"Midnight on the Firing Line" is the first episode of the first season of the science fiction television series, Babylon 5, following the pilot movie, "The Gathering".
It was notable for being the first regular television episode which used computer-generated imagery rather than physical models for its special visual effects.
G'Kar claims to have only learned of the attack, but states that it is part of the Narn effort working to reclaim their colonies taken during the Narn-Centauri conflict.
Security chief Michael Garibaldi learns of attacks being made on transport ships by raiders, and during one investigation, finds they are using more powerful weapons than previously.
Sinclair leads a fighter squadron from Babylon 5 to protect the last transport, destroying several raider ships and chasing off the rest.
Back at Babylon 5, Sinclair shows the gathered staff and G'Kar that the command and control ship was selling Narn weapons, something he had recalled from his earlier conversation with G'Kar, and had data crystals confirming that the Narn attack on Ragesh 3 was unprovoked, and that Carn was coerced into speaking under gunpoint.
To comply with the law, the Psi Corps had to inject her with chemicals that caused her to lose her sanity and eventually commit suicide.
[7]The series story arc develops in this episode through the introduction of the Narn-Centauri conflict, with the Centauri having oppressed and enslaved the Narn people for many years.
[9] The episode introduces the main character Lieutenant Commander Susan Ivanova, and reveals her vulnerability resulting from her family's past encounters with the Psi Corps, the controlling organization for telepaths in the Earth Alliance.
[8] Also introduced are Talia Winters, a commercial telepath with the Psi Corps, and Centauri ambassador Londo Mollari's diplomatic aide, Vir.
[11]: 37 The appearance of Minbari ambassador Delenn – which had originally been envisaged as being male – was softened and made more feminine, which relieved the actress, Mira Furlan.
"[11]: 37 During the filming of the scene at the end where Delenn, and Garibaldi – played by Jerry Doyle – watch the cartoon, Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century, Furlan picked up a kernel of popcorn, carefully examining it.
In the first take, she mistakenly said, "I'm Talia Winters, licensed commercial psychopath," much to the amusement of Claudia Christian – playing Ivanova – and the rest of the crew, who broke into laughter.
[11]: 38 According to Straczynski, the photo of the Earth Alliance president Luis Santiago shows executive producer Douglas Netter, and wardrobe designer Ann Bruice is shown as the candidate running against him in the election.
The positioning of the four engine pods at the extremities of the craft was inspired by Ron Cobb's design for the Gunstar fighter from The Last Starfighter.
"[17] Music for the title sequence and the episode was provided by the series' composer, Christopher Franke, a band member of Tangerine Dream.
Guffey and Koontz observe that this opening episode starts to develop arguably the series' most significant ongoing relationships, with Londo and G'Kar mirroring the larger picture of Centauri and Narn politics, which will be for all five seasons at the core of Babylon 5.
"Everyone has an agenda, both personal and political, and intrigue and backroom deals are the order of the day," they continue, "This is the world of Babylon 5, the scene set in some 42 minutes.
Club, is impressed that the series is bold enough to bring together two main characters, Londo and G'Kar, who are deadly enemies.
Even though 'Midnight On The Firing Line' isn't the greatest episode—it's fine, with some good and a few bad moments—that promise, that conflict, suggests that Babylon 5 is far more ambitious than it seems.
"[8] Elias Rosner writes, in the Multiversity Comics website, "[T]his show proved that sci-fi TV could be something grander than an episodic adventure.
"[20] Rosner notes that this episode, "hits the ground running", introducing several major characters and plot exposition in the first seven minutes.
"[20] Jules-Pierre Malartre, writing in the science fiction review site, Den of Geek, is particularly impressed by Peter Jurasik's performance as Londo.
He writes that their clash becomes central to the series' narrative, providing "a magnetic blend of humour, drama, and eventual brotherhood."