Sleeping In Light (Suite) - The Music of Babylon 5

[@kevinmorbidthelostcronin1984]

A decade ago, I was setting up the sound system for a murder mystery. I tested everything by playing Sleeping In The Light. My wife, who had been introduced to B5 after marrying me, walked out and asked what song I was playing. She was crying. I asked her why. Her reply was she could not place the song, but it made her feel sad. I told her what song it was. She was confused, because that meant it had been over 10 years and it still made her cry unconsciously. I am too much of a Scientist/Statistician. So, I started repeating the accident at other gatherings with ever larger sample sizes. After years of doing this, I concluded that: If you have never watched B5 all the way through, the song was "pretty", but unremarkable and evoked little emotion. If you have seen B5 all the way through, even if you had no idea what song was playing, you would react with sad emotions. Franke did a beautiful job. This song may not win an award on its own, but rates as a pure classic when married to the scene. IMHO, it far exceeds all but a few other examples in his field.

[@middyseafort]

"Babylon 5 was the last of the Babylon Stations... there would never be another." Always hits me in the feels.

[@benwhite8924]

And so true

[@buggerlugz6753]

And Joe turning off the lights for the last time................... :(

[@ShrekWallBee]

i cryed for hours after the station was distroyed

[@jamesmullis448]

When Christopher Franke asked J. Michael Straczynski what he wanted for the music for the finale, JMS said "Break my heart." And man, did he ever. Bravo on a gut-punch of a score.

[@themisspultone]

yep, every darn time I hear this track ;.;

[@Digikidthevoiceofreason]

Mira Furlan. Rest In Peace. May you rest where no Shadows fall. Sleep in light.

[@andrewhillis2269]

Shadows (good pun whether intended or not!) 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@benwhite8924]

And everyone else who was in rhe show that left us.

[@Adam_Johns]

Best show to ever grace television

[@pupeno]

"We have to create the future, or others will do it for us" -- Susan Ivanova

[@AndrewHillis_2024]

SO TRUE ARE THOSE WORDS ! ! !👍

[@kompott5844]

..still goosebumps.... after 25 years...

[@michaellemmons870]

As for Delen. Every morning for as long as she lived, Delen got up before dawn, and watched the Sun come up.

[@philipbranum4688]

I tear up every time I watch this...

[@TheScaryTruthCatalyst]

RIP Mira Furlan 😔

[@dmacbass]

I hope she found some measure of happiness after losing John. I know nothing of her life between the final scene of the series and her storming the TV station to stand up for Sheridan 80 years later.

[@disruptive_innovator]

Sleep now. I will watch and catch you if you should fall.

[@julieprothero7130]

I have been trying to get my wife to watch the series for several years. I watched it every week when it originally aired in the 90s and enjoyed interacting with JMS on Compuserve at the time. So I wanted to share my love of the show with her because it was such an important part of my life for those five years. We finally watched the remastered episodes together on HBOMax and she loved it! She wanted to keep watching multiple episodes each night and nothing else. The final episode had her in tears as well as myself. She is sad it is over and wants to watch it over again after we finish watching the movies and spin-off series CRUSADE. I have all the episodes and movies on DVD, and many of the CD soundtracks, but I never liked the video quality on the WB DVD release; so purchased the remastered series on digital video. I wish the movies were remastered too.

[@benwhite8924]

I live for those moments watching it with my best friend where he literally gawped open during Gkar Mind violating Londo and being permanently changed by Kosh. I've NEVER seen such a reaction from anything else. Great memories.

[@mayra3277]

In the nine months (yes, I'm late to the party) since I first watched this show end, I have played this episode every single Saturday evening. I still cry. Often even at the end credits alone - the music alone is enough for that. Listening to this, the words sometimes just start playing along, and the images appear in my head. "To absent friends, in memory still bright." "Good night, my love, the brightest star in my sky." "Sun's coming up." "Babylon 5 was the last of the Babylon stations..." JMS knew that when he told Chris Franke to break his heart, he'd deliver.

[@TheMsLourdes]

Gods I can't even listen to the music without balling my eyes out. This is masterful and Christopher Franke did what JMS asked him to do, Break our hearts. This score is just, if its not something we use on first contact with an alien species to describe the concept of lament and loss, I don't know what those future people are doing.

[@michaelsyska2147]

This series, and especially Mira will never be forgotten. Such a great work under the utmost impossible circumstances.

[@andrewhillis2269]

Gone Beyond The Outer Rim, Rest In Peace Mira Furlan (Delenn).

[@johnbandow213]

This journey has ended. Time... to rest now.

[@WesRoyer]

I get chills from this episode's soundtrack every time, especially the pivotal 16:50 mark.

[@jamesbell7696]

It's fascinating to me how the death of the station was the most powerful loss in the series. I get those same chills and it's truly a testament to JMS and to Franke's amazing ability to create an emotive soundtrack.

[@Ma55ey]

im the same... after all these years..

[@pupeno]

I don't think I've heard this once without crying.... I can always hear Ivanova saying "We have to create the future, or others will do it for us".

[@TiberiasCassius-]

@@pupeno Every time, same.

[@gclowne174]

My hair standds up during the first 15 seconds.

[@DeshWitus]

when the Music of a Show still touch you after all this Years...

[@andrewhillis2269]

Same here that's the power of great music from Chris Franke (Berlin School of Music) ! ! ! I am a lifelong fan of Tangerine Dream, Edgar Froese, Chris Franke, Johannes Schmoelling, Peter Baumann, Ulrich Schnauss et all ! ! ! 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@andrewhillis2269]

That really says something about the power (for want of a better descriptive word!) of this music ! ! ! Very emotive & I did tear up ! ! ! 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@andrewhillis2269]

I was fortunate to have met Edgar Froese, Chris Franke & Paul Haslinger in 1986 after Tangerine Dream had performed at The Dome Pavilion in Brighton & I was so in awe of them I didn't know what to say to them except something like,"I really appreciate your work!" 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@marcelomunoz84]

The same happens to me. In those days I buy the cd of sleeping in light by Amazon, every so often I listen to it again.

[@micahp.4356]

Between this show and A:TLA, I haven't found anything close to the quality of storytelling ( in a television show ). Would like too, but haven't.

[@bearcampaign4373]

Rest in peace, Mira.

[@johnstephen399]

"Understanding is a three-edged sword. Your side, their side and the truth."

[@nwanzer]

So much more now is that statement relevant than in any other time in the last 80 years.

[@dmacbass]

If you find yourself talking to sci-fi fans who don't understand what the big deal is about this show, explain to them that the show's predecessors were TNG, Buck Rogers, and original Battlestar Galactica. That's a perspective people need to understand. Shows with this depth just didn't exist in American sci-fi before B5.

[@themaker9343]

Broke my heart to see babylon 5 being blown up and the end of something I rushed home to see every episode... The fight is always good when you believe in it enough to stand for everything we believe in...

[@WhatIsAge]

This show still has its hooks in me. Very intoxicating!

[@Jinx1349]

Citizen G'Kar : I believe that when we leave a place a part of it goes with us and part of us remains. Go anywhere in these halls, when it is quiet and just listen. After a while you will hear the echoes of all of our conversations, every thought and word we've exchanged. Long after we are gone, our voices will linger in these walls for as long as this place remains. But I will admit that the part of me that going will very much miss the part of you that is staying.

[@TheMsLourdes]

@@Jinx1349 I was going to respond, but ah.. That pretty much says it all..

[@RosyRecluse]

​@@TheMsLourdesG'kar had a way with words that weaved together the tapestry of meaning, reality and dreams, delivering the concept in a manner that was often more than the sum of it's components

[@paulaburrows8660]

Listening to this still chokes me up.

[@ryanclevengersr]

Noone will truly understand how the music. No matter what scifi show we watch ( ST, BSG, etc) the fact that we are touched by the music like even Picard Flute solo....when we watch these shows over and over to capture the image, delv into the characters, read between the lines, see the details we missed even though we watched it countless times..... it touches us all

[@sam22002084]

jedesmal muss ich heulen wenn ich diese letzte folge sah

[@andrewhillis2269]

I wonder if Chris Franke was inspired by Elgar? This beautiful composition reminds me of parts of Elgar's Nimrod from The Enigma Variations ! ! ! 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@garybrindle6715]

As musicians we all absorb others works, melodies magically weave wondrous tapestries ...

[@AndrewHillis_2024]

​@@garybrindle6715Also There's A Bit Of Wagner's 'Parcifal' In There ! ! !👍

[@tulinfirenze1990]

8:18 When Christopher Franke asked JMS what he wanted for this episode's soundtrack, JMS gave him one direction, "Break my heart."

[@shelltune]

I'm not crying. Just got dust in my eye.

[@leiaorgana6987]

crying for babylon 5 is something noble that we can afford

[@RapidCityJM]

Who are you? What do you want? Why are you here? Where are you going?

[@gclowne174]

Do you have anything, worth living foor?

[@frielfan]

00:30 - "Those of us who understand have been waiting, and dreading the arrival of this day" 01:49 - "Sun's coming up" 04:30 - "A toast to absent friends - in memory still bright" 07:26 - "Tomorrow is Sunday, Delenn - and I'm going out for a drive" 08:53 - "Goodnight my love, brightest star in my sky" 11:30 - "I know the way, commander" 12:37 - "I just wanted to come and have a last look around" 13:38 - "Turn it all off. Too damn much noise" 15:03 - "Well, look at that. Sun's coming up" 16:00 - The De-commissioning ceremony 17:17 - "Babylon 5 was the last of the Babylon Stations... there would never be another." 18:29 - "Every morning for as long as she lived, Delenn got up before dawn and watched the sun come up"

[@GregsWineStories]

0:00 is when my heart starts aching

[@pupeno]

8:20 is when my heart starts aching.

[@kettenadlerz2354]

So many memories🥲

[@arturoperez6936]

Tat song always makes me cry

[@AndrewHillis_2024]

PARTS OF THIS EXCELLENT SCORE FROM CHRIS FRANKE REMINDS ME OF WAGNERS 'PARCIFAL' AND ELGAR'S 'NIMROD'.👍

[@ODST_Parker]

3:26 Makes me tear up every time

[@philipbranum4688]

I hope they bring back Christopher Franke for the reboot...

[@AlexJones-ue1ll]

They better!

[@TheScaryTruthCatalyst]

And those earthforce uniforms!

[@AlexJones-ue1ll]

@@TheScaryTruthCatalyst Fair. The uniforms are iconic as well. That jacket with cloth and leather is a great garment for any fan to have.

[@julieprothero7130]

I have mixed feelings about a reboot. I would love to watch an updated version with a bigger budget and modern CGI, and JMS wishes to reboot it with his improved experience and writing (I think his writing was perfect), but I am not sure it would be the same without the original actors and storyline.

[@RosyRecluse]

​@@julieprothero7130I don't want a reboot to retread the same story, I want it to be similar, but have some vitally different things, to grow into it's own story that when viewed with the original, each are enhanced by the other.

[@sarahmasters1586]

Even the audio is blurry

[@frielfan]

Step into the Abyss....and let go.

[@cheedevulan8547]

B5 was good for what it was.... Star Trek is better though 😁 or at least it was until all this modern bullshit came along. Oh, and DS9 was so much better than B5 😝

[@maxisaev568]

ST laid a foundation, the whole franchise is much bigger and impactful than B5, that's for sure. Still I find character of B5 more relatable, situations, risks deeper. It's like Gothic vs Elder scrolls.