Babylon 5: The Movies (1993-2007)

The Gathering (1993)

Dir. Richard Compton

A feature–length pilot that's notable mostly for setting up large chunks of the story arc that would help make Babylon 5 one of TV's best ever sci-fi series in subsequent years, although no one but series creator J. Michael Straczynski and the producers really knew back then because such long-running continuity wasn't the norm at the time.

Some of the acting is weak, but a few of the cast were replaced when the series went into production.

If you know B5 already, then The Gathering is worth hunting down, despite its flaws.

If you're new to the station, however, or not sure if a plot-heavy sci-fi show is really for you, it might be better to start with Season 1 of the TV series instead, even though it means missing out on some crucial back-story for certain characters. You can fill in the gaps later, but be aware that there are a number of notable differences between what was planned and what eventually came to pass.

In the Beginning (1998)

Dir. Mike Vejar

The first of the B5 TV Movies is by far the best of the bunch. It treats long-time fans to the full story behind the devastating Earth–Minbari War. We get to see why it began, why it ended and what role many of the eventual B5 command staff and ambassadors played during it. It's told in flashback, encompassing approximately thirty-five years of story time, which is ten years before even the TV series is set!

Straczynski's script moves at a brisk pace, and if your knowledge of the series is strong you'll be able to connect dots and cross-reference what you're shown with what you already know. A lot of significant things are happening simultaneously. It's like a two-sided jigsaw, and when all the pieces are in place it's even possible to see both sides at once.

Fans will know what happens seconds after the credits roll; the narrator knows... he's always known.

NOTE: Despite what the title may suggest, In the Beginning should definitely NOT be watched before the series. It should be enjoyed only after you've finished all five years. You are, of course, free to do as you please, and taking advice from a stranger on the internet isn't something I would argue is a good idea, but in this case it just might serve you well.

Thirdspace (1998)

Dir. Jesús Salvador Treviño

An ancient, mysterious artefact is discovered by some of the B5 crew while on a mission. They capture and moor it outside the barn. The scientists know just as well as the rest of us that mysterious alien artefacts are always trouble, but they want to be first to open it anyhow, and consequences be damned.

With it being a stand-alone story, it's debatable about where Thirdspace actually fits into series continuity, but we're given some helpful clues.

It's set in the middle of the year 2261, so it's definitely after the end of the Shadow War but prior the problems the B5 crew would have with Earthforce while President Clark was in power.

All of that means it takes place sometime during the first half of Season 4. The consensus seems to be sometime before Episode 9: Atonement as the most likely. That seems the best guess to me, too, because some of the characters who feature in the film left the station during Atonement. The opening narration will contain spoilers if you watch it before having made it that far into Season 4.

The River of Souls (1998)

Dir. Janet Greek

River of Souls doesn't require a lot of B5 knowledge and for some reason that puts in outside of a lot of fans radars, but personally I found it to be one of the better B5 TV movies. Of the trio that were packaged together (Thirdspace / River / Call to Arms) it's the one that most feels like it deserved the extra time. I mean the main plot, specifically. The B plot is arguably enjoyable filler, but the two do eventually overlap.

It takes place in 2263, which puts it sometime after the series end. That means many of the original command staff are elsewhere, and Capt. Elizabeth Lochley (Tracy Scoggins) is officially in charge.

The mysterious Soul Hunters introduced in Season 1 are back to piss everyone off yet again. They claim to have legitimate ownership of something that doesn't go uncontested. Little is known of the race other than they don't take no for an answer.

The main Soul Hunter is played by Martin Sheen. He may have been a fan of the show, or he may not, but one thing's for sure: he understood his character and he made an effort to give his struggle some weight; he didn't just phone it in because it was made for TV. GJ, Mr Sheen.

He's not the only guest star. Ian McShane plays a pivotal role. (For trivia fans, the previous film had William Sanderson. Coincidentally, McShane and Sanderson would go on to act together in Deadwood (2004-06), a hard-hitting Western set in the infamous South Dakota town. If you're a fan of Westerns, you owe it to yourself to check out Deadwood. It's fantastic.)

Straczynski is an atheist, but he likes to write religious and philosophical themes and he does it without getting preachy. They tend to be more akin to thoughtful explorations that give a viewer food for thought, not sermons or guilt trips. River of Souls is a good example of that.

A Call to Arms (1999)

Dir. Mike Vejar

The Shadow War may have ended six long years ago but not all of the enemy's allies fled. Some of them lurk still in faraway places, like a bad smell in... er... space. (I know – please don't write in.)

Galen the Technomage (Edward Woodward's son Peter, why didn't that guy get more work?) with his father's strength rallies the necessary troops.

Boxleitner steals the show. Let's be honest, he always does, but even more so this time. When taking the chair of the newly built ship he's like a kid with a toy upgrade, and like all inquisitive kids he wants to throw it down the stairs to see if it holds up.

The film serves a dual purpose: to tell a B5 story and be a shameless set-up for Joe's next project, the ill-fated B5 offshoot Crusade (1999). It manages to do both of those things without offending the viewer.

The symbolic passing of the torch is extended to the music, too. It's not by B5 regular Christopher Franke. It's a vastly different approach by Evan H. Chen, one that he'd continue to pursue when scoring Crusade. I'm not a fan of it, but I understand the reasoning behind making the change. He did his own thing and I respect that, but I really did miss the stamp of Franke.

The Legend of the Rangers:

To Live and Die in Starlight (2002)

Dir. Mike Vejar

LotR should've been great. It's a feature-length pilot movie that takes place within the existing B5 universe (the year 2265), acknowledging all that has passed but taking its arc in a new direction.

The focus was on the Rangers, aka the Anla'Shok, as they seek out and combat a threat intent on destabilising the Interstellar Alliance headed by Sheridan. The President doesn't feature, but G'Kar does and he's as perfect as ever. Unfortunately, the remainder of it isn’t. Even allowing for what I call 'pilot error', the teething troubles that a new series tends to suffer from, it's still a load of hokum and hairy balls.

Nevertheless, with repeated viewings I've warmed to it over the years and can better see the potential of the unique abilities hinted at for each cast member.

My favourite of the new faces was always Na'Feel the Narn engineer, but I’ve grown to like Dulann the loyal Minbari first officer and Tirk the Drazi who.. er... carries things. What I can't get past is how much the human Captain David Martell resembles a young Captain Kirk. It may not have been a conscious decision to make him that way, but it's an inescapable observation after the fact.

B5 fans will want to see it for themselves, but be prepared for utter disappointment and being witness to what's perhaps the single worst weapons system ever conceived by man in the history of television. My hopes for a B5 continuation may have been crushed, but I still love G'Kar.

The Lost Tales (2007)

Dir. J. Michael Straczynski

Setting foot back on the station after an eight year absence was like coming home for me. Lost Tales was sold to us as a TV Movie, but it's really two short tales stitched together, both directed by series creator J. Michael Straczynski. The references that tie them together in time could easily be removed without compromising either one.

The first is a station story with Lochley set in 2281. It examines the role of religion in space through an unusual conduit. Joe took the enclosed nature of the tin can environment and used it to his advantage. It's tight without being claustrophobic. It's a decent story but not B5 specific and could easily be worked into any science fiction show from the past forty years.

The second half could only be B5. It’s a Sheridan story that sees him returning to the station after a ten year absence. Nostalgia has a role to play, but there's also the future to think of and it's that part that gives him the most trouble. Sheridan hasn't lost any of his edge. Boxleitner, what a guy!

The reference to cast members that had died is deeply touching, serving as a fitting eulogy not just to them as individuals but to their role, input and impact on the B5 universe over the years.

See also: Season 1 // Season 2 // Season 3 // Season 4 // Season 5