The Coming of Shadows
| "The Coming of Shadows" | |
|---|---|
| Babylon 5 episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 2 Episode 9 |
| Directed by | Janet Greek |
| Written by | J. Michael Straczynski |
| Editing by | Skip Robinson |
| Production code | 209 |
| Original air date | February 1, 1995 |
| Guest appearances | |
| Fredric Lehne (Ranger) Malachi Throne (Centauri Prime Minister) Jeff Conaway (Zack Allan) William Forward (Refa) Turhan Bey (Centauri Emperor) | |
"The Coming of Shadows" is a key episode from the second season of the science fiction television series Babylon 5. It won the 1996 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation.[1][2]
Synopsis
The
The Emperor arrives, meeting the human command staff of the station, and requests a meeting with
While the emperor is on his deathbed, Refa urges Londo to take initiative as to sway their supporters on
The Narn colony is attacked by the Shadows and rendered defenseless. The Centauri ships arrive, which are shortly seen by Narn fighters investigating the attack. Word is relayed to the Narn homeworld, and soon across the system, that the Centauri have taken their colony.
Kosh meets with the Emperor, and tells him that the situation will end "in fire". With the Emperor near death, Refa and Londo meet him at his deathbed. The Emperor whispers something in Londo's ear before he dies. Londo states that the Emperor approved of the attack on the Narn colony, and that he wants Refa and Londo to carry his people "back to the stars". In private Londo tells Refa that the Emperor told him they were both damned, but Refa shrugs it off as "a small price to pay for immortality". G'Kar learns of the attack and attempts to kill Londo before he is restrained by security forces. At the council chambers, Sheridan fails to convince Mollari to return the Narn colonists to their homeworld. G'Kar announces that the Narn government is formally at war with the Centauri.
A
Production
The 1996 Hugo was won in part due to "campaigning" which was in part done online. Straczynski believes that the series failed to gain a 1995 Hugo nomination due to "too many solid episodes" causing a split.[2]
Reception
Entertainment and news website Geek.com included "The Coming of Shadows" as "essential watching" for season two.[3] Geek.com writer Graham Templeton wrote that "one of my personal favorites, this is another pure-plot episode. Its kicks the real-war parallels into high gear, and begins to darken its view of human (and alien) nature significantly."[3]
The A.V. Club called "The Coming of Shadows" the "defining episode" of the show.[4]
References
- ^ "1996 Hugo Awards". The Hugo Awards. July 26, 2007. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
- ^ a b Straczynski, J. Michael (July 2004). "JMS speaks about "The Coming of Shadows"". The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5. Retrieved October 11, 2009.
'As a result, a lot of folks this year have been campaigning to have participants go for "The Coming of Shadows," which is the highest rated episode in all the informal polls on-line and elsewhere from that time period.' … 'So basically, we lost because we had too many solid episodes to choose from.'
- ^ a b Templeton, Graham (January 16, 2015). "Babylon 5 Condensed: How to watch sci-fi's most intimidating masterpiece". Geek.com. Archived from the original on August 22, 2015. Retrieved August 2, 2015.
- ^ Kaiser, Rowan (April 12, 2013). "Babylon 5: "The Coming Of Shadows"". The A.V. Club. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
