Babylon 5: Thirdspace
Encyclopedia
Babylon 5: Thirdspace is a made-for-television film
that is part of the Babylon 5
science fiction universe
. It was written by J. Michael Straczynski
and directed by Jesús Salvador Treviño
.
The movie was originally shown on July 19, 1998 on the TNT
cable network, during the run of season five (originally being shown between "Movements of Fire and Shadow
" and "The Fall of Centauri Prime
"). In addition to members of the regular cast of the Babylon 5 TV series, it features the notable guest-stars Shari Belafonte
(playing Dr. Elizabeth Trent) and William Sanderson
(reprising the role of "Deuce" that he played in the episode "Grail
").
According to Straczynski, the film is based on the writings of H. P. Lovecraft
(most noticeably, "The Call of Cthulhu
"), although Lovecraft's creatures (the Old Ones) are not actually referred to by name in the film.
This film seems to have divided fan opinion more than any other episode. Some praise it as a well-executed, and often effective, homage to Lovecraft, accordingly rating it as one of the finest TV-movies, with great action spectacles, intense plot and many references to the Shadow War. Other people criticise it for being a clichéd horror story and lacking in plot.
The action-based story, which ties into the Shadow/Vorlon plotline, centers on the return of an ancient and overwhelming alien force which had once attempted to destroy life in the Milky Way Galaxy.
that is discovered in hyperspace
and towed to the Babylon 5 station for investigation, at which point the xenoarchaeology
corporation Interplanetary Expeditions sends a representative, Dr. Elizabeth Trent, to take control of the artifact's examination.
After being placed near the station the artifact begins to influence the dreams of many inhabitants of Babylon 5, eventually controlling many of them during their waking hours as well. These thralls, led by Deuce, first demand that the excavation be accelerated, and then become increasingly violent towards the rest of the Babylon 5 population. After a maintenance bot unwittingly sparks a contact, the device begins drawing power from the station, causing power fluctuations.
Eventually it is revealed by Lyta Alexander
that the artifact is a Jumpgate that takes one neither to normal space nor to hyperspace but to a "third" space (hence the movie's title), built by the Vorlon
s a million years ago with a purpose that cannot be expressed in human terms except as an attempt to make contact with the gods. In reality, Thirdspace is a parallel universe inhabited by a violent, telepathic alien species even older and more powerful than The Vorlons that is bent on exterminating all life other than their own. Once through, the Thirdspace aliens telepathically converted a small army of Vorlons to fight and die for them. The ensuing battle ended in a stalemate; the Vorlons shut down the gate, but the remaining Vorlon thralls captured the artifact and absconded with it into hyperspace, in hopes that it might one day be reawakened. Lyta then telepathically informs Sheridan how to deactivate the gate.
When the device is finally reactivated, the Thirdspace Aliens stream out from the portal in small fighters and begin a devastating assault on Babylon 5, obliterating large cruisers with little effort; the Thirdspace fleet is so advanced that the single-occupant fighters possess deflector shield technology, making them extremely hard to destroy. The violent behavior of the individuals under the artifact's control is intended to disrupt the station's defenses. The struggle is ended when John Sheridan
enters the artifact via flight suit to plant and later detonate a nuclear bomb, destroying the artifact just as the first wave of Thirdspace heavy warships begin to emerge. Once destroyed, the telepathic influence stops and the station returns to normal. Trent, shaken by the way in which the artifact affected her, turns over her final report and goes on an indefinite hiatus.
Sheridan and the others conceal the true nature of the artifact from those who ask questions, and confidently assure themselves that the incident is unlikely to occur again. In private, Lyta broods with the knowledge that the artifact was only one of many mistakes the Vorlons have made in the past.
The central theme of Thirdspace is hubris
. The artifact was created because of the Vorlons' belief that they were equal in power to the gods, perhaps a reference to the biblical
story of the Tower of Babel
, and it is as a result of Sheridan's and Trent's shared pride and refusal to cooperate that it is activated.
") and before war was declared with Earth (episode 414 "Moments of Transition
"). The presence of both Dr. Franklin
and Delenn
, along with changes to Zack Allan
's uniform further place the events just before or during episode 409 "Atonement
", to the extent that its continuity problems can actually be resolved.
In particular, there does not appear to have been enough time between the scenes of "Atonement" to account for Thirdspace' s span, and its events are never explicitly referred to in other Babylon 5 sanctioned canon. However, in the season 5 episode "The Fall of Centauri Prime
", Delenn (while talking to Lennier
about themselves drifting in hyperspace) appears to refer obliquely to the events of this film by pondering, "Who knows what's out there; maybe we'll find a million-year-old jumpgate left over by the First Ones."
The fictional artifact was designed by science fiction and fantasy artist Wayne Barlowe
after the script was written. In the novelization, the description of the artifact does not match what appears in the film. Most notably, the artifact in the novel formed into a jump gate that was larger than the station when it became operational. In the film, however, it rearranged itself and actually decreased in size.
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
that is part of the 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...
science fiction universe
Fictional universe
A fictional universe is a self-consistent fictional setting with elements that differ from the real world. It may also be called an imagined, constructed or fictional realm ....
. It was written by J. Michael Straczynski
J. Michael Straczynski
Joseph Michael Straczynski , known professionally as J. Michael Straczynski and informally as Joe Straczynski or JMS, is an American writer and television producer. He works in films, television series, novels, short stories, comic books, and radio dramas. He is a playwright, a former journalist,...
and directed by Jesús Salvador Treviño
Jesús Salvador Treviño
Jesús Salvador Treviño is an American television director of Mexican descent.Most notably, Treviño has directed a number of episodes from the television series Resurrection Blvd., Babylon 5, Crusade, Bones, Star Trek: Voyager, seaQuest DSV, Crossing Jordan, Third Watch and Star Trek: Deep Space...
.
The movie was originally shown on July 19, 1998 on the TNT
Turner Network Television
Turner Network Television is an American cable television channel created by media mogul Ted Turner and currently owned by the Turner Broadcasting System division of Time Warner...
cable network, during the run of season five (originally being shown between "Movements of Fire and Shadow
Movements of Fire and Shadow
"Movements of Fire and Shadow" is an episode from the fifth season of the science fiction television series Babylon 5.-Synopsis:As the episode opens, several Drazi warships are shown engaging Centauri warships in a fierce battle; the Drazi appear to be losing...
" and "The Fall of Centauri Prime
The Fall of Centauri Prime
"The Fall of Centauri Prime" is an episode from the fifth season of the science fiction television series Babylon 5. This is a key episode in the series, as it marks the final downfall and story completion of Londo Mollari, one of the major characters on the series.-Synopsis:As the episode begins...
"). In addition to members of the regular cast of the Babylon 5 TV series, it features the notable guest-stars Shari Belafonte
Shari Belafonte
Shari Belafonte is an American actress, model, writer and singer. The daughter of singer Harry Belafonte, she is known for her role as Julie Gilette on the 1980s television series Hotel and as a spokesperson for the diet supplement Slim-Fast during the 1990s.-Personal life:Shari Lynn Belafonte was...
(playing Dr. Elizabeth Trent) and William Sanderson
William Sanderson
William Sanderson is an American character actor.-Early life:Sanderson was born in Memphis, Tennessee, to an elementary school teacher mother and a landscape designer father...
(reprising the role of "Deuce" that he played in the episode "Grail
Grail (Babylon 5)
"Grail" is an episode from the first season of the science fiction television series Babylon 5.-Synopsis:A traveler named Aldous Gajic comes to the station in search of the Holy Grail. Having sent information requests to the ambassadors prior to his arrival, he is greeted as a very important...
").
According to Straczynski, the film is based on the writings of H. P. Lovecraft
H. P. Lovecraft
Howard Phillips Lovecraft --often credited as H.P. Lovecraft — was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction....
(most noticeably, "The Call of Cthulhu
The Call of Cthulhu
The Call of Cthulhu is a short story by American writer H. P. Lovecraft. Written in the summer of 1926, it was first published in the pulp magazine Weird Tales, in February 1928.-Inspiration:...
"), although Lovecraft's creatures (the Old Ones) are not actually referred to by name in the film.
This film seems to have divided fan opinion more than any other episode. Some praise it as a well-executed, and often effective, homage to Lovecraft, accordingly rating it as one of the finest TV-movies, with great action spectacles, intense plot and many references to the Shadow War. Other people criticise it for being a clichéd horror story and lacking in plot.
The action-based story, which ties into the Shadow/Vorlon plotline, centers on the return of an ancient and overwhelming alien force which had once attempted to destroy life in the Milky Way Galaxy.
Plot and theme
The film deals with an enormous artifactArtifact (archaeology)
An artifact or artefact is "something made or given shape by man, such as a tool or a work of art, esp an object of archaeological interest"...
that is discovered in 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 towed to the Babylon 5 station for investigation, at which point the xenoarchaeology
Xenoarchaeology
Xenoarchaeology is a hypothetical form of archaeology that exists mainly in science fiction works concerned with the physical remains of past alien life and cultures...
corporation Interplanetary Expeditions sends a representative, Dr. Elizabeth Trent, to take control of the artifact's examination.
After being placed near the station the artifact begins to influence the dreams of many inhabitants of Babylon 5, eventually controlling many of them during their waking hours as well. These thralls, led by Deuce, first demand that the excavation be accelerated, and then become increasingly violent towards the rest of the Babylon 5 population. After a maintenance bot unwittingly sparks a contact, the device begins drawing power from the station, causing power fluctuations.
Eventually it is revealed by Lyta Alexander
Lyta Alexander
Lyta Alexander is a character from the fictional universe of the science-fiction television series Babylon 5, played by Patricia Tallman.Lyta was introduced in the pilot episode "The Gathering" as a telepath assigned to the Babylon 5 space station by the Psi Corps, a fictional organization...
that the artifact is a Jumpgate that takes one neither to normal space nor to hyperspace but to a "third" space (hence the movie's title), built by the Vorlon
Vorlon
A Vorlon is a member of a fictional alien species in the Babylon 5 television series and fictional universe. The Vorlon species is a member of the First Ones, a group made up of the earliest species to gain sentience in the galaxy...
s a million years ago with a purpose that cannot be expressed in human terms except as an attempt to make contact with the gods. In reality, Thirdspace is a parallel universe inhabited by a violent, telepathic alien species even older and more powerful than The Vorlons that is bent on exterminating all life other than their own. Once through, the Thirdspace aliens telepathically converted a small army of Vorlons to fight and die for them. The ensuing battle ended in a stalemate; the Vorlons shut down the gate, but the remaining Vorlon thralls captured the artifact and absconded with it into hyperspace, in hopes that it might one day be reawakened. Lyta then telepathically informs Sheridan how to deactivate the gate.
When the device is finally reactivated, the Thirdspace Aliens stream out from the portal in small fighters and begin a devastating assault on Babylon 5, obliterating large cruisers with little effort; the Thirdspace fleet is so advanced that the single-occupant fighters possess deflector shield technology, making them extremely hard to destroy. The violent behavior of the individuals under the artifact's control is intended to disrupt the station's defenses. The struggle is ended when 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...
enters the artifact via flight suit to plant and later detonate a nuclear bomb, destroying the artifact just as the first wave of Thirdspace heavy warships begin to emerge. Once destroyed, the telepathic influence stops and the station returns to normal. Trent, shaken by the way in which the artifact affected her, turns over her final report and goes on an indefinite hiatus.
Sheridan and the others conceal the true nature of the artifact from those who ask questions, and confidently assure themselves that the incident is unlikely to occur again. In private, Lyta broods with the knowledge that the artifact was only one of many mistakes the Vorlons have made in the past.
The central theme of Thirdspace is hubris
Hubris
Hubris , also hybris, means extreme haughtiness, pride or arrogance. Hubris often indicates a loss of contact with reality and an overestimation of one's own competence or capabilities, especially when the person exhibiting it is in a position of power....
. The artifact was created because of the Vorlons' belief that they were equal in power to the gods, perhaps a reference to the biblical
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
story of the Tower of Babel
Tower of Babel
The Tower of Babel , according to the Book of Genesis, was an enormous tower built in the plain of Shinar .According to the biblical account, a united humanity of the generations following the Great Flood, speaking a single language and migrating from the east, came to the land of Shinar, where...
, and it is as a result of Sheridan's and Trent's shared pride and refusal to cooperate that it is activated.
Story arc significance and continuity
Essentially a stand-alone episode, the film is set after the Shadow War (episode 406 "Into the FireInto the Fire (Babylon 5)
"Into the Fire" is an episode from the fourth season of the science fiction television series Babylon 5.It marks the end of the "Shadow War" story arc.-Synopsis:...
") and before war was declared with Earth (episode 414 "Moments of Transition
Moments of Transition
"Moments of Transition" is an episode from the fourth season of the science-fiction television series Babylon 5.-Synopsis:Delenn ends the Minbari civil war. Lyta tries to find work as a telepath, but finds her rogue status makes it difficult to get a paying job.The Minbari civil war is finally over...
"). The presence of both Dr. Franklin
Stephen Franklin
Stephen Franklin is a lead character in the fictional universe of the science fiction television series Babylon 5, played by the late Richard Biggs. He serves as the chief medical officer on the Babylon 5 space station.-Personality:...
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....
, along with changes to Zack Allan
Zack Allan
Zack Allan is a character in the fictional universe of the science-fiction television series Babylon 5, played by Jeff Conaway. He regularly appeared in the show from season 2 onwards. During the second and third seasons of the series he was a security officer on the Babylon 5 station...
's uniform further place the events just before or during episode 409 "Atonement
Atonement (Babylon 5)
"Atonement" is an episode from the fourth season of the science fiction television series Babylon 5.-Synopsis:As Babylon 5 recovers from the propaganda war started on ISN, Sheridan sends Marcus and Dr. Franklin to Mars. Along the journey, they annoy each other, including Marcus singing "The...
", to the extent that its continuity problems can actually be resolved.
In particular, there does not appear to have been enough time between the scenes of "Atonement" to account for Thirdspace
The Fall of Centauri Prime
"The Fall of Centauri Prime" is an episode from the fifth season of the science fiction television series Babylon 5. This is a key episode in the series, as it marks the final downfall and story completion of Londo Mollari, one of the major characters on the series.-Synopsis:As the episode begins...
", Delenn (while talking to Lennier
Lennier
Lennier is a character in the fictional universe of the science-fiction television series Babylon 5, played by Bill Mumy. He is Minbari and acts as ambassadorial aide to Delenn throughout most of the series.-Background and career:...
about themselves drifting in hyperspace) appears to refer obliquely to the events of this film by pondering, "Who knows what's out there; maybe we'll find a million-year-old jumpgate left over by the First Ones."
The fictional artifact was designed by science fiction and fantasy artist Wayne Barlowe
Wayne Barlowe
Wayne Douglas Barlowe is an American science fiction and fantasy painter. He has paintedover 300 book and magazine covers and illustrations for many major book publishers, as well as Life magazine, Time, and Newsweek...
after the script was written. In the novelization, the description of the artifact does not match what appears in the film. Most notably, the artifact in the novel formed into a jump gate that was larger than the station when it became operational. In the film, however, it rearranged itself and actually decreased in size.