516: Darkness Ascending

Garibaldi is visited by his girlfriend, Lise Hampton.  When she discovers he has hit the booze again she is not impressed.  Sheridan learns about Lennier's secret mission and recalls White Star 27 - only to have Lennier flee the ship in a scout vessel to track a coded Centauri message.  Lyta approaches G'Kar to ask him for money and ships in return for her telepathic DNA - and he reluctantly agrees, first testing whether Lyta and her group of rogue telepaths can be trusted in their actions.  Vir and Londo realize that the others seem to be behaving oddly towards them - and a message from Centauri Prime increases their fears that the other races are gearing to blame the Centauri for the attacks.  A barely-conscious Lennier discovers a secret Centauri base in space, and then follows them to monitor an attack on a Drazi convoy.  He returns to Babylon 5 with a recording of the attack - and Garibaldi warns Lise that she should leave now; a war with the Centauri is imminent...

Notes: Garibaldi mentions his last visit to the Fresh Air Restaurant (Chrysalis) and also mentions that Catherine Sakai "disappeared about a year ago" (her fate is revealed in the novel To Dream in the City of Sorrows).  Lise also hints that Garibaldi had promised her he would return to Mars (Rising Star), but he hasn't had the courage to tell Sheridan yet.  Lyta and G'Kar recall their first conversation regarding Narn telepaths, and G'Kar's proposal to Lyta (The Gathering).  Franklin's species catalogue is also referred to (Strange Relations).

The soundtrack of this episode is available on CD.

Guest Cast: Denise Gentile returns as Lise Hampton-Edgars.  Thomas MacGreevy makes his first appearance as a Centauri Minister (And All My Dreams, Torn Asunder and Movements of Fire and Shadow), and Richard Yniguez returns as Captain Montoya (Meditations on the Abyss).