I think that Kim Mayako (the actress who played Captain Hiroshi) doesn't get enough credit for her performance here. She only gets two times to speak, and yet when the Churchill rams the Roanoke it's a powerful, powerful moment. For a brief moment, we knew her, and we can hear how different her voice sounds in that scene compared to here. It's also wonderfully directed and scored, of course, but it all came together. Arguably, also, hers was the first large-scale sacrifice which allows B5 to ultimately win the Shadow War and the Earth Civil War. I hope in-universe she got a statue or something.
She knew what was coming, and made the right choice. The acceptance the other officers had for her when she informed them indicates that they knew who Hiroshi was; after all, just about every person of commander level and above had fought in and survived the Earth-Minbari War, and at least knew *of* that person, if not that person, well, personally. That, more than anything else, is why Ryan was so distressed when he cried out, "Hiroshi! Hiroshi!!;" He knew what they lost when they lost her. It was all so very well crafted, with so few lines.
Did the chap, Rick, come back? I remember the woman, Jane, did. Her speech on returning with the very well-done voice cracking brought a lump to my throat.
@@thegreenmanofnorwich No, he didn't. It's the subtleties of B5 which are part of its greatness: Rick, who broke the silence and tried to spew as many facts as he could before they went off-air was a particular target; Jane, by saying "Rick, don't do this" inadvertently saved herself by making seem she would go along to get along, be a good propagandist, and tried to stop her friend, Rick. Rick was taken out and shot, simple as that, and she was put into a "re-education camp" because the regime wanted familiar faces to tell the "right" story. Jane's short speech about what happened before reporting the real news of the liberation of Earth spoke *volumes* about what the folks at ISN went through.
"This is Ambassador Delenn of the Minbari. Babylon 5 is under our protection. Withdraw, or be destroyed." "Negative. We have authority here. Do not force us to engage your ship." "Why not? Only ONE human captain has survived a battle with a Minbari fleet. HE is behind me, YOU are in front of me. If you value your lives, *be somewhere else.* "
@@Zaluskowsky Shart Alert maybe? LOL! Although to be fair those Omega-class destroyers could lock onto Minbari ships (according to the Babylon 5 fandom wiki) and also had some pretty devastating beam weaponry...probably lower-powered version of the particle cannons on the Earth orbital defense satellites...so a second battle with Minbari forces might not have been as one-sided as it was during the Earth-Minbari War...though would probably have been a war of attrition as I imagine Minbari Sharlin-class ships could still turn EA ships into Swiss cheese or worse with just a couple of direct hits and probably also had the advantage of longer firing range...and with a rebellion on their hands I imagine Clark could ill afford fighting on 2 fronts (rebels on one side and Minbari support for said rebels on the other) so I imagine that's probably why they really got out of there
@@kjpierson1152 I don't know where that quote is from, but it's bullshit. There's NEVER a need to execute a person. Never. Execution is always about revenge and the need to punish and hurt. It's always about peoples need to hurt others! ..but yeah..in this scene we have a rare occasion where fight-option is safer.
@@kimnice The quote is from Mass Effect. However, it holds. If someone is standing there with a bomb, waiting to kill a dozen people, it is exactly that scenario where execution is a benefit. How do you help people? Killing the bomber helps them.
Very cool to have Bruce McGill on this ep. Wish he had a longer role. Wonder if his character had interaction with Vir(Stephen Furst)..both of Animal House Fame...Brilliant Actors!
God this makes me remember how much I enjoyed/enjoy B5. Even the little details, like ISN being in Geneva, Switzerland, the traditionally neutral state, yet even they are attacked. The camera shot covering Sheridan, giving a feeling of his emotional state as he takes in bad news after bad news, showing how alone he is figuratively and literally. Even Franklin's choice to fight being stated quieter than the other officers.
It's not a coincidence that Geneva is the location of EarthGov. The League of Nations was located in Geneva and today it is home to the biggest United Nations office outside New York City. Geneva has a history of global efforts so I think it was picked for a good reason both in-universe and in the real world.
Personally my #1 favourite B5 episode. Great action and drama. Real risks and stakes for characters you'd followed loyally and cared for. A battle scene that that utilised strategy and tactics, rather than someone shouting "FIRE!" and a control panel blowing a fuse. But more significantly, this was the episode where Babylon 5 grew up and stepped from under the Star Trek shadow and became a truly great sci-fi drama in its own right. Forever and always, our last best hope.
I love the play of Ivanova. Claudia Christine just speaks one sentence. But her voice demonstrates perfectly how Ivanova is caugth between beeing afraid and having this raging rigthous anger in her.
@@tatianalyulkin410 Not quite. He went along to get along. It was only when he saw they were going to shut ISN due to whatever independence they had left, that he spoke out. The anchorwoman said "Don't do this," before he revealed troops were on the way.
@sandal_thong8631 It's easy for you to judge- you haven't been living this nightmare for the last 10 years. There is nothing as brutal and disgusting as a civil war. Mira knew. So does JMS.
DS9 had a great story arc and it is my favorite Star Trek series but..........I thought B5 was a cheesy Star Trek knockoff when it came on.....I caught it at the end of the 2nd season. Hopelessly drowned in the storyline. The writing for B5 was and is off the chain beautiful. The quotes alone send shivers up my spine. The thought of Delenn saying "If you value your life, be somewhere else" and Ivanova saying "I am death incarnate and last living thing you are ever going to see. God sent me." makes me want to go search for a clean pair of underwear. DS9 never left that impression with me.
Yes, but at the same time, by killing him off it places command/the decision fully on the main characters' shoulders. Plus, Bruce McGill was a solid stand in.
@@saberiandream316 and a lot of the characters had the same names THE STATIONS • Both shows were set on massive space stations with single-digit names (Deep Space 9 vs. Babylon 5) located near transit points of immense power that were not of Terran design (the Bajoran wormhole vs. the Centauri-made jumpgate). • Both stations were used to foster peace between former enemies following a terrible war (the Bajoran-Cardassian conflict vs. the Earth-Minbari War), and were intended as a stopping-off point for diplomats, merchants, smugglers, and other travelers. • Both stations were administered by an Earth-based government (the Federation vs. the Earth Alliance), but were located outside Earth’s solar system (Bajor vs. Epsilon III). • Both stations contained a marketplace for commercial activity that included bars, restaurants, and casinos (the Promenade vs. the Zócalo), as well as holographic sex joints (holosuites vs. a holobrothel). • Both stations received massive weapons upgrades approximately mid-series, and later formed alliances with several formerly competing species in order to win a galactic conflict (the Dominion War vs. the Shadow War). • Both stations had a security force composed of fighters from two formerly non-aligned governments (Starfleet and Bajor vs. Earth and Narn). • Both stations included sections deemed dangerous that were no longer used by their owners (the damaged levels of DS9 vs. Down Below).
eDDy L And both shows were fundamentally different. You can try to find similarities all day, but the differences between the shows were substantial. They focused on different themes, had very different characters, were set in very different universes, had different overarching villains, had completely different aesthetics, told very different stories, etc. Besides the basic premise (and even then, DS9 and Babylon 5 aren’t the same at all), Babylon 5 and Deep Space Nine had little in common besides fantastic storytelling.
I watched Star Trek on NBC when it first started. I watched Doctor Who on PBS since 1975. I watched the first Battlestar Galactica. Star Wars in 1977. Babylon 5 was the best Science Fiction even with it's limited budget and network support... I stand by that opinion even today. Loved it...
@@derickennedy6278 Our little viewing party would record, then watch later that night. I still have the VHSes; and if someone needed to get or do something, we'd pause at the commercial break, or fast forward through commercials otherwise. I got kind of expert at popping the play button so that we rejoined just after the last commercial.
There is one absolute and unconditional truth in the universe, Babylon 5 is the greatest television show ever. By the way, I hate Sheldon Cooper's guts because he said Babylon 5 was derivative..
The idiot was probably thinking of DS9, what he does not know was that he approached CBS with the Babytlon 5 pitch and was turned down. Yet they still used the pitch itself. JMS had good grounds for a plagiarism case, but as he said "live and let live"
That's one brave journalist, considering Clark's troops were marching in to arrest them and replace them with his own propaganda broadcasters. He kept reporting the facts till the roof literally came crashing down on them.
The fact my main news source is outside the US is telling of the problems reporting factual issues to the general population. Yet even when we do report factual information, there is an air of doubt and distrust. It's a disaster in the making.
This episode had one of my favorite lines in B5 "Only one human captain has ever survived battle with a Minbari Fleet. He is behind me. You are in front of me. If you value your lives, be somewhere else!" for someone of the religious cast Delenn can be pretty badass when she needs to be. Probably doesn't help if your threatening her future husband
@@MandalorV7 the tensions were already there, Dukat was the last level headed leader the Minbari had. The religious caste were also the ones who ended the war after realizing Sinclair was Valen's soul in a human body. The warrior caste wanted to fight anyway and despised the surrender.
A similar line was in BSG. When Roslin thought that the mutineers had executed Adama, she channeled her inner Delenn for a minute. The line wasn't the same but it had a similar impact. For a schoolteacher Laura Roslin could go hillbilly apeshit with the best of them.
@@Elthenar she had been President for years at that point and survived similar crises. The flashbacks to Caprica also show her to be a typical politician going up the ladder (though not as sneaky as Zarek). It's likely the first time she herself leads a military action though.
Reminds me of a hilarious moment in Peter Jackson's "Fellowship of the Ring" movie when the mischievous Merry and Pippin set off Gandalf's prize firework dragon. Somehow the Pippin actor didn't realize that the prop was really going to go off, so when it did he let out an entirely genuine shriek. It was so perfect, they used it in the movie! In the second movie of the trilogy, Viggo (Aragorn) kicked a prop across a field and dropped to his knees with a despairing cry, only part of his cry was quite real because Viggo's toe had just broken.
in a later scene the B5 guns take out a Starfury bomber almost too late, sending Sheridan to the floor and causing part of the set to catch fire. Thing is the fire didn't stop burning and the extra that put out the fire was actually using an extinguisher to put out an actual fire
@@rowanaforrest9792 dont forget how Aragon actually broke his foot when he kicked the Uruk helmet in the second part ( the one on the battlefield left by Eomer, where they looked for Hobbits ) so that scream of anguish and despair he lets out is actual scream of someone who just broke his foot.
Superb writing and acting for both reporters! This episode won the prestigious Hugo Award, and the entire series won I think a Saturn Award. (The lady's reaction to the debris falling wasn't entirely acting, because it wasn't supposed to fall so close to them.)
2:01 That camera trick is called a smash zoom (or dolly zoom). Basically, you move the entire camera towards (or away from) the person while at the same time zooming the camera lens in (or out) at the same rate.
+Catzilla Yeah, I believe JMS mentions it directly in the commentary. It's mostly used (in my experience) for dramatic reveals to indicate a huge weight or revalation coming smashing down on a character, in this case, Sheridan. Meant to highlight how, despite all their planning and attempts, they've been pushed to take up arms against their own government.
I had that feel to often while reading the news these past 6 years... I instantly recognize the feeling... Though its not that realistic....it usually includes a truck load of loud profanities.
What I remember, is that when this aired, the fight sequence was the longest CGI scene ever to air on TV. And where I was at it didn't come on until Saturdays at midnight.
Yeah. I can tell how horrified he is now that he has to directly fight an overwhelming force in his own government. That he is out of time and even a glimpse of terror realizing how fucked he might be here.
2:02 nice dolly zoom shot. You don't see that often on television, it's more a movie thing. Zooming out while moving in on a dolly, synchronized well it makes it look like the background retracts while the center focus remains unmoved.
This is by many one of best. This is turning point of whole plot line. No Babylon 5 meant no victory against ancient races. And it was executed beautifully.
Babylon 5, Battlestar Galactica and SG-1 6 or 7 seasons were so good because they took themselves seriously. Most scifi and fantasy series are lighthearted flicks. Need more such shows!
He had no authority to keep somebody on their post or not. He could petition higher authorities to get some people redeployed, but that's it. No, what the scene shows is that Sheridan is indeed willing to let everybody choose for themselves. Had somebody voted to surrender, he would simply have let them go, most likely. Had all three voted to surrender, he most likely would have. He knew the chance of that was rather low, though. I mean, can you imagine Ivanova surrendering? Yeah, right... :)
This is the episode where B5 REALLY started getting good. I mean, yes it was interesting and all before, but this episode just took it all to a whole new level and ushered in a truly epic era.
Ummm nope. Show was pretty much fantastic starting with the beginning of season 2 through the end of season 4. With few exceptions, there weren't any bad episodes over 3 full seasons.
Good thing that mic boom was there... every time he turned his head while still speaking and did not bring the mic he was holding with him, but he was still perfectly heard had my OCD acting up 😅
as far as i know he never showed up again. too bad - the lady came back on the air after the war, but i wish they could've at least said something about his fate. he had the courage to stand up when no one else did, not even her.
"Four hundred years ago, a victorious general spoke the following words at the end of another costly war: 'Today the guns are silent. A great tragedy has ended… we have known the bitterness of defeat and the exultation of triumph, and from both we have learned there can be no going back. We must move forward to preserve in peace what we've won in war'." - Federation Admiral William Ross, quoting Douglas MacArthur ("Star Trek: DS9" season 7 episode What You Leave Behind")"
I was going to school full time and working part time when this series was on the air. This show was always something that I looked forward to as a break from the school and work.
Superb writing, directing, camerawork and acting, especially from the news broadcasters. You can certainly feel the tension as if it's really happening.
+ William Signs. Lol I looooove the Babylon 5 storyline it's .....was so far ahead of it's time. It's more realevent to our own time now. God I wish WB would reair the episodes!
They won't it's too conservative for our time. Unless the show preached gay rights and the liberal agenda the major networks will let B5 fade into obsecurity.
Palmerrip Well Ivanava and Talia definably had romantic relationship and some of themes the show revolves around can’t exactly get more liberal so no worries.
This moment is the culmination of 2 and half seasons of meticulous story-telling with the stakes slowly and inexorably ratcheting up until there is no longer hope of escape. Severed Dreams more than paid off.
Gee, I wonder why. I know JMS identifies as a Russian anti Putin " Loyalist " but is my mentor even 30% sure that there is not some Ukrainian blood on his Polish side? Because he did predict the future.
This is one of mynfavorite scenes and it sets uo another. When ISN comes back the actress who had the recurring bit part as the ISN anchor comes back and slays the scene. Its a small detail, but really helps in the world building
Susan: "The other governments won't stand for it." Major Ryan: "They won't intervene." At the time, the Narn were decimated, the Centauri were at war with everyone in the League of Non-Aligned Worlds, the Minbari Grey Council was feuding and the Vorlons didn't give a fuck. It was bleak.
"They won't intervene. All the major powers are divided, distracted, busy with their own wars. We're on our own." Think Delenn might have something to say about that one Major Ryan.
I wish/hope that if something like this happens in real life, there will be journalists, local/state government officials, and military personnel who'll stand up against tyranny.
Perhaps yes. Sadly there are also those who would support tyranny in the name of the "greater good". Regimes like the First Order, Nightwatch, etc don't just come from thin air. Real life examples include Nazi Germany. It has happened before, it is happening now. It will surely happen again.
Not so much, as we saw during January 6th. Had they brought firearms they could have prevailed. We still don't have an accounting to why there weren't enough Capitol Police on duty, and why the National Guard weren't called in promptly. Other than protests by their kind of people are acceptable, but those nonviolent protests by "those people" or saying things they don't want to hear are met by heavy-handed police response.
Sheridan and his followers who are doing everything to keep the peace remind me of the "United Federation of Planets" while President Clark and his followers remind me of the ruthless, Evil, merciless, non negotiable "Terran Empire!"
And some sources say that a dark-skinned man with a hard skull and skull ridges could be heard crying out "Today IS a good day to die!" throughout the hallowed halls of Babylon 5 :P
I really miss this show, who else??
It's streaming on HBO Max right now. All 5 seasons.
Much better than TNG could have been.
Can't see D-Day in uniform.
Still own it on DVD. Classics never die. But they can have their reputations sullied by shitty retcon follow ups by unrelated companies.
The best scifi series ever!
One of the things I liked about B5 is that it resembles reality. True in the 90’s, true today.
I know, it's rather eerie.
Gets truer every day
True for me since the 2014 Coup.
If we’re fighting with sticks, guns, or lasers - still just humans.
I think that Kim Mayako (the actress who played Captain Hiroshi) doesn't get enough credit for her performance here. She only gets two times to speak, and yet when the Churchill rams the Roanoke it's a powerful, powerful moment. For a brief moment, we knew her, and we can hear how different her voice sounds in that scene compared to here. It's also wonderfully directed and scored, of course, but it all came together. Arguably, also, hers was the first large-scale sacrifice which allows B5 to ultimately win the Shadow War and the Earth Civil War. I hope in-universe she got a statue or something.
with naval tradition it is likely ahe had a ship named after her.
Kim, is that you ?
She knew what was coming, and made the right choice. The acceptance the other officers had for her when she informed them indicates that they knew who Hiroshi was; after all, just about every person of commander level and above had fought in and survived the Earth-Minbari War, and at least knew *of* that person, if not that person, well, personally. That, more than anything else, is why Ryan was so distressed when he cried out, "Hiroshi! Hiroshi!!;" He knew what they lost when they lost her. It was all so very well crafted, with so few lines.
Her name is Kim Miyori, not Mayako!
Got to name a Ship after her.
I genuinely cried when ISN, the REAL ISN came back on.
It's amazing what this show could do, the emotional effect it had.
I think many viewers were right there with you.
Did the chap, Rick, come back? I remember the woman, Jane, did. Her speech on returning with the very well-done voice cracking brought a lump to my throat.
@@thegreenmanofnorwich No he didn't. That's part of what made her return so powerful as she obliquely refers to people lost
Greatest show of all time. Very close to a religion, even for an atheist like me. There will never be anything like it again.
@@thegreenmanofnorwich No, he didn't. It's the subtleties of B5 which are part of its greatness: Rick, who broke the silence and tried to spew as many facts as he could before they went off-air was a particular target; Jane, by saying "Rick, don't do this" inadvertently saved herself by making seem she would go along to get along, be a good propagandist, and tried to stop her friend, Rick. Rick was taken out and shot, simple as that, and she was put into a "re-education camp" because the regime wanted familiar faces to tell the "right" story. Jane's short speech about what happened before reporting the real news of the liberation of Earth spoke *volumes* about what the folks at ISN went through.
This episode also features the finest quote and moment by Delenn. “If you value your lives. Be somewhere else!'
"This is Ambassador Delenn of the Minbari. Babylon 5 is under our protection. Withdraw, or be destroyed."
"Negative. We have authority here. Do not force us to engage your ship."
"Why not? Only ONE human captain has survived a battle with a Minbari fleet. HE is behind me, YOU are in front of me. If you value your lives, *be somewhere else.* "
@@toatahu2003
Brown Alert on the EA ships.
@@flapjackboy Wet Brown Alert
@@Zaluskowsky Shart Alert maybe? LOL! Although to be fair those Omega-class destroyers could lock onto Minbari ships (according to the Babylon 5 fandom wiki) and also had some pretty devastating beam weaponry...probably lower-powered version of the particle cannons on the Earth orbital defense satellites...so a second battle with Minbari forces might not have been as one-sided as it was during the Earth-Minbari War...though would probably have been a war of attrition as I imagine Minbari Sharlin-class ships could still turn EA ships into Swiss cheese or worse with just a couple of direct hits and probably also had the advantage of longer firing range...and with a rebellion on their hands I imagine Clark could ill afford fighting on 2 fronts (rebels on one side and Minbari support for said rebels on the other) so I imagine that's probably why they really got out of there
Shart Alert made my day lol
This episode received a Nebula Award. Rare in television sci-fi.
+Mike Cimerian It's a great episode, one of my most favorite!
@Phelan nebulas.sfwa.org/award/ray-bradbury-award/
The 1998 entry. It's apparently a different category than the regular Nebulas.
It deserved it. It predicted the future. The 2014 Ukrainian coup and the civil war that followed.
This episode specifically received a Hugo Award, it was the show overall that won a Nebula Award in 1998 when it concluded.
@@shamsham1229 thanks buddy I always confuse Hugo and Nebula. :)
You know that when even the pacifist Doctor Franklin says "Fight" that the excrement has impacted with the rotating blades...
You mean the poop has hit the fan-Eugene Meltsner
@@donaldpalugaI was thinking that the feces has hit the rotating oscillator.
the fit hit the shan for sure......
oh and duck fisney!
I realize this is a two year old comment. But gold. I had to call it out.
His father was a Earthforce Marine General, after all
The fact that even B5's life loving doctor wants to fight is telling of how dangerous the situation has become.
We Fight or We Surrender!
To steal a quote: "Lots of ways to help people. Sometimes heal patients; sometimes execute dangerous people. Either way helps."
Killing nazis is like treating a cancer. It can be destructive but the only other option is to lay down and die
@@kjpierson1152
I don't know where that quote is from, but it's bullshit. There's NEVER a need to execute a person. Never. Execution is always about revenge and the need to punish and hurt. It's always about peoples need to hurt others!
..but yeah..in this scene we have a rare occasion where fight-option is safer.
@@kimnice The quote is from Mass Effect. However, it holds. If someone is standing there with a bomb, waiting to kill a dozen people, it is exactly that scenario where execution is a benefit. How do you help people? Killing the bomber helps them.
The ISN scene is inspired by the TV station in Prague during the 1968 intervention.
I thought so.
Very cool to have Bruce McGill on this ep. Wish he had a longer role. Wonder if his character had interaction with Vir(Stephen Furst)..both of Animal House Fame...Brilliant Actors!
God this makes me remember how much I enjoyed/enjoy B5. Even the little details, like ISN being in Geneva, Switzerland, the traditionally neutral state, yet even they are attacked. The camera shot covering Sheridan, giving a feeling of his emotional state as he takes in bad news after bad news, showing how alone he is figuratively and literally. Even Franklin's choice to fight being stated quieter than the other officers.
It's not a coincidence that Geneva is the location of EarthGov. The League of Nations was located in Geneva and today it is home to the biggest United Nations office outside New York City. Geneva has a history of global efforts so I think it was picked for a good reason both in-universe and in the real world.
Well yeah, Franklin's a doctor. He's going against his principles as a doctor for something greater.
They got that camera move from JAWs
It's truly impossible to overstate how amazing this show was
Severed Dreams was absolutely the best episode of this show, with a lot of contenders.
Personally my #1 favourite B5 episode. Great action and drama. Real risks and stakes for characters you'd followed loyally and cared for. A battle scene that that utilised strategy and tactics, rather than someone shouting "FIRE!" and a control panel blowing a fuse.
But more significantly, this was the episode where Babylon 5 grew up and stepped from under the Star Trek shadow and became a truly great sci-fi drama in its own right.
Forever and always, our last best hope.
I have always considered this to be the final episode in a 3 parter.
The story arc of all this begins in "Messages from Earth".
@@DanBarry851 i remember seeing tghis back in the air. had goosebumps from the sudden tone shift.
I love the play of Ivanova. Claudia Christine just speaks one sentence. But her voice demonstrates perfectly how Ivanova is caugth between beeing afraid and having this raging rigthous anger in her.
Newscaster Rick is my hero in this clip. He tried to get the truth out for as long as he could.
Like Julian Assange and Gonzalo Lira.
@@tatianalyulkin410 dont compare Gonzalo Lira to those two. Hes a moron, a liar, and a sex tourist turned russian collaborator.
@@tatianalyulkin410 Not quite. He went along to get along. It was only when he saw they were going to shut ISN due to whatever independence they had left, that he spoke out. The anchorwoman said "Don't do this," before he revealed troops were on the way.
@sandal_thong8631 It's easy for you to judge- you haven't been living this nightmare for the last 10 years. There is nothing as brutal and disgusting as a civil war. Mira knew. So does JMS.
Greatest sci-fi show in the history of television.
I gave you a thumbs up, but Blake's Seven takes that spot.
Definitely one of the better ones. I'd still put DS9 above it though.
DS9 had a great story arc and it is my favorite Star Trek series but..........I thought B5 was a cheesy Star Trek knockoff when it came on.....I caught it at the end of the 2nd season. Hopelessly drowned in the storyline. The writing for B5 was and is off the chain beautiful. The quotes alone send shivers up my spine. The thought of Delenn saying "If you value your life, be somewhere else" and Ivanova saying "I am death incarnate and last living thing you are ever going to see. God sent me." makes me want to go search for a clean pair of underwear. DS9 never left that impression with me.
TOTALLY AGREE.
Ah, a connaiseur.
"Where's General Hauge?"
"He couldn't make it. His agent double booked him on Star Trek DS:9"
Yes that's in the blooper reel.
Yes, but at the same time, by killing him off it places command/the decision fully on the main characters' shoulders. Plus, Bruce McGill was a solid stand in.
@@saberstrike000 And he was a mistake in casting. JMS wanted someone else.
He was killed
@@saberiandream316 and a lot of the characters had the same names
THE STATIONS
• Both shows were set on massive space stations with single-digit names (Deep Space 9 vs. Babylon 5) located near transit points of immense power that were not of Terran design (the Bajoran wormhole vs. the Centauri-made jumpgate).
• Both stations were used to foster peace between former enemies following a terrible war (the Bajoran-Cardassian conflict vs. the Earth-Minbari War), and were intended as a stopping-off point for diplomats, merchants, smugglers, and other travelers.
• Both stations were administered by an Earth-based government (the Federation vs. the Earth Alliance), but were located outside Earth’s solar system (Bajor vs. Epsilon III).
• Both stations contained a marketplace for commercial activity that included bars, restaurants, and casinos (the Promenade vs. the Zócalo), as well as holographic sex joints (holosuites vs. a holobrothel).
• Both stations received massive weapons upgrades approximately mid-series, and later formed alliances with several formerly competing species in order to win a galactic conflict (the Dominion War vs. the Shadow War).
• Both stations had a security force composed of fighters from two formerly non-aligned governments (Starfleet and Bajor vs. Earth and Narn).
• Both stations included sections deemed dangerous that were no longer used by their owners (the damaged levels of DS9 vs. Down Below).
eDDy L And both shows were fundamentally different. You can try to find similarities all day, but the differences between the shows were substantial. They focused on different themes, had very different characters, were set in very different universes, had different overarching villains, had completely different aesthetics, told very different stories, etc. Besides the basic premise (and even then, DS9 and Babylon 5 aren’t the same at all), Babylon 5 and Deep Space Nine had little in common besides fantastic storytelling.
I watched Star Trek on NBC when it first started. I watched Doctor Who on PBS since 1975. I watched the first Battlestar Galactica. Star Wars in 1977. Babylon 5 was the best Science Fiction even with it's limited budget and network support... I stand by that opinion even today. Loved it...
I remember watching this episode for the first time, glued to the T.V. Watching the fire fights, the Earth Marine board parties, etc.
Well done JS.
I know! The only times that I left was to either get a snack or use the bathroom!
@@derickennedy6278 Our little viewing party would record, then watch later that night. I still have the VHSes; and if someone needed to get or do something, we'd pause at the commercial break, or fast forward through commercials otherwise. I got kind of expert at popping the play button so that we rejoined just after the last commercial.
This is why i like Sheridan.He trusted his people to make the right choice.Something President Clark could never do.
They were not kiss-asses and would challenge Sheridan openly if they feel he was wrong. That's why he trusted them to do the right thing.
@@TaliaIGhul And they did stand against him once in season 2. AND because that time Sheridan acted illegally.
Edit: or at least acted very selfish.
There is one absolute and unconditional truth in the universe, Babylon 5 is the greatest television show ever. By the way, I hate Sheldon Cooper's guts because he said Babylon 5 was derivative..
Sheldon Cooper is a candy ass trekie. He is probably the one who gave this clip 5 thumbs down.
The idiot was probably thinking of DS9, what he does not know was that he approached CBS with the Babytlon 5 pitch and was turned down. Yet they still used the pitch itself.
JMS had good grounds for a plagiarism case, but as he said "live and let live"
Not to mention CBS made a series that was almost as good as the original. It's a good thing JMS let it slide as now we have 2 great series.
Of course, the writer of Casablanca could have had both Star Trek:DS9 and Babylon V up on plagiarism, too, by that theory.
Babalon 5 the best!!!!!!
That's one brave journalist, considering Clark's troops were marching in to arrest them and replace them with his own propaganda broadcasters. He kept reporting the facts till the roof literally came crashing down on them.
SirCraigius From what I remember he died after this.
Real Gs do real things.
Very true
remember it wasnt him it was the writers of the show that really said that
The fact my main news source is outside the US is telling of the problems reporting factual issues to the general population. Yet even when we do report factual information, there is an air of doubt and distrust. It's a disaster in the making.
The hesitation in Ivanova's voice says everything you need to know about how serious this was.
This episode had one of my favorite lines in B5 "Only one human captain has ever survived battle with a Minbari Fleet. He is behind me. You are in front of me. If you value your lives, be somewhere else!" for someone of the religious cast Delenn can be pretty badass when she needs to be.
Probably doesn't help if your threatening her future husband
Andrew Thorne well remember it was her rage that sparked a war that nearly wiped out the human race.
@@MandalorV7 the tensions were already there, Dukat was the last level headed leader the Minbari had. The religious caste were also the ones who ended the war after realizing Sinclair was Valen's soul in a human body. The warrior caste wanted to fight anyway and despised the surrender.
A similar line was in BSG. When Roslin thought that the mutineers had executed Adama, she channeled her inner Delenn for a minute. The line wasn't the same but it had a similar impact. For a schoolteacher Laura Roslin could go hillbilly apeshit with the best of them.
@@Elthenar she had been President for years at that point and survived similar crises. The flashbacks to Caprica also show her to be a typical politician going up the ladder (though not as sneaky as Zarek). It's likely the first time she herself leads a military action though.
RIP Mira Furlan
Only a handful of scenes in any tv series ever gave me chills like this.
Fun fact : the reporter reaction to falling debris at 1:02 is real, it wasn't suppose to fall so close to her :D
Or she wasn't warned about it?
Reminds me of a hilarious moment in Peter Jackson's "Fellowship of the Ring" movie when the mischievous Merry and Pippin set off Gandalf's prize firework dragon. Somehow the Pippin actor didn't realize that the prop was really going to go off, so when it did he let out an entirely genuine shriek. It was so perfect, they used it in the movie! In the second movie of the trilogy, Viggo (Aragorn) kicked a prop across a field and dropped to his knees with a despairing cry, only part of his cry was quite real because Viggo's toe had just broken.
in a later scene the B5 guns take out a Starfury bomber almost too late, sending Sheridan to the floor and causing part of the set to catch fire. Thing is the fire didn't stop burning and the extra that put out the fire was actually using an extinguisher to put out an actual fire
@@rowanaforrest9792 dont forget how Aragon actually broke his foot when he kicked the Uruk helmet in the second part ( the one on the battlefield left by Eomer, where they looked for Hobbits ) so that scream of anguish and despair he lets out is actual scream of someone who just broke his foot.
@@Canaris3 You can't replicate true pain, be it physical or emotional
When you're back is against the wall what other choice do you have but to Fight!
Love this ISN scene with the one reporter trying to get the truth out to the last minute…
Superb writing and acting for both reporters! This episode won the prestigious Hugo Award, and the entire series won I think a Saturn Award. (The lady's reaction to the debris falling wasn't entirely acting, because it wasn't supposed to fall so close to them.)
Right there at 2:10 you can see the moment when the character Captain Sheridan becomes President Sheridan of the Interstellar Alliance.
2:01 That camera trick is called a smash zoom (or dolly zoom). Basically, you move the entire camera towards (or away from) the person while at the same time zooming the camera lens in (or out) at the same rate.
+Catzilla Yeah, I believe JMS mentions it directly in the commentary. It's mostly used (in my experience) for dramatic reveals to indicate a huge weight or revalation coming smashing down on a character, in this case, Sheridan. Meant to highlight how, despite all their planning and attempts, they've been pushed to take up arms against their own government.
I had that feel to often while reading the news these past 6 years... I instantly recognize the feeling...
Though its not that realistic....it usually includes a truck load of loud profanities.
The use of background music in Babylon5 has also been stellar.
@@KrK007 One might even say the music was interstellar. ;-)
Alfred Hitchcock.
Girabaldi with the best scene in the entire series. "Alright we'll hold 'em here... ah crap!" as the Narn all run past him.
Poor Michael forgot that G'Kar started out as Narn's Michael Collins. His boys can be as deadly and effective as Garibaldi himself.
That metal guitar riff at the unanimous discussion to fight just begs a Sabaton Ballad be made about Sheridan and the battle for Earth.
This show had so many vibes and warnings about the future. About a world where to do the right thing meant doing it alone.
Yes. Still- no regrets. JE SUIS DONBASS!
What I remember, is that when this aired, the fight sequence was the longest CGI scene ever to air on TV. And where I was at it didn't come on until Saturdays at midnight.
The best episode of B5 ever. Also, topical then and topical now. B5 for ever.
2:00 I am sure this is portraying Sheridan's fear. For few seconds he was in actual fear. Zoned out by it. But soon he collects himself.
Yeah. I can tell how horrified he is now that he has to directly fight an overwhelming force in his own government. That he is out of time and even a glimpse of terror realizing how fucked he might be here.
@@Amann0407 It's been ten years since my personal nightmare began and still a part of me is like, " Please someone just yell ' Cut! ' ".
2:02 nice dolly zoom shot. You don't see that often on television, it's more a movie thing. Zooming out while moving in on a dolly, synchronized well it makes it look like the background retracts while the center focus remains unmoved.
Season 3 is one the best seasons , this episode sets up the characters and show in motion as everything hits the fan .
IMHO this is the best Babylon 5 episode I remember watching this and couldn't get up from the couch
Me too. I was glued to my seat the entire time!
This is by many one of best. This is turning point of whole plot line. No Babylon 5 meant no victory against ancient races. And it was executed beautifully.
Then Delenn's entrance to save the station was truly an epic moment.
This series doesn’t get the credit it deserves. 2020.
Edit-2021. Wait for it.
Babylon 5, Battlestar Galactica and SG-1 6 or 7 seasons were so good because they took themselves seriously. Most scifi and fantasy series are lighthearted flicks. Need more such shows!
EPIC….i remember watching this with my mouth open glued to the TV. Amazing.
He had no authority to keep somebody on their post or not. He could petition higher authorities to get some people redeployed, but that's it.
No, what the scene shows is that Sheridan is indeed willing to let everybody choose for themselves. Had somebody voted to surrender, he would simply have let them go, most likely. Had all three voted to surrender, he most likely would have.
He knew the chance of that was rather low, though. I mean, can you imagine Ivanova surrendering? Yeah, right... :)
2:01 I like that little perspective zoom. They bring the camera in closer to him while at the same time expanding the field of view.
Dolly push. Aka the 'Vertigo effect' because Hitchcock used it in that movie.
This is the episode where B5 REALLY started getting good. I mean, yes it was interesting and all before, but this episode just took it all to a whole new level and ushered in a truly epic era.
I would mark that point with "Coming of Shadows" or maybe Chrysalis.
Ummm nope. Show was pretty much fantastic starting with the beginning of season 2 through the end of season 4. With few exceptions, there weren't any bad episodes over 3 full seasons.
The greatest sci-fi show of all time 💜💚
ISN going dark was surprisingly chilling to watch.
Good thing that mic boom was there... every time he turned his head while still speaking and did not bring the mic he was holding with him, but he was still perfectly heard had my OCD acting up 😅
Still relevant in 2019.
Worryingly so.
2020 here. Still that way only worse
And 2020... We can only hope the US military start saying remembering Their oaths and say NO to the dictator wannabe in the whitehouse...
@@thomasbaagaard You mean the ones stationed in Washington DC protecting the "Most Popular President and Legislature"
And in 2022.
Love this show! This scene is so powerful, it just crackles like a thunder and lightning storm!
poor moustache reporter guy .... probably got detained and tortured after his unofficial news-flash
Sleipnir Blue likely executed
When you do real journalism rather than state-approved soundbites, that's a risk you take.
"I'm mad as hell, and I'm not gonna take it any more!"
@@hagamapama yup #alexjones
as far as i know he never showed up again. too bad - the lady came back on the air after the war, but i wish they could've at least said something about his fate. he had the courage to stand up when no one else did, not even her.
"Four hundred years ago, a victorious general spoke the following words at the end of another costly war: 'Today the guns are silent. A great tragedy has ended… we have known the bitterness of defeat and the exultation of triumph, and from both we have learned there can be no going back. We must move forward to preserve in peace what we've won in war'."
- Federation Admiral William Ross, quoting Douglas MacArthur ("Star Trek: DS9" season 7 episode What You Leave Behind")"
Sounds like a sick joke in 2024.
I was going to school full time and working part time when this series was on the air. This show was always something that I looked forward to as a break from the school and work.
i always loved this arc, brilliant writing and acting
Sheridan never expected any other answer from his crew other than fight and you can see it from his smirk.
Superb writing, directing, camerawork and acting, especially from the news broadcasters. You can certainly feel the tension as if it's really happening.
Imagine the USS Enterprise 1701-D Arriving at Babylon 5
I saw Star Wreck - I don't have to. 🙂
the sets in this show are just absolutely brilliant.
2:47 It's sad that 2 of the 4 people in that room have already passed away.
That camera work when Sheridan raises he has to act.... I loved this series back then but I appreciate it even more these crazy days!
You can just feel sheirdans world come crashing down, and that now he has to really decided what he is going to do.
Such a good show!
What an amazing show....
One of the best episodes of the series. I always liked the Earth Alliance uniforms they were the best uniforms in Sci Fi I think.
I love how the news anchor takes a second to realise what the guy just said.
Hey, Captain Braxton not only travels trough time but can jump realities as well!
What's really cool is that this is exactly the middle episode of the series. It's also the key tipping point in the entire story arc.
+ William Signs. Lol I looooove the Babylon 5 storyline it's .....was so far ahead of it's time. It's more realevent to our own time now. God I wish WB would reair the episodes!
They won't for excatly that reason
Amazon prime picked it to air :)
They won't it's too conservative for our time. Unless the show preached gay rights and the liberal agenda the major networks will let B5 fade into obsecurity.
Palmerrip Well Ivanava and Talia definably had romantic relationship and some of themes the show revolves around can’t exactly get more liberal so no worries.
The Dolly Zoom is at 2:00
One of the most important and action packed episodes of Babylon 5. The gloves come off in this episode.
More like a turning point in the series itself!
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
This moment is the culmination of 2 and half seasons of meticulous story-telling with the stakes slowly and inexorably ratcheting up until there is no longer hope of escape. Severed Dreams more than paid off.
Ramming speeeed!
Sorry, I always think of that when I see that guy.
***** sheridan
D-Daaaaaaay!
Sheriff Dean Farley.
Best SiFi series ever made in my way of thinking. The special effects were superb.
This show was fantastic
Hugo award winning episode.
Gee, I wonder why. I know JMS identifies as a Russian anti Putin " Loyalist " but is my mentor even 30% sure that there is not some Ukrainian blood on his Polish side? Because he did predict the future.
This is one of mynfavorite scenes and it sets uo another. When ISN comes back the actress who had the recurring bit part as the ISN anchor comes back and slays the scene. Its a small detail, but really helps in the world building
Been cool to see people get into this show again in recent years.
These were some of the best episodes😁🤣😃😆😎
This was such a great show, I miss it
Susan: "The other governments won't stand for it."
Major Ryan: "They won't intervene."
At the time, the Narn were decimated, the Centauri were at war with everyone in the League of Non-Aligned Worlds, the Minbari Grey Council was feuding and the Vorlons didn't give a fuck. It was bleak.
Yep
"They won't intervene. All the major powers are divided, distracted, busy with their own wars. We're on our own."
Think Delenn might have something to say about that one Major Ryan.
@@peterstewart7332 To be fair, Major Ryan didn't know what Delenn was doing at the time
@@peterstewart7332 At the time he was right about the Minbari. Delenn had to cut through the crud.
Amazing acting. WOW
The word "fight," repeated several times has a certain resonance in light of recent events, no?
It was a greatest show tv
At this point in the world, it feels very prophetic.
And at 2:00, Sheridan realises he just ran out of time.
My favorite TV show ever right here baby!
He's a damn good Captain, the equal to any Captain on Star Trek.
Season 4 is so fucking prescient to this day and age it's almost pants-pissingly scary.
Israel just shut down Al Jazeera in Israel a couple days ago.
Love the ending. "Fight, fight, fight." Now where have I heard that before?
I wish/hope that if something like this happens in real life, there will be journalists, local/state government officials, and military personnel who'll stand up against tyranny.
Perhaps yes. Sadly there are also those who would support tyranny in the name of the "greater good". Regimes like the First Order, Nightwatch, etc don't just come from thin air. Real life examples include Nazi Germany. It has happened before, it is happening now. It will surely happen again.
@@2QRh6g1I Yes, like Alicia Ocasio Cortex threatening those of her own party if they don't agree with her values. Truly disturbingly sad............
Not so much, as we saw during January 6th. Had they brought firearms they could have prevailed. We still don't have an accounting to why there weren't enough Capitol Police on duty, and why the National Guard weren't called in promptly. Other than protests by their kind of people are acceptable, but those nonviolent protests by "those people" or saying things they don't want to hear are met by heavy-handed police response.
Sheridan and his followers who are doing everything to keep the peace remind me of the "United Federation of Planets" while President Clark and his followers remind me of the ruthless, Evil, merciless, non negotiable "Terran Empire!"
Darling, for God's sake grow up. There is no such thing as " evil ".
They're in the future, but still using old style TV monitors at 360p.
Never over stated. This Sci Fi show was the best of all time. I absolutely love Star Trek and am a Trekkie. But B5 was superb.
Great use of the Vertigo effect at 2:01
The aliens when the biggest players start collapsing into civil war....
And some sources say that a dark-skinned man with a hard skull and skull ridges could be heard crying out "Today IS a good day to die!" throughout the hallowed halls of Babylon 5 :P
One of my favorite episodes, just wish the great machine of epsilon 3 had been utilized.
nice outdoor chairs