A Distant Star
Encyclopedia
"A Distant Star" is an episode from the second season of the science fiction television series Babylon 5
.
ship, the EAS Cortez, is seen. The ship's captain, Jack Maynard, is an old friend of Babylon 5
commander Captain John Sheridan
. Maynard decides to take the Cortez to Babylon 5 to be resupplied; during the stopover he plans to visit his friend Sheridan before the Cortez returns to the remote galactic rim.
The Cortez arrives. Sheridan shows Maynard around Babylon 5, but during his tour Maynard observes that being a space-station bureaucrat doesn't seem to suit a "die-hard spacer" like his friend John, something which upsets Sheridan, who begins to wonder if he's in the right job.
Maynard tells Sheridan, Lt. Keffer and others about a strange experience he had on the galactic rim; while patrolling near the Cortez in a shuttle Maynard spotted what he believed to be a huge, dark, ominous vessel hovering nearby. The vessel vanished before his co-pilot could see it, but Maynard is clearly troubled by the incident as he tells it to Sheridan.
Minbari
Ambassador Delenn
is being questioned by her own people as to whether or not she is still "one of them"; her physical change into a Minbari/Human hybrid has apparently led some Minbari to reject her. Despite her attempts to answer the concerns of the Minbari on Babylon 5, some of the station's Minbari still reject her authority and insist on dealing with their government at home, something she reluctantly agrees to allow.
Commander Ivanova
is still recovering from the broken foot she suffered while trying to stop a Drazi riot (in an earlier episode
), and Security Chief Garibaldi
is also still recovering from being shot in the back
.
The Cortez finishes resupplying and heads back out to hyperspace
. An explosion on board causes the ship's tracking system to lose the signal from the jumpgate
, resulting in the ship becoming lost in hyperspace. Since no ship has ever been found once becoming lost in hyperspace, the prognosis for the Cortez is grim.
Babylon 5 launches a rescue operation using Starfury
fighters to relay the jumpgate signal to the Cortez. They follow a plan in which each Starfury forms a link in a long chain of fighters — each fighter stays locked onto the fighter behind it.
Galus, the Zeta Squadron Commander, and Lt. Keffer locate the Cortez and are about to start rescue when a huge, dark vessel materializes, destroying Galus' Starfury, and disabling Keffer's. The vessel looks exactly like the one described by Maynard earlier. The ship vanishes.
Keffer repeatedly fires his fighter's weapons towards the direction of the jumpgate; after some time Maynard realizes what Keffer is doing and moves the Cortez towards the jumpgate, thus saving his ship and crew. Keffer appears doomed, as his damaged fighter drifts in hyperspace. However, he is able to escape hyperspace when another of the mysterious ships appears and vanishes; Keffer follows the vessel's trajectory until he locates the jumpgate beacon and is able to return to Babylon 5.
Keffer is disturbed by his experiences with the mysterious vessels and becomes determined to obtain proof that they exist.
A side plot involves Dr. Franklin
taking the opportunity to subject Ivanova, Garibaldi, and Sheridan to a "food plan" to improve their health; they are all placed on a diet. All three find their diets most unappealing and look for ways to sneak other foods into their diets, particularly Garibaldi. He has become determined to acquire the ingredients for and cook bagna càuda
, which Franklin strongly objects to. Ignoring this, Garibaldi enlists the help of a dockworker to get the necessary ingredients, but is caught by Dr. Franklin. Garibaldi explains that his father always cooked bagna càuda for his birthday, and after his father died, he continued to do so every year, in his memory. At this, Dr. Franklin allows this particular infraction of his food plan--on the condition that Garibaldi cook enough for two, and allow Dr. Franklin to join him.
Babylon 5
Babylon 5 is an American science fiction television series created, produced and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. The show centers on a space station named Babylon 5: a focal point for politics, diplomacy, and conflict during the years 2257–2262...
.
Synopsis
In the opening scenes of the episode, an EarthForce Explorer-classExplorer class starship
The Explorer-class starship is an exploratory starship of the Earth Alliance in the fictional universe of Babylon 5. The Explorer is built to explore, conduct research, and build Jumpgates.- Appearances :...
ship, the EAS Cortez, is seen. The ship's captain, Jack Maynard, is an old friend of Babylon 5
Babylon 5 (space station)
Babylon 5 is a fictional space station and the primary setting in the television series Babylon 5. Its design is a variation of an O'Neill cylinder....
commander Captain John Sheridan
John Sheridan (Babylon 5)
John J. Sheridan is a lead character in the fictional universe of the science-fiction television series Babylon 5, played by Bruce Boxleitner. For most of the series, he is the commander of the Babylon 5 station; during the series' final season he is the President of the Interstellar...
. Maynard decides to take the Cortez to Babylon 5 to be resupplied; during the stopover he plans to visit his friend Sheridan before the Cortez returns to the remote galactic rim.
The Cortez arrives. Sheridan shows Maynard around Babylon 5, but during his tour Maynard observes that being a space-station bureaucrat doesn't seem to suit a "die-hard spacer" like his friend John, something which upsets Sheridan, who begins to wonder if he's in the right job.
Maynard tells Sheridan, Lt. Keffer and others about a strange experience he had on the galactic rim; while patrolling near the Cortez in a shuttle Maynard spotted what he believed to be a huge, dark, ominous vessel hovering nearby. The vessel vanished before his co-pilot could see it, but Maynard is clearly troubled by the incident as he tells it to Sheridan.
Minbari
Minbari
The Minbari are a fictional alien race featured in the television show Babylon 5. The Minbari characters of Delenn and Lennier figure prominently throughout the series; Neroon, Draal, and Dukhat are less prominent Minbari characters....
Ambassador Delenn
Delenn
Delenn is a fictional lead character in the universe of the science fiction television series Babylon 5, played by Mira Furlan.-Overview:Delenn, an alien ambassador and leader from the planet Minbar, is one of the pivotal characters in Babylon 5....
is being questioned by her own people as to whether or not she is still "one of them"; her physical change into a Minbari/Human hybrid has apparently led some Minbari to reject her. Despite her attempts to answer the concerns of the Minbari on Babylon 5, some of the station's Minbari still reject her authority and insist on dealing with their government at home, something she reluctantly agrees to allow.
Commander Ivanova
Susan Ivanova
Susan Ivanova is a fictional character in the science fiction television series Babylon 5, played by Claudia Christian.-Character overview:...
is still recovering from the broken foot she suffered while trying to stop a Drazi riot (in an earlier episode
The Geometry of Shadows
"The Geometry of Shadows" is an episode from the second season of the science fiction television series Babylon 5.-Synopsis:Vir fixes Londo's hair as Londo and Refa scheme. The command staff learns that the Green Drazi and Purple Drazi have a global brawl every 5 years to determine the Drazi...
), and Security Chief Garibaldi
Michael Garibaldi
Michael Garibaldi is a lead fictional character in the universe of the science fiction television series Babylon 5, played by Jerry Doyle.-Overview:...
is also still recovering from being shot in the back
Chrysalis (Babylon 5)
"Chrysalis" is the final episode of the first season of the science fiction television series Babylon 5.-Synopsis:Mollari and G'Kar argue about Quadrant 37....
.
The Cortez finishes resupplying and heads back out to hyperspace
Hyperspace (science fiction)
Hyperspace is a plot device sometimes used in science fiction. It is typically described as an alternative region of space co-existing with our own universe which may be entered using an energy field or other device...
. An explosion on board causes the ship's tracking system to lose the signal from the jumpgate
Jumpgate
In science fiction, a jump gate is a fictional device able to create a wormhole or portal, allowing fast travel between two points in space...
, resulting in the ship becoming lost in hyperspace. Since no ship has ever been found once becoming lost in hyperspace, the prognosis for the Cortez is grim.
Babylon 5 launches a rescue operation using Starfury
Starfury
The Starfury fighter is a fictional vessel used by Earthforce, the military branch of the Earth Alliance, in the science fiction television series Babylon 5...
fighters to relay the jumpgate signal to the Cortez. They follow a plan in which each Starfury forms a link in a long chain of fighters — each fighter stays locked onto the fighter behind it.
Galus, the Zeta Squadron Commander, and Lt. Keffer locate the Cortez and are about to start rescue when a huge, dark vessel materializes, destroying Galus' Starfury, and disabling Keffer's. The vessel looks exactly like the one described by Maynard earlier. The ship vanishes.
Keffer repeatedly fires his fighter's weapons towards the direction of the jumpgate; after some time Maynard realizes what Keffer is doing and moves the Cortez towards the jumpgate, thus saving his ship and crew. Keffer appears doomed, as his damaged fighter drifts in hyperspace. However, he is able to escape hyperspace when another of the mysterious ships appears and vanishes; Keffer follows the vessel's trajectory until he locates the jumpgate beacon and is able to return to Babylon 5.
Keffer is disturbed by his experiences with the mysterious vessels and becomes determined to obtain proof that they exist.
A side plot involves Dr. Franklin
Stephen Franklin
Stephen Franklin is a lead character in the fictional universe of the science fiction television series Babylon 5, played by the late Richard Biggs. He serves as the chief medical officer on the Babylon 5 space station.-Personality:...
taking the opportunity to subject Ivanova, Garibaldi, and Sheridan to a "food plan" to improve their health; they are all placed on a diet. All three find their diets most unappealing and look for ways to sneak other foods into their diets, particularly Garibaldi. He has become determined to acquire the ingredients for and cook bagna càuda
Bagna Cauda
Bagna càuda, is a warm dip typical of Piedmont, Italy, but with numerous local variations...
, which Franklin strongly objects to. Ignoring this, Garibaldi enlists the help of a dockworker to get the necessary ingredients, but is caught by Dr. Franklin. Garibaldi explains that his father always cooked bagna càuda for his birthday, and after his father died, he continued to do so every year, in his memory. At this, Dr. Franklin allows this particular infraction of his food plan--on the condition that Garibaldi cook enough for two, and allow Dr. Franklin to join him.
Arc significance
- Some details of the structure and navigation of hyperspace are revealed.
- Lieutenant Keffer sees a strangeShadow (Babylon 5)The Shadows are a fictional alien species in the science fiction television series Babylon 5. Their homeworld is Z'ha'dum. In contrast to the Vorlons, whose philosophy is represented by the question "Who are you?", that of the Shadows is represented by the question "What do you want?", centering...
ship in hyperspace, leading him to an obsessive, season-long effort to learn what they are. - Lt. Keffer is promoted to command of Zeta Squadron following the death of Galus.
- Delenn's physical change is becoming increasingly controversial among her own people; she feels increasingly isolated from them.
Production details
- While not explicitly mentioned in the episode, the series creatorJ. Michael StraczynskiJoseph Michael Straczynski , known professionally as J. Michael Straczynski and informally as Joe Straczynski or JMS, is an American writer and television producer. He works in films, television series, novels, short stories, comic books, and radio dramas. He is a playwright, a former journalist,...
explains that Explorer ships both map unknown regions of space and leave behind jumpgates that they construct. - Explorer ships have a SPOF design flaw.
- Bagna càudaBagna CaudaBagna càuda, is a warm dip typical of Piedmont, Italy, but with numerous local variations...
is an authentic Italian dish.