Anla'shok
From The Great Machine
The Anla'shok are an elite, independent para-military and intelligence organization of the Minbari and later the Interstellar Alliance.
Contents |
[edit] Origins and Protocols
The Anla'shok are known as the Rangers (S2E19, The Long, Twilight Struggle) by the other races of the Interstellar Alliance, and their leader, Anla'shok Na, is more commonly known as Ranger One (S3E16/17, War Without End).
A small number of individuals serving as Anla'shok Na have also assumed the additional title of Entil'Zha.
Valen is credited with the creation of Minbari core laws ("Minbari do not kill Minbari"), the Grey Council, and the Anla'shok.
Rangers are taught many things during their training, not merely combat and tactics, but also how to live and how to die. And they are taught terror, a training known as Mora'dum, the "application of terror".
[edit] History
The Anla'shok were created by Valen (formerly Earthforce Commander Jeffrey Sinclair) during the last Shadow War, in 1257 A.D. (Earth time) to continue the fight against the Shadows. Since the Shadows' defeat, the Anla'shok kept watch for signs of activity from the "ancient enemy" through the centuries, though their numbers dwindled.
They were originally comprised only of Minbari, usually from the religious and warrior castes, and their leader had direct access to the Grey Council (In the Beginning). That constitution and receptivity would radically change nearly a thousand years later, as humans increasingly became an essential part of the Anla'shok (S3E09, The Coming of Shadows), all but replacing the Minbari warrior caste component. By this time, most Minbari had ceased to believe the prophecies of Valen. Both the Grey Council's and the Warrior Caste's views of the coming struggle reduced to: "The problems of others are not our concern..." (S3E10, Severed Dreams)
[edit] Babylon 5
Jeffrey Sinclair, aside from his duties as the first Earth Alliance Ambassador to reside on Minbar (S2E01, Points of Departure), served as the first known human leader of the Anla'shok.
Their first contacts on Babylon 5 were Security Chief Garibaldi and Ambassador Delenn. They passed intelligence to the B5 command staff through Garibaldi, while Delenn's role remained somewhat obscure (S2E09, The Coming of Shadows). Further along, it is revealed that Delenn commands the detachment in the B5 region, and she offers Captain Sheridan joint command (S2E19, The Long, Twilight Struggle). The following year would see Delenn named to lead the Anla'shok, though not without complications in her ascension (S3E19, Grey 17 Is Missing).
[edit] The Interstellar Alliance
Upon the foundation of the Interstellar Alliance, Anla'shok membership, roles and missions further expanded, and their independent authority increased while newer member races (e.g.: the Drazi and the Pak'ma'ra) joined its ranks (S4E21, Rising Star). After this time, the warrior caste seems also to have resumed its contribution to the Anla'Shok (S5E06, Learning Curve).
