Original subtitles

[instrumental music]

We can confirm now

that President Clark took his own life

at 2:53 a.m. EST

'rather than face trial for his actions.'

'The body has been left in place for examination'

'and documentation by the Justice Department.'

'After the battle, Sheridan surrendered

'to Earthforce authorities who will now decide'

whether or not charges will be pressed'

'for his actions taken during and preceding the battle.'

'Despite Sheridan's current high standing'

'in public-opinion polls'

'his decision to act against his fellow officers'

'must be explained and justified.'

In an impromptu press conference this morning

acting president, Susanna Luchenko

of the Russian Consortium

urged the public to remain calm.

We realize.. that many of you want revenge

against those who caused

such great pain and suffering.

We ask that you listen

to the better angels of your nature.

Give the courts and the legal system time

to locate and prosecute those responsible.

Only a sane and careful study of the facts

will allow us to separate those who were willing partners

in President Clark's reign of terror

from those who cooperated only in fear of their lives.

Our thoughts especially go out

to Sheridan's second-in-command, Susan Ivanova

critically injured when Clark's forces

attempted to ambush the multi-planetary fleet.

'The prayers of a grateful Earth go out to her.'

Faster.

We've got to go faster!

[dramatic music]

[gasping]

[instrumental music]

(Lennier) It was the year of fire.

(Zack) The year of destruction.

(G'Kar) The year we took back what was ours.

(Lyta) It was the year of rebirth.

(Vir) The year of great sadness.

(Marcus) The year of pain.

(Delenn) And a year of joy.

(Londo) It was a new age.

(Franklin) It was the end of history.

(Susan) It was the year everything changed.

(Michael) The year is 2261. The place..

(Sheridan) Babylon 5.

[theme music]

[music continues]

[instrumental music]

- 'How's she doing?' - 'It's not critical.'

The treatment seems to have worked.

What about Marcus?

When we found him, he was in complete metabolic shutdown

heartbeat, brain activity

the machine had completely drained his life energy

and transferred it to Commander Ivanova.

- Is she stable? - After a fashion.

Woah, woah. Woah, you can't go in there.

- It's alright. - I'm sorry, doctor.

I said, go away!

Susan, it's me.

You okay?

[sobbing]

Damn it, Stephen, why the hell did he have to do it?

I didn't want him to. I never..

I never would have asked him to.

I know.

[sobbing continues]

I know.

And how the hell did he find out about that machine?

Look, after we gained custody of the alien healing device

Sheridan and I decided that it was just too dangerous

to let others know about it, so I coded all my log entries.

He must have hacked his way through

half a dozen security overrides.

It's typical.

He was always pulling crap like that.

Even I never knew what to do with him.

[sobbing] He was the most undisciplined, the most...annoying..

I was just lying there, and I was..

...feeling myself letting go of my body.

And I remember the last thing that I thought was..

...I'm going to die now.

'It wasn't so bad.'

And then, I heard this voice coming from far away saying..

"I love you."

And I thought...is this God?

Is this God? I mean..

He really did have an English accent

just like in all those old movies.

And then I felt myself being pulled down, and I got heavy

so heavy, you know, tired and it was..

Forced my eyes open..

...and there he was next to me.

And we were hooked machine and I..

I tried to pull it apart, Stephen.

I swear to God, I tried, I just..

I couldn't even move, I couldn't move.

Look, there was nothing that you could do. Alright?

Your system was traumatized. You can't blame yourself.

I don't, I don't, I don't. I just..

You know, all my life, I've had..

I've had problems with relationships.

You may have noticed.

A little.

You know, the ones that I loved..

...always ended up hurting me..

...or leaving me.

And the ones who stayed..

...they had nothing inside.

No depth.

After a while, I just..

...decided to forget about it.

And...here was Marcus.

I knew he'd never hurt me.

And I knew he'd never leave me.

[sobbing] And I knew he loved me.

I knew it. I..

I just didn't want to admit it.

And he gave so much and he wanted so little in return.

He just wanted a kind word or, or a smile

and all I ever gave him in two years was...grief.

And it's because..

...I think I saw what I wanted.

And I was afraid.

I thought you knew it wasn't gonna work out.

You were just protecting yourself from being hurt again.

That's all.

Maybe but..

Maybe I should have just tried one more time.

I could've done that for him.

Now, I can't.

At least I should have boffed him, just once.

"Boffed?"

Did you just say "boffed?"

It's the type of thing he would have said.

I mean, hell, it's not like I was doing anything else.

Well, I guess that's one way

to deal with unrequited love, huh?

[sighing]

All love is unrequited, Stephen.

All of it.

[instrumental music]

- You're late. - No, no, no. You're early.

I'm never premature.

is a surprise, given what I've heard.

I'm sure it's a matter of perspective, really

but for a Narn, two minutes must be a long time.

So if you go the duration, it's an accomplishment.

But for the Centauri, hours can go by

before you even get to the good parts.

[chuckling]

(Vir) 'Londo.'

- You're late. - You're late.

I'm-I'm sorry, I'm...sorry. I..

I, it was just that, uh..

You know, th-this is a matter of state business.

I think we should, uh..

Uh..

Oh, yes, yes, of course.

Uh, G'Kar, go on ahead.

We'll join you shortly.

Oh, G'Kar, when we are en route to Earth

I will give you some ideas how to deal with your

little, uh, problem.

[sighing]

- What problem? - Oh, no, it's nothing.

We are developing a very strange relationship, I think.

At times, I find I... I rather enjoy it.

It doesn't matter. What is it, Vir?

I received a message from Homeworld

just before I came here.

The regent is ill. They want you to come home.

What can I do? I am not a doctor.

It's much more than that, Londo.

They say the regent will leave us

early in the coming year.

When that happens, the Royal Court has decided

that we need your voice to guide us.

You're going to be emperor, Londo.

'Isn't that wonderful?'

[sighing]

- Yes, Vir, wonderful news. - 'Londo, I thought you..'

Come, we really should hurry.

Otherwise we'll have to put up with a cranky Narn

all the way to Earth.

[instrumental music]

(Alfred) 'Hello, captain.'

'I hope you don't mind my stopping by to visit.'

I told the staff we were such good friends

like Holmes and Watson, Rebo and Zooty.

Fire and water, snake and mongoose.

This will let us speak privately for a few minutes

before they decide it's more than ordinary interference.

You never come at anyone straight out do you, Mr. Bester?

Mr. Garibaldi told me what you did to him.

Used him to uncover a plot against the Psi Corps.

Well, I'm sure Mr. Garibaldi believes

I'm responsible for a lot of things.

Like the murder of William Edgars.

So tell me..

...what happened to those vials that were stolen from his safe?

You know, the ones with the anti-telepath virus.

I don't know what you're talking about.

But if there were such a thing..

...steps would be taken to destroy the virus

but we'd keep the antidote around

just in case someone else came up with it.

What about his wife, Lise?

I have no information about her.

She's no longer any concern of mine.

As for the rest..

...it's Mr. Garibaldi's word against mine.

Unless you'd like to bring in a telepath

to scan him, prove that what he's saying is true.

Of course, to be admissible in an Earth court

the teep would have to be a member of the Psi Corps.

You really think you've got it all covered, don't you?

Almost.

Except for one thing.

I want to know..

....if my lover..

...was one of the telepaths you used

to disable the fleet in your little war.

Because if she was..

...and if she was killed because of it..

...you have to understand..

...that you will not leave this room alive.

I find it amazing that you think

that threats still mean anything to me.

Do this, or you're a dead man?

Death, been there, done that.

Not a threat, captain, simply a statement of fact.

I can have half a dozen sharpshooters

cover this building at every exit.

As soon as you poke your head outside

'they'll put a bullet through it.'

You know what the difference is between you and me, Bester?

You use people because you like it.

And if someone gets hurt in the process, well, that's life.

Using telepaths to..

...take over ships from the other side

was the hardest decision I ever made.

I had Franklin go through their files

pick out the ones that were single

no families, who were almost certainly incurable.

Carolyn is single.

She has no family.

The only thing we ever had was each other.

I know.

I know what it's like to lose someone

only to find her, then lose her a second time.

I wouldn't wish that on anyone, not even you

as much as I might want to.

Now, we selected 30 telepaths for that job, 30 out of 100.

Carolyn's still back at Babylon 5.

She'll be transferred here as soon as things settle down.

[instrumental music]

Thank you.

Oh, don't thank me yet.

We're not done.

'See, I know you.'

Even with Clark gone you'll keep moving your telepaths

into positions of power.

And then when the time is right

you'll try and take over the government.

[laughing]

You're delusional, captain.

Oh, you'll wait a few years until things quiet down.

And then you'll start a war

between the telepaths and normals.

And in the end, Mr. Bester, you will lose.

We'll see.

Assuming you make it that far.

See, Mr. Garibaldi is finishing up

some personal business on Mars.

Once it's done, I imagine

he'll turn his attention to you.

And to tell you the God's honest truth..

...I'd rather face those sharpshooters of yours

than what he'll do when he finds you.

I don't know exactly how he plans

to settle the score, but I..

I'm sure it'll be creative, colorful

and extremely unpleasant.

[grunting]

- Where is she? - I'm telling you, man.

I don't know what you're talking about.

No? Then maybe I'm just gonna have to explain it to you again.

[screaming]

Now, her name's Lise Hampton.

She was married to one of the richest guys on Mars.

She got into trouble, didn't know where to turn.

I hear she went to the Mars mafia

tried to bribe her way off the planet.

Only she didn't make it, now the way I figured is

they got a little greedy, decided to figure out

how they could hang on to her until they could exchange her

for a couple of million credits.

I don't know what you're talking about.

Really? You're the best black market accountant on Mars, Max.

If somebody wanted to launder some money

so it couldn't be traced, they'd come to you.

- I-I can't-- - Give me a name, Max!

You give me a name, and I'll let you walk out of here

with your spine in one piece.

They'll kill me.

Well, then you better decide what you prefer.

Now, do you want to die fast..

...or do you want to spend the rest of your life

eating all your meals through a straw?

- Hello, Delenn. - Ambassador.

I suppose I should say emperor, but you..

You have heard that already?

I've just found out myself.

There is little that doesn't reach me these days.

G'Kar, Londo, please sit.

Have you heard from Sheridan?

Not since he turned himself over to his people.

The other ambassadors from the League of Non-Aligned Worlds

will be here shortly.

But I wanted you to be the first to see this.

Obviously, we will need your support.

Your governments have considerable influence

with the League Worlds.

Are you sure you want to do this, Delenn?

Yes, I think it's the only way.

[laughing]

I see nothing amusing in this situation, Londo.

No, no, you-you're right. There isn't. It's just that..

[laughing continues]

I'm so rarely in the presence of living history.

It, it thins the atmosphere, makes you giddy.

[laughing continues]

You realize that you are quite mad

for even considering this, hm?

Perhaps.

Please, come in.

Yes, do please, come in.

Delenn has a fascinating proposal for you all.

I hope you have brought a change of underwear.

You will need it after you read this.

Captain.

General, I am tired of just sitting here.

Now, if you're going to press charges, please do so.

We've finished our deliberations.

The president's waiting outside.

She'd like to speak to you

assuming you have nowhere else to go.

No, no, uh, please.

(male #1) 'Ten-hut.'

As you were.

Well, captain, you caused quite a stir.

Half of Earthforce wants to give you a kiss on the cheek

and the medal of honor.

The other half wants you taken out and shot.

As a politician, you learn how to compromise

which by all rights means

I should give you the medal of honor

then have you shot.

I confess the idea had a certain appeal

when I mentioned it to the joint chiefs a few hours ago.

- Sit, please. - Yes, ma'am.

I'll give it to you straight, captain.

President Clark was out of control.

Many of us wanted to move against him

but the time was never right.

With all due respect, ma'am..

While you were waiting, innocent civilians were dying.

There were issues of planetary security to consider.

To look weak or disorganized would be to invite an invasion.

We couldn't take that risk.

His people were everywhere.

He would have known instantly if we were up to something.

Ironically, by breaking away

you were the only one who could move against him

without his knowing what you were up to.

'That's why he was obsessed with you.'

Babylon 5 was outside his control.

So, yes, you saved some lives.

I'm not here to argue ethics with you, captain.

Right or wrong

you led an insurrection against your own government.

That's mutiny at best..

...treason at worst.

So, morally, I was right

but politically, I'm inconvenient.

Inconvenient doesn't even begin to cover it.

Now we have to clean up the mess.

We can do that with or without your help.

What do you want me to do?

I've scheduled a press conference for tomorrow morning.

I want you to there.

The event wil be covered in ISN.

'You will explain that you did what you did'

for the good of Earth

but your conscience does not permit you

to remain in Earthforce any longer.

'You'll tender your immediate resignation'

'and I'll see to it'

'you will retain your military pension with full honors.'

And I'll guarantee amnesty for your officers and crew

who served under you during this crisis.

But I want you gone.

And if I refuse?

You'll be dishonorably discharged

court-martialed and brought to trial.

Same for Ivanova and the rest of your staff.

And I'll make sure that the military tribunal

is stacked with generals from the Shoot Him category.

Don't make the mistake of assuming that

this is a conversation.

It isn't.

You have no other options.

The bitch of it is, that you probably did the right thing.

But you did it in the wrong way.

In the inconvenient way.

Now you have to pay the penalty for that.

I know it stinks..

...but that's the way it is, hmm.

So, you tell me..

...which way do you want it?

Will you put the amnesty for my crew in writing?

Then I'll resign.

[knock on door]

It's about time.

Get in here.

- Did you tell him we got her? - Yeah, yea, yeah.

So how much is it worth to them

to get her back alive before I have..

[knock on door]

'What's going on over there?'

What the hell is that thing? Bring it on over here.

[automated message] 'Th-th-th-that's all, folks.'

What the..

[intense music]

[grunting]

Lise.

Lise. Lise.

[music continues]

Lise. Lise, where are you?

(Lise) 'Here! I'm in here!'

Lise, back away from the door.

Oh, baby, come on. Are you alright?

Okay, I'm okay.

I knew you'd come for me, Michael.

Come on, we got to get out of here. Come on.

We're entering Earth's space, Delenn.

Delenn?

It is done, Lennier.

The others have voted on our proposal.

When we are finished..

...they will talk about this day for 100 years.

I only wish.

I wish Marcus could be here to see it.

I will confess that

I got used to seeing him walking on the path beside us.

He was...a part of us.

But as long as we speak his name

he will always be a part of us.

He followed the path of his heart.

How many of us can say that?

His life before he came to the Rangers was not a happy one.

He blamed himself for the death of his brother, so many others.

Perhaps..

Perhaps, saving Ivanova

was the only way he could find peace.

Delenn..

...did they tell you what Ivanova said at the end?

"All love is unrequited."

Yes, they told me.

She's wrong, of course.

Of course.

[instrumental music]

(woman on TV) 'Continuing our coverage of breaking events'

'in the fall of President Clark's regime'

'we go now to the presidential suite in Earth Dome.'

Fellow citizens of Earth..

...honored guests.

I have come before you today to commemorate those

who have taken part in this recent struggle.

Who fought as they believed

they had to fight.

Their choice was an unenviable one.

Follow the orders of your superior officer

in acts that violate your conscience..

...or rise up in opposition.

'Both sides have risked much'

and suffered greatly

but in the end

the battle they fought was the same.

To protect and preserve an Earth

they could proudly call home.

Caught in the center of this particular whirlwind

was a man of great integrity

honor and courage.

But his task was a difficult one.

But he executed it with care to preserve

'the lives of his fellow officers.'

Despite what you may have heard

in his heart, he never left us.

I give you Captain John J. Sheridan.

[applauding]

Thank you, Madam President.

As a young man..

...I joined Earthforce because

I wanted to be part of something bigger than I was.

Something that I could believe in.

And that belief carried me through the Mars Riots

the Minbari War..

...and the battles that have brought us here today.

Everything I did

I did out of love of Earth and love of duty.

But what happens when those two are no longer the same thing?

Now, the time I spent on Babylon 5

I learned about choices

and consequences and responsibility.

'I learned that we all have choices'

even when we don't recognize them

and that those choices have consequences

not just for ourselves, but for others.

'And we must assume responsibility'

'for those consequences.'

I and my fellow officers..

...had to choose between what we were told was right..

...and what we believed was right.

And now I take full responsibility

for those decisions.

I love Earth.

And now for my love of Earth

I find I must walk away from my love of duty.

My presence would be a constant reminder of what has divided us

instead of that which brings us together.

And for that reason..

...and President Luchenko's generous offer of amnesty

for all those who served under me..

...I'm announcing my resignation from Earthforce.

[indistinct muttering]

I do this in the hope that

those who fought on both sides

will put aside their disagreements..

...and come together in a new spirit of cooperation.

For we are all children of Earth.

Thank you.

To commemorate this very special day

the League of Non-Aligned Worlds

asked to address this gathering.

Ambassador.

For many years..

...all of us here have prized our good relations with Earth.

You have shown through your example

that strength comes from a multitude of voices

brought together in common cause.

Humans form communities.

In that spirit, we have voted to dissolve

the League of Non-Aligned Worlds

and create a new alliance..

...based on mutual cooperation

and respect.

An alliance born in the diverse voices of many worlds

joined by their desire to build a better future..

...and their decision

to voluntarily recognize a common authority.

Ambassador.

This new alliance will help less-advanced worlds

improve their conditions.

It will encourage better relations between our races

and promote free trade.

Above all, it will work to create peace.

Central to this process is a group of humans and Minbari

trained to work together

and dedicated to the higher principles of duty

honor and peace.

They have been entrusted with the most advanced fleet of ships

in existence now that the first ones have left us.

[rumbling]

Among my people

they are called the Anla'Shok.

Among your people

they are called the Rangers.

[aircrafts whirring]

[dramatic music]

They come in peace

and will stay only where they are invited to stay.

They will help protect you from raiders

and invasion by other races.

They will work with your military

to strengthen your borders.

But understand that they will do so equally and fairly.

If you are planning a war of aggression

against your neighbors, the Rangers will hear about it

and so will your neighbors.

If other worlds in the alliance choose to intervene

on behalf of those being attacked

the Rangers will provide the information

but will not intervene directly.

Their goal is to create the peace

not enforce the peace.

'This is a political and economic alliance'

not one based on military strength.

The gains you will achieve

by working peacefully with other races

far outweigh anything you might achieve by force.

The alliance recognizes your sovereign right

to govern your own people by your own will.

But membership in the alliance means that

you will honor a code of conduct

in your relations with other worlds

or risk losing all the things we stand to give you.

Finally, each member race will be able

to contribute volunteers to join the Rangers

thereby assuring their independence and fairness.

All of us have agreed

to recognize the independent authority of the Rangers.

Madam President, honored guests

I now invite you to join the new alliance.

You may decline, if that is your wish.

We will leave in peace and honor your decision.

If you accept..

...we believe it will signal a new age

of peace and prosperity.

The invitation to join your new alliance

is tempting, ambassador.

But many of our generals are skeptical

about your claims to neutrality.

I fully understand, Madam President.

No one in this room is more suspicious

of these things than I am.

No race more prideful than the Centauri.

But we are tired of war

and believe that this will help to create peace between us.

Peace is a concept.

If I'm going to sell this to my generals and the public

I'm going to need something a little more tangible.

Then you will have it.

In the past we have kept

many of our technological advances to ourselves.

In a gesture of good faith

we will show you how to use energy fields

to create gravity in your ships

eliminating the need to manufacture slower

less-efficient ships that rotate to create gravity.

As a space-faring race dependent upon trade with other worlds

I'm sure you see the advantage in this.

It's tempting.

If..

If we decide to pursue this..

...who should we negotiate with?

- You? - No.

The three of us

make up the advisory board of the new alliance.

We have a duly elected president, as you do.

And where can I find this president?

- 'You!' - Funny thing about retiring..

You no sooner pick out the places

you wanna go on vacation

then someone comes at you with another job offer.

Where's the certificate of amnesty?

Oh, that, um, I gave copies of that to the reporters outside

and the original is someplace safe.

You knew this was coming the whole time, didn't you?

The main thing was to protect my crew from retaliation.

As for the new job, well..

I was hoping the League Worlds would pull it together

but you never know.

I guess the war finally taught them

that we are better together than apart, heh.

We've been building this thing up for months, bit by bit

making them rely more and more on the Rangers and each other.

But if they decided against the alliance

or if they wanted somebody else..

Well, I was fine with that too.

Ahem!

[instrumental music]

General.

John, there is someone here you may want to see.

Hey, dad.

[laughing]

- Are you okay? - I'm fine, I'm fine, son.

- Yeah? - Yeah.

As soon as you got out they started being real nice

to me all of a sudden.

I think, they figured out they were on the wrong side

and there'd be hell to pay if anything happen.

Oh, you bet.

How's mom?

They never got near her.

She's with friends in Minneapolis.

I hear you're going to be my new daughter-in-law.

Yes.

- Well, welcome to the family. - Thank you.

It's been a while since I had a place where I truly belonged.

- Captain. - Hmm.

Mr. President.

President Luchenko is waiting for you, sir.

Thank you.

Mr. President?

- It's a.. - Another long story.

Well, there'll be plenty of time for stories later.

All the time in the world.

Good evening.

We begin our broadcast tonight with a special report

providing continuing coverage

on the unfolding Babylon 5 story.

'President Susanna Luchenko met today'

'with representatives of the newly formed'

'Interstellar Alliance.'

'In a historic move'

Earth has agreed to join forces with the new alliance.

In the same press conference

the newly elected president of the Interstellar Alliance

'John Sheridan had this surprising revelation.'

Now, in order to join the alliance

the rights of the colony worlds must be respected.

If a majority of their population

votes for independence, they must be freed.

Later this afternoon, President Luchenko

will sign an executive order

declaring Mars a free and independent world.

Obviously this will have to be ratified by the Senate.

- So? - So.

Have you decided yet whether you're going back to Babylon 5?

Umm, no, not yet.

I mean, Zack's got things under control.

I'm really in no rush to make up my mind..

...and I haven't had a vacation in five years.

I think I'm due at least a few days.

You know, I'm gonna need someone

to help me run Edgars Industries.

Oh, boy, we do that..

...they're gonna say that I married you for your money.

[chuckles] Let them.

Then I'll tell them the real reason.

Oh, yeah? And what's that?

[whispering] So let me tell you something.

Oh...don't, don't.

Don't-don't do that to me.

No, no, no. Come on.

The sun is almost coming up.

I have got to get some sleep...eventually.

[Lise chuckles]

(woman on TV) 'In related Babylon 5 news'

'and one of his last acts as an officer in Earthforce'

'Captain John Sheridan promoted Susan Ivanova'

'to the rank of full captain.'

'Citing the death of a close friend'

'and other personal reasons'

'Captain Ivanova has asked for and received a transfer'

'to one of the new Warlock-Class Destroyers'

'for a one-year shakedown cruise.'

'In a statement issued a few hours ago'

'Captain Ivanova said only'

'"I need to decide where my heart belongs'

'before the rest of me can follow."'

'After the press conference in Earth Dome this morning'

Sheridan and Delenn left for Babylon 5.

It's rumored that they were married in a private ceremony

aboard one of the White Star ships.

Sources tell ISN, they will head up

the newly formed alliance from Babylon 5

until more permanent facilities can be located in Tuzanor

on the Minbari Homeworld.

(Londo) Off.

So..

How does it feel to make history, hmm?

You do not make history. You can only hope to survive it.

G'Kar, you are a depressing person.

Thank you.

And stop eating that.

You don't even know what it is.

Something called rice.

Yes, and if it were very good

do you think they would have been standing there

throwing it at people?

As marriage ceremonies go

the humans are very strange indeed.

Still..

...they are quite a couple, aren't they?

Yes, they are.

[Londo laughing]

Almost makes you wish that you could peek in on them.

See how it's going.

G'Kar, the artificial eye that Dr. Franklin gave you..

...where is it?

[instrumental music]

(Delenn) It was the end of the Earth year, 2261

and it was the dawn of a new age

for all of us.

It was the end of one chapter and the beginning of another.

The next 20 years would see great changes..

...great joy and great sorrow.

The Telepath War, the Drakh War.

The new alliance would waver and crack..

...but in the end, it would hold

because what is built, endures

and what is loved, endures.

And Babylon 5..

Babylon 5..

...endures.