Episode no. Season 5
Episode 4 Production code 505 | Directed by Janet Greek Original air date 11 February 1998 | |
Written by J. Michael Straczynski
Harlan Ellison | ||
"A View from the Gallery" is an episode from the fifth season of the science-fiction television series Babylon 5. The episode is unusual in that it is told from the viewpoint of two maintenance workers (Mack and Bo) as they witness the station being attacked.
Contents
Synopsis
Unknown forces attack the station; a pair of maintenance men go about their duties.
This episode tells the story from the point of view of two members of the maintenance crew. We get to see how Captain Lochley deals with being in a pressure situation, and we get to visit many other members of the main cast.
Sheridan orders the maintenance men to put Delenn in a life pod, but since she does not want to go, she talks her way around the two men, Bo and Mack, while earning their adoration. Later on, Delenn's ability to see honor in the everyday life of people further earns their respect as she later greets them by name in passing.
Arc significance
"A View from the Gallery" is a standalone episode in the sense that it doesn't advance the prevailing storyline of the season, but instead provides an outsider's look into how the station operates and how two civilians deal with issues commonly faced by the station's military and diplomatic personnel. Events from the episode are also self-contained, in that the alien attackers are of a previously unknown alien race that is not mentioned again.