Babylon 5: The River of Souls (1998)

A group of Soul Hunters come to Babylon 5 demanding the return of something that was stolen from them.

Director:

Janet Greek

Writers:

J. Michael Straczynski (creator), J. Michael Straczynski

Stars:

Jerry Doyle, Tracy Scoggins, Jeff Conaway

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jerry Doyle	...	Michael Alfredo Garibaldi
Tracy Scoggins	...	Capt. Elizabeth Lochley
Jeff Conaway	...	Zack Allen
Richard Biggs	...	Stephen Franklin, M.D.
Ian McShane	...	Robert Bryson, Ph.D.
Martin Sheen	...	Soul Hunter
Jeff Doucette	...	2nd Man
Wayne Alexander	...	Soul One
Bob Amaral	...	Customer
Beege Barkette	...	Woman (as Beece Barkett)
Joel Brooks	...	Jacob Mayhew
Josh Coxx	...	Lt. David Corwin (as Joshua Cox)
T.J. Hoban	...	Male Hologram
Stuart Pankin	...	James Riley
Ray Proscia	...	Klaus

Storyline

Captain Lochley now has solid proof that Garibaldi is a disaster magnet: when he comes to the station to meet with one of his new company's subordinates, she's being sued by the owner of an illegal virtual reality "holo-brothel" and besieged by Soul Hunters looking for one of their soul vessels, this one containing the souls of the long-lost Ralga alien species.

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Plot Keywords:

space archaeologist | religious sect | bald alien | humanoid alien | seeing other people's memory | 

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Sci-Fi

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Did You Know?

Trivia

The Soul Hunter make-up, first seen in "Babylon 5: Soul Hunter (1994)," was altered to make Martin Sheen's face more recognizable.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Robert Bryson, Ph.D.: I'm sure it's only a little further to the main vault.
Klaus: You've been saying that for two days. This is foolish. There were other vaults we could have tried. Smaller ones. Easier to get into.
Robert Bryson, Ph.D.: Exactly. They were easier to get into. It's a good bet somebody's been there already...

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Connections

Follows Babylon 5: The Gathering (1993)

User Reviews

More Ghosts in Space

Like Thirdspace before it, River of Souls attempts to put the supernatural into the B5 mythos (via Lovecraft to some degree) and give it a science fiction spin. While it doesn't descend to the levels of Star Trek's "metaphasic spirit" techno-babble, it still comes across as a bit odd. There are interesting performances by Martin Sheen and Ian McShane, and some follow-up on aspects of the B5 universe (such as the Soul Hunters, and Garabaldi's management of Edgars' Industries). But at the end of the day, it doesn't seem to add up to much. The B plot seems like an attempt to insert some broad comedy (it is funny, just unnecessary), and an excuse to put Tracy Scoggins in a skimpy outfit. Overall, an adequate entry into the B5 series, and more connected to the "mythos" than its predecessor, Thirdspace.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 November 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

The River of Souls

Company Credits

Production Co:

Babylonian Productions, TNT

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

16 : 9