Original Airdate: August 10, 1994 Written by J. Michael Straczynski Directed by Jim Johnston Episode #: 20 Production # : 121
Guest stars: Kent Broadhurst as Major Krantz. Tim Choate as Zathras. Denise Gentile as Lise Hampton.
Babylon 5 monitors strange energy emissions coming from sector 14, the area where Babylon 4 disappeared without a trace 4 years ago. When a pilot sent out to investigate comes back dead, Commander Sinclair launches a full investigation. When the station receives a distress call from Babylon 4, Sinclair leads an expedition to sector 14 to find out what is happening.
A spaceship is launched from Babylon 5 to investigate a powerful energy source in the galaxy, known as Sector 14. The ship is enveloped in a white light and the pilot dies after setting the ship's automatic return guidance system. Station commander Jeffrey Sinclair (MICHAEL O'HARE), Lieutenant Command Susan Ivanova (CLAUDIA CHRISTIAN) and Security Chief Michael Garibaldi (JERRY DOYLE) are surprise by the autopsy report. While the pilot's corpse looks normal, his internal organs have ages a hundred years.
Sinclair leans that the energy in Sector 14 is coming from the exact location where Babylon 4, the Earth Alliance's previous space station, mysteriously disappeared four years ago. He suddenly receives an emergency video transmission from Major Lewis Krantz (KENT BROADHURST), Babylon 4's missing commander, pleading for help in evacuating his ship which is trapped in a violent time warp. Puzzled by Babylon 4's reappearance, Sinclair orders every rescue shuttle on Babylon 5 to fly to Sector 14.
Meanwhile, Minbari Ambassador Delenn (MIRA FURLAN) pilots her own shuttle to a Minbari war cruiser and reunites with the Grey Council, the elite ruling body. Delenn learns that she's been elected by the Council to be the new Minbari leader. Though honored, she insists that her spiritual mission aboard Babylon 5, involving Commander Sinclair and an ancient Minbari prophecy, is unfinished. She must fulfill the prophecy and see the human race achieve its ultimate destiny which will benefit the Minbari, as well. They Grey Council accepts her decision but regretfully removes her from their ruling body. Delenn returns to Babylon 5 as Minbari Ambassador again.
Leading the rescue team, Sinclair and Garibaldi board Babylon 4 and confront Major Krantz. He is terrified by the tremors and white lights that have weakened his space station. He is also astounded to learn that the rescuers are from Babylon 5 in the year 2258. Krantz explains that hours after Babylon 4 went operation, they were caught in a spatial warp that randomly projects the station forward and backward in time. He has no way of knowing how long it's been happening or what the present time is.
As the crew evacuates, another tremor occurs and Sinclair sees a vision of his own future: Babylon 5 being destroyed by an alien invasion and Garibaldi sacrificing himself by activating the station's self-destruct mechanism. Krantz shows Sinclair and Garibaldi an imprisoned alien creature, Zathras (TIM CHOATE), who suddenly appeared during one of the earlier tremor. Zathras explains that arrived from another time in history, sent by "The One," the galaxy's spiritual leader, to pull Babylon 4 through the time warp and ultimately use its technology to end an intergalactic war.
As the tremors increase, "The One" suddenly appears, stabilizing Babylon 4's disintegration long enough for the occupants of Babylon 4 to board the shuttles. Zathras, obviously fulfilling a pre-arranged command, gives "The One" a small black box and the dark-helmeted specter disappears with it. As the Babylon 4 station vibrates violently, Zathras strains to save Sinclair from falling debris and is critically wounded., Krantz, Sinclair and Garibaldi escape on a shuttle, leaving Zathras who insists he must meet his fate aboard Babylon 4.
"The One," accompanied by an unseen woman, appears once again to comfort Zathras. Watching the shuttles depart, "The One" removes his helmet, revealing the aged and battle-scarred face of Jeffrey Sinclair. Babylon 4 disappears into the time warp again.
