They Fired First.

[@jeffreycollins8634]

As with everything else, it's the thought that counts.

[@coffee_drinker2912]

“You’re damn straight!” Lol

[@PassportBrosBusinessClass]

GROPOS was the episode when Babylon 5 was upgraded with better technology to fight warships. The Centauri were absolutely INSANE to attack B5. That would be like some country parking a battleship near the UN and shooting at it. That's just stupid. If you somehow ended up destroying B5, you'd be at war with the Minbari, the Vorlons, Earth, and everyone else. Even THE SHADOWS would never pick a fight like that. The Centauri didn't even bother launching their fighters. And that's THE SECOND TIME they tried this stupid shit...the first being when they brought their cruiser to enforce an embargo (ACT OF WAR on B5) in the episode "And Now For a Word". The NARN cruiser obliterated them.

[@axel4196]

LOL damn, what were they thinking??

[@notabannedaccount8362]

Brivari, probably. "The pursuit of joy - is another duty!" @@axel4196

[@Kalenz1234]

The Vorlons wouldn't intervene but they'd definitely provoke the rest of the galaxy. Attacking Babylon 5 was completely insane.

[@dakkenblah1450]

@@Kalenz1234 I mean if Kosh was on board, they would be very unhappy with the Centauri

[@Kalenz1234]

They still wouldn't intervene. Not directly anyway. Not their style. But they'd definitely punish the Centauri somehow. @@dakkenblah1450

[@AmySox]

When good men are condemned for doing the right thing, you know that something is rotten in the state of Denmark. And it sure as hell ain't Danish blue cheese.

[@kingleech16]

Mmmmm….. cheese…

[@Slopmaster]

Mmmmm… blue…

[@55Quirll]

OK, I apologize when Molary apologizes to every one on this station and the men who died protecting it. And only then.

[@rudiruttger]

number one rule: it's a bad idea to mess with space stations

[@locarno24]

In fairness, between seasons 1 and 2 B5 got a HUGE upgrade in firepower - I think it was the episode GROPOS? The B5 in the 'raider attack' episode wouldn't have fared anywhere near so well. It was still dumb on the centauri captain's part, though; a moments thought about the situation pretty would have told them that B5 almost certainly wouldn't fire unless they fired on the station or starfuries.

[@Th0ughtf0rce]

​@locarno24 yeah. If they concentrated their firepower on the Narn cruiser, they'd probably have destroyed it. A diplomatic battle would still ensue, but Earth would have less of a moral high ground.

[@Allan_aka_RocKITEman]

Play Centauri games, win Centauri prizes.

[@danielramirez1529]

Dumb Centauri, they had it coming.

[@seanwolslau-holdren6731]

They did indeed

[@Duomaxwell02M]

Was that the G'Tok in this episode? The one that participated in the Battle of Sector 83 and finished off a Shadow battlecruiser?

[@observer2484]

Bingo

[@Optimusprime240]

Boy did it return the favor in SPADES!

[@christianresel8051]

4:05 Oh you call the centauri patient? Look in front of you you stupid political embassador. THAT right there is patience, if not for the level of it that Sheridan has then he would have ended both of them on the spot. Yea sure, their right about "you moved B5 from neutrality to supporting narn" but as B5 is 50% Minbari operated its in his right to do so.

[@geoffwilliams4478]

Actually, 25%

[@LordTalax]

Don't call someone dumb while showing you cannot spell.

[@AndrewJamesWilliams]

If the Centauri had destroyed Babylon 5 they would have started at least a dozen wars. Earth under Clark might have let it go but you can bet the Minbari wouldn't as even though she was no longer Satai - a member of the Grey Council - she was still immensely loved and respected among the Minbari. Her dying at Centauri hands would have certainly pushed there genocidal rage button.

[@JustinKase1969]

Should have included the scene where he was practicing his 'apology' ;)

[@susandaniels9733]

That narn cruiser was engaged against the shadows,the damage they have was from a shadow beam,battle of gorash.the shadows werent very efficient that time.theyll pay for that later on.

[@CaptainM792]

4:14 apologize for destroying one of their warships, instead of disabling it.

[@Impulse154]

Looks like plot armor saved Sheridan from being fired again!

[@Bobaklives]

I bet he would’ve survived the Battle of Winterfell! ...with almost literally everyone else.

[@dogkungfu8510]

It's almost like it is a TV show..! From the 90's!

[@Deepingmind]

Less that it was plot armor and more that Earth Gov didn't want to have the issue go overly ragged in public view. As pointed out by the lackey, JJS was a war hero, he was in the right to defend the station and was in the right for honoring the distress call. However that being said, the Centauri were one of the super powers and fully capable of going to war with Earth. Since both sides were in a bit of a bind, JJS himself saying that Earth Force at this point wasn't in a good standing to risk war with the Centauri, both governments decided to just do what they could to push it all under the rug. On the galactic stage of younger races the top powers were the Minbari (by an insane margin) the Centauri followed very very closely by Earth followed by the Narns and lastly the League states (combined that is, separately they were a nonthreat). If you're the number three power, that recently got your ass beat by the number one power, going to war with the number two power is a bad idea. But, you also can't look weak just incase any of the other powers decide to knock you off your number three spot. At the same time, the Centauri as the number two power doesn't need a war starting over a station that is under the view and support of the number one power that makes all the other powers combined look petty.

[@slash2bot]

​@@Deepingmindyou are forgetting the Vorlons. B5, it's neutrality and the Captain's actions were fully supported by the Vorlons. Firing first on B5 was insanely stupid for the Centauri.

[@Deepingmind]

@@slash2bot I didn't forget the Vorlons, its just that they don't factor to the issue or episode. The Vorlons don't enforce the stations standing anymore than the Dilgar or Gaim. However yes, it was INSANELY stupid for the Centauri to fire on the station. Even with Clark's plans popular opinion on Earth could quickly have led to war and Clark to maintain power would have to go along with it or risk being viewed as weak by his backers and deposed just as he did his own former.

[@MLPDethDealr32]

Youd think Robb Stark would have learned his battles not to underestimate the enemy. The actor in this im pretty sure is the same actor that played Robb Stark in Game of Thrones.

[@jawstrock2215]

erhmm.. B5 is 30 years old... how old was he in GOT? he would have been at best a kid back then...

[@kirishima638]

lol what

[@RandomAmerican3000]

Richard Madden was born in 1986. This episode aired 1995.

[@kirishima638]

@@RandomAmerican3000 Good acting for a nine year old!

[@SantomPh]

You can't count.

[@matthewpowell2429]

I completely supported Captain Sheridan. Call it thoughtless thinking, but I would've fired a warning shot at the Centauri. Also, in scene 3:20, when the representative was accusing the captain of moving Babylon 5 into a Pro-Narn position, I was hoping he would say and I quote, "That's exactly what we were hoping Earth would do, but you chose to side us with the devil!" FYI, when he declared Babylon 5 as an independent state, I was hoping he would issue an order to deport all Centauri from the station and declare war on them to free the Narn.

[@locarno24]

The warning shot would have been 'fired first', which would've made things much worse. Once the centauri opened up all-guns on the station, he was well within his rights to do whatever it took to get them to stop shooting. They are right that doing what he did behind the backs of the Government and Earthforce was wrong, though. Doing it was entirely correct, so he shouldn't have to hide the fact - and his argument that 'it wouldn't have changed anything' doesn't help; if it wouldn't have altered the outcome, why not do it properly?

[@Ruosteinenknight]

It probably wouldn't have made a difference, as Centauri had become more expansionist due to their "successes" thanks to the shadows doing the heavy lifting (though I hesistate to call a fight between a younger race and something that has billions of years head start in technology as "heavy lifting"), they were feeling that they had the upper hand. It's also shown that losing one cruiser didn't seem to even make them even flinch, as Londo later is seen berating Refa in "Ceremonies of light and dark" that at best of times, two front war is a game of idiots, but that "only the heir to the throne of the kingdom of idiots would fight a war on twelve fronts." Granted, Refa believed that if things went to south, Shadows would bail them out, which given that Shadows are big onto social darwinism can only last so long.

[@SantomPh]

The Centauri were not enemies of B5, it was when the Interstellar Alliance formed that the Centauri became enemies.

[@MusicHandsAbrupt]

This acting is embarrassing.

[@regalecusglesne3022]

@@mandellorian790 i'd like to know what your mom thinks about you, IF you know who she is, that is.

[@xadam2dudex]

Pretty bad it takes everything they got to destroy one ship