Babylon 4
Encyclopedia
Babylon 4 is a fictional space station
from the television series Babylon 5
.
In the series, Babylon 4 was the immediate predecessor of Babylon 5
and the largest of the Babylon stations. It was constructed using materials left over from the three previous stations (as seen in details such as Babylon 3 emblems on some surfaces.)
Late in the first season of the show (episode "Babylon Squared
") Babylon 4 reappears, four years after it disappeared, and the crew of Babylon 5 mount a rescue mission to save the crew. Babylon 4 is surrounded by a mysterious distortion field which can have terrible effects on those encountering it. The first pilot sent out to investigate the disturbance is killed by being rapidly aged by the field. There is also an alien of an unknown race, known as Zathras
, who is found on the station. His origin is unclear and when it is attempted to remove him from the station, a support beam falls on him and traps him. He is abandoned as the evacuation is completed. Associated with Zathras is a being known as "The One," to whom Zathras gives a repaired time stabilizer, indicating that The One is at least in part responsible for the disappearance of the station.
Two years later (two part episode "War Without End") the full story behind Babylon 4 is revealed. It turns out that those responsible for the theft of the station are the crew of Babylon 5. With help of the Great Machine
on Epsilon 3, used to create the time field, the crew travel from 2260 to 2254 to stop Babylon 4 from being destroyed by the Shadows. Zathras turns out to be one of the race that maintains the Great Machine. He provides the crew with time stabilizers to stop them from becoming 'unstuck in time'. After preventing Babylon 4's destruction, the station is boarded and an attempt is made to induce the crew to evacuate. The attempt succeeds, but backfires, slinging the station four years forward in time to 2258. The rescue from that year is then seen through clips from "Babylon Squared
."
After the conclusion of the 2258 rescue the station re-enters the time distortion. It is found that, because Jeffrey Sinclair
had come to Babylon 4 in 2258 without the benefit of a time stabilizer, he has aged many years. If he returns to 2260 he will die. John Sheridan
, Susan Ivanova
, Marcus Cole
and Delenn
return to 2260; Sinclair and Zathras take the station back in time to 1260, during the previous Shadow War
. The Minbari
are losing the war against the Shadows and urgently need a new base of operations. Sinclair uses a triluminary
, technology from Epsilon III, to transform his form into that of a Minbari. He thus becomes Valen
, 'a Minbari not born of Minbari.' He then offers Babylon 4 to the Minbari to continue the war, and thus Sinclair's fate is revealed.
In the comic book series In Valen's Name, which is considered canonical
, the ancient, decaying Babylon 4 is found in orbit of an uninhabited planet. It is drawn into the gravity well and burns up, but not before Delenn is able to view accounts of Valen's life by his three most trusted friends. The last message on the crystals is a message by Sinclair to the B5 crew, in which he apologizes for his decision not to prevent the Earth-Minbari War
, stating that it was the only way for a greater good, the Babylon stations, to come to pass.
Unlike the Babylon 5 that was ultimately produced, the original plan was for the story arcs of the Shadow War, the Earth Alliance falling into dictatorship and the conflict between the Minbari religious & warrior castes to not be resolved by the end of the series: the series finale would show the station Babylon 5 being destroyed by the Minbari warrior caste and the sequel series would feature the same characters on Babylon Prime as renegades - the station's engines would also have been used to effectively make Babylon Prime a starship.
The outline would ultimately be revised to make Babylon 5 more ambitious and epic in scope, incorporating most features of "Babylon Prime" into its own five-year story. With the fate of Babylon 5 being revised, the fate of Babylon 4 was accordingly altered and it was rewritten to be taken into the past, not the future.
The discovery of Zathras by the crew of B4 was also changed between "Babylon Squared" and "War Without End". During filming of "War Without End", an attempt was made to film the scene as described in "Babylon Squared", with Zathras appearing in a flash of light in the middle of a meeting and being captured. However, both the director and Straczynski felt that the scene was awkward and unnecessarily long, and so it was decided that Zathras would be captured in a cargo bay, and careful editing of the footage of "Babylon Squared" was made to avoid the inconsistent explanation of Zathras' capture.
Space station
A space station is a spacecraft capable of supporting a crew which is designed to remain in space for an extended period of time, and to which other spacecraft can dock. A space station is distinguished from other spacecraft used for human spaceflight by its lack of major propulsion or landing...
from the television series Babylon 5
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...
.
In the series, Babylon 4 was the immediate predecessor of Babylon 5
Babylon 5 (space station)
Babylon 5 is a fictional space station and the primary setting in the television series Babylon 5. Its design is a variation of an O'Neill cylinder....
and the largest of the Babylon stations. It was constructed using materials left over from the three previous stations (as seen in details such as Babylon 3 emblems on some surfaces.)
Appearance
Although the two stations share similar internal layouts, Babylon 4 is much larger than Babylon 5, and actually has engines which can physically move it through space if necessary. While Babylon 5 only rotates in one direction, Babylon 4 had two sections rotating in opposite directions. Babylon 4 also has a different color (B4 is green, B5 blue).Service history
In the show it is first revealed that the station mysteriously disappeared just after construction was completed. The officer in charge, Major Lewis Krantz, sent out a distress signal. (Krantz was an EarthForce Marine, not intended to be part of the station's permanent crew; he was assigned to supervise the final stages of construction, then to turn it over to an EarthForce Naval officer who would be the permanent CO).Late in the first season of the show (episode "Babylon Squared
Babylon Squared
"Babylon Squared" is an episode from the first season of the science fiction television series Babylon 5.-Synopsis:The episode concerns the yet to be explained reappearance of Babylon 4 and Delenn's visit to the Grey Council....
") Babylon 4 reappears, four years after it disappeared, and the crew of Babylon 5 mount a rescue mission to save the crew. Babylon 4 is surrounded by a mysterious distortion field which can have terrible effects on those encountering it. The first pilot sent out to investigate the disturbance is killed by being rapidly aged by the field. There is also an alien of an unknown race, known as Zathras
Zathras
Zathras is a race of characters in the science fiction television series Babylon 5, all portrayed by the late Tim Choate. There were ten of these characters who appeared on several episodes throughout the series...
, who is found on the station. His origin is unclear and when it is attempted to remove him from the station, a support beam falls on him and traps him. He is abandoned as the evacuation is completed. Associated with Zathras is a being known as "The One," to whom Zathras gives a repaired time stabilizer, indicating that The One is at least in part responsible for the disappearance of the station.
Two years later (two part episode "War Without End") the full story behind Babylon 4 is revealed. It turns out that those responsible for the theft of the station are the crew of Babylon 5. With help of the Great Machine
Great Machine
The Great Machine is an enormous technological complex of networked machines beneath the surface of the planet Epsilon III in Babylon 5.-History:...
on Epsilon 3, used to create the time field, the crew travel from 2260 to 2254 to stop Babylon 4 from being destroyed by the Shadows. Zathras turns out to be one of the race that maintains the Great Machine. He provides the crew with time stabilizers to stop them from becoming 'unstuck in time'. After preventing Babylon 4's destruction, the station is boarded and an attempt is made to induce the crew to evacuate. The attempt succeeds, but backfires, slinging the station four years forward in time to 2258. The rescue from that year is then seen through clips from "Babylon Squared
Babylon Squared
"Babylon Squared" is an episode from the first season of the science fiction television series Babylon 5.-Synopsis:The episode concerns the yet to be explained reappearance of Babylon 4 and Delenn's visit to the Grey Council....
."
After the conclusion of the 2258 rescue the station re-enters the time distortion. It is found that, because Jeffrey Sinclair
Jeffrey Sinclair
Jeffrey Sinclair is a character in the fictional universe of the science fiction television series Babylon 5, played by actor Michael O'Hare. He was a regular in the first season of the show, as Commander of the Babylon 5 station, and made a number of guest appearances afterward.-Early life and...
had come to Babylon 4 in 2258 without the benefit of a time stabilizer, he has aged many years. If he returns to 2260 he will die. John Sheridan
John Sheridan (Babylon 5)
John J. Sheridan is a lead character in the fictional universe of the science-fiction television series Babylon 5, played by Bruce Boxleitner. For most of the series, he is the commander of the Babylon 5 station; during the series' final season he is the President of the Interstellar...
, Susan Ivanova
Susan Ivanova
Susan Ivanova is a fictional character in the science fiction television series Babylon 5, played by Claudia Christian.-Character overview:...
, Marcus Cole
Marcus Cole
Marcus Cole, played by Jason Carter, is a fictional character in the universe of the science-fiction television series Babylon 5. He was a regular in the third and fourth seasons of the show...
and Delenn
Delenn
Delenn is a fictional lead character in the universe of the science fiction television series Babylon 5, played by Mira Furlan.-Overview:Delenn, an alien ambassador and leader from the planet Minbar, is one of the pivotal characters in Babylon 5....
return to 2260; Sinclair and Zathras take the station back in time to 1260, during the previous Shadow War
Shadow War
The Shadow Wars are a fictional series of wars involving the Shadows in the television science fiction series Babylon 5. There have actually been many Shadow Wars since ancient times in the galaxy. Roughly every thousand years, the Shadows begin a new Shadow War to promote chaos in the universe in...
. The Minbari
Minbari
The Minbari are a fictional alien race featured in the television show Babylon 5. The Minbari characters of Delenn and Lennier figure prominently throughout the series; Neroon, Draal, and Dukhat are less prominent Minbari characters....
are losing the war against the Shadows and urgently need a new base of operations. Sinclair uses a triluminary
Triluminary
Triluminaries are devices in the science fiction drama Babylon 5. The triluminary is a triangular shaped Minbari crystal with a small chip in the centre. The full extent of its abilities are unknown, although it is said to be the holiest of all relics in Minbari society and thus any readings it...
, technology from Epsilon III, to transform his form into that of a Minbari. He thus becomes Valen
Valen
Valen is a character in the fictional universe of the science-fiction television series Babylon 5. Although he has only one scene in the show, he is an important character in the history of the Minbari, and is frequently mentioned...
, 'a Minbari not born of Minbari.' He then offers Babylon 4 to the Minbari to continue the war, and thus Sinclair's fate is revealed.
In the comic book series In Valen's Name, which is considered canonical
Canon (fiction)
In the context of a work of fiction, the term canon denotes the material accepted as "official" in a fictional universe's fan base. It is often contrasted with, or used as the basis for, works of fan fiction, which are not considered canonical...
, the ancient, decaying Babylon 4 is found in orbit of an uninhabited planet. It is drawn into the gravity well and burns up, but not before Delenn is able to view accounts of Valen's life by his three most trusted friends. The last message on the crystals is a message by Sinclair to the B5 crew, in which he apologizes for his decision not to prevent the Earth-Minbari War
Earth-Minbari War
The Earth–Minbari War is a fictional war that formed a major part of the back story of the science fiction television series, Babylon 5. The war was fought between the Earth Alliance and the Minbari, an older alien race that overwhelmingly outmatched Earth in terms of technology and weapons...
, stating that it was the only way for a greater good, the Babylon stations, to come to pass.
Behind the scenes
According to a rough outline for the series, apparently written between production of the pilot movie and first season, the original plans for the fate of Babylon 4 were quite different. At this point, the fundamental layout of the timeline was different, with many events written into Babylon 5 originally being planned for a sequel series named Babylon Prime. In this version, Babylon 4 would be taken into the future - specifically the year 2263, where it would function as the new base of operations against the Shadows following the destruction of Babylon 5; Babylon Prime would be Babylon 4's new name.Unlike the Babylon 5 that was ultimately produced, the original plan was for the story arcs of the Shadow War, the Earth Alliance falling into dictatorship and the conflict between the Minbari religious & warrior castes to not be resolved by the end of the series: the series finale would show the station Babylon 5 being destroyed by the Minbari warrior caste and the sequel series would feature the same characters on Babylon Prime as renegades - the station's engines would also have been used to effectively make Babylon Prime a starship.
The outline would ultimately be revised to make Babylon 5 more ambitious and epic in scope, incorporating most features of "Babylon Prime" into its own five-year story. With the fate of Babylon 5 being revised, the fate of Babylon 4 was accordingly altered and it was rewritten to be taken into the past, not the future.
The discovery of Zathras by the crew of B4 was also changed between "Babylon Squared" and "War Without End". During filming of "War Without End", an attempt was made to film the scene as described in "Babylon Squared", with Zathras appearing in a flash of light in the middle of a meeting and being captured. However, both the director and Straczynski felt that the scene was awkward and unnecessarily long, and so it was decided that Zathras would be captured in a cargo bay, and careful editing of the footage of "Babylon Squared" was made to avoid the inconsistent explanation of Zathras' capture.