Written by J. Michael Straczynski and Larry DiTillio
Directed by Jim Johnston

Acts of Sacrifice is an episode that nearly everyone who has watched Babylon 5 remembers, or at least one scene. It’s one of the most creative moments of the series for the writers, director, and actress Claudia Christian.

The episode opens with the Narn attempting to evacuate civilians and being attacked by the Centauri. A Narn cruiser makes the sacrifice to save the civilian population that is trying to get away. On Babylon 5, Narn Ambassador G’Kar (Andreas Katsulas) meets with the station staff. Centauri Ambassador Londo Mollari (Peter Jurasik) is noticeably absent. He has sent a statement accusing the Narn of using civilians as shields for the military, and that the transport that was attacked contained weapons, none of which is true.

While Captain Sheridan (Bruce Boxleitner) is dealing with the situation between the Narn and the Centauri, he assigns Commander Ivanova (Claudia Christian) to deal with a new species, the Lumati, he would like to form an alliance with. He tells her to do whatever it takes to get them to sign on. She meets them when they arrive. The Lumati representative speaks through an interpreter until he deems their species “worthy.”

G’Kar meets with Minbari Ambassador Delenn (Mira Furlan) and shows her the recordings of the battle. Delenn hesitates because G’Kar has made it clear in the past that he wants to see the Centauri destroyed. Delenn asks if in a few years when the Narn are strong, if it will be the Centauri asking for help against the Narn. She tells G’kar her experience at the beginning of the Earth-Minbari War. She offers to mediate, but G’Kar says it will end with either the Narn or the Centauri destroyed if no one comes to help.

Security is having difficulty dealing with the fighting between the Narn and the Centauri on Babylon 5, and Zack (Jeff Conaway) is forced to kill a Narn who refuses to put down a weapon. G’Kar protests, but Sheridan is ready to throw the Narn off the Station if they don’t stop. G’Kar tries to get them to listen to reason, but the answer is more violence.

Mr. Garibaldi (Jerry Doyle) runs into Londo at the casino. Londo attempts to rekindle their friendship, but Garibaldi isn’t really interested. Londo tries to get him to stay and have a drink, but Garibaldi says maybe later. Due to the increased violence, Garibaldi doesn’t make the meeting. Londo sits there all night waiting for his return.

Eventually, the Lumati agree to join the Alliance. However, there is one more thing that must happen before the deal is signed. In Lumati tradition, there must be a sexual coupling to seal the deal. Ivanova is on the spot.

Sheridan asks for help from EarthForce to deal with the Centauri/Narn situation, but they refuse to even consider humanitarian aid. Sheridan meets with Delenn and they brainstorm how they can help get some of the Narn civilians out of the way unofficially. 

This is an important episode for a number of characters. G’Kar must not only beg his fellow ambassadors for help but must also deal with his fellow Narn on Babylon 5. Their answer is violence.  Sheridan has made it clear that violence will end any hope of aid. Fighting his own people, when G’Kar wants to strike out as well, is the hardest thing for him. Even under all of that makeup, Andreas Katsulas conveys the anguish of a diplomat who is fighting for his people and must hold back his primal instincts.

Londo Mollari is also coming to terms with the fact that the actions of the Centauri are having an effect on his relationships on the station. Garibaldi is dealing with the violence, but really, he just doesn’t want to spend time with him. It’s hard to be friendly and lighthearted when someone has a hand in the slaughtering of another species. In the end, Garibaldi feels sorry enough for Londo not to ostracize him further when he extends a bit of an olive branch. It’s a good bit of character development for both.

The humor comes at the expense of Claudia Christian, who shows here why she really is the strongest woman in sci-fi up until this time. She’s given an assignment that goes wrong in many ways, but even as she’s trying to fix it, the way the Lumati Ambassador interprets things like the Down Below section of the station convinces her to just go with it and get them to agree to an alliance. Then she’s thrown the curve of how deals are sealed in their culture. (Would Sheridan have to have sex with the Ambassador if he was the negotiator?) She’s always been able to think on her feet, and she extracts herself from the immediate problem, then figures out a very entertaining way to seal the deal. Hopefully, she never has to see the Lumati Ambassador again.

There are great special effects with the opening sequence of the battle between the Narn and the Centauri. The remastering here is spectacular. There were issues on the previous DVD sets of blurring so bad the details were lost, including in space. Now, everything is clean and looks good, especially for special effects from the 1990s before most CGI effects were used.

Acts of Sacrifice is a great episode, with the serious sacrifices G’Kar must make, against the funny sacrifice that is demanded of Ivanova. It’s fun while at the same time tackling the seriousness of the fallout of the Centauri/Narn War. 

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