What would have happened after Dune?
This presents two more questions:
What would really have happened after Dune?
and
What was Dune all about?
The writer (me) is unsatisfied with the conclusions given by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson. The answer I would prefer concerns my second question.
I would say the whole Dune saga is a real gender war. Its (only) solution would involve all (human) women having the powers and abilities of the Bene Gesserit. The men, meanwhile, would remain normal but would develop superhuman abilities specific to each individual on consuming a relatively large amount of the Spice Melange.
Dune is/was about the setting up of male or technos-dominated power structures and knocking them down in turn. The last of these is the Spacing Guild. Undermining or destroying the Guild and the Bene Gesserit was the intention of the God-Emperor Leto 2 Atredes.
This allowed all the planets of the former Imperium to develop their own space programmes during the Scattering and after, independent of the Guild. Sandworms could be transported to inhospitable worlds in order to successfully or partially terraform them. This also prevented habitable worlds from being destroyed by the introduction of Sandworms.
The Spacing Guild and Bene Gesserit existed during the Imperium to limit technological development in order to control the populace by maintaining their poverty.
Wednesday, 21 June 2017
Monday, 10 April 2017
I wonder if it is possible to "explain" various science fiction franchises by placing them in the same fiction universe as other franchises?
So in this fashion let's start with Battlestar Galactica and why Humans seem to have evolved on another planet besides Earth. This can be explained if the (Donald D. Moore) series is actually set in the Stargate SG-1 universe. Doing this we can also introduce the Firefly universe and Culture series of novels and short stories into the same universe.
The SG universe posits that Humans evolved twice on Earth. The first "version" are called the "Ancients" and they apparently emerged about fifty million years ago. The eventual fate of the Ancients is mixed. Some "Ascended" to a higher plane of existence, some turned into a vampiric race known as "Wraiths" and some lived on Earth among the Humans that later evolved.
It would be relatively easy to imagine that the planet "Kobol" in Battlestar Galactica is either some kind of lost Ancient colony or outpost or that Humans managed to evolve on many planets on many different occasions. In the last case Kobol is just one planet on which a Humanity evolved on, in a similar fashion to the various Human species in the Culture series. We can perhaps explain the "Firefly" universe as being a future Human society that wished to escape from the eternal cycle of man-machine violence.
The spin-off series "Stargate: Atlantis" posits a potential conflict between intelligent machines and Humans. It is revealed that while the Ancients and other sentient beings are able to Ascend, intelligent machines are not. This in turn could be one cause of the eternal conflicts between Humans and their creations. It also suggests that the Angelic Messengers in Battlestar Galactica are a group of Ancients who are allowed to interfere with Humanity, or at least colonial society. This actually introduces a further connection with the Stargate franchise because it eventually transpires that the Ancients were divided, just like the colonials and cylons, on religious grounds. A rouge order of Ancients founded a religious society in another galaxy in which they were worshipped as gods. This society was set up in direct opposition to the main Ancient society resident in the Milky Way galaxy which was focused on science, self-determination and non-intervention.
The finale of Battlestar Galactica is therefore a prelude to the Stargate franchise. Presumably the Ancients wished for Humans to replace them as the dominant civilisation in the Milky Way galaxy and they manipulated the Colonials and Cylons in order for this to happen. In other words "humans" did evolve on Earth but they went extinct or experienced their own apotheosis. Our primitive ancestors who arrived later would never have developed language or civilisation so this had to be introduced by the alliance between the Galactica fleet and the rebel Cylons. The new culture would have to be tempered by that existing so therefore both colonial and cylon society would have to undergo the holocaust.
Edit: ought to point out the difference between "Ascension" and "Subliming". The first is on an individual level, the second is usually a whole society going to another plane of existence. The exception to this is an advanced AI Subliming on its own. I think we can assume that the Dra'azon and other Elder civilisations ascended a la Stargate over going "full Sublimation".
There is also the possibility that the founder species of the Culture evolved from the various animal types indigenous to Kobol, "Earth" and the Twelve Colonies. An example could be bird/avian life developing sapience and reverse-engineering Colonial/Kobolian technology.
So in this fashion let's start with Battlestar Galactica and why Humans seem to have evolved on another planet besides Earth. This can be explained if the (Donald D. Moore) series is actually set in the Stargate SG-1 universe. Doing this we can also introduce the Firefly universe and Culture series of novels and short stories into the same universe.
The SG universe posits that Humans evolved twice on Earth. The first "version" are called the "Ancients" and they apparently emerged about fifty million years ago. The eventual fate of the Ancients is mixed. Some "Ascended" to a higher plane of existence, some turned into a vampiric race known as "Wraiths" and some lived on Earth among the Humans that later evolved.
It would be relatively easy to imagine that the planet "Kobol" in Battlestar Galactica is either some kind of lost Ancient colony or outpost or that Humans managed to evolve on many planets on many different occasions. In the last case Kobol is just one planet on which a Humanity evolved on, in a similar fashion to the various Human species in the Culture series. We can perhaps explain the "Firefly" universe as being a future Human society that wished to escape from the eternal cycle of man-machine violence.
The spin-off series "Stargate: Atlantis" posits a potential conflict between intelligent machines and Humans. It is revealed that while the Ancients and other sentient beings are able to Ascend, intelligent machines are not. This in turn could be one cause of the eternal conflicts between Humans and their creations. It also suggests that the Angelic Messengers in Battlestar Galactica are a group of Ancients who are allowed to interfere with Humanity, or at least colonial society. This actually introduces a further connection with the Stargate franchise because it eventually transpires that the Ancients were divided, just like the colonials and cylons, on religious grounds. A rouge order of Ancients founded a religious society in another galaxy in which they were worshipped as gods. This society was set up in direct opposition to the main Ancient society resident in the Milky Way galaxy which was focused on science, self-determination and non-intervention.
The finale of Battlestar Galactica is therefore a prelude to the Stargate franchise. Presumably the Ancients wished for Humans to replace them as the dominant civilisation in the Milky Way galaxy and they manipulated the Colonials and Cylons in order for this to happen. In other words "humans" did evolve on Earth but they went extinct or experienced their own apotheosis. Our primitive ancestors who arrived later would never have developed language or civilisation so this had to be introduced by the alliance between the Galactica fleet and the rebel Cylons. The new culture would have to be tempered by that existing so therefore both colonial and cylon society would have to undergo the holocaust.
Edit: ought to point out the difference between "Ascension" and "Subliming". The first is on an individual level, the second is usually a whole society going to another plane of existence. The exception to this is an advanced AI Subliming on its own. I think we can assume that the Dra'azon and other Elder civilisations ascended a la Stargate over going "full Sublimation".
There is also the possibility that the founder species of the Culture evolved from the various animal types indigenous to Kobol, "Earth" and the Twelve Colonies. An example could be bird/avian life developing sapience and reverse-engineering Colonial/Kobolian technology.
Thursday, 6 April 2017
Star Wars: A Brief Alternative Scenario.
I don't think any drastic alterations to the existing plot are needed, but on a great deal of consideration Anakin's fall to the Dark Side would be more satisfying dramatically if he'd never known his mother and, also, if Dooku was Obi-Wan's Master instead of Qui-Gonn. I have the idea that Dooku's murder of Syfo-Dyas, in order to create the clone army in secret, triggered Dyas' discovery (or rediscovery?) of a life after death in the Force. My idea is that he contacts Kenobi and Padme after the two confront (or are confronted by) Anakin in order to act as a mentor to both of them.
The main story starts probably half way through Episode One
-after possibly an attack on the main Jedi Temple (on a world other than Coruscant) which forces the order to relocate to the capital and reduces its ability to recruit and train new Jedi;
-or the Trade Federations' invasion of Naboo, which possibly is not resolved for five to ten years-
when Kenobi is ordered to take a break in his solo training of Anakin to locate his missing Master (Dooku). This takes him to Kamino and then to Geonosis, where he discovers Dooku conspiring with corporate leaders. Who it transpires were responsible for funding both the clone army and the invasion of Naboo and/or the attack on the main Jedi Temple simply to test the two types of army in case of a galactic conflict or a Jedi rebellion.
And-I've been fascinated by Anakin's statement in Phantom Menace that he dreamt he was a Jedi and "came back and freed all the slaves". What if this was the crisis/ catalyst that started the Clone Wars and began Anakin's downfall. We first see Anakin as a three-year old (perhaps) then at age ten or twelve then he leaves the Jedi Temple as a part of the Trials. When we next hear about Anakin, the senate is in uproar over a slave rebellion and commissions an Army to either quell the Rebellion or retake several hundred systems which seceded in protest at the senate's inactions. It transpires that Anakin is (one of) the leader(s) of the Rebellion. This then causes Kenobi to be expelled from the Jedi Order (more dramatically he could even turn to the Dark Side).
The last scenario (perhaps) allows the Senate to issue a bounty on Kenobi which is taken up by Jango Fett. Kenobi escapes after killing Fett and orphaning Boba, which leads to him discovering the army of Fett clones purchased and commissioned on the Republic's behalf. Meanwhile, Palpatine contacts Anakin and convinces him that his rebellion is futile. Through a convoluted series of events, Anakin discovers Palpatine is also Darth Sidious which leads him to renounce the rebellion and convince is followers to re-join the Republic. Meanwhile, Kenobi locates and confronts Anakin, which results in Anakin's permanent injuries and his acceptance of the Darth Vader persona. The reason for this is simply because Kenobi and the Jedi have no knowledge of Anakin's surrender and Palpatine's alter ego.
Padme contacts Anakin-I'm not sure if she is still Queen at this point but she has some authority-and the two friends-at this point, of course they hate each other at first, partly because Anakin is a servant belonging to the royal household who is forced by later circumstances to marry Padme (basically to enter customs on Coruscant as the transport of slaves is illegal)-travel to Geonosis with a half dozenish Naboo and Senate security guards/commandos (and probably R2-D2), while say Shaak-Tii, Mace Windu and Yoda inspect the clones on Kamino. Anakin is still able to locate Kenobi using his tracer signal. Of course, it's a TRAP!!!
The Geonosians swarm the newcomers but Padme is able to find and rescue Kenobi. Then we the viewer witnesses Jango Fett literally disintegrating the delegates with a flamethrower, presumably on Dooku's orders. It transpires that this was done in order to blame the Jedi via the clones and provoke planets sympathetic to the Trade Federation and Techno Union (with the Banking Clan funding both sides) to secede from the Republic thus starting the Clone War (since Naboo various systems have openly or secretly expressed a desire to secede). Only Dooku's DNA would be discovered, Jango's being indistinguishable from the Clones. They arrive later following the appearance of Mace and Yoda (any need for the droid army to make an appearance? would be very cool if Yoda or Mace took out a whole battalion of droids in one move but was stopped by the introduction of Grievous..and cue clones and Grievous' escape), one of whom slays Jango.
Unfortunately this has consequences later. the war drags on and Dooku is killed at the end of episode two but the senate appears to turn against the Jedi as its members compete to appear to be more patriotic than each other. This reaches a crisis when a decision is made-overseen but not endorsed by Chancellor Palpatine-to prosecute Yoda/Mace/Kenobi for killing the clone template and thus depleting the quality and/or number of future clones. The Jedi Council reluctantly agree to exile Yoda, being the head of the order. There is a discussion, which Anakin overhears, regarding the Jedi either refusing to follow the senate's orders by refusing to participate in the war or actually overthrowing the Chancellor in order to reach a peace deal with the Corporate Alliance (as the Separatists call themselves: officially they blame corruption in the Senate for stifling free trade while also demanding the Jedi arrest corrupt senators and officials) and recognising the rights of systems to secede.
Anakin keeps this knowledge to himself for six months but with the war continuing with systems refusing to re-join the Republic and Grievous launching devastating attacks on the Jedi personally and on loyal systems such as Alderaan at the cost of thousands of organic troops and millions of lives he takes it upon himself to visit the Chancellor. He is surprised to find Palpatine already in a meeting with two senior Jedi but he is welcomed and is free to express his concerns about the Jedi.
Palpatine simply says not to worry about the Jedi and that Grievous will soon be located and destroyed. This makes Anakin suspicious that there is a mole in the senate or even the Jedi order which surprising to all present leads Palpatine to admit that there is a Sith Lord in the senate. Before Anakin can say "It's you!" Palpatine strikes down the two Jedi. Anakin tries to stand his ground but is assaulted by Force lightning and escapes to the Temple. The Jedi simply don't believe what he is saying and explain that Dooku must have been a Sith Lord all along. Anakin accuses the Jedi of being in league with the Sith and starting the war, using Dooku's own apprenticeship of Kenobi as proof along with the never ending conflict. The Jedi are about to arrest Anakin
(or maybe they do after all and he is rescued by either Padme or even Ahsoka)
when they receive a message from Palpatine informing them that the Republic Navy
(pretty much the limited Judicial Forces and a science and exploratory division)
has found solid evidence of Grievous' current location.
With this distraction Anakin escapes to wage a personal war of vengeance against the Jedi, slaying hundreds of Knights and Padawans to prolong the war before a final showdown leaves Kenobi taking an unconscious (and about four months pregnant) Padme to Alderaan, believing Anakin to have died from his injuries.
Grievous is killed by clones just before this-or perhaps Palpatine suddenly agrees to a peace treaty with him, which actually result in Grievous single-handedly assaulting the poorly guarded Jedi Temple. Palpatine has Anakin retrieved and revives him using Sith sorcery but is unable to completely heal him. He issues order 66.
As an addendum, Sidious deliberately sets up the Alliance to Restore the Republic hoping
(or predicting) that a potential apprentice will kill and replace Vader
I don't think any drastic alterations to the existing plot are needed, but on a great deal of consideration Anakin's fall to the Dark Side would be more satisfying dramatically if he'd never known his mother and, also, if Dooku was Obi-Wan's Master instead of Qui-Gonn. I have the idea that Dooku's murder of Syfo-Dyas, in order to create the clone army in secret, triggered Dyas' discovery (or rediscovery?) of a life after death in the Force. My idea is that he contacts Kenobi and Padme after the two confront (or are confronted by) Anakin in order to act as a mentor to both of them.
The main story starts probably half way through Episode One
-after possibly an attack on the main Jedi Temple (on a world other than Coruscant) which forces the order to relocate to the capital and reduces its ability to recruit and train new Jedi;
-or the Trade Federations' invasion of Naboo, which possibly is not resolved for five to ten years-
when Kenobi is ordered to take a break in his solo training of Anakin to locate his missing Master (Dooku). This takes him to Kamino and then to Geonosis, where he discovers Dooku conspiring with corporate leaders. Who it transpires were responsible for funding both the clone army and the invasion of Naboo and/or the attack on the main Jedi Temple simply to test the two types of army in case of a galactic conflict or a Jedi rebellion.
And-I've been fascinated by Anakin's statement in Phantom Menace that he dreamt he was a Jedi and "came back and freed all the slaves". What if this was the crisis/ catalyst that started the Clone Wars and began Anakin's downfall. We first see Anakin as a three-year old (perhaps) then at age ten or twelve then he leaves the Jedi Temple as a part of the Trials. When we next hear about Anakin, the senate is in uproar over a slave rebellion and commissions an Army to either quell the Rebellion or retake several hundred systems which seceded in protest at the senate's inactions. It transpires that Anakin is (one of) the leader(s) of the Rebellion. This then causes Kenobi to be expelled from the Jedi Order (more dramatically he could even turn to the Dark Side).
The last scenario (perhaps) allows the Senate to issue a bounty on Kenobi which is taken up by Jango Fett. Kenobi escapes after killing Fett and orphaning Boba, which leads to him discovering the army of Fett clones purchased and commissioned on the Republic's behalf. Meanwhile, Palpatine contacts Anakin and convinces him that his rebellion is futile. Through a convoluted series of events, Anakin discovers Palpatine is also Darth Sidious which leads him to renounce the rebellion and convince is followers to re-join the Republic. Meanwhile, Kenobi locates and confronts Anakin, which results in Anakin's permanent injuries and his acceptance of the Darth Vader persona. The reason for this is simply because Kenobi and the Jedi have no knowledge of Anakin's surrender and Palpatine's alter ego.
Padme contacts Anakin-I'm not sure if she is still Queen at this point but she has some authority-and the two friends-at this point, of course they hate each other at first, partly because Anakin is a servant belonging to the royal household who is forced by later circumstances to marry Padme (basically to enter customs on Coruscant as the transport of slaves is illegal)-travel to Geonosis with a half dozenish Naboo and Senate security guards/commandos (and probably R2-D2), while say Shaak-Tii, Mace Windu and Yoda inspect the clones on Kamino. Anakin is still able to locate Kenobi using his tracer signal. Of course, it's a TRAP!!!
The Geonosians swarm the newcomers but Padme is able to find and rescue Kenobi. Then we the viewer witnesses Jango Fett literally disintegrating the delegates with a flamethrower, presumably on Dooku's orders. It transpires that this was done in order to blame the Jedi via the clones and provoke planets sympathetic to the Trade Federation and Techno Union (with the Banking Clan funding both sides) to secede from the Republic thus starting the Clone War (since Naboo various systems have openly or secretly expressed a desire to secede). Only Dooku's DNA would be discovered, Jango's being indistinguishable from the Clones. They arrive later following the appearance of Mace and Yoda (any need for the droid army to make an appearance? would be very cool if Yoda or Mace took out a whole battalion of droids in one move but was stopped by the introduction of Grievous..and cue clones and Grievous' escape), one of whom slays Jango.
Unfortunately this has consequences later. the war drags on and Dooku is killed at the end of episode two but the senate appears to turn against the Jedi as its members compete to appear to be more patriotic than each other. This reaches a crisis when a decision is made-overseen but not endorsed by Chancellor Palpatine-to prosecute Yoda/Mace/Kenobi for killing the clone template and thus depleting the quality and/or number of future clones. The Jedi Council reluctantly agree to exile Yoda, being the head of the order. There is a discussion, which Anakin overhears, regarding the Jedi either refusing to follow the senate's orders by refusing to participate in the war or actually overthrowing the Chancellor in order to reach a peace deal with the Corporate Alliance (as the Separatists call themselves: officially they blame corruption in the Senate for stifling free trade while also demanding the Jedi arrest corrupt senators and officials) and recognising the rights of systems to secede.
Anakin keeps this knowledge to himself for six months but with the war continuing with systems refusing to re-join the Republic and Grievous launching devastating attacks on the Jedi personally and on loyal systems such as Alderaan at the cost of thousands of organic troops and millions of lives he takes it upon himself to visit the Chancellor. He is surprised to find Palpatine already in a meeting with two senior Jedi but he is welcomed and is free to express his concerns about the Jedi.
Palpatine simply says not to worry about the Jedi and that Grievous will soon be located and destroyed. This makes Anakin suspicious that there is a mole in the senate or even the Jedi order which surprising to all present leads Palpatine to admit that there is a Sith Lord in the senate. Before Anakin can say "It's you!" Palpatine strikes down the two Jedi. Anakin tries to stand his ground but is assaulted by Force lightning and escapes to the Temple. The Jedi simply don't believe what he is saying and explain that Dooku must have been a Sith Lord all along. Anakin accuses the Jedi of being in league with the Sith and starting the war, using Dooku's own apprenticeship of Kenobi as proof along with the never ending conflict. The Jedi are about to arrest Anakin
(or maybe they do after all and he is rescued by either Padme or even Ahsoka)
when they receive a message from Palpatine informing them that the Republic Navy
(pretty much the limited Judicial Forces and a science and exploratory division)
has found solid evidence of Grievous' current location.
With this distraction Anakin escapes to wage a personal war of vengeance against the Jedi, slaying hundreds of Knights and Padawans to prolong the war before a final showdown leaves Kenobi taking an unconscious (and about four months pregnant) Padme to Alderaan, believing Anakin to have died from his injuries.
Grievous is killed by clones just before this-or perhaps Palpatine suddenly agrees to a peace treaty with him, which actually result in Grievous single-handedly assaulting the poorly guarded Jedi Temple. Palpatine has Anakin retrieved and revives him using Sith sorcery but is unable to completely heal him. He issues order 66.
As an addendum, Sidious deliberately sets up the Alliance to Restore the Republic hoping
(or predicting) that a potential apprentice will kill and replace Vader
Wednesday, 5 April 2017
Alt Trek/Fanfic
I'd re-do ST: Voyager by having the crew exile Janeway after the episodes "Scorpion" and "Tuvix" instead of allowing her to execute the composite 'Tuvix' character . This puts the remaining crew in conflict with the Borg* and a renegade starship captain, but not after the ship itself "mutinies".
A secret AI programme takes over the vessel, leaving Tom and Harry left in charge as the only original Starfleet officers remaining. They "speed" ** to reaquire Janeway but Borg advancements to Voyager make them a target for an unexpected enemy: captain Ransom of the Equinox, who was also stranded in the Delta Quadrant with his crew but is prepared to disregard Federation morals and his own training in order to return home.
Believing Voyager to be some variant on the Borg Sphere-design Ransom has his crew intercept Voyager. Still being Starfleet, Ransom is recognised as so by the mutinous AI and grants him access to the ship's systems. Harry Kim and Chakotay secretly leave in the Delta Flyer to retrieve Janeway for the final confrontation with Ransom.
*I can't remember what the Borg in particular had to do with this particular scenario, other than hypothesising that Torres and Seven really ought to have come up with a working cloaking device to hide Voyager from the Borg. Perhaps the only reason this didn't actually happen is because Janeway wouldn't violate the treaty which bars Starfleet from producing a cloaking device of their own.
**I can't think of a way to re-word this sentence, hence the quotations.
Update 22.5.2017
A combination with Deep Space Nine could result after the Voyager crew return to the Federation. Captain Tuvok, Janeway being demoted by the crew to Lieutenant Commander, being the only suitable replacement for Janeway makes contact with the Romulans via the Ancient Communication Network (used by the Hirogen). The ACN is used to beam the Voyager crew to a deep-range Romulan explorer ship. Voyager itself is left under the command of the covert AI system, possibly with Janeway and Ransom remaining as semi-prisoners, and ordered to warp to the next ACN nexus.
The crew discover that (obviously events on DS9 are altered) the Federation, the Cardassian Union and the Tholians made a peace deal with the Dominion. Sisko and the Bajorans rejected this and made an alliance with the Klingon Empire in defiance of orders. Vulcan left the Federation and revived peace talks with the Romulans. They also started providing covert aid to the Maquis. Tuvok, Sisko and others agree on a plan to destroy the Dominion without starting a war in the Alpha Quadrant: they will take the Defiant into Borg space and provoke the Borg into following them into Dominion space. The Dominion would be too distracted trying to fight the Borg to be concerned with conquering the Federation and the Borg would waste resources trying to conquer the Dominion.
Second update 2.6.2017
I ought to point out that Tuvok and Sisko can travel between the Delta and Gamma Quadrants via the Barzan Wormhole, to Voyager via the ACN nexus and to the Gamma Quadrant via the Bajoran Wormhole.
A secret AI programme takes over the vessel, leaving Tom and Harry left in charge as the only original Starfleet officers remaining. They "speed" ** to reaquire Janeway but Borg advancements to Voyager make them a target for an unexpected enemy: captain Ransom of the Equinox, who was also stranded in the Delta Quadrant with his crew but is prepared to disregard Federation morals and his own training in order to return home.
Believing Voyager to be some variant on the Borg Sphere-design Ransom has his crew intercept Voyager. Still being Starfleet, Ransom is recognised as so by the mutinous AI and grants him access to the ship's systems. Harry Kim and Chakotay secretly leave in the Delta Flyer to retrieve Janeway for the final confrontation with Ransom.
*I can't remember what the Borg in particular had to do with this particular scenario, other than hypothesising that Torres and Seven really ought to have come up with a working cloaking device to hide Voyager from the Borg. Perhaps the only reason this didn't actually happen is because Janeway wouldn't violate the treaty which bars Starfleet from producing a cloaking device of their own.
**I can't think of a way to re-word this sentence, hence the quotations.
Update 22.5.2017
A combination with Deep Space Nine could result after the Voyager crew return to the Federation. Captain Tuvok, Janeway being demoted by the crew to Lieutenant Commander, being the only suitable replacement for Janeway makes contact with the Romulans via the Ancient Communication Network (used by the Hirogen). The ACN is used to beam the Voyager crew to a deep-range Romulan explorer ship. Voyager itself is left under the command of the covert AI system, possibly with Janeway and Ransom remaining as semi-prisoners, and ordered to warp to the next ACN nexus.
The crew discover that (obviously events on DS9 are altered) the Federation, the Cardassian Union and the Tholians made a peace deal with the Dominion. Sisko and the Bajorans rejected this and made an alliance with the Klingon Empire in defiance of orders. Vulcan left the Federation and revived peace talks with the Romulans. They also started providing covert aid to the Maquis. Tuvok, Sisko and others agree on a plan to destroy the Dominion without starting a war in the Alpha Quadrant: they will take the Defiant into Borg space and provoke the Borg into following them into Dominion space. The Dominion would be too distracted trying to fight the Borg to be concerned with conquering the Federation and the Borg would waste resources trying to conquer the Dominion.
Second update 2.6.2017
I ought to point out that Tuvok and Sisko can travel between the Delta and Gamma Quadrants via the Barzan Wormhole, to Voyager via the ACN nexus and to the Gamma Quadrant via the Bajoran Wormhole.
Monday, 20 March 2017
Expanded timelines and global conflicts
Let's say the only canonical dated event in the Babylon 5 universe is # and concerns the dissolution of the United Nations and the reason the Earth Alliance is founded.
Another assumption is provided by the author George Friedman in his book "The Next Hundred Years". It may shock people, but let us say that a global conflict develops in 2080.
The combatants are, on one side:
Turkey,
Israel,
Japan,
(possibly) Pakistan
and North Korea
versus (specifically) China,
the USA
and Russia.
Iran, Serbia, Armenia and Greece will be allied to Russia and it is likely India would be involved against its old enemy Pakistan.
The short ending is that the USA is able to end the conflict by detonating orbital EMP devices over the nuclear armed nations; cutting funding to Israel and Turkey and then offering EA membership to Israel and Japan.
The longer version incorporates Friedman's assumption that the USA would intervene to protect the territorial integrity of its allies (and potential enemies) Russia and China. It's a shame he doesn't actually dwell much on this point to its logical conclusion.
What he does focus on is the possibility of a conflict between Turkey or Japan and the USA.
Personally I would suggest that both Turkey and Japan, but mainly the former, had long established an empire in central Asia or at least extended their respective spheres of influence. Israel would be allied to Turkey and would probably launch a large conventional offensive against Iran. They would use bombers alongside drone weapons and military satellites.
Japan and the United States would have military satellites also. These would likely come in two varieties. One type is able to defend itself both automatically and by orders relayed from Earth from other satellites. The second launches kinetic weapons at targets on the ground; basically javelins/spears/darts/flechettes dropped from a great height. The second can also target other satellites in a lower orbit.
Israel would perhaps assume that western powers would support its actions. Japan would also feel the same, launching attacks on North Korea. However, cities in China and South Korea come under attack as well and, further, China would feel that the regime in North Korea is its responsibility. Japan has nuclear weapons by this point and would devastate China if she used them. China had (as described) already lost some territory, partly due to Turkey and Japan funding secessionist movements, and the United States felt it could no longer allow its biggest market (and creditor) to fall. Russia and China were also weakened by being dissuaded from developing and utilising satellite weapons, but they do have drones. Russia would be threatened by Turkey so it became involved in the war on Iran's side.
It is almost certain that nuclear weapons would be used and that other countries would become involved. I would resolve this by proposing that the sleeper ships used by PX to explore the universe before contact with the Centauri (in other words the sleeper ship in "The Long Dark") are upgraded versions of "sleeper stations" used by allied nations in world war three.
These ships orbit the Earth in silence and each contain a command crew of two in almost perpetual suspended animation in stasis tubes. In the event of a conflict each ship is armed with a tactical nuclear weapon to be dropped and detonated high in the atmosphere above an enemy nation. On detonation, an electromagnetic pulse is released which neutralises all electrical devices in the enemy nation, including ground and air-based nuclear weapons. The allies can then end a nuclear conflict before it has a chance to start.
A similar network exists in the form of high-altitude balloons. As well as nuclear weapons, these military balloons also act as bases for extreme high altitude paratroopers. These could be called "Droptroopers". In a crisis, these soldiers drop from just below the edge of space to attack and infiltrate enemy installations. They are armed with advanced multi-megawatt masers, which are capable of instantly disabling enemy equipment and personnel, as well as more conventional weapons issued to special forces commandos.
The sleeper stations are launched as satellites and use several ion drives to make emergency manoeuvres as needed. The crew are kept in stasis to avoid detection by infra-red and are awoken at random so that, out of the whole network, at least one crewmember is awake at all times.
The EA is called The Pact and is entirely secret at this point. It consists of the UK, South Africa, Israel and Germany. Technically, the USA isn't a full member after losing California and other states.
In the immediate aftermath of the war any possible launching site for the space programme is therefore outside federal jurisdiction. This is resolved by officially dissolving NASA and subsuming it into a front corporation-InterPlanetary Expeditions-thus allowing foreign investment and the use of facilities outside the US homeland because IPX/NASA is, officially, an international corporation.
I'm not sure it would be called either at this point however but names don't really matter. Let us call the new entity Extra-Planetary Expeditions, or just PX: Planetary Expeditions
2084:
-EarthAlliance
-The Earth Alliance at this time consists of:
Australia,
the UK,
2095-Brazil, Catalonia, California, Florida, Canada, Panama, Gibraltar, the Isle of Man and the Falkland Islands join the Earth Alliance along with Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Hawaii, Madagascar, the Channel Islands and New Zealand in 2105.
2104-EA establishes the first of several research colonies on Mars.
2113-EA establishes new headquarters at Geneva and promises to maintain previous edicts prohibiting the militarisation of space. Norway, Switzerland and the remaining EU nations join the EA as does China and Indonesia.
Roughly by this point, former parts of China and Russia have joined with North and South Korea to form the Eastern Bloc. China had also long since lost the western regions of Tibet and Xinjiang. Mass migrations of people, mostly from China, have entered Siberia from before 2070. Climate refugees (mostly from Equatorial regions) and idealists have made repeated attempts to colonise Antarctica since 2071, mostly occupying abandoned research stations. After the war, many migrated north to Siberia.
2114-United States of America becomes the Associate States of America, then the Allied States of America (2121), then just Allied Nations (2130). All successive incarnations are entitled to control their borders, send senators to Washington and share a federal military. Previously I had put this event 30 years earlier, but I think it should be situated after the first sleeper ships are launched.
2120-San Diego and the largest Mars colony are destroyed in simultaneous acts of nuclear terrorism after the semi-secessionist US states join the ASA and Mexico joins the Earth Alliance.
2129-Canada and Iceland join the Allied States before it is reorganised as the Allied Nations.
2131-Greenland and Cuba join the Allied Nations.
2130 to 2169:
-MetaPOL and MetaGuild are established as precursors to Psi Corps: MetaPOL investigates crimes committed by or against telepaths while MetaGuild is a telepath-only union.
-Telepaths can only join MetaPOL or Earth Force if vetted by MetaGuild.
-The movements and activities of non-members are severely restricted.
-Humans first contacted openly by another race: the Centauri.
-The Allied Nations are incorporated into the Earth Alliance.
-The EA military is first referred to as Earth Force.
-The first human colonists arrive on Mars via the Earth Jumpgate in the first jump-capable ship built by humans.
-The Martian and Antarctic colonies are recognised by the Earth Alliance.
-Establishment of the African, Islamic and Central Asian Blocs.
-Establishment of the first permanent Martian colony (this could be the date of the largest migration of 600 colonists)
-(Under Shadow influence?), the Psi Corps is formally established to monitor and regulate the activities of human telepaths. Telepaths are now required to join the Psi Corps, take drugs weekly to suppress their abilities or face prison. Telepaths are barred from regular military service. Canonical date of 2261 given in episode.
2170-Europa and Ganymede colonized.
2171-EarthAlliance
2173-Psi Corps establishes a secret research facility in Syria Planum on Mars, partly to get around the ban on military bases.
2174-‘Mundanes’ working on the foundations and life support for the Psi Corps base left stranded on Mars build New Vegas and Flintown. Demands for Martian autonomy stem from this point.
2175-Human separatists establish a colony on Regula 4, eschewing modern technology in favour of hand tools and farming.
2178-For security reasons, the Earth Jumpgate is dismantled and construction of the Io Jumpgate and Transfer Point begins.
It would be consistent if there always was a Jumpgate near Io, if races like the Soul Hunters could visit Earth in the past. The Centauri simply dismantled this Gate and reconstructed it in Earth's orbit. This is definitely consistent with their behaviour, with First Contact being timed to occur before Earth began exploring the outer planets.
2212-President Kyoshi of the Eastern Bloc is killed in office three days after the end of the War of the Shining Star by soldiers who fought for the opposition in the civil war. Canonical date given in episode.
2212 to 2249:
-With the Eastern and African Blocs (presumably?) joining the Earth Alliance, Earth has a united planetary government for the first time.
-Earth Force personnel switch from slugthrowers to PPGs.
-Facing destruction with their sun about to go Nova, the Dilgar begin an invasion of the League of Non-Aligned Worlds. Canonical date given in episode.
-Earth Force is involved in several campaigns in Africa.
-France finally joins the Earth Alliance, just before the Minbari War.
2084:
-Earth
-The Earth Alliance at this time consists of:
Australia,
the UK,
South Africa,
Ireland,
the Netherlands,
Serbia,
Greece,
Armenia,
Argentina,
Iran,
Chile,
Israel (minus Jerusalem),
Germany,
Poland
and the European part of Turkey (i.e. Istanbul)
-The EA is basically the official version of The Pact, both incarnations having the same function and organisational structure with new nations joining those original to The Pact.
-Before this date: Britain abandoned all its oversees territories, the Isle of Man declared itself an independent nation, Catalonia seceded from Spain and France left the European Union.
-EA scientists confirm the existence of tachyons.
2090-Lagrange 1 space station built at the Lagrange point between the Earth and Moon.Ireland,
the Netherlands,
Serbia,
Greece,
Armenia,
Argentina,
Iran,
Chile,
Israel (minus Jerusalem),
Germany,
Poland
and the European part of Turkey (i.e. Istanbul)
-The EA is basically the official version of The Pact, both incarnations having the same function and organisational structure with new nations joining those original to The Pact.
-Before this date: Britain abandoned all its oversees territories, the Isle of Man declared itself an independent nation, Catalonia seceded from Spain and France left the European Union.
-EA scientists confirm the existence of tachyons.
2095-Brazil, Catalonia, California, Florida, Canada, Panama, Gibraltar, the Isle of Man and the Falkland Islands join the Earth Alliance along with Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Hawaii, Madagascar, the Channel Islands and New Zealand in 2105.
2104-EA establishes the first of several research colonies on Mars.
2105-PX sends out sleeper ships to explore beyond the solar system. At a guess I would say this is after WW3 and before the Mars and San Diego bombings, based on comments in episode "The Long Dark" about Earth conflicts.
2110-The United Nations is formally dissolved when India, Japan and the Russian Consortium join the Earth Alliance.
2110-The United Nations is formally dissolved when India, Japan and the Russian Consortium join the Earth Alliance.
2112-Anti-EA government elected in France # protesting the dissolution of United Nations.
2113-EA establishes new headquarters at Geneva and promises to maintain previous edicts prohibiting the militarisation of space. Norway, Switzerland and the remaining EU nations join the EA as does China and Indonesia.
Roughly by this point, former parts of China and Russia have joined with North and South Korea to form the Eastern Bloc. China had also long since lost the western regions of Tibet and Xinjiang. Mass migrations of people, mostly from China, have entered Siberia from before 2070. Climate refugees (mostly from Equatorial regions) and idealists have made repeated attempts to colonise Antarctica since 2071, mostly occupying abandoned research stations. After the war, many migrated north to Siberia.
2120-San Diego and the largest Mars colony are destroyed in simultaneous acts of nuclear terrorism after the semi-secessionist US states join the ASA and Mexico joins the Earth Alliance.
2129-Canada and Iceland join the Allied States before it is reorganised as the Allied Nations.
2131-Greenland and Cuba join the Allied Nations.
-MetaPOL and MetaGuild are established as precursors to Psi Corps: MetaPOL investigates crimes committed by or against telepaths while MetaGuild is a telepath-only union.
-Telepaths can only join MetaPOL or Earth Force if vetted by MetaGuild.
-The movements and activities of non-members are severely restricted.
-Humans first contacted openly by another race: the Centauri.
-The Centauri provide Earth with a Jumpgate.
-The first human colonists arrive on Mars via the Earth Jumpgate in the first jump-capable ship built by humans.
-The Martian and Antarctic colonies are recognised by the Earth Alliance.
-Establishment of the African, Islamic and Central Asian Blocs.
-Establishment of the first permanent Martian colony (this could be the date of the largest migration of 600 colonists)
-First human Technomages emerge along with a hundred alien-inspired cults, including Foundationism. Canonical date given in episode
-(Under Shadow influence?), the Psi Corps is formally established to monitor and regulate the activities of human telepaths. Telepaths are now required to join the Psi Corps, take drugs weekly to suppress their abilities or face prison. Telepaths are barred from regular military service. Canonical date of 2261 given in episode.
2170-Europa and Ganymede colonized.
2171-Earth
2173-Psi Corps establishes a secret research facility in Syria Planum on Mars, partly to get around the ban on military bases.
2174-‘Mundanes’ working on the foundations and life support for the Psi Corps base left stranded on Mars build New Vegas and Flintown. Demands for Martian autonomy stem from this point.
2175-Human separatists establish a colony on Regula 4, eschewing modern technology in favour of hand tools and farming.
2178-For security reasons, the Earth Jumpgate is dismantled and construction of the Io Jumpgate and Transfer Point begins.
It would be consistent if there always was a Jumpgate near Io, if races like the Soul Hunters could visit Earth in the past. The Centauri simply dismantled this Gate and reconstructed it in Earth's orbit. This is definitely consistent with their behaviour, with First Contact being timed to occur before Earth began exploring the outer planets.
2212-President Kyoshi of the Eastern Bloc is killed in office three days after the end of the War of the Shining Star by soldiers who fought for the opposition in the civil war. Canonical date given in episode.
2212 to 2249:
-With the Eastern and African Blocs (presumably?) joining the Earth Alliance, Earth has a united planetary government for the first time.
-Earth Force personnel switch from slugthrowers to PPGs.
-Facing destruction with their sun about to go Nova, the Dilgar begin an invasion of the League of Non-Aligned Worlds. Canonical date given in episode.
-The Dilgar are driven back to their home system, their Jumpgate is destroyed and their supply of quantium-40 is confiscated by Earth Force. Earth begins construction of its fleet of Jumpgate-building ‘Explorer’-class starships. The EA is now a major military power.
-Extinction of the Dilgar with the destruction of their sun.
-Earth Force is involved in several campaigns in Africa.
-France finally joins the Earth Alliance, just before the Minbari War.
(October 2243) An Earth vessel encounters a Minbari ship and support vessels. Believing they were under attack, the vessel opens fire on the Minbari, killing Dukhat, leader of the Grey Council.
(June 2245) The Earth-Minbari War begins when the Minbari attack the first colony within thirty light years from Earth.
(October 2245) Earth’s only victory during the war occurs when Lt. Commander John Sheridan of the EAS-Lexington destroys the ‘Black Star’ in an ambush by mining the Asteroid Belt with tactical nukes and sending a fake distress signal.
(2247) Mars declares itself neutral in the Earth-Minbari War.
(December 2247) The Battle of the Line ends with the Minbari mysteriously surrendering. After the war the Senate imposes an embargo on Mars, resulting in food riots.
(2248):
-Food riots on Mars end with the imposition of an Earth-selected Provisional Government.
-Food riots on Mars end with the imposition of an Earth-selected Provisional Government.
-Mars is permanently occupied after the Minbari War by Earth Force.
-‘Free Mars’ grows in numbers and begins to use violence to achieve its aims.
-IPX, or InterPlanetary Expeditions, is set up as a front corporation for a secret EA bio-weapons research group. As indicated I would assume a much earlier date for this. An alternative is that IPX is the reincarnation of PlanetaryExpeditions and has a focus beyond archaeological digs on Mars.
-The Shadows awaken from hibernation
The five years of Babylon 5 happen as broadcast, but with some differences.
I would propose two five year arcs: The first starts immediately after the pilot episode and ends following the departure of the First Ones in 2262. The second arc begins eleven years later and ends after the fall of Centauri Prime in 2278.
Pilot episode.
Season One
-Sinclair is stranded aboard Babylon 4 during its reappearance, May 2258. Laurel Takeshima assumes command in the interim.
-A volunteer in Psi Corps experiments, Jason Ironheart is now a P15 and ‘no longer what you or I would consider entirely human’.
Season Two
January 2259: Lyta Alexander is recalled to earth as soon as Clark comes to power. Six months later she escapes Psi Corps and makes her way to Babylon 5 with the aid of the Mars resistance and General Hague's operatives. She then warns the remaining crew about a mole: Laurel Takeshima
March 2259: General William Hague of the Joint Chiefs sends Captain John Sheridan to Babylon 5 as its new military governor. Officially this is because Sheridan was President Santiago's choice to replace Sinclair if he was ever transferred. Secretly, this is done in order to build an anti-coup alliance of loyal officers away from close scrutiny by Clark's allies.
June 2259: Ivanova defects to the Minbari. She returns to the station in January 2260 after being trained by the remaining Rangers to fight the Shadows.
Season Three
Ivanova returns in the White Star, a prototype Minbari warship crewed by religious Minbari.
August 2260: Senate enacts blockade on Babylon 5 after Sheridan requests military aid in fighting the Shadows, on behalf of the League of Non-Aligned Worlds
Season Four
Delenn is sentenced in absentia for treason when she begins a relationship with Sheridan.
Ivanova and Delenn recruit "Arthur", G'kar and Catherine Sakai to lead and train the Rangers aboard Babylon 5.
Garibaldi is on patrol outside the station when it is surrounded by Shadow ships. They leave after he tries to intercept them and Garibaldi finds himself on the Shadow homeworld. The Shadows try to recruit Garibaldi. They give him the same spiel they otherwise gave to Sheridan. When he refuses to serve them they send him to Psi Corps for reprogramming.
A colony of rouge telepaths is established. Some are recruited by Sheridan to fight the Shadows, others join security in order to to deter Shadow infiltration.
G'kar leaves the station to search for Garibaldi. He ends up aiding Londo in removing Cartagia and the Shadows from Centauri Prime, in return for Londo ending hostilities against the Narn and returning all captured territories.
Season Five
Sheridan successfully rallies the League of Non-Aligned Worlds against the Shadows. His Alliance of Light achieves its first victory. A neutral planet was blockaded with civilian vessels posing as refugee ships. Hidden among these were Alliance ships and waiting in hyperspace were the White Star, several Vorlon ships and a few ships belonging to Minbari loyal to Delenn. Knowing the Shadows would never pass up such a tempting target, Sheridan was able to thus determine where their next attack would take place.
Delenn suddenly announces that she must take the White Star on an unusual mission, after Ivanova receives a distress signal from herself. Delenn, Sheridan, Lennir and Zathras take the White Star back in time to the point at which B4 goes online. It transpires that it was about to be destroyed by the Trigati, a renegade Minbari warship. The White Star opens fire on the Trigati just before it is in visual range of B4 thus avoiding resumption of hostilities between Earth and Minbar.
Zathras and the others locate to Babylon 4, hoping to pilot it to 2262. Sinclair, meanwhile, is given a triluminary by Zathras and takes the White Star into the distant past. It transpires (possibly via Lyta?) that Sinclair basically founded the Minbari civilisation. This means that Kosh Naranek either personally knew, or was himself, Jeffery Sinclair.
This explains Kosh knowing so much about the future and seemingly shaking Sinclair's hand when they meet for the "first time". It also explains why the Minbari were dying off, why they needed fresh DNA and why they believed humans were reincarnated Minbari. Sinclair appeared in Minbari space when the species is still developing. He takes a wife, has several children, and directs Minbari civilisation to the point that they were able to defeat the Shadows in the last war. However, his genetic impact is such that there is rampant inbreeding among the Minbari.
Awaiting Sheridan's return, Ivanova tries to maintain the new alliance. She formally declares independence from the Earth Alliance.
Station morale increases when Garibaldi returns. At first he has no idea who he is but his memories of his time on the station and his life before slowly return and he is allowed to return as Chief of Security.
Meanwhile the only major powers to recognise B5 are the Narn Regime and the Centauri Republic and both these powers suffered heavy losses in the Shadow War. Similarly, the Minbari leadership refuse to recognise Babylon 5's independence due to hostility towards Delenn.
The second arc begins when Sheridan, Delenn and Lennir return aboard Babylon 4. The series then carries on from 2273 to 2278.
Z'ha'dum is destroyed by Lyta Alexander after Bester arrives and insists their technology can help the Alliance.
Babylon 5 is partially evacuated after being sabotaged. Garibaldi goes missing after apparently trying to destroy the telepath colony.
Babylon 4 returns.
With no opposition from the Shadows, the Vorlons begin destroying civilisations that have sided with the Shadows.
Clark is overthrown with the aid of Sheridan and the Shadow implant telepaths.
Garibaldi's free will is restored by Bester. He then works as a bounty hunter, focusing on Shadow allies in Psi Corps.
Lyta discovers she is powerful enough to defeat Kosh. While the station's remaining residents and personnel are relocated to Babylon 4, and with the aid of some surviving telepaths and station security, she forces Kosh to remain aboard the station while it is deliberately destroyed.
Ivanova was exposed as a telepath as she was able to control Kosh's ship during the evacuation. The technology aboard the Vorlon transport is later used in upgrading the second generation of White Stars.
The Vorlons are confronted in the Coriana system by the combined forces of the Narn, the League of Non-Aligned Worlds, the Centauri and the remaining first ones. They agree to leave the galaxy alongside the last of the first ones.
The Interstellar Alliance is formed, Delenn gives birth to a rapidly developing child, Minbar and Earth recognise Babylon 4's independence.
The IA commissions the Rangers as a peacekeeping force with membership open to all IA citizens.
The Rangers become indispensable in the Telepath War.
Garibaldi's free will and personality is fully restored by Lyta Alexander.
Babylon 4 is renamed Babylon Prime.
War with the Centauri starts just as Earth and Minbar agree to join the IA.
Delenn is captured during a voyage to Minbar, Sheridan arrives with the White Star fleet. He is captured trying to negotiate a truce during the fall of Centauri Prime.
Emperor Londo dies, his successor Vir Cotto reveals he was being controlled by the Drakh, who also orchestrated the war.
-‘Free Mars’ grows in numbers and begins to use violence to achieve its aims.
-IPX, or InterPlanetary Expeditions, is set up as a front corporation for a secret EA bio-weapons research group. As indicated I would assume a much earlier date for this. An alternative is that IPX is the reincarnation of PlanetaryExpeditions and has a focus beyond archaeological digs on Mars.
(2249) The first Babylon
2253 to 2257:
-Psi Corps secretly instigate a sleeper agent program, inserting hidden Artificial Personalities into the personnel of various EA departments.
-Psi Corps secretly instigate a sleeper agent program, inserting hidden Artificial Personalities into the personnel of various EA departments.
-IPX uncover a buried Shadow vessel on Mars, Psi Corps become involved in its recovery. Michael Garibaldi observes part of this event and retrieves a Psi Corps insignia. It takes him and Jeffrey Sinclair, an Earth Force officer he was transporting, fifty miles to walk back to civilization after the shuttle Garibaldi was piloting crashes.
(2254) Babylon 4, the largest of the five Babylon
-Psi Cop Alfred Bester founds ‘Black Omega’ squadron, with Byron Gordon as his protégé.
(December 25th 2256) Babylon 5 comes on-line.
(January 2257) Kosh Naranek of the Vorlon Empire arrives on Babylon
-An InterPlanetary Expeditions mission lands on Z’ha’dum
-The Shadows awaken from hibernation
-Dawn of the Third Age of Mankind.
-Earth Alliance has thirty colonies and outposts in over two dozen solar systems. Some are mining colonies or used for food/ fertilizer production while Beta 7 appears to be mainly used as a prison planet-cum-mental institution.
-Earth’s population is nearly ten billion.
-Earth’s population is nearly ten billion.
-The Death Penalty is still in place, but only for treason and mutiny involving the attempted or actual murder of a superior officer by serving Earth Force personnel. The penalty for mutiny is usually death by spacing-the perpetrator is shown the nearest airlock minus a breather unit. Murder is usually dealt with by ‘death of personality’.
The five years of Babylon 5 happen as broadcast, but with some differences.
I would propose two five year arcs: The first starts immediately after the pilot episode and ends following the departure of the First Ones in 2262. The second arc begins eleven years later and ends after the fall of Centauri Prime in 2278.
Pilot episode.
Season One
-Sinclair is stranded aboard Babylon 4 during its reappearance, May 2258. Laurel Takeshima assumes command in the interim.
-A volunteer in Psi Corps experiments, Jason Ironheart is now a P15 and ‘no longer what you or I would consider entirely human’.
-The Shadows return in numbers to Z’ha’dum.
-Catherine Sakai is the first human to knowingly come into contact with First Ones.
-Alisa Beldon, a telepath, is the first human to live on Minbar.
-Drall, a Minbari, takes custody of the Great Machine on Epsilon 3 after the death of Varn.
-The Narn outpost at Quadrant 37 is attacked by an unknown party acting on behalf of Centauri Ambassador Londo Mollari.
-Babylon 5 Security Chief Michael Garibaldi uncovers a plot to assassinate the EA President.
-Minbari Ambassador to Babylon 5 Delenn begins her transformation into a half-human Minbari using the Triluminary to address the imbalance in Minbari souls.
-Earth Force One explodes near Io Transfer Point, killing Earth Alliance President Louis Santiago.
-Minbari Ambassador to Babylon 5 Delenn begins her transformation into a half-human Minbari using the Triluminary to address the imbalance in Minbari souls.
-Earth Force One explodes near Io Transfer Point, killing Earth Alliance President Louis Santiago.
-Vice President Morgan William Clark is sworn in as President.
-The Minbari inform him of their belief that Minbari souls are being reincarnated in human bodies.
-The Minbari inform him of their belief that Minbari souls are being reincarnated in human bodies.
Season Two
January 2259: Lyta Alexander is recalled to earth as soon as Clark comes to power. Six months later she escapes Psi Corps and makes her way to Babylon 5 with the aid of the Mars resistance and General Hague's operatives. She then warns the remaining crew about a mole: Laurel Takeshima
March 2259: General William Hague of the Joint Chiefs sends Captain John Sheridan to Babylon 5 as its new military governor. Officially this is because Sheridan was President Santiago's choice to replace Sinclair if he was ever transferred. Secretly, this is done in order to build an anti-coup alliance of loyal officers away from close scrutiny by Clark's allies.
June 2259: Ivanova defects to the Minbari. She returns to the station in January 2260 after being trained by the remaining Rangers to fight the Shadows.
Season Three
Ivanova returns in the White Star, a prototype Minbari warship crewed by religious Minbari.
August 2260: Senate enacts blockade on Babylon 5 after Sheridan requests military aid in fighting the Shadows, on behalf of the League of Non-Aligned Worlds
Season Four
Delenn is sentenced in absentia for treason when she begins a relationship with Sheridan.
Ivanova and Delenn recruit "Arthur", G'kar and Catherine Sakai to lead and train the Rangers aboard Babylon 5.
Garibaldi is on patrol outside the station when it is surrounded by Shadow ships. They leave after he tries to intercept them and Garibaldi finds himself on the Shadow homeworld. The Shadows try to recruit Garibaldi. They give him the same spiel they otherwise gave to Sheridan. When he refuses to serve them they send him to Psi Corps for reprogramming.
A colony of rouge telepaths is established. Some are recruited by Sheridan to fight the Shadows, others join security in order to to deter Shadow infiltration.
G'kar leaves the station to search for Garibaldi. He ends up aiding Londo in removing Cartagia and the Shadows from Centauri Prime, in return for Londo ending hostilities against the Narn and returning all captured territories.
Season Five
Sheridan successfully rallies the League of Non-Aligned Worlds against the Shadows. His Alliance of Light achieves its first victory. A neutral planet was blockaded with civilian vessels posing as refugee ships. Hidden among these were Alliance ships and waiting in hyperspace were the White Star, several Vorlon ships and a few ships belonging to Minbari loyal to Delenn. Knowing the Shadows would never pass up such a tempting target, Sheridan was able to thus determine where their next attack would take place.
Delenn suddenly announces that she must take the White Star on an unusual mission, after Ivanova receives a distress signal from herself. Delenn, Sheridan, Lennir and Zathras take the White Star back in time to the point at which B4 goes online. It transpires that it was about to be destroyed by the Trigati, a renegade Minbari warship. The White Star opens fire on the Trigati just before it is in visual range of B4 thus avoiding resumption of hostilities between Earth and Minbar.
Zathras and the others locate to Babylon 4, hoping to pilot it to 2262. Sinclair, meanwhile, is given a triluminary by Zathras and takes the White Star into the distant past. It transpires (possibly via Lyta?) that Sinclair basically founded the Minbari civilisation. This means that Kosh Naranek either personally knew, or was himself, Jeffery Sinclair.
This explains Kosh knowing so much about the future and seemingly shaking Sinclair's hand when they meet for the "first time". It also explains why the Minbari were dying off, why they needed fresh DNA and why they believed humans were reincarnated Minbari. Sinclair appeared in Minbari space when the species is still developing. He takes a wife, has several children, and directs Minbari civilisation to the point that they were able to defeat the Shadows in the last war. However, his genetic impact is such that there is rampant inbreeding among the Minbari.
Awaiting Sheridan's return, Ivanova tries to maintain the new alliance. She formally declares independence from the Earth Alliance.
Station morale increases when Garibaldi returns. At first he has no idea who he is but his memories of his time on the station and his life before slowly return and he is allowed to return as Chief of Security.
Meanwhile the only major powers to recognise B5 are the Narn Regime and the Centauri Republic and both these powers suffered heavy losses in the Shadow War. Similarly, the Minbari leadership refuse to recognise Babylon 5's independence due to hostility towards Delenn.
The second arc begins when Sheridan, Delenn and Lennir return aboard Babylon 4. The series then carries on from 2273 to 2278.
Z'ha'dum is destroyed by Lyta Alexander after Bester arrives and insists their technology can help the Alliance.
Babylon 5 is partially evacuated after being sabotaged. Garibaldi goes missing after apparently trying to destroy the telepath colony.
Babylon 4 returns.
With no opposition from the Shadows, the Vorlons begin destroying civilisations that have sided with the Shadows.
Clark is overthrown with the aid of Sheridan and the Shadow implant telepaths.
Garibaldi's free will is restored by Bester. He then works as a bounty hunter, focusing on Shadow allies in Psi Corps.
Lyta discovers she is powerful enough to defeat Kosh. While the station's remaining residents and personnel are relocated to Babylon 4, and with the aid of some surviving telepaths and station security, she forces Kosh to remain aboard the station while it is deliberately destroyed.
Ivanova was exposed as a telepath as she was able to control Kosh's ship during the evacuation. The technology aboard the Vorlon transport is later used in upgrading the second generation of White Stars.
The Vorlons are confronted in the Coriana system by the combined forces of the Narn, the League of Non-Aligned Worlds, the Centauri and the remaining first ones. They agree to leave the galaxy alongside the last of the first ones.
The Interstellar Alliance is formed, Delenn gives birth to a rapidly developing child, Minbar and Earth recognise Babylon 4's independence.
The IA commissions the Rangers as a peacekeeping force with membership open to all IA citizens.
The Rangers become indispensable in the Telepath War.
Garibaldi's free will and personality is fully restored by Lyta Alexander.
Babylon 4 is renamed Babylon Prime.
War with the Centauri starts just as Earth and Minbar agree to join the IA.
Delenn is captured during a voyage to Minbar, Sheridan arrives with the White Star fleet. He is captured trying to negotiate a truce during the fall of Centauri Prime.
Emperor Londo dies, his successor Vir Cotto reveals he was being controlled by the Drakh, who also orchestrated the war.
Friday, 17 March 2017
The Gospel According to Satan
AND SO IT WAS WRITTEN.....
Yes.
I tempted the Son of Man.
And He got what he wanted.
The world now knew of Him.
And He was never forgotten.
And I the great Liar was never blamed.
He became the King of the World.
Without anyone ever knowing.
It was Me He asked for His quick death.
Knowing His crucifixion was his price.
I offered Him the World.
And He took it.
Even knowing the price was always there.
Waiting for.
Him.
In the.
End.
Yes.
I tempted the Son of Man.
And He got what he wanted.
The world now knew of Him.
And He was never forgotten.
And I the great Liar was never blamed.
He became the King of the World.
Without anyone ever knowing.
It was Me He asked for His quick death.
Knowing His crucifixion was his price.
I offered Him the World.
And He took it.
Even knowing the price was always there.
Waiting for.
Him.
In the.
End.
Monday, 6 March 2017
TV pilot idea?
Or graphic novel meta-scenario.
Lord of the Rings is real
Oz is real
Narnia is real
Neverland is real
Because the Numenorean fleet ended up in a created parallel universe. Over the millennia there has been sporadic contact with our realm, which has led the corrupted Numenoreans to kidnap, mostly, children in order to build up both their population, military power and economic growth.
Copyright me in case anyone rips this off!
Lord of the Rings is real
Oz is real
Narnia is real
Neverland is real
Because the Numenorean fleet ended up in a created parallel universe. Over the millennia there has been sporadic contact with our realm, which has led the corrupted Numenoreans to kidnap, mostly, children in order to build up both their population, military power and economic growth.
Copyright me in case anyone rips this off!
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