I Think Babylon 5’s Ending Did The Right Thing By Avoiding A Common Sci-Fi Trope With Lennier
Babylon 5 subverted the typical redemption arc in fantasy and sci-fi shows with Lennier’s heartbreaking season 5 storyline. Babylon 5‘s focus on the tricky moral calculations and political risks of the ambassadors and military leaders caught amid the chaos of the Shadow War. Many of the characters are forced to push themselves beyond the kind of moral gray areas that they previously occupied. Along the way, seemingly heroic characters revealed how ruthless they could be, and initially villainous figures like G’Kar established themselves as surprising heroes.
For much of the show, Lennier was among the few Babylon 5 supporting characters who weren’t displayed with a mixed morality. While he may have his disagreements with the other heroes, he never went through the kind of complicated arc that characters like Vir experienced. However, those character flaws set off the character’s darkest moment in the show’s penultimate episode, setting up a subversion of the redemption arc that is usually found in sci-fi and fantasy shows.
For Four Seasons, Lennier Was A Major Supporting Hero In Babylon 5
Lennier Was One Of Babylon 5’s Most Consistent Heroic Figures
Lennier spent most of Babylon 5 as an important member of the supporting cast, only for one he makes in the final stretch of the show that destroys his credibility in an interesting way. Introduced in season 1’s “Parliament of Dreams,” Lennier was quickly established as the official aid to Delenn in her diplomatic work on Babylon 5. A soft-spoken and genuinely kind figure within the universe of the show, he frequently displays a crafty side that he never employs to nefarious ends.
His deep loyalty to Delenn makes him an important figure in the Rangers once they’re established, making him one of the show’s most prominent members of the Minbari. Lennier even occasionally got to be involved in the action, revealing himself to be a skilled combatant despite his otherwise bookish personality. For much of Babylon 5, Lennier is an important ally to the heroes and a crucial support system for Delenn. However, none of that excuses a choice the character makes in the penultimate episode of the show.
Why Lennier Betrays Sheridan In Babylon 5’s Penultimate Episode
Lennier Almost Allows Sheridan To Die Because Of His Jealousy
Babylon 5’s penultimate episode, “Objects At Rest,” largely focuses on Sheridan and Delenn. Less than a year after their marriage, the pair are set to relocate to Minbar set aboard the White Star. However, Sheridan almost dies when a leak in the weapons system results in Sheridan being locked in a room with the toxic gas. Lennier is present, but doesn’t hit the override button to rescue Sheridan. In fact, he even rushes off and initially leaves him to his fate.
Although Lennier’s conscience sends him back, it’s just in time to see Sheridan rescue himself. Ashamed, Lennier quickly takes one of the fighters and flies away. Searching through his items, Delenn learns that Lennier had feelings for Delenn and believed her marriage to Sheridan was a mistake. However, there was no premeditated element to the attack. As Delenn explains to Sheridan afterwards, she believes this was merely a moment of personal weakness.
It’s a single moment of weakness that leaves Lennier with one of the show’s most bittersweet endings.
“For one instant, out of a lifetime of service, he became all of his own worst instincts” is Delenn’s haunting reflection on Lennier’s actions. Although he later calls Delenn and explains himself, he refuses to return until he has found a way to earn her forgiveness. It’s a heartbreaking turn, a moment of weakness spurred on by years of unrequited feelings for Delenn. It’s a single moment of weakness that leaves Lennier with one of the show’s most bittersweet endings.
Lennier Doesn’t Get A Redemption Story
Lennier Doesn’t Get The Chance To Fix His Mistake Before Babylon 5 Ended
The biggest reason Lennier didn’t get a full redemption story is that his great betrayal only comes in the second-to-last episode of the series. The subsequent series finale, “Sleeping in Light,” notably does not reveal if or how Lennier made up for his mistake. That episode, which takes place decades later during the last few days of Sheridan’s life, suggests that Lennier eventually perished. J. Michael Straczynski eventually revealed that in the expanded lore of the universe, Lennier eventually died heroically saving Lyta during the Telepath War. The fact that it went unseen is for the better.
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One of the interesting things about Babylon 5 is the way it plays with morality and mistakes. Characters like Londo make terrible decisions for selfish reasons, prolonging wars over personal slights. Lennier’s actions in “Objects At Rest” risked the entire alliance that the Rangers require as a foundation, all for his own selfish frustrations. Even his most craven act is merely one of inaction, and he recognizes what he’s done.
The typical thing would be to give him a way to restore his honor and his place alongside Delenn, but Babylon 5 doesn’t devote any of its ending to that story. It also notably didn’t do it earlier in the season when it could have taken the time to explore a redemption arc for the character. Instead, Lennier ends the show in shame, another example of how Babylon 5 eschewed typical serialized sci-fi tropes.
Babylon 5 Was Right To Subvert The Typical Redemption Arc
Babylon 5’s Lennier Storyline Proves Redemption Isn’t Easy
Across film and television, redemption arcs are among the most common character storylines. In plenty of sci-fi and fantasy shows ranging from the likes of Firefly, Battlestar Galactica, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Supernatural, and more, there’s a tendency for outright villainous characters to quickly earn their place among the heroes. This is so commonplace in movie franchises like The Fast & The Furious, it’s become a joke. It’s at the core of plenty of arcs in superhero comics and shonen anime, effectively serving as a constant across fantasy fiction.
Even Babylon 5 indulges in it from time to time, with the Garibaldi story-arc in seasons 4 and 5 dealing with his betrayal of Sheridan and the fallout afterwards. By comparison, Lennier isn’t given the time or space to enjoy a similar arc. His one bad choice, made emotionally and in the moment, is portrayed as a breaking point for the character. Even as Delenn offers him a path to absolution, Lennier refuses until he can find it in him to forgive himself for his own actions. Redemption for Lennier will not be as easy as simply saying “I’m sorry.”
Lennier was intended to be one of the characters revisited in the anthology story Babylon 5: The Lost Tales, but the “promosode” focusing on the character was never produced.
It’s an interesting way to explore the importance of choice, as even singular ones can upend years of loyal service. Just as Delenn notes, Lennier’s worst impulses just destroyed the life that he had spent years solidifying with the rest of Babylon 5‘s heroes. The show was right to do this so late in the series, underscoring many of the show’s themes while also being more realistic than many “redemption” storylines in fiction. It’s a heartbreaking element of Babylon 5‘s ending and one of the most emotionally interesting.
