Z'ha'dum
Z'ha'dum is a planet that features in Babylon 5.
Contents |
History
Z'ha'dum was the homeworld of the Shadows. They have been driven from it many times, but always returned out of respect for Lorien, who resided on the planet. (Episode: Whatever Happened to Mr. Garibaldi?) It was a dead, dusty planet, with its cities moved underground after the original cities were destroyed in ancient wars with the Vorlons. (Episode: In the Shadow of Z'ha'dum)
During the Third Age, many in the Minbari Federation came to have doubts over the prophecies of Valen and the existence of the Shadows. In 2245, Dukhat served as the leader of the Grey Council who was aware that the Shadows were set to return. To galvanise the Minbari, he decided to prove the existence of their enemy and travelling directly to Z'ha'dum to investigate the dark world. A small fleet was sent so as not to draw suspicion and panic where they made their way but inadvertently came upon ships from the Earth Alliance. The human vessels had come to investigate the Minbari and intended to learn about them. However, a miscommunication resulted in the humans opening fire on the Minbari damaging their flagship and killing their leader Dukhat before fleeing the scene. This event triggered the Earth-Minbari War and thus no one travelled to Z'ha'dum. (Movie: Babylon 5: In the Beginning)
In 2257, Interplanetary Expeditions was commissioned to send a ship the Icarus to Z'ha'dum on an exploratory mission--most of the crew were apparently unaware that they were being used, that the planet was where the Shadow vessels had been tracked to. The Icarus' long-range probe awoke the Shadows hibernating there. When the Icarus arrived on Z'ha'dum, they found it seemingly deserted. They were then captured by the Shadows, and those members of the crew who did not serve willingly were said to have been killed. (Episode: In the Shadow of Z'ha'dum)
Z'ha'dum was destroyed after the Shadows left, when Lyta Alexander sent a telepathic signal, that in turn accidentally set off a security system designed to prevent the planet from being looted. The Drakh, who also resided on the planet, fled before it was destroyed.
Overview
In appearance, Z'ha'dum was a blasted, charred wasteland featuring igneous mountain ranges, sedimentary plains, and massive stone pillars covered in Shadow language characters. The planet has a cold, arid climate with a dry atmosphere containing low levels of carbon monoxide and frequent violent dust storms, leading the main Shadow cities to be located underground. (Episode: Z'ha'dum)
The Earth Alliance knew the world as Alpha Omega III which was located on the rim of known space. It was said to be approximately 4 day jump travel from the Epsilon Eridani system.
Inhabitants
- Justin :
- Morden :
- Anna Sheridan :
Notes
- Z'ha'dum was created by J. Michael Straczynski and featured in the setting of the Babylon 5 universe.
Alternate Versions
In other media
Novels
- In Babylon 5: The Shadow Within, Z'ha'dum was referenced in the setting of the 1997 novel written by Jeanne Cavelos and published by Del Rey. It mentioned that stone pillars dotted the planet's surface with these ranging from 100 to 150 yards in height covered most of the planetary surface. They were spaced exactly 2.43 miles apart from one another and were covered in characters from the Shadow language.
RPGs
Appearances
- Babylon 5:
