Minbari Federation
The Minbari Federation is an interstellar government that features in Babylon 5.
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History
Centuries ago, the religious caste made contact with the peaceful agrarian Norsai and formed an alliance with them where the Minbari would provide them protection for their trade convoys. (Episode: Lines of Communication)
In the last hundred years, many expeditions were launched into Vorlon space but none of these returned. (Movie: In the Beginning) After the Dilgar War, the Dilgar Warmaster Jha'dur escaping war crimes was given shelter by the Wind Sword clan. (Episode: Deathwalker)
Dukhat who was the leader of the Grey Council intended to make contact with a newly discovered race known as humans. However, each of the members of the Grey Council refused to do so for different reasons. The worker caste's reasons were fear of the new resources and alien artifacts it would bring into Minbari space. In contrast, the religious caste were worried about the impact of strange and primitive ideas. The warrior caste felt that they should hold no part with inferior cultures who were a waste of times and resources. (Episode: Atonement) At the same time, the Anla'Shok came to believe that the Shadow's were returning to their places of power and preparing for war. Thus, Dukhat decided to investigate the Shadow homeworld of Z'ha'dum in order to determine if this was true. During the expedition, the fleet escorting the Grey Council encountered a fleet of Earth Alliance who mistook the Minbari gesture of respect with gun ports opened thus leading to weapon fire. This attack damaged the Minbari flagship with Dukhat being killed where the Council became divided on their response. The newly inducted Delenn was asked her vote on how the Minbari should proceed where she in her anger decided on revenge leading to the Earth-Minbari War. (Movie: In the Beginning) News of the attack spread throughout Minbar with their entire people had gone mad in grief leading it to become a holy war against mankind. (Episode: Atonement)
The Minbari government were the first to sign on to support Babylon 5 on the condition that they approved its commanding officer where they rejected a string of human candidates until they decided on Jeffrey Sinclair. (Episode: Signs and Portents) After the war, some within the warrior caste were unhappy with the decision of their leaders and went renegade. At least one of these was involved in a conspiracy to frame Captain Jeffrey Sinclair of Babylon 5 for the attempted assassination of Ambassador Kosh. This plot was aided by Narn Ambassador G'Kar but the assassin was ultimately uncovered though he killed himself before he could be captured. (Movie: The Gathering)
With the Grey Council disbanded, the three castes became fixated on securing their own interests. A number of raids had been conducted against smaller races that had traded with the Minbari with the warrior caste refusing to protect these convoys. In this time, it was rumored that the warriors were moving to create a council of their own that they dominated entirely. (Episode: Lines of Communication) At the outbreak of the Minbari Civil War, fighting erupted in the capital and threatened to expand to the neighboring cities. (Episode: Rumors, Bargains and Lies) The fighting saw the capital being devastated with the leader of the warrior caste demanding the surrender of the religious caste with Delenn reluctantly doing so. This surrender was meant to occur at the Temple of Varenni but Delenn instead invoked the choosing of leaders under old law by the Starfire Wheel where she forced Shakiri of the warrior caste to see which of them could survive the experience. Shakiri would be burnt in the encounter whilst Neroon of the warrior caste saved Delenn but at the cost of his life where he asked for an end of hostilities. As a result, the Minbari Civil War ended through his sacrifice with a new Grey Council being created but had a worker caste holding four places instead of three. (Episode: Moments of Transition)
Overview
The worker caste were sometimes forgotten as being a factor within the Minbari Federation during the inter-fighting between the warrior and religious castes. It was their acts that built the temples for the religious caste and created weapons for the warrior caste. (Episode: Moments of Transition) They were described as being too honorable a people to conduct sneak attacks on other races. (Episode: Midnight on the Firing Line)
Leaders on the Grey Council were given the honorific title of Satai to its members. (Episode: Soul Hunter) Those that were Satai were respected figures with it being seen as forbidden for subordinates looking directly at their face. (Episode: The Parliament of Dreams) It was not Minbari way for a single clan to dictate the policy of their government. (Episode: Legacies)
At some point, an alliance was formed by the religious caste with a lesser civilization known as the Norsai that had conducted trade with the Minbari for centuries. (Episode: Lines of Communication) Despite this pact, the Minbari were said to had no interest in alien affairs or business. (Movie: In the Beginning)
Technology
Among the younger races, the Minbari were stated to be the most advanced of the alien species and much more sophisticated compared to the Centauri. (Movie: In the Beginning) It was rumored that they had access to organic technology. (Episode: Infection)
Minbari fighters were designed for short range combat where they were meant to strike and return. These craft had their own stealth mode and able to latch themselves onto large ships in order to tap into airlines in case the oxygen supply was nearly depleted. (Episode: Darkness Ascending) Their jump engines were said to be much more precise compared to that of humans allowing them to open jump points as weapons to destroy enemy vessels at precise coordinates that were caught in the forming vortex. (Movie: In the Beginning) Ship residue from the fuel systems was quite toxic to the crew if directly exposed to it. (Episode: Rumors, Bargains and Lies)
Planets
- Minbar :
Appearances
- Babylon 5:
External Links
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