Questions tagged [babylon-5]

For questions about "Babylon 5", a 5 season television series developed by J. Michael Straczynski. Primarily, it's the story of the 5th Babylon space station, built by the Earth Alliance as a meeting place for commerce and diplomacy in neutral territory after the Earth-Minbari War.

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Why so many character cliffhangers in the last episode of season one, "Chrysalis", and why wait one episode to resolve them?

I'm watching Babylon 5 for the first time, and while watching the last episode of season one, "Chrysalis", I thought something like wow, they're really hedging their bets! A lot of the ...
pipe's user avatar
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5 votes
1 answer
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Do Babylon 5 Starfuries shoot out radially?

I was rewatching some good old Babylon 5 episodes at the weekend and realised something I never thought about before. It looks like the Starfuries shoot out radially from Cobra Bays at launch, like ...
Charles Tucker 3's user avatar
12 votes
1 answer
2k views

Were the other Babylon stations less technologically advanced compared to Babylon 5?

Since Babylon 5 was the last one to be built and we are at least certain the Babylons 4 and 5 look different, are there canonical explanations for any technology differences between the various ...
Michael Stachowsky's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
728 views

Why didn't the Babylon 5 telepaths take over the Markab world?

The Telepaths were looking for a world of their own. The Markab homeworld was available after the plague. Seems like an obvious choice. No mention of any other race taking it.
FlaStorm32's user avatar
3 votes
0 answers
192 views

Was the "beep beep" transmitter on G'Kar ever mentioned again?

In the pilot episode of Babylon 5, "The Gathering", G'Kar comes out as the villain of the piece, and Sinclair pretends to slip a nanotechnological location transmitter in his drink as "...
Rand al'Thor's user avatar
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15 votes
4 answers
3k views

What were the Minbari plans if they hadn't surrendered at the battle of the line?

The Minbari surrendered at the battle of the line, but what were their plans if they hadn't surrendered and won? Up to this point the war itself resulted in relatively few casualties – about 250,000 – ...
Martin Tournoij's user avatar
14 votes
2 answers
3k views

Power sources on Babylon 5

Why does Babylon 5 have a fusion reactor and solar panels? The basic premise of fusion is nearly unlimited power given a sustainable reaction. We know from season 3 that if the fusion reactor was ...
Lucky's user avatar
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6 votes
1 answer
258 views

Would Quadrant 37 have been attacked if Londo hadn't sent his message?

In the episode Chrysalis, the Centauri and the Narn are in dispute over a territory in space called Quadrant 37. The Shadows' messenger boy Morden offers to help resolve this dispute in favor of the ...
Nu'Daq's user avatar
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10 votes
1 answer
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Episode where Londo 'battles' an insect

This scene was, from what I remember, intended as comic relief. Ambassador Mollari complains to the personnel running the space station of a large insect in his quarters; upon being told by the staff ...
Nu'Daq's user avatar
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5 votes
2 answers
945 views

Why don't they make more use of the interior space inside Babylon 5?

In the series Babylon 5, we are mostly shown the small cramped rooms and corridors of the eponymous space station, very full of people and things. There are episodes like the one where they host a ...
lessthanideal's user avatar
7 votes
0 answers
211 views

Were all Vorlons telepathic?

Most sapient races in the Babylon 5 continuity had some people among them with telepathic talent and some without (the former seems to be the minority in most of these species.) Were the Vorlons ...
Nu'Daq's user avatar
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7 votes
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Any acknowledged real-world inspiration for the Centauri - Narn conflict?

One of the major plots of the Babylon 5 series is the conflict between the Centauri (an ancient but declining empire) and the Narn (a rapidly industrialising former Centauri colony), represented on ...
Rand al'Thor's user avatar
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13 votes
1 answer
3k views

How can a bright blue spaceship have "Stealth technology"?

In Babylon 5, during the Earth-Minbari war, the Earthers could never hit the Minbari ships because, according to Sheridan they had "some kind of stealth technology". But the Minbari warships ...
komodosp's user avatar
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13 votes
1 answer
1k views

Was the interstellar jump technology used by the Shadows ever defined in Babylon 5?

In Babylon 5, the Shadows used what looks like a completely different system for interstellar travel compared to the other species. While almost every species required either jump gates or creating a ...
FontFamily's user avatar
21 votes
1 answer
2k views

Has JMS ever detailed the origin of the name or term “Babylon 5” used in his works?

Long predating production of Straczynski’s Babylon 5 television series, he was the lead writer on Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future,” a weekly television show based on Mattel’s toys of the ...
Silly but True's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
262 views

What was Sebastian's fate after the events of the show?

Sebastian was introduced in B5 S2, E21, Comes the Inquisitor, after being summoned by Kosh to make sure Delann is acting for the right reasons; she is also warned this test will place her life in ...
Silly but True's user avatar
10 votes
1 answer
820 views

What is the origin of the Great Machine at Epsilon III in Babylon 5?

The Great Machine plays a pivotal role in Babylon 5 especially as it relates to Babylon 4. There's a small amount of back story in earlier seasons when Draal takes over the machine. In S3E16, they ...
FontFamily's user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
188 views

How do pivotal shows like Babylon 5 affect their actors? [closed]

I think I've watched Babylon 5 start to finish nearly half a dozen times. The movie has shaped me in my life and is always at the top of my shows to recommend to people to watch, even though it is ...
FontFamily's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
80 views

What are the part/section titles to Greg Keyes' Dark Genesis (Babylon 5) novel?

This is the first book in his Psi Corps trilogy, and Keyes likes to break his books up into "parts" each of which are comprised of half a dozen chapters or so. There are 4 such parts. ...
John O's user avatar
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2 votes
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What colors are Babylon 2 and 3?

Each Babylon station is colored a different color. We know: Babylon 1 is red, as seen in In The Beginning. Babylon 4 is green, as seen in Babylon Squared and War Without End (and possibly others) ...
Anonymous's user avatar
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3 votes
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How did Delenn sense the Keeper on Londo and why didn't she do anything about it?

In (I believe) Objects At Rest, Delenn sensed the Keeper on Londo. How could she sense it and why didn't she do anything about it?
Anonymous's user avatar
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3 votes
1 answer
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Why did the Drakh put the Keeper on Sheridan and Delenn's child, not Sheridan and Delenn themselves?

In the episode Objects at Rest, Londo gives Sheridan and Delenn a trophy, containing a gift to "give to your children when they turn 16", which contains a Keeper to control their children. ...
Anonymous's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
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Why didn't the Drakh follow up on killing Delenn?

In Lines of Communication, the Drakh after hearing Delenn's name abandon all pretense of peace and attempt to kill her because she helped end the Shadow War. After they defeat the mothership, they ...
Anonymous's user avatar
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4 votes
2 answers
352 views

Were the First Ones going to be explored more if the series hadn't been canceled by the network?

The First Ones seemed underdeveloped, and since Into The Fire would've been 2.5 episodes, is there any confirmation that the First Ones would have been explored more in these episodes had they not ...
Anonymous's user avatar
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9 votes
2 answers
2k views

Why didn't anyone hear very much from/about Sinclair during seasons 2 and 3?

Before War Without End, Sinclair was the head of the rangers. The rangers were a large presence at the time and they should have gotten orders from him indirectly or at least talk about "Ranger ...
Anonymous's user avatar
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8 votes
3 answers
2k views

How could Kosh get poisoned in The Gathering?

In The Gathering, after Kosh joined, somehow Sinclair poisoned Kosh. However poisoning would require physical interaction, and since Kosh was sealed inside his encounter suit. How could he be ...
Anonymous's user avatar
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13 votes
1 answer
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Why are there so many oranges in Sheridan's quarters?

I've noticed that there are a very large number of oranges in Sheridan's quarters for some reason, and I also noticed a few in Garibaldi's (although Zach did ask, are you on a diet? hinting that it ...
Anonymous's user avatar
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5 votes
1 answer
357 views

What was Lord Refa's accent?

One of the nicer touches to JMS's worldbuilding of the Babylon 5 universe is the fact that many of the alien species, and even different characters within the same species, speak with different ...
Rand al'Thor's user avatar
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5 votes
1 answer
199 views

Which Babylon 5 episode introduced the control creatures?

I know: The episode is in season 4 It takes place on Mars During this episode, Marcus and Doctor Franklin are taking a shuttle to mars, and encounter someone who they are suspicious of at first, but ...
Anonymous's user avatar
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4 votes
1 answer
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Do any of the Babylon 5 cultures use matter/antimatter power sources?

To my knowledge and memory, I don't recall humans or aliens (with the exception of the invaders from the tv-movie Thirdspace) on Babylon 5 making use of force fields or deflector shields so I don't ...
Nu'Daq's user avatar
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6 votes
3 answers
1k views

What does Kosh mean when he says "I have always been here"?

"I have always been here" is a famous quote by Kosh, but what does he mean by that? Does it apply to the other Vorlons or just Kosh?
Anonymous's user avatar
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3 votes
1 answer
803 views

What would the Babylon 5 timeline have been if the network hadn't canceled it?

Due to the fact that Babylon 5 was cancelled by the network after season 4, they were forced to have a logical ending point for the series in season 5. What would have happened if it hadn't been ...
Anonymous's user avatar
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6 votes
1 answer
257 views

Who says what in the Babylon 5 Season 5 intro?

In seasons 4 and 5, rather then just one person speaking, a large number of people speak. Who says what in the season 5 intro?
Anonymous's user avatar
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5 votes
1 answer
740 views

Use of the Energy Transfer Device on Babylon 5

Why didn't Delenn use the Energy Transfer Device (from the episode Quality of Mercy) to restore more than 20 years of Jon Sheridan's life after Z'ha'dum? Membari are long-lived to begin with. 20 years ...
Kate Toldness's user avatar
10 votes
1 answer
665 views

Did Humans and Minbari merge into a single "first-one like" species?

In one episode we see that humans have evolved into first ones like beings. Can't remember where I read it but apparently Minbari also evolve into first ones like beings. We know that Minbari souls ...
SpacePhoenix's user avatar
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6 votes
0 answers
313 views

Is the Orville's Dann inspired by Babylon 5's Narn?

I haven't watched The Orville, but while scrolling through a three-year-old answer I noticed a picture of an alien whom I quickly identified as the character called Dann. The reason why his appearance ...
Rand al'Thor's user avatar
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4 votes
3 answers
937 views

For how long were the Shadows and Vorlons at war with each other?

According to this post, we know of 3 recent Shadow Wars. One 10,000 years ago, the second 1,000 years ago and the last in the 2260s. The Shadows and the Vorlons are far older than these recent ...
RichS's user avatar
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11 votes
1 answer
1k views

Was there ever an official retcon for Mollari’s “last commander” voiceover?

In the pilot for Babylon 5, Londo does a voiceover about the station in which he calls Sinclair the station’s “final commander”. Clearly, and sadly, out-of-universe events conspired to change this, ...
Graham Lee's user avatar
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8 votes
2 answers
732 views

Babylon 5 - Earth Alliance Presidential Powers

In the episodes of Babylon 5 President Clark seems to have extensive powers. His ability to instate martial law is challenged on Earth itself by some senators but it seems to end there. But it is ...
Duncan Drake's user avatar
11 votes
2 answers
514 views

Did anything happen to the Vorlons after they assassinated Deathwalker?

In B5: Deathwalker (Season 1, Episode 9) the Vorlons assassinate the titular Dilgar scientist. They did this pretty openly. Were there any diplomatic consequences of killing her for the Vorlons?
just_happen_to_know's user avatar
9 votes
2 answers
3k views

Did Sheridan and Delenn ever learn that Emperor Londo Mollari was controlled by the Drakh?

Londo Mollari has a Drakh keeper attached to his body in season 5 of Babylon 5. The Drakh control him and get him to enact policies that further isolate the Centauri from other races. His friends, ...
RichS's user avatar
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9 votes
0 answers
378 views

What are the casualties from the Bonehead Maneuver?

How many ships or lives were lost trying to open a jumpgate inside a jumpgate - also known as the Bonehead Maneuver? Were any statistics documented? Earth forces attempted this tactic during the ...
Vogon Poet's user avatar
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4 votes
3 answers
389 views

What was special about the ice on Europa?

In 2241 Michael Garibaldi was a cop on the ice mining facility on Europa. Why were they mining the ice there? Was something in it that made it more valuable?
Vogon Poet's user avatar
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12 votes
1 answer
350 views

Is there wildlife in Downbelow on Babylon 5?

I was watching, and I noticed this shady character enjoying what appears to be a nice, freshly prepared lizard on a stick in Downbelow. How does a lizard whose destiny is to be cooked over a ...
SudoSedWinifred's user avatar
9 votes
2 answers
2k views

Why are Babylon 5 security forces provided such dangerous weapons, like the PPG for civil duties?

The "PPG" hand weapons used by Babylon 5 security seem to result in an inconveniently high body count. On several occasions defensive use of a PPG results in the death of an assailant, closing off ...
RestingRichFace's user avatar
12 votes
1 answer
3k views

Why did the Drakh emissary look so blurred in S04:E11 "Lines of Communication"?

One thing that has always confused me was why did the Drakh emissary look so blurred in that episode? Was it any type of cloaking device?
Spkit 2000's user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
234 views

Why did Sinclair and Ivanova, the two most senior officers, go to Epsilon III?

In A Voice in the Wilderness, parts 1 and 2, strange things are going on down on Epsilon III, the planet which Bablyon 5 orbits. Sinclair and Ivanova go down to investigate. But since these two are ...
Thunderforge's user avatar
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6 votes
1 answer
479 views

About a little hole in Z'ha'dum

Ok, so if I remember it correctly: So, why did he have to release this character only to try to grab him again and fail? I dont understand it.
Spkit 2000's user avatar
5 votes
3 answers
1k views

Does the Vorlon's real appearance actually match the encounter suit they use?

In the last episode of season 4 (The Deconstruction of Falling Stars) the story jumps forward a million years and shows an evolved human in an encounter suit.
Spkit 2000's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
448 views

How could an attack work against Kosh? [duplicate]

How would the poisoning in the premiere work? And later: Explanation about duplicate question: I want to point that the main question is about being the poisoning a related question added as an ...
Spkit 2000's user avatar

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