All Alone in the Night

Infobox Television episode
Title = All Alone in the Night
Series = Babylon 5


Caption =
Season = 2
Episode = 11
Airdate = 15 February 1995
Production = 211
Writer = J. Michael Straczynski
Director = Mario DiLeo
Guests = Nick Corri (Lt. Ramirez)
Marshall Teague (Narn)
Robin Sachs (Nedronn)
John Vickery (Neroon)
Robert Foxworth (Gen. William Hague)
Episode list = List of "Babylon 5" episodes
Prev = Gropos
Next = Acts of Sacrifice

"All Alone in the Night" is an episode from the second season of the science-fiction television series "Babylon 5".

Plot

As the episode begins, Babylon 5's command staff receives reports of mysterious attacks on merchant ships near Babylon 5. Captain Sheridan decides to take a wing of Starfury fighters and personally investigate the problem. A Narn fighter is then shown being attacked by a mysterious alien warship; the Narn pilot is brought aboard the alien ship by a tractor beam. When Sheridan and his fighter wing arrive at the region of space where the attacks have occurred, the alien warship makes a surprise assault; most of the fighter wing is destroyed and Sheridan is captured. A single fighter returns to Babylon 5 and informs the command staff of what has happened. General William Hague, the Chairman of the EarthForce Joint Chiefs of Staff and a friend of Captain Sheridan, arrives at Babylon 5 to meet with him. When he learns that Sheridan is missing, he calls in Sheridan's old ship, the powerful Omega-Class destroyer "Agamemnon", to assist with the search. Aboard the alien vessel, Sheridan is repeatedly tortured by his alien captors and forced to fight other aliens who appear to be under some sort of mind control. Among his opponents is the captured Narn fighter pilot; Sheridan eventually convinces the Narn to help him rather than fight him.

Meanwhile, Ambassador Delenn is summoned by the Grey Council to decide her fate. Although a member of the Council, her decision to undergo the physical change into a half-human, half-Minbari hybrid has stirred strong feelings against her on the Council and in Minbari society. Fearing that she will be punished by the Council and not allowed to return to Babylon 5, she tells her loyal aide Lennier that she has never felt so alone. However, Lennier assures her that all will be well and insists on accompanying her on her trip. When she meets with the Council, they ridicule her physical change, but Delenn offers a passionate defense of her actions. However, the Council votes to remove her membership on the Council. She is replaced by Neroon of the Minbari warrior caste, giving the warrior caste four members on the nine-member council and disrupting the balance between the three castes (worker, warrior, and religious) that had existed for a thousand years. The Council tells her that she may return as Ambassador to Babylon 5, but they also make it clear that they now regard her status as ambassador as a joke and no longer take her seriously.

While traveling back to Babylon 5 Delenn intercepts messages from the station concerning Sheridan's disappearance. She identifies his captors as the Streib, a reclusive but advanced alien race who kidnap members of other races and experiment with them to determine their strengths and weaknesses (an apparent allusion to author/abductee Whitley Strieber).cite web
date = May 26, 1997
url = http://www.ntua.gr/lurk/guide/033.html
title = "All Alone in the Night"
work = The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5
accessdate = 2008-02-17] She offers to lead the "Agamemnon" and Babylon 5's fighters in a rescue mission. Sheridan and the Narn pilot manage to escape the Streib warship just after the "Agamemnon" and a squadron of fighters led by Commander Ivanova jump from hyperspace and attack the Streib vessel; it is subsequently destroyed. Back at Babylon 5 Sheridan finally meets with General Hague; Sheridan tells Hague that the command staff at B5 are loyal to Earth and are "good people". Hague then informs Sheridan of his belief that President Clark had President Santiago killed so he could take over the Earth Alliance; Hague also suggests the Psi Corps may be pulling the strings as well. He intends to expose Clark's conspiracy and he asks Sheridan to help him, Sheridan agrees. He also decides to ask his command staff for help in uncovering the conspiracy.

Arc significance

*Delenn is removed as a member of the Grey Council and the warrior caste gains a majority voice on the council.
*We learn that Sheridan was posted at Babylon 5 to secretly determine the loyalty of the command staff; he reports to General Hague that Ivanova, Dr. Franklin, and Security Chief Garibaldi are all loyal and trustworthy.
*Sheridan and his command staff agree to secretly help General Hague uncover evidence proving that President Clark conspired to kill President Santiago.
*Although he is not identified by name until his appearance in season 3, this episode marks the first appearance of Ta'lon, a Narn who becomes a student of G'Kar and eventually an important figure in Babylon 5 (played by Marshall Teague).
*Hague reinforces Sheridan's belief that the Psi-Corps is running the clandestine operation on Earth
*Kosh is aware of Sheridan's capture, and there is some sort of mental connection between the two.

References

External links