< Babylon 5

Babylon 5/Characters


This page needs some cleaning up to be presentable.

Some or all of these characters need descriptions. A list of tropes is not a description.

No one here is exactly what they appear.


The scope of the Babylon 5 universe was truly epic. Over the course of the series, the major characters evolved radically as the arc plot advanced. No summary can do more than scratch the surface of their complexities and their evolution--the only way to fully appreciate both is to watch the series.

WARNING! There are unmarked Spoilers ahead. Beware.

The Earth Alliance

Humans in general

Everywhere humans go, they create communities.

  • The Determinator: Te Human-Minbari War is filled with this. Despite the technological disadvantage and many Curb Stomp Battles, the human race fought tooth and nail against the Minbari. As Londo said when describing their efforts to others:

Londo Mollari: The humans, I think, knew they were doomed. But where another race would surrender to despair, the humans fought back with even greater strength. They made the Minbari fight for every inch of space. In my life, I have never seen anything like it. They would weep, they would pray, they would say goodbye to their loved ones and then throw themselves without fear or hesitation at the very face of death itself. Never surrendering. No one who saw them fighting against the inevitable could help but be moved to tears by their courage…their stubborn nobility. When they ran out of ships, they used guns. When they ran out of guns, they used knives and sticks and bare hands. They were magnificent. I only hope, that when it is my time, I may die with half as much dignity as I saw in their eyes at the end. They did this for two years. They never ran out of courage. But in the end…they ran out of time.

  • Deus Ex Nukina: Lampshaded in one of the novels, where it is stated that while the humans lag behind in many other areas, their nuclear weapons are quite capable, provided they can get one close enough to an enemy they would otherwise be unable to defeat conventionally.
    • This is exactly how Sheridan was able to destroy the Black Star in Earth's only real victory in the Earth/Minbari War.
  • The Government
  • Government Conspiracy: Too many over the course of the show to list.
  • Head-in-The-Sand Management
  • Humans Are Diplomats
  • Humans Are Special
    • Debatable; while lots of awesomeness is done by individual humans, humans as a group come off poorly at times.
    • More like Humans Build Communities. Delenn even notes how any species could have made B5 but allowed only their own kind inside and maybe a few others, while humans would let anyone in and form bonds with them in one form or another.
  • Most Viewers Are Human: The chief role of humans often seems to be to provide someone to identify with.
  • Mutant Draft Board: Psi Corps.
  • Overshadowed by Awesome: Especially by Minbari.
  • Secret Police: Night Watch. Also elements of the Psi Cops.
  • Space Navy: EarthForce Naval; most of the main characters are EFN (as opposed to the EarthForce Marine Corps seen in "GROPOS," and the likely EarthForce Corps of Engineers officers in "Babylon Squared").
  • United Space of America: There are still individual nations and the Earth Government is based in Geneva, Switzerland.... yet most of the Earthers we see in the series are American.
    • More to the point, culture and political organization seem geared to be familiar to an American viewer.
  • The War of Earthly Aggression: The coup by Clark and the rebellion that followed.
  • You Shall Not Pass: The Battle Of The Line, a Crowning Moment of Awesome, Heartwarming, and Sacrifice. Especially after this scene with the President's Final Speech.
    • Subverted, as well. The Minbari casually wiped out most of the defenders effortlessly, then proceeded to surrender without explanation. It had the effect of making many Earthers feel that The Line was a Senseless Sacrifice.

John J Sheridan (Bruce Boxleitner)

For justice, for peace, for the future... we have come home!

Jeffrey David Sinclair (Michael O'Hare)

Whether it happens in a hundred years or a thousand years or a million years, eventually our Sun will grow cold and go out. When that happens, it won't just take us. It'll take Marilyn Monroe, and Lao-Tzu, and Einstein, and Morobuto, and Buddy Holly, and Aristophanes... All of this... All of this... Was for nothing. Unless we go to the stars.

Michael Garibaldi (Jerry Doyle)

"Thin air." Why is it always "thin air"? Never fat air, chubby air, mostly-fit-could-stand-to-lose-a-few-pounds air.

Susan Ivanova (Claudia Christian)

Ivanova is always right. I will listen to Ivanova. I will not ignore Ivanova's recommendations. Ivanova is God. And if this ever happens again, Ivanova will personally rip your lungs out!

  • All Love Is Unrequited: The Trope Namer.
  • Badass Boast: Has a habit of these, from "Ivanova is God." to "God sent me."
  • Bi the Way (Annoyingly, we only really got a confirmation that Ivanova & Talia were in love after the fact -- because Straczynski knew the executives would crucify him if he actually had them kiss, which was considered but remained unfilmed.)
    • Hints do appear previously. They lounge around in Ivanova's bedroom an awful lot.
    • Word of God is that they did in fact have sex off screen.
  • Cartwright Curse
  • Deadpan Snarker
  • Dead Big Brother: Her reason for joining Earthforce.
  • Informed Judaism: In the episodes where it comes up, it's made fairly clear that she isn't exactly a practicing Jew.
  • Iron Lady
  • Large Ham: On occasion, though not nearly as large a ham as some of the other characters.
  • Lost in Translation: Played hilariously when Ivanova bitterly curses, only to find out that "Ah, hell!" means "continuous fire" in her crew's language.
  • Knight in Sour Armour
  • Lady of War: Ivanova lacks the inspirational genius of Sheridan or the unconventional thinking of Sinclair, but she is a formidable officer in her own right.
  • Married to the Job: Ivanova. And the job is jealous.
  • Mission from God: For her last Badass Boast, she declared that God had sent her to dispatch her foes. She is nearly killed at the end of the battle by a wayward piece of debris, but not before her force has dispatched the enemy fleet.
  • My Hovercraft Is Full of Eels: When she shows off what she has learned from her studies of the Minbari language. Delenn discretely issues an order to the Minbari crewmembers of Ivanova's ship that anyone who is caught laughing at her heartfelt attempts will be severely punished.
  • Nose Art: Her Starfury has a red star and a double-headed Russian Eagle.
  • Number Two: For the station, being the second line officer aboard for most of the series.
  • One of the Boys: You would almost, but not quite, think that Gender Is No Object is at work here. That's how well Ivanova blends in.
  • Russian Guy Suffers Most: And expects to. She considers pessimistic outlooks to be Russian by nature and commends people for them. Sheridan even calls developing a greater degree of pessimism "taking Ivanova lessons."
  • Voice of the Resistance
    • Hell, that's even the name of her broadcasts.
  • Written in Infirmity: Claudia Christian broke her ankle in a ski-ing accident during Season Two, and this was explained as Ivanova being injured after being caught in a brawl between Green and Purple Drazi. (The fan rumour that she was injured during the filming of that scene is false.)
    • During the commentary track for that episode, Claudia Christian points out that the scream Ivanova gives when the Drazi lands on her (when the "injury" supposedly happened) as being quite real (as said actor landed right on her already-broken leg quite heavily.)
  • You Are in Command Now: At least four times in the space of three years, in fact, though it never happens in the heat of battle.

Stephen Franklin (Richard Biggs)

Elizabeth Lochley (Tracy Scoggins)

My first CO once told me: "When someone asks you why you took on a job, the worst answer you can give is 'Because a friend asked me to.'" I should have listened. This place is one long exercise in frustration.

Zack Allen (Jeff Conaway)

  • Ascended Extra
  • Big Brother Is Employing You
  • Butt Monkey: in season two, Zack's major function is to be the Earthforce security agent who gets knocked out by the alien. Notably, both G'Kar and Lennier take him out at different points.
  • The Everyman: While he doesn't quite have the blank slate qualities usually associated with this trope, Zack is essentially an average guy way over his head, trying to do the right thing.
  • The Generic Guy
  • Heel Realisation
  • Hopeless Suitor: To Lyta Alexander. Given how she later develops, he was probably lucky.
  • Took a Level in Badass: In the final two seasons, when he takes over as head of station Security, he gets notably more serious and more competent.
  • You Did the Right Thing: Both Night Watch and the command staff assure Zack of this when he's used as a double agent in one episode. He finds it less than comforting.

Warren Keffer (Robert Rusler) (Season 2 only)

It was jet black, a shade of black so deep your eye just kind of slides off it. And it shimmered when you looked at it. A spider, big as death and twice as ugly. And when it flies past, it's like you hear a scream in your mind.

David Corwin (Joshua Cox)

"Okay, activate defense grid. Launch all Starfuries, and if they move, shoot 'em. If they don't move, shoot twice; they're probably hiding something."

  • Adorkable: The scenes involving him trying to buy and give roses to Ivanova, and his ownership of a Love Bat, especially.
  • The Apprentice: Tends to serve as Ivanova's right-hand man and unofficial protegé in later seasons.
  • Character Development: Starts out in Season 1 as a generic Earthforce officer with no name and a dorky, wallflower personality, ends up in Season 5 as Babylon 5's XO and almost a male, Lighter and Softer (and, well, still dorkier) version of Ivanova (see above quote).
  • Deadpan Snarker
  • The Generic Guy: Tends to be written as representing the viewpoint of the average, ordinary Earthforce officer in comparison to the larger-than-life, destiny-laden main characters.

President William Morgan Clark

Susanna Luchenko (Beata Pozniak)

Well, Captain, you've caused quite a stir. Half of Earth Force wants to give you a kiss on the cheek and the Medal of Honour. The other half wants you taken out and shot. As a politician you learn how to compromise, which by all rights means I should give you the Medal of Honour, then have you shot.

  • Deadpan Snarker: See above.
  • Internal Reformist: She remarks that Sheridan did the right thing, he just did it in the most inconvenient manner possible.
  • Iron Lady: "Don't make the mistake of thinking this is a conversation. It isn't."
  • Power Hair
  • Reasonable Authority Figure: Formerly the leader of the Russian Consortium, she takes over as President of the Earth Alliance after Clark. However, she is still a politician, albeit one of the better sort.
  • Understatement: Describing Sheridan's adventures in the latter half of Season 4 as "caus[ing] quite a stir."

The Minbari Federation

Minbari in general

We are at our best when we move together. And we are at our worst when we move together.

  • Ape Shall Never Kill Ape: "Minbari do not kill Minbari", the reason why they surrender at the Battle of the Line after discovering Sinclair is the reincarnation of Valen: Minbari souls are reincarnating as humans.
    • And then the civil war broke out and the Warrior Caste, in particular, dumped that rule pretty fast.
    • Before that, there was the right of denn'Sha, a duel to the death which is seen closer to the ideals of suicide than one opponent killing the other.
  • Berserk Button : Don't kill one of their leaders, don't win a battle against them in a dishonorable manner (whatever they're deciding to define that as), don't accuse them of lying, don't... well, just don't.
  • Biological Mashup: Thanks to Valen, first known as the human Jeffry Sinclair, is half-human and had children who had more children. As of the Earth Year 2262, the number of Minbari who have human DNA in their bodies is counted in the millions. You can tell which males have human DNA by seeing if they can grow a beard. Minbaris cannot.
    • Deleen actually manages to coerce marriage consent from her clan elders by threatening to reveal that descendants of Valen are part human. It is as if Jews took endogamy so seriously that being descended from King David wasn't worth it because there are gentiles recorded in David's ancestry(as indeed there are).
  • The Clan: Several in fact; Delenn is from the family of Mir (itself part of the Tenth Fane of Elleya), Lennier is from the Third Fane of Chudomo, and Neeroon from the Star Riders. We also have the hawkish Wind Swords.
    • The clan system is apparently completely independant of the Caste system. Lennier had a clansman who was warrior caste.
  • Can't Argue with Elves: Because the elves are more than capable of blowing your navy out of space and tossing you personally across the room. And aren't reluctant to do so.
  • Combat Aestheticist
  • Crystal Spires and Togas: The spires aren't literally crystal. They don't quite wear togas. But they're getting dangerously close on both counts.
  • Disproportionate Retribution: For a case of Poor Communication Kills, their reaction is "total genocide of the offending species". Other lines from Delenn indicate that the Minbari responses often tends to be swift and violent.
  • Fantastic Caste System: Religious, Worker, Warrior
  • Good Old Ways
  • Higher-Tech Species: most technologically advanced non-First One culture.
  • Honor Before Reason: All Minbari at least think they are this. Some are more honorable than others.
  • Hypocrites: They hold Sheridan as a monster and a butcher for destroying the Black Star. In a war. Using an ambush... while the Black Star was coming to finish off the wounded from an earlier assault. Essentially they consider Sheridan a monster because in a war he dared to win a battle, using tactics that weren't quite as underhanded as the Minbari did.
    • In Sheridan's first episode, the Minbari hold him accountable for the self-destruction of another cruiser, because he refused to fire on them and kill them himself.
  • Moral Myopia
  • Our Elves Are Better: To the point where they (and especially Delenn) are treated as the moral core of the series, frequently delivering philosophical Aesops, despite actions that are arguably worse than those of any race besides the Shadows and Vorlons.
    • Subverted as the show goes on and frequently examines how they are often less honorable and civilized than they want to think they are.
  • Proud Scholar Race
  • Proud Warrior Race
  • Boney Back Of Head Aliens
  • Rules Lawyer: "Minbari Do Not Lie" & "Minbari Do Not Kill Minbari". Except when they can find loopholes or justify it some different ways. For example, conquering a polar Religious Caste city, and forcing the residents to leave on foot, dying of cold and exposure isn't murder. The weather killed them! Not a Minbari!
  • Shangri La
  • Space Elves
  • Warrior Poet: Seems to contain a high proportion of these.


Ambassador Delenn (Mira Furlan)

We are star stuff. We are the universe made manifest, trying to figure itself out.

Lennier (Bill Mumy)

Where you will walk, I will walk. I have sworn myself to your side.

Alyt Neroon (John Vickery)

I was born warrior caste, but I see now the true calling of my heart is religious!

Shai Alyt Shakiri, head of the Warrior Caste

Now We Rebuild the Grey Council into a Warrior's Council.

The Centauri Republic

Centauri in general

I want my people to reclaim their rightful place in the galaxy. I want to see the Centauri stretch their hand and command the stars. I want a rebirth of glory, a renaissance of power.

  • Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Centauri women love this trope. They often have very saccharine manners and appearance, but are also prone to stab you in the back when you least expect it. There are some exceptions, however:
    • Adira Tyree subverts this. She is originally tasked by an alien spy to get incriminating evidence from Londo by seducing him, and fulfills her mission. However, just before delivering the files to her owner, she runs away, and after she is freed from slavery she seems to genuinely care for Londo.
    • The Centauri girl in The War Prayer averts this as she seems to really love her boyfriend. This may be because she is still young and has not yet learned the ways of her society.
    • Also averted by Timov, one of Londo's wives, and the only one he keeps, in that she does not put on sheep's clothing and prefers to stay a bitch in plain sight.
  • Bizarre Alien Biology: They have no major arteries in their wrists, two hearts, and as for their reproductive organs...well, see Exotic Equipment.
  • The Clan: The noble houses, such as House Mollari, or House Refa
  • Deadly Decadent Court
  • Exotic Equipment: Men have six huge prehensile sexual tentacles, usually hidden beneath their clothing. Women apparently have six slots, three on each side of the spine. The more used, the more pleasure.
  • Human Aliens - To the point where (if clothed) there's no way to distinguish them from a human apart from their haircuts and canines
    • They attempted to use this to their advantage: when they first met Humans, they claimed that Humans were a lost colony of the Centauri. It almost worked, until the humans learned more about Centauri physiology.
  • Impractically Fancy Outfit and Bling of War
  • Improbable Hairstyle
    • This turns out to be a Real Life example of Poor Communication Kills. JMS originally intended Centauri hair to be worn more like human hair, with the length signifying rank. When Peter Jurasik was being fitted with the prosthetic, it was put on him sticking up like a peacock's tail. As a joke, he had it left that way and went to JMS, saying "what do you think?" JMS, thinking Peter really wanted it that way, and worried he was a touchy actor, said it looked fine like that. And thus the Centauri got their iconic hairstyle.
  • Realpolitik: The stated philosophy of most prominent Centauri (with heaping doses of Fantastic Racism when it comes to the Narns).
  • Sins of Our Fathers: Though they commit plenty of sins of their own to be sure.
  • Vestigial Empire
  • Waistcoat of Style

Ambassador Londo Mollari (Peter Jurasik)

As I look at you Ambassador, I see a great hand reaching out of the stars. The hand is your hand, and I hear the sound of millions of people calling your name.
Londo: My followers?
Your victims.

Susan Ivanova: My god, whoever's piloting that shuttle's a madman!

Vir Cotto (Stephen Furst)

There is still hope for you...and for that I find I still envy you.

Vir: I'd like to live just long enough to be there when they cut off your head and stick it on a pike, as a warning to the next ten generations that some favors come with too high a price. I want to look up into your lifeless eyes, and wave... like this.

  • Vir does a mocking little cutesy wave*

Emperor Cartagia (Wortham Krimmer)

One of our very best torturers. I felt certain he would break him. Two hours he worked. Not a sound! I said, 'Give me a cry, give me a shout, a whimper, a scream'. Silence! So, I got into it myself. You can't leave these things to others, they never get it right.

Lord Antono Refa (William Forward)

It is a small price to pay for immortality.

Adira Tyree (Fabiana Udenio)

Timov Mollari (Jane Carr)

Lyndisty Drusella (Carmen Thomas)

The Narn Regime

Narn in general

Though it take a thousand years, we will be free.

  • Asskicking Equals Authority
  • Bizarre Alien Biology: As mentioned below, the Narn are actually marsupials. And it's the men who carry their young children in pouches.
  • Butt Monkey
  • Cycle of Revenge: The Narn homeworld was once occupied brutally by the Centauri. The Narns drove them off in a war of attrition. The Narns spend most of Season 1 mentioning how they wish to exterminate the Centauri, make them pay for the occupation of their homeworld, and kill them all. This comes to bite them in the ass when their revenge-fueled aggression ends up inspiring Londo to use Mr Morden to strike at them. This causes the Narns to AGAIN swear revenge, and declare war on the Centauri, a war they are not capable of winning because the Centauri are significantly more advanced (having mastered true artificial gravity for one) and have the help of Mr Morden's allies. Even the other races, as explained by Delenn and foreshadowed by Sinclair, are unwilling to involve themselves in the war on the Narn's behalf, because they know that should the Narn win, they will go right back to attempting to kill all the Centauri, and no race wants to be accessory to that genocide.

Sinclair: "In order to be free you had to learn to fight. No one questions that. But you've overcompensated. You are like abused children who have grown big enough to do the same thing to someone else as if it would somehow balance the scales. It won't. If you let the anger cloud your judgment, it will destroy you."

Ambassador G'Kar (Andreas Katsulas)

It is said that the future is always born in pain. The history of war is the history of pain. If we are wise, what is born of that pain matures into the promise of a better world, because we learn that we can no longer afford the mistakes of the past.

Na'Toth (Caitlin Brown, Mary Kay Adams)

The Vorlon Empire

Vorlons in general

Who are you?

Ambassador Kosh Naranek (Ardwight Chamberlain)

I have always been here.

Ambassador Kosh II/ Ulkesh Naranek (Ardwight Chamberlain)

We are all Kosh.

Sebastian the Inquisitor AKA Jack the Ripper: Vorlon Examiner of Chosen One Candidates

Remembered not as a messenger, remembered not as a reformer...not as a prophet, not as a hero...not even as Sebastian. Remembered only... as Jack.


The Shadows

Shadows in general

What do you want?

de facto ambassador Mr Morden (Ed Wasser)

Yes. I think he's ready...perfect for our needs... He suspects nothing. When the time is right, Ambassador Mollari will do exactly as we wish. Destiny is on our side.


The League of Non-Aligned Worlds

The League in general

  • All There in the Manual: You’ll need to take a look at the tie-in materials, notably an authorized CD, to learn anything substantial about most of the member races. Their names, even.
  • The Alliance: A loose one, in order to give their worlds a voice and not be eclipsed by the major powers.
  • Ass in Ambassador: Often. The Drazi ambassador, definitely. The Brakiri ambassador has his moments. And the League as a whole will often decide to be stubborn over Sheridan's latest idea, to bring another level of conflict to a given episode.
  • Hufflepuff House: Some more than others. The Llort, Grome and Yolu can be seen sitting in session, but none of them will ever say anything. The Abbai get Demoted to Extra and the Vree are seen in person only once, though their ships show up a lot.

The Drazi

Purple! Green!

  • Comedic Sociopathy: They can be counted upon to start swinging fists at any opportunity, and are often used for comedy. Such comedy usually involves someone getting hurt. The Drazi have plenty of serious moments too, though.
  • Early Installment Weirdness / Art Evolution: In the first season, the back of their heads are smooth. In season two, some Drazi start appearing with layered scales on the back of the scalp. In their showcase episode “The Geometry of Shadows’’, both variants of Drazi appear, in the same scenes. By season three, and from then on, all Drazi have the scales. In early seasons their cheeks tended to be spiked, but this was less common later on.
  • Fantastic Rank System: According to the episode Deathwalker, their ships are commanded by a Makar. The only other Drazi rank we hear of, though, is the far more mundane "General".
  • Proud Warrior Race Guy: They become this in later seasons, after the Narn leave the role vacant thanks to the rise of G'Kar.
  • The Reptilians
  • Scary Dogmatic Aliens: A mild example. Violence is their way, and they're not the friendliest of people, but nor are they antagonists. In a strange way, they're one of Babylon Five's strongest allies.
  • Silly Reason for War: Their politics involve randomly splitting into two groups and then fighting each other.
  • Violent Glaswegian
  • Warrior Monk: Many of them are shown to be religious. In the first season, a Drazi monk has to reluctantly surrender his blade to Garibaldi; in season three, two missionaries poke Zack Allen to receive a blessing. And the patron god of Drazi pilots gets mentioned. Naturally, being Drazi, anything in their culture of any importance seems to involve aspects of the warrior, or at least the brawler.

The Brakiri

  • All There in the Manual: Aside from the religious stuff in Day of the Dead, all we really know about them from the show is that they're pack rats. Source material indicates that they are a corporatocracy, and that their society has many parallels to 20th Century Earth, due to them having picked up television transmissions from Earth before they gained space-faring technology. The only indication of that in the show is that the Brakiri Ambassador's clothing somewhat resembles a human suit.
  • Dark Is Not Evil: They have a mildly sinister appearance, they're nocturnal, and they have a creepy necromantic religion, but they aren't bad people. Indeed, during the Shadow War, the Brakiri ambassador was one of Delenn's most loyal allies amongst the League races.
  • Diurnal Nocturnal Animal: Despite being nocturnal, they're often seen wandering around in daylight. Justified, in that Babylon Five business operates during daylight hours; presumably those Brakiri living and working there adapt.
  • One Nation Under Copyright: Apparently, their government is corporate-based.
  • Rubber Forehead Aliens

The pak’ma’ra

  • Cthulhumanoid
  • Hidden Depths: Despite being quite benevolent, they're considered "stubborn, lazy, obnoxious, greedy" and are infamous for eating carrion. Yet according to Vir Cotto, their singing is the most beautiful sound he ever heard. It also made Londo cry.
  • I'm a Humanitarian: They eat carrion, including the bodies of sapient races.

The Abbai

  • Demoted to Extra: After the first season.
  • Early Installment Weirdness / Art Evolution: In their first episode, their crests are longer than in their second appearance - after that, both variants show up as background extras, but the shorter version is more common.
  • Fish People
  • Lady Land: According to source materials, their government is matriarchal. This is supported in the show by all but one member of their delegation being female.
  • Non-Mammal Mammaries: They're pretty clearly amphibians, but of course they have breasts. Tie-in materials (an authorized CD) attempt to justify it by describing the Abbai breast as in fact a clump of small tendrils that serve a similar but not identical function to mammaries.

The Markab

The Vree

  • Flying Saucer: Their ships, of which two designs are seen.
  • The Greys: One of no less than three races in the setting to fit the trope. They're the closest of all, having saucer-shaped ships and a history of buzzing Earth in them.
    • One member of their race is even brought up on civil charges by a human; the individual Vree's grandfather had abducted the human's grandfather.
  • Hufflepuff House: Their ships show up a lot, but we only ever see an actual Vree individual on screen once, and they never have an important role.
  • The Voiceless

The Gaim

  • Hive Queen: "The Queens" are mentioned by the Gaim Ambassador at least once; although the context is ambiguous, background materials confirm that these are the Gaim's leaders.
  • Insectoid Aliens
  • Translator Microbes: They only speak through an electronic translator device.
  • Shout-Out: Named after Neil Gaiman, and their environment suits are patterned after the appearance of Morpheus' mask.

The Hyach

  • Dark Secret
  • Dying Race: Slowly dying. There's still a lot of them around, but their population is falling and they're on the decline.
  • Early Installment Weirdness / Art Evolution: In the first season, they’re mostly tan or beige in colour, with larger heads; by season two they’re either brick red or orange. After that, they’re orange pretty much all the time, though the red variant still makes appearances. Also, some of the early Hyach (and a later one in Legend of the Rangers) have small amounts of fur on their cheeks. Fridge Brilliance, given that Hyach-Doh had hair.
  • Genocide Backfire: What their governement is hiding is the reason for them being a Dying Race.
  • Government Conspiracy: The Elders are dedicated to keeping the genocide of their counterpart race a secret.

Telepaths

Telepaths in general

Talia Winters (Andrea Thompson)

I don't feel like a victim.

  • Aborted Arc
  • Bi the Way
  • Forgotten Fallen Friend: The crew really doesn't seem to think very much about Talia after her real personality is effectively murdered by reciting the keyword triggering her sleeper personality.
    • Well, the next time Bester (below) arrives he comments on what was learned at her dissect..."debriefing". Not that she was actually dissected, he's just getting a rise out of them.
  • Face Heel Turn As the result of an artificially-implanted personality being activated.
  • Limited Wardrobe: Talia gets a lot of wear out of that gold blazer. This is more evident than with other characters, each of whom wear an assigned uniform or ceremonial garb.
  • Manchurian Agent
  • The Mole
  • Put on a Bus

Lyta Alexander (Patricia Tallman)

You cannot stop one who's been touched by Vorlons!

Alfred Bester (Walter Koenig)

I'm here to save your butts. Next time show a little gratitude.

  • Affably Evil
  • Arch Enemy: To Garibaldi and Ivanova
  • Asskicking Equals Authority: Only P12s (the most powerful rated telepaths) are allowed to be PsiCops, and Bester is one of the most powerful PsiCops, not only because of his raw telepathic talent, but because of his people skills as well.
  • Badass: He accidentally discovers the Shadows' Achilles' Heel when he picks up on the mental noise of the integrated pilot of a Shadow ship about to pounce on the White Star with him aboard. He simply blocks the noise out, which effectively "jams" the Shadow vessel's controls. Using telepaths to do this intentionally becomes an integral strategy for Sheridan later.
    • Handicapped Badass: It's easy to miss, but one of his hands is immobile. The crippled hand is a minor plot point in the Psi Corps books.
  • Berserk Button: Do not threaten or otherwise endanger his lover.
  • The Chessmaster
  • Deadpan Snarker
  • Devil in Plain Sight: He doesn't even bother trying to play nice with Sheridan and the crew when he pops up in the first few seasons – he's an outright jerk to everyone and they can't do a thing about it.
  • Enemy Mine: when he told Sheridan where the telepaths were being shipped, which was a combination of Papa Wolf, I Will Find You, and a Roaring Rampage of Revenge upon the Shadows.
  • Even Evil Has Loved Ones: He had a lover who was modified to serve as a living CPU for a Shadow vessel. Finding out about this is what made him a temporary ally to the station during the Shadow War.

Your war is now my war.

  • Knight Templar
  • Nose Art: His personal Starfury is painted jet-black, with the Greek letter Omega in white. Subtle. Mind you, he commands an entire PsiCop unit that operates these, but they only appear briefly in flashbacks or as Unwitting Pawns in one of his plots.
  • Older Than They Look: He's in his seventies when he first appears.
  • Playing Against Type: Very different character from Chekov. One must remind oneself it's the same actor.
  • Shout-Out - to the real-world SF novelist of the same name, who wrote the "telepathic secret police" novel The Demolished Man. As it turns out, the Psi Corps novel trilogy reveals that he was purposefully renamed after Bester by his grandfather, a big fan. His birth name is Stephen Kevin Dexter.
  • State Sec
  • Tranquil Fury: When his Berserk Button gets pressed.
  • Villain Episode: "The Corps is Mother, the Corps is Father"
  • What Could Have Been: There was a Bester episode planned for Crusade, "Value Judgements". It was unproduced due to the cancellation, but canonically happened, as referenced in Final Reckoning - The Fate of Bester. The script can be read online.
  • You Might Remember Me From: Hey, it's Pavel Chekov as a fascistic psychic secret policeman! With a gun!

Byron (Robin Atkin Downes)

  • Actual Pacifist: At first. Even to the point of, after being struck by a mundane, asking him to hit him again, to see if it gets his attacker any additional satisfaction. He goes out of his way to try and restrain his fellow rogue telepaths from retaliating against various hostilities from mundanes aboard the station.
  • Defector From Decadence: Used to be one of Bester's underlings until he was forced to kill a bunch of surrendered rogue telepaths while they were being transferred to an allied mundane transport, killing both.
  • Fantastic Racism: although he tends to accuse others of it, it's obvious that Byron has quite a chip on his shoulder about 'mundanes'
  • Ice Cream Koan
  • Long-Haired Pretty Boy
  • Nose Art: Painted jet-black, with the Greek letter Omega in white.
  • Passive Aggressive Combat: Byron is a master of it. He can make anything someone else's fault.
  • Well-Intentioned Extremist

Others

Babylon 5

Our Last Best hope For Peace

Marcus Cole (Jason Carter)

Where I come from is a much more interesting place.

David Mckintyre AKA "King Arthur"

No man takes Excalibur away from me and lives!

Lorien (Wayne Alexander)

Why are you here?

Zathras (Tim Choate)

No one listens. It is good that Zathras does not mind, he has even come to like it.

  • Backup Twin
  • Ditto Aliens
  • Ditzy Genius: To whom else could anyone entrust a time machine?
  • The Eeyore
  • Harsher in Hindsight: One of Zathras's most memorable lines is "[Zathras] probably have very sad death." The actor playing him, Tim Choate, died in a motorcycle accident.
  • Lost in Translation: Zathras' attempts to explain that his name is pronounced quite differently from his brother's, Zathras.
  • Metaphorgotten: When trying to explain to Ivanova that they can't possibly run out of time, because time is infinite. He somehow concludes with "This... is wrong tool. Never use this."
  • Planet of Steves: Zathras is one of many brothers, all named Zathras.
  • Third Person Person

The Drakh

The Raiders

  • Combat Pragmatist: They are badly outmatched in any fight with Earth Force. Thus, they prefer hit-and-fade attacks against soft targets such as merchant ships, and will only fight Earth Force units if they have no other choice or if they have overwhelming numbers.
  • Curb Stomp Battle: the first time the Shadows make an appearance
    • Most times that we ever see them get cornered into a fight with Earth Force crews. The Starfury is shown to be far superior in pretty much every aspect to their ships.
  • Gunship Rescue: Invoked twice, when a larger ship is brought in to reinforce them or to help them escape. Both ships are destroyed or disabled soon after.
  • Space Pirates
  • Starter Villain
Back to Babylon 5
  1. ↑ While the station functions as a neutral meeting place between the major powers, as well as an interstellar commerce hub, it is still first and foremost an Earth Alliance space station operated by EarthForce
  2. ↑ Those who were in the know kept G'kar (as well as Sinclair and Sheridan) out of the loop for their own various reasons.
  3. ↑ Glowing green eyes when she is linked with a Vorlon, Inky black eyes when she is linked with the Shadows (typically when she is hitting them with a psychic attack)
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