History WhamEpisode / BabylonFive

* finale, "[[Recap/BabylonFiveS02E22TheFallOfNight The Fall of Night]]": Earth's slide into fascism and a GovernmentConspiracy comes into the fore, Kosh's encounter suit opens and we see what's inside, and the Shadows become public.

* "[[Recap/BabylonFiveS01E13SignsAndPortents Signs and Portents]]": Plays like a standalone for the most part, then in the last few minutes we get our first glimpse of the Shadows, and Sinclair sees a vision of the station being destroyed. It's Wham status takes a while to sink in, as repercussions from that episode start being felt later in the series. JMS stated that the title of the episode was meant to be a hint that it was more important than it looked at first glance.

* Season 4 is actually so full of major universe-affecting events that it could be argued it's one huge Wham Episode.

* "[[Recap/BabylonFiveS02E09TheComingOfShadows The Coming of Shadows]]": Mollari's dealings with Morden reach a zenith, and the Centauri officially go to war with the Narn.

* "[[Recap/BabylonFiveS01E13SignsAndPortents Signs and Portents]]": Plays like a standalone for the most part, then in the last few minutes we get our first glimpse of the Shadows, and Sinclair sees a vision of the station being destroyed. It's Wham status takes a while to sink in, as repercussions from that episode start being felt later in the series.

* "[[Recap/BabylonFiveS01E13SignsAndPortents Signs and Portents]]": Plays like a standalone for the most part, then in the last few minutes we get our first glimpse of the Shadows, and Sinclair sees a vision of the station being destroyed.

''Series/BabylonFive'' has many examples (and this isn't even a complete list), thanks to Creator/JMichaelStraczynski being the TropeNamer.

* "[[Recap/BabylonFiveS02E20TheLongTwilightStruggle The Long, Twilight Struggle]]": The Narn-Centauri War comes to a horrifying conclusion, with a Centauri fleet bombarding the Narn homeworld with weaponized asteroids, the Narns surrender and G'Kar is stripped of his position as ambassador and is given sanctuary

* "[[Recap/BabylonFiveS01E08AndTheSkyFullOfStars And the Sky Full of Stars]]": The first true WhamEpisode, that opens up the "hole in [Sinclair's] mind." It actually answers questions, replacing them with new questions.

* The finale, "[[Recap/BabylonFiveS01E22Chrysalis Chrysalis]]": Garibaldi discovers an assassination plot against the President, but is shot in the back--by his own right-hand man, survival uncertain. Delenn enters a cocoon, her future equally unclear. And at the end...the assassination succeeds. The President is dead. As Sinclair puts it, "[[NothingIsTheSameAnymore nothing's the same anymore]]."

* "[[Recap/BabylonFiveS03E09PointOfNoReturn Point of No Return]]/[[Recap/BabylonFiveS03E10SeveredDreams Severed Dreams]]": Babylon 5 secedes from the Earth Alliance, making a stand against the [[PresidentEvil Clark]] regime.

* "[[Recap/BabylonFiveS04E06IntoTheFire Into the Fire]]": The Shadow War ends. Yes, it wasn't even a season finale -- one of the major {{mytharc}}s ends on a random episode. Wham.

* "[[Recap/BabylonFiveS03E16WarWithoutEndPart1 War Without End]]" ([[Recap/BabylonFiveS03E17WarWithoutEndPart2 Two parter]]): Sinclair is back! It is revealed that Babylon 4 was stolen by the crew of Babylon 5 itself (!) for the purpose of bringing it back in time to assist in the first Shadow War one thousand years ago. Upon learning this, the crew does just that, after which they learn that [[TheChosenOne The One]] spoken of by Zathras in ''Babylon Squared'' is actually three people (Sinclair, Delenn, and Sheridan, in that order). Sinclair then goes back in time with Babylon 4, uses the transformation ritual used by Delen at the end of season 1, and turns into a Minbari (the prophet Valen, to be exact).

* "[[Recap/BabylonFiveS03E16WarWithoutEndPart1 War Without End]]" ([[Recap/BabylonFiveS03E17WarWithoutEndPart2 Two parter]]): Sinclair is back! It is revealed that Babylon 4 was stolen by the crew of Babylon 5 itself (!) for the purpose of bringing it back in time to assist in the first Shadow War one thousand years ago. Upon learning this, the crew does just that, after which they learn that [[TheChosenOne The One]] spoken of by Zathras in ''Bablyon Squared'' is actually three people (Sinclair, Delenn, and Sheridan, in that order). Sinclair then goes back in time with Babylon 4, uses the transformation ritual used by Delen at the end of season 1, and turns into a Minbari (the prophet Valen, to be exact).

* "Recap/BabylonFiveS03E15InterludesAndExaminations Interludes and Examinations]]": Sheridan convinces Kosh to bring the Vorlon fleet to bear against the Shadows, which convinces the League of Non-Aligned Worlds that the Shadows can be stopped. However, in retribution (for breaking their rules of engagement), the Shadows kill Kosh.

* "And the Sky Full of Stars": The first true WhamEpisode, that opens up the "hole in [Sinclair's] mind." It actually answers questions, replacing them with new questions.
* "Signs and Portents": Plays like a standalone for the most part, then in the last few minutes we get our first glimpse of the Shadows, and Sinclair sees a vision of the station being destroyed.
* "Babylon Squared": The reason for Babylon 4's disappearance is revealed (it got UnstuckInTime). Visions of a not-too-distant future are seen, and it's not pretty. We learn of Sinclair's eventual destiny as TheChosenOne.
* The finale, "Chrysalis": Garibaldi discovers an assassination plot against the President, but is shot in the back--by his own right-hand man, survival uncertain. Delenn enters a cocoon, her future equally unclear. And at the end...the assassination succeeds. The President is dead. As Sinclair puts it, "nothing's the same anymore."

* "In the Shadow of Z'ha'dum": Sheridan (and the viewer) learns who the Shadows are, and the role of Morden...and what happened to his wife Anna.
* "The Coming of the Shadows": Mollari's dealings with Morden reach a zenith, and the Centauri officially go to war with the Narn.
* finale, "The Fall of Night": Earth's slide into fascism and GovernmentConspiracy comes into the fore, Kosh's encounter suit opens and we see what's inside, and the Shadows become public.

* "Point of No Return/Severed Dreams": Babylon 5 secedes from the Earth Alliance, making a stand against the [[PresidentEvil Clark]] regime.
* "Interludes and Examinations": Sheridan convinces Kosh to bring the Vorlon fleet to bear against the Shadows, which convinces the League of Non-Aligned Worlds that the Shadows can be stopped. However, in retribution (for breaking their rules of engagement), the Shadows kill Kosh.
* "War Without End" (Two parter): Sinclair is back! It is revealed that Babylon 4 was stolen by the crew of Babylon 5 itself (!) for the purpose of bringing it back in time to assist in the first Shadow War one thousand years ago. Upon learning this, the crew does just that, after which they learn that [[TheChosenOne The One]] spoken of by Zathras in ''Bablyon Squared'' is actually three people (Sinclair, Delenn, and Sheridan, in that order). Sinclair then goes back in time with Babylon 4, uses the transformation ritual used by Delen at the end of season 1, and turns into a Minbari (the prophet Valen, to be exact).
* Season 3 finale, "Z'ha'dum": Sheridan's wife is NotQuiteDead after all, but has undergone a FaceHeelTurn; we learn the Shadows' agenda, and they suffer a crippling blow. However, as Kosh had predicted, Sheridan is apparently dead, and Garibaldi is missing.

* "Into the Fire": The Shadow War ends. Yes, it wasn't even a season finale -- one of the major {{mytharc}}s ends on a random episode. Wham.
* "Endgame"/"Rising Star": The end of the Earth Civil War. Sheridan is president of the newly-formed Interstellar Alliance, and Sheridan and Delenn marry.
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* finale, "The Fall of Night": Earth's slide into fascism and GovernmentConspiracy comes into the fore, Kosh's encounter suit opens and we see what's beneath, and the Shadows become public.

''Series/{{Babylon 5}}'' has many examples (and this isn't even a complete list), thanks to Creator/JMichaelStraczynski being the TropeNamer.