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Subject: Babylon 5 FAQ (C): Setting for season 1
Date: 13 Dec 1997
From: Babylon 5 FAQ
Archive-name: tv/babylon-5/setting/season1
Frequency: bi-weekly
Last-modified: 20 March 1997
+-----------------------------------+
| BABYLON 5 FAQ, part (C): |
| Setting for season #1 |
| |
| A guide for viewers who wish to |
| catch up to the events leading |
| up to season 1, "Signs and Por- |
| tents." This is the year 2258 |
| in the opening credits. |
| |
| This holds minor spoilers for |
| the pilot only, and descriptions |
| of characters and settings for |
| season 1. |
+-----------------------------------+
There are SIX parts to the FAQ: (A) Information about B5; (B) News and Sched-
ule; (C), (D), (E), (F) are the settings for seasons 1, 2, 3, 4 respectively.
The latest version of all parts of the FAQ can be retrieved via anonymous ftp
at ftp://ftp.midwinter.com/pub/Babylon-5/ or via e-mail by sending a note to
mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu with any or all of these lines in the message body:
send usenet/news.answers/tv/babylon-5/faq
send usenet/news.answers/tv/babylon-5/news-schedule
send usenet/news.answers/tv/babylon-5/setting/season1
send usenet/news.answers/tv/babylon-5/setting/season2
send usenet/news.answers/tv/babylon-5/setting/season3
send usenet/news.answers/tv/babylon-5/setting/season4
WORLD WIDE WEB users should see http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/lurker.html
for the much more detailed "Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5"; the information
in this document is similar to the "Universe" section.
-------------------------
Contents of this document
-------------------------
1. Introduction
2. The Setting of Babylon 5
3. The Major Players
4. The Characters
5. The Story So Far
6. Past and Current reference
7. Credits and Legalese
------------------------------
Subject: 1. Introduction
It was the dawn of the third age of mankind, ten years after the Earth/
Minbari war. The Babylon Project was a dream given form. Its goal: to
prevent another war by creating a place where humans and aliens could work
out their differences peacefully. It's a port of call - home away from
home for diplomats, hustlers, entrepreneurs, and wanderers. Humans and
aliens wrapped in two million, five hundred thousand tons of spinning
metal, all alone in the night. It can be a dangerous place, but it's our
last best hope for peace. This is the story of the last of the Babylon
stations. The year is 2258. The name of the place is Babylon 5.
-- Commander Sinclair
#### Narration from the Pilot movie, "The Gathering":
I was there at the dawn of the third age of mankind. It began in the
Earth year 2257 with the founding of the last of the Babylon stations,
located deep in neutral space. It was a port of call for refugees,
smugglers, businessmen, diplomats and travellers from a hundred worlds.
It could be a dangerous place, but we accepted the risks because Babylon 5
was our last, best hope for peace. Under the leadership of its final
commander, Babylon 5 was a dream given form. A dream of a galaxy without
war, and species of different worlds could live, side by side in mutual
respect. A dream that was in danger as never before, by the arrival of
one man on a mission of destruction. Babylon 5 was the last of the
Babylon stations. This is its story.
-- Centauri Ambassador Londo Mollari
------------------------------
Subject: 2. The Setting of Babylon 5
A hundred years ago, humanity made contact with its first alien civilization
-- or more to the point, they made contact with us. Before the arrival of the
Centauri, we were confined to our own solar system, forced to use slow sleeper
ships to explore the universe. The Centauri gave us the stars, offered us the
use of their "jumpgates" -- portals into hyperspace -- and later, taught us to
make our own. In exchange for this and other technologies, they asked only
for trinkets, novelties to sell back home.
In the eighty years that followed, humanity flexed its muscles, expanding
outward at a rapid pace. When a group of less powerful races was attacked by
an invading army, Earth came to their aid, cementing its role as a major
galactic power, if a young, brash one.
The wave of euphoria came crashing down when humanity made contact with a
mysterious race called the Minbari. The Earth-Minbari War began with a
misunderstanding, a human captain and a Minbari commander too quick on the
trigger. Thanks to bad luck or something darker, our first meeting with the
Minbari resulted in the death of their supreme religious and political leader.
To the Minbari, what followed was a holy war, vengeance for the murder of
their spiritual leader. Earth was no match for the technologically superior
Minbari, and they easily beat us back to our home planet.
Then, without explanation, as their ships closed in on Earth and wiped out our
last desperate defenses, the Minbari halted their advance and surrendered.
Only an elite few knew why.
The Babylon Project was conceived in the aftermath of the war. Modeled after
the United Nations, it would be a meeting place, neutral ground where the
powers could meet and work out their differences peacefully.
The first three Babylon stations were sabotaged in mid-construction. The
fourth was completed, but just as it was about to go online, it vanished
without a trace. The Earth government would have stopped there, but some of
the alien governments, seeing the value of a meeting ground, offered financial
assistance for the construction of a fifth station. Naturally, there were
strings attached.
Babylon 5 is the story of the last of the Babylon stations, the last hope for
a galaxy without war. It begins in the year 2257 with the opening of the
Babylon 5 station.
+ + + + +
Season 1 opens almost a year after the station went on-line. Things have
functioned surprisingly smoothly, considering the fate of the station's
predecessors.
------------------------------
Subject: 3. The Major Players
======== a. The Earth Alliance
The Earth Alliance, headquartered in Geneva, is in charge of the station and
the surrounding space. It is led by President Luis Santiago, a
forward-looking politician who values Earth's participation in Babylon 5
tremendously. Of special note is a branch of the Earth government called
Psi-Corps, responsible for the tracking and training of human telepaths. The
EA appointed Commander Jeffrey Sinclair to command Babylon 5, although the
installation of such a low-ranked officer made more than a few people upset.
======== b. The Minbari Federation
Earth's former adversary, the Minbari Federation, was the major alien
contributor to the construction of Babylon 5. An old, highly spiritual race,
Minbari are humanoid with exterior bone crests on their heads. The Minbari
are ruled by a body known as the Grey Council, three members from each of the
three castes of Minbari society. The reason behind the sudden Minbari
surrender at the climax of the Earth-Minbari War is a closely guarded secret,
but what isn't a secret is that the warrior caste was none too pleased about
the order; even today, it is a source of tension within Minbari society.
======== c. The Centauri Republic
The Centauri were the first aliens encountered by humanity. Physically, they
look nearly identical to humans, and in fact the Centauri initially claimed
that Earth was a lost colony (a claim they later retracted after humans
discovered that the similarities weren't so great after all.) Centauri women
are bald; men wear their hair in peacock-style fans whose length indicates the
wearer's social standing. The Centauri Republic is a fading empire, slowly
losing control of its member worlds, a decline much like that of the British
Empire.
======== d. The Narn Regime
Among those formerly under Centauri domination are the Narn, a
reptilian-looking race who fought off their oppressors in a century-long war
of attrition. Now the Narn Regime is building its military up, trying to
settle the score through an aggressive expansionist policy. Most Narn would
like nothing better than to see the Centauri wiped from the face of the
universe, and from all appearances, they'll shortly be in a position to get
their wish.
======== e. The Vorlon Empire
The final major government represented on Babylon 5 is the Vorlon Empire. The
Vorlons are shrouded in mystery. Even though their ambassador is on the
station, nobody knows what they look like; they dress in bulky encounter
suits. Whether the suits are there to keep a noxious atmosphere in or prying
eyes out is a matter of some debate. The Vorlons are an extremely powerful
race; no expedition into their space has been heard from again. They seem to
have had dealings with the Minbari in the past, though neither the Minbari nor
the Vorlons care to discuss the matter.
======== f. The League of Non-Aligned Worlds
Each of the five races has an ambassador on the Babylon 5 Advisory Council,
something like the UN Security Council. In addition, a number of smaller
governments are members of the League of Non-Aligned Worlds, which is also
represented on the Council. This group is generally sympathetic to Earth,
largely because Earth stepped in to save many of them from invasion by a
hostile race (now extinct) twenty years ago.
------------------------------
Subject: 4. The Characters
======== a. Main Cast (appearing in most episodes throughout the season)
i. Humans
COMMANDER JEFFREY DAVID SINCLAIR Michael O'Hare
The commander of Babylon 5 and representative of the Earth Alliance. A
survivor of the climactic Battle of the Line at the end of the Earth-Minbari
War, Sinclair sometimes yearns for his days as a hotshot fighter pilot, and
partially for that reason, he's given to taking unnecessary personal risks.
He's uncomfortable in his position and in fact isn't entirely sure why he was
given command of such a major post and made a high-level diplomat; his stiff
demeanor is perhaps due to a fear that he isn't up to the job he's been given.
He is also haunted by suspicions that something happened to him during a
24-hour blackout during the final moments of the Earth-Minbari war. Sinclair
was born on Mars Colony and is 39 years old.
LT. COMMANDER SUSAN IVANOVA Claudia Christian
Second in command and in charge of the day-to-day operations of Babylon 5,
Ivanova is an ambitious career officer. She can be quirky or pessimistic at
times, but she has a dry sense of humor that shows itself in the rare moments
she is able to relax among others. Born in St. Petersburg, Russia, and raised
abroad on Earth, she has a strong dislike for the Psi-Corps, whose
legally-mandated drug treatments drove her mother to suicide after it was
discovered her mother was a latent telepath. She is new on the station and
often buries herself in her work; her friends are few and her family is all
but gone.
SECURITY CHIEF MICHAEL ALFREDO GARIBALDI Jerry Doyle
In charge of security on Babylon 5. He has a troubled past, bouncing from
position to position and trying to overcome alcoholism. He was picked by
Sinclair for the job; the two worked together in the past. Sinclair knew that
Garibaldi would be persistent, not willing to give in to political pressures
-- in Sinclair's words, "a pain in the ass." Garibaldi is something of a
smart-aleck, always ready to crack a joke, but given to bouts of self-doubt
and introspection when nobody's looking. His rank is "Chief Warrant Officer."
DR. STEPHEN FRANKLIN Richard Biggs
Dedicated and assured, a specialist in xenobiology (alien biology,) and in
charge of Medlab on Babylon 5. His background is mainly in experimental
medicine, so his bedside manner is occasionally not what it should be. His
strong sense of personal morality is at times in conflict with his duties as
the chief medical provider for aliens from hundreds of worlds and cultures,
some of whom view his obligations rather differently. In his middle thirties
now, he spent years hitchhiking through space, offering his doctoral services
in exchange for the opportunity to examine new life forms.
TALIA WINTERS Andrea Thompson
Babylon 5's resident telepath, on her first solo assignment, with level 5 psi
rating, bound by the rules and regulations of the Psi Corps. She sells her
telepathic services to businessmen, and occasionally assists Sinclair in
negotiations. Talia was raised and trained by the Psi Corps, meaning that
that organization is her family.
ii. Ambassadors
AMBASSADOR LONDO MOLLARI Peter Jurasik
The representative of the Centauri Republic. Londo views Babylon 5's mission
as something of a sham, with limited chance of helping his people regain their
lost glory and sense of purpose. His assignment on Babylon 5 is not
considered an important position, in spite of the high status that his regalia
and high-standing hair would indicate. A war hero in his younger days, he has
since grown decadent and indulgent. Londo can often be found in one of the
station's bars or casinos, drinking himself to oblivion. He has a biting,
cynical sense of humor. Perhaps his only real friend is Garibaldi, who
understands something of what Londo has been through.
AMBASSADOR DELENN Mira Furlan
Represents the Minbari Federation. Delenn is a member of the highest Minbari
governmental body, the Grey Council, and why she's masquerading as a lowly
ambassador is one of the ongoing mysteries of Babylon 5. A member of the
religious caste, Delenn's belief in fate and destiny is often evident. She is
fascinated by humans and tries to learn all about them; some say she is
suspiciously watchful of Commander Sinclair.
AMBASSADOR G'KAR Andreas Katsulas
The representative of the Narn Regime rose to his position in part thanks to
his wife's renown as a hero of the revolutionary war against the Centauri, but
his own ambition and ability are more than equal to the job. G'Kar will waste
no opportunity to turn a situation to the Narns' advantage, even if it means
antagonizing everyone else on the station. He takes pride in his position and
himself, a pride perhaps bordering on arrogance at times. G'Kar would like
nothing better than to see the Centauri, and Londo in particular, pay dearly
for their brutal occupation of Narn.
AMBASSADOR KOSH NARANEK Ardwight Chamberlain (translation)
Chris Franke (voice effects)
Jeffrey Willerth (in the suit)
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