Elizabeth Lochley Character Profile

Elizabeth Lochley was the commander of Babylon 5 after the formation of the Interstellar Alliance. Tracy Scoggins played the role.

Captain Lochley brought a new style of command to the station.

Note: This is a complete biography of Elizabeth Lochley. Therefore, it contains spoilers for Season Five of Babylon 5. The biography is written in chronological order, so if you are watching Babylon 5 for the first time you can safely read the early parts of this article and stop before you reach the sections that would reveal events that you haven't seen on the show yet.

History

Elizabeth Lochley was born in 2217 as the daughter of an EarthForce marine officer. He took on the career that was expected of him rather than following his dream of being a painter. He turned to alcohol in his self-pity.

In 2235 Lochley ran away from home but still followed her alcoholic father's lead by abusing drugs and alcohol. When her friend and roommate, Zoe, died from an intentional drug overdose, she called her mother for help. Her father descended with a squad of off-duty marines to rescue her. Lochley was so traumatized by Zoe's death that she swore off drugs, turned her life around, and entered the EarthForce academy.

After graduating from the academy and Officer Training School, Lochley married John Sheridan. Their personalities clashed, with both wanting to be in charge all the time. They divorced amicably after three months.

During one of her assignments, the Psi Cop Alfred Bester captured a rogue telepath murderer on her station and saved additional lives. Although she did not like or trust him, she felt obliged to play by the rules with him in the future.

The Captain

Captain Elizabeth Lochley remained loyal to EarthForce during the Earth Civil War. She was strongly committed to the principles of loyalty, duty, and honor. Since she was never given an illegal or immoral order, her loyalty to the chain of command guided her actions.

After the war, John Sheridan resigned from EarthForce and became the President of the Interstellar Alliance. He chose Lochley to replace him as the commander of Babylon 5 for two reasons. First, as someone who remained loyal to Earth, she was a symbol of reconciliation between the two sides of the war. Second, he felt he could trust her. Although their marriage ended quickly, it left them with a strong bond of respect for each other.

Lochley brought a new style of command to Babylon 5. She was far more by-the-book that any of her predecessors. She quickly established the ground rules with Sheridan, giving her complete authority over the day-to-day operation of the station while leaving political matters to him.

Michael Garibaldi was immediately suspicious of Lochley, and they clashed repeatedly before she revealed her background to him. Later, they developed a grudging respect for each other. She even revealed her past addiction problems to him in an attempt to help him through his relapse into alcoholism. She also arranged for Lise Hampton Edgars to come to Babylon 5 to help Garibaldi with his problem.

Lochley was still the commander of Babylon 5 when the Drakh plague was unleashed on the Earth. She developed a recurring romantic relationship with Captain Matthew Giddeon of the Excalibur during his search for a cure.

The symbol on Elizabeth Lochley's flight helmet was the phoenix, indicating her rebirth after her troubled youth. She never forgot the difficult road she followed before her current success as evidenced by her computer password: "Zoe's dead".