|
|
- <html>
- <head>
- <title>Babylon 5 Universe: Setting (season four)</title>
- <map name="toplevel">
- <area shape="RECT" coords="0,0,99,23" href="/lurk/universe/intro.html" alt="Universe">
- <area shape="RECT" coords="100,0,199,23" href="/lurk/episodes.php" alt="Episodes">
- <area shape="RECT" coords="200,0,299,23" href="/lurk/making/creators.html" alt="People">
- <area shape="RECT" coords="300,0,399,23" href="/lurk/resources/online.html" alt="Resources">
- <area shape="RECT" coords="400,0,499,23" href="/lurk/reference/episodes.html" alt="Encyclopedia">
- <area shape="RECT" coords="0,24,499,31" nohref>
- </map>
-
- <map name="titlebar">
- <area shape="RECT" coords="0,0,370,31" href="/lurk/lurker.html" alt="Home">
- <area shape="RECT" coords="371,0,412,31" href="/lurk/search.html" alt="Find">
- <area shape="RECT" coords="413,0,454,31" href="/lurk/toc.html" alt="Index">
- <area shape="RECT" coords="455,0,499,31" href="/lurk/help.html" alt="Help">
- </map>
- <link rev=made href="mailto:koreth@midwinter.com">
- </head>
-
- <body>
- <p align=center nowrap><nobr><img
- align=middle border=0 usemap="#titlebar"
- src="/lurk/nav/titlebar.gif" width=500 height=32
- alt="[Home]">
-
- <br><img
- align=top border=0 usemap="#toplevel"
- src="/lurk/nav/bar-universe.gif" width=500 height=32
- alt="">
-
- <br><a href="intro.html"><img
- align=top border=0
- src="/lurk/nav/dark/un-intro.gif" width=100 height=24
- alt=" [Introduction]"></a><img
- align=top border=0
- src="/lurk/nav/lit/un-setting.gif" width=100 height=24
- alt=" ### SETTING ###"></a><a
- href="cast-4.html"><img
- align=top border=0
- src="/lurk/nav/dark/un-maincast.gif" width=100 height=24
- alt=" [Main Cast]"></a><a
- href="supporting-4.html"><img
- align=top border=0
- src="/lurk/nav/dark/un-supporting.gif" width=100 height=24
- alt=" [Supporting Cast]"></a><a
- href="station-4.html"><img
- align=top border=0
- src="/lurk/nav/dark/un-station.gif" width=100 height=24
- alt=" [Station]"></a>
- </nobr>
-
- <p>
- <a href="setting-1.html">Season 1: "Signs and Portents"</a><br>
- <a href="setting-2.html">Season 2: "The Coming of Shadows"</a><br>
- <a href="setting-3.html">Season 3: "Point of No Return"</a><br>
- <strong>Season 4: "No Surrender, No Retreat"</strong>
-
- <p>
- <blockquote>
- <cite>It was the year of fire...
- the year of destruction...
- the year we took back what was ours.
- It was the year of rebirth...
- the year of great sadness...
- the year of pain...
- and the year of joy.
- It was a new age.
- It was the end of history.
- It was the year everything changed.
- The year is 2261.
- The place: Babylon 5.</cite>
-
- - Lennier, Zack, G'Kar, Lyta, Vir, Marcus, Delenn, Londo, Franklin,
- Ivanova, Garibaldi, Sheridan
- </blockquote>
-
- <p>
- <img align=right width=80 height=100 alt="" src="/lurk/gif/chars/shadow.gif">
- The Shadow War is at a standstill as 2261 begins. Ancient, implacable
- enemies, held at bay by races long dead or departed, the
- <strong>Shadows</strong> were
- no more than legends to most of the younger races.
-
- <p>
- All that changed in 2260. The Shadows, awakened years earlier from a
- millenium-long slumber on their ancestral home of Z'ha'dum, gradually made
- their presence known, and their purpose became clear: weeding out the weak and
- defenseless among the younger races to promote rapid evolution. Moving
- largely behind the scenes, they set the younger races upon one another,
- causing wars and inciting genocide. The Shadows are the embodiment of
- the question, "What do you want?" They seek not military victory, but
- philosophical dominance, a universe in which younger races scramble madly
- to attain their goals without regard for the consequences. Such an
- environment demands chaos, and it's chaos the Shadows have so effectively
- brought upon the major races.
-
- <br clear=all>
-
- <p>
- <img align=right width=80 height=100 alt="" src="/lurk/gif/chars/vorlon-angel.gif">
- When the other First Ones departed for reasons of their own, the
- <strong>Vorlons</strong>
- were left behind to oppose the Shadow philosophy. If the Shadows represent
- chaos, the Vorlons are lords of order: they seek the same outcome, the
- advancement of younger races, but on their terms, whether their charges
- like it or not. The Vorlons prefer to ask the question, "Who are you?" It
- is a question that leads to introspection and spiritual growth, but not to
- expansion or scientific advancement.
-
- <p>
- Unfortunately, the struggle between the two philosophies is played out not
- among the ancients, but among the younger races, unwitting pawns in a game
- few yet realize is being played.
-
- <br clear=all>
-
- <p>
- <img align=right width=80 height=100 alt="" src="/lurk/gif/chars/clark.gif">
- The <strong>Earth Alliance,</strong> headquartered in Geneva, is led
- by President Clark. Clark came to power with the help of
- the Shadows and the Psi Corps, a Shadow-dominated agency created to control the
- telepathic talents planted furtively in the human gene pool by the Vorlons.
- ISN, a blatant propaganda machine, controls the flow of information to the
- citizenry and the outside world. Political dissent is stifled
- by an Orwellian agency called the Night Watch. Passage to and from the
- Earth Alliance is difficult thanks to the imposition of strict martial law,
- ostensibly to protect humans from alien influences that might spark another
- devastating war. So far, Earth has largely stayed out of the Shadow War;
- Clark's extreme xenophobia hasn't led him to strike out against the
- other races. Rumors of a resistance movement persist, but so far they're
- nothing more than rumors.
-
- <br clear=all>
-
- <p>
- <img align=right width=100 height=80 alt="" src="/lurk/gif/b5port.gif">
- Until recently,
- <strong>Babylon 5</strong> was an outpost operated by the Earth Allance, built
- with the aid of a few alien governments. Captain Sheridan declared
- independence in mid-2260 in opposition to Clark's totalitarian policies.
- By continuing its function as a remote outpost used by a multitude of species,
- B5 has been able to maintain its autonomy from Earth, though with autonomy has
- come the isolation of most of B5's crew from their families and friends
- back home. With the war against the Shadows out in the open, the station has
- served as a base of operations, a gathering point for those who oppose the
- Shadows: the Vorlon-inspired Army of Light.
-
- <br clear=all>
-
- <p>
- <img align=right width=100 height=80 alt="" src="/lurk/gif/wsport.gif">
- The <strong>Rangers</strong> are the core of the Army of Light. Made up
- primarily of humans and Minbari, the Rangers were formed to gather information
- and perform covert operations to undermine the work of the Shadows. The
- Army of Light as a whole is composed of the Narn, the Minbari, and various
- minor races,
- all of whom feel that the Shadows must be opposed at any cost. By
- implication, they side with the Vorlons, and in fact the Vorlons have
- encouraged the Army's formation, contributing tidbits of advanced technology
- toward the construction of the White Star Fleet of warships.
-
- <p>
- <img align=right width=80 height=100 alt="" src="/lurk/gif/chars/lennier4.gif">
- An old, highly spiritual race, the <strong>Minbari</strong> are humanoid with
- exterior bone crests on their heads. A thousand years ago, the Minbari fought
- the Shadows alongside the Vorlons, and came to trust the Vorlons implicitly.
- Minbari society is divided into three castes: Warrior, Religious, and
- Worker. After a recent splintering of their political leadership, Minbari
- society is at an impasse. The Religious and Worker Castes have given their
- support to the Army of Light, but the Warrior Caste, arrogant and
- isolationist, resents such involvement with inferior races.
-
- <p>
- Only a few know that Minbar and Earth have linked histories: a human, Sinclair,
- the first commander of Babylon 5, traveled back in time to the previous war
- against the Shadows and delivered a new base of operations, Babylon 4, to the
- Minbari. Sinclair became a great spiritual leader, the founder of Minbari
- society and a prophet thanks to his knowledge of future events. Sinclair's
- journey opened a doorway between Minbari and humans, and since the last war
- a thousand years ago, Minbari souls have been slowly reincarnating in human
- bodies. Upon discovering that, the Religious Caste halted the Earth-Minbari
- War, a decision still resented by the Warrior Caste.
-
- <br clear=all>
-
- <p>
- <img align=right width=80 height=100 alt="" src="/lurk/gif/chars/londo.gif">
- The <strong>Centauri Republic,</strong> until recently a declining empire, has
- allied itself with the Shadows and is enjoying a renaissance of military and
- political might. The Centauri are even allowing the Shadows to house ships
- and personnel on their homeworld. The insane Centauri Emperor, Cartagia,
- believes the Shadows will elevate him to godhood if he cooperates with them.
- Instead, the pact is likely to leave Cartagia dead and Centauri Prime in
- ruins. Centauri are mostly human in appearance; men wear their hair in fans
- whose height indicate social standing, and women have shaved heads.
-
- <br clear=all>
-
- <p>
- <img align=right width=80 height=100 alt="" src="/lurk/gif/chars/gkar.gif">
- Once a major power, the <strong>Narn Regime</strong> was one of the victims of
- Centauri expansionism, especially humiliating since they were unwilling subjects
- of the Centauri Republic a hundred years ago.
- Under the leadership of former ambassador G'Kar, now living in
- sanctuary on Babylon 5, the Narn are assisting with Babylon 5 security and
- acting as footsoldiers for the Army of Light. Narns have a
- reptilian appearance and are easily provoked.
-
- <p>
- <strong>Next:</strong> <a href="cast-4.html">The Main Cast</a>
-
- <pre>
-
- </pre>
-
- <p nowrap>
- <nobr><a href="/lurk/lurker.html"><img
- align=bottom border=0
- width=64 height=24 src="/lurk/nav/foot-station.gif"
- alt="[Home] "></a><a
- href="#"><img
- align=bottom border=0
- width=72 height=13 src="/lurk/nav/foot-pagetop.gif"
- alt="[Top] "></a><a
- href="mailto:koreth+lgfeedback@midwinter.com"><img
- align=bottom border=0
- width=80 height=13 src="/lurk/nav/foot-comments.gif"
- alt="[Comments] "></a><img
- align=bottom
- width=284 height=13 src="/lurk/nav/foot-bare.gif"
- alt="">
- </nobr>
-
- <h5>
- Last update:
- January 7, 1997
-
- </h5>
- </body>
- </html>
|
