Shadow
From The Great Machine
Shadows was a name used to refer to a race of First Ones that were considered the epitomy of chaos, war, and anarchy - this made them the exact counterpoint to the Vorlons who believed in order and obedience.
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[edit] Events during the final Shadow War
The Shadows were awakened from their long sleep by the crew of the IPX ship, Icarus, among whom were humans Morden and Anna Sheridan, whom they captured. Morden they made agent provocateur, while they prepared Anna to be the central processor of a Shadow Warship.
The Vorlons, knowing that the Shadows had been awakened, quickly moved to prepare for the coming storm. The Minbari, following Valen's prophecy, helped the Vorlons and Sinclair prepare for battle, restoring, with his aid, the Rangers, as a force dedicated to fighting the Shadows.
The Shadows began their war preparations by scouting during the summer of 2258, using Mr. Morden and others like him, to attempt to create connections with the various ambassadors on Babylon 5 -- always asking the ubiquitous question: "What do you want?" As their only success was Londo, Mr. Morden arranged to rescue the Eye from Raiders, and returned it to the ambassador, indebting Londo to him and his Associates. He then vanished, only to return in late December to assist Londo again in dealing with the "problem in Quadrant 37" by destroying the Narn outpost occupying the region.
In 2259, Londo and Lord Refa began the Narn-Centauri War with the aid of Mr. Morden. The Shadows continued to move behind the scenes until shortly after the end of the Narn-Centauri War.
In January of 2260, in league with Centauri Lord Rifa, the Shadows targeted a Ranger training base, Zagros 7, but it wasn't until later that year that the Shadows made their true power known, attacking and destroying League colonies without provocation, no longer hiding under a veil of deception and secrecy. The year ended with John Sheridan arriving at Z'ha'dum, accompanied by his presumed-dead wife Anna Sheridan, to attend an ostensibly neutral meeting with Shadow representatives, to "hear their side" of the story. This gathering slowly fell apart as John confirmed what he previously feared, and subsequently commanded his White Star (armed with a pair of with Narn fusion bombs) to crash into the Shadows' main city on Z'ha'dum, resulting in his death.
The battle continued until, in 2261, when the Shadows unveiled their most powerful weapon yet seen, the Shadow Planet Killer. Faced with two superpowers actively using planet-destroying weapons, The Army of Light forces realized that they had to stop the two races and arranged a confrontation between the Vorlons and the Shadows at Coriana 6. During this engagement, other Firstones arrived to aid the alliance in defending themselves against the two violently conflicting societies. In the end, the Shadows, Vorlons, and all of the other remaining Firstones left local space to go beyond the rim, concluding the tradition established in the early years of the galaxy and leaving the younger races to their own devices.
[edit] Race Overview
[edit] Physiology
[edit] Physical Form
One of the most obvious differences we see between the shadows and other Firstones, such as the Vorlons, is that for reasons unknown they retained their physical form. Even as physical beings, their power and influence is certainly comparable to any of the other Firstones.
[edit] Characteristics
Appearing to be a consistent shade of black and having eight legs with a protruding, pentagonal "head" form (dominated by its 12 eyes, though in certain lighting conditions it appears they have 14 or 16 eyes) and what appear to be some form of claws, the Shadows are fearsome looking creatures.
Just like their ships, the Shadows are able to "phase" out of realspace into the nearest realm of hyperspace, leaving them solid but effectively invisible. However, they are not able to descend completely into hyperspace without one of their ships. This phasing can be detected, albeit momentarily, by observing in other wavelengths. It is clear Shadows have the ability to detect those observing them via recording devices, since they immediately phase to a different hyperspace region when detected.
[edit] Language
Shadow language, following closely to to the insect-theme found often within their forms, is a series of high pitch chips, trills, warbles, and shrieks, most of which are very subtle, going unheard by those not intended to hear them.
[edit] Societal Characteristics
One of the trademarks that is notably Shadow is that of chaos and conflict. Specifically contrary to the Vorlon point of view, the Shadows operate under the belief that races can only advance through a system similar to "Survival of the Fittest," and further their beliefs by actively inciting the younger races to fight one another to the death. But this act of forging strife between the races was rarely ever performed by the Shadows themselves. Rather, they worked quietly in the background, organizing and preparing quietly during the downtime between wars, both them and their minions rebuilding their forces in preparation for outright war. In that time, the shadows would "probe" worlds with various representatives, who in the case of Earth were Mr. Morden and Anna Sheridan.
In addition to this small group of individuals, the Shadows also had a large number of "Minion Races" who served under them, building the weapons used by the shadows and their allies, though rarely understanding them. Notable examples include the Drakh who would occupy a good deal of screentime later in the series, the Zener, and the Soldier of Darkness seen early in the second season.
[edit] Design Characteristics
Largely inspired by the Shadows themselves, Shadow technology is often black, most commonly organic in composition, and in most cases, encased in a spiked exterior very reminiscent of the Shadows' "skin." In most cases, shadow weaponry has a pink, purple, or blue hue (most commonly seen onscreen as magenta/fuscia).
[edit] Detailed Chronology
[edit] Pre-2258
Over the ages, the Shadows had fought a series of wars, the earliest known of which that is known was approximately 10,000 years before the time of Babylon 5, though these wars had been going on for millions of years at that time. The little information that has survived about the war some ten thousand years ago indicated that it was a great war, perhaps even more destructive then the war that would break out during 2260.
A thousand years before Babylon 5, another Shadow war developed. This war was nipped short by a Minbari-Vorlon alliance that struck at the Shadows before they were able to properly prepared to fight, leading to a relatively assured victory. The 'current' Shadow War (the one that takes place between 2260 and 2261) showed the Shadows taking a more cautious approach, taking their time to gather their forces and rebuild their Armada, featuring the much feared Shadow Warship.
In 2256, the Shadow homeworld, Z'ha'dum, was explored by an IPX ship, the Icarus. The crew of the Icarus awoke the Shadows, who killed or captured all of the crew to prevent anyone else from learning that the Shadows have returned until the time was right.
[edit] 2258 to 2261
Signs and Portents - The Shadows send their associate, Mr. Morden, to talk to the ambassadors on Babylon 5. Meeting with them, he simply asks "What do you want?" over and over. Delenn senses the Shadows with him, and refuses to speak to him, sending him away without answering his question. G'Kar says that he wants to seek revenge against the Centauri for the things they did to his people, but otherwise all he wants is his homeworld's safety. Londo says that he wants his people to reclaim their rightful place in the galaxy as leaders of a great empire.
[edit] 2262-Onwards
While the Shadows are now gone forever, their legacy--and their technology--will live on for many years to come.
Perhaps their most dangerous legacy are their closest followers, the Drakh.
[edit] See also
- People: Morden, Justin, Anna Sheridan
- Planets: Z'ha'dum, Coriana 6
- Ships: Shadow Warship, Shadow Fighter, Shadow Scout, Shadow Planet Killer
- Other Articles: Shadow Allies, Shadow War, Narn-Centauri War, Technomages
