Changes: A Call to Arms

Revision as of 19:28, 8 September 2008

Template:Season TVM A Call to Arms is the fifth of six Babylon 5 TV Movies. It is set in the year 2267, 5 years after Sheridan and Delenn left for the new ISA offices on Minbar. The TV Movie Serves as a pilot to the short lived spin-off series Crusade

Production Information

Production Number: TNT MoW4
Written By: J. Michael Straczynski
Directed By: Michael Vejar
Executive Producers: Douglas Netter & J. Michael Straczynski
Co-Producer: Skip Beaudine
Producer: John Copeland
Conceptual Consultant: Harlan Ellison
Director of Photography: Frederick V. Murphy II
Production Designer: John Iacovelli
Edited By: Skip Robinson
Music By: Evan H. Chen

Cast

Starring

Bruce Boxleitner as President John Sheridan
Jerry Doyle as Michael Garibaldi
Jeff Conaway as Security Chief Zack Allan
Carrie Dobro as Dureena Nafeel
Peter Woodward as Galen
Tony Todd as Captain Leonard Anderson
Tracy Scoggins as Captain Elizabeth Lochley
Tony Maggio as Drake

Co-Starring

Michael Harris as Bishop
Scott MacDonald as First Officer

Featuring

Wayne Alexander as Drakh
Carlos Bernard as Communications
Burt Bulos as Navigation
Ron Campbell as Drazi
David Coburn as Minbari Ranger
Matt Gallini as Rolf
Valeria Ghiran as ISN Reporter
Marjean Holden as Navigation
Endre Hules as Yuri
Tim O'Hare as First Mage
Tom Ramirez as Second Mage
LaRita Shelby-Mullen as Lynn Anderson
Kayla Spell as Sarah Anderson

Summary

The movie starts with Mr. Garibaldi meeting President John Sheridan, both then proceed to a space dock where two prototype destroyers are being built using a combination of Human, Minbari and Vorlon technology. They then board one of the vessels, the IAS Excalibur, during a 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 25 minutes.

Meanwhile on Babylon 5, we are introduced to Dureena Nafeel, whom will be a major character in the Spin off series Crusade. Dureena is stopped at security for weapons violations and must surrender all weapons she is carrying after which she proceeds to Downbelow.

Galen, whom will also be a major character in the spin-off Crusade, now appears to President Sheridan as he is sleeping. Both appear standing on a dead world, Galen claims the planet was destroyed in a weapons test. Galen now reveals that the message purportedly from Delenn was actually from him. Then the alien race which destroyed the planet returns and so Galen leaves, and as he does the phrase "Daltron 7" can be seen in the dirt, at which point Sheridan wakes up on the IAS Excalibur.

While in Downbelow, Dureena attempts to locate fellow members of the Thieves Guild. However, she is knocked unconscious by a man. Dureena then wakes up on the same dead planet that Galen and Sheridan were on. An image of Sheridan then appears, Dureena then lunges at him however he disappears and a Drakh shows up, and then shortly afterwards disappears also. 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 — IAS Excalibur Firing Its Main Weapon

Dureena then awakes in Downbelow in chains surrounded by members of the Thieves Guild. Dureena then breaks the chains and attacks the man who knocked her out she is then welcomed by the leader of the Guild.

On the IAS Excalibur a weapons test is under way, the Excalibur carries a Level 1 and a Level 2 weapons system. Level 1 has the same level of firepower as a Whitestar's main gun. However, Level 2 is a large cannon based on a 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.

Sheridan now appears on another planet, which is where the Technomages are. Galen is being criticized by his colleagues for bringing Sheridan there and is warned that if his actions in helping Sheridan compromises there hiding place he will die. Galen reveals that his order fled to this hiding place 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 does. Galen now informs Sheridan that the Drakh are on the move testing their resources, power, weapons and destructive ability. Galen informs Sheridan that he must found out how much firepower the Drakh have as he believes that they will start their war by attacking Earth. 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, an if he doesn't act that Earth may suffer the fate of Daltron 7. Sheridan then re-appears on the Excalibur and tells Garibaldi they must leave on the Whitestar immediately for Babylon 5.

Sheridan Dureena & Anderson — Sheridan, Anderson & Dureena discuss the Drakh on Babylon 5

On Babylon 5, Sheridan meets with Dureena and EarthForce Captain Anderson; during the meeting Dureena attacks Sheridan. Where it is revealed that Dureena'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 Dureena that the Drakh are responsible and not him and both Dureena and Captain Anderson agree to help.

Dureena, Captain Anderson and Sheridan leave on Anderson's ship the Charon; they are on route to the docks. Sheridan contacts the leader of the construction operation, Mr. Drake, and tells him to not accept any orders from anyone other than him. Sheridan, Dureena and half of Captain Anderson's crew board he IAS Excalibur and take control. While Captain Anderson and the remainder of his crew board and take over the other ship, the IAS Victory. Both ship the get under way to Daltron 7. When they arrive they find that a Shadow Planet Killer has decimated the planet. However, they pick up a Drazi distress signal and Sheridan, Dureena and Anderson proceed down to the planet’s surface. They find the Drazi dead. And a detailed surface analysis shows that the attack occurred only a few weeks ago, meaning that the Drakh have located one of the Shadow Planet Killers which were left behind by the Shadows. Dureena locates a 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 with 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 them that a number of Drakh ships are approaching. The Drakh scan the 2 ships and then attempt to communicate with the Excalibur in which they ask the Excalibur to identify themselves. A signal is then sent to the Drakh ships. The Victory and Excalibur then engage the Drakh in combat. 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.

Drakh Plague — The Drakh Release the Plague into Earths Atmosphere

Where they head for Earth at maximum speed. Sheridan contacts Captain Lochley to mobilize a fleet to defend 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 battle between the Drakh the Victory and the Excalibur. Garibaldi discovers that the Drakh have only 1 Planet Killer. Then the Victory and the Excalibur drop out of hyperspace around earth.

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 to destroy the Planet Killer and save Earth. However the remaining Drakh vessels release a biogenetic plague, which was engineered by the Shadows, into the earth’s atmosphere that will destroy all life on earth inside of five years. President Sheridan determines that a cure must be out there, so he assigns the Excalibur to finding a cure.

Chronology In Regards to Crusade

This TV Movie serves as the pilot to Crusade. However only 13 episodes of crusade were produced before TNT cancelled the series. According to posts by J. Michael Straczynski, which are archived on jmsnews.com, TNT broadcast the episodes out of the intended sequence. The order of the episodes was then revised when they were re-broadcasted on the Sci-Fi channel; the Sci-Fi channel actually contacted Straczynski and asked which order he would prefer the episodes were broadcast. Straczynski formally endorsed a third order as the "true" chronological sequence of events for the filmed episode, as it appeared in The Official Babylon 5 Chronology (published in the pages of The Official Babylon 5 Magazine in 1999-2000). This particular ordering supersedes Straczynski's own "preferred" sequence from a strictly chronological and causal standpoint. The original broadcast order as set by TNT was used for the DVD releases. So it is unclear which episode of Crusade follows this TV Movie, there are the following three possibilities

Original Broadcast Order

Using the Original Broadcast Order War Zone follows up to A Call to Arms and as such is episode 1 of 13.

Preceded by:	Crusade episodes		Followed by:
""		"War Zone"

Revised Broadcast Order

Using the Original Broadcast Order Racing the Night follows up to A Call to Arms and as such is episode 1 of 13.

Preceded by:	Crusade episodes		Followed by:
""		"Racing the Night"

Chronological Order