Between the Darkness and the Light

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“Between the Darkness and the Light”
Babylon 5 episode
Episode no. Season 4
Episode 19
Written by J. Michael Straczynski
Directed by David Eagle
Guest stars Marc Gomes (Eisensen)
Bruce Gray (Interrogator)
Marjorie Monaghan (Number One)
David Purdham (Captain James)
Musetta Vander (Felicia)
Production no. 419
Original airdate 6 October 1997
Episode chronology
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"Intersections in Real Time" "Endgame"
List of Babylon 5 episodes

"Between the Darkness and the Light" is an episode from the fourth season of the science-fiction television series Babylon 5.

Contents

[edit] Synopsis

The episode begins with Sheridan believing that he is sitting in his quarters on Babylon 5, having a meal with Dr. Stephen Franklin. Franklin is asking how he managed to escape, and asks details about the resistance which he should already know as he was there. It turns out that in reality, Sheridan is still in a prison cell on Mars - he is being subjected to psychological manipulation in order to get information about the resistance out of him.

Meanwhile, Michael Garibaldi is taken prisoner by the Mars Resistance. Feeling that Garibaldi's betrayal of Sheridan may have doomed the cause for Martian independence, Number One of the resistance wants to kill Garibaldi, and offers to let Stephen Franklin do the job. But Franklin found that he was unable to do the job, and wants to hear why Garibaldi betrayed Sheridan. Garibaldi tries to convince Franklin and the others that Alfred Bester had manipulated him, but no one believes him. Seeing Lyta Alexander, Garibaldi sees an opportunity to convince everyone that he had been manipulated by Bester. Franklin forces Number One to allow Lyta to scan Garibaldi, Lyta is able to convince everyone that Garibaldi was telling the truth.

The space fleet under the command of Susan Ivanova is still making progress towards Earth, disabling or destroying loyalist EarthForce vessels that engaged them in combat. After defeating a group of loyalist vessels, Ivanova learns from one of the prisoners that President Morgan Clark had assembled an elite group of advanced starships to ambush Ivanova's fleet. She decides to take the White Star fleet under her command off to deal with these advanced starships.

Having been made into the hero of the hour by ISN, Garibaldi learns where Sheridan is being held. He, Franklin, and Alexander manage to infiltrate the prison where Sheridan is being held. Garibaldi is stabbed in the process with Franklin stitching him up. They make their way to Sheridan by telling the guards that they are there to walk Sheridan around the block a few times. Finding Sheridan drugged up, Franklin helps get him ready to travel, and take him up to the guard station. The guards try to stop the group from leaving, but Garibaldi and his party kill the guards. Sheridan empties a PPG into one of the guards before leaving with the others.

Ivanova's fleet engages the advanced loyalist starships, which are Omega class destroyers which had been merged with Shadow technology. The vessels put up a strong fight, but are all defeated by Ivanova's White Stars. Ivanova is critically injured when a large piece of debris hits the ship Ivanova was onboard. Marcus Cole carries her away from the bridge, and the two escape in an escape pod before the ship explodes.

Sheridan arrives back at the fleet. He and Delenn have a reunion on board the Minbari flagship. They go to see Ivanova, who has been paralyzed, and who has only a few days left to live. Ivanova is at peace, and tells Sheridan not to carry any guilt around for what happened to her. As a final request, she asks Sheridan to command the final battles from the bridge of the EAS Agamemnon. With the permission of Captain James, Sheridan took command of the Agamemnon, and put the fleet on course for Mars.

[edit] Arc significance

  • The Mars resistance captures Garibaldi and he convinces them that Sheridan's betrayal was not his doing
  • Clark's forces have retrofitted some Omega-class destroyers with Shadow technology and are preparing to ambush Sheridan's fleet.
  • Garibaldi, Franklin and Lyta rescue Sheridan.
  • Ivanova is gravely wounded fighting the Shadow-enhanced destroyers.
  • The Centauri and Narn are flying side-by-side in Sheridan's fleet.

[edit] Production details

[edit] Quotes

  • Outside Sheridan's cell:
 Garibaldi:  Maybe you saw me on ISN.
 Guard:  I don't watch TV.  It's a cultural wasteland full of inappropriate metaphors and an unrealistic 
         portrayal of life created by the liberal media elite.

[edit] External links