NO SURRENDER, NO RETREAT

'"No Surrender, No Retreat"' is a key episode from the fourth season of the science-fiction television series ''Babylon 5''. The episode also gives its name to the entire fourth season of the series, thus emphasizing its importance.

Contents

Plot synopsis

Arc significance

Trivia

External link

Plot synopsis

Captain John Sheridan, the commander of the Babylon 5 station, organizes an attack to liberate the Proxima 3 colony from the forces of tyrannical Earth Alliance President William Morgan Clark.
Sheridan finally decides to take the offensive against President Clark after learning of the murder of 10,000 civilians by Clark's forces. Before taking the offensive, Sheridan gets support from the League of Non-Aligned Worlds for his actions. Sheridan then takes a fleet of the small but swift and highly advanced White Star warships to the besieged Proxima 3 colony. President Clark has positioned six massive Omega-Class Destroyers around the planet to prevent any colonists from leaving and to prevent any supplies from reaching the colony. As a result of the blockade the colonists are starving and on the verge of surrender. Sheridan's plan is to surround the destroyers with superior firepower and then convince as many destroyers as possible to defect to his side.
The Earth fleet blockading Proxima 3 is led by EarthForce Captain Trevor Hall. Hall is a ruthless officer who is loyal to President Clark and his dictatorial regime, and he has already resorted to slaughtering helpless civilians to force the colony to surrender. Hall commands the Earth Alliance destroyer ''Heracles''; it serves as his flagship. Sheridan sends the White Stars at Proxima 3 in three waves to confuse Captain Hall: the first wave, consisting of only 3 ships, exits hyperspace on the far side of the planet; this leads Hall to order the destroyers ''Pollux'' and ''Vesta'' to investigate. A second, larger wave of White Stars exits hyperspace closer to the main destroyer force. The final wave of White Stars, commanded by Captain Sheridan himself, exits the local jumpgate. Sheridan orders the Earth Destroyers to either leave immediately or surrender to him. Instead, Captain Hall orders the Destroyers to arm weapons and launch fighters. However, the ''Vesta'', under the command of Captain Edward McDougan, an old friend of Sheridan and one of his teachers at the EarthForce Academy, refuses to fire on Sheridan's ships. Instead, he tries to talk Sheridan into leaving Proxima without a fight; Sheridan tells him that Clark is violating the Earth Alliance Constitution and that his blockade of Proxima 3 is illegal. He asks McDougan to switch sides. Furious at McDougan for breaking radio silence and communicating with the "enemy", Hall tries to force McDougan to take sides by opening fire on Sheridan's fleet. A fierce battle then erupts. The ''Heracles'' is joined by the destroyers ''Pollux'' and ''Nemesis'' in the battle. The ''Heracles'' damages a White Star vessel, but another White Star fires a devastating beam of plasma energy which cripples the ''Heracles''. In desperation, Captain Hall orders Captain McDougan's second-in-command to take over the ''Vesta'' and help the ''Heracles''; the XO then puts a pistol to Captain McDougan's head and demands that he turn over his command. The ''Vesta'' begins firing at Sheridan's White Star, but the destroyer's crew seizes their XO and arrests him; command is returned to McDougan and the ''Vesta'' surrenders. The ''Nemesis'' then surrenders after suffering heavy damage, and the destroyer ''Juno'' jumps to hyperspace and flees the colony. The destroyer ''Furies'' refuses to fight Sheridan and is left unharmed. The ''Pollux'' is completely destroyed when a White Star it has damaged collides with it; both ships explode. This leaves only the crippled ''Heracles'' still opposing Sheridan; the ship's defenses are down and the bridge is wrecked. Sheridan orders the ''Heracles'' to surrender or be destroyed. Captain Hall, who believes that Sheridan is bluffing, tells his crew that he plans to flee the system rather than surrender and face the consequences. His second-in-command, Commander Sandra Levitt, does not agree with Hall's belief that Sheridan will not open fire, so she has Hall arrested and removed from the bridge. Levitt then takes command and surrenders. Sheridan then meets with the surviving captains and tells them they have three choices: they can return to Earth and continue to fight for Clark, they can help defend Proxima 3 from further attacks, or they can join him in his crusade to overthrow Clark and liberate Earth. Sheridan then leaves so the captains can talk it over. Captain McDougan then tells Sheridan that the ''Heracles'' is withdrawing to the Beta 9 colony for repairs; Captain Hall will be kept under arrest and the ship will not participate in fighting for either side. The ''Nemesis'' will stay and defend Proxima 3, while the ''Furies'' and the ''Vesta'' will join Sheridan in his crusade to free Earth.
Meanwhile, on Babylon 5 two smaller stories play out: Ambassador Londo Mollari of the Centauri goes to the quarters of his old rival, Ambassador G'Kar of the Narn. He tries to convince a suspicious G'Kar to sign a joint declaration of support for Sheridan's crusade to liberate Earth; he believes that if two old enemies such as the Narn and Centauri can agree to support Sheridan it may convince other alien races to do the same. But G'Kar coldly refuses Londo's offer and refuses even to share a drink with him to signal their new alliance. Eventually, however, G'Kar agrees to sign the declaration (but not on the same page as Londo). Former Security Chief Garibaldi decides to permanently leave Babylon 5 to work for the powerful but mysterious businessman William Edgars on the Mars Colony.

Arc significance

This episode marks the point at which the Earth Alliance Civil War enters its final stage. From this point, the White Star fleet of Babylon 5 (under the command of Captain Sheridan) and Earth warships desiring a free Earth go on the offensive against the Earth forces still loyal to President Clark. In effect, the conflict between Babylon 5 and the Earth Alliance becomes an open civil war. This episode also moves Garibaldi to the Mars Colony, where he will finally meet the reclusive William Edgars and serve a "Judas" role as the betrayer of Captain Sheridan. And, last but not least, this episode marks the beginning of the reconciliation and eventual friendship between ambassadors Londo and G'Kar.

Trivia

★ The famous Earth Alliance Destroyer ''Alexander'' is visible in the fleet that is assembling at Proxima after the battle. The ''Alexander'' was the former flagship of Earth Alliance General William Hague, who had led the effort to expose President Clark as being a conspirator in the assassination of his predecessor, President Santiago. When Clark declared martial law on Earth and suspended the Constitution, it was Hague who started the rebellion against him. The ''Alexander'' was prominently featured in the award-winning season three episode ''Severed Dreams'', where it helped Babylon 5 defend itself from an attack by Earth warships loyal to Clark.

★ The title of this episode, "No Surrender, No Retreat", is also used as the title for the entire fourth season of Babylon 5, thus indicating this episode's importance to the show's story arc.

★ In this episode Londo offers G'Kar a drink, but G'Kar coldly pours the drink back into its bottle and refuses the offer. The reason G'Kar did this is because in the second-season episode "The Coming of Shadows", G'Kar offered to share a drink with Londo. G'Kar did not yet know that Londo, in his hatred of G'Kar and the Narn, had just convinced his Shadow allies to attack and destroy the Narn's largest colony. After that, G'Kar swore that he would never trust Londo again.

External link