Zathras
Encyclopedia
Zathras is a race of characters in the science fiction television series Babylon 5
, all portrayed by the late Tim Choate
. There were ten of these characters who appeared on several episodes throughout the series. The name of Zathras' species and homeworld were never revealed; in "War Without End
", Zathras is seen living on Epsilon III and helping take care of the Great Machine with one other member of his race, although there is no evidence that this is their actual homeworld.
, in the service of the mysterious and messianic "The One" when first appearing.
Looking like a slightly shaggy, slightly hunchbacked human, Zathras is prone to deadpan delivery of somewhat cryptic, somewhat humorous, generally self-pitying statements such as "Zathras is used to being beast of burden to other people's needs. Very sad life. Probably have very sad death. But, at least there is symmetry" or "No one, ever listens to poor Zathras no, he's quite mad they say. It is good that Zathras does not mind, has even grown to like it." These speech patterns were patterned after J. Michael Straczynski
's Polish
-born grandmother's uneasy grasp of English.
He also refers to himself in the third person
, although sometimes instead of himself he refers to his brothers, as the story mentions that Zathras is one of 10 different brothers whose names all sound nigh-indistinguishably like 'Zathras'. This fact is revealed by a younger brother of the first Zathras - the second Zathras to be seen - who may appear twice as "War Without End pt 1" features Tim Choate in a dual role as two Zathrases discussing the condition of the great machine. It is explained that the way to differentiate one Zathras from another is to listen to the inflection of the name. However, as he demonstrates the differences to Ivanova, she (and the audience) are unable to detect any difference between one and the others.
with Jeffrey Sinclair
, who (during the trip) transformed into the Minbari
religious figure Valen
in order to help the Minbari defeat the Shadows
. The fate of the first Zathras is not fully known following the Minbari's acceptance of Sinclair as Valen, but Zathras does appear in the comic In Valen's Name and appears to act as Valen's assistant. In the comic, Rashok, a Minbari, attempts to speak to Valen, and Zathras prevents Rashok from doing so and is strong enough to overpower Rashok. Zathras appears to be of some importance as he states, "If Valen can listen to Zathras... You can listen to Zathras!" Rashok also refers to Zathras as Valen's "helpmate." The comic also shows how quickly Zathras' behavior can shift, as he goes from attacking Rashok to offering to make him a snack.
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...
, all portrayed by the late Tim Choate
Tim Choate
Tim Choate was an American actor who starred in a number of film and television roles on series such as Dragnet and Babylon 5....
. There were ten of these characters who appeared on several episodes throughout the series. The name of Zathras' species and homeworld were never revealed; in "War Without End
War Without End
"War Without End" is a two-part story consisting of the 16th and 17th episodes in the third season of the science fiction television series Babylon 5. They were broadcast first on May 13 and May 20, 1996 on the PTEN network in America...
", Zathras is seen living on Epsilon III and helping take care of the Great Machine with one other member of his race, although there is no evidence that this is their actual homeworld.
Overview
The oldest Zathras is the oldest living (110 years old) caretaker of the Great MachineGreat Machine
The Great Machine is an enormous technological complex of networked machines beneath the surface of the planet Epsilon III in Babylon 5.-History:...
, in the service of the mysterious and messianic "The One" when first appearing.
Looking like a slightly shaggy, slightly hunchbacked human, Zathras is prone to deadpan delivery of somewhat cryptic, somewhat humorous, generally self-pitying statements such as "Zathras is used to being beast of burden to other people's needs. Very sad life. Probably have very sad death. But, at least there is symmetry" or "No one, ever listens to poor Zathras no, he's quite mad they say. It is good that Zathras does not mind, has even grown to like it." These speech patterns were patterned after 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,...
's Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
-born grandmother's uneasy grasp of English.
He also refers to himself in the third person
Grammatical person
Grammatical person, in linguistics, is deictic reference to a participant in an event; such as the speaker, the addressee, or others. Grammatical person typically defines a language's set of personal pronouns...
, although sometimes instead of himself he refers to his brothers, as the story mentions that Zathras is one of 10 different brothers whose names all sound nigh-indistinguishably like 'Zathras'. This fact is revealed by a younger brother of the first Zathras - the second Zathras to be seen - who may appear twice as "War Without End pt 1" features Tim Choate in a dual role as two Zathrases discussing the condition of the great machine. It is explained that the way to differentiate one Zathras from another is to listen to the inflection of the name. However, as he demonstrates the differences to Ivanova, she (and the audience) are unable to detect any difference between one and the others.
First Appearance
The first Zathras traveled 1000 years into the past on Babylon 4Babylon 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...
with 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 (during the trip) transformed into the Minbari
Minbari
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....
religious figure 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...
in order to help the Minbari defeat 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...
. The fate of the first Zathras is not fully known following the Minbari's acceptance of Sinclair as Valen, but Zathras does appear in the comic In Valen's Name and appears to act as Valen's assistant. In the comic, Rashok, a Minbari, attempts to speak to Valen, and Zathras prevents Rashok from doing so and is strong enough to overpower Rashok. Zathras appears to be of some importance as he states, "If Valen can listen to Zathras... You can listen to Zathras!" Rashok also refers to Zathras as Valen's "helpmate." The comic also shows how quickly Zathras' behavior can shift, as he goes from attacking Rashok to offering to make him a snack.