by Joshua Tyler
| Published
Science fiction movies and TV shows are full of big space battles, but it's rare to see them attempt realism. There are some recent exceptions. Extension It wowed audiences with its realistic depiction of futuristic space battles. The first decade of the twenty-first century Battlestar Galactica Use basic Newtonian physics to create some of the most spectacular space battles ever captured on screen.
Long before any of those shows, one Science fiction The series created massive, more scientifically accurate space battles using new technology beyond anything anyone had seen before. The show was also the first to ever use CGI on television. It changed everything about the way science fiction was done.
You're about to discover what happens when the last, best hope for peace fails. These are the best space battles Babylon 5arranged in order from largest to largest.
4. Battle of Proxima 3 (Season 4: No Surrender, No Retreat)
With the Shadow War over, Captain John Sheridan of Babylon 5 is free to turn his attention to solving Earth-related problems. This is bad news for President Clark, the corrupt totalitarian dictator who has taken power. Clark orders Earthforce ships to begin attacking civilian targets and Sheridan cannot allow this.
A fleet of 6 Omega-class destroyers, commanded by Captain Trevor Hall aboard the EAS Heracles, are ordered to blockade Proxima 3, a human colony that has broken away from Earth. Sheridan decides this is where he wants to make a statement.
the Alien The Allies who aided Sheridan during the Shadow War have signed neutrality treaties and will not participate. Sheridan moves on Proxima with a fleet of White Stars and every fighter craft he can find.
The battle does not start immediately. This is a land-for-land conflict, and neither side wants to kill their brothers and sisters. Sheridan implores the other side to defect, offering them pardon, and offering them anything if they stop supporting the corrupt Earth government.
Captain Hall is in charge and has no interest in Sheridan's sermons. He is loyal to Clark, and while some of the other ships accept Sheridan's offer, Hall begins the attack.
Earth's forces are no match for Sheridan's White Star fleet, and with the support of Babylon 5's fighter squadrons, it's clear that Hall can't win. Hall refuses to surrender, intending to fight to the end, but his crew rebels. They surrendered, and the battle was over.
3. Liberate the land (end of season 4)
Since its beginning, the Earth Alliance Civil War has loomed in the background of everything that happened in Babylon 5. And it ends here.
To set the right tone, Captain John Sheridan transfers his command to the Earth ship, EAS Agamemnon. Agamemnon was his former command before he was transferred to Babylon 5.
He encounters a fleet of 36 Earth destroyers over Mars, led by General Leftcourt, a man loyal to the corrupt Earth President Clark. Sheridan is ready for them. He's been smuggling shadow-modified telepaths onto Earth ships for weeks.
Sheridan launches a diversionary operation, attacking the planet's bases with its white stars. The telepath orders Lyta to activate the smugglers' telepathy aboard Earth ships. They awakened and disabled most of Earth's destroyers. The remaining ten ships were easily disabled by the White Star Fleet.
At this point, things seem to be going well, but that's about to change. Earth is surrounded by a series of defense platforms, and after realizing it's over, President Clark decides to turn it into his own planet. The battle becomes a race against time to destroy the platforms before they wipe out the Earth's population.
Meanwhile, the other alien races, who supported Sheridan during the Shadow War, stayed out of the battle at Sheridan's request. Despite staying out of human conflict, G'Kar and Londo are determined to support their human friends. They had earlier convinced the others in the Sheridan Alliance of Light to form up and set out for the rescue.
Everyone reaches the floor. Sheridan and the White Stars. Ships allied with Earth. Minbari, Centauri, Narns, and the League of Non-Aligned Worlds. Every race in the galaxy arrives with one common goal: to save Earth.
They are attacking Earth's defense platforms in a desperate attempt to save the planet. It works, but very slowly. Sheridan's ship, the Agamemnon, was damaged and its weapons systems were disabled. There's one platform left, and it's about to fire on the planet. Sheridan orders a collision speed, sending his ship and crew to their deaths.
Then, at the last second, General Leftcourt arrives. He repaired his ship, and when he heard what Clark had done, he decided to switch sides. A former enemy teams up with Sheridan in a final battle to save the human race, and the final platform is destroyed.
The land is released. Clark commits suicide. The civil war is over.
2. Sixth Battle of Koreana (Season 4 In Fire)
The shadow war is raging. To combat the threat of the Shadow, Captain Sheridan of Babylon 5 formed an Alliance of Light, composed of forces from the Narn, Minbari, and smaller non-aligned worlds of the galaxy.
The Vorlons, who they thought were their allies, have revealed themselves as villains no different from the Shadows. They are destroying entire planets to eliminate all shadow influence. It's not going well.
It all arrives on a densely populated planet called Coreana VI. Sheridan lures the powers of both Shadows and Vorlons to this one place.
Until now, the two elder races had avoided fighting each other. Instead, they use others as pawns in an eternal debate against each other. Sheridan's plan is to force the Vorlons and Shadows into confrontation, even though he knows his forces will be caught in the middle.
He has an ace in the hole. The Vorlons and Shadows are not the only Elder Races remaining in the galaxy. Sheridan sends Ivanova to recruit the last remnants of the other Forerunners. Whether they will appear when called is unknown.
The battle begins. The Shadows and Vorlons fall into Sherdian's trap. The old enemies are so focused on each other that the two giant powers largely ignore Sheridan's inferior army.
Sheridan refuses to be ignored, and attacks using mined asteroids as a trap. Now the Vorlons and Shadows are angry. They head to clash with the Army of Light.
The battle quickly turns into a massive fireball of destruction, as three fleets tear each other to shreds. The Army of Light is not in good shape; They have been destroyed. Sheridan calls for help, and the first ones show up. Each of them brings only one ship, but one ship is enough.
Now, there are four fleets involved instead of three, and the battle becomes even more chaotic. The Firsts destroy the Vorlon Planet Killer and rescue Coreana VI.
Shadows engulf Sheridan's fleet in a cloud of death, bringing the battle to a halt. Both the Vorlons and Shadows appear to Sheridan and Delenn, demanding that they choose one to side with them. The power couple in Babylon 5 refuses.
Enraged, the Shadows begin firing missiles at Sheridan's command ship, the White Star 2. Each time they do so, the Light Alliance throws itself in the path of the missile, sacrificing itself to save its leaders.
Thwarted by Sheridan and his people's decision to commit suicide rather than choose sides, the Vorlons and Shadows surrender. Loren, the eldest of the Firsts, convinces them to leave the galaxy and move on. The Shadow War has finally ended.
1. Battle of Babylon 5 (Season Three: Interrupted Dreams)
The Battle of Babylon 5 is something the series has spent three seasons building toward. We watched as the Earth government responded to the Babylon 5 crew turning increasingly tyrannical and corrupt.
Sometimes the signs of the rot of Earth government are hidden in the background. Sometimes they were front and center in the story. It has been happening gradually. We know it, and the Babylon 5 crew knows it.
Captain Sheridan tried to remain neutral, but that would not last. In the season 3 episode “Interrupted Dreams” he is forced to take a stand. This situation leads to immediate conflict.
The corrupt Earth President ordered the Earthforce fleet to attack and destroy the ships of those disloyal to his regime. One of those ships, an Omega-class destroyer called EAS Alexander, was forced to respond. Pursued and escaping, the ship's captain, Ed Ryan, realizes that he and his crew have only one place left for refuge. This place is Babylon 5.
Alexander and another Omega-class destroyer, the Churchill, soon arrived on Babylon 5. Sheridan was ordered to hand them over or fight against the government and the planet he was sworn to protect. Sheridan and his crew chose to fight.
Declare the independence of Babylon 5 and prepare for battle. Earth sends a task force to throw him and everyone who supports him in prison. Battle ensued.
The attacking task force consists of two Omega-class destroyers and two Hyperion-class heavy cruisers. Babylon 5 has its own defense network, fighters, and two Omega-class destroyers.
Sheridan and his captains are reluctant to fire on other Earth Force ships. Until recently, the people on board enemy ships were friends and colleagues. Their opponents are not interested in retreating, and so the battle begins.
Babylon 5 launches its fighters and activates the defense network. The station and its allies return fire. Explosions everywhere. The enemy launches the breach pods and begins landing troops on the station in an attempt to seize it. Babylon 5 is ready to repel the Frontier, but they are outnumbered by Earthships.
One of Babylon 5's ships, the Churchill, was badly damaged. Her captain chose to sacrifice herself and her crew, destroying the remaining raider.
One Omega-class destroyer remained, but Captain Sheridan ordered the station to concentrate her fire. It is badly damaged and Sheridan asks its commander to surrender. It was too late and the ship exploded.
The battle is over. Sheridan believes they survived. It's not, and they don't.
New jump gates open, and more Earthforce ships appear. Two more Omega-class destroyers and a Hyperion-class destroyer are heading towards the now depleted Babylon 5. Sheridan and his crew prepare for death.
That's when the Minbari arrive and Delenn gives what may be the greatest speech in the history of science fiction.
“Only one human captain has survived a battle with a Minbari fleet. He is behind me. You are in front of me. If you value your life, be elsewhere.”
The Earth Fleet, terrified by the superior Minbari ships, runs toward the jump gate and does not return. Babylon 5's independence has been secured, and the battle is over for the time being.
