Furlan

In2261,theVorlonsjointheShadowWar,buttheirtacticsbecomeaconcernforthealliancewhentheVorlonsbegindestroyingentireplanetswhichtheydeemtohavebeen"influenced"bytheShadows.Disturbedbythisturnofevents,Babylon5recruitsseveralotherpowerfulandancientraces(theFirstOnes)totheircause,againstboththeShadowsandtheVorlons.CaptainJohnSheridanreturnstothestationafterescapingfromZ’ha’dum,butataprice:barringillnessorinjury,hehasonly20yearslefttolive.HeisaccompaniedbyamysteriousaliennamedLorienwhoclaimstobetheoldestsentientbeinginthegalaxy.HoursbeforeSheridan’sreturn,Garibaldiisrescuedandreturnedtothestation,inratherdubiouscircumstances.HeismarkedlymoreparanoidandsuspiciousofotheralienracesandofSheridanthanhewasbefore.CentauriEmperorCartagiaforgesarelationshipwiththeShadows.LondoMollariengineerstheassassinationofCartagiaandrepudiateshisagreementwiththeShadows.LondokillsMr.MordenanddestroystheShadowvesselsbasedontheCentaurihomeworld,inanattempttosavehisplanetfromdestructionbytheVorlons.Aidedbytheotherancientraces,andseveralyoungerones,SheridanluresboththeVorlonsandtheShadowsintoanimmensebattle,duringwhichtheVorlonsandShadowsrevealthattheyhavebeenleftasguardiansoftheyoungerraces,butduetophilosophicaldifferences,endedupusingthemaspawnsintheirendlesswarsthroughouttheages.Theyoungerracesrejecttheircontinuedinterference,andtheVorlonsandShadows,alongwiththeremainingFirstOnes,agreetodepartthegalaxyforever.AftertheShadowsaredefeatedGaribaldileaveshispostassecuritychiefandworksonhisownasa"providerofinformation".HebeginsworkingforoneWilliamEdgars,aMarsTycoon,whoismarriedtoGaribaldi’sformerlove.WhileheworksevercloserwithEdgars,hebecomesincreasinglyaggressivetowardsSheridanandeventuallyleavesBabylon5.MinbarisgrippedbyabriefcivilwarbetweentheWarriorandReligiouscastes.DelennsecretlymeetswithNeroonoftheWarriorcasteandconvinceshimthatneithersidecanbeallowedtowin.Shetellshimthatshewillundergoaritualwhereinshewillbewillingtosacrificeherself,butwillstoptheritualbeforesheactuallydies.WhenNeroonseesthatsheactuallyintendstogothroughtheentireritual,herescuesherandsacrificeshimselfinstead,declaringthat,althoughhewasbornWarrior,inhisheartheisReligious.AspartoftheongoingconflictbetweenEarthandBabylon5,GaribaldieventuallybetraysSheridanandarrangeshiscaptureinordertogainEdgars’trustandlearnhisplans.GaribaldilaterlearnsthatEdgarscreatedavirusthatisdangeroustoonlytelepaths.Itisthenrevealed,thatGaribaldiwasactuallyabductedbythePsi-CorpsattheendofSeason3andre-programmedbyBestertoprovideinformationtohimattherighttime.BesterreleasesGaribaldiofhisprogramming,andallowshimtoremembereverythinghehasdonesincebeingkidnapped.Edgarsiskilledandhiswifedisappears,butisreunitedwithGaribaldiaftertheendofthewar.GaribaldihelpsfreeSheridanandreturnhimtothecampaigntofreeEarth.AnallianceledbyBabylon5freesEarthfromtotalitarianrulebyPresidentClarkinashortbutbloodywar.ThisculminatesinClark’ssuicideandtherestorationofdemocraticgovernment.Marsisgrantedfullindependence,andSheridanagreestoresignhiscommission.TheLeagueofNon-AlignedWorldsisdissolvedandreformedintotheInterstellarAlliance,withSheridanelectedasitsfirstPresidentandcontinuinghiscommandoftheRangers,whoaretoactasagalacticequivalentofUnitedNationspeacekeepers.Intheseasonfinale,theeventsof100,500,1000,andonemillionyearsintothefutureareshown,depictingBabylon5’slastinginfluencethroughouthistory.Amongsttheeventsshownarethepoliticalaftermathofthe2261civilwar,asubsequentnuclearwaronEarthinvolvinganewtotalitariangovernmentintheyearAD2762,theresultingfallofEarthintoapre-industrialsociety,thelossandrestorationofhumanity’sknowledgeofspacetravel,andthefinalevolutionofmankindintoenergybeingssimilartotheVorlons,afterwhichEarth’ssungoesnova.

ThePsiCorpsandPresidentClark,whosegovernmenthasdiscoveredShadowvesselsburiedinEarth’ssolarsystem,begintoharnessthevessels’advancedtechnology.TheClarkadministrationcontinuestobecomeincreasinglyxenophobicandtotalitarian,andusesamilitaryincidentasanexcusetodeclaremartiallaw.ThistriggersawarofindependenceonMars,whichhadlonghadastrainedpoliticalrelationshipwithEarth.Babylon5alsodeclaresindependencefromEarth,alongwithseveralotheroutlyingEarthAlliancecolonies.Inresponse,theEarthAllianceattemptstoretakeBabylon5byforce,butwiththeaidoftheMinbari,whohavealliedwiththestationagainstthegrowingShadowthreat,theattackisrepelled.BecomingconcernedovertheShadows’growinginfluenceamongsthispeople,CentauriambassadorLondoMollariattemptstosevertieswiththem.Mr.Morden,theShadows’humanrepresentative,trickshimintorestoringthepartnershipbyengineeringthemurderofMollari’smistresswhileputtingtheblameonarivalCentauriHouse.OpenwarfarebreaksoutbetweentheShadowsandtheallianceledbyBabylon5andtheMinbari.ItislearnedthatgeneticmanipulationbytheVorlonsisthesourceofhumantelepathy,asitislaterdiscoveredthatShadowshipsarevulnerabletotelepathicattacks.DispleasedattheVorlons’lackofdirectactionagainsttheShadows,CaptainJohnSheridanbrowbeatsVorlonambassadorKoshNaranekintolaunchinganattackagainsttheirmutualenemy.Kosh’sdeedsleadtohissubsequentassassinationbytheShadows.FormerstationcommanderJeffreySinclairreturnstoBabylon5toenlisttheaidofCaptainSheridan,Delenn,IvanovaandMarcusinstealingtheBabylon4spacestationandsendingit1,000yearsbackintimetouseitasabaseofoperationsagainsttheShadowsinthepreviousMinbari-Shadowwar.UndergoingthesametransformationasDelennattheendofSeason1,SinclairtransformsintoaMinbariandissubsequentlyrevealedtobetheactualValenofMinbarilegend,ratherthanareincarnation.Spurredbythereappearanceofhisassumed-deadwife(whonowworksfortheShadows),SheridantravelstoZ’ha’dum,theShadowhomeworld,inanattemptbythemtorecruithim.Howeverheinsteaddestroystheirlargestcityinakamikazenuclearattack,andislastseenjumpingintoamiles-deeppittoescapetheexplosion.Garibaldi,duringafightwithShadowvessels,goesmissing.

Atthebeginningof2259,CaptainJohnSheridanreplacesSinclairasthemilitarygovernorofthestation.HeandthecommandstafflearnthatthedeathofPresidentSantiagowasactuallyanassassinationmastermindedbyVicePresidentClark(whoassumedthePresidencyuponSantiago’sdeath).AconflictdevelopsbetweentheBabylon5commandstaffandthePsiCorps,anincreasinglyautocraticorganizationwhichoverseesandcontrolsthelivesofhumantelepaths.CommanderIvanova,thesecond-in-commandofthestation,issecretlyalatenttelepathwhohasillicitlyavoidedregisteringwiththePsiCorps.TheShadows,anancientandextremelypowerfulracewhohaverecentlyemergedfromhibernation,arerevealedtobethecauseofavarietyofmysteriousanddisturbingevents,includingtheattackontheNarnoutpostattheendof2258.CentauriAmbassadorLondoMollariunknowinglyenliststheiraidthroughhisassociationwiththemysteriousMr.MordenintheongoingconflictwiththeNarn.TheelderlyandailingCentauriemperor,longanadvocateofreconciliationwiththeNarn,diessuddenlywhilevisitingBabylon5.Anumberofconspirators,includingLondoMollariandRefa,takecontroloftheCentaurigovernmentbyassassinatingtheiropponentsandplacingthelateemperor’sunstablenephewonthethrone.TheirfirstactistostartopenaggressionagainsttheNarn.Afterafull-scalewarbreaksout,theCentaurieventuallyconquerNarninabrutalattackinvolvingmassdrivers,outlawedweaponsofmassdestruction.Towardstheendoftheyear,theClarkadministrationbeginstoshowincreasinglytotalitariancharacteristics,clampingdownondissentandrestrictingfreedomofspeech.TheVorlonsarerevealedtobethebasisoflegendsaboutangelsonvariousworlds,includingEarth,andaretheancientenemiesoftheShadows.TheyenlisttheaidofSheridanandtheBabylon5commandstaffinthestruggleagainsttheShadows.

Theactorswerenevertoldinadvancewhatwasinstorefortheircharacters.Eachnewepisodewasjustasmuchasurpriseforthemasitwasfortheviewers.故事的背景设定在公元2257年，人类已经突破光速，开始大规模星际旅行及在太阳系附近殖民，与多个外星文明接触并有贸易联系。一天，一艘地球联邦的星际驱逐舰在探索未知星际空间的时候遇到一艘不明星船，因为误判对方意图而先敌开火。对方叫明巴利外星族（Minbari），比人类早进化发展几千年，其技术人类无法望其项背。不巧的是地球星船孤注一掷先敌开火的时候把灰色議會議長杜哈的给干掉了（那位老兄其实知道按大设计蓝图，明巴利必须与地球人联合并融合，这次到这里也不是闲逛，而是准备与地球人第一次亲密接触）。于是明巴利对地球开战，摧枯拉朽所向披糜，在对地球本土最后一击的过程中，明巴利却突然停止进攻并宣布投降。总之，停战后地球出资在中立空间建设“巴比伦空间站"，致力星际交流、谈判及和平合作。前面四座都被摧毁或莫名其妙消失，于是有了巴比伦5号。巴5军头Sheridan和明巴利大使笛嵐（Delenn）带领众喽罗，联合火星殖民地抵抗力量反对地球联邦通过谋杀政变而上台的独裁总统，联合各外星文明反击神秘黑暗种类——影族（Shadows），向佛隆人（Vorlon）说不，最终走上独立自主自力更生的发展文明道路。