Product Description

From the beginning, both were running out of time. The space station that was the last, best hope for peace was sooner or later certain to be eclipsed by new political coalitions and technical advances. And John Sheridan, who guided the massive freeport through its most tumultuous days, knew that his own fate had been inalterably prophesied. Now both storylines converge in a 22-episode final season (with dazzling Exclusive DVD Extras!) whose events also include Sheridan's attempts to wage peace for the Interstellar Alliance, the tragic fate of the telepaths and the ultimate fireball destruction of the outmoded station after it is declared to be a spaceway navigational hazard. You are cleared for final approach to Babylon 5.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #13138 in DVD
• Brand: 6295
• Released on: 2004-04-13
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.77:1
• Formats: AC-3, Anamorphic, Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish, French
• Number of discs: 6
• Dimensions: 1.35 pounds
• Running time: 968 minutes

Features

• From the beginning, both were running out of time.

Amazon.com
A disappointment after the superb two previous seasons, the final run of Babylon 5 found Claudia Christian departed and Ivanova replaced by Captain Elizabeth Lochley (Tracy Scoggins), who in a soap-opera twist turned out to be Sheridan's first wife. Sheridan was promoted to President of the Interstellar Alliance and the action moved to a group of telepaths seeking sanctuary from the PSI-Corp on B5. Giving a prominent role to Patricia Tallman's Lyta Alexander, a love story for her was woven with the leader of the telepaths, Byron (Robin Atkin Downs). Meanwhile the aftermath of the Shadow War was explored as the origin of human telepaths became clear in "Secrets of the Soul," and the appearance of PSI-Corp's Bester (Walter Koenig) brought the plight of the refugees to a powerful close in "A Tragedy of Telepaths" and "Phoenix Rising."

This was immediately followed by a rare episode not written by J. Michael Straczynski. Much was expected of "Day of the Dead," penned by Neil Gaiman, the British creator of DC's landmark Sandman comic and graphic novel series. Yet despite a change of tone including a guest appearance by Penn & Teller as 23rd-century comedy favorites Rebo & Zooty, the story proved an incongruous side trip into an unexplained twilight zone of fantasy. As usual the season picked up toward the end, with a string of fine political episodes leading to "The Fall of Centauri Prime" and the haunting "Objects at Rest," in which Sheridan and Delenn leave Babylon 5 for new quarters on Minbar.

The final episode, "Sleeping in Light," was directed by J. Michael Straczynski and made an epilogue to the series. Set 20 years later, after all the sound and fury this quiet, elegiac tale is the apotheosis of the love story that proved the balance to the tragedy of the preceding darkness. A personal story resolved against a background of the epic, at once transcendent, deeply human, and profoundly optimistic, "Sleeping in Light" is as moving as any hour in the history of television drama and a thoroughly satisfying conclusion to one of the greatest series ever made. --Gary S. Dalkin

Customer Reviews

"Wheel of Fire" Final Season
Like the other four seasons, "Season Five" will be in widescreen anamorphic format and Dolby Digital 5.1. It includes all 22 episodes and runs for 968 minutes. For the final season, fans are expecting some special extras. Here is a list of the scheduled extras:

=>Introduction to Wheel of Fire (Season 5 of Babylon 5) by series creator, J. Michael Straczynski
=>Two audio commentaries by J. Michael Straczynski
=>Movements of Fire and Shadow commentary by cast members Bruce Boxleitner, Peter Jurasik, Patricia Tallman and Tracy Scoggins
=>Digital Tomorrow - a featurette about making the special effects for the series
=>Beyond Babylon 5 - a featurette focusing on the fans, their reactions to the show and available Babylon 5 merchandise
=>The Universe of Babylon 5
=>Personnel Files; Data Files; Gag Reel; Episode previews
=>Easter Egg: Marcus Cole: Dead or Frozen
=>Additional and Extended Scenes

Unfinished from prior seasons, the telepath situation is still at issue. The post-war era still has many other problems to be resolved.

Episode Guide:
1. No Compromises (Babylon 5 has a new commander. The telepaths ask to form a colony on Babylon 5.)
2. The Very Long Night of Londo Mollari (Londo has a heart attack. Lennier decides to become a ranger.)
3. The Paragon of Animals (Garibaldi wants to form an intelligence unit consisting of telepaths.)
4. A View from the Gallery (cowritten by Harlan Ellison. Savage aliens attack the station shown from the viewpoint of two crew members.)
5. Learning Curve (A racketeer tries to take over Downbelow.)
6. Strange Relations (Londo evades an assassination attempt.)
7. Secrets of the Soul (The Downbelow citizens don't like the increasing number of telepaths. Franklin discovers an old secret.)
8. Day of the Dead (The Brakiri conduct a religious ceremony where the dead supposedly return. Zooty's voice is done by Harlan Ellison.)
9. In the Kingdom of the Blind (Byron uses blackmail to try to get a homeworld of their own for the telepaths.)
10. A Tragedy of Telepaths (Lochley asks that the telepaths be removed, due to rising tensions and violence.)
11. Phoenix Rising (The situation with the telepaths worsens, resulting in several deaths.)
12. The Ragged Edge (G'Kar becames a religious figure after his book is published. There may be a witness to an attack on an Alliance ship.)
13. The Corps is Mother, the Corps is Father (Bester shows two PSI Cop interns how he works when he tries to capture a rogue telepath.)
14. Meditations on the Abyss (Lennier investigates the possible Centauri involvement in the shipping line attacks. Vir becomes the Centauri ambassador to Babylon 5.)
15. Darkness Ascending (Lennier continues to investigate the Centauri. Lyta tries to find a homeworld for the telepaths.)
16. And All My Dreams, Torn Asunder (Evidence against the Centauri is presented to the Alliance.)
17. Movements of Fire and Shadow (The White Star fleet is authorized to participate in the war. Tensions with the Centauri worsen.)
18. The Fall of Centauri Prime (The Drakh force Londo to help them. Londo is crowned emperor of the Centauri Republic.)
19. The Wheel of Fire (Earthforce orders Lyta's arrest. G'Kar worshippers cause problems.)
20. Objects in Motion (cowritten by Harlan Ellison. Michael and Lise are warned that an assassin has been hired to kill them.)
21. Objects at Rest (Many are leaving Babylon 5. Alliance headquarters move to Minbar.)
22. Sleeping in Light (Sheridan invites old friends for a final gathering. Takes place 20 years later. In this final episode, J. Michael Stracynski writes, directs, and makes a cameo appearance as the crew member shutting down the station.)

Although this is the final season, it is not the final DVD set. A collection of the television movies is planned for release in Spring or Summer of 2004. (jmsnews.com has a small amount of information about two DVD sets following the release of B5 Season 5.)

The wheel turns, does it not, Ambassador?
After Season Four's constant exillerating pace, Season Five slows down to give the show a fresh story-arch climb. The season starts out by introducing the new Babylon 5 Captain, Elizabeth Lockley, an Earth Force Captain who faught for Clark's regime during the civil war, creating an interesting dynamic between herself, Sheridan, Dellen, and Garibaldi. We are also introduced to the machinations of the Inter Stellar Alliance.

Much of what Sheridan feared in Season Four comes to fruition with the legacy of the Vorlons and Shadows causing the paramount issues through out the year, and his Grandfather's quote, "The duration is longer than the war," is explained through action, consequence, and chance.

Much of the drama involved with the telepath crisis is sucked dry due to Ivannava's absence, with Lyta evoling to capture and express much of the emotional struggles. It is her story sallied with the character of Byron where the show fails to capture the force that was prevelent throughout the previous two and a half seasons, but fear not, their story dominates for a mere four episodes, and with other story lines developing the grand finally along the way, these episdes are not a complete loss.

After the telepath struggle, we get into what I consider to be JMS's best work, with Londo and G'kar's relationship developing from hatred to wry friendship. It is here where we see Straczynski pull the carpet out from under us as he uses the entire previous four season of emotions he evoked from us to show us that we are responsible for what we do, for good or ill. We see the struggle for redemtion, the struggle to forgive, the struggle to recreate from ash, and the struggle to give up all of ones self for all of ones family, friends, and people.

The final eleven episodes are the best from the the Universe of Babyon 5, completing a task that was said to be impossible. Thank you B5 staff and crew, and, of course, Mr. Straczynski. You've taugh many wonderful ideas in a very insidious fashion, through entertainment. Mark Twain would be proud.

A correction, and an opinion...
Kevin is mistaken, Babylon 5 was only ever intended to run 5 seasons, start to finish. It was all plotted out in advance and there was never any intention of having a sixth season.

However, during the fourth season there was doubt as to whether the show would get picked up for the fifth, which required Straczynski to wrap up all the major storylines at the end of season 4 while still leaving room for another season if they got it. In the majority of television series, that wouldn't be a huge concern, as very little tends to change from one season to the next, let alone from episode to episode. The novel-like structure of Babylon 5 made this more challenging -- and yet, it also made it easier. Since he knew all along what the five-year story would be, Stracynski was able to shoot the series finale in such a way that it could be played at the end of either season four or five, depending on how things worked out. A somewhat differently-styled episode was shot which would be able to fill the slot at the end of season four if they did get picked up for the last season -- which is of course what happened.

Unfortunately, the sudden compression of storylines in the previous seasons did break the momentum that had been steadily building, and season 5 stumbles a little because of it. It may be just my personal preference, but the Byron/telepath arc didn't interest me the way the previous storylines had. Also Captain Lockely was not (in my opinion) nearly as interesting a character as Ivanova had been, nor did I find Tracy Scoggins to be as capable an actress. Despite all that, as has been said before, the worst episode of Babylon 5 is still better than most of everything else you'll find on television, and that still holds true.

In summary, a noticeably weaker season than the ones that came before (perhaps on par with season one), but still worth watching. It would be a shame to come this far and not see stay to see how it all ends.