The Coming of Shadows

When the Emperor of the Centauri decides to pay a surprise visit to B5, G’Kar decides to assassinate him. And he’s not the only one with designs on the throne. Refa, a power-hungry associate of Londo’s, wants Londo to deliver an address that will decry the Emperor’s politics, a speech which will be remembered after the Emperor’s death, already planned by Refa and his backers. But before the Emperor can even be touched by either party, he falls ill for the final time. In medlab, he entrusts Franklin to deliver a pledge of peace to G’Kar. Meanwhile, Refa panics, fearing that a competing assassin has struck first. Londo offers to summon the Shadows to conquer a Narn colony in quadrant 14, and Refa sends a flotilla of Centauri warships to claim the territory. Arriving Narn ships are shot down by the Centauri, and the Narn respond by declaring war on the Centauri. And it is revealed – though only to Garibaldi – that Sinclair is on Minbar, preparing for the coming of the Shadows. His warning, though it cannot be revealed to anyone else is to beware…and stay close to the Vorlon.

written by J. Michael Straczynski
directed by Janet Greek
music by Christopher Franke

Cast: Bruce Boxleitner (Captain John Sheridan), Claudia Christian (Lt. Commander Ivanova), Jerry Doyle (Garibaldi), Mira Furlan (Delenn), Richard Biggs (Dr. Franklin), Andrea Thompson (Talia Winters), Stephen Furst (Vir), Bill Mumy (Lennier), Robert Rusler (Warren Keffer), Mary Kay Adams (Na’Toth), Andreas Katsulas (G’Kar), Peter Jurasik (Londo), Michael O’ Hare (Ambassador Jeffrey Sinclair), Fredric Lehne (Ranger), Malachi Throne (Centauri Prime Minister), Jeff Conaway (Zack Allen), William Forward (Refa), Turhan Bey (Centauri Emperor), Neil Bradley (Kha’Mak), Ardwight Chamberlain (Kosh), Jonathan Chapman (Narn Pilot #2), Bryan Michael McGuire (Customs Guard #1), Kim Strauss (Narn Pilot #1)

Note: This episode won the Science Fiction Society’s Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation in 1996, beating out the films Toy Story, Apollo 13 and 12 Monkeys and the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode The Visitor. This was the first Hugo awarded to a television series other than Star Trek (or one of its spinoffs) or Twilight Zone, and only the seventh Hugo to be given to a television series in 43 years of the Best Dramatic Presentation category.