Vorlon
From The Great Machine
Little is known of the Vorlons before 2257, and precious little after. No non-Vorlon ship entering Vorlon space has ever returned. The Vorlons say the losses were accidents, but few believe this explanation.
Contents |
[edit] Race Overview
[edit] Physiology
[edit] Physical Form
Vorlons, when not donning their Encounter Suits, are beings of pure energy. Long ago having given up their coporeal bodies in favor of their current form, they are incredibly developed in both mental and physical ability. They do not, however, reveal this to outsiders, presenting themselves exclusively through their Encounter Suits.
[edit] Encounter suit
Little is known about the exact nature of the Encounter Suit. It was surmised that Vorlons could not survive outside of their Encounter Suits for extended periods of time, but this is of questionable validity, as evidenced in the time near the closing the the Shadow War.
One confirmed feature of the Encounter Suit is its ability to translate Vorlon "speech" into something audible by other beings, and vice versa. This is not perfect as the listener hears remnants of natural Vorlon speech (see below) underneath the translation much in the way of a modern day television interpreter. Whether this imperfection is intentional or not (potentially used to reinforce the Vorlon mystique) has never been mentioned.
[edit] Language
While little is known about Vorlons, it has been seen that they communicate through what we would hear as a dischordant series of sounds and tones, similar in style to random notes of music backed by whistles.
Stuff about talking in riddles here. This article is a Stub. You can help The Great Machine by expanding it.
[edit] Societal Structure
The Vorlons, following the trend set by most of the races of the Firstones, are generally quiet and reserved, staying well within the portion of space they call their own, but in no way does this count them out as weak or soft. Numerous expeditions have been manned into Vorlon space over the centuries, all lost to accidents occuring near or on the borders. Not surprisingly, It is assumed that these ships were all destroyed. This article is a Stub. You can help The Great Machine by expanding it.
[edit] Design Characteristics
Vorlon Ships and Structures follow a very strict visual theme in regards to form and style. These craft are most easily identified by the trademark texture of Vorlon organic technology, most commonly seen as being primarily yellow with black "marks" floating on the surface, but variations skin's background hue towards red or green have been seen, albeit rarely. On top of this organic texture, Vorlon ships have always been seen as having four smoothly curving appendages extending from the front, the tips of which form the craft's only known weapons system.
[edit] Detailed Chronology
[edit] Pre-2257
The Last Great War against the Shadows occurred over ten thousand years before the Babylon stations were built. Virtually no records, save oral traditions, survive from that time.
A more recent war, a thousand years ago, known as the Last shadow war, involved the Vorlons and Minbari against the Shadows and their allies. Records from that conflict are sparse and stretch credibility.
[edit] 2257 to 2261
[edit] 2257
In 2257, Kosh Naranek was assigned by the Vorlon Empire as ambassador to Earth, stationed at Babylon 5. Immediately after arriving on Babylon 5, he became the victim of an attempt on his life, with all evidence indicating Commander Sinclair as the assailant. Upon discovering that the assassin was actually a Minbari attempting to frame Sinclair, the Vorlons halted a retaliatory assault on Babylon 5, with such force that the station would have easily been destroyed, and withdrew their fleet. (Pilot Movie, The Gathering)
[edit] 2258
Throughout the year 2258, the Vorlons largely fronted an aura of mystery, and, with the exception of abruptly killing Deathwalker and destroying her Anti-agapic (S1E13, Deathwalker), did little to attract attention. This pretense began to change when Mr. Morden arrived on station in mid-2258 (S1E16, Signs and Portents), asking the salutory question, "What do you want?".
[edit] 2259
When Captain Sheridan came aboard in 2259 (S2E01, Points of Departure), the Vorlons took an active interest in him. Though extremely resistant to Sheridan's overtures, Kosh began training him "to fight Legends." (S2E13, Hunter, Prey)
[edit] Quote
- Sheridan arrives in Ambassador Kosh's quarters, and asks the purpose of the meeting. "You wanted to see me?" he asks Kosh.
- Kosh: "You wanted to see me."
- Sheridan: "Well, I guess everybody does. To see what you really are inside that encounter suit."
- Kosh: "They are not ready. They would not understand."
- Sheridan: "Am I ready?"
- Kosh: "No. You do not even understand yourself."
- Sheridan: "Could you help me to understand you?"
- Kosh: "Can you help me to understand you?"
- Sheridan: "Well, I can try. Is that what you want? An exchange of information? I tell you something about me, and you tell me something about you?"
- Kosh: "No. You do not understand. Go." Kosh turns away.
- Sheridan: "Damn it, what do you want? What do you want from me? You know, ever since I got here, I've had the feeling that...that you've been watching me. The record shows you hardly ever went to council meetings until I showed up. When I was captured, it was you who reached out and touched my mind. And now you call me here? Why? Just to throw me out? Are we just toys to you? Huh? What do you want?"
- Kosh spins around and intones angrily, "Never ask that question!"
- Sheridan: "At least I got a response out of you. So, what'll it be, Ambassador?"
- Kosh: "I will teach you."
- Sheridan: "About yourself?"
- Kosh: "About you. Until you are ready."
- Sheridan: "For what?"
- Kosh: "To fight legends."
- Insert Info: Comes the Inquisitor
- Insert Info: The Fall of Night
- Insert Info: Matters of Honor
[edit] 2260
Through most of 2260, the Vorlons eschewed direct confrontation with the Shadows, even as the Shadows stepped up their attacks on and between the Non-Aligned Worlds. Their claim at this point was that time was not yet right for an act of such scale.
In 2260, Kosh Naranek was killed by Shadows after he grudgingly gave in to Sheridan and dispatched a Vorlon fleet to directly defend Brakiri space against a Shadow attack. He'd tried to warn Sheridan of the consequences, and his impending fate, but Sheridan failed to understand the message until it was too late.
[edit] 2261
After Kosh's death, the the Vorlons began a counter-offensive of their own, systematically eliminating any worlds suspected of Shadows' influence, though they never again attacked the Shadows directly.
Sheridan changed the rules and contrived a ploy to lure both the Vorlon and Shadow fleets to the Coriana system. For the first time in this war, Vorlons and Shadows were brought into direct conflict. With the help of the First Ones, the Vorlons and Shadows stood down, tested the younger races, and agreed to go beyond the rim and let the younger races live without interference.
