Editing John Sheridan

{{character
|image=[[Image:Sheridan 2.JPG|300px]]
|fgcolor=black
|name=John J. Sheridan
|alias=Swamp Rat <small>(by Capt. [[Jack Maynard]])</small><ref name=distantstar/><br/>Starkiller <small>(by the [[Minbari]])</small><ref name="points"/><br/>"The One who will be" <small>(by [[Zathras]])</small><ref name="wwe2">[[War Without End, Part II]]</ref><br/>The Blessed Sheridan <small>(in holy texts, c. [[2300s_and_beyond#3262|3262]])</small><ref name=deconstruction/>
|race=[[Human]]
|gender=Male
|birthdate=May 12, [[2215]]
|deathdate=January 14 [[2281]]
|birthplace=Kansas, [[Earth]]
|deathplace=[[Coriana VI]]
|hair=Blond
|eyes=Hazel
|relatives=[[David Sheridan]] <small>(father)</small><br/>[[Nancy Sheridan]] <small>(mother)</small><br/>[[Elizabeth Sheridan]] <small>(sister)</small><br/>[[Delenn]] <small>(wife)</small><br/>[[David Sheridan II]] <small>(son)</small><br/>[[Elizabeth Lochley]] <small>(ex-wife)</small><br/>[[Anna Sheridan]] <small>(late wife)</small><br/>[[wikipedia:Philip Sheridan|Philip Henry Sheridan]] <small>(ancestor)</small><ref name="lurker">[http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/chars/sheridan.html JMS Speaks] (1995-10-08) on [http://www.midwinter.com/lurk Lurker's Guide]</ref><br/>[[Delenn III]] <small>(descendant)</small><ref name=deconstruction/>
|affiliation=[[Earth Alliance]]<br/>[[Earthforce]]<br/>[[Babylon 5]]<br/>[[Interstellar Alliance]]<br/>[[Anla'Shok]]
|serial=XO 7Y39- Alpha
|actor=[[Bruce Boxleitner]]
||rank = [[Captain]]<br>[[ISA President]] <small>([[2261]] - [[2279]])</small><br>[[Entil'Zha]] <small>([[2279]] - [[2281]])</small><br>[[Anla'shok Na]]<small> (2279 - 2281)</small>|caption=President Sheridan}}
{{Quote box|... he was a good man. A kind man... who cared about the world... even when the world cared nothing for him.|[[Delenn]], [[2362]]}}

'''John Sheridan''' was [[Jeffrey Sinclair]]'s replacement as Commander of [[Babylon 5]].  Under his leadership, [[Babylon 5]] seceded from the [[Earth Alliance]], the [[second Shadow war]] was resolved, and President [[Morgan Clark]] was overthrown, after which Sheridan became the first President of the [[Interstellar Alliance]].  He eventually married Minbari ambassador [[Delenn]] and they had a son, [[David Sheridan II]].

==History==
===Early life===
John Sheridan is the son of [[David Sheridan]], a once prominent diplomat. Academically, Sheridan was said to be an average but enthusiastic student. During his adolescence, he drifted in and out of various hobbies, including a brief but obsessive interest in the works of the [[wikipedia:Dalai Lama|Dalai Lama]], whom he met when he was 21.<ref name="points">[[Points of Departure]]</ref>

He joined [[Earthforce]] shortly after the [[Dilgar War]], feeling this was the patriotic thing to do, and wanting to be part of something bigger than himself.<ref name="deconstruction">[[The Deconstruction of Falling Stars]]</ref>

Sheridan studied vigorously for his entry exams for [[Earthforce Academy]]. The night before the test, he had trouble sleeping. Knowing his son always fell to sleep easily when it rained; John's father went outside and used the garden hose to spray water on the roof, simulating rain. John fell asleep and did exceptionally well on the entry exam.<ref name="messages">[[Messages from Earth]]</ref>

While at the Academy, Sheridan met [[Jeffrey Sinclair]] for the first time when the first year cadet made the unfortunate mistake of getting his attention by spilling a tray of food on him. Since Sinclair was just a plebe at the time, and in Academy tradition it was every upperclassman’s duty to haze plebes, Sinclair later recalled that Sheridan dedicated his last year at the Academy to making his life a living hell.<ref name="tditcos">[[To Dream in the City of Sorrows]]</ref>

Upon graduating from the Academy he married his classmate, [[Elizabeth Lochley]]. They divorced soon after realizing the relationship was not working. As she later put it, "We hit it off, fell crazy in love, got married, realized we'd made a terrible mistake, fell crazy out of love, and split up." Their marriage lasted about three months.

Sheridan's first posting was on the old [[Luna|Moon]]-[[Mars]] run under [[Captain]] [[Jack Maynard]]. Sheridan and Maynard became close friends, nicknaming each other "Swamp Rat" and "Stinky" and getting into (and out of) several sticky situations together.<ref name="distantstar">[[A Distant Star]]</ref>

===Earth-Minbari War===
Sheridan was offered a post as first officer of the [[EAS Prometheus|EAS ''Prometheus'']].  He turned down the offer out of loyalty to his then-current captain [[Roger Sterns]], and because he was uncomfortable with the commanding officer of the Prometheus, [[Michael Jankowski|Jankowski]], who had gained a negative reputation for reckless behavior and mishandling first contact situations. Sheridan's worries about Jankowski commanding the mission proved well-founded when during the [[Earth-Minbari First Contact]], his impulsiveness triggered the [[Earth-Minbari War]].

During the war, Sheridan was the first officer of the [[EAS Lexington|EAS ''Lexington'']]. Sheridan took command of the ''Lexington'' when Captain Sterns was killed in a battle with the [[Minbari Federation]] ''[[Black Star]]''. With the ''Lexington'' crippled and unable to fight, Sheridan mined several nearby asteroids with nuclear weapons and lured the ''Black Star'' back towards his ship with a fake distress signal. He then detonated the nuclear mines, destroying the ''Black Star'' and giving Earth its only real victory in the war. This earned Sheridan the name [[Starkiller]], and was an event the [[Minbari]] would not soon forget. Sheridan is the only human captain to have gone up against a Minbari cruiser and won. While the ''Lexington'' was still in drydock, [[General]] [[Robert Leftcourt]] ordered Sheridan to go on a secret mission to the [[Epsilon System]] in [[Sectors of Known Space#Sector 919|Sector 919]] along with Doctor [[Stephen Franklin]] and [[Narn Regime]] [[Ambassador]] [[G'Kar]] to meet with [[Anla'Shok Na]] [[Lenonn]] to try to negotiate a peace settlement. The meeting was interrupted when an [[Vorchan class medium warship|unidentified ship]] bombed the site from orbit, killing Lenonn. The Minbari soon came looking for Lenonn and captured Sheridan, Franklin, and G'Kar. Before he died, Lenonn gave Sheridan a message to pass to the first Minbari leader he encountered that he knew what was in [[Dukhat]]'s sacred place. When asked by a [[Delenn|hooded Minbari]] what was in Dukhat's sacred place, he responded as instructed: "[[Isil'zha]]". After hearing this, the [[Satai]] ordered the prisoners released.<ref name="inthebeginning">[[In the Beginning]]</ref>

After the failed peace negotiations, Sheridan and Dr. Franklin informed General Leftcourt what had happened and tried to convince him to continue the negotiations, but he told him that the Narns had withdrawn after losing one of their ships.<ref name="inthebeginning" /> Sheridan was assigned as executive officer aboard the destroyer {{EAS1|Leviathan}}.<ref name="OG2B5">[[The Official Guide to Babylon 5 (CD ROM)]]</ref>

In 2248, having transferred to the EAS ''Hector'' as XO. Sheridan was investigating a Minbari incursion in the Triad Sector, when President Levy’s call to form a last line of defence around Earth was received. Making the two day jump the ship arrived too late. The war was over and the Minbari had mysteriously surrendered <ref>[[In the Beginning (Novelization)]]</ref>

===Post-War and Promotion to Captain===
Following the war, in [[2248]] Sheridan was given command of [[Station Io]], [[Susan Ivanova]] would later join his staff in [[2250]].<ref>[[The War Prayer]]</ref> On December 3, [[2249]], John finally married his fiancée [[Anna Sheridan|Anna]].<ref name="The Shadow Within">[[The Shadow Within]]</ref> In [[2251]], Commander Sheridan was among those called to help put down the [[Martian Food Riots]]. In the midst of the violence, Sheridan found himself trying to fight off four rioters on his own in an alleyway. Just when it looked like he was about to lose the fight, another Earthforce officer, who had also found himself cut off from his base, came to his assistance. The two of them were able to drive off the four rioters who beat a hasty retreat, looking for reinforcements. When the dust settled and the two recognized one another (the other officer being none other than his old Academy nemesis [[Jeffrey Sinclair]]), Sheridan said he knew a bar that would be safe and they could call to check in with their respective bases. Taking shelter until the trouble outside subsided, the pair got to talking, finally getting to know each other. Sinclair discovered that despite his initial dislike for Sheridan, he was a pretty decent man and even apologized (just a little) for his behavior the Academy. Sinclair would later say that Sheridan wasn't the jar-head some had made him out to be, and was pleased when he found out who had taken his position on Babylon 5, stating that Sheridan would not be the puppet that [[William Morgan Clark|Clark]] had hoped for.<ref name="tditcos" />

On March 2, [[2253]] Sheridan was promoted to [[captain]] by order of the [[Earthforce]] Orion Command district, taking command of the [[Omega class destroyer]] [[EAS Agamemnon|EAS ''Agamemnon'']], beginning an assignment consisting of exploration and diplomatic missions to many of the [[League]] worlds, also making several first contacts during this time.<ref name="revelations">[[Revelations]]</ref>.  In [[2255]], Sheridan spent some time at the fortress of Matok on the planet [[Akdor]] in the [[Sh'lassen Triumvirate]], part of an operation known as the Karani Expedition.<ref name="gropos">[[GROPOS (episode)|GROPOS]]</ref>. In January [[2256]] Sheridan began a 3 year deep patrol out on the Rim.<ref name="revelations">[[Revelations]]</ref>. One of several officers short-listed for command of [[Babylon 5]] before the station first came online in March of 2256, at the request of the [[Minbari]] the position went to his old academy acquaintance, [[Commander]] [[Jeffrey Sinclair]]. Despite being overruled, Earth Alliance President [[Luis Santiago]] put him at the top of his list as his first choice to run B5 in the event something happened to Sinclair.<ref name="points">[[Points of Departure]]</ref> On November 23 of that year, Sheridan contacted his wife [[Anna Sheridan|Anna]], for what would turn out to be the last time, telling her that he couldn't make their planned meeting on [[Centauri Prime]] as something had come up. Before ending the transmission, he forgot to tell her that he loved her. Though he didn't know it at the time, Anna had also intended to call off the meeting, as she had accepted an assignment as science officer on the [[IPX]] explorer [[Icarus]]. On January 3, [[2257]] the Icarus was destroyed, with Anna presumed to have perished with the rest of the crew.<ref name="The Shadow Within" /><ref name="revelations">[[Revelations]]</ref>

===New Assignment===
[[File:Sheridan first.jpg|left|thumb]]Captain Sheridan took command of Babylon 5 on January 8, 2259, following Commander Jeffrey Sinclair's reassignment to ambassadorial duty on [[Minbar]]. Receiving his new orders from General [[William Hague]], Hague also informed him that the renegade Minbari warship [[Tragati]] had been sighted near Earth space. Sheridan's success against the Black Star was the primary reason he was chosen by President [[Morgan Clark|Clark]]: both because he knew how to defeat them (an important point should the Tragati attack near Babylon 5) and partly to assert Earth's influence over the station (as the Minbari had chosen Sinclair). The choice of Sheridan was initially protested by the Minbari Federation, still resentful over his victory in the war. The same day Sheridan arrived, [[Coplann]] a member of the [[Grey Council]], came with the Council's own warnings about the Tragati. The captain of the Tragati, [[Kalain]], was discovered in Ambassador's [[Delenn|Delenn's]] quarters with a weapon drawn against her aide, [[Lennier]]. Kalain surrendered, but offered no explanation regarding the whereabouts or actions of his ship.

At this time, Lennier (per Coplann’s orders) came to Sheridan and offered an official explanation of why the Minbari surrendered at the [[Battle of the Line]]. Lennier explained that Sinclair was captured during the battle and during his interrogation, it was discovered that humans were sharing Minbari souls. Shortly afterward, the Tragati showed up, apparently on an attack mission against the station. Sheridan prepared the station for battle, but realized that the Tragati was attempting suicide by getting Babylon 5 to attack them.  During the war, human weapons systems could not target Minbari ships; however, they could target the Tragati and its fighters now, which aroused his suspicions. He orders no provocation and sends a transmission into hyperspace, betting the Minbari would have a ship nearby. His guess is correct, and a Minbari ship jumps into local space and disables the Tragati (which then self-destructs).

Just shy of midnight, Sheridan delivers his "good luck speech" to a vacant [[C&C]] (a speech which he always delivers within 24 hours of arriving on a new assignment), looking forward to his new post.<ref name="points">[[Points of Departure]]</ref>

When General Hague informed Sheridan about his new assignment, he also gave him secret orders to investigate fully all the officers on the station. Hague wanted to see if they were all loyal to Earth, as he and several allies had become aware of certain disturbing factions pulling the strings within EarthGov. Sheridan agrees to comply with this order.<ref name="Alone">[[All Alone in the Night]]</ref>

Sheridan was pleased that [[Susan Ivanova]] was assigned as his second in command of the station, having worked with her previously. Before his arrival, he put in for a promotion for her to full commander. Several weeks later, the promotion was granted and Sheridan was able to deliver the news personally to Ivanova.<ref name="Geometry">[[The Geometry of Shadows]]</ref>

The station's chief of security, [[Michael Garibaldi]], was in a coma when Sheridan arrived. Approximately a week later, he is approached by Dr. [[Stephen Franklin]] who proposes using an [[Energy Transfer Device|alien healing device]] on the chief. Sheridan consents, but insists that he and Stephen work together in shifts. One would donate their life force while the other operated the device. The device works and Garibaldi awakens. Using telepath [[Talia Winters]] to help jog his memory of the shooting which landed him in the coma, Garibaldi discovers that his [[Jack (aide)|second-in-command]] shot him and was presumably involved in the death of President Santiago. Soon after the arrest, President Clark personally contacts Captain Sheridan, ordering him to send the prisoner back to Earth. However, the prisoner disappears en route. After these events, John helps Garibaldi regain his confidence and Garibaldi quickly goes to [[Susan Ivanova]]'s rescue when she is being held hostage.

Sheridan is soon introduced to the ambassadors assigned to the station. This includes [[G'Kar]], who arrives after a brief absence trying to warn the Babylon 5 Council about an ancient race threatening them all that has reemerged on a planet called [[Z'ha'dum]] (however, G'Kar is unable to offer any proof of this claim at this time). Sheridan also meets Delenn, who had been in a cocoon when he first arrives and had emerged as a Minbari-Human hybrid—an effort at strengthening the ties between their people.

At this same time, John's sister, [[Elizabeth Sheridan]], arrived on the station to help welcome him in his new assignment. She also came to check up on him and discovers that he is still despairing over the loss of his wife. She offers her emotional support. She also gives him a [[Data crystal]] containing a message Anna sent her before leaving on the Icarus. The message is a great comfort to John, who is able to set aside some of the guilt he has felt over her being aboard the Icarus when it was lost.<ref name="revelations" />

After Ivanova's promotion is confirmed, Sheridan explains to her that he would like for her to pick up some of the minor diplomatic issues that come up. As a first assignment, he asks her to find a peaceful solution to the Drazi "civil war" that is resulting in outbreaks of violence on the station. Although she breaks her leg in the process, Ivanova does not disappoint him.

Meanwhile, Sheridan is approached by Ambassador [[Londo Mollari]], who warns him about the appearance of over 100 [[techno-mage]]s that had recently arrived. Sheridan is also contacted by [[EarthGov]], asking for him to look into the migration of the mysterious beings. Sheridan contacts [[Elric]], the apparent leader of the group, and after an icy first meeting (where Sheridan learns Mollari's motives were hardly altruistic), the two reach an understanding. Sheridan promises not to interfere with the techno-mages' departure and they soon leave the station, hoping to never be seen again. Elric also warns Sheridan about a "black, and terrible storm" coming.<ref name="Geometry" />

A few weeks into the job, Sheridan's old friend and former commanding officer, [[Jack Maynard]], arrives on the station with the {{EAS1|Cortez}}. While Sheridan is happy to see his old friend, Maynard manages to touch a nerve in Sheridan by suggesting that maybe he [Sheridan] has been "benched" by EarthForce, as command of a space station is far different from command of a ship. Sheridan confesses his frustration with Ivanova over his trouble adjusting. The ''Cortez'' leaves a few days later, but an accident aboard leaves them stranded in hyperspace, off the beacons. Sheridan devises a daring rescue attempt of the station's Starfuries (daring as no ship lost in hyperspace had until then ever been recovered) which is ultimately successful in finding the ''Cortez'' and helping it return to the station, along with all but one of the Starfuries. Sheridan renews his commitment to the station, coming to a new found acceptance of his post.<ref name="distantstar">[[A Distant Star]]</ref>

===The Coming of Shadows===

When an old Earth sleeper ship, the [[USS Copernicus]], finds its way to the station, Sheridan is excited to learn that it contains one survivor:  a woman named [[Mariah Cirrus]]. She is revived from stasis, but the crew is wary considering her husband was found dead, apparently murdered in his stasis pod. Soon, a few mysterious deaths occur on the station that are similar to the condition the dead man was found in. The [[League of Non-Aligned Worlds]], lead by the [[Markab]] Ambassador, petition Sheridan to do something about the woman—they claim that an ancient, dark warrior must have come aboard from the ship, as the deaths are similar to their stories of such a creature from the ancient past. Though Sheridan is skeptical, he promises to vigorously investigate. Garibaldi brings the captain information about a Lurker named [[Amis]], a former soldier who encountered something similar during the Earth-Minbari War while on a desolate moon. The Copernicus's logs indicate it passed by that moon and Amis is convinced the monster is aboard the station. With his help, Garibaldi is able to track it down in Downbelow. Sheridan personally leads the security team that destroys it.

Afterward, Ivanova informs Sheridan that the ship's computers had altered its course for B5 after detecting signals from the station. Prior to that, however, but after passing the moon where Amis was stationed, the ship's course had been changed to take it to [[Z'ha'dum]].<ref>[[The Long Dark]]</ref>

A man named [[Taro Isogi]] comes aboard the station to negotiate a further process for Mars to become self-sufficient (bringing it closer to independence) with a representative from the Mars government named [[Amanda Carter]]. However, Isogi is murdered by someone shouting "[[Free Mars]]" right in front of commercial telepath [[Talia Winters]]. Sheridan orders Garibaldi to personally guard Talia while they try to learn the killer's identity.  The assassin strikes again, killing a security guard, but leaving Talia alive. Talia manages to grab some DNA off him, however, and Garibaldi identifies him as [[Abel Horn]], a notorious Free Mars terrorist. Sheridan recalls losing close friends to a bombing perpetuated  Strangely enough, Earthforce had a confirmed record of Horn dying the year before during the Mars Rebellion. 

The inconsistencies regarding Horn (which include a few telepathic memories taken by Talia of his death) remind Sheridan of a black ops program he stumbled across a few years earlier:  [[Project Lazarus]]. He calls Garibaldi to his quarters to discuss it, explaining it was a cybernetic program designed to transform recently deceased persons into cyborgs. Sheridan believes Horn may be a result of that project. While Sheridan keeps digging, Talia requests to meet with Amanda Carter. Garibaldi escorts her to Carter's quarters but does not follow her inside. Sheridan links Garibaldi moments later, having found a way to track the energy source that is powering Horn—inside Carter's quarters. Sheridan, Garibaldi, [[Zack Allan]] and a few others burst in to find Horn holding Talia. In the subsequent standoff, Sheridan is unable to appeal to Horn to let them help him, and security is forced to shoot Horn. Immediately after he collapses, an energy surge begins to build, eventually detonating in a violent explosion that destroys all traces. 

In Medlab, Carter apologies for luring Talia to her quarters. She explains that she was once a member of Free Mars, before it was a terrorist organization, and she and Horn were lovers. Garibaldi objects when Sheridan agrees to bury any evidence linking Carter with Horn. Talia confirms Horn was indeed a cyborg. Later, Sheridan meets with Garibaldi privately and explains about [[Bureau 13]], a secret black ops rogue unit he has been researching for years. Sheridan warns that the agency could be a danger to the entire Alliance, but he is determined to expose it.<ref name="Spider">[[A Spider in the Web]]</ref>

A few weeks later, the [[Psi Cop]] [[Alfred Bester]] turns up on the station, claiming that an "underground railroad" of [[Rogue Telepath|rogue telepaths]] is operating through the station. Sheridan agrees to help shut it down. Ivanova informs Sheridan about Bester's previous trip to B5. While the search gets underway, [[Talia Winters]] is kidnapped. Dr. Franklin contacts Sheridan, telling him that he has in turn been contacted by the leader of the underground railroad. This leader has agreed to meet with Sheridan in Downbelow alone. Sheridan decides to go to the meeting and is shocked to learn that Franklin himself is the leader (at least of that junction of the railroad). Franklin explains the railroad is secretly a network of doctors and sympathizers all over the Alliance, appalled at the conditions rogue telepaths have been subjected to. Talia Winters emerges while the doctor explains, safe and sound and sympathetic to the cause. Other members of the underground relate their stories about brutal subjugation, experimentation, and even rape by the Psi Corps to members and rogues alike. Sheridan wants to help, but is unsure of how to keep Bester from exposing Franklin's involvement. Fortunately, the telepaths themselves are able to deal with this, implanting a series of false memories in Bester so that he believes all the rogues on the station were shot and killed. Franklin agrees that the "railroad" has to be shut down on B5, is confident others will pick up the work elsewhere.

During this time, Sheridan is approached by Ambassador Delenn, who invites him out to dinner. He is surprised, but nervously accepts the invitation. The two enjoy a nice dinner at [[Fresh Air|Fresh Air's]].<ref>[[A Race Through Dark Places]]</ref>

When Ambassador Mollari hosts a party celebrating the anniversary of his [[Ascension Day]], Sheridan and the rest of the senior staff is invited. The party takes an ugly turn, however, when a gift given by Londo's third wife, [[Mariel]] (whom Londo had warned Sheridan to avoid), turns out to be booby trapped. Mariel had purchased it via a "former" telepath named [[Matthew Stoner]], who claims he found it and new nothing of the trap. Sheridan is puzzled by Stoner (who turns out to be Talia's ex-husband), as he apparently "lost" his telepathy and left the Psi Corps. Londo survives, thanks to a blood transfusion. Stoner is discovered to be an "empath," someone capable of controlling other people telepathically. Before he can be indicted for an attempted "jail break," however, the Psi Corps orders him returned to Earth to their custody.<ref>[[Soul Mates]]</ref>

In June 2259, Centauri Emperor [[Turhan]] announces that he wishes to come aboard Babylon 5. Despite a vehement protest by [[G'Kar]], Sheridan enthusiastically welcomes the Emperor to come aboard. The Emperor arrives and a grand formal reception is planned for him, one that will feature a speech he has prepared and then mingling with the other ambassadors and dignitaries. Before the reception, Sheridan speaks to the Emperor privately. He finds Turhan to be a somewhat broken figure:  a very old man with a lifetime of regrets, though still a good man who wishes to make a difference as his life draws near its end. Unfortunately, just before he arrives at the reception, he collapses, his health failing him. He is rushed to Medlab, but his prognosis is that he only has a day at most to live.

A few hours later, the station receives word that the Centauri had launched a full scale assault against a [[Narn]] [[Quadrant 14|colony]]. Sheridan leads a security team and intercepts G'Kar in Green Sector. The enraged Narn had been heading straight for Mollari's quarters. Sheridan manages to talk him down from his rage. Afterward, Garibaldi comes to him with vital information:  an "anonymous" source let him know that the Centauri had received support from a strange, unknown race in attacking the colony. Sheridan decides to use the tip to play a bluff during an emergency Babylon 5 Council meeting. He bluffs that Earth is planning on sending ships to the colony to check on the status of the roughly 250,000 Narns living there. Mollari believes him and agrees to get the Republic to release all the prisoners.

Immediately afterward, G'Kar informs the Council that the [[Narn Regime]] has just declared war against the [[Centauri Republic]]. Emperor Turhan dies in Medlab, his hope for peace dying with him.<ref>[[The Coming of Shadows]]</ref>

===The Gathering Dark===

Soon after the outbreak of the [[Narn-Centauri War]], General [[Richard Franklin]] arrives on Babylon 5 with 25,000 Marines in need of billeting. General Franklin explains that he has been ordered out to [[Akdor]], the third planet of the [[Sh'lassen Triumvirate]], to help suppress a rebellion. Due to Sheridan prior experience with the fortress of Matok on Akdor, Franklin orders him to help plan the invasion, [[Operation Sudden Death]]. The next few days are spent helping plan the invasion while the station groans under the presence of the 25,000 Marines. Sheridan also offers what support he can to both the Franklins aboard (the General is the father of Stephen, but their relationship is severely strained).The station itself also receives an upgrade to its defense grid at this time, gifts brought along with the General. After several days, the Marines deploy and the mission is ultimately successful.<ref name="gropos" />

A few weeks later, General Hague contacts Sheridan quietly, informing him that he is planning on coming to the station for an informal visit soon. Before he arrives, Sheridan is captured by an unknown vessel (later known to belong to the [[Streib]]) while on a patrol in a [[Starfury]] wing. He is experimented upon and forced for fight first a Drazi and then a Narn named [[Ta'Lon]]. After defeating Ta'Lon and disabling a device the Streib were using to control the Narn, the two prisoners are able to escape their cell and board a life pod, even as the ship is attacked by the {{EAS1|Agamemnon}} and a Starfury squadron from Babylon 5. Sheridan is picked up and returned to the station. While aboard the Streib ship, he also had a strange dream, seemingly "sent" to him by Ambassador [[Kosh]], though the purpose and images of the dream are cryptic.

After being treated for his injuries, Sheridan meets privately with General Hague. He stands by the loyalty of the officer aboard. Hague suggests the President might have been involved with Santiago's death, probably working with [[Psi Corps]] and other factions using military contacts. He encourages Sheridan to bring his staff into their "conspiracy," telling him that their own faction will soon start acting and not just reacting. Sheridan does precisely that, telling Ivanova, Garibaldi, and Franklin about what he is a part of and asking for their help.  All three agree to stand by him.<ref name="Alone" />

The Narn-Centauri War soon begins to go badly for the Narns. G'Kar appeals to Sheridan for help from the Earth Alliance, citing attacks by Centauri against Narn civilian targets. Sheridan agrees to appeal to EarthGov to come in on the side of the Regime, helping not militarily but by providing aid to civilians. His request is denied, as the Alliance has no intention of being drawn into the conflict. Denied that route, Sheridan goes to Delenn and asks for her help: together they form a plan to smuggle left over food and medical supplies to Narn civilians and smuggle other civilians out of conflict zones. G'Kar graciously accepts this help for what it is, though he is clearly disappointed that neither Earth nor Minbar will support him militarily. Meanwhile, Sheridan attempts to prevent the tense situation between the Centauri and the Narn on the station from exploding in the wake of a murdered Centauri and a dead Narn. With some help from Londo, he is able to diffuse the situation, temporarily keeping the station from becoming another battleground in the War.<ref>[[Acts of Sacrifice]]</ref>

A short time later, Sheridan decides to make it a personal mission to find out more about the mysterious Ambassador [[Kosh]] and his race. His timing is problematic, however, when he is alerted that Dr. [[Everett Jacobs]] is on the run from [[Earthforce Security]], allegedly because he is planning to defect with high level state secrets. Jacobs had apparently made his way to Babylon 5 and EarthGov sends [[Derek Cranston]] and a detachment to help coordinate the search. While it is underway, Sheridan is contacted by an [[Sarah (Resistance)|aide of General Hague's]], one who explains that Jacobs is running because he has proof that President [[Morgan Clark]] faked the illness which saved his life when [[Earthforce One]] exploded. Sheridan quietly assigns Garibaldi and Dr. Franklin (the latter of whom was s student of Jacobs) to quietly find the doctor before Cranston does. While they search, Sheridan is unexpectedly contacted by Kosh, who requests a meeting. Sheridan meets him, but Kosh quickly seems to loose interest and dismisses the captain. Angry at the rebuff, Sheridan demands Kosh be more responsive and respectful. Kosh seems impressed, and agrees to "teach" Sheridan. He also agrees to hide Dr. Jacobs aboard his ship (after Garibaldi and Franklin have rescued him) until Cranston and his team leaves. Sheridan then helps Hagues' aide smuggle both Jacobs and datacrystal containing his proof against the President off the station.<ref>[[Hunter, Prey]]</ref>

===Mr. Morden & Anna===
Sheridan was reviewing the file of the [[Icarus]], when [[Michael Garibaldi]] said he had seen a member of the crew before, this crew member was Mr. [[Morden]]. Sheridan detains Morden and questions him about the Icarus. Morden says he was picked up by a cruiser passing through the area. Garibaldi asks Sheridan to let Morden go because he hadn't charged him yet. Sheridan declined forcing Garibaldi to quit. Sheridan tries to get [[Talia Winters]] to scan Morden but she refuses. Sheridan then makes Morden pass through the same hallway that she was walking down. Hoping an accidental scan would take place. Then [[Delenn]] and [[Kosh]] tell him to let Morden go. He asks why and they tell him what really happened to the Icarus. He then releases Morden and apologizes to Garibaldi.<ref>[[./In_the_Shadow_of_Z'ha'dum]]</ref>

===Death of the Markab Race===
Dr. [[Stephen Franklin]] began to investigate when three [[Markab]] died of natural causes in the same week. The resident Markab doctor insists that nothing sinister is going on. However, Franklin soon finds out that the three deceased were infected with some form of plague. Upon questioning the resident Markab doctor it is discovered that the plague is 100% contagious and 100% fatal. Sheridan places the station under quarantine. Delenn comes to him to be allowed into the isolation zone where all the Markab were gathered, he eventually agrees. Delenn and [[Lennier]] enter the isolation zone and are forced to watch all the Markab die. By this point the Markab race is extinct.<ref>[[Confessions and Lamentations]]</ref>

===Psi-corps Traitor===
When Mr. Garibaldi asks Sheridan if they can bring Talia in on their little conspiracy to bring President Clark to justice, he says yes and to set up a meeting. Then [[Lyta Alexander]] tells Sheridan that one of them is not what they appear. Sheridan places her in a cell but on the way to the cell someone tries to kill her and she flees. Later Ivanova talks to Sheridan and tells him that she is a telepath. Lyta is found and he has her send the password that will trigger the personality change in to each person of the command staff. No one on the command staff is the traitor. Talia Winters enters the room, Lyta send the password in to her mind and the conditioned personality takes over.<ref>[[Divided Loyalties]]</ref>

===Narn Centauri Conflict===
The Narn Centauri conflict comes to a boil and the [[Centauri]] directly attack [[Narn]]. With no chance of winning the Kha'ri order G'kar to ask for asylum from Sheridan and they then surrender to the Centauri. Londo then calls a meeting of the Babylon 5 Advisory Council in which he reveals the terms of the Narn surrender. Londo then insists that "Citizen" G'Kar be removed from the council. G'Kar leaves and Sheridan later tells him that he has all the resources that Sheridan can provide to regain his homeworld.[[File:Sheridan The Fall of Night.jpg|thumb]]
After this Sheridan started training the Starfury pilots about Centauri Tactics. Then when a Narn heavy cruiser arrives on the other side of the planet, Sheridan offers to repair their ship. A representative from the [[Ministry of Peace]], [[Frederick Lantz]], who was there to sign a [[Non-Aggression Treaty|non-aggression treaty]] with the Centauri, finds out and tells Londo. Londo notified his government and then tells Captain Sheridan to give up the Narn ship. He refuses and a Centauri heavy cruiser came out of hyperspace and locked on to Babylon 5 and the Narn ship. Sheridan powers up the defense grid and launches the Starfuries to escort the Narn ship in to hyperspace. The Centauri open fire and Sheridan is forced to take out the Centauri vessel. The ship is destroyed and the Narn vessel escapes into hyperspace. Babylon 5 sustained damage. Sheridan is asked to apologize for his actions by the head of [[Nightwatch]]. On his way to apologize he takes the Core Transport. While in there he sees a Centauri bomb in the transport. He opens the doors of the transport and jumps out. As he is falling toward the station, Kosh comes out of his encounter suit and rescues Sheridan. Sheridan later thanks Kosh for saving his life.<ref>[[The Fall of Night]]</ref>

===Conspiracy of Light===

It was revealed that Sheridan is part of a low level counter conspiracy against President's Clark regime. The effort is being led by Sheridan's friend and superior officer General Hague. It is implied that Hague maneuvered Sheridan into the position of commander of Babylon 5 specifically for this reason. Sheridan uses his position on a number of occasions to help the effort. For example, he secretly assists a damaged Narn ship during the Narn-Centauri War. He also helps hide Dr. [[Everett Jacobs]] who has proof that the illness President Clark used as an excuse to disembark from [[Earthforce One]] was a fraud. Additionally, he assumes joint command of the [[Rangers]] along with [[Delenn]] and works secretly with her to coordinate the first victory over the Shadows

===Seceding From The Earth Alliance===
When Ivanova used the [[Great Machine]] to get hold of a recording of President Clark conspiring to murder President Santiago, Sheridan quickly passed it on to General Hague. Hague made the recording public, causing uproar on Earth.<ref name="authority>[[Voices of Authority]]</ref> Not long after, it was announced that Bester was on his way back to the station and the command staff feared he would scan their minds and learn of their opposition to Clark. Ivanova was prepared to destroy Bester's ship without authorisation, but Sheridan stopped her. Instead, he used a plan of Delenn's. He met Bester in the company of four Minbari telepaths, who shielded his thoughts, and gave the Psi Cop a choice between having them as a permanent escort or taking [[Sleepers]] for the duration of his time on the station. Bester chose the latter, and he and Garibaldi quickly recovered a quantity of [[Dust]], a drug that could induce telepathy, which had been smuggled onto the station. However, the buyer was revealed to be G'Kar. Even though Sheridan spoke up for him, G'Kar was sentenced to 60 days in prison.<ref name="dust">[[Dust to Dust]]</ref>

When [[David Corwin]] was promoted to lieutenant, Sheridan asked Ivanova to subtly question him to see if he could be trusted with news of their conspiracy. Ivanova did so and told Sheridan that Corwin couldn't be counted on to ignore orders from Earth.<ref name="exogenesis">[[Exogenesis]]</ref> Garibaldi and [[Marcus Cole]] smuggled Dr. [[Mary Kirkish]], a member of [[Interplanetary Expeditions]], to the station. She and Garibaldi both reported that, seven years earlier, ISX had found a Shadow ship on Mars, which had been destroyed by a second Shadow ship. Now, Clark had found another ship on [[Ganymede]]. Determined not to let Shadow technology fall into Clark's hands, Sheridan had Delenn send Kirkish safely into Minbari space. Then, he set out with Delenn and Lennier on the ''[[White Star 1|White Star]]'' to destroy the ship, leaving his uniform and ID behind.

En route, Sheridan admitted to Delenn that he found it hard to rest on the slanted Minbari beds. She offered to watch over him while he slept to stop him falling. When they arrived at Ganymede, they found the Shadow ship had already been bonded to a living host and gone insane. Sheridan managed to destroy the ship by trapping it in [[Jupiter]]'s gravity field, but then found himself challenged by the ''Agamemnon''. He was reluctant to either fire on them or be seen fleeing by them, so Delenn suggested opening up a jump point inside the planet's atmosphere to escape. They succeeded, but President Clark spun the incident as an attack by an alien ship destroyed by the ''Agamemnon'', using it as an excuse to declare martial law.<ref name="messages"></ref>

Sheridan and Ivanova received a communication from Lieutenant-General [[O'Reilly]], who reported that Clark had disbanded the Earth Senate: Some senators had been arrested, some had fled to rally opposition to the martial law, and others had barricaded themselves in the senate building, which was now being fired on by Clark's troops. Hague had deserted with a small group of ships rather than enforce the martial law. He had left a last message for Sheridan: "Everything's gone to hell, John. God help us all. You're on your own."

Sheridan's next contact was by General [[Smits]], who reported that the Political Office had given orders for Nightwatch to handle all offworld security, including on Babylon 5, and stressed that he must respect the chain of command. Sheridan reluctantly read Clark's orders over the com. As unrest grew on the station, Sheridan realised what Smits had been trying to tell him: Since the Political Office was not part of the Earthforce chain of command, Nightwatch was following illegal orders. Sheridan and the command staff enlisted the help of Zack Allen, who tricked the rest of Nightwatch into believing Sheridan and his staff were at the docking bay with the new Narn security force. Nightwatch went there intending to arrest them, only for Sheridan to seal them in and announce to them that, since their orders were illegal, they were guilty of mutiny. Nightwatch surrendered and agreed to be confined to quarters until further orders arrived from Earth.

Afterwards, Sheridan thanked G'Kar, released from confinement during the incident, for his help. G'Kar asked that in return he be allowed to join the conspiracy he knew Sheridan was organising. Sheridan said he would discuss it with the others. Everyone acknowledged they had only gained a temporary respite: The Political Office could not issue orders but Clark could. Their situation was rammed home by the announcement that all the rebel ships except Hague's flagship the {{EAS1|Alexander}} had been tracked down and destroyed.<ref name="noreturn">[[Point of No Return]]</ref>

Not long after, Sheridan received word the ''Alexander'' was on its way to Babylon 5 seeking help. Sheridan had Garibaldi set the station's communications to shut down as soon as the ''Alexander'' arrived. He announced to the C&C crew that, since Clark's actions in shutting down the senate were unconstitutional, they were going to ignore the order to apprehend the ''Alexander''. Corwin and the others agreed to support him.

Sheridan and his staff were greeted by Major [[Ed Ryan]], now in command of the ''Alexander'', who reported Hague was dead. Soon after, another rebel ship, the ''[[EAS Churchill|Churchill]]'' arrived. Its captain, [[Sandra Hiroshi]], reported that a force loyal to Clark was on its way to arrest the command crew over their actions against Nightwatch, and was despatched before the ''Alexander'' arrived. Sheridan spoke to Ivanova, Garibaldi and Franklin, noting they had the station's residents to think about and deciding to stand and fight. They unanimously voted to support him.

The news broke over [[ISN]], just before the channel was shut down by Clark's forces, that Clark had had Mars bombed for refusing to enforce martial law, and as a result [[Orion VII]] and [[Proxima III]] had ceded from the Earth Alliance. Sheridan used the Great Machine to address the station's residents by hologram, citing Clark's attacks on civilians and announcing Babylon 5 was also declaring its independence. He said anyone who wished to return to Earth would be allowed to leave once the immediate crisis was over, but for now they were to take cover. As he prepared for the [[Battle for B5 Independence]], he made one last call to his father on Earth on a private channel: David supported his actions.

As the Clark-loyal taskforce arrived, Sheridan made one last appeal to them not to follow unconstitutional orders and ordered his own forces not to fire unless fired upon. The Clark-loyal ships opened fire and the battle was on. C&C suffered damaged from the {{EAS1|Agrippa}}, security forces battled a boarding party of Earth marines, and the ''Churchill'' was destroyed along with the {{EAS1|Roanoke}}. Sheridan gave the order to join the ''Alexander'' in pounding the ''Agrippa'', destroying it as well. The brief respite was halted by the arrival of Earthforce reinforcements, but than in itself was followed by the arrival of Delenn with the ''White Star'' and three Minbari ships, announcing Babylon 5 was under their protection. Clark's forces withdrew.

[[File:Sheridan Severed Dreams.jpg|left|thumb]]Afterwards, Sheridan met with Ryan. Sheridan took on board the ''Churchill'''s Starfuries to make up for his own losses, while Ryan decided to leave to rally more rebel ships. Sheridan was unable to bring himself to wear his Earthforce uniform, feeling it represented what they now fought against. He met with Delenn, where he kissed her hand and told her seeing her face at that moment was one of the sweetest sights he'd ever seen. He and his staff entered the [[Zócalo]] to a round of applause. <ref name="severed">[[Severed Dreams]]</ref>

Sheridan and his crew saw Nightwatch and others who didn't wish to stay off the station, although Garibaldi feared that some remained. Sheridan continued to reject his uniform, but wore his dress uniform for what he swore would be the last time at a memorial service for the station personnel killed during the battle. Garibaldi came up with a plan to reset the station computer in order to restore communications without risking being hacked by Earthforce. After Sheridan had played his part in the plan, Delenn approached him about performing a [[Rebirth Ceremony]] for the station.

However, Garibaldi's fears proved correct when the station staff received an encrypted messages from [[Boggs]], the leader of a Nightwatch cell on the station who had kidnapped Delenn along with [[Lennan]], the captain of one of the Minbari ships, and one of his crew. Boggs demanded the Minbari ships leave so Earth could regain control of Babylon 5 or he would kill the hostages in six hours. To prove his point, he killed the third hostage.

Marcus and Ivanova managed to work out where Delenn and Lennan were being held. To lull them into a false sense of security, Sheridan had the Minbari ship leave, then lured Nightwatch out with a faked reactor leak. Sheridan was waiting in ambush with Ivanova, Garibaldi and a group of security guards, and Boggs and most of his men were killed, but one of them, [[Sniper (Ceremonies of Light and Dark)|Sniper]], threw a knife at Sheridan, which Delenn ended up taking. Furious, Sheridan chased the man down and beat him unconscious, declaring the end to Nightwatch on his station.

As the time for the Rebirth Ceremony drew to a close, and knowing it required them to give something up and share a secret, Sheridan, Ivanova, Garibaldi and Franklin visited a recovering Delenn one at a time, giving up their uniforms and telling her a secret. In Sheridan's case, he admitted he couldn't imagine his life without her. As they left, Lennier presented them with new [[Army of Light]] uniforms organised by Delenn. The four of them entered C&C in their new uniforms, with Sheridan asking the assembled crew "What's the matter? Never seen anyone reborn before?"<ref name="ceremonies">[[Ceremonies of Light and Dark]]</ref>

===Fighting Legends===
Not long after Babylon 5’s declaration of independence, Bester approached the station in a [[Starfury Squadrons#Black Omega|Black Omega]] starfury. Sheridan allowed him on board and sent Ivanova to meet him, so she could tell if he was keeping his promise not to scan anyone. Bester revealed that he was aware that both President Clark and Psi Corps were being influenced by the Shadows and was opposed to the idea. He offered to use his telepathic abilities to help the crew intercept a shipment of weapons in hyperspace.

At the same time, G’Kar was asking Sheridan to make good on his promise to allow him into his alliance. Sheridan discussed the matter with Delenn: It would involve letting G’Kar know that the Grey Council were aware of the Shadows' alliance with the Centauri. Delenn promised to speak with him. Sheridan and Ivanova set off in the ''White Star'' with Bester on board. They managed to defeat two small Shadow ships and retrieve the transport. A larger Shadow ship moved to attack them, then abruptly veered away.

Returning to the station, Sheridan and the crew learned what Bester had suspected: The transport contained a hundred telepaths, "blips" who had refused Psi Corps membership, who had been fitted with cybernetic implants to control Shadow ships. Among them was Bester's lover, [[Carolyn Sanderson]]. Bester promised to do all he could to aid the Babylon 5 crew against the Shadows.

Afterwards, G’Kar attended his first meeting of the War Council. There, Garibaldi informed Sheridan and the others of what he had learned from the [[Book of G'Quan]]. The Shadows were vulnerable to telepathy, which is why they had wiped out all Narn's telepaths a thousand years previously: The Shadow ship veered away from the ''White Star'' because they sensed Bester was on board. However, this discovery was followed by the news that the Shadows were now openly attacking [[Brakiri]] space. <ref name="tears">[[Ship of Tears]]</ref>

Sheridan chaired a meeting of the League to try and convince them to band together against the Shadows, but they believed the Shadows were unstoppable, while Sheridan was no longer able to call on the Earth Alliance for assistance. In desperation, he went to Kosh to request help from the Vorlons. Kosh refused but Sheridan refused to back down, despite Kosh attacking him, saying Kosh had taught him to fight legends and that included Kosh himself. Kosh agreed but warned Sheridan there would be consequences: Kosh would no longer be with Sheridan on Z'ha'dum.

That night, Sheridan had a dream of his father, who told him not to regret what he'd done, that John had done the right thing and that he would always be with him. When Sheridan woke up, he realised what the dream meant. He hurried to Kosh's quarters where the crew quickly discovered Kosh had been killed by the Shadows in retaliation. Delenn passed on a message from the Vorlons: The death was to be kept quiet until a new ambassador was assigned and Kosh’s belongings were to be given to his ship, which would fly them into the nearest sun.

At the end of the day, Sheridan received one final piece of bad news when Franklin revealed he was addicted to [[stim]]s and was resigning effective immediately to sort himself out.<ref name="interludes">[[Interludes and Examinations]]</ref>

A week later, Babylon 5 picked up a distress call from [[Sector 14]] which appeared to be from Babylon 5 itself but in the future. Sheridan sent Garibaldi to investigate in a starfury and Garibaldi reported back that a time rift in the sector was widening because of something coming from Epsilon III. He also reported that the message was from Ivanova and showed Babylon 5 being destroyed by Shadows in eight days time.

Sheridan and Marcus were summoned to the ''White Star'' by Delenn and met by both her and Sinclair, who explained they needed to set course for Sector 14. Delenn explained, with reference to records from both the Minbari and the Great Machine, that during the [[First Shadow War]] their base had been destroyed but had been replaced by [[Babylon 4]], brought back in time. Also, a group of Shadow fighters had tried to destroy Babylon 4 during its launch but been stopped by the ''White Star'': It was them that sent Babylon 4 back in time and if they didn’t fulfill their role in history, they would create a new timeline where the Shadows were stronger and would destroy Babylon 5.

At Sinclair’s request, Sheridan sent Garibaldi back to the station. They were joined by [[Zathras]], an associate of [[Draal]] who fitted them all with [[Time stabilizer|time stabilisers]]. The ''White Star'' then entered the time disturbance and destroyed the Shadow fighters trying to fit a fusion bomb to Babylon 4, but in the process Sheridan was hit by a discharge that damaged his time stabiliser. He found himself seventeen years in the future in the body of his older self, a prisoner of Londo, now emperor of a ravaged Centauri, who blamed Sheridan for defeating the Shadows but not clearing up the mess they left behind.<ref name="wwe1">[[War Without End, Part I]]</ref>

Sheridan briefly timeshifted back to Babylon 4, where he was seen by Zathras. He was placed in a cell with Delenn, who recalled him telling her younger self of his time shift. She assured him they had achieved what they set out to do at great cost and [[David Sheridan II|their son]] was safe. They were brought back to London, who revealed the Shadows’ servants had fitted him with a [[Keeper]] that controlled his actions...except when drunk as now. He had his guards take them to an escape shuttle. En route, Sheridan timeshifted again, as Delenn desperately warned him not to go to Z'ha'dum.

Sheridan found himself back on Babylon 4, where the others were placing devices that would allow Draal to time-shift the station. Sheridan and Sinclair donned spacesuits to place a device at the centre of the station, but an attempt by [[Lewis Krantz|Major Krantz]] to combat Ivanova's sabotage caused a power surge that unstuck Sheridan again and sent the station forward to 2258. Sheridan was found by Marcus in a corridor, after Delenn had swapped his time stabiliser for hers and used his suit to rescue Zathras.

With the station's crew having been evacuated by that era's Sinclair and Garibaldi, Sinclair revealed he was going to take Babylon 4 back in time and remain there: Both he and Delenn had received letters written by Sinclair himself 900 years ago. Sheridan, Sinclair and Delenn spoke to Zathras in private about his references to [[The One]] and he explained they were all "the One": Sinclair was "The One Who Was", Delenn "The One Who Is" and Sheridan "The One Who Will Be", all parts of one great story. Sheridan and the others departed on the White Star, leaving Sinclair and Zathras to take the station back in time. It was only then that Delenn revealed the whole story: Sinclair would undergo transformation to a Minbari and become [[Valen]].<ref name="wwe2">[[War Without End, Part II]]</ref>

Sheridan was outside the station in a suit when the ship carrying [[Ulkesh|the new Vorlon ambassador]] arrived, with the ship taking a special interest in him. He and Ivanova met the ambassador, who would pretend he was still Kosh. Sheridan decided to take advantage of the fact Lyta Alexander was on board to check out the theory that Shadows were vulnerable to telepaths. He, Lyta and Lennier headed into hyperspace in the ''White Star'' with a Minbari vessel along as back-up. Detecting a Shadow vessel attacking a Brakiri ship, they dropped into normal space, triggering the [[Battle of Sector 90]].

Initially, Lyta was unable to affect the Shadow ship, but when Sheridan took her hand to encourage her, she saw the image of Kosh's death in his mind and was able to hold the Shadow vessel in place. The ''White Star'' destroyed it, but needed to shut down engines and divert all power to weapons to do so. Four more Shadow ships arrived. The Minbari ship came to their aid but only had enough telepaths on board to halt three of the ships as the fourth moved to attack the ''White Star''. Then the Narn heavy cruiser ''[[G'Tok]]'' arrived and joined the ''White Star'' in destroying the Shadow ship. The arrival of G'Kar with a fleet of League ships caused the remaining Shadow ships to retreat.<ref name="walkabout">[[Walkabout]]</ref>

Eager to recruit more telepaths to fight the Shadows, Sheridan had Ivanova approach Franklin to get information about the underground railroad he was involved in. He was in favour of Delenn succeeding Sinclair as [[Ranger One]] and arranged an induction ceremony aboard the station. Afterwards, he asked Garibaldi about his absence from the ceremony and was left increasingly confused as Garibaldi related the story of his encounter with a [[Zarg]] in a hidden level of [[Grey Sector]].<ref name="grey">[[Grey 17 is Missing]]</ref>

Sheridan shut himself in the War Room analysing the Shadows' tactics. He only reluctantly left to join Delenn in greeting a delegation of religious leaders headed by Reverend [[William Dexter]] who he had invited to the station, bringing news from Earth. They passed on messages from the resistance, who they assured him still existed despite Clark's propaganda. Dexter encouraged Sheridan to let people in and he invited Delenn to join him in the War Room. Together, they realised the Shadows had been leaving [[Sector 83]] alone. Sheridan deduced they had been hoping refugee ships would take shelter there, at which point the Shadows would wipe them all out and strike a huge blow to morale. Delenn responded to the news by giving Sheridan both [[White Star fleet|a fleet of White Stars]] and a kiss. <ref name="rock">[[And the Rock Cried Out, No Hiding Place]]</ref> 

Sheridan sent Ivanova and Marcus to scout the sector in ''White Star 1'', while Delenn assembled a fleet of both Minbari and League ships which would wait in hyperspace ready to strike. On receiving Ivanova's signal that there were Shadow ships present, Sheridan led the fleet to a costly victory over the Shadows in the [[Battle of Sector 83]]. He confided in Delenn about a dream he had had the previous year, notably a reference to "the man in between", which Delenn suspected meant there was a counterpart to him on the Shadows' side. Sheridan and his senior staff worried the Shadows would retaliate but the initial aftermath was positive. Franklin returned to work in Medlab to treat the wounded of the battle, prompting Sheridan to reinstate him. And Delenn asked to watch Sheridan while he slept, a Minbari tradition before engaging in an intimate relationship.<ref name="dancing">[[Shadow Dancing]]</ref>

When Sheridan woke however, he had an unexpected visitor: His wife Anna, sent by the Shadows. She confirmed that the rest of her crew had been wiped out by the Shadows but said she had been their guest and Sheridan misunderstood them. She promised to explain more if he accompanied her to Z'Ha'dum. Sheridan berated Delenn for insisting Anna was dead, and had Franklin examine her. He reported that physically she was Anna, but she showed signs of the same Shadow implantation they’d seen in Carolyn Sanderson. Sheridan had the crew removed from ''White Star 1'', and two nuclear devices placed on board, then set off for Z'Ha'dum with Anna. He left behind a message for Delenn, explaining he knew it was a trap, but recalled the words of her future self, and suspected it would lead to disaster if he didn't go. He concluded the message by telling her he loved her.

Sheridan and Anna shuttled to the surface where they were met by Morden and another Shadow agent, [[Justin]]. They explained that, whilst the Vorlons tried to direct the younger races with rules and boundaries, the Shadows helped them grow through conflict. They didn't want to kill Sheridan and make him a martyr, so tried to convince him to change sides, threatening Babylon 5. Sheridan, however, was aware of what they had tried to hide: Anna had resisted the Shadows and been turned into a pilot for one of their ships. The woman he had loved was effectively dead, with a new personality placed in her body. As a Shadow approached him, Sheridan shot it with a concealed [[PPG]]. 

Sheridan fled onto a balcony, followed by Anna, who tried to convince him she could be a woman he could love, and a group of Shadows. Sheridan activated the ''White Star'' by remote control, setting it on a collision course with them. He heard the voice of Kosh urging him to jump and leapt from the balcony into a chasm as the ''White Star'' crashed into the Shadow city and destroyed it. <ref name="z'ha'dum>[[Z'ha'dum (episode)]]</ref>

Sheridan found himself wandering around at the bottom of the two mile deep chasm, where he encounter a mysterious alien named [[Lorien]].<ref name="hour">[[The Hour of the Wolf]]</ref> Lorien announced that Sheridan was dead. Sheridan was sceptical but realised he could remember jumping but not hitting the bottom, that he kept coming back to the same point, that he hadn't eaten since he'd been there and that he had no pulse. Lorien revealed he was what lured the Shadows there but he disapproved of what they were doing. Sheridan suspected Lorien was a First One but Lorien corrected him: He was ''the'' First One. Sheridan had visions of an energy creatures cradling him that he suspected was Lorien, although Lorien refused to confirm it. Lorien revealed that Sheridan had a piece of Kosh in him and they were both clinging to life. He told Sheridan he needed to let go and trust he had something to hold on to. Sheridan found himself falling again, his thoughts of Delenn.<ref name="whateverhappened">[[Whatever Happened to Mr. Garibaldi?]]</ref>

Sheridan returned to Babylon 5 with Lorien aboard a mysterious ship. He used his command codes to get entrance, surprising the security team sent to investigate, and interrupted a rally that had been arguing against Delenn’s plan to attack Z’Ha’Dum. Just as the [[Drazi]] and [[Hyach]] ambassadors were insisting no-one had returned from there alive, Sheridan appeared to announce that he had, and won the crowd over with his vow to end the Shadows for good. Sheridan then met with the command staff in private and explained what he had been told about the Shadows and Vorlons manipulating the younger races. His words were underscored by the arrival of Ivanova, Marcus and Lyta, who revealed that the Vorlons had assembled a fleet in hyperspace, including [[Vorlon planet killer|planet killers]]. They intended to wipe out the Shadows and anyone who had contact with them: They had already destroyed [[Arcata VII]], a world that had a Shadow base on it, killing all four million inhabitants.<ref name="summoning">[[The Summoning]]</ref> 

Babylon 5 was soon flooded with refugees. Sheridan personally saved one woman from being crushed underfoot in the docking bay, although Lorien warned him that he couldn’t save everyone. Sheridan approved Franklin's suggestion to set up a refugee camp on [[Epsilon III]]. With the Vorlons having showed their hand, Sheridan made it his priority to get rid of their new ambassador. He sent Garibaldi with a security team to try and force him to leave, explaining he had a plan but couldn't tell Garibaldi since the Vorlon might read his mind. Garibaldi reluctantly complied, but it was clear he didn't trust Sheridan or Lorien. Sheridan received a message from Londo on Centauri Prime, who was aware they might be a target for the Vorlons. Sheridan confirmed he had a plan for them but wasn't sure if it would succeed.

Sheridan had Lyta lure the ambassador to the docking bay with the news of the part of Kosh inside him, then trapped the Vorlon in an electrical field and had the security guards shoot him with PPGs, destroying his contact suit. With the help of Lorien, Sheridan then released the part of Kosh inside him, which grappled with the ambassador. The two Vorlons tumbled out of the station along with their ship, where all of them were destroyed. Sheridan had been injured defending Delenn and Lorien revived him.

During the incident, Sheridan and Delenn finally spoke properly for the first time since Anna's return. Sheridan forgave Delenn for keeping the fact she might have survived from him and told her he had held onto the memory of her. He also revealed Lorien had extended his life with some of his life force, but only by 20 years. Delenn was disappointed but Sheridan considered it another 20 years together and proposed to her.<ref name="apotheosis">[[Falling Toward Apotheosis]]</ref>

Sheridan next received a report from Ivanova that the Shadows were responding to the Vorlons' strategy by launching similarly devastating attacks on Vorlon outposts. Sheridan asked her to head out and gather First Ones with Lorien. Ivanova worried he was sending her away from danger but he promised her she'd be there at the end. 

Sheridan listened to a report from Lennier about the new Shadow [[Death Cloud]], which destroyed planets by firing missiles into their crust. He identified the Vorlons’ next target, [[Coriana VI]], and chose it as the site to bring the Shadows and the Vorlons face to face, together with their fleet and the First Ones. He sent ''[[White Star 14]]'' on a suicide mission, engaging the Shadows and letting them intercept a file with a fake report of a secret base on Coriana VI. ''White Star 14'' succeeded in its mission and Sheridan set off with his fleet.<ref name="longnight">[[The Long Night]]</ref>

En route aboard [[White Star 2|his new ''White Star'' command ship]], Sheridan destroyed a Vorlon listening post, reflecting on how the White Stars were now heading a fleet of thousands of ships from dozens of races. The [[Battle of Coriana VI]] began with the arrival of the Shadow and Vorlon fleets. Sheridan got their attention by detonating a set of nuclear mines in an asteroid field. As the Vorlon Planet Killer moved on Coriana VI, Sheridan prompted the First Ones brought by Ivanova to destroy it. The Shadows and Vorlons spoke to Sheridan and Delenn, with Lorien broadcasting the conversations to the entire fleet.

Sheridan argued that the Vorlons didn't really want to destroy the Shadows, just to get the other races to fight for them. The two old races responded by surrounding the White Star in a Death Cloud, giving it ten minutes of life, but whenever they opened fire, another ship intercepted the blast, showing they were all behind Sheridan. Sheridan told them that no-one was going to fight for them anymore: All they could do was destroy the younger races and be left alone. He and Lorien offered them an alternative: Departing the galaxy with the other First Ones. The Shadows and Vorlons agreed and all the old races departed. Back on Babylon 5, Sheridan noted it was the beginning of the [[Third Age of Mankind]].<ref name="fire">[[Into the Fire]]</ref> 

The station was soon full of celebrations, but Sheridan suspected their problems were not yet over, reinforced when ISN announced that President Clark had issued a travel ban on all Earth ships journeying to Babylon 5. He received another shock when Garibaldi announced that, with the Shadows gone, he was resigning as chief of security. Sheridan reluctantly accepted, appointing Zack Allen as his replacement.

The next visitor to the station was Bester, and Sheridan asked Lyta to join him in meeting him. Bester explained Clark was planning to discredit Babylon 5: He would help them on condition that they took him to Z'Ha'Dum, where he hoped to find abandoned technology to help Carolyn. Sheridan agreed and Bester explained Clark's plan to have Black Omega Starfuries destroy the Earthforce base in [[Sector 49]], who were enforcing the travel ban on the station, and frame Babylon 5. Sheridan sent Ivanova with a squadron of starfuries to aid the Earthforce ships, defeating the Black Omegas in the [[Battle of Sector 49]]. Sheridan took Bester to Z'Ha'Dum in the White Star along with Delenn and Lyta but they discovered a fleet of [[Drakh|the Shadows' servants]] departing after stripping the planet. As Sheridan gave the order to leave, Z'Ha'Dum exploded.

Back on the station, Sheridan confronted Lyta, suspecting she had telepathically triggered the explosion. While evasive, she suggested she might have been acting on preprogrammed instructions from the Vorlons or decided to keep Shadow technology out of Bester's hands by her own volition. Sheridan warned her that if she went behind his back again, he would turn her over to Psi Corps himself. He also worried what the Shadows' servants would do with their technology.<ref name="Epiphanies">[[Epiphanies]]</ref>

===The Long March to Liberate Earth===
{{quote box|But if, as you say, the truth is fluid, that the truth is subjective, then maybe you can fight the system. As long as just one person refuses to be broken, refuses to bow down.|Sheridan to [[William (Intersections in Real Time)|William]], [[2261]]|But can you win?|Every time I say NO.}}

Sheridan and the Army of Light reached a turning point when Clark's forces, acting under illegal orders, fired on a pair of defenseless civillan transport ships and killed thousands of refugees. Outraged and disgusted at this turn of events, Sheridan took on the role of resistance movement leader by calling on the League of Non-Aligned Worlds to withdraw from their treaties of alliance with Earth; he asked them to not provide military aide to Earth, but authorized them to provide humanitarian relief should it be required. In light of all that Sheridan had done in winning the war against the Shadows, the League agreed.

The first step in fighting Clark's forces was to free [[Proxima III]], which had been held under a blockade for some time. Sheridan's forces proceeded to mount a successful assault against the Earth ships stationed there, even convincing a few of the EarthForce ships to defect and join his fleet. Among these was the [[EAS Vesta|EAS ''Vesta'']] under the command of [[Edward MacDougan]], who was an old friend and former teacher of Sheridan's. The Army of Light continued to mount successful attacks and made steady progress toward Earth.

Things changed when Sheridan was contacted by Michael Garibaldi, who claimed that Sheridan's father had been captured by forces loyal to President Clark. Garibaldi, who had been programmed by the Psi Corps to betray Sheridan, arranged to meet him at an outpost on Mars where they could formulate a rescue plan. Sheridan was subsequently captured and beaten by enemy forces, then turned over to an interrogator who used psychological manipulation and physical torture for days, as well as at one point depriving him of food.

While these events unfolded, Garibaldi had been freed from his programming and had taken shelter with resistance forces on Mars. In short order, Garibaldi, Lyta Alexander, and Dr. Franklin mounted a rescue mission. While the rescue team managed to infiltrate the facility where the Captain was held, the team had its share of difficulties to cope with, including Garibaldi being badly hurt and almost compromising the mission. In the end, however, the team managed to successfully escape and Sheridan and Garibaldi repaired their friendship. Once back with the resistance fleet, Sheridan was treated by Delenn's doctor and returned to duty as fleet commander. At the request of a critically wounded and dying Susan Ivanova, Sheridan lead the final push for Earth aboard his old ship, the ''Agamemnon''.

With the consent of the ''Agamemnon''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s [[James|current commanding officer]], who was an old friend and former protege, Sheridan took over command of the vessel and used it as the fleet flagship, planning to direct resistance forces from there while Garibaldi lead an advance team on the surface of Mars. Following Sheridan's strategy, telepaths implanted with [[Shadow technology]] were covertly transferred to the massive EarthForce fleet commanded by General Lefcourt waiting in Mars orbit.  Lefcourt, working from his long experience with Sheridan, responded to what he believed was his former student making his opening move - an attack on the planet's surface - but was caught completely off guard when the telepaths merged with and paralyzed every ship in his fleet.  With the only major line of defense removed, Sheridan ordered his forces forward.

Arriving at Earth, Sheridan broadcast a call to everyone on Earth living in fear of President Clark's regime to rise up against the "darkness and despair" and to place Clark under arrest.  In a last act of vengeance, Clark took his own life, but not before turning the [[planetary defense grid|planetary defense platforms]] surrounding Earth on the planet itself and programming them to fire.  Sheridan ordered the resistance fleet to move in; with the help of Delenn leading White Stars and other alien ships, they were able to quickly destroy the platforms. However, one last platform threatened the eastern seaboard of North America and with every nearby vessel damaged or disabled, Sheridan decided to ram the ''Agamemnon'' into the remaining platform.  Before Sheridan could reach the target, General Leftcourt's ship emerged from hyperspace and obliterated the platform.

===President of the Interstellar Alliance===
After both the [[Second Shadow War|Shadow War]] and the [[Earth Alliance Civil War]] were over, Sheridan faced an uncertain future. While he and his allies had brought about the end of the Clark regime, he still needed to answer to legitimate authorities. Kept waiting for several hours in a conference room, Acting [[EA President|President]] [[Susanna Luchenko]] finally met with him. While she could not argue with the results of his actions, she sternly lectured him on his lack of political savvy, and the costly and inconvenient way in which he resolved the crisis. She gave him two options: either he could resign from [[Earthforce]] and keep his pension in addition to being granted amnesty for himself and all of those under his command, or if he refused the first option and exercised his right to a formal court-martial, she assured him that the reviewing officers would be decidedly hostile. Although his actions were successful, he had undermined the authority of the government, and if he remained in the military, his presence would cause divisions in the ranks. Seeing that his time in the military was over, he agreed to resign.

At the same time, with the consent of the members of the [[League of Non-Aligned Worlds]], the League was dissolved and the members agreed to the formation and chartering of the [[Interstellar Alliance]]. This new organization which would promote trade, technological exchanges and mutual defense amongst its member worlds. The newly formed Alliance was quick to elect John Sheridan as its first President, and he would be re-elected several times. Run from [[Babylon 5]] for its first year, the Alliance later moved to new facilities in the city of [[Tuzanor]] on [[Minbar]]. While not technically exiled from Earth after the war, he was at the very least treated with a measure of suspicion by the [[Earth Alliance]].

His son, [[David Sheridan II]] was born later that year.<ref>[[Across Time and Space: The Chronologies of Babylon 5]]</ref>

===Excalibur to Victory===

In December 2266, with the fifth anniversary of the Interstellar Alliance, he traveled on a covert mission to the Alliance's shipyards. His reason for the trip was to tour the newly completed prototypes of the Whitestar class destroyers named [[Excalibur]] and [[Victory]] which had built secretly by [[Edgars Industries]]. The project was overseen by [[Michael Garibaldi]]. [[Galen]] contacted Sheridan by means of an [[Techno-mage#Techno-mage Abilities|Electron Incantation]] and warned about the coming threat of the [[Drakh]]. He was quick

{{Expand}}
===Voices In The Dark===
{{Expand}}
===The Long Night Of Centauri Prime===
{{Expand}}
===Return To The End Of The Beginning===
{{quote box|There's so much I still don't understand.|Sheridan to Lorien, 2281|As it should be.}}
In [[2279]], Sheridan declined re-election as [[ISA President]], choosing instead to focus on the [[Rangers]], taking [[Delenn]]'s place as the new [[Anla'Shok Na]] and [[Entil'Zha]], while Delenn herself was chosen by the IA Council as the second President of the [[Interstellar Alliance]].

Now in his sixties,  by early [[2281]] Sheridan began to experience dreams of his death at [[Z'ha'dum]] and [[Lorien]]. Knowing that the twenty years of extended life were coming to an end, he decided to gather together with his old friends one last time. [[Anla'Shok]] messengers were dispatched with invitations to [[General]] [[Susan Ivanova]], [[Emperor]] [[Vir Cotto]], Dr. [[Stephen Franklin]], [[Michael Garibaldi]] and [[Zack Allan]] to a last dinner on [[Minbar]]. At the meal, Sheridan proposed a toast: ''"To absent friends, in memory still bright"'', with each of those in attendance remembering a friend who they had lost.

Shortly after dinner, while John was with the others in the garden, Delenn took Susan aside and offered her leadership of the Rangers after John was gone. Though she said she'd need some time to think about it, Delenn told John she thought Susan would eventually accept the position. Later that night in bed, John told Delenn that he would leave in the morning and go for "a Sunday drive" as he thought it'd be best for the Alliance and Delenn's position if he died in space, according to the Minbari tradition of [[going to the sea]].

{{Quote box|Can I come back?|Sheridan to Lorien, 2281|No. This journey has ended. Another begins. Time to rest now.|Well...look at that. The sun's coming up.}}
In the morning, John dressed in his old [[Army of Light]] uniform and after a wrenching goodbye with Delenn, took a [[Snub-nose Whitestar]] and left Minbar. His first stop was [[Babylon 5]], where he was surprised to meet Zack Allan, who had not received his invitation as it had been sent to [[Earth]]. The two had a brief reunion, reminiscing before Sheridan left the station for the last time. From the station, he headed to [[Coriana VI]], following Kosh's message from beyond the veil; ''"when the long night comes, return to the end of the beginning"'' which had been delivered nineteen years earlier by the spirit of [[Elizabeth Lochley|Elizabeth's]] late friend [[Zoe]], when she appeared during the [[Day of the Dead (ceremony)|Day of the Dead]].<ref>[[Day of the Dead]]</ref> As Sheridan felt his life slipping away, Lorien returned, telling him he and the [[First Ones|others]] have been waiting for him. Engulfed in white light, he was gone.<ref>[[Sleeping in Light]]</ref>

===Legacy===
In the years after his death some of the [[Minbari]] developed the belief that Sheridan would someday return, but [[Susan Ivanova]] never saw him again for the rest of her life.  Sheridan became a figure of myth and his actions would be disputed by many people, especially academics.  Cast as a villainous figure in many respects, this view would be corrected by [[Delenn]] herself, who appeared from seclusion on the 100th anniversary of the [[Interstellar Alliance]], crashing an academic panel discussion that was being broadcast all over Earth. To a stunned audience, she stated very plainly that Sheridan was a good man who loved Earth, even when Earth had turned its back on him. To spite the requests of those in attendance for her to stay and answer their questions, Delenn promptly left.

Approximately 500 years after Sheridan's passing, a faction of the Earth Alliance that wanted to break away from the IA used a holographic recreation of Sheridan, Delenn, Franklin, and Garibaldi for propaganda purposes.  [[Daniel]] reprogrammed the recreation of Sheridan to show him committing atrocities against civilians.  Before he could reprogram Garibaldi, the holographic reconstruction of Garibaldi sent all of plans of the anti-ISA faction to the pro-ISA faction, including the plans for a preemptive attack by Daniel's faction against them.  In response they launched their own attack.  Before their weapons could strike, Garibaldi wished Sheridan and the others an easy rest. 

In the years following the [[Great Burn]], Sheridan was referred to as the "Blessed Sheridan" suggesting that he has been elevated to a revered status.

==Character Chronology==

===Before 2259===
*'''[[2215]]''': May 12th Born to [[Nancy Sheridan|Nancy]] and [[David Sheridan]] in Kansas, Earth.
*'''[[2236]]''': Travels to Tibet to see the newly installed Dalai Lama. Eniststs in [[Earthforce]], assigned to the 54th North American unit.
*'''[[2237]]''': At the academy, first meets freshman [[Jeffrey Sinclair]].
*'''[[2239]]''': Graduates from Officer Training School (OTC) at [[Earthforce Academy]]. Meets and marries fellow graduate [[Elizabeth Lochley]], but both agree to a divorce after only 3 months. Assigned to the old Moon-Mars Patrol under the command of [[Jack Maynard]].
*'''[[2241]]''': Assigned to the {{EAS1|Lexington}} under [[Captain]] [[Roger Sterns]].<ref>[[Across Time and Space: The Chronologies of Babylon 5]] - Cites: ''Conjecture, from [[In the Beginning]]''</ref>
*'''[[2245]]''': While serving as XO of the {{EAS1|Lexington}} under [[Captain]] [[Roger Sterns]], declines a transfer to the {{EAS1|Prometheus}}.
*'''[[2247]]''': Assumes command of the Lexington after Captain Sterns is KIA. Succeeds in destroying the [[Minbari]] flagship [[Black Star]]. Later participates in a failed, top secret peace mission to the [[Epsilon System]]. Transferred to Destroyer {{EAS1|Leviathan}} to serve as XO.<ref name="OG2B5" />
*'''[[2249]], December 3rd''': Weds fiancée [[Anna Sheridan|Anna]].
*'''[[2250]]''': While serving as CO of Station Io, first meets [[Lieutenant]] [[Ivanova]].
*'''[[2251]], January - April''': Serves with distinction during the [[Mars Food Riots|food riots]] on [[Mars]]. Encounters [[Jeffrey Sinclair]] for what would be the last time for the next eight and a half years.<ref name="B5Mag 2-1-26">[[The Official Babylon 5 Magazine]]: Volume 2, Issue #1 (July 1998) - Page 26 (Babylon 5's Mars Chronology)</ref> Later transferred to Orion Command District.
*'''[[2253]]'''
**'''March 2nd''': Promoted to the rank of full [[Captain]].
**'''July 12th''': Involved in a very embarrassing incident. Jack Maynard is sworn to secrecy about it.
*'''[[2255]], December 24th''': Sees Anna in person for what would be the last time.
*'''[[2256]]'''
**'''January''': Takes the {{EAS1|Agamemnon}} on a 3 year deep space patrol.
**'''November 23th''': Speaks to Anna over [[StellarCom]] for what would be the last time.
*'''[[2257]], January 3rd''': The [[Icarus]] is destroyed over [[Alpha Omega III]], believes Anna and are all aboard have been killed.
*'''[[2259]] - [[2261]]''': Assigned as commanding officer of Babylon 5, replacing [[Commander]] [[Sinclair]].

===[[2259]]===
*'''January 8th, 0145 EST''': Receives a [[Gold Channel]] communique from [[William Hague|General Hague]], directing him to go to [[Babylon 5]] and take command. The general also relays secret orders from [[Luis Santiago|the president]], ordering him to begin collecting intel on the subversive elements within [[Earthgov]]. Arrives on [[Babylon 5]] and officially takes command. Participates in the battle with the [[Tragati]].
*'''January 9th''': Puts through the paperwork to promote [[Susan Ivanova]] to [[commander]].
*'''January 12th-19th''': Visited by his sister, [[Elizabeth Sheridan|Elizabeth]], who delivers one last message from [[Anna Sheridan|Anna]].
*'''January 30th''': Reunited with his commanding officer, Captain [[Jack Maynard]], CO of the {{EAS1|Cortez}}.
*'''February 1st''': Pioneers a new technique of attempting to locate a ship in hyperspace after the Cortez suffers a critical systems failure.
*'''June''': One week after officially turning down the [[Sh'lassen Triumvirate]] government for aid, he helps General [[Richard Franklin]] lay the battle plans for [[Operation Sudden Death]].
*'''July''': Is abducted by the [[Streib]]s, during which he receives a vision from [[Kosh]], who secretly placed a piece of himself within the captain's mind. After being rescued, he brings [[Susan Ivanova|Ivanova]], [[Stephen Franklin|Franklin]], and [[Michael Garibaldi|Garibaldi]] in on the conspiracy to expose [[Morgan Clark|President Clark]]. Works with the [[Earth Alliance Resistance]] to find Dr. [[Everett Jacobs]] and secure his information implicating [[Morgan Clark|President Clark]] in [[Luis Santiago|Santiago's]] assassination.
*'''August''': He is possessed by a strange alien lifeform and is compelled to return it to the rift in [[Sector 14]].
*'''September''': Learns that [[Morden]], a crew member from his wife's ship, is still alive. Interrogates the man for several hours before being convinced to let him go by [[Delenn]]. She and [[Kosh]] tell Sheridan the truth about the [[Shadow]]s.
*'''December 27th''': After destroying a [[Centauri]] cruiser to save a [[Narn]] ship, he is almost killed by a Centauri terrorist before being saved by [[Kosh]], revealing his identity and true form to everyone.

===[[2260]]===
*'''January 4th''': Placed in command of [[White Star 1]].
*'''April 9th''': Reads President Clark's declaration of [[martial law]] over the [[Babcom]] system, sparking riots all over the station.
*'''April 10th''': Using a legal loophole in the orders, removes members of [[Nightwatch]] from [[Babylon 5]] Security, replacing them with [[Narn]] officers.
*'''April 14th''': Following [[Mars]], [[Proxima III]], and [[Orion VII]], officially secedes [[Babylon 5]] from the [[Earth Alliance]].
*'''August 4th''': Convinces [[Kosh]] to bring the [[Vorlon]]s into the fight with the [[Shadow]]s.
*'''August 5th''': In the early morning hours, he is visited in his dreams by a dying Kosh - taking the image of his father, [[David Sheridan|David]] - who apologizes for all he's done. He wakes up and realizes instinctively that Kosh is dead.
*'''August 12th''': With [[Susan Ivanova|Ivanova]], [[Marcus Cole|Marcus]], [[Delenn]], and [[Entil'Zha]] [[Jeffrey Sinclair|Sinclair]], takes the [[White Star 1]] through the temporal rift in [[Sector 14]] to steal [[Babylon 4]] in [[2254]] and take it back through time to the [[First Shadow War]]. His [[time stabilizer]] is damaged, sending him hopping through time, where he sees himself, Delenn, and [[Londo Mollari|Emperor Mollari]] in [[2278]].
*'''December 25th''': Dies at [[Z'ha'dum]].

===[[2261]]===
*'''January, 18th''': Revived by [[Lorien]] who extends his life for anoher 20 years.
*'''January, 30th''': Commands allied forces at [[Coriana VI]] and along with [[Delenn]] and [[Lorien]], convinces the [[Shadows]], [[Vorlons]] to leave with the rest of the [[First Ones]] beyond the galactic rim.
*'''August 1st''': Convinces the [[League of Non-Aligned Worlds]] to allow the [[White Star fleet]] to patrol their borders, laying the groundwork for the [[Interstellar Alliance]].
*'''September 2nd''': Formally declares war on the [[Morgan Clark|Clark]] administration and the elements of [[Earthforce]] and [[Earthgov]] that have sided with him and subverted the [[Earth Alliance]] constitution. As part of the [[Babylon Treaty]], he declares all standing treaties between the Alliance and the [[League of Non-Aligned Worlds]] to be null and void.
*'''October 21st''': Captured by Earthforce on Mars where he is held and interrogated, awaiting transfer to Earth.
*'''October 29th''': Broken out of [[Fort Walters]] by [[Earth Alliance Resistance|Resistance]] forces.
*'''November 1st''': Leads Resistance forces against [[Mars]] and [[Earth]], culminating in the suicide of [[Morgan Clark|President Clark]] and the end of the civil war.
*'''November 2nd''': Turns himself over to Earthforce authorities.
*'''December 29th''': Promotes [[Ivanova]] to full [[Captain]] before officially resigning his commission in [[Earthforce]], in exchange for full amnesty for all that served under him during the Civil War. Appointed [[ISA President|President]] of the newly formed [[Interstellar Alliance]].
*'''December 31st''': Weds [[Delenn]] in a private ceremony onboard one of the [[White Star]]s.

===[[2262]]===
*'''January 15th''': Officially hands over military command of [[Babylon 5]] to Capt. [[Elizabeth Lochley]] and to [[Earthforce]], pending the [[Interstellar Alliance]]'s decision to purchase the station from [[Earthgov]]. As duly-elected leader of the ISA, he retains governorship and supreme executive authority over the station and all Alliance matters, but grants Lochley unilateral military authority in pursuit of her duties as station commander.
*'''January 17th''': Survives an assassination attempt and officially sworn in as ISA President.
*'''March 3rd''': Officially welcomes [[Rebo & Zooty]] aboard the station in a special ceremony. Later that evening, he and [[Delenn]] dine with them.
*'''August 6th''': After being pushed by [[Interstellar Alliance|Alliance]] representatives into action against [[Centauri]] aggression, he formally declares war on the [[Centauri Republic]].
*'''September 7th''': Leaves Babylon 5 for the new ISA facilities in [[Tuzanor]] on [[Minbar]]. Survives an assassination attempt by [[Anla'Shok]] traitor, [[Lennier]].
*'''December 15th''': Birth of his son, [[David Sheridan II|David]].

===After 2262===
*'''[[2266]]'''
**'''December 17th''': Inspects the newly completed Destroyers, [[Victory]] and [[Excalibur]]. Contacted by [[Galen]], warning him of the impending [[Drakh]] attack.
**'''December 30th''': Loans the Excalibur to [[Earthforce]] in a joint mission to find a cure to the [[Drakh plague]] and personally chooses [[Captain]] [[Matthew Gideon]] to lead the mission.
*'''[[2267]], June''': Grants [[General]] [[Thompson]] permission to have the Excalibur remove some infected colonists from [[Theta 49]].
*'''[[2271]], December 30th''': Attends the [[ISA]]'s 10th Anniversary celebrations on [[Babylon 5]]. Invites [[Centauri]] [[Prince Regent]] [[Dius Vintari]] to live with him, [[Delenn]], and [[David Sheridan II|David]] on [[Minbar]].
*'''[[2278]]'''
**'''December 17th''': Goes with [[Delenn]] to [[Centauri Prime]] to save [[David Sheridan II|their son]].
**''' December 18th''': Sheridan and [[Delenn]] are taken prisoner on their arrival on [[Centauri Prime]] and held by Minister Durla for close questioning.
**'''December 24th''': While in prison, Sheridan's mind is displaced by his [[2260]] counterpart, who became "unstuck" in time during the [[Babylon 4]] incident. Delenn warns him not to go to [[Z'ha'dum]]. They are later freed by [[Londo Mollari|Londo]], temporarily free of his [[keeper]]'s influence. They and [[David Sheridan II|David]] are smuggled to a ship by [[Vir Cotto|Vir]], helping them escape from [[Centauri Prime]].
*'''[[2279]]'''
**'''January 4th''': Approves the [[Minbar Accord]], recognising [[Vir Cotto]]'s claim to the Imperial Throne and approving Alliance assistance in eliminating the Drakh threat.
**'''January 8th''': Refuses re-election as ISA President, Vice President Delenn is elected in his place.
**'''January 16th''': Installed as the new [[Entil'Zha]] and [[Anla'Shok Na]] of the [[Rangers]].
*'''[[2281]]'''
**'''January 7th''': Holds a last dinner with friends before he [[going to the sea|goes to the sea]]. Has Delenn ask General Ivanova to assume the role of Anla'Shok Na, once he's gone.
**'''January 14th''': Disappears with [[Lorien]] beyond the [[rim]] of known space. His [[Snub-nose Whitestar|Whitestar]] is later found abandoned and sealed from the inside near [[Coriana VI]].

==Notes==
* Sheridan is descended from [[Wikipedia:Philip Sheridan|Philip Henry Sheridan]], a US Army general and officer of the Union Army in the American Civil War.<ref name="lurker" />
* Sheridan speaks a little [[Drazi]].<ref name="Alone" />

==Appearances==
{{Scroll box
|content=
;TV/DVD Movies
* "[[In the Beginning]]"
* "[[Thirdspace]]"
* "[[River of Souls]]" ''(Mentioned only)''
* "[[A Call to Arms]]"
* "[[Babylon 5: The Lost Tales]]: [[Voices in the Dark]]"
* "[[Babylon 5: The Road Home|The Road Home]]"

;[[Babylon 5: Season Two|The Coming of Shadows]]
* "[[Points of Departure]]" 
* "[[Revelations]]" 
* "[[The Geometry of Shadows]]"
* "[[A Distant Star]]"
* "[[The Long Dark]]"
* "[[A Spider in the Web]]"
* "[[Soul Mates]]"
* "[[A Race Through Dark Places]]"
* "[[The Coming of Shadows]]"
* "[[GROPOS]]"
* "[[All Alone in the Night]]"
* "[[Acts of Sacrifice]]"
* "[[Hunter, Prey]]"
* "[[There All the Honor Lies]]"
* "[[And Now For a Word]]"
* "[[In the Shadow of Z'ha'dum]]"
* "[[Knives]]"
* "[[Confessions and Lamentations]]"
* "[[Divided Loyalties]]"
* "[[The Long, Twilight Struggle]]"
* "[[Comes the Inquisitor]]"
* "[[The Fall of Night]]"

;[[Babylon 5: Season Three|Point of No Return]]
* "[[Matters of Honor]]"
* "[[Convictions]]"
* "[[A Day in the Strife]]"
* "[[Passing Through Gethsemane]]
* "[[Voices of Authority]]"
* "[[Dust to Dust]]"
* "[[Exogenesis]]"
* "[[Messages from Earth]]"
* "[[Point of No Return]]"
* "[[Severed Dreams]]"
* "[[Ceremonies of Light and Dark]]"
* "[[Sic Transit Vir]]"
* "[[A Late Delivery from Avalon]]"
* "[[Ship of Tears]]"
* "[[Interludes and Examinations]]"
* "[[War Without End, Part I]]"
* "[[War Without End, Part II]]"
* "[[Walkabout]]"
* "[[Grey 17 Is Missing]]"  
* "[[And the Rock Cried Out, No Hiding Place]]"
* "[[Shadow Dancing]]"
* "[[Z'ha'dum]]"

;[[Babylon 5: Season Four|No Surrender, No Retreat]]
* "[[The Hour of the Wolf]]"
* "[[Whatever Happened to Mr. Garibaldi?]]"
* "[[The Summoning]]"
* "[[Falling Toward Apotheosis]]"
* "[[The Long Night]]"
* "[[Into the Fire]]"
* "[[Epiphanies]]"
* "[[The Illusion of Truth]]"
* "[[Atonement]]"
* "[[Racing Mars]]"
* "[[Lines of Communication]]"
* "[[Conflicts of Interest]]"
* "[[Rumors, Bargains and Lies]]"
* "[[Moments of Transition]]"
* "[[No Surrender, No Retreat]]"
* "[[The Exercise of Vital Powers]]"
* "[[The Face of the Enemy]]"
* "[[Intersections in Real Time]]"
* "[[Between the Darkness and the Light]]"
* "[[Endgame]]"
* "[[Rising Star]]"
* "[[The Deconstruction of Falling Stars]]"

;[[Babylon 5: Season Five|Wheel of Fire]]
* "[[No Compromises]]"
* "[[The Very Long Night of Londo Mollari]]"
* "[[The Paragon of Animals]]"
* "[[A View from the Gallery]]"
* "[[Learning Curve]]"
* "[[Strange Relations]]"
* "[[Day of the Dead]]"
* "[[In the Kingdom of the Blind]]"*
* "[[A Tragedy of Telepaths]]"
* "[[Phoenix Rising]]"
* "[[The Ragged Edge]]"
* "[[Meditations on the Abyss]]"
* "[[Darkness Ascending]]"
* "[[And All My Dreams, Torn Asunder]]"
* "[[Movements of Fire and Shadow]]"
* "[[The Fall of Centauri Prime]]"
* "[[Wheel of Fire]]"
* "[[Objects in Motion]]"
* "[[Objects at Rest]]"
* "[[Sleeping in Light]]"

;Crusade
* "[[Patterns of the Soul]]" ''(mentioned only)''
* "[[Ruling from the Tomb]]" ''(mentioned only)''
* "[[The Rules of the Game]]" ''(mentioned only)''
* "[[Racing the Night]]" ''(mentioned only)''

;Novels
* "[[Voices]]" ''(Non-canon)''
* "[[Accusations]]" ''(Non-canon)''
* "[[Blood Oath]]" ''(Non-canon)''
* "[[Clark's Law]]" ''(Non-canon)''
* "[[The Touch of Your Shadow, the Whisper of Your Name]]" ''(Non-canon)''
* "[[Betrayals]]" ''(Non-canon)''
* "[[The Shadow Within]]"
* "[[Personal Agendas]]" ''(Non-canon)''
* "[[To Dream in the City of Sorrows]]" ''(mentioned only)''
* "[[Final Reckoning - The Fate of Bester]]" ''(mentioned only)''
* "[[The Long Night of Centauri Prime]]"
* "[[Armies of Light and Dark]]"
* "[[Out of the Darkness]]"
* "[[Casting Shadows]]" ''(mentioned only)''
* "[[Summoning Light]]"
* "[[Invoking Darkness]]"
* "[[In the Beginning (Novelization)]]"
* "[[Thirdspace (Novelization)]]"
* "[[A Call to Arms (Novelization)]]"

;Short stories 
* "[[Shadow of His Thoughts]]" ''(mentioned only)''
* "[[Genius Loci]]" ''(mentioned only)''
* "[[Space, Time, and the Incurable Romantic]]" ''(mentioned only)''
* "[[Hidden Agendas]]"
* "[[The Nautilus Coil]]" ''(mentioned only)''

;Comics
* "[[In Darkness Find Me]]" ''(mentioned only)''
* "[[Treason]]" ''(mentioned only)''
* "[[In Harm's Way]]"
* "[[The Price of Peace]]"
* "[[With Friends Like These]]" ''(mentioned only)''
* "[[Against the Odds]]" ''(mentioned only)''
* "[[Silent Enemies]]"
* "[[Duet for Human and Narn in C Sharp]]"
* "[[Coda for Human and Narn in B Flat]]"
* "[[The Psi Corps and You!]]"
* "[[In Valen's Name]]"
}}

==Apocrypha==
{{ShadowWithin}}
The non-canon portion of the novel has Sheridan in command of the [[EAS Galatea|EAS ''Galatea'']] before his transfer to the [[EAS Agamemnon|EAS ''Agamemnon'']] in October of [[2256]], immediately before the [[Icarus]] departs [[Station Prime]].<ref name="The Shadow Within" />

==References==
{{Scroll box|content=<small>{{reflist|2}}</small>}}
{{MaincharactersB5}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sheridan, John}}
[[Category:People]]
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[[Category:Humans]]
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[[Category:Babylon 5 personnel]]
[[Category:Earth Alliance Resistance personnel]]
[[Category:Army of Light]]
[[Category:Rangers]]
[[Category:Interstellar Alliance personnel]]
[[Category:Heads of State]]
[[Category:True Seekers]]
[[Category:Starship Captains]]
[[Category:Religious Figures]]
[[Category:Starfury Pilots]]
[[Category:Entil'Zha]]
[[Category:Anla'Shok Na]]
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[[Category:President]]

[[de:John Sheridan]]