The Coming of Shadows

"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]

Entertainment and news website Geek.com included The Coming of Shadows as "essential watching" for season two.^[2] 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."^[2]

Synopsis

The Centauri Emperor, knowing that he will die soon, makes arrangements to travel to Babylon 5 as to meet with Narn Ambassador G'Kar in neutral territory and offer a public apology on behalf of the Centauri people for their occupation and enslavement of the Narn homeworld, though this reason is not made public. G'Kar, on hearing the news of the emperor's visit, makes plans to assassinate him, while Centauri Ambassador Londo Mollari and his ally Lord Refa believe that the emperor's actions have led to a decline of the Centauri Republic and plan to confront the emperor on this.

The Emperor arrives, meeting the human command staff of the station, and requests a meeting with Vorlon Ambassador Kosh before he leaves the station. A reception for the Emperor is planned, and the attendees are stunned by seeing G'Kar there. The Emperor collapses before he can make the reception. Dr. Franklin determines the Emperor only has a short time to live, and the Emperor requests that he pass word on to G'Kar about his planned apology. Dr. Franklin tells this to G'Kar, who is astonished and humbled by the act.

While the emperor is on his deathbed, Refa urges Londo to take initiative as to sway their supporters on Centauri Prime as to assure Londo will become the next emperor. Londo, against advice of his aide Vir, decides to send a fleet of Centauri warships to a Narn colony on a planet in Quadrant 14. Refa warns the size of the fleet will not be enough to take the planet before he leaves. Privately, Londo tells Vir to contact Mr. Morden, the human spokesman for the Shadows, and to arrange for the Shadows to attack the colony before the Centauri ships arrive. Vir follows the orders, but tells Londo he will regret this decision. Later, G'Kar offers to buy Londo a drink in light of the emperor's apology, unaware of Londo's recent action.

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 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 beore 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, G'Kar announces that the Narn government is formally at war with the Centauri.

A second plotline involves a mysterious man who has been following Chief Garibaldi around. When Garibaldi confronts and arrests him, the man gives him a recorded message from Jeffrey Sinclair, the Earth Alliance Ambassador to Minbar. Sinclair tells Garibaldi that a "terrible darkness" is coming and that he has become involved with a military force called the "Rangers" to fight it. Garibaldi agrees to allow the Rangers to operate on the station and to keep their presence a secret, even from Sheridan. In return Garibaldi asks the Rangers to provide him with information they learn which could affect the station's security, to which the Ranger agrees. Delenn is also given a recorded message by the Ranger.

Arc significance

• The title of this episode, "The Coming of Shadows", is so important that it is also used as the title for the entire second season of the series.
• This episode marked the beginning of the Narn-Centauri War, as well as marking a significant step in Londo's rise to power. Besides marking the failure of Babylon 5 to keep the peace, the Narn-Centauri War also played into the Shadows' hands, creating fear and chaos through the League of Non-Aligned Worlds. The episode also marks a major change in the images of G'Kar and Londo. Previously, G'Kar was often seen as a bullying, even possibly villainous character, but from this episode forward G'Kar becomes more noble and tragic. Londo, who had been previously depicted as rather luckless and often the source of comic relief, becomes much darker and sinister from this episode on.
• The death of Centauri Emperor Turhan allows for his nephew, Emperor Cartagia, a supporter of Londo and Lord Refa, to assume the throne. Cartagia turns out to be a deluded narcissistic megalomaniac. In order to seize power, Refa has Prime Minister Malachi, a close friend of the late emperor, assassinated. Malachi is also a friend of Londo's, so Refa doesn't tell him in advance about the murder. A man of honor and decency, Prime Minister Malachi would never have allowed someone as evil as Cartagia to assume the throne.
• This episode also introduces the Rangers, a covert organization sponsored by the Minbari to monitor the unfolding of a "coming darkness". One of their number is sent at the behest of Ambassador Jeffrey Sinclair (Michael O'Hare). This is also Sinclair's first appearance since his recall as Babylon 5's commander.
• This episode provides the first look at Londo Mollari's prophetic dream of his fate, which includes several scenes that will appear in future episodes of the series. Londo's dream (nightmare) finishes with an image he has previously seen of him and G'Kar strangling each other in their mutual old age.

Notes

• The Emperor and the Prime Minister in this episode are not named. However, in later episodes theirs will be established as "Turhan" and "Malachi" respectively after the names of the actors who played them.
• The Centauri Emperor made use of four telepathic companions that serve as a means of communicating with his homeworld. However, the subsequent Emperors Cartagia and Londo Mollari didn't appear to utilize them.
• The Emperor asks the Vorlon, Kosh, "how will this end?", to which Kosh replies "In fire." What is referred by "this" is not made clear, but any of several scenarios can fit into the answer:

• The Narn-Centauri War will end in "The Long, Twilight Struggle" when the Narn homeworld is bombarded from orbit.
• The deeper conflict that will become known as the Shadow War will end in the season 4 episode titled "Into the Fire".
• The propulsion of the Centauri back into glory will end decades later as their own homeworld is laid waste; details of this are gradually revealed in season 3 and beyond.
• Babylon 5 itself has already been given omens of a fiery destruction; this would be another such omen, though no specifics are given.

• Viewers get their first glimpse of the dream Londo first described in "Midnight on the Firing Line" and alluded to in "The Geometry of Shadows". In his dream, Londo recalls the threat he gave to G'Kar last year ("Keep this up G'Kar, and soon you won't have a planet to protect") followed by the image of the destruction of the Centauri starbase orbiting Ragesh 3. He then sees the metaphorical "hand reaching across the stars" described by the Technomage Elric. He then sees himself on a sandy plain, looking up and seeing thousands of Shadow ships flying overhead. Next, he sees himself crowned as Emperor, though stricken with a disease of some sort which, combined with his old age in this sequence, causes him to cough uncontrollably. Finally, he sees a one-eyed G'Kar strangling him.
• Sheridan made a bluff which ensured the safety of the Narn civilians that were attacked by the Shadows. He threatened Londo that Earth will send observers to the area to determine how the Narns were defeated so swiftly, despite Londo's objections. He pretty much tries to do the same thing in "The Long Twilight Struggle" but was firmly rebuffed by Londo that time.

Production details

• 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.^[1]

External links

• The Coming of Shadows at The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5

References