Movies - Babylon 5: In the Beginning

Home > Listing Index > Movies > Babylon 5: In the Beginning

	Movies - Babylon 5: In the Beginning

Babylon 5: In the Beginning (1998) is a television movie set in the Babylon 5 science-fiction franchise. It was written by J. Michael Straczynski and directed by Michael Vejar.

The movie originally aired January 4, 1998 on the TNT cable network. It focused mainly on characters part of the established Babylon 5 cast, but it did include the notable guest star Reiner Schone (playing Minbari leader Dukhat).

Synopsis

In the Beginning tells the story of a pivotal event in the history of the Babylon 5 universe. Ten years before the television series Babylon 5 is set, a terrible event occurred: Earth became involved in a deadly conflict with the just-discovered Minbari race. This war almost led to the extermination of the human race, but it was mysteriously halted at the last moment by the Minbari leadership for reasons that would remain secret for over a decade. This near-destruction of the human race led to the Earth Alliance creating the Babylon 5 space station as a means of preventing further wars.

During the first four years of the Babylon 5 TV series, numerous hints about and glimpses of the Earth-Minbari War were offered. When the program moved to the TNT cable network for its fifth season, a set of made-for-TV movies were ordered to promote it, and Straczynski chose to use the first of these to tell the story of the war he had so often alluded to in previous episodes.

The movie begins before the war, when the human race — feeling cocky following their defeat of the Dilgar — is rapidly expanding into space. Word reaches them of the mysterious Minbari race. Though they are warned by Centauri ambassador Londo Mollari to leave this race alone, they seek to make first contact.

Meanwhile, the Minbari Grey Council, led by Dukhat, has become concerned that the Shadows may have returned to Z'ha'dum in fulfillment of Valen's prophecy. They are taking a roundabout route to the dark world to investigate when they encounter Earth ships seeking to make first contact.

A tragic misunderstanding follows, and an Earth ship fires on the Minbari vessel, which is taken unaware and suffers heavy damage. Their beloved leader Dukhat is killed. In retaliation, the Grey Council announces a holy war against mankind and the Earth-Minbari War begins.

The war lasts three years and countless humans are killed, being overwhelmed by superior Minbari technology. As a last, desperate effort to stave off the inevitable, the president of Earth orders all available ships to form a line around the planet in a vain attempt to stave off the final Minbari obliteration of the human race. This battle, known as the Battle of the Line, is the final battle of the war.

During the battle, Satai Delenn (Mira Furlan), a member of the Grey Council, abducts a human pilot to learn about Earth's defenses. This pilot is Jeffrey Sinclair (Michael O'Hare). The Grey Council is startled to discover, upon using the triluminary, that he appears to carry the soul of Minbari religious leader Valen. The Grey Council concludes that Minbari souls have been reincarnated in humans.

Since Minbari do not kill Minbari, they order a halt to the war rather than kill Minbari souls in human bodies. Because of the damage this revelation could do to their own culture, they keep the reason for the cease-fire a secret.

In the wake of the war, Earth decides to build a space station that can serve as a kind of United Nations in space, with the intent of preventing future wars. Though this station is destroyed, like several of its successors, eventually the space station Babylon 5 is built.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Babylon 5: In the Beginning ]

This page is based on the copyrighted Wikipedia article Babylon 5: In the Beginning; it is used under the GNU Free Documentation License. You may redistribute it, verbatim or modified, providing that you comply with the terms of the GFDL.

Searches on eBay