Babylon 5: The Long Night
For an episode that led into the final chapters of the series’ Shadow War cycle, as well as an episode that saw the assassination of the mad Centauri Emperor Cartagia, The Long Night has a surprisingly subdued musical score. Subdued isn’t necessarily bad, though – instead of playing up the drama of the moment, Chris Franke seems to be concentrating more on playing out the implications. Like the music, these events will stretch out quite a bit longer than anyone expects. Some of the better tracks here include the solitary drum beat heard as the horribly beaten G’Kar is paraded through the streets of Narn en route to his execution, and the pounding cue heard as he breaks free of his chains, creating 
a distracting spectacle that will allow Londo to rid the Centauri of their megalomaniacal ruler…well, almost. More than that would be telling. The music accompanying the scenes set aboard Babylon 5, especially Sheridan’s surprising briefing for a Ranger named Erricson and the final scene of the episode, is also worth a listen, dovetailing nicely into Into The Fire.
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- Giants in the Playground / Conspiracy / Main Title (4:27)
- Couch Conversation / A Soldier’s Promise / The "Throne Room" / The
Plot / Subjective Humor (4:57)- Cartagian Justice / Cartagia Murdered (3:20)
- Londo, Prime Minister / Planet Killer At Work / Vir’s Good Heart (5:31)
- Anticipation of Natives / Explaining the Mission / Erikson’s Special
Mission (3:44)- Narn Celebration / What G’Kar Endured / Sheridan’s Poem / End Title (3:35)
Released by: Sonic Images
Release date: 1998
Total running time: 24:32
1998 – a very distinctively Babylon-ian piece of music which doesn’t use any of the themes established for the television show. I think this would be a nifty musical intro to the upcoming Crusade spinoff series, in fact. For B5 fans who, unlike me, aren’t ardent collectors of soundtracks, this CD features some of the best of the first five CDs’ music (but also leaves out some of the best too).
The hauntingly tragic music from the final hour of Babylon 5 is easily the jewel in Chris Franke’s crown over the past six years. There is almost nothing that ties this episode’s music to the rest of Babylon 5, with the exception of a couple of cues which appeared in the two episodes preceding Sleeping In Light. Even the theme is a treat, since the unique titles in Sleeping In Light were not only completely different from any other main theme in the show’s history, but didn’t appear until the end of the episode, giving a “bookend” effect. The music’s success lies with the Berlin Symphonic Film Orchestra’s string sections more than usual, giving the tragically touching episode’s story a very human musical treatment. Though Franke has achieved great intensity in the past, that intensity has 
The last Babylon 5 episode produced, this episode dealt primarily with the scattering of the show’s cast of characters. As such, there aren’t many action cues; the only fast-paced material surrounds Lennier’s betrayal of Sheridan halfway through the show. But in many ways, the more reflective and quiet music on this disc is much more interesting than any action cue that could’ve been jammed into the show sideways. Objects At Rest is very closely linked, thematically, to the final episode aired, Sleeping In Light. And those similarities in tone extend to the music. Sheridan’s salute to the new crew of Babylon 5 appropriately echoes the music heard over the destruction of the station in Sleeping In Light, and the final cue before the end credits of Objects At Rest serves as a very effective musical prologue to the next episode. Other moments worth listening for: Franklin’s 
Ahh, yes! Sonic Images does actually listen to their buying public. The label has, for some time, had an e-mail address set up to take requests from Babylon 5 fans to determine which episode soundtracks will appear next, and Falling Toward Apotheosis – a critical early season 4 favorite of mine – has been on my want list for a long time. A fair-sized snippet of one scene appeared on the second B5 suite compilation, but ended before some of the best music in the episode, accompanying the (literally) thunderous exit of the Vorlon ship whose master is being ambushed inside the 
This is another Babylon 5 episodic soundtrack I didn’t originally plan to buy, figuring that most of the music had been used elsewhere. Once again, I was proven wrong in this regard – the score to Whatever Happened, though numerous elements are lifted from or recycled by other episodes, is interesting and has several unique moments. A distinct and eerie theme runs through the scenes in which Sheridan is trapped with the ancient being known only as Lorien, and more specifically, in those scenes where Lorien delivers and reiterates his “tick, you’re alive, tock, you’re dead” speech, a chiming, clock-life motif can be heard…and that has to rate as one of the most clever, possibly the most clever musical metaphor that Christopher Franke has ever utilized in a Babylon 5 soundtrack. The “Delenn Addresses The Rangers” cue is another highlight, opening with a sweeping, heroic theme that I 
As I’ve mentioned already, I was glad to see Sonic Images release the soundtrack of both halves of War Without End, primarily because most of this two-parter’s music was never included on the second of the Babylon 5 compilation CDs, despite including some of the show’s most memorable moments. The “Delenn In Love” and “Delenn Leaves” cues feature a quiet, beautiful, and wistful theme for the aged Delenn of the future lamenting the fate that was soon to befall Sheridan. “Babylon 4 Disappears” and “Time Travel Arrival” are some of the best suspense music to appear in the series, and “Old Crew Approach” features the welcome return of the original Babylon 5 series theme in a time-bending moment where Sinclair and Garibaldi – as we saw them in the first season of the show – arrive in the “present” timeline (if indeed such a term can even be used in association with War Without End without confusing things further!). And there’s an amazing passage of flowing woodwinds and harps in the Babylon 4 Transfer cue – an incredible departure from Babylon 5’s usual reliance on electronics! Both parts of War Without End featured some grand music, and it’s nice to see that they’ve finally earned their place among the other episodes whose scores have been 
Perhaps not surprisingly, fan and customers didn’t request the music from this popular third season two-parter – they demanded it. The music from both parts is quite unique, and served as the first appearance of many themes, from the foreboding sound later associated with Sheridan’s suicidal leap at Z’ha’dum, to the flowing orchestral tension motif which would later be heard in Falling Toward Apotheosis, among others. But there are several unique moments here which never appeared again, like the recurring heroic-but-weary motif heard in several White Star scenes, or the slightly humorous yet still enigmatic chiming sound which often seemed to be associated with Sinclair. There 
This episode, featuring the first full appearance of the Drakh (the primary enemy in Crusade) in Babylon 5 lore, should’ve had a much more distinctive musical score than it gets here. There are some unique touches, such as a horror-film-inspired musical “stabbing” motif for the Drakh, and a strange synthesized sound which seems inspired by the glass rod, which is often used as a musical signature for the otherworldly and the terrifying. I’d also swear that there are hints of electric guitar, or perhaps a sample thereof, cutting into the proceedings as Delenn launches a devastating counterattack on the Drakh fleet. But other than that…there isn’t anything new in a strictly musical sense aside from some unusual 
instrumentation. One piece of music established here, a frenetic, brutal string passage, would resurface in future battle scenes such as those in Endgame and The Ragged Edge, but there’s very little new here for those who have already heard those releases. Unless you’re a completist, this is a Babylon 5 episodic CD you can safely skip.