Babylon 5: The Gathering (TV 1993)

The opening of a crucial space station is put in jeopardy when the commanding officer is accused of the attempted murder of a diplomat.

Director:

Richard Compton

Writer:

J. Michael Straczynski

Stars:

Michael O'Hare, Tamlyn Tomita, Jerry Doyle

Won 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael O'Hare	...	Cmdr. Jeffrey Sinclair
Tamlyn Tomita	...	Lt. Cmdr. Laurel Takashima
Jerry Doyle	...	Michael Garibaldi
Mira Furlan	...	Delenn
Blaire Baron	...	Carolyn Sykes
John Fleck	...	Del Varner
Paul Hampton	...	The Senator
Peter Jurasik	...	Londo Mollari
Andreas Katsulas	...	G'Kar
Johnny Sekka	...	Dr. Benjamin Kyle
Patricia Tallman	...	Lyta Alexander
Steven R. Barnett	...	Eric Hazeltine
Billy Hayes	...	Traveler (as William Hayes)
Linda Hoffman	...	Dome Tech #2
Robert Jason Jackson	...	Dome Tech #3

Storyline

This TV movie is the pilot for the "Babylon 5" TV series. Set on a space station in the late 23rd Century, Babylon 5 is a centre of diplomacy and trade, in neutral space located between many rival space empires. The project's success, already shaky, is put further in doubt when incoming Commander Jeffrey Sinclair is the key suspect in the attempted assassination of Kosh, a mysterious alien ambassador.

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Plot Keywords:

space station | alien | 23rd century | outer space | tv series pilot | 

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Official Sites:

TNT: The Home of Babylon 5

Country:

USA Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 February 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

B5

Box Office

Budget:

$3,500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Babylonian Productions, Rattlesnake Productions, Synthetic Worlds

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min 94 min (special edition)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

When the dust smuggler goes through the scan, it shows an outline silhouette with the location of the packet of the drug he is carrying about where a breast pocket would be, but after he surrenders, Garibaldi pulls the packet from one of his trouser pockets.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Ambassador Londo Mollari: [voiceover] I was there at the dawn of the third age of mankind. It began in the Earth year 2257, with the last of the Babylon stations located deep in neutral space. It was a port of call for refugees, smugglers, businessmen, diplomats, and travelers from a hundred worlds. It could be a dangerous place, but we accepted the risk because Babylon 5 was our last, best hope for peace. Under the leadership of its final commander, Babylon 5 was a dream given form. A dream of a galaxy ...

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Connections

Followed by Babylon 5: Thirdspace (1998)

User Reviews

Not bad, but there's room for better

As a Babylon 5 fan I have watched it more than once, last time today, after seeing yesterday another B5 movie "B5:In the Beginning". I must confess that the latter is much better. Still, it is not bad for a series' start. Some of the characters are portrayed differently than I've grown accustomed to in the series (like G'Kar for example), Delenn's makeup is less than perfect (compare it with the one in "In the Beginning") and she really looks unusual (after seeing her later transformation...).

But there are some good lines and Peter Jurasik(Lando Mollari)'s act is delightful and so is Mr Jerry Doyle(Garibaldi)'s. A good start for a B5 beginner and a must re-watch (after seeing the rest of the series).

When J. Michael Straczynski conceived B5, he really wrote a great story!