Babylon 5 – Summer DVD Review – The Fall of Night

babylon 5

Babylon 5
The Fall of Night

Original Air Date: Nov 1, 1995

Aeon Cole – TwoCents Reviewer
aeon@thetwocentscorp.com

This is the twenty-second episode of the second season and the second season finale. It’s the end of 2259. Babylon 5’s mission to keep the peace has failed and war is coming. As the Centauri war escalates, a Narn war cruiser seeks help from Babylon 5 and Earth takes a position in the war.

Sheridan is out with a Zeta squadron running maneuvers. He is trying to teach them a Centauri fighting style. As they go through their training Sheridan is recalled to Babylon 5 for an emergency. The Drazi and Pak’ma’ra ambassadors are accusing the Centauri of invading their space. Sheridan calls Londo to his office asking what the Centauri are doing. Londo claims that they are just creating a buffer zone and refuses to listen to Sheridan any further.

In one of the station’s bars, Vir and Lennier meet. They lament about knowing too much about what’s going on but not being included in any of the decision-making. This is an amusing little scene and somewhat ironic that they seemed to have found each other to talk to since they are on opposite sides.

Keffer, the Zeta squadron leader, is chatting with another member of the squadron in the locker room. The other pilot offhandedly mentions about one of the other pilots seeing a “ghost” in hyperspace. She describes a Shadow ship to him.

Sheridan reports his encounter with the ambassadors to Earth Force after which, two members of the Ministry of Peace show up at the station. Frederick Lantze arrives to speak with the ambassadors with Mr. Wells, the head of the Night Watch. Meanwhile Keffer meets with the pilot who saw the “ghost” and asks him for whatever information he has on it. It turns out that Keffer has also seen it and wants to go out and find it.

In Command and Control (C&C) Sheridan is informed of a jump point forming on the opposite side of Epsilon 3. It is a Narn heavy cruiser, the only one to have survived the war. It is damaged and asks for asylum.

Wells meets with Ivanova and asks her to join the Night Watch. She refuses. She does not like, agree with, or trust the organization. After, Wells meets with the members of the Night Watch on the station including Zack Allen. Zack is the only member of the Night Watch who hasn’t filed any reports. Wells coerces him into reporting a shopkeeper in the Zocolo who has been complaining about the government. It’s easy to see that Zack is not comfortable with this but that he also realized he is trapped. If he tries to leave now he will be branded a traitor.

Keffer receives a data crystal with information about the “ghost” ship. The other pilot didn’t actually get any video of the ship but did pick up some unusual neutrino emissions that can be traced.

G’kar attempts to speak with Lantze but is brushed off. Up until this point it is assumed that Earth will take the side of the Narn people in the conflict but Lantze’s reaction to G’kar casts doubt on that. This is confirmed when just after Sheridan tells the captain of the Narn cruiser that he will protect them if they take their jump engines offline to effect repairs, Lantze comes in and says that Earth has agreed to sign a nonaggression treaty with the Centauri.

A crewmember approaches Wells in one of the lifts and says she has some information for him. A short while later in Sheridan’s office, he and Ivanova are discussing the situation with the Centauri when Londo calls. He knows about the Narn cruiser and is demanding that the ship is turned over. Sheridan cuts him off saying that the signal is breaking up. He and Ivanova rush to C&C to warn the cruiser.

A jump point forms near the station and a Centauri cruiser appears. Sheridan launches the fighters to escort the Narn cruiser to the jump gate since their jump engines are offline. The Centauri cruiser targets the Narn ship, the fighters, and Babylon 5. Both sides engage. The Narn ship makes it to the jump gate but when the Centauri fire on the station their cruiser is destroyed.

Lantze is upset but Sheridan was following the regulations and Earth agrees. However, in light of the new treaty and the fact that the Centauri ship fired first, the Centauri are willing to overlook the incident if Sheridan apologizes. Since he is given the choice of apologizing or being relieved of command, he reluctantly agrees. Lantze organizes a meeting with all of the ambassadors in the Zen garden.

Sheridan boards a shuttle to go to the meeting followed by a young Centauri. The Centauri exits the shuttle at the next stop but leaves behind a bomb. Sheridan sees the device and orders the shuttle to make an emergency stop. He then jumps out just before it explodes. Since he is in a zero gravity area he floats above the Zen garden but the rotating station will soon collide with him.

In hyperspace Zeta squadron is escorting the Narn ship. Keffer’s computer picks up the neutrino emissions indicating a Shadow vessel is near. He breaks off to track it. He finds the ship and begins recording. When the ship turns on him he ejects the recording and is destroyed.

Kosh and Delenn had walked over to a secluded area of the garden to talk. They see what has happened to Sheridan and Delen tells Kosh, “You know what’s at stake. If you’re going to do anything, you must do it now.” Kosh leaves his encounter suit revealing a being of light, which flies up toward Sheridan. From a human’s perspective he appears to be an angel but each race sees something different, each according to the legends of his people. Kosh reaches Sheridan and brings him safely to the ground. Sheridan realizes this is Kosh, but since Kosh left his suit out of site of the rest of the assembled crowd, no one else does.

Later, in Sheridan’s quarters, Delenn expresses concern that the Shadows will know that Kosh had revealed himself. The other races believe they saw a being from their own legends rescue Sheridan. They consider it a good omen. The only one who did not see anything was Londo, which begs the question of why. Did the Vorlons not visit the Centauri as they did the other races, maybe did not consider them worthy, or maybe the Centauri’s worship of their ancestors has replaced an older religion.

Delenn’s concern over the Shadows figuring out that their presence has been discovered may be justified when an ISN feed shows the recovered video of the Shadow ship recovered after Keffer’s ship was destroyed.