Sheridan is stunned by his wife’s unexpected arrival, and even Delenn is at a loss to explain her presence. Franklin’s tests confirm that Anna is who she claims to be, even down to the DNA level, though a curious feature is later detected at the base of her skull. Anna insists that Sheridan come to Z’Ha’Dum with her to hear the Shadows’ side of the story, claiming that their intentions are benign. Skeptical, Sheridan agrees to go with her in the White Star. He also makes other arrangements in private with Garibaldi, including the transfer of two thermonuclear devices – smuggled in by G’Kar for use in the war – to the White Star. Londo receives a summons to report to the Royal Court on Centauri Prime – a promotion he’s hoping to avoid – and then receives a warning from an unidentified man to leave the station at once.
Anna reveals that the mission of the Icarus to Z’Ha’Dum – the doomed flight on which her husband assumed she had died – was no coincidence; the dormant Shadow vessel excavated on Mars was Earth’s first clue to the existence of the ancient race, and the shady Interplanetary Expeditions corporation tracked the ship and the Shadow that rescued it back to Z’Ha’Dum. On the planet, Sheridan is confronted by an old man named Justin, and a face he has seen before – Morden. Together, they try to convince Sheridan that the Shadows try to keep younger races in conflict for their own good, to force stronger results via evolution in adverse conditions, whereas the Vorlons attempt to keep the peace and allow evolution to take its course, resulting in weaker races. As a fleet of Shadow vessels appears and surrounds Babylon 5, Morden offers a choice – Sheridan can take the enemy’s side or all that he values will be wiped out. Sheridan, however, refuses to play with the deck dealt to him, and fights his way to the heart of the Shadows’ domain on Z’Ha’Dum. Cornered by the Shadow-influenced Anna and the Shadows themselves, Sheridan summons the White Star to take a death dive right into his location. Urged by the voice of Kosh, Sheridan leaps off a high balcony into a huge pit, as the White Star slams into Z’Ha’Dum with its nuclear payload, destroying the Shadows’ base of operations.
The Shadow ships threatening the station leave when they realize they are urgently needed elsewhere, but they snag a hostage before they go – a Starfury piloted by Garibaldi.
written by J. Michael Straczynski
directed by Adam Nimoy
music by Christopher Franke
Cast: Bruce Boxleitner (Captain John Sheridan), Claudia Christian (Commander Susan Ivanova), Jerry Doyle (Security Chief Michael Garibaldi), Mira Furlan (Delenn), Richard Biggs (Dr. Stephen Franklin), Bill Mumy (Lennier), Jason Carter (Marcus Cole), Stephen Furst (Vir), Jeff Conaway (Zack Allan), Peter Jurasik (Londo Mollari), Andreas Katsulas (G’Kar), Melissa Gilbert (Anna Sheridan), Jeff Corey (Justin), Ron Campbell (Messenger), Ed Wasser (Morden), Ardwight Chamberlain (Kosh), Joshua Cox (Lt. Corwin)
Original UK airdate: September 22, 1996
LogBook entry by Dave Thomer