Between the Darkness and the Light

"Between the Darkness and the Light" is an episode from the fourth season of the science fiction television series Babylon 5.

Synopsis

The episode begins with Sheridan believing that he is sitting in his quarters on Babylon5, having a meal with Stephen Franklin. Franklin is asking how he managed to escape, and asks details about the resistance which he should already know as he was there. It turns out that in reality, Sheridan is still in a prison cell on Mars - he is being subjected to psychological manipulation in order to get information about the resistance out of him.

Meanwhile, Michael Garibaldi is taken prisoner by the Mars Resistance. Feeling that the Garibaldi's betrayal of Sheridan may have doomed the cause for Martian independence, the Number One of the resistance wanted to kill Garibaldi, and offers to let Stephen Franklin do the job. But Franklin found that he was unable to do the job, and wanted to hear why Garibaldi betrayed Sheridan. Garibaldi tries to convince Franklin and the others that Alfred Bester had manipulated him, but no one believes him. Seeing Lyta Alexander, Garibaldi sees an opportunity to convince everyone that he had been manipulated by Bester. Franklin forced Number One to allow Alexander to scan Garibaldi, Alexander is able to convince everyone that Garibaldi was telling the truth.

The space fleet under the command of Susan Ivanova is still making progress towards Earth, disabling or destroying loyalist EarthForce vessels that engaged them in combat. After defeating a group of loyalist vessels, Ivanova learns that President Morgan Clark had assembled an elite group of advanced starships to ambush Ivanova's fleet. She decides to take the White Star vessels under her command off to deal with these advanced starships.

Having been made into the hero of the hour by ISN, Garibaldi learns where Sheridan is being held. He, Franklin, and Alexander manage to infiltrate the prison where Sheridan is being held by telling the guards that they are there to walk Sheridan around the block a few times. Finding Sheridan drugged up, Franklin helps get him ready to travel, and take him up to the guard station. The guards try to stop the group from leaving, but Garibaldi and his party kill the guards. Sheridan empties a PPG into one of the guard before leaving with the others.

Ivanova's fleet engages the advanced loyalist starships, which are Omega class destroyers which had been merged with Shadow technology. The vessels put up a strong fight, but are all defeated by Ivanova's White Stars. But Ivanova is critically injured when a large piece of debris hit the ship Ivanova was onboard. Marcus Cole carries her away from the bridge, and the two escape in an escape pod before the ship explodes.

Sheridan arrives back at the fleet. He and Delenn have a reunion on board the Minbari flagship. They go to see Ivanova, who has been paralyzed, and who has only a few days left to live. Ivanova is at peace, and tells Sheridan not to carry any guilt around for what happened to her. As a final request, she asks Sheridan to command the final battles from the bridge of the EAS Agamemnon. With the permission of Captain James, Sheridan took command of the Agamemnon, and put the fleet on course for Mars.

Arc significance

• The Mars resistance captures Garibaldi and he convinces them that Sheridan's betrayal was not his doing
• Clark's forces have retrofitted some Omega-class destroyers with Shadow technology and are preparing to ambush Sheridan's fleet.
• Garibaldi, Franklin and Lyta rescue Sheridan.
• Ivanova is gravely wounded fighting the Shadow-enhanced destroyers.
• The Centauri and Narn are flying side-by-side in Sheridan's fleet.

References

External links

• Between the Darkness and the Light at The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5