2x09 The Coming of Shadows - Babylon 5 Episode Guide

Babylon 5

- Episode 02x09

Episode: 02x09
Title: The Coming of Shadows
Type: Regular Episode
Production Code: 209
First Aired: Feb. 02, 1995

Season 2 » Episode #09 - The Coming of Shadows

Summary: On the Centauri home planet the frail emperor has decided to visit Babylon 5, much to G'Kar's chagrin. As the emperor is expected to die soon, plots are being forged in order to have a hand in who's going to be the next emperor. With Londo in the middle of it, being asked to spin the situation to their advantage. Londo is not feeling at all comfortable with the situation, and is plagued by nightmares. G'Kar prepares to sacrifice his life taking the emperor's, but faith would have it otherwise and tragedy strikes the Narn people once again. An unexpected message reaches Garibaldi from Sinclair containing a grave warning.

Who appeared in this episode?

Warren Keffer	played by Robert Rusler
Na'Toth	played by Mary Kay Adams
Ranger	played by Fredric Lehne
Centauri Prime Minister	played by Malachi Throne
Lord Refa	played by William Forward
Centauri Emperor	played by Turhan Bey
Ambassador Jeffrey Sinclair	played by Michael O'Hare
Kha'Mak	played by Neil Bradley
Narn Pilot #2	played by Jonathan Chapman

Season 2 / Episode 9: - The Coming of Shadows

Centauri Emperor Turhan: Is everything ready?
Centauri Prime Minister: Yes. The royal liner is standing by. We have adequate warships for protection, and they're prepared to set forth as soon as we arrive.

Season 2 / Episode 9: - The Coming of Shadows

Centauri Emperor Turhan: Why are you here, in this place, in that uniform? Was it your choice or were you pressed into service?
Capt. John Sheridan: It was my choice. The planetary draft didn't start until the war, a few years later. I guess I wanted to serve something that was bigger than I was. Make a difference, somewhere, somehow.
Centauri Emperor Turhan: It has occurred to me recently that I have never chosen anything. I was born into a role that was prepared for me. I did everything I was asked to do because it never occurred to me to choose otherwise. And now, at the end of my life, I wonder what might have been.
Capt. John Sheridan: That's why my father taught me to live each second as though it were the last moment of my life. He said, "If you love, love without reservations. If you fight, fight without fear." He called it "the way of the warrior."
Centauri Emperor Turhan: No regrets then?
Capt. John Sheridan: A few. But just a few. You?
Centauri Emperor Turhan: Oh, enough to fill a lifetime. So much has been lost, so much forgotten. So much pain, so much blood. And for what? I wonder. The past tempts us, the present confuses us, and the future frightens us. And our lives slip away, moment by moment, lost in that vast, terrible in-between. But there is still time to seize that one last, fragile moment. To choose something better, to make a difference, as you say. And I intend to do just that.

[More Quotes]

MISTAKES/GOOFS

CONT: Zack (Jeff Conaway) ushers the Ranger prisoner into Garibaldi's office to talk to the security chief. Moments later, when G'Kar is rampaging through the diplomatic section, Zack's voice cuts off when G'Kar beats him up. Somehow, Zack traveled from Blue Sector (Command) to Green Sector (Diplomatic) in only a few minutes.
FAKE: When G'Kar throws a security guard to the ground, the impact causes one of the walls to visibly ripple, showing it to be a thin screen.
SYNC: When Garibaldi pauses the message from Sinclair, the computer plays a tone to confirm the pause, and Sinclair's voice stops, but on the screen, Sinclair's mouth is still moving.

TRIVIA

The cast so enjoyed Turhan Bey's performance that many were upset that his character was killed off so quickly. So, Executive Producer J. Michael Straczynski had Bey return three years later to play Sech Turval, a Minbari teacher.
A part of the message to Garibaldi that was not seen was Sinclair asking Garibaldi not to tell Sheridan what he was about to hear. Garibaldi later confirmed this when he told Sheridan that he gave his word not to reveal his informational source.
The Centauri Prime Minister didn't have an official name, but much later he was named Prime Minister Malachi, to honor actor Malachi Throne.
According to Babylon 5 canon, the Ranger (Fredric Lehne), actually had three message crystals: one for Garibaldi, one for Delenn, and a third which deposited a message into Catherine Sakai's account. The message to Sakai told her to come to see Sinclair on Minbar.
SPOILER: Sinclair's final sentence in his message to Garibaldi carries a double meaning. The sentence is, "Stay close to the Vorlon and watch out for Shadows; they move when you're not looking at them." Garibaldi once told Sinclair that if he didn't trust someone, he'd always stay close to them, acting out the old saying, 'Keep your friends close; your enemies closer.' Sinclair is telling Garibaldi that the Vorlons can't really be trusted, and that both the Vorlons and the Shadows move secretly, often at the same time.

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Babylon 5

Season 2 » Episode #09 - The Coming of Shadows

Who appeared in this episode?

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Episode Quotes

MISTAKES/GOOFS

TRIVIA