Babylon 5’s first Hugo-winning episode was a winner from the word go, and the people making it knew this. The actors knew they were working with first-rate material, and rose to the occasion. And it’s also likely that Christopher Franke was given directions to make the music for the episode unique, which was not a problem early in the second season, when Franke was consistently generating some of his most innovative material for Babylon 5. The music from The Coming Of Shadows is percussive, aggressive, and helps propel the episode along its juggernaut path of destiny. In many cases, with dialogue and sound effects stripped away, The Coming Of Shadows is one of the most percussive scores in the history of the show, especially in the second season, which was heavier on mood and sinister atmosphere than on pounding war drums. Even seemingly simple scenes as Garibaldi putting a mysterious visitor under arrest for lurking around suspiciously is given a percussive flourish. But 
there are also less bombastic cues, such as the wistful passage accompanying the scenes of the Centauri Emperor’s lament that he has never made his own decisions – as well as the dark mood of the cue in which Londo realizes he has thwarted the now-dead Emperor’s dying wish for peace.
- Imperial Palace / Emperor’s Exit / Request Denied / Main Title (3:07)
- Doing Business / Preparing the Speech / G’Kar Gets Ready (2:52)
- Greeting the Emperor / Reflection On Life / G’Kar’s Will / Emperor
Collapses / Londo’s Plan (5:33)- Bad Timing / Apologies & Dreams / Shadow Attack / Toast to the Emperor /
The Message (5:30)- Darkness is Coming / Betrayal / G’Kar’s Defeat / Emperor’s Last Wish /
Emperor Dies / Transition / Now At War (6:46)- Takeover Plan / Londo’s Nightmare / Hello, Old Friend / End Title (1:52)
Released by: Sonic Images
Release date: 1998
Total running time: 26:00
