“Babylon 5: The Legend of the Rangers” is a made-for-television film for Babylon 5. “The Legend of the Rangers” is set in the year 2265 but was released after the series was concluded. It is usually recommended to be watched between the films “The River of Souls” and “A Call to Arms”. The opening credits, which have various characters speaking the Rangers’ code, and the fact that the film is also called “To Live and Die in the Starlight” make it seem a bit different; this is because it was a pilot for a series that wasn’t taken up.
It starts with a Ranger ship under attack by raiders. The ship’s captain says that they don’t break off, Rangers follow and never stop. The raiders have been attacking Alliance shipping lines for months. No backup is coming and then more raiders appear and open fire. The ship is badly hit and the captain injured. The ship is also badly damaged; they can continue the chase but they have no weapons. The reason they are still alive is summarised; the raiders do not know which was more badly damaged, weapons or engines. If it’s the engines, finishing them off is more trouble than it’s worth. If they try to follow, the raiders will know they have nothing. Without weapons they have no chance. The first officer gives the order to stand down. They may live for the One, die for the One, but they don’t die stupidly.
The episode moves to Minbar, seat of the Interstellar Alliance. A Minbari, Sindell, is looking at a hologram of some ships when G’Kar enters. G’Kar calls the ships impressive; that wasn’t the word Sindell was searching for. G’Kar suggests some more; ominous, menacing, potentially hostile, heavily armed, aesthetically displeasing. According to Sindell, they are also unknown.
They know nothing about this race; it’s as if it came out of nowhere. G’Kar comments that the humans probably felt the same way about the Minbari. Sindell says they were hardly menacing; the whole human-Minbari was thing was only a silly rumour then?
The recording is the last thing received from one of their long-range patrol ships. The last thing because it was destroyed. As the Alliance grows, so does the amount of space it covers, and space is full of infinite mysteries. Perhaps one has been awoken. G’Kar has travelled more than anyone as high up in the Alliance – G’Kar set off wandering in “Objects in Motion” and has the ear of the president. G’Kar could be a great help.
G’Kar promises he will be discrete. Sindell knows G’Kar’s reputation; discrete is not in G’Kar’s vocabulary. So, he should consider any closed door he finds as if it was an open one. Meanwhile, Sindell has to summon the rest of the council for an unpleasant duty. One of the Anla-Shok has acted inappropriately and must be punished, perhaps expelled. His crime? Staying alive. Until now, G’Kar didn’t know that was a crime.
The first officer from the ship earlier, David, is approached by a Minbari member of the dame crew, Dulann. David is folding towels and doing other menial work as other Rangers spar behind him. Dulann has heard something; David has not. Which leads to a discourse on human and Minbari ears and the benefits of size. David was given a menial task to calm his mind. Then one of the Rangers sparring, Tannier (Tannier appeared in “Learning Curve” previously but played by a different actor) calls for water. Which leads to David critiquing his technique. Which leads to a discussion of David not pursing the raiders, two more of the crew getting involved and David sparring with Tannier, proving his critique was right.
David is looking at a landing ship, the Valen, when Sarah from his previous crew enters. The Valen is faster than anything; David compares it to a flying brick. Sarah wonders if that’s because David was next in line to be captain; now Tannier will probably get it. Another, smaller ship, the Liandra, is being repaired. The last crew died onboard and nobody knows what killed them. There are rumours that it is cursed. David leaves to prepare to meet the council and it seems G’Kar was watching.
Dulann joins David in the council chamber and the council itself appears. David violated their most sacred principle; not break away, not retreat. He is about to be removed from the Rangers when G’Kar appears. He speaks to Sindell; he considered a closed door to be an open one, as suggested. G’Kar brings up the Ranger code, ‘We live for the One, we die for the One’ and that they seem to be concentrating on the latter half, the dying bit, rather than the living bit. Dying is not necessarily honourable; it simply relives one of greater obligation. David’s crew put their lives and career at risk for his sake. G’Kar has met very few people like that. One comes to mind, a very annoying individual. Sindell wants to know what happened to him. Well, he became president of the Interstellar Alliance. G’Kar spoke to the president; he tells Sindell this may have bearing on another topic they discussed.
G’Kar speaks to David afterwards. David will remain in the Rangers and given command of a vessel. The Liandra. David will take it. Once onboard, he changes his mind a bit. The ship is not in good condition. It’s 20 years old and Dulann comments on the design. Before human military designers got involved, Minbari ships were supposed to look good. Now, they would remove every colour bar grey, green and black and have everyone in windowless boxes. The ship is definitely not impressive and Dulann is seeing things. The former crew. Who are dead. A haunted ship. The records of how they died were wiped, but according to Dulann they suffocated.
Tannier wants the Liandra to be the Valen‘s escort on a diplomatic mission. The senior staff is introduced; some were from earlier and some are new, including a Narn and a Drazi that no-one else wants. The Liandra is only barely functional and they are not looking for a fight. Of course, they find one – the ships Sindell was looking at come after them. Incidentally, the hyperspace jump graphics are different.
With this being a pilot episode, rather a lot of time is spent setting up characters and introducing them. Two new plot hooks are introduced as well, the new ships and how the Liandra‘s former crew died. Because the series never happened, neither is explored fully. There isn’t a cliff-hanger ending or anything, but there are a lot of unanswered questions.