The Babylon 5 Project

Season 2

The Coming of Shadows

    The Babylon Project was our last, best hope for peace. A self-contained world five miles long, located in neutral territory. A place of commerce and diplomacy for a quarter of a million humans and aliens. A shining beacon in space, all alone in the night. It was the dawn of the Third Age of Mankind...the year the Great War came upon us all. This is the story of the last of the Babylon stations. The year is 2259. The name of the place is Babylon 5.
      - Captain Sheridan

The Climate

    Babylon 5's mission appears increasingly hopeless. After nearly two years of operation, everything is changing for the worse. Though Babylon 5's mission of peace continues, war appears to be imminent, and there is a dangerous new power in the galaxy that few even suspect exists. Amid the heightening tensions, the complex relationships among the major powers are shifting in unpredictable ways.

    The Five Major Races are at the brink of war.

      The Narn Regime and the Centauri Republic are at odds, their shared borders experiencing increased skirmishes, and Peace seems impossible.
      The Minbari Federation and the Earth Alliace are now neutral of each other, not by what each race has done to the other, but what the races are doing to themselves. Earth is undergoing a severl political watershed, it's focus is strictly internal, and eyed to control the human population. Minbar, though for different reasons is doing the same thing, and closing all doors between themseves and the outside alien populations, out of mistrust.
      The Vorlon Empire remains withdrawn even with an ambassador on the station. However, there is a particular interest of the Vorlons with the humans and a history with the Minbari.

      The League of Non-Aligned Worlds has taken a few blows, between aggressive neighbors, and the skirmishes between the Narn and the Centauri. However they remain has taken a loyal to the Earth Alliance, regardless of the political action on Earth.

    A sixth major race has emerged into the forefront of this drama, the Shadows are allied now with the Centarui and are obviously opposed to the philosophy of the Vorlon Empire. The extent of this is unknown, but the scope is as different as night and day.
    The Shadows have been instrumental in seveal attacks on Narn assets and strategic military targets. The Vorlon Empire remains isolationist, their Ambassador, Kosh Naranek hides in a bulky encounter suit and few have seen the face of a Vorlon.

The Plot

    Babylon 5 has become a crossroads of activity, and an important center of commerce. This has put the station under the scrutiny of many forces in the Galaxy, and increased the level of activity there. It has become a colorful place, in terms of atmosphere, and equally as dangerous, as verious conspiracies unfold.

    Jeffery Sincliar has been replaced as commanding officer of Babylon 5, by Captain John Sheridan. Sheridan, a war hero from the Earth-Minbari War, is diliked by the Minbari Warrior Caste and the posting has brought much controversy in the diplomatic community.

      ("Points of Departure")

    Ambassador Delenn has emerged from the Chrysalis and through her metamorphosis, has become a Minbari-Human hybrid. She is developing human physiology and emotions. What this means for Human - Minbari relations is still unclear, as both sides have shunned her.

      ("Revelations")
    .

    It is now known, both on Earth and Minbar that humans have been bearers of Minbari Souls. (cf. Battle of the Line), some in the Minbari community have rejected this idea, while others are sceptical still.

      ("Points of Departure")
    .

    Shadow Vessels have been seen in hyperspace, (cf. "A Distant Star) and footage has been broadcast on ISN.

      (:The Fall of Night")

    There is an internal conspiracy onboard Babylon 5. The depths of which is unknown. It has compromised the main computer, and some of the staff. It is an information network that somehow connects with the Psi Corps. It is called Bureau 13, and it's Babylon 5 contact is called "Control".

      ("A Spider in the Web")

    As there is a chance for peace between the Narn Regime and the Centauri Republic, there is an assasination attempt on the Centauri Emporer and a Narn Military Outpost is attacked (with the help of Morden and the Shadows. The Narn-Centarui War results.

      ("The Coming of Shadows")

    The station personnel, learn of the Shadows for the first time, and discover there is a connection with the Shadows and Morden. It is also discovered that Morden was a shipmate of Sheridan's wife, Anna Sheridan, on the Icarus and it was abducted by Shadows when they landed on Z'ha'dum.

      ("In the Shadow of Z'Ha'Dum")

    Talia Winters is discovered by Lyta Alexander as being a Psi Corps plant, and saboteur. In reality, Talia is not the plant, but a subconsious entity is. Talia is most likely "Control" and was returned to Psi Corps hands.

      ("Divided Loyalties")

    We learn of a long struggle between two of the major races. The Vorlon Empire and the Shadows. The Shadows are represented by their emmasary Mr. Morden (cf "Signs and Portents"). And the Vorlons by Kosh Naranek.
    The Shadows pose the Question: "What do you want?"
    The Vorlons retort through Sabastian with the Question: "Who are you?"
    This seems to be a battle of philosphy and self determination rather then that of flesh and blood.

      ("Comes the Inquisitor")

    It is suggested that President Clark is in league with the Psi Corps who in turn is in league with the Shadows what this means, one cannot say.

    The Centauri Republic has captured the Narn homeworld, and the Narn have surrendured to their captors. G'Kar has been stripped of being an ambassador, by Londo Mollari and the war seems at an end.

      ("The Long, Twilight Struggle")

    Earth Alliance has also taken the political side of the Centauri Republic in the Narn-Centauri War, by signing a non-aggression pact with them. The Narn, moreover, are now ignored.

      ("The Fall of Night")

    In the end of the second season, there is an assasination attempt on Sheridan, in order to save his own life, Sheridan must leap out of a transport in a Zero-G enviromnet on the station.
    To save Sheridan, Kosh leaves hisq encounter suit and reveals himself to be an angelic form of light, (specifically to Sheridan) and as other holy entities to other observers/races present. It is determined that this is what Kosh and the Vorlons want them to see. However it is not their truest form.

      ("The Fall of Night")

    As Ivanova says in one of the closing lines of the season:

      "It was the end of the Earth year 2259, and the war was upon us. As anticipated, a few days after the Earth-Centauri treaty was announced, the Centauri widened their war to include many of the Leage of Non-Aligned Worlds. And there was another war brewing closer to home, a personal one whose cost would be higher than any of us could imagine."
      "We came to this place because Babylon 5 was our last, best hope for peace. By the end of 2259, we knew that it had failed. But in so doing, it became something greater. As the war expanded, it became our last best hope... for victory. Because sometimes, peace is another word for surrender. And because secrets have a way of getting out."