Babylon 5: In the Beginning

*Babylon 5: In the Beginning*
Babylon 5: In the Beginning
	TNT promotional poster for Babylon 5: In The Beginning
Genre	Space opera; Drama;
Created by	Michael Vejar
Starring	Bruce Boxleitner; Mira Furlan; Richard Biggs; Andreas Katsulas; Peter Jurasik; Reiner Schöne; Michael O'Hare;
Theme music composer	Christopher Franke
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
Production
Executive producers	Douglas Netter; J. Michael Straczynski;
Producers	John Copeland; Susan Norkin (associate producer);
Cinematography	John C. Flinn III
Editor	Skip Robinson
Running time	94 minutes
Production companies	Babylonian Productions; Warner Bros. Television;
Original release
Network	TNT
Release	January 4, 1998

Babylon 5: In the Beginning is a 1998 American

Michael Vejar.^[1] The film originally aired on January 4, 1998 on the TNT cable network

, a couple of weeks before the fifth season of the series began.

The film tells the story of the war between humans and an alien race known as the

Earth Alliance

commissioning the Babylon space stations as a means of preventing further wars.

Plot

In 2278, the planet

Centauri Republic

, tells two children, Luc and Lyssa, the story of the Earth-Minbari War, which took place 35 years ago while he was a diplomatic liaison to Earth.

In 2243, the human race, emboldened by recent victories, is rapidly expanding into space. Word reaches them of the mysterious Minbari. Though they are warned by Londo to leave this race alone, they send an expedition to study the Minbari, led by the starship Prometheus. The Minbari leadership—the Grey Council, led by

Shadows, may be returning. The Prometheus expedition encounters the Grey Council's convoy by chance. As the Minbari ships approach the Earth ships, they open their gun ports—a sign of respect in their culture. The captain of Prometheus, interpreting this as a signal of intent to attack, opens fire. The Minbari ships are severely damaged and Dukhat is killed. In retaliation, the Grey Council declares a holy war against humanity, with Dukhat's protégée Delenn

casting the deciding vote.

The war continues for several months and human forces are overwhelmed by superior Minbari technology. Lieutenant Commander John Sheridan, first officer of the Lexington, is part of a battlegroup engaging the Minbari. After Sheridan's commanding officer is killed, Sheridan assumes command of the damaged ship and lays a trap for the enemy, seeding the local asteroids with nuclear mines. The Minbari flagship Black Star closes in to finish off the Lexington but is destroyed by the mines—Earth's only real victory during the war.

The Minbari faction that feels the war has caused enough senseless bloodshed—led by Delenn, who has learned that Dukhat believed an alliance with humans would be necessary to defeat the Shadows—uses this as an opportunity to engage in peace talks with Earth. The Centauri discover that the humans are having a secret meeting that is being brokered by the

Narn

, rivals of the Centauri. Not understanding the purpose of the meeting, the Centauri bomb the peace conference, with neither the humans nor Minbari suspecting their intervention. All hope for peace is lost, and humanity's losses at the hands of the Minbari continue for two more years.

In a last, desperate effort, the President of Earth orders all available ships to form a "line" around the planet in an attempt to delay the Minbari to give some humans time to flee the planet. During the battle, a human pilot,

Babylon 5

.

After the children leave him, Londo views Delenn and Sheridan being held captive in the Centauri palace. Toasting them as his friends, he begins drinking heavily and orders the prisoners to be brought to him in one hour.

Notes

^ As depicted in the season 3 episode, "War Without End, Part 2".

Notes

^ "Babylon 5: In the Beginning". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved June 29, 2016.

External links

Babylon 5: In The Beginning at
IMDb

[2] As depicted in the season 3 episode, "War Without End, Part 2".

[Babylon_5:_In_the_Beginning-1] "Babylon 5: In the Beginning". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved June 29, 2016.

[1]

v t e Babylon 5
TV series	Babylon 5 Crusade The Lost Tales
Episodes	"Midnight on the Firing Line" "Soul Hunter" "Born to the Purple" "Infection" "The Parliament of Dreams" "Mind War" "The War Prayer" "And the Sky Full of Stars" "Deathwalker" "Believers" "Survivors" "The Coming of Shadows" "Severed Dreams"
Films	The Gathering In the Beginning Thirdspace The River of Souls A Call to Arms The Legend of the Rangers The Road Home
Characters	Lyta Alexander Delenn G'Kar Susan Ivanova Londo Mollari Jeffrey Sinclair John Sheridan
Games	Babylon 5 Wars Collectible Card Game Roleplaying Game A Call to Arms
Miscellanea	Babylon 5's use of the Internet Babylon Park Lurker's Guide rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated The A to Z of Babylon 5 Interlac Stellar Occasion
Category

Babylon 5 TV seasons and films 1993–2023
In order of series chronology:
2245–48 • In the Beginning (1st film)^* 2256 • Babylon 5 station commissioned 2257 • The Gathering (Pilot) 2258 • Signs and Portents (Season 1) 2259 • The Coming of Shadows (Season 2) 2260 • Point of No Return (Season 3) 2261 • No Surrender, No Retreat (Season 4)^** 2261 • Thirdspace (2nd film)^*** 2262 • The Wheel of Fire (Season 5)^† 2263 • The Road Home 2263 • The River of Souls (3rd film) 2265 • The Legend of the Rangers (5th film) 2266 • A Call to Arms (4th film) 2267 • Crusade (spin-off series) 2271 • The Lost Tales: Voices in the Dark 2278 • In the Beginning (1st film)^* 2281 • Babylon 5 station decommissioned
^* The framing story is set in 2278. ^ The final episode of the season includes scenes of future events up to 3262 and beyond. ^* The story is set between the two wars in season 4. ^† The final episode of the series is set in 2281.
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