Babylon 5: in The Beginning
General Lefcourt first appeared in Babylon 5: In the Beginning where he and another Earth Alliance official quizzed ambassador Londo Mollari about the Minbari. Despite being warned by Mollari to send only a single ship to make contact with the Minbari lest they are perceived as a threat, Lefcourt brashly asserted that the Earth Alliance had taken care of the Dilgar and it could take care of the Minbari as well. Mollari commented that this attitude was both arrogant and stupid however he did give all information that the Centauri held about the Minbari.
Despite Mollari's warning General Lefcourt decided to send a small task force to the border of Minbari space. The expedition was led by the EAS Prometheus under the command of Captain Michael Jankowski. The task force unexpectedly encountered three Minbari warships, one of which contained the Grey Council. Jankowski initially refused to jump back into hyperspace, preferring to wait to the last moment so they could get as much information on the Minbari ships as possible. By the time Jankowski decided to jump the Earth ship's jump engines had been accidentally disabled by the Minbari. He then misinterpreted the meaning of the Minbari ships opening their gunports and panicked, ordering his ships to open fire. When the Minbari leader Dukhat was killed it led to the opening of hostilities between the Minbari and the Earth Alliance.
Following this General Lefcourt and General Fontaine appear to lead EarthForce's losing effort against the Minbari. The pair are shown briefing EarthForce personnel after the initial Minbari attacks and again later when they show replays of Commander John Sheridan's victory over the Minbari flagship the Drala Fi'. Following this he gives Sheridan and Dr Stephen Franklin a mission to meet with a Minbari representative on a neutral planet to discuss peace. He tells Sheridan in no uncertain terms that if the Minbari want Earth's surrender then he is to give them it, to ensure the survival of the human race.
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