Lyta Alexander
Encyclopedia
Lyta Alexander is a character from the fictional universe of the science-fiction television series Babylon 5
, played by Patricia Tallman
.
Lyta was introduced in the pilot episode "The Gathering
" as a telepath
assigned to the Babylon 5
space station by the Psi Corps
, a fictional organization providing support to telepaths and monitoring their activity. However, she did not appear in the remainder of Season One due to a dispute concerning Tallman's salary. Lyta's role in the series was largely taken up by Andrea Thompson
, who was cast as Talia Winters
, a telepath who took over Lyta's responsibilities in the station. In the script it was implied that the latter had to be replaced, as she had made telepathic contact with Kosh, the ambassador
of the secretive Vorlon
Empire. After Thompson left the series due to disagreements regarding the amount of screen time given to her character, Lyta returned as a recurring character in Seasons Two and Three, and became a regular cast member from Season Four onward. Her character simply resumed the dramatic arc once intended for Thompson.
's then director Kevin Vacit. It is also stated in the book that the matrilineal tradition amongst families of telepaths was that the mother's unmarried name was carried forward to the children, which explains why generations of female telepaths, such as Lyta Alexander and Talia Winters
, all carry their surname down the generations.
In the series it is stated that Lyta was trained by the Psi Corps
, and that she briefly interned with the Psi Cops division. After an incident whilst accompanying Alfred Bester
, she transferred to commercial work. Originally, Alexander was a P5, or a telepath of average strength. In 2257, she was assigned as Babylon 5's first commercial telepath. Soon after arriving at the station, she scanned Vorlon Ambassador Kosh, in violation of the wishes of the Vorlon government, in order to try to discover the identity of his attacker.
It is stated in the Babylon 5 Book #4 Clark's Law, Chapter 9 that she is deaf, "Deaf from early childhood, she only knew the inner voices. The mind talk. Deaf, she could hear better than anyone alive"
among the Babylon 5
command staff, and returned to the station in late 2259 where she revealed Talia Winters
as an unwitting mole for secret forces in EarthGov and Psi Corps.
powers. Even she did not initially realize the full potency of her new abilities.
She returned to Babylon 5 as an aide to Ambassador Kosh. She was away when he was killed by the Shadows
, and resumed her duties under his successor. Although she did not have a piece of Kosh with her when he was killed, she was the first to realize that Sheridan did. Lyta also became the first telepath used to jam the core of a Shadow vessel, allowing its destruction by the Army of Light and producing the first victory in the Shadow War.
Lyta was key to eventual resolution of the Shadow War on Coriana 6, serving as the vessel through which Sheridan and Delenn
confronted the elder races and forced them to leave the galaxy. Immediately after the Shadow War, she was part of the expedition to the Shadows' homeworld of Z'ha'dum
. Using unknown abilities and implanted instructions from the Vorlons, she triggered the destruction of the planet to spite Alfred Bester
and to prevent Shadow technology from falling into the wrong hands.
However, after the conclusion of the Shadow War, she found herself unwelcome and had difficulty finding employment. As her salary was no longer being paid by the Vorlon government, Lyta had to find work elsewhere, but employers were reluctant to hire her because she was no longer a member of Psi Corps. She was eventually forced to make a deal with Alfred Bester
to rejoin the Corps, her name placed on a list for "deep cover agents," on the condition that she would give her body to the Corps for examination after she died. She would go on to play a decisive role in the end game of the Earth Civil War, triggering the Shadow-modified telepaths smuggled aboard Earth ships to disable the fleet at Mars. Also, during this period, Security Chief Zack Allan
began to fall in love with her, but nothing came of this save heartache, and a strong dislike for telepaths the following season, both on Zack's part. (Lyta was unaware of his feelings for her at the time.)
, the leader of a colony of rogue telepaths offered sanctuary aboard Babylon 5. Her contact, and sexual relationship, with Byron revealed to the telepaths that they had been created by the Vorlons as weapons for their war with the Shadows. This revelation directly led to Byron's disastrous confrontation with the Interstellar Alliance
. Although Byron eventually committed suicide rather than be captured by the Psi Corps, Alexander was inspired by his cause to create a homeworld for telepaths, and became the leader of a movement sponsoring violent resistance against the Corps.
Lyta also began to more thoroughly explore the abilities the Vorlons had given her. Over the second half of Season 5, she was able to forcibly extract information from non-telepathic minds, control masses of individuals, destroy security cameras and force individuals to commit suicide. She also retained information implanted by the Vorlons regarding menaces such as the jumpgate into Thirdspace. She once described herself as the telepathic equivalent of a doomsday weapon, hinting at even greater capabilities.
She was eventually arrested aboard Babylon 5 for supporting terrorism by John Sheridan
(whose contact with Vorlons gave him immunity to her Vorlon-enhanced telepathic abilities) in late 2262. Alexander then struck a deal with Michael Garibaldi
: he would use his contacts, gained both when he was the Head of Covert Intelligence for the Interstellar Alliance, and those from his current position as the head of Edgars Industries, to help her avoid prosecution, as well as provide funding for her cause. In return, Lyta would remove a telepathic block placed in his mind by Alfred Bester
. Former Narn
Ambassador G'Kar was leaving Babylon 5 at the same time, and took her with him on a mission of exploration.
material released since the end of the series. It is strongly implied in Crusade
and some of the canonical novels that her actions (both on Babylon 5 in 2262 and afterward) led to the Telepath War
of the mid-2260s, in which she was killed.
She parted company with G'Kar sometime prior to 2265, when he arrived on Minbar to participate in a diplomatic mission. While G'Kar commented on the absence of his companion, he did not provide details. This event, as depicted in The Legend of the Rangers
, took place after Lyta's death during the events of the Telepath War, as stated by J. Michael Straczynski
in The Babylon 5 Scripts of J. Michael Straczynski TV Movies.
As the leader of the Telepath Rebellion, possessing funding from Garibaldi though Edgars Industries, Lyta launched a successful campaign against the Psi Corps. The Psi Corps split into two factions. The first faction supported Bester and the second was sympathetic to Lyta. In an unspecified year, Lyta laid an ambush for Bester and his 200 most loyal telepath supporters. In a spectacular display of intuition, Bester escaped the ambush which killed all of his 200 supporters and Lyta.
The Telepath Rebellion succeeded in the end and Psi Corps was disbanded, giving way to the Metasensory Division. Many of the Psi Corps's command were imprisoned and the rest melted into the new Psi Corps. The saga ended with the capture of Bester and his final days in prison.
According to Straczynski, Lyta was intended to appear in the Crusade episode "The Path of Sorrows" as part of a flashback, but Tallman's salary could not be negotiated. The scene as aired featured an unnamed telepath who died striking against the Psi Corps. Whether or not this was intended to be Lyta, Straczynski confirmed Lyta did die in such an attack. In the aforementioned script book, Straczynski wrote that both Lyta and Lennier
were killed in the explosion of Psi Corps Headquarters in a major battle of the Telepath War. Hints about her death had also been stated by Straczynski in posts to the Babylon 5 newsgroup. and in the final novel of the Psi Corps Trilogy by J. Gregory Keyes
.
Babylon 5
Babylon 5 is an American science fiction television series created, produced and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. The show centers on a space station named Babylon 5: a focal point for politics, diplomacy, and conflict during the years 2257–2262...
, played by Patricia Tallman
Patricia Tallman
Patricia J. Tallman is an American actress and stunt performer, sometimes credited as Pat Tallman.-Early life:Patricia is the daughter of Jerry Tallman, a radio entertainer...
.
Lyta was introduced in the pilot episode "The Gathering
Babylon 5: The Gathering
Babylon 5: The Gathering is the pilot movie of the science fiction television series Babylon 5. The telefilm aired on February 22, 1993...
" as a telepath
Telepathy
Telepathy , is the induction of mental states from one mind to another. The term was coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Fredric W. H. Myers, a founder of the Society for Psychical Research, and has remained more popular than the more-correct expression thought-transference...
assigned to the Babylon 5
Babylon 5 (space station)
Babylon 5 is a fictional space station and the primary setting in the television series Babylon 5. Its design is a variation of an O'Neill cylinder....
space station by the Psi Corps
Psi Corps
In the fictional universe of Babylon 5, the Psi Corps is an agency of the Earth Alliance responsible for all humans with telepathic or other para-psychological abilities anywhere within Earth controlled space. All persons with Psi abilities are required to either join the Corps, face lifetime...
, a fictional organization providing support to telepaths and monitoring their activity. However, she did not appear in the remainder of Season One due to a dispute concerning Tallman's salary. Lyta's role in the series was largely taken up by Andrea Thompson
Andrea Thompson
Rebecca Andrea Thompson is an American actress, known for her roles on the television series Falcon Crest, Babylon 5, JAG, 24, Heroes and NYPD Blue.-Early life:...
, who was cast as Talia Winters
Talia Winters
Talia Winters is a fictional character appearing on the science fiction television show Babylon 5 during its first and second seasons. She was portrayed by actress Andrea Thompson....
, a telepath who took over Lyta's responsibilities in the station. In the script it was implied that the latter had to be replaced, as she had made telepathic contact with Kosh, the ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
of the secretive Vorlon
Vorlon
A Vorlon is a member of a fictional alien species in the Babylon 5 television series and fictional universe. The Vorlon species is a member of the First Ones, a group made up of the earliest species to gain sentience in the galaxy...
Empire. After Thompson left the series due to disagreements regarding the amount of screen time given to her character, Lyta returned as a recurring character in Seasons Two and Three, and became a regular cast member from Season Four onward. Her character simply resumed the dramatic arc once intended for Thompson.
Early life and career
Lyta Alexander was born on December 10, 2225. In the series' pilot, she is described as a sixth-generation telepath, although she points out that telepathy may have been running in her family undetected even earlier, since telepaths were not monitored before that generation. In the book Dark Genesis: The Birth of the Psi Corps, it is established that her lineage can be traced from her great-great-great grandmother, Desa Alexander, through Brenna Alexander and Michele Alexander to Lyta's grandmother Natasha Alexander, who was an aide to Psi CorpsPsi Corps
In the fictional universe of Babylon 5, the Psi Corps is an agency of the Earth Alliance responsible for all humans with telepathic or other para-psychological abilities anywhere within Earth controlled space. All persons with Psi abilities are required to either join the Corps, face lifetime...
's then director Kevin Vacit. It is also stated in the book that the matrilineal tradition amongst families of telepaths was that the mother's unmarried name was carried forward to the children, which explains why generations of female telepaths, such as Lyta Alexander and Talia Winters
Talia Winters
Talia Winters is a fictional character appearing on the science fiction television show Babylon 5 during its first and second seasons. She was portrayed by actress Andrea Thompson....
, all carry their surname down the generations.
In the series it is stated that Lyta was trained by the Psi Corps
Psi Corps
In the fictional universe of Babylon 5, the Psi Corps is an agency of the Earth Alliance responsible for all humans with telepathic or other para-psychological abilities anywhere within Earth controlled space. All persons with Psi abilities are required to either join the Corps, face lifetime...
, and that she briefly interned with the Psi Cops division. After an incident whilst accompanying Alfred Bester
Alfred Bester (Babylon 5)
Alfred Bester is a Babylon 5 character played by Walter Koenig. He is a senior Psi Cop and a recurring antagonist in the series. J. Michael Straczynski named the character after the science fiction writer Alfred Bester, since telepathy is a recurring theme in his work .-Early Life and Career:The...
, she transferred to commercial work. Originally, Alexander was a P5, or a telepath of average strength. In 2257, she was assigned as Babylon 5's first commercial telepath. Soon after arriving at the station, she scanned Vorlon Ambassador Kosh, in violation of the wishes of the Vorlon government, in order to try to discover the identity of his attacker.
It is stated in the Babylon 5 Book #4 Clark's Law, Chapter 9 that she is deaf, "Deaf from early childhood, she only knew the inner voices. The mind talk. Deaf, she could hear better than anyone alive"
Season Two
Lyta's experience with the Vorlon ambassador permanently changed her. She was recalled from her assignment a few weeks later and questioned regarding her encounter with Kosh. Interrogated for months by the Psi Corps, she eventually escaped and joined the Mars Resistance. While underground, she uncovered information regarding a moleMole (espionage)
A mole is a spy who works for an enemy nation, but whose loyalty ostensibly lies with his own nation's government. In some usage, a mole differs from a defector in that a mole is a spy before gaining access to classified information, while a defector becomes a spy only after gaining access...
among the Babylon 5
Babylon 5
Babylon 5 is an American science fiction television series created, produced and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. The show centers on a space station named Babylon 5: a focal point for politics, diplomacy, and conflict during the years 2257–2262...
command staff, and returned to the station in late 2259 where she revealed Talia Winters
Talia Winters
Talia Winters is a fictional character appearing on the science fiction television show Babylon 5 during its first and second seasons. She was portrayed by actress Andrea Thompson....
as an unwitting mole for secret forces in EarthGov and Psi Corps.
Season Three
In 2260, Lyta travelled to the Vorlon homeworld, one of the few known humans to do so and live. There, she was modified by the Vorlons, given gill-like implants to allow her to breathe in a Vorlon environment, the ability to "carry" a Vorlon consciousness, and tremendously increased telepathic and psychokineticPsychokinesis
The term psychokinesis , also referred to as telekinesis with respect to strictly describing movement of matter, sometimes abbreviated PK and TK respectively, is a term...
powers. Even she did not initially realize the full potency of her new abilities.
She returned to Babylon 5 as an aide to Ambassador Kosh. She was away when he was killed by the Shadows
Shadow (Babylon 5)
The Shadows are a fictional alien species in the science fiction television series Babylon 5. Their homeworld is Z'ha'dum. In contrast to the Vorlons, whose philosophy is represented by the question "Who are you?", that of the Shadows is represented by the question "What do you want?", centering...
, and resumed her duties under his successor. Although she did not have a piece of Kosh with her when he was killed, she was the first to realize that Sheridan did. Lyta also became the first telepath used to jam the core of a Shadow vessel, allowing its destruction by the Army of Light and producing the first victory in the Shadow War.
Season Four
As their war with the Shadows heightened in intensity, the Vorlons became more and more aggressive, eventually adopting a strategy in which they destroyed any world that had been "touched by the Shadows" — essentially, any world that had harbored the Shadows or their technology in any form. They ceased to care about the other races. Only their goal of completely wiping out the Shadows' influence mattered to them. Recognizing that the new Vorlon ambassador had become a threat to the security of the station, Sheridan and the command staff resolved to remove him from Babylon 5 in order to protect themselves. Lyta assisted them in this plot, tricking the ambassador into following her to an area of the station where he was forced into emerging from his encounter suit. The last fragment of Kosh then emerged from within Sheridan, at which point Kosh fought with his successor and eventually forced him out of the station.Lyta was key to eventual resolution of the Shadow War on Coriana 6, serving as the vessel through which Sheridan and Delenn
Delenn
Delenn is a fictional lead character in the universe of the science fiction television series Babylon 5, played by Mira Furlan.-Overview:Delenn, an alien ambassador and leader from the planet Minbar, is one of the pivotal characters in Babylon 5....
confronted the elder races and forced them to leave the galaxy. Immediately after the Shadow War, she was part of the expedition to the Shadows' homeworld of Z'ha'dum
Z'ha'dum (planet)
In the fictional Babylon 5 universe, Z'ha'dum was the homeworld of the ancient, mysterious race known as the Shadows. The planet is near the galactic rim...
. Using unknown abilities and implanted instructions from the Vorlons, she triggered the destruction of the planet to spite Alfred Bester
Alfred Bester (Babylon 5)
Alfred Bester is a Babylon 5 character played by Walter Koenig. He is a senior Psi Cop and a recurring antagonist in the series. J. Michael Straczynski named the character after the science fiction writer Alfred Bester, since telepathy is a recurring theme in his work .-Early Life and Career:The...
and to prevent Shadow technology from falling into the wrong hands.
However, after the conclusion of the Shadow War, she found herself unwelcome and had difficulty finding employment. As her salary was no longer being paid by the Vorlon government, Lyta had to find work elsewhere, but employers were reluctant to hire her because she was no longer a member of Psi Corps. She was eventually forced to make a deal with Alfred Bester
Alfred Bester (Babylon 5)
Alfred Bester is a Babylon 5 character played by Walter Koenig. He is a senior Psi Cop and a recurring antagonist in the series. J. Michael Straczynski named the character after the science fiction writer Alfred Bester, since telepathy is a recurring theme in his work .-Early Life and Career:The...
to rejoin the Corps, her name placed on a list for "deep cover agents," on the condition that she would give her body to the Corps for examination after she died. She would go on to play a decisive role in the end game of the Earth Civil War, triggering the Shadow-modified telepaths smuggled aboard Earth ships to disable the fleet at Mars. Also, during this period, Security Chief Zack Allan
Zack Allan
Zack Allan is a character in the fictional universe of the science-fiction television series Babylon 5, played by Jeff Conaway. He regularly appeared in the show from season 2 onwards. During the second and third seasons of the series he was a security officer on the Babylon 5 station...
began to fall in love with her, but nothing came of this save heartache, and a strong dislike for telepaths the following season, both on Zack's part. (Lyta was unaware of his feelings for her at the time.)
Season Five
In early 2262, Alexander became romantically involved with ByronByron (Babylon 5)
Byron Gordon, played by Robin Atkin Downes, is a fictional character from the television science fiction drama Babylon 5, introduced in the fifth and final season.- Fictional Biography :...
, the leader of a colony of rogue telepaths offered sanctuary aboard Babylon 5. Her contact, and sexual relationship, with Byron revealed to the telepaths that they had been created by the Vorlons as weapons for their war with the Shadows. This revelation directly led to Byron's disastrous confrontation with the Interstellar Alliance
Interstellar Alliance
The Interstellar Alliance is a fictional interstellar government of civilizations in the Babylon 5 universe.Formed in 2261 AD in the aftermath of the liberation of Earth and the Shadow War, the Interstellar Alliance was formed between the Minbari, Narn, Centauri, the Earth Alliance and the...
. Although Byron eventually committed suicide rather than be captured by the Psi Corps, Alexander was inspired by his cause to create a homeworld for telepaths, and became the leader of a movement sponsoring violent resistance against the Corps.
Lyta also began to more thoroughly explore the abilities the Vorlons had given her. Over the second half of Season 5, she was able to forcibly extract information from non-telepathic minds, control masses of individuals, destroy security cameras and force individuals to commit suicide. She also retained information implanted by the Vorlons regarding menaces such as the jumpgate into Thirdspace. She once described herself as the telepathic equivalent of a doomsday weapon, hinting at even greater capabilities.
She was eventually arrested aboard Babylon 5 for supporting terrorism by John Sheridan
John Sheridan (Babylon 5)
John J. Sheridan is a lead character in the fictional universe of the science-fiction television series Babylon 5, played by Bruce Boxleitner. For most of the series, he is the commander of the Babylon 5 station; during the series' final season he is the President of the Interstellar...
(whose contact with Vorlons gave him immunity to her Vorlon-enhanced telepathic abilities) in late 2262. Alexander then struck a deal with Michael Garibaldi
Michael Garibaldi
Michael Garibaldi is a lead fictional character in the universe of the science fiction television series Babylon 5, played by Jerry Doyle.-Overview:...
: he would use his contacts, gained both when he was the Head of Covert Intelligence for the Interstellar Alliance, and those from his current position as the head of Edgars Industries, to help her avoid prosecution, as well as provide funding for her cause. In return, Lyta would remove a telepathic block placed in his mind by Alfred Bester
Alfred Bester (Babylon 5)
Alfred Bester is a Babylon 5 character played by Walter Koenig. He is a senior Psi Cop and a recurring antagonist in the series. J. Michael Straczynski named the character after the science fiction writer Alfred Bester, since telepathy is a recurring theme in his work .-Early Life and Career:The...
. Former Narn
Narn
The Narn are a fictional alien race in the universe of the Babylon 5 television series. Their homeworld is also called Narn.-Homeworld:Narn is the homeworld of the Narn and the Narn Regime. Its day is 31 hours long. Prior to the Centauri's first invasion, Narn was a healthy green planet. Now it...
Ambassador G'Kar was leaving Babylon 5 at the same time, and took her with him on a mission of exploration.
After the series
Lyta does not appear in any of the canonicalCanon (fiction)
In the context of a work of fiction, the term canon denotes the material accepted as "official" in a fictional universe's fan base. It is often contrasted with, or used as the basis for, works of fan fiction, which are not considered canonical...
material released since the end of the series. It is strongly implied in Crusade
Crusade (TV series)
Crusade is a spin-off TV show from J. Michael Straczynski's Babylon 5. Its plot is set in AD 2267, five years after the events of Babylon 5, and just after the movie A Call to Arms. A race called the Drakh have released a nanovirus plague on Earth, which will destroy all life on Earth within five...
and some of the canonical novels that her actions (both on Babylon 5 in 2262 and afterward) led to the Telepath War
Telepath War
The Telepath War is a conflict in the fictional Babylon 5 universe. This conflict occurs a few years after the events of the television series, and before the events of the Crusade television series...
of the mid-2260s, in which she was killed.
She parted company with G'Kar sometime prior to 2265, when he arrived on Minbar to participate in a diplomatic mission. While G'Kar commented on the absence of his companion, he did not provide details. This event, as depicted in The Legend of the Rangers
Babylon 5: The Legend of the Rangers
-External links:* at...
, took place after Lyta's death during the events of the Telepath War, as stated by J. Michael Straczynski
J. Michael Straczynski
Joseph Michael Straczynski , known professionally as J. Michael Straczynski and informally as Joe Straczynski or JMS, is an American writer and television producer. He works in films, television series, novels, short stories, comic books, and radio dramas. He is a playwright, a former journalist,...
in The Babylon 5 Scripts of J. Michael Straczynski TV Movies.
As the leader of the Telepath Rebellion, possessing funding from Garibaldi though Edgars Industries, Lyta launched a successful campaign against the Psi Corps. The Psi Corps split into two factions. The first faction supported Bester and the second was sympathetic to Lyta. In an unspecified year, Lyta laid an ambush for Bester and his 200 most loyal telepath supporters. In a spectacular display of intuition, Bester escaped the ambush which killed all of his 200 supporters and Lyta.
The Telepath Rebellion succeeded in the end and Psi Corps was disbanded, giving way to the Metasensory Division. Many of the Psi Corps's command were imprisoned and the rest melted into the new Psi Corps. The saga ended with the capture of Bester and his final days in prison.
According to Straczynski, Lyta was intended to appear in the Crusade episode "The Path of Sorrows" as part of a flashback, but Tallman's salary could not be negotiated. The scene as aired featured an unnamed telepath who died striking against the Psi Corps. Whether or not this was intended to be Lyta, Straczynski confirmed Lyta did die in such an attack. In the aforementioned script book, Straczynski wrote that both Lyta and Lennier
Lennier
Lennier is a character in the fictional universe of the science-fiction television series Babylon 5, played by Bill Mumy. He is Minbari and acts as ambassadorial aide to Delenn throughout most of the series.-Background and career:...
were killed in the explosion of Psi Corps Headquarters in a major battle of the Telepath War. Hints about her death had also been stated by Straczynski in posts to the Babylon 5 newsgroup. and in the final novel of the Psi Corps Trilogy by J. Gregory Keyes
Gregory Keyes
Gregory Keyes is an American writer of science fiction and fantasy who has written both original and media-related novels under both the names "J. Gregory Keyes" and "Greg Keyes". He is famous for his quartet The Age of Unreason, a steampunk/alchemical story starring Benjamin Franklin and Isaac...
.
External links
- Lyta Alexander at The Babylon Project, a Babylon 5 wiki.
- Lyta Alexander at The Great Machine.