Babylon 5 : No Surrender, No Retreat (Season 4)

When I first started watching Babylon 5, I wasn’t impressed. I didn’t like the visual effects, I didn’t like most of the actors, I didn’t like the sets and I wasn’t impressed with the actors or the plot lines. It took it’s time; for season 1 I was just barely hanging on. By mid-season 2 things were a lot more engaging and I was getting to really like it a lot. Season 3 was great but Season4!!! Season 4 is fucking mind-blowingly awesome!

First we have the search for John Sheridan. Some people think he is dead but Delenn, Ivanova & Lyta travel to Z’ha’dum to search for Sheridan, while G’Kar ventures out to search for the missing Michael Garibaldi. No one knows what happened to either of them and the presumption is that both are dead.  Londo finds that the political climate on Centauri Prime has worsened under the rule of Cartagia, the insane emperor. Sheridan is helped by the mysterious alien Lorien and is brought back to Babylon 5 with his help. Garibaldi had been captured and undergone some mental torture and brainwashing. While in search of him, G’Kar is capture by Emperor Cartagia and brought to the Centauri homeworld and tortured brutally.

As the first step towards ending the war, Sheridan decides to act against the new Vorlon ambassador and continues putting the pieces in place for his final strike against the Shadows and the Vorlons, while Londo and Vir make the final preparations for assassinating Emperor Cartagia. With the help of Lorien and the First ones, the Vorlons & the Shadows are defeated and they are told by Sheridan to leave the galaxy. Lorien then tells the Vorlons and the Shadows, as well as the remaining First Ones that have been assembled that their time is over and they must all go “beyond the rim.” He assures them that he is going with them. This will leave the younger races to define their own history without interference. Just as those on Babylon 5 relax,  Garibaldi resigns his post and Bester comes aboard with the news that Earth Alliance plans to isolate and discredit Babylon 5. Things are made worse  when an ISN reporter arrives on the station, claiming that he wants to do an objective and truthful story on Babylon 5, but the ensuing video is a biased one that makes Sheridan and his crew look like tyrants.

Marcus & Franklin are sent to Mars to help coordinate the resistance efforts there and also attempt to persuade the Mars Resistance to assist Sheridan in opposing President Clark. Garibaldi shows increasing hostility towards Sheridan and they almost comes to blows. Michael starts his own business, doing private eye kinda work but then gets called to work for a rich & powerful mysterious client. Sheridan has his own plan to overcome President Clark’s propaganda machine – he has Ivanova host a regular new bulletin from Babylon 5, broadcasting the truth. However once Sheridan learns that Clark’s men have been engaged in illegal attacks on civilian targets, he decides the time has come to take direct action against Clark and those in Earth Force who followed him and leads the White Star fleet against EarthForce to liberate Proxima 3. Meanwhile Garibaldi goes to Mars to meet his new employer William Edgars and finds out that he is married to Michael’s old flame. Lyta also arrives to join the fight and helps Franklin to make progress with the frozen telepaths. Sheridan is lured to Mars by Garibaldi, acting under the influence of Edgards and is captured by Earthgov forces.

In a startling episode, Sheridan is ruthlessly interrogated by the Earth Alliance. That episode alone should win many awards & accolades for Babylon 5.  Ivanova takes command of the fleet for their next engagement, while Garibaldi learns that it was Bester who had captured him and brainwashed him against Sheridan. He rejoines Franklin, Lyta & Marcus and convinces them that he is on their side. Sheridan is rescued and brought back to Babylon 5 for treatment. He then commands the final assault on President Clark’s forces with the help of Garibaldi, Franklin, Lyta and the Mars Resistance. Sheridan’s forces attack Mars and Earth, disabling the fleet and preventing Clark from destroying Earth. Clark kills himself before he can be arrested. Ivanova is critically injured but Marcus makes the ultimate sacrifice and uses an alien device to save her at the cost of his life. Sheridan surrenders to the Earth’s force and is reunited with his father.

Sheridan is later forced to resign from EarthForce. The Interstellar Alliance is formed, with Sheridan as its President, and Earth agrees to join this new alliance in exchange for limited access to Minbari and Vorlon technology. The Alliance intends to use the Rangers, whose primary mission against the Shadows has now expired, as the arbiters and peacekeepers of the Interstellar Alliance. In his last act as part of EarthForce, Sheridan promotes Ivanova to captain. Unable to bear the burden of living in Babylon 5 with Marcu’s memories, she is assigned to command her own ship and leaves the station (and the series).

Awesome season, just amazingly well shot, written, acted & directed!