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A Call to Arms is the fifth of six Babylon 5 TV movies. It is set in the year 2266, five years after the founding of the Interstellar Alliance. The TV movie serves as a prelude to the short lived spin-off series Crusade.

Cast[]

Starring[]

Co-Starring[]

Featuring[]

Summary[]

Michael Garibaldi meets ISA president John Sheridan aboard a White Star. Unbeknownst to them, their ship is being pursued by a probe, which sends images to a mysterious figure named Galen. The two of them proceed to a space dock where two prototype destroyers are being completed using a combination of Human, Minbari and Vorlon technology. They then board one of the vessels, the Excalibur. During the tour of the bridge President Sheridan receives a message through StellarCom supposedly from ISA Vice President Delenn; however the message is just gibberish and Sheridan is in a catatonic-like state staring at the monitor for twenty-five minutes, though he states to Garibaldi it felt like mere seconds.

Meanwhile, on Babylon 5, Dureena Nafeel is stopped by security for weapons violations and must surrender all arms she is carrying after which she is allowed to enter Downbelow.

As President Sheridan sleeps, the Techno-mage Galen appears. They stand together on the surface of a dead world, and Galen claims the planet was destroyed due to a weapons test. Galen reveals that the message purportedly from Delenn was actually from him. The alien race which destroyed the planet returns to observe the results and so Galen leaves to evade detection, hastingly phrasing "Daltron 7" as well as scribing it into the dirt, at which point Sheridan regains his consciousness on the Excalibur.

In Downbelow, Nafeel attempts to locate fellow members of the Thieves Guild. However, she is knocked unconscious by a man. Nafeel then wakes up on the same dead planet that Galen and Sheridan had observed, with a false image of Sheridan appearing behind her. Nafeel lunges at him, however he vanishes replaced by a Drakh, and then shortly afterwards disappears also after observing a projecction of a galaxy. Galen then appears and proclaims "This is not your world, Dureena Nafeel, but it shares the same fate. When the time comes be sure to pick the right target for you will only get one shot".

Excalibur Firing Main Gun

Excalibur firing its main weapon

Nafeel then awakes in Downbelow in chains surrounded by members of the Thieves Guild. Nafeel then breaks the chains and attacks the man who knocked her, prompting the leader of the Guild to welcome her as a fellow thief and questioning her on how she became a thief.

On the Excalibur a weapons test is due, the Excalibur is evaluated by Sheridan and Geribaldi attending as it carries out firing Level 1 and, consequently, Level 2 of the main guns. Level 1 has the same level of firepower as a White Star's main gun. However, Level 2 is a focused blast based on Vorlon design, and it was intended for ships far more advanced than the Excalibur and as such firing the main guns drains the ships power for one minute, leaving it vulnerable.

Sheridan noting on this last statement and awaiting a reply turningg around in his seat, is now seen on another planet, where the Techno-Mages are. Galen is being criticized by his colleagues for involving Sheridan and is warned that if his actions in helping Sheridan compromises their hiding place he will die first. Galen reveals that his order went hiding to avoid the carnage of the Shadow War. Galen then conjures up an image of Z'Ha'Dum and asks Sheridan if he recognizes it. Sheridan says he indeed does. Galen now informs Sheridan that the Drakh are on the move testing their resources, power, weapons and destructive abilities. Galen informs Sheridan that he must find out how much of a threat the Drakh pose as he believes that they will start their war by attacking Earth, because of the role of humans in the outcome of the Shadow War. Galen also reveals that he has done all he can and Sheridan must find the answers on his own, and not to tell anyone what he is doing or why, and if he doesn't act soon, that Earth may suffer the fate of Daltron 7. Sheridan is then seen again on the Excalibur and tells Garibaldi they must leave immediately for Babylon 5.

Sheridan Dureena & Anderson

Sheridan, Anderson and Nafeel discuss the Drakh on Babylon 5

On Babylon 5, Sheridan encounters Nafeel and an Earthforce Captain, Leonard Anderson; seeing Sheridan, Nafeel attacks him, where it is revealed that Nafeel's planet was destroyed by the Shadows during the war and she blames him because he didn't come to the aid of her people during the war. Sheridan convinces Nafeel that the Drakh are responsible and not him and both Nafeel and Captain Anderson agree to help.

Nafeel, Captain Anderson and Sheridan leave on Anderson's ship, the EAS Charon, en route to the docks. Sheridan contacts the leader of the construction operation, Mr. Drake, and tells him to not accept any orders from anyone except him. Sheridan, Nafeel, and half of Captain Anderson's crew board the Excalibur and commandeer it. While Captain Anderson and the remainder of his crew board the other ship, the Victory. Then both ships head for Daltron 7. When they arrive, they find out that a the planet has been devastated. However, they pick up a Drazi distress signal and Sheridan, Nafeel and Anderson proceed down to the planet’s surface. They find the Drazi dead. A detailed surface analysis shows that the destruction was caused by a Shadow Planet Killer and occurred only a few weeks ago, meaning that the Drakh have located one of the Shadow Planet Killers which were hidden away by the Shadows and left behind after they departed for the Rim. Nafeel locates the data crystal in a flap under the Drazi's arm.

On the data crystal, the Drazi reveals that the dreams told him to come here and when he arrived the planet killer was there and that the Drakh were operating it. He followed them as far as he could, but returned to Daltron 7 to find any survivors after the Drakh ship met up with reinforcements. The Victory then contacts the Excalibur and tells Sheridan's away team on the planet that a number of Drakh ships are approaching. The Drakh scan the 2 ships and then attempt to communicate with the Excalibur demanding to identify itself. A signal is then sent to the Drakh ships, originating outside the system. The Victory and Excalibur are suddenly engaged in combat by the Drakh. The Drakh then flee and the Excalibur pursues where it finds hundreds of Drakh vessels, they pursue the Excalibur and Victory. However, both ships are able to escape into hyperspace, where they head for Earth at maximum speed.

Sheridan contacts Captain Elizabeth Lochley onboard Babylon 5 urging her to mobilize a fleet in defense of Earth. Sheridan then contacts Garibaldi, where they deduce that Mr. Drake is an agent of the Drakh and that he sent the communication to them just before the engagement between the Drakh, the Victory and the Excalibur. Garibaldi discovers that the Drakh, fortunely have only one Planet Killer. After dealing with Mr. Drake's betrayal, the Victory and the Excalibur drop out of hyperspace around Earth.

Drakh Plague

The Drakh Release the Plague into Earths Atmosphere

A large fleet is assembled around Earth, at which point a number of Drakh vessels drop out of hyperspace. A large battle ensues during which the captain of the Victory sacrifices the ship ensuring the destruction of the Planet Killer and imminent danger to Earth. However the remaining Drakh vessels release a biogenetic plague, engineered by the Shadows, into Earth’s atmosphere. Its analysis reveal that it's designed to adapt to its host and will destroy all life on Earth within a probable timeframe of five years. President Sheridan determines that a cure must be out there as it must been used before, so he re-assigns the Excalibur to finding a cure.

DVD Release[]

This TV Movie was released with four others and some limited special features on Region 1 DVD. For more information see:

This TV Movie was released with five others and some limited special features on Region 2 DVD. For more information see:

This TV Movie was released with two others and some limited special features on Region 2 DVD. For more information see:

Novelization[]

The Novelization of Babylon 5: A Call to Armswas published in 1999 and written by Robert Sheckley.

External Links[]

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