All Alone in the Night
Encyclopedia
"All Alone in the Night" is an episode from the second season of the science fiction television series Babylon 5
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fighters and personally investigate the problem. A Narn fighter is then shown being attacked by a mysterious alien warship; the Narn pilot is brought aboard the alien ship by a tractor beam
. When Sheridan and his fighter wing arrive at the region of space where the attacks have occurred, the alien warship makes a surprise assault; most of the fighter wing is destroyed and Sheridan is captured. A single fighter returns to Babylon 5 and informs the command staff of what has happened. General William Hague, the Chairman of the EarthForce Joint Chiefs of Staff and a friend of Captain Sheridan, arrives at Babylon 5 to meet with him. When he learns that Sheridan is missing, he calls in Sheridan's old ship, the powerful Omega-Class destroyer Agamemnon, to assist with the search. Aboard the alien vessel, Sheridan is repeatedly tortured by his alien captors and forced to fight other aliens who appear to be under some sort of mind control
. Among his opponents is the captured Narn fighter pilot; Sheridan eventually convinces the Narn to help him rather than fight him.
Meanwhile, Ambassador
Delenn is summoned by the Grey Council to decide her fate. Although a member of the Council, her decision to undergo the physical change into a half-human, half-Minbari hybrid has stirred strong feelings against her on the Council and in Minbari society
. Fearing that she will be punished by the Council and not allowed to return to Babylon 5, she tells her loyal aide Lennier that she has never felt so alone. However, Lennier assures her that all will be well and insists on accompanying her on her trip. When she meets with the Council, they ridicule her physical change, but Delenn offers a passionate defense of her actions. However, the Council votes to remove her membership on the Council. She is replaced by Neroon
of the Minbari warrior caste, giving the warrior caste four members on the nine-member council and disrupting the balance between the three castes (worker, warrior, and religious) that had existed for a thousand years. The Council tells her that she may return as Ambassador to Babylon 5, but they also make it clear that they now regard her status as ambassador as a joke and no longer take her seriously.
While traveling back to Babylon 5 Delenn intercepts messages from the station concerning Sheridan's disappearance. She identifies his captors as the Streib (a possible allusion to author/abductee Whitley Strieber
), a reclusive but advanced alien race who kidnap members of other races and experiment with them to determine their strengths and weaknesses. She offers to lead the Agamemnon and Babylon 5's fighters in a rescue mission. Sheridan and the Narn pilot manage to escape the Streib warship just after the Agamemnon and a squadron of fighters led by Commander Ivanova jump from hyperspace
and attack the Streib vessel; it is subsequently destroyed. Back at Babylon 5 Sheridan finally meets with General Hague; Sheridan tells Hague that the command staff at B5 are loyal to Earth and are "good people". Hague then informs Sheridan of his belief that President Clark had President Santiago killed so he could take over the Earth Alliance; Hague also suggests the Psi Corps may be pulling the strings as well. He intends to expose Clark's conspiracy
and he asks Sheridan to help him, Sheridan agrees. He also decides to ask his command staff for help in uncovering the conspiracy.
Babylon 5
Babylon 5 is an American science fiction television series created, produced and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. The show centers on a space station named Babylon 5: a focal point for politics, diplomacy, and conflict during the years 2257–2262...
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Plot
As the episode begins, Babylon 5's command staff receives reports of mysterious attacks on merchant ships near Babylon 5. Captain Sheridan decides to take a wing of StarfuryStarfury
The Starfury fighter is a fictional vessel used by Earthforce, the military branch of the Earth Alliance, in the science fiction television series Babylon 5...
fighters and personally investigate the problem. A Narn fighter is then shown being attacked by a mysterious alien warship; the Narn pilot is brought aboard the alien ship by a tractor beam
Tractor beam
A tractor beam is a device with the ability to attract one object to another from a distance. Since the 1990s, technology and research has labored to make it a reality, mostly at microscopic level. Less commonly, a similar beam that repels is called a pressor beam or repulsor beam...
. When Sheridan and his fighter wing arrive at the region of space where the attacks have occurred, the alien warship makes a surprise assault; most of the fighter wing is destroyed and Sheridan is captured. A single fighter returns to Babylon 5 and informs the command staff of what has happened. General William Hague, the Chairman of the EarthForce Joint Chiefs of Staff and a friend of Captain Sheridan, arrives at Babylon 5 to meet with him. When he learns that Sheridan is missing, he calls in Sheridan's old ship, the powerful Omega-Class destroyer Agamemnon, to assist with the search. Aboard the alien vessel, Sheridan is repeatedly tortured by his alien captors and forced to fight other aliens who appear to be under some sort of mind control
Mind control
Mind control refers to a process in which a group or individual "systematically uses unethically manipulative methods to persuade others to conform to the wishes of the manipulator, often to the detriment of the person being manipulated"...
. Among his opponents is the captured Narn fighter pilot; Sheridan eventually convinces the Narn to help him rather than fight him.
Meanwhile, Ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
Delenn is summoned by the Grey Council to decide her fate. Although a member of the Council, her decision to undergo the physical change into a half-human, half-Minbari hybrid has stirred strong feelings against her on the Council and in Minbari society
Society
A society, or a human society, is a group of people related to each other through persistent relations, or a large social grouping sharing the same geographical or virtual territory, subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations...
. Fearing that she will be punished by the Council and not allowed to return to Babylon 5, she tells her loyal aide Lennier that she has never felt so alone. However, Lennier assures her that all will be well and insists on accompanying her on her trip. When she meets with the Council, they ridicule her physical change, but Delenn offers a passionate defense of her actions. However, the Council votes to remove her membership on the Council. She is replaced by Neroon
Neroon
Neroon is a fictional character in the universe of the science-fiction television series Babylon 5, portrayed by John Vickery. He was a recurring guest character throughout the series.-Background:...
of the Minbari warrior caste, giving the warrior caste four members on the nine-member council and disrupting the balance between the three castes (worker, warrior, and religious) that had existed for a thousand years. The Council tells her that she may return as Ambassador to Babylon 5, but they also make it clear that they now regard her status as ambassador as a joke and no longer take her seriously.
While traveling back to Babylon 5 Delenn intercepts messages from the station concerning Sheridan's disappearance. She identifies his captors as the Streib (a possible allusion to author/abductee Whitley Strieber
Whitley Strieber
Louis Whitley Strieber is an American writer best known for his horror novels The Wolfen and The Hunger and for Communion, a non-fiction account of his perceived experiences with non-human entities. Strieber also co-authored The Coming Global Superstorm with Art Bell, which inspired the film about...
), a reclusive but advanced alien race who kidnap members of other races and experiment with them to determine their strengths and weaknesses. She offers to lead the Agamemnon and Babylon 5's fighters in a rescue mission. Sheridan and the Narn pilot manage to escape the Streib warship just after the Agamemnon and a squadron of fighters led by Commander Ivanova jump from hyperspace
Hyperspace (science fiction)
Hyperspace is a plot device sometimes used in science fiction. It is typically described as an alternative region of space co-existing with our own universe which may be entered using an energy field or other device...
and attack the Streib vessel; it is subsequently destroyed. Back at Babylon 5 Sheridan finally meets with General Hague; Sheridan tells Hague that the command staff at B5 are loyal to Earth and are "good people". Hague then informs Sheridan of his belief that President Clark had President Santiago killed so he could take over the Earth Alliance; Hague also suggests the Psi Corps may be pulling the strings as well. He intends to expose Clark's conspiracy
Conspiracy (political)
In a political sense, conspiracy refers to a group of persons united in the goal of usurping or overthrowing an established political power. Typically, the final goal is to gain power through a revolutionary coup d'état or through assassination....
and he asks Sheridan to help him, Sheridan agrees. He also decides to ask his command staff for help in uncovering the conspiracy.
Arc significance
- Delenn is removed as a member of the Grey Council and the warrior caste gains an extra voice on the council, the new division of 4 warrior-, 3 worker-, and 2 religious-caste is a deviation from the traditional 3-3-3 division.
- We learn that Sheridan was posted at Babylon 5 to secretly determine the loyalty of the command staff; he reports to General Hague that Ivanova, Dr. Franklin, and Security Chief Garibaldi are all loyal and trustworthy.
- Sheridan and his command staff agree to secretly help General Hague uncover evidence proving that President Clark conspired to kill President Santiago.
- Although he is not identified by name until his appearance in season 3, this episode marks the first appearance of Ta'Lon, a Narn who becomes a student of G'Kar and eventually an important figure in Babylon 5 (played by Marshall TeagueMarshall R. TeagueMarshall R. Teague is an American film and television actor. He is known for his role in the 1989 cult movie Road House and for his recurring role on the 1990s science fiction series Babylon 5 as a Narn named Ta'Lon...
). - Hague reinforces Sheridan's belief that the Psi-Corps is running the clandestine operation on Earth
- Kosh is aware of Sheridan's capture, and there is some sort of mental connection between the two.
- First reference to the existence of three castes. Specifically, the worker caste is first mentioned. Prior episodes did not mention the worker caste.