A Dark Year and a Farewell, 30 Jun 2004

By	Mark Baker (Santa Clarita, CA United States) - See all my reviews

As 2262 begins, things are looking up for our characters. The Alliance has been formed and Sheridan is taking office as its first President. The station itself is getting a new captain as Elizabeth Lochley steps in for Ivanova who has left to captain a ship. But things soon take a dark turn. Sheridan agrees to let a colony of rogue telepaths live on the station. Their interactions with Lyta Alexander change her profoundly. Some mysterious force is attacking members of the Alliance. And Londo and G'Kar try to solve the mystery of the royal court back on Centauri Prime.

This season is not as strong as the seasons preceding it. Because this was a last minute save, all plot lines had been wrapped up in season 4, and it takes a few episodes to get the ball fully rolling forward again. Personally, I loved Ivanova, so I miss her absence in this season as well. While watching this set, I realized why else this season isn't a favorite. It's much darker. We see Londo's final fate, Garibaldi hits the bottle again, and Lennier makes some poor choices. My final complaint is the endings left open involving Lennier and Sheridan and Delenn's unborn son. While this season may be dark, it is still powerful and moving drama that pulls you in and doesn't let you get. Especially if you've spent the four previous years with the characters. Fans can't help but watch this to get the next chapter in these character's lives.

And this doesn't even touch the final episode. Filmed as part of season four, it's set 19 years in the future and does include Ivanova. If that episode doesn't move you, nothing will.

If you've bought the previous season sets, you know exactly what to expect here. The episodes are presented in widescreen with some grain and dust in the picture. The full surround audio makes an impressive display of the soundtrack. Extras include the intro to the season on disc one, three commentary tracks, documentaries on the digital effects and fans and other merchandise rela