Pilot – The Gathering
Overview: In the series opener, the representatives of the five major space powers (the Earth Alliance, the Minbari Federation, the Centauri Republic, the Narn Regime and the Vorlon Empire) are coming together at Babylon 5, to form a standing committee to resolve disputes instead of resorting to war. When the final ambassador, a Vorlon named Kosh, falls ill upon arrival, the human leader and the Babylon 5 station commander, Jeffrey Sinclair, is accused of trying to kill him.
Airdate: 02/22/1993
Directed by: Richard Compton
Guest Stars: Blaire Baron as Carolyn Sykes and John Fleck as Del Varner.
Of Note:
According to her IdentiCard, Lyta was born 12/10/2225, is a P5, Sixth Generation (She says in the episode that it goes back further than that — but that’s when Psi Corps started tracking telepaths), and registered with Psi Corps 10/18/2252. License ID is N617CC860
Jerry Doyle (Michael Garibaldi) and Mira Furlan (Delenn) are the only actors to appear in both the first pilot (“The Gathering”) and the series finale (“Sleeping in Light”).
Quotes:
Delenn: On my world, there are books — thousands of pages — on the power of one mind to change the universe. But none say it as clearly as this [Japanese Stone Garden].
I must say, this episode left me feeling a bit underwhelmed. It had its moments of dragging on and being a bit lackluster. Sure, it’s all about introducing the characters and setting the stage, but it felt like it was missing that spark to really grab my attention.
While the main focus is on bringing together different species, it only briefly touches on why they’re all on the station and what they hope to achieve. It’s clear from the get-go that there’s a whole lot of distrust and manipulation going on, which adds some juicy drama to the mix.
Overall, the episode felt a bit scattered and lacking the sharp direction that later episodes nail down. But hey, every great series has to start somewhere, right? So, if you’re like me and found this episode a bit meh, don’t write off the whole series just yet. Give it a chance to redeem itself in the episodes to come.