Battle of the Line
Encyclopedia
In the Babylon 5
fictional universe
, the Battle of the Line was the final battle of the Earth-Minbari war
. The Battle of the Line was a desperate attempt by the Earth Alliance
to stop a Minbari
combat fleet from attacking Earth. Over 20,000 Human
defenders fought in the battle; including most of the remaining warships of the Earth fleet. Despite this armada, the Minbari fleet easily destroyed most of the defending human warships, and fewer than 200 humans survived the battle. Incredibly, however, the Minbari suddenly surrendered to the almost-defeated humans with no explanation.
The first commander of the Babylon 5 outpost
, Earthforce Commander Jeffrey Sinclair
, was captured by the Minbari during the battle. One major plot element of the first season of the television show involve his attempts to regain his memory of those events.
The resulting war was largely a one-sided affair, as the Minbari were far more advanced in weapons and technology than the humans. Since the humans fought the Minbari advance tenaciously, it was slow and brutal. Commander John Sheridan
succeeded in destroying the Black Star
, the Minbari flagship—it was the only Minbari capital ship lost during the entire war, and it was ultimately a fruitless victory.
's entire squadron was destroyed in under 60 seconds. After his Starfury
fighter suffered serious damage, he attempted to ram the nearest Minbari cruiser.
As the battle drew to an end, the Earth fleet was virtually annihilated, and the Minbari fleet virtually unscratched. The devastation of Earth and extermination of the human race seemed inevitable, but the Minbari suddenly ceased fire and broadcast their surrender. There was much speculation as to why the Minbari chose to surrender when their victory was all but assured, but the Minbari’s governing Grey Council
never explained its decision, even to its own warrior caste. Earth losses were catastrophic with more than 20,000 deaths and fewer than 200 survivors.
. To their profound shock, it indicated that he possessed not just a Minbari soul, but that soul was that of their people's most revered cultural and religious figure, Valen
. Because of the Minbari belief in reincarnation
, they believed that Sinclair was the current host of Valen's soul, since the triluminary was coded with Valen's DNA and said to only 'react' in his presence. For generations, fewer and fewer Minbari were being born and many wondered where the souls were being reincarnated. Now convinced that these Minbari souls were being reincarnated within human bodies, the Grey Council was horrified at the fact that they were harming their own souls in this war. In response, they ordered Sinclair's memories of the examination purged, followed by his release. Delenn volunteered to stay close to Sinclair to observe him. The Grey Council ordered the Minbari to immediately cease hostilities, but refused to explain this unexpected move; due to the xenophobic views of the warrior caste, they believed that explaining the reason would have only resulted in the warriors refusing the order.
and been bothered by his amnesia.
The near-annihilation prompted the Earth Alliance to expand its diplomatic and technology efforts, prompting the Babylon Project
.
Post-war Earth-Minbari relations were somewhat tense, but the Minbari helped fund Babylon 5.
cites the mystery surrounding the Battle of the Line as a key aspect of introducing Babylon 5 to the audience: "The Battle of the Line and the hole in Sinclair's mind was always intended as the entry point or trigger to the story. It's like Frodo being given the Ring in LoTR. The story isn't about that, that's how we get INTO it." Straczynski further explained that actor Michael O'Hare
's departure at the end of season one did not impair the resolution of the storyline: "The only difference in the resolution of that aspect is this: we had originally intended to resolve the missing 24 hours, and the Battle of the Line, by episode four, season two. We've simply moved it up 3 eps to the first episode." The Babylon File author Andy Lane calls Sinclair's memory loss "one of the most important plot threads to run through the series".
Straczynski claims to have always intended the Battle of the Line storyline to be resolved in early season two: "I said, from the very beginning, that once the series got rolling, no single primary question could be allowed to go more than about one season before answering it, otherwise you get into a frustrating Twin Peaks situation where *nothing* is resolved".
, notes of Sinclair that "The mysteries which surround this hero's past are in keeping with those encircling the Jungian prototype".
Additionally, the event is mentioned or referenced in the episodes Soul Hunter
, A Late Delivery from Avalon
, and the Crusade
episode Patterns of the Soul. The television movie Babylon 5: In the Beginning
, developed between seasons 4 and 5 of the television series, provides a complete look at the events of the Battle of the Line; while the movie is set chronologically earlier than the events of season 1, it aired after season 4 to an audience who had already seen the mystery evolve throughout seasons 1 and 2. A separate book adaptation of the film was published in 1995.
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...
fictional 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 ....
, the Battle of the Line was the final battle of 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...
. The Battle of the Line was a desperate attempt by the Earth Alliance
Earth Alliance (Babylon 5)
The Earth Alliance is the name of a fictional alliance of the nations of Earth and off-world colonies in the television series Babylon 5. The transition of Earth government from a democratic, elected government to an authoritarian, militaristic one and back to a democracy again is a major theme of...
to stop a 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....
combat fleet from attacking Earth. Over 20,000 Human
Human (Babylon 5)
Humans are one of the many races in the fictional Babylon 5 universe. They appear in all seasons of Babylon 5, and all of its spinoffs. Their homeworld is Earth, from which the interstellar Earth Alliance is governed...
defenders fought in the battle; including most of the remaining warships of the Earth fleet. Despite this armada, the Minbari fleet easily destroyed most of the defending human warships, and fewer than 200 humans survived the battle. Incredibly, however, the Minbari suddenly surrendered to the almost-defeated humans with no explanation.
The first commander of the Babylon 5 outpost
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....
, Earthforce Commander 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...
, was captured by the Minbari during the battle. One major plot element of the first season of the television show involve his attempts to regain his memory of those events.
Background
Approximately two years before the Battle of the Line, the first contact between Humans and Minbari had ended in disaster; the captain of the lead Earth ship, thinking that the Minbari were about to attack, panicked and opened fire. This resulted in the death of Dukhat, whereupon the remaining members of the Grey Council declared war against the humans.The resulting war was largely a one-sided affair, as the Minbari were far more advanced in weapons and technology than the humans. Since the humans fought the Minbari advance tenaciously, it was slow and brutal. Commander 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...
succeeded in destroying the Black Star
Black Star (Babylon 5)
The Black Star was a Sharlin Class Warcruiser in the fictional science fiction universe of Babylon 5. The Black Star served as one of the flagships of the Minbari Federation fleet, until its destruction in the year 2245. The Black Star (Drala Fi' in Minbari) was a Sharlin Class Warcruiser in the...
, the Minbari flagship—it was the only Minbari capital ship lost during the entire war, and it was ultimately a fruitless victory.
Battle
After two years of bloody warfare, the Minbari came within striking distance of Earth's solar system. The President of the Earth Alliance requested that "every ship capable of fighting" take part in a "last stand to defend our homeworld", a complement of over 20,000 human defenders. Confident they could quickly destroy any human resistance, the Minbari fleet bypassed Mars and Io to strike at Earth directly. The humans fought valiantly, but the technologically superior Minbari destroyed the human ships with little difficulty. Lt. Commander Jeffrey SinclairJeffrey 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...
's entire squadron was destroyed in under 60 seconds. After his Starfury
Starfury
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...
fighter suffered serious damage, he attempted to ram the nearest Minbari cruiser.
As the battle drew to an end, the Earth fleet was virtually annihilated, and the Minbari fleet virtually unscratched. The devastation of Earth and extermination of the human race seemed inevitable, but the Minbari suddenly ceased fire and broadcast their surrender. There was much speculation as to why the Minbari chose to surrender when their victory was all but assured, but the Minbari’s governing Grey Council
Grey Council
In the Babylon 5 fictional universe, the Grey Council is the governing body of the Minbari Federation. Its members carry the title satai...
never explained its decision, even to its own warrior caste. Earth losses were catastrophic with more than 20,000 deaths and fewer than 200 survivors.
Minbari surrender
Sinclair had attempted to ram the Grey Council's flagship; they instead chose to capture and interrogate him. He was rendered unconscious and was brought before the Grey Council, and scanned with the triluminaryTriluminary
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...
. To their profound shock, it indicated that he possessed not just a Minbari soul, but that soul was that of their people's most revered cultural and religious figure, 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...
. Because of the Minbari belief in reincarnation
Reincarnation
Reincarnation best describes the concept where the soul or spirit, after the death of the body, is believed to return to live in a new human body, or, in some traditions, either as a human being, animal or plant...
, they believed that Sinclair was the current host of Valen's soul, since the triluminary was coded with Valen's DNA and said to only 'react' in his presence. For generations, fewer and fewer Minbari were being born and many wondered where the souls were being reincarnated. Now convinced that these Minbari souls were being reincarnated within human bodies, the Grey Council was horrified at the fact that they were harming their own souls in this war. In response, they ordered Sinclair's memories of the examination purged, followed by his release. Delenn volunteered to stay close to Sinclair to observe him. The Grey Council ordered the Minbari to immediately cease hostilities, but refused to explain this unexpected move; due to the xenophobic views of the warrior caste, they believed that explaining the reason would have only resulted in the warriors refusing the order.
Aftermath
When Sinclair had tried to ram the Minbari warship, he had passed out. When he awoke, he found himself drifting in his damaged fighter, 24 hours later, after the war was over. As the first season of the television show begins, Sinclair has struggled with survivor's guiltSurvivor guilt
Survivor, survivor's, or survivors guilt or syndrome is a mental condition that occurs when a person perceives themselves to have done wrong by surviving a traumatic event when others did not...
and been bothered by his amnesia.
The near-annihilation prompted the Earth Alliance to expand its diplomatic and technology efforts, prompting the Babylon Project
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...
.
Post-war Earth-Minbari relations were somewhat tense, but the Minbari helped fund Babylon 5.
Plot significance
Series creator J. Michael StraczynskiJ. 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,...
cites the mystery surrounding the Battle of the Line as a key aspect of introducing Babylon 5 to the audience: "The Battle of the Line and the hole in Sinclair's mind was always intended as the entry point or trigger to the story. It's like Frodo being given the Ring in LoTR. The story isn't about that, that's how we get INTO it." Straczynski further explained that actor Michael O'Hare
Michael O'Hare
Michael O'Hare is an American actor, best known for playing Jeffrey Sinclair in the science fiction television series Babylon 5.-Biography:Michael O'Hare was born in Chicago, Illinois...
's departure at the end of season one did not impair the resolution of the storyline: "The only difference in the resolution of that aspect is this: we had originally intended to resolve the missing 24 hours, and the Battle of the Line, by episode four, season two. We've simply moved it up 3 eps to the first episode." The Babylon File author Andy Lane calls Sinclair's memory loss "one of the most important plot threads to run through the series".
Straczynski claims to have always intended the Battle of the Line storyline to be resolved in early season two: "I said, from the very beginning, that once the series got rolling, no single primary question could be allowed to go more than about one season before answering it, otherwise you get into a frustrating Twin Peaks situation where *nothing* is resolved".
Reception
In American Science-Fiction TV: Star Trek, Stargate, and Beyond, author Jan Johnson-Smith notes "the Battle of the Line reminds us of the flotilla of little ships at Dunkirk or perhaps the Spitfires and Hurricanes of the Battle of Britain." James Iaccino, writing in the Journal of Popular CultureJournal of Popular Culture
The Journal of Popular Culture is a peer-reviewed journal and the official publication of the Popular Culture Association.The Journal of Popular Culture publishes academic essays on all aspects of popular or mass culture...
, notes of Sinclair that "The mysteries which surround this hero's past are in keeping with those encircling the Jungian prototype".
Episodes
The Battle of the Line is referenced as a major plot element in the following Babylon 5 episodes:- The Gathering, series pilot, in which the backstory of the Earth-Minbari war and Sinclair's blackout during the Battle of the Line are revealed. During the pilot, Sinclair is told by a Minbari, "You have a hole in your mind.", which becomes a recurring theme throughout season 1.
- And the Sky Full of StarsAnd the Sky Full of Stars"And the Sky Full of Stars" is an episode from the first season of the science fiction television series Babylon 5. The episode title is derived from a line Sinclair says in the B5 Pilot telefilm: "…and the sky was full of stars, and every star was an exploding ship — one of ours."-Synopsis:As the...
, Season 1, episode 8, in which Sinclair is captured and interrogated by two humans convinced that he knows more than he is saying about the Battle of the Line. - LegaciesLegacies (Babylon 5)"Legacies" is an episode from the first season of the science fiction television series Babylon 5.-Synopsis:A girl entering puberty exhibits telepathic abilities, and the crew must decide whether to turn her over to the Psi Corps...
, Season 1, episode 17, in which a diplomatic incident results after the disappearance of the corpse of the Minbari war leader who oversaw the Battle of the Line. - Points of DeparturePoints of Departure (Babylon 5)"Points of Departure" is the first episode of the second season of the science fiction television series Babylon 5.-Synopsis:Earth Alliance Destroyer EAS Agamemnon is seen orbiting an unspecified planet. Captain John Sheridan is heard informing an unspecified party that if they have any further...
, Season 2, episode 1, where the full story of Sinclair's questioning by the Gray Council is revealed.
Additionally, the event is mentioned or referenced in the episodes Soul Hunter
Soul Hunter (Babylon 5)
"Soul Hunter" is an episode from the first season of the science fiction television series Babylon 5.- Summary :Lt. Cmdr. Susan Ivanova and Commander Jeffrey Sinclair stand near one of Babylon 5's entry bays, waiting for the station's new medical chief of staff, Dr. Stephen Franklin...
, A Late Delivery from Avalon
A Late Delivery from Avalon
A Late Delivery from Avalon is an episode from the third season of the science-fiction television series Babylon 5.-Synopsis:A man arrives at the station, claiming to be King Arthur...
, and the Crusade
Crusade (TV series)
Crusade is a spin-off TV show from J. Michael Straczynski's Babylon 5. Its plot is set in AD 2267, five years after the events of Babylon 5, and just after the movie A Call to Arms. A race called the Drakh have released a nanovirus plague on Earth, which will destroy all life on Earth within five...
episode Patterns of the Soul. The television movie Babylon 5: In the Beginning
Babylon 5: In the Beginning
Babylon 5: In the Beginning is a science fiction television movie set in the Babylon 5 fictional universe. It was written by J. Michael Straczynski and directed by Michael Vejar....
, developed between seasons 4 and 5 of the television series, provides a complete look at the events of the Battle of the Line; while the movie is set chronologically earlier than the events of season 1, it aired after season 4 to an audience who had already seen the mystery evolve throughout seasons 1 and 2. A separate book adaptation of the film was published in 1995.
External links
- The Earth-Minbari War and the Battle of the Line at The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5 is a fan-run website that includes detailed episode guides and analyses, production history notes, background materials, references, and other information related to the science fiction epic, Babylon 5...