Minbari
Encyclopedia
The Minbari are a fictional alien
race featured in the television show Babylon 5
. The Minbari characters of Delenn
and Lennier
figure prominently throughout the series; Neroon
, Draal
, and Dukhat are less prominent Minbari characters.
The fictional planet of Minbar is the homeworld of the Minbari race. The planet and race were named by Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski
after the Islam
ic pulpit known as a minbar
.
They use base-eleven mathematics but also place a great emphasis on the number three.
Although the Minbari are considerably younger than the ancient First Ones, they are among the oldest of the "younger races". The Minbari are more advanced in technology than humans
, and have had spaceflight capability for over 1,000 years.
In the Babylon 5 universe, Minbar is a planet in the system of Chi Draconis
— a binary star system
just over 25 light years from Earth. It is the seventh planet in orbit around the local suns and has two moons. Its day is shorter than Earth's, at 20 hours and 47 minutes, and its year is about 1.5 Earth years. Like Earth, Minbar has an oxygen/nitrogen atmosphere. The polar caps are larger than those on Earth; the northern cap covers 23% of the planet's surface and, on the whole, Minbar's climate is colder than that of Earth - more like the climate on Earth during the last Ice Age. The planet is noted for vast crystalline structures; many cities are carved directly from crystal. The population of the planet is about 4 billion, and the capital city is located at Yedor.
in appearance. Unlike humans, Minbari are generally bald; however, some males are capable of growing facial hair. It is suspected that Minbari with facial hair are children of Valen
, as the gene for hair comes from Valen's human DNA. They have light-toned skin and a large external bone crest on the back of their heads. Minbari have ears similar in shape to human ears, but smaller and located just above the neck on each side of the head. Minbari have a longer life span than humans do, living as long as 120 standard Earth years and, in some cases, even longer.
The Minbari sense of taste is not as developed as that of human beings but they have a more acute sense of hearing. Because of this weak sense of taste, Minbari prefer hot, spicy foods. Minbari do not drink beverages containing alcohol
because it affects their systems in such a way that causes psychosis
and homicidal rages, even in small amounts. Minbari also have a lower tolerance for hot and humid weather than humans, due to their race having evolved on the seventh planet of the Minbar Solar System, where one-quarter of the planet's surface is dominated by the Northern Polar ice cap
.
The notable bone crest structure on the back and sides of their head is an extension of their skull. Minbari are born with smooth heads; the bone crest grows over time. Female Minbari have a smooth bone crest which tapers to a single point at the back of the head; males typically have crests which taper to several points along the bone, although smooth bones crests among males (especially from the worker and religious castes) are not uncommon. Interestingly Warrior Caste females are known to have "masculine" headcrests, as seen with the males of their caste.
The Minbari physically have more stamina than humans, and can sustain injuries that would be fatal to a human. They are physically stronger than humans, as demonstrated by Lennier
lifting a human male by the neck with one arm in one episode. Their headbone protects their cranium and brain from impacts that would be fatal to other races. Minbari can also tolerate a much greater blood loss than humans can. Dr. Franklin
of Babylon 5
theorized that this was one of the reasons why the Minbari were so successful in the Earth-Minbari War
- they could survive injuries and battle wounds that would kill or incapacitate a human, and they could keep fighting longer than most human soldiers could.
The Minbari reproduce sexually, in a manner similar to that of humans; their sexual anatomy is also similar to that of humans. As a rule, Minbari do not mate outside of their species, believing that it would disrupt their racial purity. However Ambassador Delenn
married former Earthforce Captain John Sheridan
(later President of the Alliance), and their union produced a son, David. This would normally be impossible, as Minbari and humans are not genetically compatible, but Delenn's transformation into a Human/Minbari hybrid, in addition to the fact that she was a descendant of the "Minbari not of Minbari" (Jeffery Sinclair, former CO of Babylon 5, who went into the past and was transformed himself into a Human/Minbari hybrid - Valen) made it possible for her and Sheridan to have a child together.
As with Humans and most other sentient species in the Babylon 5 universe, a small percentage of the Minbari population are telepaths
. They seem to be evenly divided among all three castes, though most of them are expected to live as part of the Religious caste from birth. For Minbari, telepathy is seen as a gift from the Universe, and telepaths are highly honored in Minbari society.
A million years in the future, the Minbari will eventually evolve to First One status, as do the humans ("The Deconstruction of Falling Stars
").
ruled by the Grey Council. Although there is a capital city on Minbar, Yedor, the Grey Council usually meets on board a starship, the Grey Sharlin, also known as the Valen'tha or "Hand of Valen
".
The Grey Council
is made up of nine individuals, originally three each from the Minbari's three social classes, Warrior, Religious, and Worker. Delenn, a former member of the Grey Council, broke the council, in accordance with Valen's prophecy, in response to their refusal to act during a time of galactic crisis, stating "the problems of others are not our concern". Later, after a civil war among the Minbari, and Delenn enduring a pre-Grey Council Minbari ceremony to select a leader, known as the Starfire Wheel, Delenn established a new Grey Council that was now composed of two Warriors, two Religious, and five Workers. The position of leader was held vacant in memory of Neroon who had died in Delenn's place in the Starfire Wheel. This gave the long-overlooked Worker caste a majority voice. Members of the council are addressed by other Minbari with the honorific title "Satai".
s, similar to Georges Dumézil
's trifunctional hypothesis
. These castes are called Worker, Warrior, and Religious; Neroon
succinctly describes their roles to Delenn
thus: "They [the Worker Caste] build; you [the Religious Caste] pray; we [the Warrior Caste] fight", though in an early episide, Lennier states in an interview conducted by a human character that the Minbari have only two castes, Religious and Warrior before pointing out that he and Delenn are both of the Religious caste. Membership in a caste appears to be a hereditary matter - children of parents from one caste will usually follow their parents. If the parents are of different castes, the mother's caste takes precedence - any children would belong to the mother's caste. Sometimes Minbari who have a deep feeling for one caste - which they refer to as a "Calling of the Heart" - will join a different caste. The castes are not as limited as their titles would suggest, and to some degree try to be self-sufficient. For instance, all three castes maintain armed security forces. However, the only caste permitted to maintain a full military force among the three has always been the Warrior Caste, with the exception of the Grey Council's Sharlin Class Warcruiser
s. In 2260, the Religious Caste broke this tenet held so importantly by the Warriors, in having their members work as assistants to the Anla'Shok, crewing the White Star Fleet in battle, and helping the Worker Caste to build the ships. Although never explicitly stated, it is implied that the worker caste is much larger than the warrior or religious castes.
Each Minbari caste has leaders which are referred to as elders. These elders oversee the governance of the internal matters of the caste.
Until the breaking of the Grey Council in 2260 each caste held equal power, an institution created by Valen
a thousand years before to put an end to civil war between the castes and unite them against a common enemy, the Shadows
. Following the reformation of the council, the workers were given a majority of 5 satai, with the warrior and the religious castes both having 2 representatives.
During the Earth-Minbari war, many of the Warrior Caste fought and died during the war. When the Religious Caste called off the war during the Battle of the Line
, the Grey Council
did not tell their Generals why they were stopping the war. Sineval - one of the war leaders and commander of the Trigati
- committed suicide rather than obey the order. The Trigati's second in command Kalain took the ship and disappeared into hyperspace for the next ten years. At this point, a rift began to form between the Warrior and Religious Castes.
There were two further incidents with the Warrior Caste during the first few years the Babylon 5
station was operational. In 2259, the Warcruiser
Ingata was carrying the body of the war leader Branmer home after he died off planet. Branmer's second, Neroon
, took his body to be viewed by every Minbari population from where he died to their homeworld. When they arrived at Babylon 5, a viewing was planned. Branmer's body disappeared during the night. The disappearance led to a tense situation between the humans and Minbari, until Delenn revealed that she took the body and cremated it because Neroon had ignored Branmer's wishes to be cremated and have a simple funeral. In 2260, the Trigati reappeared when Captain John Sheridan took command of Babylon 5. The Trigati tried to provoke Sheridan into attacking them, but the captain realized their plan and refused to provide the pretext for a renewed war. Instead, he sent a message for a Minbari war cruiser that was standing by in hyperspace on orders of the Minbari government to capture the renegade ship upon word of a sighting. In the ensuing confrontation, that vessel crippled The Trigati's propulsion system, but the crew committed suicide rather than surrender.
In 2260 the Warrior Caste gained dominance in the Grey Council when Delenn was voted off the council and Neroon replaced her. As a result, the traditional balance was upset. The Warrior Caste did not want to become involved in the Shadow War
. Later, Delenn would break the council when the council refused to take an active role in the war. For the next year, the entire Minbari race was involved in fighting the Shadow War, and the differences between the castes was largely forgotten during this time. When Delenn became the Entil'za of the Rangers (or Anla'Shok in Minbari), Neroon opposed her initially but when the human Ranger Marcus Cole
nearly died forcibly impeding his path to Delenn, the warrior realized that he himself could not inspire such loyalty with the Rangers and forfeited his challenge.
Following the Shadows' departure, a vacuum of power became more apparent. The Warrior Caste began to struggle with the Religious Caste for dominance. They evicted members of the Religious Caste from cities they did not wish to share, and stopped honoring agreements that the Religious Caste made on behalf of the Minbari. Eventually a brief civil war broke out between the two castes. Working with Neroon, Delenn managed to end the war. She and the leader of the Warrior Caste, Warleader Shakiri, went into the Starfire Wheel, and the energy of the wheel began to burn them. Delenn managed to stay in the wheel longer than Shakiri, and when it became apparent that she was going to sacrifice herself, Neroon sacrificed himself, declaring at the end that he was a member of the Religious Caste.
With the war over, Delenn formed a new Grey Council. This time however, the Worker Caste was given control of the council - there were five Worker Caste members, and two each from the Religious and Warrior Caste on the council. She explained that religion and war had to exist in the service of the people, not the other way around.
Several Warrior caste members play a significant role in the series. Neroon appears in several episodes. He is a member of the Warrior Caste from the Star Riders clan. He later became a member of the Grey Council - replacing Delenn and creating an imbalance in the caste system representation on the council. Converting to the Religious Caste in the final moments of his life, he died in 2261 in the Starfire wheel. He was played by John Vickery
.
or pandeism
), this could also be a reference to the quote "We are a way for the universe to know itself" from astronomer Carl Sagan
.
Valen
is a central figure in Minbari religion. However, Valen is not considered a deity. He was a "Minbari not born of Minbari". About AD 1260, a fortress
suddenly appeared in Minbari space, on which resided Valen flanked by Vorlons, who then led the Minbari people against the Shadows. Valen was in fact a human—Jeffrey Sinclair
—who had subjected himself to a process that made him into a human/Minbari hybrid. After the war, Valen helped restructure Minbari society, organizing the Grey Council
to lead it. These nine individuals came from each of the three castes. This form of government remained stable for a thousand years until the next Shadow War
. Valen knew the Shadows would return and wrote prophecies to warn the Minbari when the next war was starting. After these tasks were completed, Valen left Minbar; the remainder of his life and eventual fate is still a mystery, though it has since been kept a secret by the Grey Council that he did have a wife and children in self-imposed exile, most of whom returned to Minbari society in secret, had families of their own, and added human DNA to the Minbari gene pool. Minbari with human DNA are consequently called "children of Valen". Delenn will eventually learn she is herself a "child of Valen".
Minbari people believe in reincarnation
. They feel that after an individual has died, the soul of the individual joins with all the other departed Minbari souls. The souls then all meld together becoming one. Then the souls are reborn into the next generation of Minbari. Thus Minbari do not welcome Soul Hunters
—their gathering of souls interferes with the reincarnation process. This was the central reason behind the Minbari stopping their genocidal war with the humans
, as they had found "that Minbari souls were reborn in human bodies" as well as the fact that the Minbari have some human DNA. Since the Minbari find the concept of killing fellow members of their species horrifically unacceptable, the sudden revelation that their young enemy had this unexpected link to themselves put them under the same consideration.
, an episode during which a human boarded Babylon 5 searching for the holy grail
and Delenn aided him in his quest, and in the episode Passing Through Gethsemane.
Examples:
of English letters. This is occasionally used to create in-joke
s, which at the time were understood only by the staff.
In the Season 2 episode "There All the Honor Lies," an important-looking message is displayed on Delenn
's computer, which actually reads, "Chester is very spoiled. I guess it's my fault. I loved him too much." Later, in "Dust to Dust," Vir Cotto
returns to Babylon 5 from Minbar, proudly wearing a short robe they had given him. The letters on it spell out "ALOHA."
A testament to the incredible power of Minbari technology is the Earth-Minbari war. At the start of it, Earth was a major power in the galaxy, with a star navy thousands of ships strong. The Minbari swept through all of Earth's arsenal as if it were reeds in a wind, destroying entire Earthforce fleets within minutes. At the Battle of the Line, almost 20,000 Earth ships faced a Minbari fleet about 800 strong, and they all knew from the start that they had no chance whatsoever of defeating them. Minbari losses were bare and minimal, while of the Earth ships, a mere handful remained when the cease-fire was called. In fact, the only Human commander to succeed in destroying one of the dreaded Minbari Sharlin-class war cruisers during the course of the war was John Sheridan
, and he managed that only through unorthodox tactics and sheer luck.
The Minbari are quite capable of withstanding an attack by any of the younger races. Their might pales, however, in comparison with the terrible power of the First Ones. It did not seem to matter very much whether it were Earth or Minbari ships that found themselves on the receiving end of a Shadow Battlecrab's death ray, they got all destroyed the same. It took the best of Minbari and Earth technology combined with significant enhancements by the Vorlons to create a ship capable of at least standing up to the Shadows (the White Star cruisers), though still with quite an unfavorable kill ratio.
.
It is quite compact and easy to carry, but can open up to be a formidable weapon. The weapon is not dependent on an energy source, unlike the PPG
pistols carried by Earthforce personnel. Despite its inaccurate nomeclature, the Denn'Bok is in fact a metal quarterstaff with no piercing spearhead. It takes a great deal of training and skill to use the weapon in an effective and in a relatively safe manner. Most weapons are quite old - the pike Marcus Cole
carried was at least 700 years old. As the weapon is handed down from generation to generation, production of new pikes is rather limited. Because of the effort to keep the fighting pikes from falling into the wrong hands, they can fetch a considerable price on the black market.
Extraterrestrial life in popular culture
In popular cultures, "extraterrestrials" are life forms — especially intelligent life forms— that are of extraterrestrial origin .-Historical ideas:-Pre-modern:...
race featured in the television show 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...
. The Minbari characters of 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....
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:...
figure prominently throughout the series; Neroon
Neroon
Neroon is a fictional character in the universe of the science-fiction television series Babylon 5, portrayed by John Vickery. He was a recurring guest character throughout the series.-Background:...
, Draal
Draal
Draal is a fictional character in the universe of the science fiction television series Babylon 5, played first by Louis Turenne and later by John Schuck.-Overview:...
, and Dukhat are less prominent Minbari characters.
The fictional planet of Minbar is the homeworld of the Minbari race. The planet and race were named by Babylon 5 creator 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,...
after the Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic pulpit known as a minbar
Minbar
A minbar is a pulpit in the mosque where the imam stands to deliver sermons or in the Hussainia where the speaker sits and lectures the congregation...
.
They use base-eleven mathematics but also place a great emphasis on the number three.
Homeworld
Babylon 5 ran for five full television seasons, and also included a number of made-for-TV movies. In the beginning, the audience knows little of the Minbari, but episodes progressively reveal more.Although the Minbari are considerably younger than the ancient First Ones, they are among the oldest of the "younger races". The Minbari are more advanced in technology than humans
Human (Babylon 5)
Humans are one of the many races in the fictional Babylon 5 universe. They appear in all seasons of Babylon 5, and all of its spinoffs. Their homeworld is Earth, from which the interstellar Earth Alliance is governed...
, and have had spaceflight capability for over 1,000 years.
In the Babylon 5 universe, Minbar is a planet in the system of Chi Draconis
Chi Draconis
Chi Draconis is a star system in the constellation Draco.The first companion is a yellow-white fourth-magnitude star with a mass approximately equal to that of the sun, but it is nearly twice as luminous. The second companion is an orange sixth-magnitude star, that is less massive and of lesser...
— a binary star system
Star system
A star system or stellar system is a small number of stars which orbit each other, bound by gravitational attraction. A large number of stars bound by gravitation is generally called a star cluster or galaxy, although, broadly speaking, they are also star systems.-Binary star systems:A stellar...
just over 25 light years from Earth. It is the seventh planet in orbit around the local suns and has two moons. Its day is shorter than Earth's, at 20 hours and 47 minutes, and its year is about 1.5 Earth years. Like Earth, Minbar has an oxygen/nitrogen atmosphere. The polar caps are larger than those on Earth; the northern cap covers 23% of the planet's surface and, on the whole, Minbar's climate is colder than that of Earth - more like the climate on Earth during the last Ice Age. The planet is noted for vast crystalline structures; many cities are carved directly from crystal. The population of the planet is about 4 billion, and the capital city is located at Yedor.
Biology
The Minbari are humanoidHumanoid
A humanoid is something that has an appearance resembling a human being. The term first appeared in 1912 to refer to fossils which were morphologically similar to, but not identical with, those of the human skeleton. Although this usage was common in the sciences for much of the 20th century, it...
in appearance. Unlike humans, Minbari are generally bald; however, some males are capable of growing facial hair. It is suspected that Minbari with facial hair are children of Valen
Valen
Valen is a character in the fictional universe of the science-fiction television series Babylon 5. Although he has only one scene in the show, he is an important character in the history of the Minbari, and is frequently mentioned...
, as the gene for hair comes from Valen's human DNA. They have light-toned skin and a large external bone crest on the back of their heads. Minbari have ears similar in shape to human ears, but smaller and located just above the neck on each side of the head. Minbari have a longer life span than humans do, living as long as 120 standard Earth years and, in some cases, even longer.
The Minbari sense of taste is not as developed as that of human beings but they have a more acute sense of hearing. Because of this weak sense of taste, Minbari prefer hot, spicy foods. Minbari do not drink beverages containing alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
because it affects their systems in such a way that causes psychosis
Psychosis
Psychosis means abnormal condition of the mind, and is a generic psychiatric term for a mental state often described as involving a "loss of contact with reality"...
and homicidal rages, even in small amounts. Minbari also have a lower tolerance for hot and humid weather than humans, due to their race having evolved on the seventh planet of the Minbar Solar System, where one-quarter of the planet's surface is dominated by the Northern Polar ice cap
Ice cap
An ice cap is an ice mass that covers less than 50 000 km² of land area . Masses of ice covering more than 50 000 km² are termed an ice sheet....
.
The notable bone crest structure on the back and sides of their head is an extension of their skull. Minbari are born with smooth heads; the bone crest grows over time. Female Minbari have a smooth bone crest which tapers to a single point at the back of the head; males typically have crests which taper to several points along the bone, although smooth bones crests among males (especially from the worker and religious castes) are not uncommon. Interestingly Warrior Caste females are known to have "masculine" headcrests, as seen with the males of their caste.
The Minbari physically have more stamina than humans, and can sustain injuries that would be fatal to a human. They are physically stronger than humans, as demonstrated by 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:...
lifting a human male by the neck with one arm in one episode. Their headbone protects their cranium and brain from impacts that would be fatal to other races. Minbari can also tolerate a much greater blood loss than humans can. Dr. Franklin
Stephen Franklin
Stephen Franklin is a lead character in the fictional universe of the science fiction television series Babylon 5, played by the late Richard Biggs. He serves as the chief medical officer on the Babylon 5 space station.-Personality:...
of 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...
theorized that this was one of the reasons why the Minbari were so successful in the Earth-Minbari War
Earth-Minbari War
The Earth–Minbari War is a fictional war that formed a major part of the back story of the science fiction television series, Babylon 5. The war was fought between the Earth Alliance and the Minbari, an older alien race that overwhelmingly outmatched Earth in terms of technology and weapons...
- they could survive injuries and battle wounds that would kill or incapacitate a human, and they could keep fighting longer than most human soldiers could.
The Minbari reproduce sexually, in a manner similar to that of humans; their sexual anatomy is also similar to that of humans. As a rule, Minbari do not mate outside of their species, believing that it would disrupt their racial purity. However Ambassador 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....
married former Earthforce Captain 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...
(later President of the Alliance), and their union produced a son, David. This would normally be impossible, as Minbari and humans are not genetically compatible, but Delenn's transformation into a Human/Minbari hybrid, in addition to the fact that she was a descendant of the "Minbari not of Minbari" (Jeffery Sinclair, former CO of Babylon 5, who went into the past and was transformed himself into a Human/Minbari hybrid - Valen) made it possible for her and Sheridan to have a child together.
As with Humans and most other sentient species in the Babylon 5 universe, a small percentage of the Minbari population are telepaths
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...
. They seem to be evenly divided among all three castes, though most of them are expected to live as part of the Religious caste from birth. For Minbari, telepathy is seen as a gift from the Universe, and telepaths are highly honored in Minbari society.
A million years in the future, the Minbari will eventually evolve to First One status, as do the humans ("The Deconstruction of Falling Stars
The Deconstruction of Falling Stars
"The Deconstruction of Falling Stars" is the final episode of the fourth season of the science-fiction television series Babylon 5. This was the final episode of Babylon 5 to air on PTEN.-Synopsis:...
").
Government
The Minbari Federation is the government of the Minbari worlds and colonies; it is based on Minbar, the ancestral home world. The Federation is an oligarchyOligarchy
Oligarchy is a form of power structure in which power effectively rests with an elite class distinguished by royalty, wealth, family ties, commercial, and/or military legitimacy...
ruled by the Grey Council. Although there is a capital city on Minbar, Yedor, the Grey Council usually meets on board a starship, the Grey Sharlin, also known as the Valen'tha or "Hand of Valen
Valen
Valen is a character in the fictional universe of the science-fiction television series Babylon 5. Although he has only one scene in the show, he is an important character in the history of the Minbari, and is frequently mentioned...
".
The Grey Council
Grey Council
In the Babylon 5 fictional universe, the Grey Council is the governing body of the Minbari Federation. Its members carry the title satai...
is made up of nine individuals, originally three each from the Minbari's three social classes, Warrior, Religious, and Worker. Delenn, a former member of the Grey Council, broke the council, in accordance with Valen's prophecy, in response to their refusal to act during a time of galactic crisis, stating "the problems of others are not our concern". Later, after a civil war among the Minbari, and Delenn enduring a pre-Grey Council Minbari ceremony to select a leader, known as the Starfire Wheel, Delenn established a new Grey Council that was now composed of two Warriors, two Religious, and five Workers. The position of leader was held vacant in memory of Neroon who had died in Delenn's place in the Starfire Wheel. This gave the long-overlooked Worker caste a majority voice. Members of the council are addressed by other Minbari with the honorific title "Satai".
Society
The Minbari society is structured around three quasi-ethnic casteCaste
Caste is an elaborate and complex social system that combines elements of endogamy, occupation, culture, social class, tribal affiliation and political power. It should not be confused with race or social class, e.g. members of different castes in one society may belong to the same race, as in India...
s, similar to Georges Dumézil
Georges Dumézil
Georges Dumézil was a French comparative philologist best known for his analysis of sovereignty and power in Proto-Indo-European religion and society...
's trifunctional hypothesis
Trifunctional hypothesis
The trifunctional hypothesis of prehistoric Proto-Indo-European society postulates a tripartite ideology reflected in the existence of three classes or castes—priests, warriors, and commoners —corresponding to the three functions of the sacral, the martial and the economic, respectively...
. These castes are called Worker, Warrior, and Religious; Neroon
Neroon
Neroon is a fictional character in the universe of the science-fiction television series Babylon 5, portrayed by John Vickery. He was a recurring guest character throughout the series.-Background:...
succinctly describes their roles to 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....
thus: "They [the Worker Caste] build; you [the Religious Caste] pray; we [the Warrior Caste] fight", though in an early episide, Lennier states in an interview conducted by a human character that the Minbari have only two castes, Religious and Warrior before pointing out that he and Delenn are both of the Religious caste. Membership in a caste appears to be a hereditary matter - children of parents from one caste will usually follow their parents. If the parents are of different castes, the mother's caste takes precedence - any children would belong to the mother's caste. Sometimes Minbari who have a deep feeling for one caste - which they refer to as a "Calling of the Heart" - will join a different caste. The castes are not as limited as their titles would suggest, and to some degree try to be self-sufficient. For instance, all three castes maintain armed security forces. However, the only caste permitted to maintain a full military force among the three has always been the Warrior Caste, with the exception of the Grey Council's Sharlin Class Warcruiser
Sharlin Class Warcruiser
The Sharlin Class Warcruiser is the main starship used by the Minbari Federation in the fictional Babylon 5 universe. Also commonly known as the Minbari War Cruiser, the Sharlin class is very large but conflicting sizes have been noted by different resources...
s. In 2260, the Religious Caste broke this tenet held so importantly by the Warriors, in having their members work as assistants to the Anla'Shok, crewing the White Star Fleet in battle, and helping the Worker Caste to build the ships. Although never explicitly stated, it is implied that the worker caste is much larger than the warrior or religious castes.
Each Minbari caste has leaders which are referred to as elders. These elders oversee the governance of the internal matters of the caste.
Until the breaking of the Grey Council in 2260 each caste held equal power, an institution created by Valen
Valen
Valen is a character in the fictional universe of the science-fiction television series Babylon 5. Although he has only one scene in the show, he is an important character in the history of the Minbari, and is frequently mentioned...
a thousand years before to put an end to civil war between the castes and unite them against a common enemy, 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...
. Following the reformation of the council, the workers were given a majority of 5 satai, with the warrior and the religious castes both having 2 representatives.
Warrior caste
Members of this caste primarily serve as members of the military and protectors of the Minbari. The members of the Warrior Caste are the most aggressive of Minbari.During the Earth-Minbari war, many of the Warrior Caste fought and died during the war. When the Religious Caste called off the war during the Battle of the Line
Battle of the Line
In the Babylon 5 fictional universe, the Battle of the Line was the final battle of the Earth-Minbari war. The Battle of the Line was a desperate attempt by the Earth Alliance to stop a Minbari combat fleet from attacking Earth. Over 20,000 Human defenders fought in the battle; including most of...
, the Grey Council
Grey Council
In the Babylon 5 fictional universe, the Grey Council is the governing body of the Minbari Federation. Its members carry the title satai...
did not tell their Generals why they were stopping the war. Sineval - one of the war leaders and commander of the Trigati
Trigati
The Trigati was a fictional space vessel which featured in the Babylon 5 episode "Points of Departure." It was a Sharlin-class Minbari war cruiser.The Trigati was at the Battle of the Line....
- committed suicide rather than obey the order. The Trigati's second in command Kalain took the ship and disappeared into hyperspace for the next ten years. At this point, a rift began to form between the Warrior and Religious Castes.
There were two further incidents with the Warrior Caste during the first few years 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...
station was operational. In 2259, the Warcruiser
Sharlin Class Warcruiser
The Sharlin Class Warcruiser is the main starship used by the Minbari Federation in the fictional Babylon 5 universe. Also commonly known as the Minbari War Cruiser, the Sharlin class is very large but conflicting sizes have been noted by different resources...
Ingata was carrying the body of the war leader Branmer home after he died off planet. Branmer's second, Neroon
Neroon
Neroon is a fictional character in the universe of the science-fiction television series Babylon 5, portrayed by John Vickery. He was a recurring guest character throughout the series.-Background:...
, took his body to be viewed by every Minbari population from where he died to their homeworld. When they arrived at Babylon 5, a viewing was planned. Branmer's body disappeared during the night. The disappearance led to a tense situation between the humans and Minbari, until Delenn revealed that she took the body and cremated it because Neroon had ignored Branmer's wishes to be cremated and have a simple funeral. In 2260, the Trigati reappeared when Captain John Sheridan took command of Babylon 5. The Trigati tried to provoke Sheridan into attacking them, but the captain realized their plan and refused to provide the pretext for a renewed war. Instead, he sent a message for a Minbari war cruiser that was standing by in hyperspace on orders of the Minbari government to capture the renegade ship upon word of a sighting. In the ensuing confrontation, that vessel crippled The Trigati's propulsion system, but the crew committed suicide rather than surrender.
In 2260 the Warrior Caste gained dominance in the Grey Council when Delenn was voted off the council and Neroon replaced her. As a result, the traditional balance was upset. The Warrior Caste did not want to become involved in the Shadow War
Shadow War
The Shadow Wars are a fictional series of wars involving the Shadows in the television science fiction series Babylon 5. There have actually been many Shadow Wars since ancient times in the galaxy. Roughly every thousand years, the Shadows begin a new Shadow War to promote chaos in the universe in...
. Later, Delenn would break the council when the council refused to take an active role in the war. For the next year, the entire Minbari race was involved in fighting the Shadow War, and the differences between the castes was largely forgotten during this time. When Delenn became the Entil'za of the Rangers (or Anla'Shok in Minbari), Neroon opposed her initially but when the human Ranger Marcus Cole
Marcus Cole
Marcus Cole, played by Jason Carter, is a fictional character in the universe of the science-fiction television series Babylon 5. He was a regular in the third and fourth seasons of the show...
nearly died forcibly impeding his path to Delenn, the warrior realized that he himself could not inspire such loyalty with the Rangers and forfeited his challenge.
Following the Shadows' departure, a vacuum of power became more apparent. The Warrior Caste began to struggle with the Religious Caste for dominance. They evicted members of the Religious Caste from cities they did not wish to share, and stopped honoring agreements that the Religious Caste made on behalf of the Minbari. Eventually a brief civil war broke out between the two castes. Working with Neroon, Delenn managed to end the war. She and the leader of the Warrior Caste, Warleader Shakiri, went into the Starfire Wheel, and the energy of the wheel began to burn them. Delenn managed to stay in the wheel longer than Shakiri, and when it became apparent that she was going to sacrifice herself, Neroon sacrificed himself, declaring at the end that he was a member of the Religious Caste.
With the war over, Delenn formed a new Grey Council. This time however, the Worker Caste was given control of the council - there were five Worker Caste members, and two each from the Religious and Warrior Caste on the council. She explained that religion and war had to exist in the service of the people, not the other way around.
Several Warrior caste members play a significant role in the series. Neroon appears in several episodes. He is a member of the Warrior Caste from the Star Riders clan. He later became a member of the Grey Council - replacing Delenn and creating an imbalance in the caste system representation on the council. Converting to the Religious Caste in the final moments of his life, he died in 2261 in the Starfire wheel. He was played by John Vickery
John Vickery
John Estill Vickery is an American stage and film actor known for his work in Babylon 5 and Star Trek. Vickery grew up in Oakland, California. He attended the University of California at Davis, where he pursued a degree in mathematics...
.
Religion
The Minbari are a very religious people. The Minbari religion does not have a central god figure, nor does it have a pantheon of gods, though on one confusing instance in an early episode Delenn did speak of "The gods." In Journey to Gethsemane, it is revealed that the Minbari have a belief that the universe itself is sentient, and that the universe has the ability to break itself into many pieces and invests itself in every form of life. Consequently, every being is a projection of a part of the universal soul. They believe that the universe uses the perspective of individual sentient beings in a process of self-examination and a search for meaning (similar to the real-life belief of pantheismPantheism
Pantheism is the view that the Universe and God are identical. Pantheists thus do not believe in a personal, anthropomorphic or creator god. The word derives from the Greek meaning "all" and the Greek meaning "God". As such, Pantheism denotes the idea that "God" is best seen as a process of...
or pandeism
Pandeism
Pandeism or Pan-Deism , is a term describing beliefs incorporating or mixing logically reconcilable elements of pantheism and deism Pandeism or Pan-Deism (from and meaning "God" in the sense of deism), is a term describing beliefs incorporating or mixing logically reconcilable elements of...
), this could also be a reference to the quote "We are a way for the universe to know itself" from astronomer Carl Sagan
Carl Sagan
Carl Edward Sagan was an American astronomer, astrophysicist, cosmologist, author, science popularizer and science communicator in astronomy and natural sciences. He published more than 600 scientific papers and articles and was author, co-author or editor of more than 20 books...
.
Valen
Valen
Valen is a character in the fictional universe of the science-fiction television series Babylon 5. Although he has only one scene in the show, he is an important character in the history of the Minbari, and is frequently mentioned...
is a central figure in Minbari religion. However, Valen is not considered a deity. He was a "Minbari not born of Minbari". About AD 1260, a fortress
Babylon 4
Babylon 4 is a fictional space station from the television series Babylon 5.In the series, Babylon 4 was the immediate predecessor of Babylon 5 and the largest of the Babylon stations...
suddenly appeared in Minbari space, on which resided Valen flanked by Vorlons, who then led the Minbari people against the Shadows. Valen was in fact a human—Jeffrey Sinclair
Jeffrey Sinclair
Jeffrey Sinclair is a character in the fictional universe of the science fiction television series Babylon 5, played by actor Michael O'Hare. He was a regular in the first season of the show, as Commander of the Babylon 5 station, and made a number of guest appearances afterward.-Early life and...
—who had subjected himself to a process that made him into a human/Minbari hybrid. After the war, Valen helped restructure Minbari society, organizing the Grey Council
Grey Council
In the Babylon 5 fictional universe, the Grey Council is the governing body of the Minbari Federation. Its members carry the title satai...
to lead it. These nine individuals came from each of the three castes. This form of government remained stable for a thousand years until the next Shadow War
Shadow War
The Shadow Wars are a fictional series of wars involving the Shadows in the television science fiction series Babylon 5. There have actually been many Shadow Wars since ancient times in the galaxy. Roughly every thousand years, the Shadows begin a new Shadow War to promote chaos in the universe in...
. Valen knew the Shadows would return and wrote prophecies to warn the Minbari when the next war was starting. After these tasks were completed, Valen left Minbar; the remainder of his life and eventual fate is still a mystery, though it has since been kept a secret by the Grey Council that he did have a wife and children in self-imposed exile, most of whom returned to Minbari society in secret, had families of their own, and added human DNA to the Minbari gene pool. Minbari with human DNA are consequently called "children of Valen". Delenn will eventually learn she is herself a "child of Valen".
Minbari people believe in reincarnation
Reincarnation
Reincarnation best describes the concept where the soul or spirit, after the death of the body, is believed to return to live in a new human body, or, in some traditions, either as a human being, animal or plant...
. They feel that after an individual has died, the soul of the individual joins with all the other departed Minbari souls. The souls then all meld together becoming one. Then the souls are reborn into the next generation of Minbari. Thus Minbari do not welcome Soul Hunters
Soul Hunter (Babylon 5)
"Soul Hunter" is an episode from the first season of the science fiction television series Babylon 5.- Summary :Lt. Cmdr. Susan Ivanova and Commander Jeffrey Sinclair stand near one of Babylon 5's entry bays, waiting for the station's new medical chief of staff, Dr. Stephen Franklin...
—their gathering of souls interferes with the reincarnation process. This was the central reason behind the Minbari stopping their genocidal war with the humans
Earth-Minbari War
The Earth–Minbari War is a fictional war that formed a major part of the back story of the science fiction television series, Babylon 5. The war was fought between the Earth Alliance and the Minbari, an older alien race that overwhelmingly outmatched Earth in terms of technology and weapons...
, as they had found "that Minbari souls were reborn in human bodies" as well as the fact that the Minbari have some human DNA. Since the Minbari find the concept of killing fellow members of their species horrifically unacceptable, the sudden revelation that their young enemy had this unexpected link to themselves put them under the same consideration.
True Seekers
Minbari respect the role of "true seekers," which Delenn explains are those who follow the calling of their hearts in a quest. Even when such a seeker's task appears to be folly, other Minbari – especially religious caste – will provide what assistance they can. This was showcased in GrailGrail (Babylon 5)
"Grail" is an episode from the first season of the science fiction television series Babylon 5.-Synopsis:A traveler named Aldous Gajic comes to the station in search of the Holy Grail. Having sent information requests to the ambassadors prior to his arrival, he is greeted as a very important...
, an episode during which a human boarded Babylon 5 searching for the holy grail
Holy Grail
The Holy Grail is a sacred object figuring in literature and certain Christian traditions, most often identified with the dish, plate, or cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper and said to possess miraculous powers...
and Delenn aided him in his quest, and in the episode Passing Through Gethsemane.
Language
The Minbari have three main languages, referred to as Light, Dark, and Grey, a language for each caste. The languages are Lenn-Ah or "Light" (Worker Caste), Adrenato or "Grey" (Religious Caste), and Vik or "Dark" (Warrior Caste). All three languages are based on a root language of Adrihi'e. In common speech all three languages are used, as each is designed for a different purpose. The language of Lenn-Ah is technical in nature, filled with adjectives, and is used when one discusses mathematics or sciences. Adrenato is euphonic in tone and usually slow in delivery. It is the only one of the three with words for spiritual and philosophical abstracts. Vik is concise and sharp-sounding. It is designed to convey orders with few words and no ambiguity.Examples:
- Adrihi'e: Nu'zen Fel'ani in-a lis'e medran
- [English: You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.]
- Adrenato: Na'chea, Duvea na
- [English: Make the sound of gently falling rain.]
Alphabet
The Minbari alphabet appears on Babylon 5 trading cards, and seems to be a simple substitution cipherSubstitution cipher
In cryptography, a substitution cipher is a method of encryption by which units of plaintext are replaced with ciphertext according to a regular system; the "units" may be single letters , pairs of letters, triplets of letters, mixtures of the above, and so forth...
of English letters. This is occasionally used to create in-joke
In-joke
An in-joke, also known as an inside joke or in joke, is a joke whose humour is clear only to people who are in a particular social group, occupation, or other community of common understanding...
s, which at the time were understood only by the staff.
In the Season 2 episode "There All the Honor Lies," an important-looking message is displayed on 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....
's computer, which actually reads, "Chester is very spoiled. I guess it's my fault. I loved him too much." Later, in "Dust to Dust," Vir Cotto
Vir Cotto
Vir Cotto is a character from the fictional Babylon 5 universe, played on screen by Stephen Furst. He is a Centauri male who was from a family of minor nobility, who would eventually become the Centauri Ambassador to Babylon 5, and then became the Emperor of the Centauri Republic in 2278.Vir Cotto...
returns to Babylon 5 from Minbar, proudly wearing a short robe they had given him. The letters on it spell out "ALOHA."
Technology
Minbari possess arguably the most advanced technology of all the younger races (in fact, their civilization is so old they do not even rate the term "younger race", but most of the time they are thrown in with the others). The Minbari have had the capability for interstellar travel for millennia and their ships are incredibly advanced. They have done away completely with particle thrust system and use magnetogravitic drives instead (i.e. ones that manipulate gravity around the ship, propelling it in most any direction). This makes their ships the fastest and the most maneuverable craft in the space lanes. Their weapon systems are some kind of "slicer beam" particle cannons, powerful enough to destroy Earth capital ships with a single blow in many cases. Power systems are based on artificial quantum singularities (i.e. black holes), both more stable and more powerful than the matter/antimatter annihilation reactors most of the other races use. Minbari military ships are equipped with sensor deflection grids which function as a "cloaking device", making the ships invisible to sensors. Starship hulls are constructed using a "polycrystalline alloy" more durable than most conventional materials.A testament to the incredible power of Minbari technology is the Earth-Minbari war. At the start of it, Earth was a major power in the galaxy, with a star navy thousands of ships strong. The Minbari swept through all of Earth's arsenal as if it were reeds in a wind, destroying entire Earthforce fleets within minutes. At the Battle of the Line, almost 20,000 Earth ships faced a Minbari fleet about 800 strong, and they all knew from the start that they had no chance whatsoever of defeating them. Minbari losses were bare and minimal, while of the Earth ships, a mere handful remained when the cease-fire was called. In fact, the only Human commander to succeed in destroying one of the dreaded Minbari Sharlin-class war cruisers during the course of the war was 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...
, and he managed that only through unorthodox tactics and sheer luck.
The Minbari are quite capable of withstanding an attack by any of the younger races. Their might pales, however, in comparison with the terrible power of the First Ones. It did not seem to matter very much whether it were Earth or Minbari ships that found themselves on the receiving end of a Shadow Battlecrab's death ray, they got all destroyed the same. It took the best of Minbari and Earth technology combined with significant enhancements by the Vorlons to create a ship capable of at least standing up to the Shadows (the White Star cruisers), though still with quite an unfavorable kill ratio.
The Fighting Pike
The Minbari Fighting Pike, also known as the Denn'Bok, is the preferred weapon of the RangersRanger (Babylon 5)
Rangers are a fictional class of warriors that play a prominent role in the science fiction television series Babylon 5.-History:...
.
It is quite compact and easy to carry, but can open up to be a formidable weapon. The weapon is not dependent on an energy source, unlike the PPG
Phased plasma gun
The Phased Plasma Gun is a fictional weapon from the television series Babylon 5. It fires a small charge of superheated helium. This gas retains both its shape and small volume via a residual magnetic field. Upon impact with an object, the magnetic field is dissipated and the heat discharged...
pistols carried by Earthforce personnel. Despite its inaccurate nomeclature, the Denn'Bok is in fact a metal quarterstaff with no piercing spearhead. It takes a great deal of training and skill to use the weapon in an effective and in a relatively safe manner. Most weapons are quite old - the pike Marcus Cole
Marcus Cole
Marcus Cole, played by Jason Carter, is a fictional character in the universe of the science-fiction television series Babylon 5. He was a regular in the third and fourth seasons of the show...
carried was at least 700 years old. As the weapon is handed down from generation to generation, production of new pikes is rather limited. Because of the effort to keep the fighting pikes from falling into the wrong hands, they can fetch a considerable price on the black market.