"A Late Delivery from Avalon" is a 1996 episode from American television series Babylon 5. Much like Camelot 3000, it deals with the prophesized return of King Arthur taking place in a futuristic setting.
Plot[]
In the year 2260, a man claiming to be King Arthur returned from Avalon arrives at Earth Alliance space station Babylon 5, a place of gathering for the various species in the known universe. Since the real Jack the Ripper had been encountered on the station before, having been preserved in stasis by Vorlon aliens, this supposed "King Arthur" is given the benefit of the doubt. He befriends Narn ambassador G'Kar as they fight some criminals together, and G'Kar ends up knighted as a member of the soon-to-be New Round Table.
It is eventually discovered that the man is in fact Gunnery Sergeant David McIntyre, who was on the ship that caused the incident which started the devastasting Earth-Minbari War fifteen years earlier, and his drive to return "Excalibur" to the Lady of the Lake is his way to cope with the guilt. Minbari ambassador Delenn agrees to take on the role and takes his sword from him, after which McIntyre returns to his senses. He soon leaves the station for G'Kar's planet to help the resistance against its occupation.
Trivia[]
- The 1994 Babylon 5 episode "Grail" focused on a quest for the Holy Grail, albeit with no further connection to Arthurian legend.