Babylon 5: The Complete Fourth Season

However, my views definitely changed once I saw the context in which JMS was working with for the fourth season. It was definitely wiser to make Sheridan and D'Lenn offer a "crucible" to bring out the truth, that the Vorlons and Shadows wanted the younger races to choose which side was "correct" in its method of "helping" them to evolve. Lorien's role as a father figure also helps to make all the parties realize that war and conflict are in nobody's interest. Seeing him fly off with the Vorlons and Shadows at the end of "Into the Fire" gives this element of the Babylon 5 storyline a proper sense of finality.

It also made sense to have Sheridan's conflict with President Clark end in the way it did. Clark is a tyrant who has to be stopped -- even if that means a civil war. Sheridan is a reluctant hero. He doesn't want to use military force that could result in the deaths of fellow officers and soldiers, not to mention the deaths of civilians. But he knows what he must do -- make sacrifices and accept the consequences for his actions. He has to do this so that humans don't have to live under a tyrant, and to be able to live in peace and prosperity with the other races. In essence, Sheridan is sacrificing himself for the sins of others, and this makes him an even more compelling character in season four.

That said, the fourth season of Babylon 5 on DVD is the best yet, although I feel there are some minor flaws with the content. First of all, I think JMS's first commentary track should have been about "Into the Fire," and not "Following Toward Apotheosis." It would have been more interesting to hear his thoughts about how the final battle between the Vorlons, Shadows and other races should have unfolded, versus what he might have originally envisioned for it.

However, I did enjoy his commentary about "The Deconstruction of Falling Stars." It was surprising to hear that there were only going to be four seasons of B5, and that this episode had to be put in place of "Sleeping in Light," which was the final episode of Season 5, and of the whole series. Nonetheless, I enjoyed "The Deconstruction of Falling Stars" because of its documentary feel and that the human race would one day evolve to the level of the Vorlons.

I think one of the other good episodes in Season 4 was "The Illusion of Truth." I don't think Joseph Goebbels, Hitler's propaganda minster, could have done a better job of trashing Sheridan's reputation.

I also enjoyed the story arc about D'Lenn being forced to bring the Grey Council back together for the survival of her people. I also liked her twist -- having more Worker Caste members on the council than either the Warrior or Religious Castes. "They do not wish to conquer or convert -- only to build the future. War and religion must work in the service of the people, not the other way around." This is as liberal-democratic as you can get, as far as I'm concerned.

The other supplemental materials JMS provided for the fourth season DVD package of B5 are pretty much standard fare. I don't know if this is good or bad, but the supplemental materials in the other DVD packages are very similar to those found in the fourth season.

However, if there is thing that really stands out in the fourth season DVD package, it's the audio. If you have a surround sound system, you will come to appreciate the Dolby 5.1 audio found with this package. The explosions, the engines' humming and screaming, and other sound elements really come through in my speakers. There are hints of the Dolby 5.1 audio in the other DVD sets, but they don't come close to the fourth season.

All in all, the fourth season of Babylon 5 on DVD is worth every penny! While I feel that the third season of B5 is the best of all the seasons, the fourth season is comparable for the way it resolves many of the story threads that were weaved in the first three seasons.

This wide sweeping season imparts a great many details that are incredible in the breadth and scope of the entire series. In past reviews for Babylon 5, I've highlight episodes that stood out among the rest. In the case of this fourth season, I find that to be impossible as every single episode of the season is incredible; so, what follows is a synopsis of the season which I hope gives everyone a good idea of how the season goes without breaking it down into to much detail.

The fourth season:

At the conclusion of the third season, Sheridan had "sacrificed" himself in the hopes of destroying the Shadows at Z'Ha'Dum. The fourth season leads in with Sheridan still missing which also leads into a search for Mr. Garibaldi who went missing at about the same time as Sheridan.

This incredible fourth season coalesces into several universe shattering events such as; Sheridan's return from Z'Ha'Dum despite no one ever doing so before and he's brought with him "a" First One in Lorien; G'Kar leaves B5 to search for Mr. Garibaldi as he is his only non Narn friend which leads him to a doom "and" enlightenment he could never have imagined; Sheridan and Delenn organizes the League Worlds into an alliance against the Shadows; Garibaldi returns but he is not quite who he used to be; Mollari determines that Emperor Cartagia must go before Centauri Prime is wiped out as the Vorlons begin eradicating any planet that is under Shadow influence; Sheridan finds he must remove the Vorlon ambassador from B5. The Shadow War comes to an extremely exciting battle involving Sheridan's forces which includes the League Worlds, the White Star fleet and several of the First Ones against both the Vorlons and the Shadows all ending in a somewhat melodramatic but highly intriguing conclusion to the Shadow War... Beyond the wonderfully scripted Shadow War in this first part of the season there are the wonderfully crafted scenes in which Mollari goes to Centauri Prime and removes Emperor Cartagia, resulting in a great surprise for him but one in which he had previously envisioned.

With the Shadow War now concluded, Sheridan now begins to look at the untenable situation at home with President Clark; Delenn is called home as her relationship with Sheridan is in question and in doing so she discovers a truth about Minbari racial purity that is quite telling; Garibaldi involves himself in a scheme to remove Sheridan; Franklin and Marcus embark on a plan to assist the Mars Resistance; due to the Grey Council having been disbanded by Delenn during the Shadow War a civil war breaks out on Minbar between the religious and warrior castes resulting in an amazing scene on Minbar between Delenn and Neroon.

Sheridan, no longer able to stand by and watch President Clark kill innocent civilians launches his fleet towards Earth via Proxima 3 and Mars, hoping to free those worlds of the Earth Force fleets blockading them; Garibaldi expends the ultimate betrayal upon Sheridan only to find that he wasn't exactly in his right mind in doing so; Sheridan must endure torture at the hands of Earth Force interrogators; Ivanova leads an incredible battle against Earth Force ships enhanced with Shadow technology which results in the ultimate sacrifice of two characters down the road; Garibaldi, now free of the influence he was under, leads a mission to free Sheridan.

In one of the most incredible hours of episodic television ever created, "Endgame" brings the entire series to the ultimate moment of decisions as Sheridan's forces free Mars and head for Earth to remove President Clark. Few series has ever created such a dramatic episode through years of setup such as this one; this episode is a true treat for the fans! What follows in "Rising Star" is fairly incredible as well as Sheridan is forced to resign but he and Delenn made plans for that eventuality as well.

I highly recommend not only this incredible fourth season of Babylon 5 but the preceding three and the fifth season to any and all fans of great Science Fiction that includes extraordinary writing, acting and visual eye candy. Simply put, this is an incredible and extraordinary season and series! {ssintrepid}

Episode List:

The Hour of the Wolf
Whatever Happened to Mr. Garibaldi?
The Summoning
Falling Toward Apotheosis
The Long Night
Into the Fire
Epiphanies
The Illusion of Truth
Atonement
Racing Mars
Lines of Communication
Conflicts of Interest
Rumors, Bargains and Lies
Moments of Transition
No Surrender, No Retreat
The Exercise of Vital Powers
The Face of the Enemy
Intersections in Real Time
Between the Darkness and the Light
Endgame
Rising Star
The Deconstruction of Falling Stars

Special Features:

-All new digital widescreen transfers
-Soundtrack remastered in Dolby Digital 5.1
-All new Introduction by Series Creator J. Michael Straczynski
-Audio commentary on 3 key episodes
-Episode Previews
-Celestial Sounds
-No Surrender, No Retreat DVD Suite
-The Universe of Babylon 5
*Data Files: Voice of the Resistance, Edgars Industries, Mars Resistance, Battle for Earth, Proxima 3
*Personnel Files: Lyta Alexander, Kosh II, Cartagia, Lorien, Neroon
Gag Reel

However all B-5 sets are only $35.00 - $45.00 at CD warehouse. Why shop amazon when their competition is so much cheaper?