The opening of Season Four. Various Voices Lennier: It was the year of fire, Zack Allen: the year of destruction G'Kar: the year we took back what was ours. Lyta Alexander: It was the year of rebirth Vir Cotto: the year of great sadness Marcus Cole: the year of pain Delenn: and the year of joy. Londo Mollari: It was a new age. Stephen Franklin: It was the end of history. Susan Ivanova: It was the year everything changed. Michael Garibaldi: The year is 2261. John Sheridan: The place - Babylon 5.

Note: The plot-lines in season four are somewhat complex as they weave in and out, so the best approach is to tell the story in completed sections, and ignore some of the time element. At the beginning of 2261, the League of Non-Aligned Worlds is fragmenting, as its member races plan to strengthen their homeworlds’ defenses in fear of Shadow retaliation. Delenn and Ivanova take the apparent loss of Sheridan hard in their own ways, while G’Kar leaves the safety of Babylon 5 to try and find Garibaldi. Londo is recalled to Centauri Prime to be placed in charge of Planetary security, only to discover that Emperor Cartagia is insane and has made a deal all of his own with the Shadows. Into the middle of this, Sheridan makes an almost miraculous return from Z'ha'dum and from the dead, with a new friend, the ancient Lorien, the first of the First Ones. However, the price Sheridan had to pay for his experiences on Z'ha'dum was a greatly reduced life expectancy. Lorien was only able to restore his life for about 20 years - after that he will simply stop. To help soften the blow, Sheridan proposes to Delenn, telling her that whatever time he has left, he wants to spend it with her. The explosion on Z'ha'dum had left the Shadows severely weakened, and halted their attack on Babylon 5, but with Sheridan's return, the members of Sheridan's Alliance, regather to fight a final battle against the Shadows. But unexpectedly the Vorlons started to pursue their own agenda, systematically destroying any worlds where the Shadows had influence, at the cost of millions of innocent lives. Both the Vorlons and the Shadows, it transpired had ideological purposes behind their actions, attempting to influence the evolution of the younger races either through the imposition of order (represented by the Vorlons) or by chaos and conflict (represented by the Shadows). "When most of the First Ones left, two of them, the Shadows and Vorlons, stayed behind. Their job was to keep an eye on the younger races, help them along, but .. they couldn't decide or agree on what had to be done. The Vorlons believed that strength comes through order and discipline, the Shadows believe in promoting evolution through conflict, starting wars". Sheridan: "The Summoning". Conspiring to bring the fleets of both races together in a massive battle, Sheridan and Delenn confronted representatives of the two races and rejected, on the younger races' behalf, the imposition of either of their ideologies. Led by Lorien, their mentor, the Shadows and the Vorlons left the galaxy together, leaving the younger races to determine their own futures. With the war over, Sheridan was forced to turn his attention attention back to Earth and Mars, where Clark's rule seemed stronger than ever. Using the alliances made during the war, and the Rangers' fleet of White Stars, constructed for the war from Vorlon and Minbari technology, Sheridan led the resistance against Clark's government and brought many sympathetic members of Earth's military forces over to his side. In the ensuring battles, both sides pay a high price. Worst of all in this battle is the betrayal of Sheridan by Garibaldi - not altogether his fault, as we learn that he had been programmed by Psi Corps. But the interrogation by Clark's forces of Sheridan and the attemp to alter his mind almost succeed. There is another terrible cost in the mortal injuries received by Ivanova. Only by the self-sacrifice of Marcus is her life saved. At the end, as all the forces gather around Earth for the final battle - the final outcome of which is far from certain, an insane President Clark turns the planet's defense network against his own people. It is this that tips the balance as both sides defend Earth from this murderous attack. Clark, commits suicide, while his former political allies lined up to take over from him. Back on Minbar, civil war had broken out between the warrior and religious castes. Delenn as leader of the religious caste, agreed to surrender to Shakiri, the leader of the Warrior caste, at the temple of Valeria. Delenn announced that if the Warrior caste want to return to the old ways, then the war must be ended by entering the Starfire Wheel. Whoever is prepared to die will win dominance for their caste. Delenn steps into the circle, Shakiri reluctantly follows, but cannot stand the pain and leaves. His place is taken by Neroon, who lifts Delenn out of the burning light. He remains, and as the Starfire Wheel finally engulfs him, he announces: "I was born warrior caste. I see now, the calling of my heart is religious. Listen to her!" Neroon: "Moments of Transition". The circle reaches maximum strength, and Neroon is vaporized. With stability returned to Minbar, Delenn then reforms the Gray Council, but this time giving the Worker Caste a majority. "Today we rebuild what was broken. Today we restore the Gray Council. I summon the nine as Valen called them together long ago." Delenn: "Moments of Transition". The new Earth President, Suzanne Lucenka, persuaded Sheridan to resign from Earth Force, despite his contribution to the overthrow of Clark, to prevent further division among Earth's population. Meanwhile, however a new political force had been gathering. The Minbari, Narn and Centauri, along with the League of Non-Aligned Worlds, had pledged to form a new Interstellar Alliance with Sheridan as their President. This would be policed by the Rangers and White Star fleet, and was designed to bring peace to the Galaxy. Perhaps a little reluctantly, President Lucenka agreed that Earth would join forces with the Alliance. While heading back to Babylon 5, Sheridan and Delenn are married in a private ceremony on board White Star 2. At the close of 2261, it seemed the galaxy was at the dawn of a new age ... "We are all alone now, just the younger races. We can't blame anyone else from now on. It's a new age, Delenn, a third age." "Why third?" "We began in chaos, too primitive to make our own decisions. Then we were manipulated from outside by forces that thought “they” knew what was best for us. And now .. now we are finally standing on our own. "Strange. The galaxy seems somehow smaller now that the First Ones are gone forever." "It feels like the magic's gone now." "No, not gone. Now we make our own magic. Now we create our own legends. Now we build the future. Now we stop--" "--being afraid of shadows." Sheridan and Delenn: "Into the Fire".

The closing narration of Season four Ambassador Delenn "It was the end of the Earth year 2261, and it was the dawn of a new age for all of us. It was the end of one chapter and the beginning of another. The next twenty years would see great changes, great joy, and great sorrow. The telepath war and the Drakh war. The new alliance would waver and crack, but in the end it would hold. Because what is built endures, and what is loved endures, and Babylon 5 - Babylon 5 endures".

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