Here in the States,
very few television series have the opportunity to bring full closure
to their story lines when the show leaves the air. Babylon 5 became
one of the few exceptions to the rule. The countdown to the series
final episode, "Sleeping in Light," began on October 28,
with the broadcasting of "The Fall of Centauri Prime." Then,
one by one, the episodes that followed systematically tied-off most
(but not all) of the remaining loose ends to JMS's story arc. All
that remained to be seen was that final episode.
As a devoted B5'er.
I anticipated seeing that last episode for over a year, but must admit
that I was not prepared to watch it when it finally aired. I was,
after all, the end of a 5-year odyssey that had become a part of my
life and I knew that after those 60 minutes ticked by, it would be
all over. As this long-awaited episode began to unfold before me,
it was apparent from the start that while intrigue and conflict swirled
around the Babylon 5 universe for most of its run, in its final hour,
the focus of the complex Babylon 5 saga centered itself on the enduring
love and devotion that existed between a man and a woman, and the
pain they experienced at having to say goodbye.
We all knew that John
had died on Z'Ha'Dum in 2261 , and Lorien, the mystical being he encountered
there, was able to replenish a small part of his life-force. Life-force
enough to last "... no more than 20 years." ("The Summoning")
As "Sleeping in Light" unfolds, it is the year 2281 and
John has begun to have re-occuring dreams about his death on Z'Ha'Dum.
He knows this means his days are numbered, and he and Delenn send
for old friends for a final goodbye. After the reminiscing was done
and his guests retire for the night, John put on his old captain's
uniform, bids a tender farewell to the woman he describes as "the
brightest star in my sky," and takes his final steps into the
unknown. After a short visit to the recently decommissioned Space
Station whose ultimate fare is so intertwined with that of his own,
John sets course for the Coriana system, where the great confrontation
between the Vorlons and the Shadows took place. There, he finds Lorien
waiting for him...waiting to escort him beyond the Rim, where a new
level of consciousness awaits.
The enduring love between
Sheridan and Delenn and the intertwined fates of the Babylon 5 Space
Station and the man who once commanded it sums up the basic storyline
of what turned out to be one of the most overwhelmingly emotional
hours I have ever spent in front of a television set. The line between
reality and fiction seemed to fade away and I felt like I was witnessing
the death of an old friend in slow motion. The intensity came from
within. Bruce Boxleitner was masterful as an aged Sheridan , feeling
his life-force slowly ebbing away; with no hope of postponing the
inevitable, and Mira Furlan was heart-wrenching as his beloved Delenn,
trying to suppress the human side of her emotions, while holding on
to the Minbari belief that "All life is transitory.." and
she and John would meet again one day ".. in a place where no
shadows fall." ("Confessions and Lamentations") The
make-up people did an outstanding job of aging not only Mira Furlan
(she wasn't as gray as she was in the Centauri Prime scenes of "War
Without End") and Bruce Boxleitner, but Richard Biggs, Jerry
Doyle, Stephen Furst, Claudia Christian, and Jeff Conaway with just
enough wrinkles and gray to make their aging believable.
For those of you in
the UK who were lucky enough to lay your hands on a copy of Jane Killick's
book, "The Wheel of Fire," or read Joe Nazzarro's article
"From the Set of Sleeping in Light" in the December issue
of the Official Babylon 5 Magazine...please let me assure you that
by reading them, you did not spoil the impact of the last episode.
What you saw were simply word on a page, which roughly summarized
and hour of television viewing. What you will see, when that last
episode reaches your side of the Atlantic, is and hour of haunting
images and intense human emotions that will bring tears to the eyes
of even the strongest soul. To this viewer, "Sleeping in Light"
was more than just a finale to the Babylon 5 saga, It was Babylon
5's emotional farewell to its fans. This was one of JMS's finest hours,
and the images of Delenn's final goodbye, John's final moments, and
the fiery destruction of the Babylon 5 Space Station will remain in
my memory for many years to come.