The first season of Babylon 5 somewhat revolved around the Earth-Minbari war, in which the human race was on the verge of extinction when the Mibari surrendered for reasons that were not yet know at the time. This 90-minute film successfully portrayed the events leading up to the greatest war in human history. For those who are new to the B5 universe, the movie starts in the devastated world of Centauri Prime, where Emperor Londo Molari (wonderfully played by Peter Jurasik) explains to two children the events leading and during that war. The story focusses on how Earth was expanding on all areas when they head an expedition into alien space. The film shows the arrogance at the time: "My people can handle this. We took care of the Dilgar." Unfortunately, due to a miscommunication, Earth ships start a holy war with the death of Minbari leader Dukhat. For B5 fans, the movie covers certain episodes and familiar characters. We see John Sheridan as a brash young commander with a buzz cut. We see Delenn before she had hair. We also see Claudia Christian pass herself off as a teenage in this film. The best performances came from Boxleitner as Sheridan, Mira Fulan as Delenn, and especially Peter Jurasik as Londo. The special effects were terrific as the dreaded Battle of the Line is re-enacted. I was moved as Londo grievely explains the progress of the war as people die and hope seemed loss. It is the best of the Babylon 5 films.
Review of Babylon 5: In the Beginning
