A View from the Gallery

A VIEW FROM THE GALLERY
Series	Babylon 5
Season	Season 5
Episode	04
Production Number	505
First Aired	11 February 1998
Broadcast Order	92nd
Production Credits
Written By	J. Michael Straczynski
Story By	J. Michael Straczynski and Harlan Ellison
Directed By	Janet Greek
Executive Producer	Douglas Netter & J. Michael Straczynski
Producer	John Copeland
Production Designer	John Iacovelli
Director of Photography	John C. Flinn, III A.S.C.
Editor	Skip Robinson
Music By	Christopher Franke
Chronology
Story Date	February 12th - 13th, 2262
Chronological Order
Preceded by	The Paragon of Animals
Followed by	Day of the Dead
Broadcast Order
Preceded by	The Paragon of Animals
Followed by	Learning Curve

Cast

Regular

• Bruce Boxleitner as President John Sheridan
• Jerry Doyle as Michael Garibaldi
• Mira Furlan as Ambassador Delenn
• Richard Biggs as Dr. Stephen Franklin
• Bill Mumy as Lennier (Credit Only)
• Tracy Scoggins as Captain Elizabeth Lochley
• Stephen Furst as Vir Cotto (Credit Only)
• Jeff Conaway as Security Chief Zack Allan
• Patricia Tallman as Lyta Alexander (Credit Only)
• Peter Jurasik as Ambassador Londo Mollari
• Andreas Katsulas as Ambassador G'Kar

Guest Starring

• Robin Atkin Downes as Byron
• Joshua Cox as Lieutenant Corwin
• Raymond O'Connor as Mack
• Lawrence LeJohn as Bo

Cast Notes

• Regular characters who appear in this episode are John Sheridan, Michael Garibaldi, Delenn, Stephen Franklin, Zack Allan, Elizabeth Lochley, Londo Mollari and G'Kar.

Summary

Intro

A satellite floats through hyperspace. It is destroyed by passing ships.

On Babylon 5, Lochley is awakened by her Link. Corwin calls her about the destroyed probe.

She joins him on the Command Deck. She informs the crew that the attackers are looking for vulnerable worlds. They have to convince then that B5 isn't vulnerable. She tells Corwin to set aside a lifepod for Sheridan and Delenn, saying that she'll shove him in there personally if it's necessary.

Several of the Starfury wings launch for standby alert.

Meanwhile, two maintenance technicians lament that it's always them who clean up the messes and go about their business.

Act I

The maintenance men watch as Lochley and Sheridan argue about their staying on the station. Lochley convinces Sheridan to ready himself to prepare to enter the lifepod. The men (Bo and Mack) talk about how they admire Sheridan for "being in the trenches" like a real person. They agree that he's a good man. Then they decide to grab some lunch.

They discuss their lunches. Bo has procured salami, while Mack eats a spoo sandwich. They trade a half of each. Bo finds the spoo revolting. A warning comes over the speakers and their lunch is interrupted.

Franklin tells the Medlab staff to clear space for patients. Bo repairs a console in Medlab, which leads to a discussion about why Franklin would want to save one of their potential enemies. Franklin tells the story of why he became a doctor instead of the life of a career soldier that his whole family expected of him. Franklin told the story of how his father was saved by a doctor and knew that he wanted to be like that doctor, a man who saves life.

Mack is sent to command to repair a faulty secondary targeting console. The attacking ships arrive and, while Mack keeps fixing the computer, the battle begins.

Act II

The battle continues. Corwin and Lochley scramble the station codes to prevent hacking. Mack repairs the secondary weapons in time to destroy the last of the invaders. It's revealed that the problem was an alien bug. Lochley tells Corwin that the rest of the attackers will be on their way. Lochley decides to have a talk with Garibaldi.

Mack meets up with Bo and they talk about Lochley. Mack talks about how tough she is, but Bo doesn't trust her because she was on the Clark side of the Earth Civil War. Mack defends her. They remark about Ivanova's departure. They head to Brown 9.

Lochley and Garibaldi enter the elevator and they argue about the attackers. Bo and Mack watch them leave.

In hyperspace, the attack fleet moves towards the station.

Bo and Mack talk about how impossible it is to heat up the jumpgate, so it's impossible to shut it down during attacks. They're then called to the Sanctuary as Lochley issues a message warning that the attack has begun on the station.

Act III

Bo and Mack finish work on the Sanctuary as the fight rages outside. They rest and watch as the ships fight and talk about the pilots fighting out there. A White Star arrives to help the fighting. A breaching pod moves towards the station. An alarm goes out, warning of an impending boarding party.

The men end up trapped in a tube, which opens onto the fight between security and the attackers. They help in the fight, but Zack tells them to get out of there. They oblige, getting cover fire from the security chief.

They end up with Byron and his telepaths. He tells Bo and Mack that they are safe. Byron discusses the energy released when a person dies as the telepaths pass the helmet of one of the attackers around, feeling his hopes and fears and expectations. One of the attackers arrives, but the telepaths use their powers to make him leave.

There's an explosion that rocks the station and Mack worries about a breach. Bo says that he wishes he could be out there with one of the pilots. Byron uses his powers to send Bo out into the fight, showing him a pilot's-eye view of the action. Bo and Mack leave.

They find themselves in a shelter, where Londo Mollari and G'Kar bicker about the lack of White Stars and the Universe's hatred of Londo. G'Kar notes that the shelter (with the sound of explosions) is the closest thing he has to a home due to childhood memories of the Centauri occupation of his world. Londo never had a childhood, trapped in duty and form and protocol. G'Kar laments that Londo is carrying his shelter with him. Londo leaves and G'Kar joins him.

The second wave of ships comes through the gate.

Act IV

The station takes heavy damage and Bo and Mack are called in to help deal with a fire in Red Sector. They walk past Sheridan and Delenn. Sheridan tells them to escort Delenn to the first available lifepod. Sheridan leaves to help deal with the situation. Bo calls to Delenn, leading her away.

As they walk, Delenn asks Mack his name. Mack is surprised and they discuss their history working on the station. She admires them, calling them Worker Caste and they agree. Delenn persuades them (describing how she would sabotage the lifepod should Babylon 5 fall) to allow her to leave on her own way. She leaves and they hear a sound.

A fleet of White Stars arrive to aid the station, driving back the attackers. Bo and Mack celebrate. Bo says that Babylon 5 is bigger than him, it's bigger than anyone. Mack agrees. They discuss God and mothers and the purpose of Babylon 5 and what it takes to survive there. It sounds like the fighting has stopped, so Bo and Mack get up and go back on their rounds.

At a shelter, they discuss all of the work they have coming up in the wake of the fighting, walking past Franklin in a room of dead people. Bo remarks that they don't have to clean up all of the mess. Meanwhile, the camera zooms in on one dead pilot, who is discovered to be the one that Byron sent Bo in.

Act V

Corwin reports to Lochley that progress on repairs is steady and that the attackers won't be back as none of them survived. Mack arrives, telling Lochley that "[she's] okay in his book." Lochley seems to take this to heart.

They walk past Sheridan and Delenn. Delenn remembers their names, smiling to them as she and Sheridan walk off. Mack says he's in love and they walk off together, remarking about the rise in cost of spoo.

Memorable Quotes

“

"What, are you afraid I won't come back, G'Kar?"
"No. Afraid you will."
"So, how long you figure they been married?"

– Londo, G'Kar and the observing Mack

DVD Release

This episode, along with the other 21 from Season 5 have been released on DVD with extensive Special Features.

External Link

• Episode guide page for A View from the Gallery at the Lurker's Guide