<span class="SFPTagline"> From SCIFIPEDIA </span>

John Sheridan is a character from the Babylon 5 TV series. Sheridan was the son of an Earth Alliance diplomat, a distinguished veteran of the Earth-Minbari War, and a 23rd-century descendent of Union General Phillip Henry Sheridan of the American Civil War. Sheridan was played by actor Bruce Boxleitner.

Spoiler Warning: Plot details and/or information about the ending follow. If you wish to enjoy the work first, stop reading here and return at another time.

While serving as executive officer on the EAS (Earth Alliance Starship) Lexington during the Minbari War, Sheridan brought Earth its only victory of the war. The Lexington was heavily damaged by a recent attack by the Minbari flagship known as the Black Star. The Lexington's captain was killed in action, and Sheridan took command. He mined an asteroid field with nuclear warheads and sent a distress signal, which the Minbari vessel would intercept. The signal lured the Black Star closer into the asteroid field, where Sheridan detonated a warhead, destroying the enemy ship. This single act earned Sheridan the nickname "Starkiller" among the Minbari.

After the Minbari War, Sheridan was promoted to the rank of captain and given command of one of the new Omega-Class destroyers, the EAS Agamemnon. It was during one of his tours of duty aboard the Agamemnon that Sheridan became a widower. His wife, Anna Sheridan, was an archeologist working for IPX (Interplanetary Expeditions) and was assigned to the starship Icarus on a mission to an unknown planet. Anna Sheridan never returned from that mission. She was listed as missing and presumed deceased.

After the death of Earth Alliance President Luis Santiago, Vice President William Morgan Clark took over the office of President. Clark quickly decided the high-profile Babylon station required a change of command. Commander Jeffrey Sinclair was reassigned as an ambassador to the Minbari and replaced by Captain Sheridan as the station commander in 2259.

President Clark began to institute new programs, such as an expanded presence of the Psi Corps, the declaration of martial law, and the formation of the Nightwatch. During his command of Babylon 5, Sheridan began to call into question the constitutionality of these new programs and policies. He also began to uncover evidence that President Santiago's death was not an accident and was, in fact, an assassination staged by Clark to allow his ascension to the office of President. In 2260, Sheridan declared independence and broke Babylon 5 away from the Earth Alliance.

In addition to leading a military campaign against President Clark, Sheridan also led the League of Non-Aligned Worlds and several allies against the Shadows and later the Vorlons. Sheridan gained near-messianic status after his visit to the Shadows’ home world Z’ha’dum. Sheridan had been warned that if he went to Z’ha’dum, he would die. Sheridan ignored the warnings and used the trip as an opportunity to strike the Shadows directly. Because of an alien known as Lorien, Sheridan survived his encounter at Z’ha’dum and returned as an almost religious figure among the Non-Aligned Worlds.

After winning the Shadow War, Sheridan turned his attention to taking back Earth from the forces of President Clark. Unlike his strategy for the Shadow War, Sheridan insisted on primarily using Earth Force personnel and starships for this campaign. The forces from the League of Non-Aligned Worlds would be used only as support during the long conflict against Clark loyalists. It was Sheridan’s hope that this would help disprove Clark’s propaganda that Sheridan was acting against Earth because of undue influence from aliens. Though the cost was high in terms of both personnel and equipment, Sheridan’s forces were ultimately successful in liberating Earth.

After the war, Sheridan became president of the new Interstellar Alliance. He married Minbari ambassador Delenn, and together they had a son named David. Sheridan died in 2281.