Babylon 5: The Gathering
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Babylon 5: The Gathering was the pilot movie of the science fiction television series Babylon 5. The episode aired on February 22, 1993. The events in The Gathering took place approximately one year before the events of the first season.
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The pilot had a different feel than the rest of the series. This was most evident in the prosthetics, sets, music, and cast members. Instead of Claudia Christian as Susan Ivanova, the first officer was Laurel Takashima (played by Tamlyn Tomita). The medical officer was Dr. Benjamin Kyle (played by Johnny Sekka), rather than Richard Biggs as Stephen Franklin. Patricia Tallman played Lyta Alexander - she was replaced in the first season by Andrea Thompson as Talia Winters - but Tallman would return later in the series. The alien characters - such as Delenn and G'Kar - appeared slightly different due to the fact that the prosthetics were different for the pilot episode.
Plot
About one year before the events of the first season and one year after the Babylon 5 station became operational the new Vorlon Ambassador Kosh arrives on the station, and is promptly poisoned by an unseen assailant. The newly arrived telepath, Lyta Alexander, eventually agrees to scan Kosh, and sees an image of Commander Sinclair apparently administering the poison to Kosh.
In the council chamber, G'Kar proposes sending Sinclair to the Vorlon homeworld to stand trial. Delenn votes to abstain, G'Kar votes yes and submits a proxy vote for the Vorlons, who want Sinclair sent to them.
Doctor Kyle is eventually able to save the life of Kosh, and becomes one of the first humans to actually see a Vorlon. The crew eventually discovers that a renegade Minbari using a changeling net had disguised himself as Sinclair. Sinclair then finds and exposes the Minbari, and the Vorlons call off their attack on the station and recall their strike fleet. It turns out at the end, that G'Kar was part of the conspiracy, which had been engineered by the Minbari warrior cast in order to discredit Sinclair in retaliation for his role in the Earth-Minbari War years before.
Cast Changes Between the Pilot and Season 1
Takashima, Dr. Kyle and Lyta were all "transferred" off the station between the Pilot and the first season premiere, it being suggested that this had something to do with all three having seen Kosh outside his encounter suit. Takashima and Kyle were written out of the series completely, while Lyta did guest appearances until becoming a regular character in Seasons 4 and 5.