Babylon 5 (TV Series)

The Coming of Shadows (1995)

Bruce Boxleitner: Capt. John Sheridan

Quotes 

• Centauri Emperor Turhan : Why are you here, in this place, in that uniform? Was it your choice or were you pressed into service?

  Capt. John Sheridan : It was my choice. The planetary draft didn't start until the war, a few years later. I guess I wanted to serve something that was bigger than I was. Make a difference, somewhere, somehow.

  Centauri Emperor Turhan : It has occurred to me recently that I have never chosen anything. I was born into a role that was prepared for me. I did everything I was asked to do because it never occurred to me to choose otherwise. And now, at the end of my life, I wonder what might have been.

  Capt. John Sheridan : That's why my father taught me to live each second as though it were the last moment of my life. He said, "If you love, love without reservations. If you fight, fight without fear." He called it "the way of the warrior."

  Centauri Emperor Turhan : No regrets then?

  Capt. John Sheridan : A few. But just a few. You?

  Centauri Emperor Turhan : Oh, enough to fill a lifetime. So much has been lost, so much forgotten. So much pain, so much blood. And for what? I wonder. The past tempts us, the present confuses us, and the future frightens us. And our lives slip away, moment by moment, lost in that vast, terrible in-between. But there is still time to seize that one last, fragile moment. To choose something better, to make a difference, as you say. And I intend to do just that.

• [talking about the upcoming visit of the Centauri emperor] 

  G'Kar : So you're going to allow this, even over my objections.

  Capt. John Sheridan : What, did I suddenly turn invisible or something? Yes, ambassador, the emperor is allowed to come aboard. Now, if this bothers you, I suggest you stay in your quarters stick your fingers in your ears and hum real loud until it's over. Unless you'd like to try something as breathtakingly rational as trying to open up a dialogue.