Babylon 5: The Legend of the Rangers: To Live and Die in Starlight is a 2002 TV Movie.
In 2265, a ragtag crew of Anla'Shok assigned to a haunted old vessel must help escort Ambassador G'Kar and other ISA dignitaries to a conference on Babylon 5 to discuss the discovery of ancient ruins connected to a mysterious new antagonistic force that has been attacking Interstellar Alliance ships. When they are ambushed by "the Hand", their mission turns into one of survival.
Originally meant to be a pilot for a new spinoff, the show was never picked up.
This movie contains examples of:
- Abusive Precursors: The Hand are a malevolent race of First Ones bent on conquest, and even worse than the Shadows if their minions are to be believed.
- All There in the Manual: The Council seen in this movie is the previously unmentioned Anla'Shok High Council, in charge of the Rangers. Given the similar robes and similar meeting space, one could be forgiven for mistaking them for the Grey Council, which governs the Minbari Federation as a whole.
- The Big Guy: Tirk, a Liandra crewmember who is the first Drazi to join the Anla'Shok. He describes his role on the ship as "I carry large things".
- Bunny-Ears Lawyer: While holding him in respect, the other ISA dignitaries tend to see G'Kar as this due to his penchant for flamboyant humor in the face of crisis. The Drazi delegate tells Tirk that he should be careful, because he often thinks that too much exposure to humans has driven G'Kar mad.
- The Captain: After serving as executive officer on another ship, David is made captain of the Liandra. At the same time, Tannier is given command of a much newer, bigger and more advanced ship called the Valen. It's established by this movie that the captain of a Ranger ship is called the Shok-na.
- Continuity Nod: G'Kar again mentions that every sentient race has a dish identical to Swedish meatballs. And repeats his line that no one on Babylon 5 is exactly what they appear.
- Embarrassing First Name: Subverted. Tirk tells the Drazi delegate that his name was invented by his mother to mean "Don't touch me, I'm not having another child after this, ever!" While humans would consider that an embarrassing name, the Drazi dignitary says that Tirk's family must be very proud for him to have a name that puts so much meaning into such a short word.
- Ensemble Cast: They don't all get equal time to shine in this first outing, but the pilot movie establishes the nine-person senior crew of the Liandra (four humans, three Minbari, a Narn and a Drazi), who would presumably all have gone on into the series if it had been picked up.
- Fantastic Racism: What David feels is the reason Tirk and Na'Feel haven't been assigned to a ship before now. Dulann confirms that the Narn and Drazi are still seen as unrefined compared to the Anla'Shok's human and Minbari members.
- Fiery Redhead: Red-haired human crewmember Sarah Cantrell is the Liandra's gunnery officer, a Deadpan Snarker and The Lad-ette.
- Genki Guy: Human crewmember Kitaro Sasaki, the Liandra's communications and navigation specialist. His personal truth at the dedication ceremony is, "I'm just really glad to be here."
- Heroic Sacrifice: Tannier and his ship the Valen sacrifice themselves against the Hand to buy time for the Liandra to escape with the lifepods of the ISA delegates.
- Honor Before Reason: David is called before the Anla'Shok High Council for punishment because he gave the order to run from an unwinnable battle with Raiders after the death of his captain instead of getting his already-damaged ship destroyed and the rest of his crew all killed, in violation of the Minbari tradition to never retreat from battle. G'Kar talks the Council into giving him command of a ship instead, albeit an outdated one believed to be haunted.
- I See Dead People: After being badly wounded, Dulann is able to see the ghosts of the Liandra's former crew. Firell explains to a skeptical David that Dulann would be especially sensitive to such things as (a) a Minbari, (b) a minor telepath and (c) close to the veil between life and death himself.
- Interquel: This movie is set in March 2265, over a year and a half before the previous movie A Call to Arms (set in December 2266) and the subsequent events of Crusade.
- It Only Works Once: Masterfully subverted. The crew manage to destroy the second Hand ship by using the same secret bomb trick they used on the first one, counting on the Hand to assume that they wouldn't try the same move twice because they'd assume the Hand wouldn't fall for it again.
- Like an Old Married Couple: David and Dulann are old friends, and they playfully bicker and engage in Snark-to-Snark Combat constantly.
- Master of Disguise: Human crewmember Malcolm Bridges is the infiltration specialist on the Liandra and uses a personal holonet to take on others' appearance and voices. At one point, he impersonates G'Kar to calm down the other delegates while the real one is giving David Exposition elsewhere on the ship (the real G'Kar is not amused when he sees his lookalike). Later, he impersonates Minister Kafta in order to lure the Hand into a trap.
- The Medic: Minbari crewmember Firell is the ship's doctor on the Liandra.
- The Mole: One of the ISA delegates, Minister Kafta is working for the Hand. And the ghosts of the previous Liandra crew inform Dulann that they were also sold out by one of their own and whoever survived them is their betrayer, which would have been a plot thread for the aborted series.
- Number Two: Dulann to David on the Liandra. David to the captain on their previous ship, the Enfali. This movie establishes that the executive officer on a Ranger ship is called the Shok-nali.
- Oh, My Gods!: Malcolm says, "In Valen's name!" at one point. Also an Oh, Crap! moment.
- One-Steve Limit: Averted. David Martell has the same first name as John Sheridan and Delenn's son David. This confused some fans who thought he was meant to be the same person (especially since it was previously established in "Sleeping in Light" that Sheridan and Delenn's son grew up to be a Ranger), but that would be impossible - at the time the movie is set, David Sheridan is a toddler.
- Pilot Movie: Intended to be one, but airing on the night of the Super Bowl killed the possibility of a spinoff series and relegated The Legend of the Rangers to being remembered as just the sixth Babylon 5 movie, and a somewhat anomalous one.
- The Political Officer: Minbari crewmember Tafeek is called this, but doesn't appear to be a watchdog like the trope implies; he's just the Liandra's specialist on politics and public relations.
- Pragmatic Hero: While the crew is discussing what to do, Na'Feel says that the Hand probably won't let them go even if they give them what they want; after all, she wouldn't. When the others look at her disapprovingly, she protests that it would be tactically unwise.
- The Quiet One: The soft-spoken ship's doctor Firell. Her personal truth at the dedication ceremony is, "My heart speaks quietly and infrequently."
- Ragtag Bunch of Misfits: In addition to bringing over Dulann, Sarah and Malcolm from his previous ship, David deliberately puts together a crew that includes some overlooked members of the Anla'Shok, including their first Narn and Drazi recruits.
- Riddle for the Ages: Whatever it was that G'Kar said to Sindell and the rest of the Anla'Shok High Council to change their minds about David. G'Kar will only tell David that he told them "four true things" and says not to look a gift horse in the mouth, and to prove him right.
- Saved by Canon: G'Kar will obviously survive the events of the Pilot Movie, as he canonically won't die until a decade later.
- Scenery Porn: In 2002, the creators of Babylon 5 had access to much smoother and flashier VFX, and the will to show them off. The first part of the movie includes some beautiful shots of the ISA's capital city of Tuzanor on Minbar at night.
- Sealed Evil in a Can: Judging by what G'Kar tells David about the ruins, the Hand are a First One race that was sealed in Another Dimension by the rest of the First Ones until recently.
- Ship Tease: David and Sarah appear to have some chemistry going, especially in the balcony scene on Minbar where he tells her why he joined the Rangers.
- Sir Swears-a-Lot: Liandra engineer Na'Feel, the Rangers' first Narn recruit, perfectly maintains her composure when reporting on the engine's status to her captain, in between boughts of hitting it with an implement while cursing at it vividly.
- Spinoff Sendoff: As this was a Pilot Movie, G'Kar's supporting role is him essentially representing Babylon 5 and seeing them off (much in the same way Sheridan, Garibaldi, and Lochley did for Crusade in A Call to Arms).
- Tomboy and Girly Girl: Interestingly, the Liandra crew has two Tomboys, Sarah and Na'Feel, and only one Girly Girl, Firell.
- Took a Level in Jerkass: Tannier, who with his condescension towards David for running from battle seems a lot less humble and friendly than he was in "Learning Curve" (and JMS Speaks confirmed that despite the change in actor, it's meant to be the same Tannier). He does ease up (awkwardly) after the Council decide not to punish David, however, since he trusts their judgement. Dulann discerns that Tannier asking David and the Liandra to accompany his ship is his attempt at an apology, and he later entrusts him with the delegates' safety while performing a Heroic Sacrifice.
- Undying Loyalty: Dulann to David. It's even what he chooses to say as his personal truth at the Liandra's dedication ceremony.
- Unusual User Interface: In order to operate the Liandra's weapons, Sarah has to enter a room where a holographic display of their surroundings is then laid over everything, with her in the place of the ship, and direct the weapons fire with kicks and punches. The weirdness of this was a knock against the movie for many critics.
- Wrench Wench: Na'Feel is the Liandra's engineer.
- You Are in Command Now: David at the beginning of the movie after his Shok-na dies as their ship takes fire from the Raiders. Also in a sense after Tannier transfers responsibility for the protection of the ISA dignitaries to David and the Liandra and performs a Heroic Sacrifice, as the Valen had taken point up 'til that point.
