
14. (4.2) Meditations on the Abyss
15. (4.3) Darkness Ascending
16. (4.4) And All My Dreams, Torn Asunder
17. (5.1) Movements of Fire and Shadow
18. (5.2) The Fall of Centauri Prime
19. (5.3) Wheel of Fire
20. (5.4) Objects in Motion
21. (6.1) Objects at Rest
Pause: Do not watch the last episode of Season Five just yet . . .
1. (M.4) River of Souls - Year 2263
2. (M.6) The Legend of the Rangers: To Live and Die in Starlight - Year 2265
3. (M.2) Babylon 5: In the Beginning -Year 2248
Crusade
Who are you?
Why are you here?
What do you want?
Where are you going?
Who do you serve?
Who do you trust?
1. (M.5) Movie - A Call to Arms - Year 2267
2. Crusade: Season One - Year 2267
2a. Original Broadcast Order (TNT)
There are three possible orders to watch Crusade in and they are listed below. There were supposed to be at least 17 episodes in this, the first (of five) seasons, but Turner executives decided that the series needed a plot with less complexity but more blasters and nookie. JMS said “No” and TNT had the show canceled. They also insisted on showing each episode in the wrong order, and forcing JMS to give the cast uniforms that were more like Star Trek. JMS responded by making the uniform change part of the plot of an episode where he more or less makes fun of the whole affair. TNT was NOT amused. Heh. Anyway, the first order is the original broadcast order from TNT, shown below. I still like it, if only because it brings back fond memories.
1. (1.1) War Zone
2. (1.2) The Long Road
3. (1.3) The Well of Forever
4. (1.4) The Path of Sorrows
5. (2.1) Patterns of the Soul
6. (2.2) Ruling From the Tomb
7. (2.3) The Rules of the Game
8. (2.4) Appearances and Other Deceits
9. (3.1) Racing the Night
10. (3.2) The Memory of War
11. (3.3) The Needs of Earth
12. (3.4) Visitors from Down the Street
13. (4.1) Each Night I Dream of Home
2b. This ordering, which JMS specified for the Sci-Fi Channel in 2001, ignores the uniform change in favor of maintaining continuity of story line. I hate it and the third ordering as well. I know I’m not supposed to hate them, that they are more authentic and in line with the vision of the Great Maker [of B5] himself, but I still hate it. Sue me.
The second ordering is the preferred order usually shown today whenever Crusade is shown on the Sci Fi channel.
1. (3.1) Racing the Night
2. (3.3) The Needs of Earth
3. (3.2) The Memory of War
4. (1.2) The Long Road
5. (3.4) Visitors from Down the Street
6. (1.3) The Well of Forever
7. (4.1) Each Night I Dream of Home
8. (2.1) Patterns of the Soul
9. (1.4) The Path of Sorrows
10. (2.2) Ruling from the Tomb
11. (2.3) The Rules of the Game
12. (1.1) War Zone
13. (2.4) Appearances and Other Deceits
2c. A third order was formally endorsed by Straczynski as the “true” chronological sequence of events for the filmed episode, as it appeared in The Official Babylon 5 Chronology (published in the pages of The Official Babylon 5 Magazine in 1999-2000). This particular ordering supersedes Straczynski’s own “preferred” sequence from a strictly chronological and causal standpoint.
1. (1.1) War Zone
2. (1.2) The Long Road
3. (2.4) Appearances and Other Deceits
4. (3.2) The Memory of War
5. (3.3) The Needs of Earth
6. (3.1) Racing the Night
7. (3.4) Visitors from Down the Street
8. (4.1) Each Night I Dream of Home
9. (1.4) The Path of Sorrows
10. (2.1) Patterns of the Soul
11. (2.2) Ruling from the Tomb
12. (1.3) The Well of Forever
13. (2.3) The Rules of the Game
Unfilmed episodes: Several more episodes were to be filmed, and at least four more episodes were actually scripted, but the series was canceled too soon:
14. Value Judgments
15. Tried and True
16. To The Ends Of The Earth
17. Untitled “Apocalypse Box” episode
“Sword Trilogy”
18. War Story
19. The Walls of Hell
20. Part 3 (untitled)
21. The End of the Line (season finale)
Scripts for “Value Judgments”, “To the Ends of the Earth” and “The End of the Line” were available online for a time at Bookface.com. “Value Judgments” was to feature Bester, and “To the Ends of the Earth” and “The End of the Line” would deal with Earth use of shadow technology, and the mysterious ship that destroyed the Cerberus.
“I never hold a grudge. I have no surviving enemies. At all.” - Galen
Babylon 5: The Lost Tales
B5 was reborn in 2007 through an anthology of short stories known as The Lost Tales, which JMS refused to do unless he had a signed contract that forbade the suits from telling him how to tell his story. Warner eventually relented and agreed. As G’Kar would say, “There is always hope.” Unfortunately in august 2008 JMS decided to cancel the Lost Tales, stating that he didn’t want to cheapen the franchise and that from now on any B5 material would be either a big budget feature film or nothing at all. I understand his position, but . . . AARRGG!!
1. Volume 1: Voices in the Dark (Year 2272)
1a. Over Here
1b. Over There
2. Volume 2: canceled
2a. canceled
2b. canceled
Babylon 5 (cont.)
Season Five (cont.)
22. (6.2) Sleeping in Light - Year 2281 (Buy a box of tissues first!)
“It itches!” — Zack
Easter Egg: Marcus Cole: Dead or Frozen
Insert Disk 6 and select Special Features, The Universe of Babylon 5, Data Files then arrow over to Interstellar Alliance and then arrow up. A Babylon 5 logo should appear, hit enter.
“We Are Everywhere For Your Convenience.” - Psi Corps
This concludes your viewing of the Babylon 5 Universe, but there are graphic novels which have good plots which fill in some gaps, also there are 3 trilogies; the psi corps trilogy which is fantastic, the centauri prime trilogy which is also top notch and lastly the technomage trilogy which is very dark and exciting. those 3 trilogies are must reads, as are books #7 and #9 which are considered cannon by JMS. There is also a good gag reel that occasionally shows up on ebay. All of which are fun additions to the B5 Universe — which, if you really want to understand what in the world is going on, you can understand through study of ancient Babylonian creation myths.
As Kosh would say, “Yes.”
————–
“If I take a lamp and shine toward the wall, a bright spot will appear on the wall. The lamp is our search for truth, for understanding. Too often we assume the light on the wall is God, but the light is not the goal of the search, it is the result of the search. The more intense the search, the brighter the light on the wall. The brighter the light on the wall, the greater the revelation upon seeing it. Similarly, someone who does not search, who does not bring a lantern with him, sees nothing. What we perceive as God is the by-product of our search for God. It may simply be an appreciation of the light, pure and unblemished. Not understanding that it comes from us, sometimes, we stand in front of the light and assume we are the center of the universe. God looks astonishingly like we do. Or we turn to look at our shadow and assume all is darkness. If we allow ourselves to get in the way, we defeat the purpose - which is use the light of our search to illuminate the wall in all its beauty and all it flaws, and in so doing, better understand the world around us.” — G’Kar