Description of Babylon 5 Based on Episodes and JMS notes. Compiled by I. Marc Carlson, IMC@vax2.utulsa.edu All materials copyright have been copyrighted by Time-Warner and Babylonian Productions. Used without permission. /\ /\ /\ -||-||-||---------------- -||-||-||------------------------------------------ |\ ||-------------| || || ||| | | | | | ---- ---- ||------|| |----------\ | | | | | ---|--- | ||------|| |----------/ | | | | | ---|--- | |/ ||-------------| || || ||| | | | | | ---- ---- -||-||-||----------------------- || || || \/ \/ \/ ..........................|.......|...|.....|......|...|.|.............|.... ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^^ ^ ^ ^ ^ | | | | | || | | | | | | | | Green || | | | Docking bay | | | | section || | | Cobra bays | | | | || | Med lab/Iso lab | | | | || Blue section | | | | the Red section | +---|-----|-------Garden-------+ | | Gray section | Brown section Fusion reactor ^ ^ | | | | +-----Rotating Portion of the Station---------+ (Initial Source: Cinefantastique Feb 1993. Station sketch is based on original Ascii art by Richard Meikle and posted by Winchell Chung, Modified by I. Marc Carlson to closer match dimensions shown in "Points of Departure") Areas of Interest: Yellow Sector: Non rotating sections, 0g cargo bays, Fusion Engines, etc. Blue Sector: Maintenance and operations areas such as the docking bays, the Customs areas ("Customs sector"), and the Observation Dome/C&C. There are hospitals and Medlabs. Some living areas, the Sanctuary and the Rotunda. There are 70 Decks in the narrower part of the hull. Red Sector: Wraps around The Garden. Marketplace and business areas such as the Zocolo, Hotel suites, casinos, bars, brothels, a bookstore; The Garden A large botanical area that runs the center, lengthwise, of the station. It is an O'Neill environment, which enables an observer to look straight up to the other side of the rotating section. Lining the circular wall are some farmlands, orchards, an open air hedge maze, fields, trees, artificial lakes, Hydroponics gardens and other areas for oxygen reclamation. There are other areas where alien food is grown, as well as an area where food that is impractical to grow is synthesized. Other foods are imported. Weather can occur in the Garden area. Green Sector: Wraps around The Garden. Ambassadorial Suites. Gray Sector: Wraps around The Garden. Alien Sector (qv). Waste reclaimation area at Hull, Deck 49-51. Brown Sector: May or may not partially wrap around The Garden. There are at least 90-91 Decks between the Axis and the Hull. DownBelow: The Slum areas below the main levels (the higher G sections?) Topside: The main, public areas. Dockside: The Cargo handling areas and docking bays. Water and Waste reclamation systems are on decks 49-51 of blue and gray sectors. There are various embassies and diplomatic missions from various worlds. Because space on B5 is so tight, complete offices for every single ambassador would kill most of the available space; so they have access to the station's facilities for business rooms, meeting rooms, conference rooms and the like. Internal Coordinates: These are based first on color, denoting a "ring" or "sector", each technically separate, but interconnected. These consist of Blue, Gray, Red, Green, Brown, etc.; then one of 36 "sector" numbers (Perhaps each denoting a 10 degree region around the station's circumference); then a "level" or a deck number (for instance Blue 15A). B5 Dimensions: According to the Map in "Points of Departure" the station's total length is X; the diameter of the largest rotating cross section is .094X; the maximum length of heat radiator vanes from "top" to "bottom" is .26X. The Fork/stabilizer is aproximately .094X long, although it only extends .075X out from the main body of the station. It, and all non-rotating sections are coded as Yellow. The foremost rotating section (the face of which is .04X in diameter.) is colored Blue, and extends for .189X. The next section is Gray and is .019X long. The next, Red, section is .047X long. The next section is of a darker color that may be Brown is .085X long. The next section is Green and is .075X long. The next section is dark, and is .057X long. Thus the rotating section is .547X long. The section housing the radiator vanes is .103X long and the final section, housing the fusion reactors is .35X long. Physical Dimensions (My best estimate): Station Length: 8 kms (5 miles) Diameter of Rotating Section: 752 meters (.47 miles) Diameter of Blue Sector: 319 meters Maximum Gravity (based on .5 rotation per minute): 1.97 G (10,306 cm/s^2) C&C Distance from Axis: 125 meters Gravity of C&C: .33 G (3,234 cm/s^2) Maximum 4.1m Decks: 91 Deck 12: .27 G (2,646 cm/s^2) Deck 15: .33 G (3,234 cm/s^2) Deck 25: .51 G (4,998 cm/s^2) Deck 40: 1.02 G (9,996 cm/s^2) Total Radiator Length: 2 km Fork/Stabilizers Length: 752 meters Fork Extention: 599 meters Blue Sector Length: 1513 meters Gray Sector Length: 152 meters Red Sector Length: 377 meters Dark Sector Length: 679 meters Green Sector Length: 600 meters Dark Sector Length: 456 meters Vane Section Length: 824 meters Fusion Section Length: 2800 meters ------------- Total Length 8000 meters Station Mass: 2.5x10^12 grams (Minimum) 4x10^12 grams (Estimated) Station's Actual Gravity based on Mass: 2.7x10^-13 cm/s^2 (Minimum) 4.34x10^13 cm/s^2 (Estimated) Orbital Radius (Estimated): 100,000 km and 100,000 km behind E-3-A Location: Grid "Epsilon" 470x18x22. The Station orbits a barren, seemingly lifeless planet "Epsilon 3" (aka Euphrates*) in the L5 postition between the planet and a small, gray moon. The planet orbits "near" Epsilon Eridani (Epsilon or Tigris*) in neutral space, more or less central to all five of the major governments (nw). [JMS said initial that Euphrates was a Binary system (25-30 ly from Earth), though this may have changed.] B1-B4 were located in roughly the same sector, with B4 using some of the materials from 1-3 leftover. B5 was constructed about 3 hours (traveling time in real-space) from the location of B4. [B4 was refered to as being in "Sector 14" (bs) while "Sector 7" is "Almost on top of" the station (nw) and "Sector 10" is very nearby.] Description: The non-rotating "fork" portion of the station "over" the rotating landing bays sits astride a 0 G cargo handling bay. The "fork" extends into a flat non-rotating section that runs the length of the station to the heat radiator vanes. Behind them extends the fusion reactor section that extends over a third of the length of the station. "Below" the reactor, several kms away from the station, floats a "Hazardous Materials Storage" site. The station is spun for simulated gravity, ranging from 0 G along the axis to about 2 Gs on the lowest deck. Areas of Interest: Yellow Sector: Non rotating sections, 0g cargo bays, Fusion Engines, etc. Living Areas: There are living areas designed to accomodate different environments, atmospheres, etc. Some of the alien sections are uninhabitable to humans without protective breathing gear or other measures. Similarly, heavy CO2 breathers or methane breathers have to wear some sort of respirators or "encounter suits" to travel among the humans on the station. The station's life support systems are capable of handling 250,000 entities, mostly in the form of transient population. Only the executive suites have sufficient water for traditional bathing facilities. The rest of the personnel make due with sonics showers. The primary means of transportation within the station are the transport tubes, similar to elevators moving from level to level; and the core shuttle, which travels along the axis in 0 G. The station operates on Earth Standard/Earth Mean Time, as well as running on human cycles of day and night, with the lighting in the hallways and Garden bright during the day times, and dark during night. Personnel: Most of the humans on the station are civilian contractees, handling things such as dockwork, food preparation, and so forth, under contracts with the government. Operations, such as the techs in the Observation Dome, the Medical Staff, and Security are Earthforce. There are 1500 Guild Dockworkers, and 6500 Earthforce Personnel. Defensive Capabilities: Until 2259, the station was protected by a low level Defense Grid containing a variety of concealed hull mounted weaponry, which were supplemented by Starfury wings housed in "Cobra Bays". The Alpha, Delta and Zeta wings consist of 12 Starfurys each. After the beginning of the Narn-Centauri Conflict, in 2259, the station's defenses were upgraded with Pulse Cannons... Internal Coordinates: These are based first on color, denoting a "ring" or "sector", each technically separate, but interconnected. These consist of Blue, Gray, Red, Green, Brown, etc.; then one of 36 "sector" numbers (each denoting a 10 degree region around the station's circumference*); then a "level" or a deck number (for instance Blue 15A). There are various "locator Graphics", pictograms using dots to identify beings (Three dots on a line above and through three larger circles for the Core Shuttle; a single dot over a slanted bar for licing quarters; six dots to either side of a bar for a meeting room; etc. Legal Status: The Station acts as a free port, a place of commerce, trade, diplomacy, where different parties can meet to work out their problems so the legal situation can be tricky. Technically, outside of the station is in neutral territory, while only within the station are EA laws and regulations enforceable. These regulations are VERY strict. Anyone coming onto the station must be scanned for weapons, since no weapons are allowed on the station. In most everyday situations B5 operates fairly autonomously; Earth doesn't generally get involved unless there's a good reason. The commander of B5 is empowered to speak on behalf of his government the say that a ship's captain exploring new worlds is similarly empowered. He is on equal footing with the Alien ambassadors. He is forbidden from using the Station's personnel or firepower to, for instance, threaten someone into signing a particular treaty, since that would be considered duress, and therefore void. Financial Conditions: The Station is owned and operated by the Earth Alliance, and although the EA funded the first few attempts exclusively; after they'd dumped all their money into B4, they needed outside funding to get B5 going. The Minbari were first to contribute money as a show of good faith. Then the Centauri added additional funding. Those are the only two other races that've contributed significantly. Because of this financial "burden", anyone who stays on the station pays a fee. Station employees are charged a similar fee against their salaries. Even the command staff may be required to pay for their "room and board". As soon as a ship enters through the Jump Gate, its "signature" is registered and the fee for using Gate is debited to the account or taxes of the ship's owner. If they don't have an account, they will be asked for payment before being allowed to "land."