The Gathering

Episode aired Feb 22, 1993
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1h 29m

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6.5/10

9.3K

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

IMDb RATING

6.5/10

9.3K

YOUR RATING

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Michael O'Hare and Patricia Tallman in The Gathering (1993)

Mira Furlan, Andrea Thompson, Richard Biggs, Claudia Christian, Jerry Doyle, Peter Jurasik, Andreas Katsulas, and Michael O'Hare in Babylon 5 (1993)

Andreas Katsulas in The Gathering (1993)

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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. —Tony Lammens <lammens@connexus.apana.org.au>

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woman wears a gas mask

space station

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Trivia
Ed Wasser appears in this episode as one of the command staff, Guerra. He appears in later episodes as Mr Morden, the representative of the Shadows.

Goofs
Oxygen breathers have quarters with regular doors, However, the aliens with altered breathing requirements seem to be on display, like they are in a zoo.

Quotes
Delenn: I look forward to meeting a Vorlon. I've heard much about them that is strange.
Jeffrey Sinclair: Such as?
Delenn: Do you not have files on the Vorlons?
Jeffrey Sinclair: Absolutely, very large files. There's nothing in them, of course.

Alternate versions
In 1998, a special edition was aired on TNT to kick reruns of the Babylon 5 series. The Special Edition (1998) has a new score by Christopher Franke (of the regular series), cuts out small bits like the "zoo scene" at the beginning, corrects effects like the color of the jumpgate, and adds a few scenes which were cut out: Sinclair deals with a hostage situation in customs involving "dust"; Carolyn confronts Delenn about her abstention on the vote; the Takashima and Kyle scene is extended, as is the scene where Sinclair describes the Battle of the Line; there's a new voiceover with Kosh's voice; plus Kyle remarks on what he saw when he opened Kosh's encounter suit and the mystery of Kosh's hand is hinted at (longtime viewers will get it; new viewers will just say, "huh?" so the mystery won't be spoiled.)

Connections
Featured in Babylon 5: And the Sky Full of Stars (1994)

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Review

Top review

6/10

secondary sci-fi

It's the dawn of the third age of mankind. It's 2257 and it's the last of the Babylon stations deep in neutral space. It's a port of call for a variety of alien species. Jeffrey Sinclair is the commander. He's still haunted by the Battle of the Line. The remaining Earth forces were gathered in a final battle against the Minbari. Despite destroying most of the remaining Earth forces, the Minbari surrendered without explanation. Laurel Takashima is the second in command. Lyta Alexander is the newly arrived telepath. Michael Garibaldi is the security chief. Delenn is a Minbari. Humans made first contact with the Centauri. The Narn do not like the Centauri after overthrowing their enslavement. The Vorlons are a mysterious powerful race and their ambassador Kosh Naranek is the last to arrive. Kosh is poisoned and Sinclair is blamed.

I was never a big Babylon 5 fan although I stayed with it for long stretches. It always seemed to me to be a slightly inferior Deep Space Nine. It doesn't help that it came out slightly after DS9. It felt always a step behind. The best idea from the pilot is the Battle of the Line. I found that battle to be mysterious, poetic, and full of possibilities. This pilot movie is a lot of expositions with a functional TV story. It holds the promise of a solid sci-fi TV show although it's not something extraordinary. Second season lead Bruce Boxleitner is superior to Michael O'Hare although I wish they kept Tamlyn Tomita around. I have nothing against Claudia Christian, and I can certainly understand the complexity of contracts and TV casting.

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