Civilizations in Babylon 5
As the Babylon station was conceived as a political and cultural meeting place one of the show's many themes is the cultural and social interaction between civilizations. There are five dominant civilizations represented on Babylon 5, and several dozen less powerful ones. A number of the less powerful races make up the League of Non-Aligned Worlds, which assembled as a result of the Dilgar War, which occurs 30 years before the start of the series.
Earth Alliance
The Earth Alliance was founded at the end of the twenty-first century after the Third World War, first as a loose coalition of nations, then as a tight alliance of nearly every nation on Earth as well as Alliance controlled colonies throughout the Galaxy, though colonial populations have had a history of independence driven rebellion, especially Mars. The Alliance is a unicameral representative democracy under the leadership of an elected President with a strong military. In one second-season episode ("And Now For A Word"), the Alliance is said to consist of 24 outposts and colonies in over a dozen solar systems. The Alliance is considered to be one of the five major powers in the Babylon 5 universe, a reputation garnered during the Dilgar War and maintained even after the Earth-Minbari War.
Since the end of the Earth-Minbari War, the Alliance had prospered in interstellar trade, though some influential factions had become increasingly xenophobic and isolationist. Following the assassination of President Luis Santiago and the rise to power of President Morgan Clark, the new President formed Nightwatch (a pervasive secret police) and dissolved the Senate, turning Earth and her colonies into a totalitarian fascist state. Adding to the milieu is the Psi Corps, an increasingly powerful quasi-military organization which regulates and controls human telepaths. These actions led to the Earth Civil War, itself an offshoot of the final Shadow War, with the forces originating from Babylon 5 seeking to free Earth and liberate the colonies.
Minbari Federation
Already advanced when humanity was young and capable of space travel for well over a thousand years, the Minbari Federation is a caste society, its people divided into the worker, warrior, and religious castes. The Minbari are led by the Grey Council, which contains nine representatives, three from each of the three castes. This arrangement was founded by Valen, the legendary prophet from ancient Minbari history, who helped defeat the Shadows one thousand years ago. Minbari are humanoid, usually thin and pale, though considerably stronger than humans of the same size; they are bald, with gray bony crests across the back of their heads. The Minbari homeworld is colder than Earth and is the seventh from their local star; because of their adaptation to a colder climate, Minbari die if exposed to temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius for too long. The first encounter between Minbari and Humans was a disaster - a misunderstanding led to Earth ships firing on Minbari ships, killing their leader Dukhat. The result, the Earth-Minbari War, was a bloody one-sided war in which the Minbari were clearly the superior force. Shortly before reaching Earth, the Minbari surrendered and retreated. At the time the reason for this reprieve was unknown. The Babylon Project was created in the aftermath of that war to stop such misunderstandings from happening again.
Centauri Republic
The Centauri Republic was once a mighty empire which has grown decadent and is in a slow decline (in the pilot, it is stated that the Republic only retains ten worlds). The Centauri, a humanoid race similar in appearance to humans, are a proud and aristocratic people governed by an emperor and a nobility-driven senate called the Centarum. Centauri males wear their hair in fanlike crests, the height of which is determined by the male's rank in society; females are traditionally bald except for a long queue or ponytail (an effect created by shaving their heads).
The Centauri were the first alien race to openly contact humanity (though Earth had been secretly observed and visited by some races for millennia). Trying to put one over on the new species, the Centauri initially tried to convince the humans that they were a long lost colony of the Republic. This ruse failed once human scientists got access to Centauri DNA, but Centauri-Human trade and contact led to tremendous technological advancement and humanity's eventual rise as a major power. For instance, it was the Centauri who sold jumpgate technology to the Earth Alliance, allowing humanity to start colonizing interstellar space.
Narn Regime
Another "young race" like humanity, the Narn Regime were previously occupied and enslaved by the Centauri, and bear them deep ill-will because of the brutal methods of control employed. Narns are widely perceived to be primitive and barbaric, a stereotype the Centauri engendered during their occupation. This perception continues due to Narn fears about Centauri aggression, and increasing calls for retribution against their former masters.
There are currently no Narn telepaths as telepaths of breeding age were exterminated by the Shadows. As a result, the telepathy gene is too weak to be strengthened through conventional breeding programs. Narn telepaths were known to have helped drive the Shadows off their homeworld in the previous Shadow War.
The Narn are led by the Kha'Ri council. Their religion venerates philosopher prophets, and most Narn draw strength from various different holy writings, the most noted being The Book of G'Quan. Narns are tall and have a stocky build; they are bald, with a yellowish complexion, mottled with brown and/or green spots. Although they appear reptilian, they are in fact marsupial and at least presumably mammalian, in nature.
Vorlon Empire
The Vorlons are an ancient and technologically advanced race, thought to be one of the last of the First Ones, though their true nature remains a mystery to most of the younger races. Little is known of Vorlon history, except that they have played significant roles in defeating the Shadows in the previous great wars over the past million years. For thousands of years Vorlons have been observing and manipulating younger races. Little is known about their appearance - when interacting with other races they wear complicated encounter suits which seem to preserve their natural atmosphere. It was shown that when a Vorlon leaves his encounter suit, any race that sees them sees a type of religious icon relevant to that race. Humans see a Vorlon as an Angel. In this respect they bear a passing resemblance to the Maiar spirits of Professor Tolkien's Middle Earth cosmology.
Shadows
"The Shadows" (a name given to them by the younger races, as their true name - at ten thousand letters - is unpronounceable) are the most ancient of the surviving First Ones, the second to gain sentience in the Galaxy. For more than a million years, the Shadows warred with the remaining First Ones, and suffered their greatest defeat ten thousand years ago. One thousand years ago the Shadows returned, and were barely defeated by the Vorlons and the younger races, led by the Minbari with the help of Valen. They dispersed throughout the galaxy, waiting for an opportunity to come back into power. The Shadows' overriding philosophy is chaos. They believe in the survival of the fittest, in that only through chaos and war do "stronger" civilizations reach their maximum potential; this belief stands in high contrast to the Vorlon's belief in slow but guided progress - though both races use external manipulation to achieve their goals. Their adopted homeworld is Z'ha'dum. Their physical appearance is vaguely insectoid, though this may be an encounter suit. Additionally, their advanced understanding of the nature of matter allows them to "phase," making them visible only to obscure bandwidths of the electro-magnetic spectrum. The Shadows are believed to be the first to discover and manipulate Hyperspace. Their technology, like the Vorlons, is organic, and they use sentient beings as CPUs for their ships - resultantly, telepaths can interfere with or destroy their technology. True to their "Shadow" name, they utilize associate races and slaves, known as Thralls, to guide races to chaos and war, without being seen themselves.
First Ones
The First Ones are the oldest races in the galaxy, the first to gain sentience. Most went "beyond the rim" to the darkness between galaxies over the last million years. The rest, with the exception of the Shadows and Vorlons, were gone after the last great Shadow War of ten thousand years ago, though some races still are rumored to appear now and then.
Minor Races
There are many races which play small but important roles in the events of the times, notably the Drazi, Brakiri, Markab, and Pak'ma'ra.
Numerous races are mentioned in the show which do not have a dramatic impact on the story lines. Among the races are the Llort, Gaim, Vree, Vinzini, Lorkanns, and Strieb.
League of Non-Aligned Worlds
A loose confederation of independent worlds and minor species formerly subject to the Centauri Republic, the League of Non-Aligned Worlds was created to maintain a united front against both a possible Centauri resurgence and the increasingly belligerent attitude of the Narn Regime. The League's charter took on new meaning with the rise of the Dilgar, who without warning launched a massive war of conquest and genocide against all neighbors. The League resisted but was nearly overwhelmed, until the Earth Alliance agreed to aid the League and helped drive back the Dilgar. As a result, not only did Earth gain a more respected and much larger role in interstellar diplomacy, but the League cemented its reputation as a force which could influence at least one of the major powers. However, as a whole, the League is still considered to be a fractious union often subject to petty internal rivalries. On the Advisory Council of the Babylon Station the League is represented by delegates from each member world, who as a group must come to a consensus to cast one vote on behalf of the entire League. In comparison, each of the other major powers is represented by a single individual with one vote.
The League includes the Gaim, Brakiri, Abbai, Alacans, Ipsha, Cascor, Yolu, Grome, Hurr, Lumati, Torata, Kor-lyan, Descari, Pak'ma'ra, Drazi, Hyach, Llort, and Vree.
At one time it also contained the Krish, Mitoc, and Markab. The Krish and Mitoc were mostly exterminated by the Dilgar, and the Markab were killed off by the Drafa plague in 2259.
Interstellar Alliance
Formed in the aftermath of the liberation of Earth and the Shadow War, the Interstellar Alliance was formed between the Minbari, Narn, Centauri, the Earth Alliance and the remaining members of the League of Non-Aligned Worlds. The purpose of the Interstellar Alliance was to create peace and prosperity among its member worlds, provided that its members agreed to, and complied with, a code of conduct. It is headed by a president, elected from the Interstellar Alliance Advisory Council. After accepting a deal with the Earth Alliance which would protect his crew from disciplinary action but which left him jobless, Captain John Sheridan was nominated to, and accepted, the position of President of the Interstellar Alliance, which he would hold for nearly 19 years. The Rangers became the primary peacekeeping force for the Interstellar Alliance. The Interstellar Alliance would become a force for good and peace in the Universe and would sustain for millennia.
Rangers
The Anla'Shok, translated as "Rangers," are a class of religious warrior, an elite fighting force that specializes in stealth and reconnaissance, created one thousand years ago by the Minbari leader Valen for the specific purpose of monitoring and providing a dedicated fighting force for the prophesied Shadow War to come. After the Earth-Minbari War, Humans joined the ranks of the Rangers. They possess an impressive armada, known as the White Star Fleet. Following the end of the final Shadow War, the Rangers became peacekeepers for the newly formed Interstellar Alliance. As a condition for their peacekeeper status, Interstellar Alliance members of any race may become Rangers, though their ranks remain mostly filled by Humans and Minbari.
Rangers' primary means of defence is the fighting pike -- a small cylinder that when activated extends into a long, metal staff. All rangers are expected to be masters of the fighting pike. The leader of the Rangers is known as Ranger One, or Anla'Shok Na in Minbari.