Babylon 5: The Legend of the Rangers

{{Short description|American TV film}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}} {{Use American English|date=January 2025}} {{Infobox television | image = Babylon 5 – The Legend of the Rangers (2002 telefilm) poster.jpg | image_size = | image_alt = | caption = Sci Fi Channel promotional poster | genre = {{Plain list| *Space opera *Drama }} | based_on = {{based on|Characters|J. Michael Straczynski}} | writer = J. Michael Straczynski | director = Michael Vejar | starring = {{Plainlist| * Dylan Neal * Andreas Katsulas * Alex Zahara * Myriam Sirois * Dean Marshall * Warren Takeuchi }} | music = Christopher Franke | country = United States | language = English | executive_producer = {{Plainlist| *Douglas Netter *J. Michael Straczynski }} | producer = Ron McLeod | location = Vancouver | editor = Stein Myhrstad | cinematography = Henry Chan | runtime = 90 minutes | company = {{Plainlist| *Babylonian Productions *Legendary Films Inc. *Warner Bros. Television }} | network = Sci Fi Channel | released = {{start date|2002|1|19}} }}{{Babylon 5 TV seasons and films}}

'''''Babylon 5: The Legend of the Rangers''''' (subtitled: '''''To Live and Die in Starlight''''') is the fifth telefilm set in the ''Babylon 5'' universe (not including the pilot, ''The Gathering'').

Originally airing January 19, 2002, on the Sci Fi Channel (now Syfy), it was written by J. Michael Straczynski and directed by Mike Vejar. Though shot as a pilot for a possible new series, it aired opposite NFL playoffs and the subsequent poor ratings led to it not being picked up.

==Rangers in Babylon 5== Rangers, termed Anla-shok in the fictional Minbari language, are warriors in the Babylon 5 media franchise. The Ranger order was formed by Valen during the First Shadow War. When the three castes refused to work with him to defeat the Shadows, Valen went outside the caste system to organize a group of warriors.

After the First Shadow War, the Rangers became dormant. When Jeffrey Sinclair took leadership of the Rangers while he was ambassador on Minbar, he took Valen's title of ''Entil'Zha'' or "The One Who Creates the Future".

When the Shadows made their first openly aggressive acts, the force swung into action and became a central part of the opposing alliance. Sinclair, Delenn, and John Sheridan each factored in Ranger leadership throughout the events depicted in the television series. While several actors including Bryan Cranston depicted individual rangers, Marcus Cole was the only ranger featured as series main cast.

Rangers recruited from both Minbari and Humans during the events of the series. In addition to distinctive regalia, they used collapsible Minbari fighting pikes which could be pocketed, then extended to staff length for use. In space combat, rangers often crewed White Star class vessels.

==Plot synopsis==

{{More plot|date=January 2026}}  As the Shadow War ended, hundreds of civilizations were devastated. It is up to the Interstellar Alliance, with the help of the Rangers, to rebuild what the great war had destroyed and to hold peace among the worlds of the ISA.

In the year 2265, David Martel (Dylan Neal), a Ranger, is given the command of a twenty-year-old Ranger starship, ''Liandra'', and is asked to escort a ''Valen''-class cruiser to a secret location carrying several diplomats, including Ambassador G'Kar (Andreas Katsulas). Upon arrival, the two craft are attacked on behalf of an unknown, mysterious, and ancient force known only as The Hand whose lethal power is far greater than any previously known to Earth or any other world in the Interstellar Alliance.

==Cast== {{Cast listing| * Dylan Neal as David Martell * Andreas Katsulas as G'Kar * Alex Zahara as Dulann * Myriam Sirois as Sarah Cantrell * Dean Marshall as Malcolm Bridges * Warren Takeuchi as Kitaro "Kit" Sasaki * Jennie Rebecca Hogan as Na'Feel * Mackenzie Gray as Kafta * David Storch as Tafeek * Enid-Raye Adams as Firell * Gus Lynch as Tirk }}

==External links== * [https://web.archive.org/web/20020408231234/http://www.scifi.com/b5rangers/index.html ''Babylon 5: The Legend of the Rangers''] official site (Sci Fi Channel). Archived from [http://www.scifi.com/b5rangers/index.html the original] on April 8, 2002. * {{IMDb title|id=0280453|title=Legend of the Rangers}} * {{Lurker|117|''Babylon 5: The Legend of the Rangers''}}

Category:2002 television films Category:2002 films Category:2002 drama films Category:2002 science fiction films Category:2002 in American television Category:2002 American films Category:2002 English-language films Category:2000s science fiction drama films Category:American drama television films Category:American science fiction drama films Category:American science fiction television films Category:American space opera films Legend of the Rangers, The Category:English-language science fiction drama films Category:Films directed by Michael Vejar Category:Films scored by Christopher Franke Category:Films set in the 23rd century Category:Films shot in Vancouver Category:Films with screenplays by J. Michael Straczynski Category:Syfy original films Category:Television films as pilots