Babylon 5 - Episodics (#310)
"Severed Dreams"
Written by J. Michael Straczynski, directed by David Eagle
The Earth Alliance destroyer
"Alexander" - a flagship for the
rebellion - and Churchill arrive at
Babylon 5 following a massive
battle in which General Hague has
been killed. Sheridan cuts off
all communication with Earth and
makes plans for the inevitable
attack by Earth Alliance forces.
Delenn goes to the Grey Council and
accuses them of ignoring the
prophesies regarding the Great War.
The council falls apart when
members of the Religious and
Worker castes decide to follow her.
When Mars is attacked after
refusing to implement martial law,
Proxima 3 and Orion 7 declare
independence in protest. Sheridan
and his command staff vote to
support them and sever ties with Earth.
Within hours, several Earth Alliance destroyers arrive with instructions
to seize control of B5 and place its officers under arrest. A pitched
battle follows, inside the station as well as outside.
Babylon 5 and its allies manage to
repel the attack, only to face more
arriving Earth Force Destroyers.
Just when the situation appears
hopeless, a fleet of Minbari cruisers
show up led by Delenn. She
instructs the EA ships to leave or
be destroyed, and they withdraw.
The battle is over, but the war
against Earth continues...
Babylon 5 finally severs its ties
with Earth in this explosive
episode nominated for the 1997 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic
Presentation. The title previously
known as "A Dream Given Form,"
refers to B5 itself. 'Severed Dreams'
was easily one of the show's most ambitious episodes. With hundreds
of CGI shots to complete, the
finished product was delivered just
two hours before its satellite uplink.
In addition to its elaborate space
battles, the episode features a
powerful hand-to-hand fight
sequence between station security
forces and invading Earth Force
personnel. Actor Jerry Doyle broke
his arm during the fray but insisted
on finishing the final shot.
Among the familiar faces in 'Severed
Dreams' are Bruce (Animal House)
McGill as Major Ryan, and Kim
(St. Elsewhere) Miyori as Captain
Hiroshi. Noticeably missing is
Robert Foxworth's General Hague;
when Foxworth jumped ship to work
on Deep Space Nine at the last
minute, writer J. Michael Straczynski
simply killed off the character with
a few lines of dialogue.
Mira Furlan gives a standout
performance in 'Severed Dreams,'
which parallels real-life experiences
in her native Yugoslavia. The
similarities were unintentional,
according to Straczynski who
remembers the actress reading the
script and asking, "So...how long
did you live in Yugoslavia?"
Joe Nazzaro
