Today, it’s easy to forget that 1990s television was in the midst of an amazing science fiction renaissance. By 1996, two popular Star Trek series were airing — Voyager and Deep Space Nine — not to mention the final season of seaQuest, the golden era of The X-Files, Space: Above and Beyond, and the spaceflight series The Cape. But arguably, the sci-fi TV series that stood as a rival in 1996, at least in terms of a growing fandom, was Like , the story of B5 unfolded on a space station and also explored large-scale space wars and extensive interconnected serialized storylines. While the claim that DS9 copied B5 is mostly a thing of the past today, back then, there was tension between the two fan communities.
So, Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski joined forces with a Star Trek insider, Majel Barrett — the widow of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry. Often called Barrett guest-starred in a key episode of Babylon 5, which served as a sort of peacekeeping effort between the two fandoms. During the week of February 26, 1996, in the episode “Point of No Return,” Barrett played the character Lady Morella, and in doing so, made science fiction history.
Halfway through Babylon 5’s third season, the show was taking bold risks, and the episode “Point of No Return” lives up to its literal name. The human characters are caught in a civil divide within EarthForce, while other alien species are trying to understand what happens if humanity turns against itself.
Against this backdrop, the tragic character Londo Mollari (Peter Jurasik) is granted an audience with Centauri leader Lady Morella (Barrett), the widow of the recently deceased Emperor. In real life, Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry passed away in 1991, and some of Barrett’s dialogue in this episode can be interpreted as a tribute to him. “He came to try to stop the madness that was approaching,” Lady Morella tells Londo. And upon her arrival, she says, “We have heard a great deal about the good work you’re doing here” — a nod to the idea that even though Babylon 5 wasn’t a Star Trek show, there was plenty in the series for all fans to love.
Naturally, there were many Star Trek connections to B5 too. Walter Koenig was a frequent guest star, Harlan Ellison served as a creative consultant, D.C Fontana wrote for B5 in Season 1, Adam Nimoy directed several major episodes, Andreas Katsulas was both a Trek guest star and a B5 regular, and Straczynski was a huge Star Trek fan — he even penned an issue of DC’s Star Trek comic book series in 1991 titled “Worldsinger.”
Thus, there was significant common ground between the B5 and Trek fandoms, and Straczynski wrote this role and episode specifically for Barrett. “She felt that the feud between a subset of Trek fans and B5 fans was pointless,” Straczynski “It was a really kind gesture, and it got us a fair amount of publicity, plus made some Trek fans give us a second chance.”
As Trek fans know, Barrett had a role , so her decision to guest-star in an entirely different franchise is not only surprising but also speaks to her generosity and broader love for science fiction.
“I can truthfully say that being a Roddenberry in life weighed heavily on her,” B5 actor Peter Jurasik reflected in 1997. “When she enters a group of science fiction fans…everyone makes way for her, and people just sort of step back.”
Thirty years later, this fascinating moment in science fiction culture remains just as heartfelt and engaging as it was in 1996. And if you’re a Trek fan who’s never gotten around to watching Babylon 5, this episode could be the perfect way to experience the “little space station that could” for the first time.