This episode won the 1997 Hugo Award for Science Fiction (Best Dramatic Presentation), beating Star Trek : First Contact (great movie), Independence Day and Mars Attacks.
Yep winning a Hugo in1996 too if I recall, declining 1 nomination out of 2. maybe it was 1998 or1999 they separated movies from TV, no doubt cause B5 was too good!
"He is behind me, you are in front of me. If you value your lives, be somewhere else." This is what rolling a Natural 20 on an Intimidation check looks like. Delenn kicked ALL of the ass in this episode.
This is why people love Delenns character so much, she is soft, feminine and caring with a love for life, and when people go against that she is the most terrifying woman. What a strong female character should be.
It's even more impressive, if you have watched "in the beginning"-movie, which showcases exactly how powerfull ONE Sharlin war-cruiser is. There's three of them here, that have straight shot at them. Had they tried to carry out Clark's orders, It wouldn't have been a massacre: more like assisted suicide.
It's so awesome. I remember watching this episode as a kid. No one had ever done something like this. It was like the Enterprise going rogue from Starfleet.
"If you value your lives, be somewhere else!" There it is fellas, probably my favourite moment from the show and one of Delenns best. Love your reaction, I think we all had the same one and not just the first time round. Don't be disheartened though, there are plenty of emotional highs and lows yet to come and I can't wait to share them with you. Love and light.
This episode made me realise how important GROPOS was as an episode. Not only did they upgrade Babylon5's defences but the episode pointed out the "human" cost of combat.
Star Wars had the brand recognition, Star Trek had the budget and the fx, but the story of B5... It's excellent. Having watched this a million times, it's fun to re-live that 'first time' feeling with you all. "And so it begins." Because, yeah, you ain't seen nothin' yet.
During a convention BEFORE this episode aired on TV, JMS provided a "special screening" of JUST the space battle. It resulted in a standing ovation AND was such a huge hit with the fans of the show that they showed it (an unplanned) a 2nd time, resulting in a 2nd standing ovation. No wonder this episode won the "Hugo Award" (Highest award in the sci-fi genre). Because it wasn't just a HUGE leap in CGI technology to pull it off, but a MASSIVE impact on the series as well as a truly "iconic moment" for the fanbase.
That entire scene from the Jump Points forming right on top of them to the Earth Force ships tucking tail and running away is just epic. I love how she closed it. "If you value your lives... BE somewhere else." not go away, not get out of here... just BE somewhere else... lol.
The scene with ISN going dark is probably one of the most chilling moments ever. Journalists are usually taken for granted. They're yapping and yapping some stuff for their own agenda, who cares. But here a journalist tried to do his solemn duty to say the truth. All the truth. And he was silenced before he could finish his job. It's really scary. ISN was a great thing in B5 from a story telling perspective and I find it funny that other races don't have journalism unlike the Humans.
One thing that I always appreciate is that it involves the anchor who has been around since the first season (possibly first episode). You have a small connection to this journalist, and then you get the panicked moment where she begs Rick to stop. It's just a fantastic sccene
Is it more or less chilling, than most, if not all the legacy media ignoring any story that doesn't reinforce their viewers world views, or if they have to cover one of those, purposefully doing the deceitful edits and lying their arses off about the situation. When ISN comes back, it will be much more like modern journalism btw.
That scene is extra chilling for me. In Lithuania same happened to our national TV in 1991 when Soviet troops tried to seize government by force. There were literally journalists translating news while Russian troops were beating on the door. Crew only surrendered when Russians said will open fire.
@modisp I think JMS was inspired by that tbh. Such a chilling thing. Even the set design reminded me of the footage I've seen from that day. I was watching a docuseries about the Cold War and Vilnius being attacked was one of the things covered.
Mira's fate has really bitter after taste, given the history of balkans. As a Croatian who had married a serb, she got blacklisted from croatian theather scene for speaking out against the conduct of her fellow Croatians(she also refused to quit peforming in Belgrade) during Yugoslav break-up wars (the fact that she was married to an ethnic Serb didn't help matters). It tells something how deep that hostility goes that Croation weekly news magazine Globus publicly apologized their smear campaing against Mira week after she had died. Sure, better late than never, but they could've issued that apology when she was still alive.
"We all come together in the same place at the end of time. If I do not see you again here, I will see you in a little while in the place where no shadows fall."
@@Ruosteinenknight It's so sad. Just goes to show for all the racial issues we have in this country, that even if you get rid of all the races you don't like, the ethnic/social fragmentation never ends. Same thing happens among Africans, Asians, etc.
"Only one Human Captain has ever survived battle with the Minbari Fleet. He is behind me, you are in front of me..." Most epic taunt ever uttered in Scifi history.
@@Trek001because the minbari simply stopped. So its not evenna battle fought to the end. Earth force DID destroy Minbari ships. Its just that sheriden was the one who survived the deed.
Fun fact: Jerry Doyle broke his arm during the filming of the battle scene… the scene where Sheridan gets the applause from the civilians, Doyle has his hand deep in his pocket and he’s moving slow because of the pain and he hadn’t gone to get it taken care of yet
Yes the script called for his leg to be hurt, not his arm. But he waited to go to the hospital till they filmed the last scene of the day. He did not want to have to make them film it late, thus making the episode late. Granted the CGI rendering of this ep almost caused the episode to be late anyway. Also there was a insite told by JMS later on. Twice on the show when Garabaldi was written to be injured, something would happen in real life to him. So he made JMS promise not to write anymore scenes of Garabaldi getting seriously hurt.
The scene where the Narns get ambushed is heartbreaking every time I watch it. They disobeyed Garibaldi's order to stay and wait, and instead ran into the fire. It might speak to the character of the Narns and why they lost the war. But it sucks seeing them dying when they didn't have to. Such a proud and sad people that went through so much pain and suffering.
They knew the first spot gave a foothold for the boarding troops, which would lead to more problems. They were trying to get them upon entry, at a chokepoint, and cut down on losses and other issues. They were too slow. It also shows that they know what the cost is to giving an inch of ground. Sucks to witness, but powerful message displayed.
They weren't moving slow. The scene was slow-mo'ed. Not 50 percent....more like 25 so it does look like they are moving slow but 50 percent is wayyyy-sloooow.
It was a result of bad luck. They were setting up to choke them at a bottle neck, only to realize with no time to change position that they were breaching behind where they’d thought. Staying put would have meant the breaching soldiers could ignore them and advance into the station. At least the entry point neither side had cover. God knows how hard it might have been if they gotten in where they could hunker down behind cover and/or spread out on the station.
I just talking about B5. Said I'm appreciation for show includes so much, from the writing, which included the story, the fact that each season had a beginning, middle and end so the episodes could contain hint for a later episode(s), and the special effects.
I don't know if it was said on the live stream but there is a great blooper from this episode. When the Major comes in and says that General Hauge was dead.. he originally came in and said "He couldn't make it. His agent double booked him on Deep Space Nine." Additional... you guys have no idea how terrifying a single Minbari War Cruiser is to an Earth ship. And Delenn brought 3. When you guys eventually watch the movie about the Earth Minbari War... you'll realize how OP they are.
She was also in a relatively unknown ship that bad only been seeing once by earth and is supposedly responsible for one of their bases (ep where they went to mars and found the shadow ship).
Also ironic that Robert Foxworth's role in DS9 is almost an opposite of B5 - a starfleet admiral leading a coup agains Federation government for the sake of "security".
Priceless reaction when the Minbari showed up! My brother and I did the same all those years ago, our dad came rushing into the room wondering what was going on.
Fun fact - Jerry Doyle (Garibaldi) broke his arm filming the brawl scene. Go back and watch the end again, where he drops his helmet, you will never unsee it again.
Watched this back in the day. This battle, the show, is still one the best science fiction series going. It saved DS9 and inspired the bsg reboot. Bsg reboot is also brilliant.
The scene on the Alexander had the Bartender from Quantum Leap finale and the son of Barney from Mission Impossible (also appeared in Star Trek TOS and MI revival series). 2:42
21:55 - IFF is a wonderful thing. It transmits a signal that lets your side know if they are shooting at a friendly. 26:44 - figure also every crew member on the bridges of the Earth ships looking at their COs, and wondering if they are about to have Earth-Minbari War 2. And those crew members remember stories of what happened in E-M W1.
This show had soooo many great moments. But this one, particularly Delenn’s “DO YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE F’ING WITH!!!” facial expression, vocal tone, & powerful words remain etched in my mind forever.
This was so epic seeing it back in the 90s. And even though now the special effects are dated it's still looked amazing plus that line is just unforgettable
Put yourself back in the 90’s. Tv didn’t have story arcs. Star Trek had a couple episodes that called back to earlier episodes, but there was never any tv with large story arcs. Today there are huge arcs that rarely come to ahead. I’m glad u r all diggin it.
Robert Foxworth who played General Hague was unavailable for this episode due to him getting a role on Star Trek Deep Space 9. Bruce McGill was introduced as Major Ryan to fill the role in the story.
He double booked himself and Trek was higher paying so he blew off B5 which had been booked way in advance. I’m glad JMS killed his character off if the actor is that unreliable
Bruce McGill was a happy accident. There was some confusion in the name vs face, meaning they had someone else in mind, but thought they were McGill. JMS said McGill was great so it all worked out fine.
The scene in which Delenn breaks the Council was meant to be filmed in one continuous, unbroken shot - and it almost was.... until the moment came when Mira Furlan had to snap the leadership staff in half. It had been weakened to allow her to do this - but not weakened enough (and there's a funny blooper that shows this). They further weakened the staff, Mira broke it, and the scene was continued.
To answer how did the starfuries know who were friendly vs not? They have targeting computers and IFF systems. Babylon 5, Alexander and Churchill had set theirs so all other earth alliance craft were not friendly.
To comment about how they know who to target, even though some of what they do is visual, they are also paying attention to their HUDs, which have IFF Friend or Foe identification that was already pre-set.
There's a great outtake where the ship commander delivers different news about General Hague in the same flat dead-pan delivery he uses for breaking the news of his death. "Where's General Hague?" "General Hague... is doing Deep Space 9. It seems he was double-booked by his agent, so there's nothing to be done. I'm afraid you'll have to make doe with me, sir"
I have been saying to so many people for almost 30 years that Babylon 5 is the greatest sci-fi series ever created. AND, it would have been better if the network execs had left JMS alone.
Your reactions to this episode were amazing, so raw and filled with excitement and emotion. The last 3 episode just continued to build to the culmination of this episode. Such a wild ride and I appreciate you guys letting us share this journey with you.
How can they tell who's who? IFF. Identification: Friend or Foe. A signal is sent out by each ship that 'interrogates' other craft in the area. That signal must be replied with the correct code. For example your ship sends out a QXO signal. The correct reply is PBD. If that isn't received the craft giving the incorrect reply is marked as a 'Foe'.
Severed dreams is one of the best episodes in all of Science fiction. 29 years on, I remember exactly where I was when I saw this episode. I was watching a weekend rebroadcast in the common room of my dorm freshman year, icing my sprained ankle and bruised rib after game of rugby. How to use the bathroom and didn't get up. I didn't get up until the very end when somebody pointed out that I was bleeding. And I still wait it until the episode was over to go to the infirmary. And I still waited until the episode was over to go to the infirmary
I agree with Ray; God Tier Episode Here. My only regret for this episode is that the props team didn't weaken the staff enough for Delenn to break so they had to cut it in other than that her speech to the Grey Council would have been an AMAZING 1 Shot Speech.
This episode beat the Blockbusters Independance Day and Star Trek First Contact for the Hugo. 2 Movies with bigger budgets than the entire B5 series and JMS totally kicked their butts with a single little TV show. Other big scifi films that year included Mars Attacks, Dragonheart, Eraser, The Arrival, Phenomenon, Chain Reaction, Escape from LA, Space Jam, Barbwire and several forgettable ones. (I worked in a Theater that summer too.)
Just to show how scared the earth ships were they didn't use the jump gate to retreat, they fired up their own jump drives and opened the vortex behind them as they turned to run
Also, the Minbari ships came in with their jump drives, despite the tactical disadvantage of having to wait for the cooldown before they can jump again (thus why the Earthforce ships came in through the gate) because they have precisely zero intentions to retreat.
When the ISN studio gets hit and the ceiling starts falling, the newscaster's reactions looked so real because they were. The debris falling so close was an accident. Watching this, I think avout how there's SO MUCH yet to be revealed. G'kar had temporary telepathic power because of the dust he took. I dont recall an actual head ount, but if all rhe non-warrior castefollowed, and the Grey Council is made up of 9, that would be 5 of 9 since the council was off balance with warrior caste having 4 members. But then, I couldve missed something.
Delenn referenced 4 years because they were present before the start of The Gathering and there was about a year in between that and the start of season 1.
And now you know why this episode is considered by many as THE BEST of B5. To be clear,the rest of us think it's one of the best. The main competition is the two parter WWE, eps 16 and 17 of this season. Guys, you are forgetting an important part of Delenn's speech: "He is behind me. You are in front of me. If you value your lives, be somewhere else". The closing part is important. There's no way Earth's military would go against the Minbari. All the flag officers in EarthForce are veterans of the Earth-Minbari war. They certainly won't even THINK about reenacting that disaster. And "Garibaldi better not be dead"? You guys just wait.
Babylon 5 only won two Emmy Awards, one for makeup and one for visual effects. I think you're thinking of the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation. This was their 2nd win of that award, following The Coming Of Shadows. They were nominated for, but did not win, for "The Gathering" (series pilot) and "Sleeping In Light" (series finale). In the latter episode, the Hugo trophy won for this episode appears as a prop on General Ivanova's desk :)
The only part better than "He is behind me, you are in front of me. If you value your lives, be somewhere else." is teh quiet "why not?" before, the famous quote is just doubling down for dense captains. Also notice how they came in via jumpgate, but left on tehir own jumpdrive, with an insane turn for a ship without inertial dampers.
That turn wasn't noteworthy from the viewpoint of inertial dampers. Crew are all in the middle rotating sections, so for them it was similar to an ice skater pirouetting - all rotation, no forward/back motion. The turn was noteworthy from the viewpoint of "yes ma'am!" action compliance to "If you value your lives, be somewhere else!"
You are in the right place if you want to see the full on shadow war, it's like part of this series, RIP Hiroshi, she died before fighting true evil today.
Phil Morris who plays Bill Trainer the officer next to the acting Captain of the Alexander (Major Ed Ryan) also played the Martian Man Hunter (Jon Jonz) on Smallville for several episodes. 😮
For me he'll always be Jackie Chiles..."Who told you to put the balm on? I didn't tell you to put the balm on. Why did you put the balm on? Do you even know what balm is?" "This is the most public yet of my many humiliations." "A bra has got to fit against the skin...like a glove!" and the immortal "Oh and, by the way, they're real...and they're spectacular!"
I can not express how amazing this episode was to watch when it first aired. This is my second best episode ever of tv ever and #1 is still to come. There was so much build up and hype to this episode. fan forums were crazy, the watch party me, my brother and uncle had was unreal. This probably is the best ever threat given in televison history.
The Hyperion class cruiser is an old ship design in this era. The ship was designed for the Dilgar War if my memory serves. They are not built to handle such firepower.
There were 2 hyperion ships that came in with the first wave of ships. They are never seen again. The Churchill that rammed the destroyer had been badly damaged but, we never saw the part of the firefight where the Churchill was hit. Now this is only head canon but I think that the 2 Hyperions we see once are the ships that maul The Churchill. but they are destroyed in the fight. As I said this is only head canon but, it does explain what happend to the Churchill and the 2 missing Hyperions. with the minimum of speculation.
@@Colin4763 I remember reading somewhere that they initially wanted the space battle to be much longer, but it just wasn't in the budget, and that you would've seen the Churchill and Alexander destroy the other two ships, but because of the budget and time they couldn't film it.
@user-ow1jb7wg8u well time was extremely tight for the production of the episode, JMS has said that the final rendering was completed on the journey from the B5 studio to the network studio where they uploaded the episode to PTEN (I think that was the name of the distribution company) as I said time was tight
"If you value your lives, be somewhere else!" At which point, the Earth Captains suddenly got worried that they'd left the stove on in their kitchen. Or had a very critical appointment with their... dentists!
Back when I was a kid, I remember watching B5 on Saturday afternoons. I know the CG textures look dated now, but at the time, we'd never seen anything like it before. They really were pioneers in visual FX. To this episode: simply flawless. And there is more - much more to come.
when the first season came out i watched it on a black and white tv.unbelievable but it gave a great retro element to the show!i recommend everyone to watch one of their favorite episodes like this.definitely they will be interested! 😊
Didn’t see it mentioned but Jerry Doyle actually broke his arm during the shooting of the big brawl. In the scene where Zack is helping him, he ain’t acting. The director asked if he could the scene while they were waiting for the ambulance and he agreed.
The EarthForce marines looked very much like Desert Storm US infantry because they wanted the viewers to see the men their heroes were shooting at as friendlies. To subtly suggest the feelings of both sides.
Every time I see the Mimbari ships arrive I feel a sense of relief, then it switches to Delenn and I get nervous. Like a Titan arriving on the battlefield, and everyone becomes the prey.
WE'VE ARRIVED AT ONE OF THE GREATEST EPISODES EVER PUT ON TELEVISION.
I couldn't agree with you more !!
Absolutely and the roller coaster is going downwards
Only 1 episode more amazing. Entilzha.
1,000% agreed!
This is one of the best ones. My favorite is still 6 ahead.
This episode won the 1997 Hugo Award for Science Fiction (Best Dramatic Presentation), beating Star Trek : First Contact (great movie), Independence Day and Mars Attacks.
And the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Trials And Tribble-Ations"
Yep winning a Hugo in1996 too if I recall, declining 1 nomination out of 2. maybe it was 1998 or1999 they separated movies from TV, no doubt cause B5 was too good!
"He is behind me, you are in front of me. If you value your lives, be somewhere else." This is what rolling a Natural 20 on an Intimidation check looks like. Delenn kicked ALL of the ass in this episode.
This is why people love Delenns character so much, she is soft, feminine and caring with a love for life, and when people go against that she is the most terrifying woman. What a strong female character should be.
Well said @@stue2298
RIP Mira Furlan, in Velen's name I miss her.
So it is. First rule of the series: "Never piss of Delenn."
It's even more impressive, if you have watched "in the beginning"-movie, which showcases exactly how powerfull ONE Sharlin war-cruiser is. There's three of them here, that have straight shot at them.
Had they tried to carry out Clark's orders, It wouldn't have been a massacre: more like assisted suicide.
Severed Dreams isn't just one of the best episodes of Babylon 5; it's one of the finest episodes in all of science fiction. So good!
I'm one of the original viewers i still love the fact that new viewers are enjoying the whole Babylon5 Universe
It's so awesome. I remember watching this episode as a kid. No one had ever done something like this. It was like the Enterprise going rogue from Starfleet.
Rewatching the show again myself. The show is that good that quality never is a bad thing. Quality will always win them over.
"If you value your lives, be somewhere else!"
There it is fellas, probably my favourite moment from the show and one of Delenns best. Love your reaction, I think we all had the same one and not just the first time round. Don't be disheartened though, there are plenty of emotional highs and lows yet to come and I can't wait to share them with you. Love and light.
This episode made me realise how important GROPOS was as an episode. Not only did they upgrade Babylon5's defences but the episode pointed out the "human" cost of combat.
There were three EPIC moments in this - the breaking of the Grey Council, B5 seceeding, and Delenn's Charge of the Rohirimm moment. SO GOOD.
Each one could match "Luke I am your Father" alone.
@@ZakhadWOW Not really. It's less of a plot-twist and more of a cheap and mostly irrelevant gimmick.
Star Wars had the brand recognition, Star Trek had the budget and the fx, but the story of B5... It's excellent. Having watched this a million times, it's fun to re-live that 'first time' feeling with you all. "And so it begins." Because, yeah, you ain't seen nothin' yet.
I am LOVING all the love and respect yall have for G'Kar.. RIP Andreas Katsulas, that beautiful man was taken from us way too soon.
amazing character!first everyone hates him and expect him to be the villain of the show, then they fall in love with him! 😊
During a convention BEFORE this episode aired on TV, JMS provided a "special screening" of JUST the space battle. It resulted in a standing ovation AND was such a huge hit with the fans of the show that they showed it (an unplanned) a 2nd time, resulting in a 2nd standing ovation.
No wonder this episode won the "Hugo Award" (Highest award in the sci-fi genre). Because it wasn't just a HUGE leap in CGI technology to pull it off, but a MASSIVE impact on the series as well as a truly "iconic moment" for the fanbase.
That entire scene from the Jump Points forming right on top of them to the Earth Force ships tucking tail and running away is just epic. I love how she closed it. "If you value your lives... BE somewhere else." not go away, not get out of here... just BE somewhere else... lol.
Delenn is a force of the universe! Nothing can stand in her way for long. RIP Mira Furlan.
The scene with ISN going dark is probably one of the most chilling moments ever. Journalists are usually taken for granted. They're yapping and yapping some stuff for their own agenda, who cares. But here a journalist tried to do his solemn duty to say the truth. All the truth. And he was silenced before he could finish his job. It's really scary. ISN was a great thing in B5 from a story telling perspective and I find it funny that other races don't have journalism unlike the Humans.
One thing that I always appreciate is that it involves the anchor who has been around since the first season (possibly first episode). You have a small connection to this journalist, and then you get the panicked moment where she begs Rick to stop. It's just a fantastic sccene
Dictators always try to control information. People without information are easy to lie to.
Is it more or less chilling, than most, if not all the legacy media ignoring any story that doesn't reinforce their viewers world views, or if they have to cover one of those, purposefully doing the deceitful edits and lying their arses off about the situation.
When ISN comes back, it will be much more like modern journalism btw.
That scene is extra chilling for me. In Lithuania same happened to our national TV in 1991 when Soviet troops tried to seize government by force. There were literally journalists translating news while Russian troops were beating on the door. Crew only surrendered when Russians said will open fire.
@modisp I think JMS was inspired by that tbh. Such a chilling thing. Even the set design reminded me of the footage I've seen from that day. I was watching a docuseries about the Cold War and Vilnius being attacked was one of the things covered.
I saw this episode the first time it was aired. Delenn's "be somewhere else" is just as awesome now as it was then.
If I had to comment, I'd say, "He is behind me, you are in front of me. If you value your unaliveness, be somewhere else."
RIP Mira Furlan
I looked her up because of this comment, and damn she seems like a badass off screen too.
Mira's fate has really bitter after taste, given the history of balkans. As a Croatian who had married a serb, she got blacklisted from croatian theather scene for speaking out against the conduct of her fellow Croatians(she also refused to quit peforming in Belgrade) during Yugoslav break-up wars (the fact that she was married to an ethnic Serb didn't help matters). It tells something how deep that hostility goes that Croation weekly news magazine Globus publicly apologized their smear campaing against Mira week after she had died.
Sure, better late than never, but they could've issued that apology when she was still alive.
"We all come together in the same place at the end of time. If I do not see you again here, I will see you in a little while in the place where no shadows fall."
@@Ruosteinenknight It's so sad. Just goes to show for all the racial issues we have in this country, that even if you get rid of all the races you don't like, the ethnic/social fragmentation never ends. Same thing happens among Africans, Asians, etc.
"Only one Human Captain has ever survived battle with the Minbari Fleet. He is behind me, you are in front of me..."
Most epic taunt ever uttered in Scifi history.
After thinking more, I think the simple "why not?" is more impressive, but yeah.
@@walkir2662 But not so much when you think that other Captains survived the Battle of the Line
@@Trek001because the minbari simply stopped. So its not evenna battle fought to the end. Earth force DID destroy Minbari ships. Its just that sheriden was the one who survived the deed.
Fun fact: Jerry Doyle broke his arm during the filming of the battle scene… the scene where Sheridan gets the applause from the civilians, Doyle has his hand deep in his pocket and he’s moving slow because of the pain and he hadn’t gone to get it taken care of yet
Yes the script called for his leg to be hurt, not his arm. But he waited to go to the hospital till they filmed the last scene of the day. He did not want to have to make them film it late, thus making the episode late. Granted the CGI rendering of this ep almost caused the episode to be late anyway. Also there was a insite told by JMS later on. Twice on the show when Garabaldi was written to be injured, something would happen in real life to him. So he made JMS promise not to write anymore scenes of Garabaldi getting seriously hurt.
@@dustinowens9552Claudia’s broken foot occurred after a line JMS wrote for her. Needless to say, the cast was getting nervous.
_"Demons Run when a Good Man goes to War"_
Weird quote. I mean, really? Yea, OK, I can see that.
The scene where the Narns get ambushed is heartbreaking every time I watch it. They disobeyed Garibaldi's order to stay and wait, and instead ran into the fire. It might speak to the character of the Narns and why they lost the war. But it sucks seeing them dying when they didn't have to. Such a proud and sad people that went through so much pain and suffering.
They knew the first spot gave a foothold for the boarding troops, which would lead to more problems. They were trying to get them upon entry, at a chokepoint, and cut down on losses and other issues. They were too slow.
It also shows that they know what the cost is to giving an inch of ground. Sucks to witness, but powerful message displayed.
They weren't moving slow. The scene was slow-mo'ed. Not 50 percent....more like 25 so it does look like they are moving slow but 50 percent is wayyyy-sloooow.
Some must be sacrificed, if all are to be saved.
@@ianstopher9111 they took that a little bit too literally
It was a result of bad luck. They were setting up to choke them at a bottle neck, only to realize with no time to change position that they were breaching behind where they’d thought. Staying put would have meant the breaching soldiers could ignore them and advance into the station. At least the entry point neither side had cover. God knows how hard it might have been if they gotten in where they could hunker down behind cover and/or spread out on the station.
I just talking about B5. Said I'm appreciation for show includes so much, from the writing, which included the story, the fact that each season had a beginning, middle and end so the episodes could contain hint for a later episode(s), and the special effects.
"Hiroshi? HIROSHI!" Goose bumps even after hearing the line a hundred times.
'Fire on all decks'
Also better than special effects...you can imagine.
Bab 5. The best space battles.
These episodes pull your pulse up and keep your heart thumping.
Awesome show.
One of my favorite episodes from B5!
Delan is just hard core! 😎👍
I don't know if it was said on the live stream but there is a great blooper from this episode.
When the Major comes in and says that General Hauge was dead.. he originally came in and said "He couldn't make it. His agent double booked him on Deep Space Nine."
Additional... you guys have no idea how terrifying a single Minbari War Cruiser is to an Earth ship. And Delenn brought 3. When you guys eventually watch the movie about the Earth Minbari War... you'll realize how OP they are.
Too true. That's why those attacking destroyers burned out their RCS turning around and yeeting out of there.
She was also in a relatively unknown ship that bad only been seeing once by earth and is supposedly responsible for one of their bases (ep where they went to mars and found the shadow ship).
Also ironic that Robert Foxworth's role in DS9 is almost an opposite of B5 - a starfleet admiral leading a coup agains Federation government for the sake of "security".
The civilians may have believed that Earth had won the war, but the military knew the truth. No wonder they immediately withdrew!..
Priceless reaction when the Minbari showed up! My brother and I did the same all those years ago, our dad came rushing into the room wondering what was going on.
"If you value your lives, be somewhere else." I jumped out of my chair the first time I saw this episode. Let's go!!
Delenn's scene with the council was supposed to be a continuous take, but the bloody staff refused to break and they had to make a cut there.
Fun fact - Jerry Doyle (Garibaldi) broke his arm filming the brawl scene. Go back and watch the end again, where he drops his helmet, you will never unsee it again.
Watched this back in the day. This battle, the show, is still one the best science fiction series going. It saved DS9 and inspired the bsg reboot. Bsg reboot is also brilliant.
The scene on the Alexander had the Bartender from Quantum Leap finale and the son of Barney from Mission Impossible (also appeared in Star Trek TOS and MI revival series). 2:42
Delenn's "He is behind me, *you* are in front of me..." is one of the most celebrated lines in the entire series.
If the Membari opened up on the Earth force ships it wouldn't have been a battle...I would have been a slaughter.
Even if you were suicidal one look at Delenn's face and you would back down. Nope not today there are easier and far less painful ways to die.
I can't imagine watching this episode with others knowing the emotional impact.
21:55 - IFF is a wonderful thing. It transmits a signal that lets your side know if they are shooting at a friendly.
26:44 - figure also every crew member on the bridges of the Earth ships looking at their COs, and wondering if they are about to have Earth-Minbari War 2. And those crew members remember stories of what happened in E-M W1.
the claim that earth won the war is the biggest joke in the show! 😊damn i love this series!!
And this is why B5 is one of the best shows ever!!!
This show had soooo many great moments. But this one, particularly Delenn’s “DO YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE F’ING WITH!!!” facial expression, vocal tone, & powerful words remain etched in my mind forever.
Ivanova's in Season 4 (no spoilers) is right up there too
@@brazil-y2y It's extremely close but I think the edge goes to Delenn.
This was so epic seeing it back in the 90s. And even though now the special effects are dated it's still looked amazing plus that line is just unforgettable
good series are not affected by the aging of their effects. an incredibly good episode, then - and today. ❤😊
Put yourself back in the 90’s. Tv didn’t have story arcs. Star Trek had a couple episodes that called back to earlier episodes, but there was never any tv with large story arcs. Today there are huge arcs that rarely come to ahead. I’m glad u r all diggin it.
It took Mira Furlan (Delenn) several takes and some strategic weakening for that staff to break, but she made it work, every time.
He's hanging with the shadows. As if Vorlons got planet killers, that's crazy!
Robert Foxworth who played General Hague was unavailable for this episode due to him getting a role on Star Trek Deep Space 9. Bruce McGill was introduced as Major Ryan to fill the role in the story.
He double booked himself and Trek was higher paying so he blew off B5 which had been booked way in advance. I’m glad JMS killed his character off if the actor is that unreliable
Bruce McGill was a happy accident. There was some confusion in the name vs face, meaning they had someone else in mind, but thought they were McGill. JMS said McGill was great so it all worked out fine.
@@tvdroid22 He wanted Everett McGill for the role, but didn't remembered the first name.
@@AmberSmith-zx2rp Yeah, what she said.
the general was briefly in the show, but he was an important, well-conceived and played character, that's why we still remember him to this day.
The scene in which Delenn breaks the Council was meant to be filmed in one continuous, unbroken shot - and it almost was.... until the moment came when Mira Furlan had to snap the leadership staff in half. It had been weakened to allow her to do this - but not weakened enough (and there's a funny blooper that shows this). They further weakened the staff, Mira broke it, and the scene was continued.
To answer how did the starfuries know who were friendly vs not? They have targeting computers and IFF systems. Babylon 5, Alexander and Churchill had set theirs so all other earth alliance craft were not friendly.
Zathras: "this is wrong tool!"
Wish I could watch it again for the first time. I think I still have it on VHS.
I think it was a tease they did call Drall for the holgram thing, not for the fight.
To comment about how they know who to target, even though some of what they do is visual, they are also paying attention to their HUDs, which have IFF Friend or Foe identification that was already pre-set.
There's a great outtake where the ship commander delivers different news about General Hague in the same flat dead-pan delivery he uses for breaking the news of his death.
"Where's General Hague?"
"General Hague... is doing Deep Space 9. It seems he was double-booked by his agent, so there's nothing to be done. I'm afraid you'll have to make doe with me, sir"
I am so gratified your team is reacting to B5. It was ahead of its time. And don't skip what is, imo, the best part of Delenn's line: "Why not?"
I have been saying to so many people for almost 30 years that Babylon 5 is the greatest sci-fi series ever created. AND, it would have been better if the network execs had left JMS alone.
Still the best episode of the show bar none.
Your reactions to this episode were amazing, so raw and filled with excitement and emotion. The last 3 episode just continued to build to the culmination of this episode. Such a wild ride and I appreciate you guys letting us share this journey with you.
How can they tell who's who?
IFF. Identification: Friend or Foe. A signal is sent out by each ship that 'interrogates' other craft in the area. That signal must be replied with the correct code.
For example your ship sends out a QXO signal. The correct reply is PBD. If that isn't received the craft giving the incorrect reply is marked as a 'Foe'.
Severed dreams is one of the best episodes in all of Science fiction. 29 years on, I remember exactly where I was when I saw this episode. I was watching a weekend rebroadcast in the common room of my dorm freshman year, icing my sprained ankle and bruised rib after game of rugby. How to use the bathroom and didn't get up. I didn't get up until the very end when somebody pointed out that I was bleeding. And I still wait it until the episode was over to go to the infirmary. And I still waited until the episode was over to go to the infirmary
That's a sign of greatness
This is why we love Delen
it's sad that furlan is gone so young.. doesn't that rob us of the chance to see her in this role again?
One of the greatest episodes of sci fi ever!!! The scene between John and his dad is simply perfect and Delenn is the GOAT!
If one thing you know about humans, especially fascitsts, they're quiiters, they'd never come back with a greater force. That's sarcasm. RIP Hiroshi.
I agree with Ray; God Tier Episode Here. My only regret for this episode is that the props team didn't weaken the staff enough for Delenn to break so they had to cut it in other than that her speech to the Grey Council would have been an AMAZING 1 Shot Speech.
This episode beat the Blockbusters Independance Day and Star Trek First Contact for the Hugo. 2 Movies with bigger budgets than the entire B5 series and JMS totally kicked their butts with a single little TV show. Other big scifi films that year included Mars Attacks, Dragonheart, Eraser, The Arrival, Phenomenon, Chain Reaction, Escape from LA, Space Jam, Barbwire and several forgettable ones. (I worked in a Theater that summer too.)
Just to show how scared the earth ships were they didn't use the jump gate to retreat, they fired up their own jump drives and opened the vortex behind them as they turned to run
Also, the Minbari ships came in with their jump drives, despite the tactical disadvantage of having to wait for the cooldown before they can jump again (thus why the Earthforce ships came in through the gate) because they have precisely zero intentions to retreat.
When the ISN studio gets hit and the ceiling starts falling, the newscaster's reactions looked so real because they were. The debris falling so close was an accident. Watching this, I think avout how there's SO MUCH yet to be revealed. G'kar had temporary telepathic power because of the dust he took. I dont recall an actual head ount, but if all rhe non-warrior castefollowed, and the Grey Council is made up of 9, that would be 5 of 9 since the council was off balance with warrior caste having 4 members. But then, I couldve missed something.
Buckle up ,gentlemen ...you are in for one hell of a ride with this one ....
Delenn referenced 4 years because they were present before the start of The Gathering and there was about a year in between that and the start of season 1.
Note the Gathering the station had been online for a bit already too but was finally getting the final major ambassador on board
The one John Sheridan blew up, the Dark Star.
And now you know why this episode is considered by many as THE BEST of B5. To be clear,the rest of us think it's one of the best. The main competition is the two parter WWE, eps 16 and 17 of this season.
Guys, you are forgetting an important part of Delenn's speech: "He is behind me. You are in front of me. If you value your lives, be somewhere else". The closing part is important.
There's no way Earth's military would go against the Minbari. All the flag officers in EarthForce are veterans of the Earth-Minbari war. They certainly won't even THINK about reenacting that disaster.
And "Garibaldi better not be dead"? You guys just wait.
We don't often see the harder side of Delenn, but when we do, she's terrifyingly intimidating.
This episode earned B5 it's 4th Emmy, it's 2nd for Best Dramatic Presentation (Coming of Shadows was the first)
Also the Hugo over two blockbuster scifi movies the same year.
@@charlesmaurer6214 it beat out Independence Day, Mars Attacks, Star Trek First Contact and the DS9 episode "Trials and Tribble-ations"
Babylon 5 only won two Emmy Awards, one for makeup and one for visual effects. I think you're thinking of the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation. This was their 2nd win of that award, following The Coming Of Shadows. They were nominated for, but did not win, for "The Gathering" (series pilot) and "Sleeping In Light" (series finale). In the latter episode, the Hugo trophy won for this episode appears as a prop on General Ivanova's desk :)
The only part better than "He is behind me, you are in front of me. If you value your lives, be somewhere else." is teh quiet "why not?" before, the famous quote is just doubling down for dense captains.
Also notice how they came in via jumpgate, but left on tehir own jumpdrive, with an insane turn for a ship without inertial dampers.
That turn wasn't noteworthy from the viewpoint of inertial dampers. Crew are all in the middle rotating sections, so for them it was similar to an ice skater pirouetting - all rotation, no forward/back motion.
The turn was noteworthy from the viewpoint of "yes ma'am!" action compliance to "If you value your lives, be somewhere else!"
You are in the right place if you want to see the full on shadow war, it's like part of this series, RIP Hiroshi, she died before fighting true evil today.
And from this point on the show will never be the same again
Phil Morris who plays Bill Trainer the officer next to the acting Captain of the Alexander (Major Ed Ryan) also played the Martian Man Hunter (Jon Jonz) on Smallville for several episodes. 😮
For me he'll always be Jackie Chiles..."Who told you to put the balm on? I didn't tell you to put the balm on. Why did you put the balm on? Do you even know what balm is?" "This is the most public yet of my many humiliations." "A bra has got to fit against the skin...like a glove!" and the immortal "Oh and, by the way, they're real...and they're spectacular!"
Best Sci-fi show ever
You do not know what awaits you; I envy you this first knowledge of Babylon." 5
“Be somewhere else!” Epicness!
I can not express how amazing this episode was to watch when it first aired. This is my second best episode ever of tv ever and #1 is still to come. There was so much build up and hype to this episode. fan forums were crazy, the watch party me, my brother and uncle had was unreal. This probably is the best ever threat given in televison history.
Back in the day we all expected Kosh to show up, Delenn showing up breaking sticks was better than the Volans!
Flounder and D-Day in the same show. The Deltas would be proud ( if you know, you know 😊)
Michael bouncing up and down during the entire battle and screaming at the Narn to take cover is my spirit animal. 😂😂😂
I never realised James Parks was in B5!
one of the best episodes, love that you liked it, i remember watching this back in the 90s when i was a kid
Delenn is FKING AWESOME! 💪🥰💪 +20 YEARS now and I STILL GET GOOSEBUMPS! 😁🤣😂🤣
"Orion 7 and Proxina 3 have broken away from the Earth alliance"
GOOSEBUMPS!!! 😊💗 God I love this show! :D
indomitable will, and a big heart! great woman! ❤
I agree with Londo.
None of this would have happened if the Earthers hadn't stopped pushing the like button.
He is behind me. You are in front of me. BEST LINE EVER! Love Delenn. Love all the characters on this show. can't wait for what's coming.
The Hyperion class cruiser is an old ship design in this era. The ship was designed for the Dilgar War if my memory serves. They are not built to handle such firepower.
Correct. No artificial gravity either. Is why when you see the interiors all the crew are strapped in.
There were 2 hyperion ships that came in with the first wave of ships. They are never seen again. The Churchill that rammed the destroyer had been badly damaged but, we never saw the part of the firefight where the Churchill was hit. Now this is only head canon but I think that the 2 Hyperions we see once are the ships that maul The Churchill. but they are destroyed in the fight.
As I said this is only head canon but, it does explain what happend to the Churchill and the 2 missing Hyperions. with the minimum of speculation.
@@Colin4763 I remember reading somewhere that they initially wanted the space battle to be much longer, but it just wasn't in the budget, and that you would've seen the Churchill and Alexander destroy the other two ships, but because of the budget and time they couldn't film it.
like sending a Dreadnought to chase the Bismarck.the fight will be VERY short! 😊
@user-ow1jb7wg8u well time was extremely tight for the production of the episode, JMS has said that the final rendering was completed on the journey from the B5 studio to the network studio where they uploaded the episode to PTEN (I think that was the name of the distribution company) as I said time was tight
This episode netted you a new viewer who will be going back to see what you have watched already. Nice work!
Welcome aboard!
I love that he called Star Wars and Trek Tash compared to this. This episode was the best science fiction to grace any screen ever, before or after.
to call Kathleen Kennedy's creations "garbage" is the same as giving them an Oscar! 😅
"If you value your lives, be somewhere else!"
At which point, the Earth Captains suddenly got worried that they'd left the stove on in their kitchen. Or had a very critical appointment with their... dentists!
I have been waiting for this since you guys started watching
I saw this show a few years ago and then watched it again with one of my brothers. We're both still fans of this masterpiece of a sci-fi opera.
Now that you've seen this episode, you should REALLY see the blooper reel for the "where's general Hague?" scene. Short, but funny as hell 😄
Back when I was a kid, I remember watching B5 on Saturday afternoons. I know the CG textures look dated now, but at the time, we'd never seen anything like it before. They really were pioneers in visual FX. To this episode: simply flawless. And there is more - much more to come.
when the first season came out i watched it on a black and white tv.unbelievable but it gave a great retro element to the show!i recommend everyone to watch one of their favorite episodes like this.definitely they will be interested! 😊
That speech from Delenn is one of the best two speeches in the entire series, you've still got the other one to look forward to.
there are three!!!!
If you value your lives ..be somewhere else ...love it
Non Aligned worlds will show up like Deleen if pressed to. For B5.
We don't actually kjnow which Minbariu castes followed Delenn out from the council, 3 I saw of the nine. but warrior religious or worker?
Didn’t see it mentioned but Jerry Doyle actually broke his arm during the shooting of the big brawl. In the scene where Zack is helping him, he ain’t acting. The director asked if he could the scene while they were waiting for the ambulance and he agreed.
Delenn has two of her best lines ever, but the first one is sadly overshadowed by that second. Best moment ever. Glad you enjoyed it!
The EarthForce marines looked very much like Desert Storm US infantry because they wanted the viewers to see the men their heroes were shooting at as friendlies. To subtly suggest the feelings of both sides.
Every time I see the Mimbari ships arrive I feel a sense of relief, then it switches to Delenn and I get nervous. Like a Titan arriving on the battlefield, and everyone becomes the prey.