B-5 non-profit copyright violation on sufferance of

BABYLON-5: FooLQUEST is an Amalgam continuity crossover into BABYLON-5 for Star Trek: The Ship of Fools. And why ever not?  

Indeed, many BABYLON-5 fen still contend that Star Trek: Deep Space Nine plagiarized elements of the premise and details of BABYLON-5. After all, J. Michael Straczynski approached Paramount Pictures, the studio which produced 'Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,' with the idea of producing BABYLON-5 and had provided them a copy of the series "bible" in 1989, several years before production on either series began.

Straczynski pitched to Paramount his concept for an epic Science Fiction series set a generation or so earlier in the future than the time of the original Star Trek TV show, a tumultuous era of struggle during which those high-minded Utopian ideals showcased in the universe of 'Star Trek' are as yet unrealized. But in their infinite wisdom, what our friends at Paramount decided to give us, their adoring public, was 'Star Trek: Deep Space Nine', so, in frustration, Straczynski and others parted ways with Paramount over creative differences, turning elsewhere to create 'Babylon-5', his thinly disguised unauthorized 'Star Trek' spin-off, in direct competition with 'Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'. 


And so, here follows the forbidden revelation of the unauthorized Star Trek spin-off. For it is not so difficult to reconstruct Joseph Michael Straczynski's original vision for a Star Trek prequel. Indeed, BABYLON-5 itself is obviously Babel Five as referenced in the classic TOS episode 'Journey to Babel '. 

Moreover, it is whispered that, in an earlier draft of the proposal for Straczynski's BABYLON-5 series, the Centauri and Narn are not different races at all, but actually branches of the same species. Well, little as Klingons may like to talk about it, of course they are! For the Centauri, who upon first contact had even attempted to pass themselves off as related to the Terrans of Earth (know as Midgard, Tauri, the mythic 13th colony of Cobol by Human cultures dispersed throughout the Cosmos by the Progenitors, Preservers or Goa'uld, in antiquity) are the TOS Human appearing Klingons and the Narn are the movie and STNG Klingons embroiled, like the other major Humanoid powers, in their own devastating internal conflicts, finding leadership and inspiration in their great sage J'kar AKA Khalis. And much like the Klingons, the Centauri maintain a dueling tradition of honor and also love opera. But can there be a Deltan connection to the Centauri shaven headed women? 

And the Minbari Anla'shok, while in any degree patterned on Tolkien's High Elvin Rangers, even more obviously, the Vulcans or Vulcanians, as they are more properly referred to in the earliest TOS episodes, or whl'q'n/Vakai as they call themselves. After all, the Minbari Religious Caste are even, likewise, seen using identical triangular tambourines as seen in the Star Trek episode 'Amok Time' in their ancient rituals! -Signifying the all important triune basis of the worldview and way of life handed down to them from antiquity by the time traveling Jeffrey Sinclair better known as Valen AKA Sarek. -Whose Human genome would explain species variation between Vulcans as seen on by the crew of USS Enterprise and Minbari as seen on BABYLON-5 or Babel Five for short.

Indeed, the schismatic Minbari Warrior Caste, the hitherto unknown and implacable enemy that brought the Earth to the brink of annihilation, are to reject and depart Minbar, Vulcan, more properly referred to in the earliest TOS episodes as Vulcanis, variously Ti'Valka'ain, Vakai, Yatara, or Vulqin as some say the inhabitants call it, setting forth to become Rihannsu and Rihannha, to settle the planets ch'Rihan ch'Havran, and to be known by Humanity as the Romulan Empire after the Terrestrial astronomical designations for the twin stars of their new home, Romulus and Remus.

(How and why these mysterious and unseen aliens would actually identify themselves as Romulans upon first encounter with a Terran starship, the Enterprise NX-01 no less, remains mysterious. Perhaps some quirk of the new and untested universal translator device?)

Indeed, the Earth-Minbari war prosecuted for the Minbari by their Warior Caste fits with established history of the first Human Romulan (Rihannsu and Rihannha) contact and conflict and the ensuing peaceful relations with the Minbari Religious and Worker Castes fits with chronology of friendship with Vulcan, likewise does civil war breaking out on Minbar after the sunder of the Grey Counsel follow established televised canonical and novelized semi-canonical and fanfic non-cannon most savage period of Vulcanian history.

Thus implication is that on that on Minbar, as on Vulcan in the same time frame, the most powerful and talented Psyonics on both sides generally kill one another off, radically diminishing the level of ability in the remaining gene pool. 

Indeed, even in the 24th century, a capable Vulcanian Telepath such as Tuvok shrewdly and prudently tends to conceal his gift, even with the bigotry against mind-melders (as chronicled in the 'Enterprise' episode, 'Stigma') a thing of the past.

In BABYLON-5 it is exposited that every humanoid species must undergo some crisis and cultural adaptation to somehow restrain their own telepaths. Indeed, even the telepathically resistant, generally opportunistic and unscrupulous Ferengi have nominally forbidden their own mind control devices.

And it's not hard to project and fill in the blanks, that the Telepath Wars will lead to the establishment of Betazoid (perhaps corrupted from some Astronomical designation, Beta-Zed?) as the Home World for Human telepaths. That is why Human ESP ability is generally limited except for the Betaziods (or Beta-Zeds?). 

While the "blips" who where modified by the Shadows, traumatically ravaged of ego identity and enabled with an affinity for machines, the better for hapless incorporation into bioengineered organic technology of the menacing Shadow vessels of war, might be proto-Borg / Cybermen or even the feral lunatic Reavers.

But how does all of that reconcile with El Aurian Delta Quadrant chronology? Perhaps possible reciprocal origins with V'ger via time travel best explain.

'Babylon-5: The Legend of the Rangers' even chronicles a watershed in the transformation, of Ranger / Anla'shok culture, from mystical fatalism towards more humanistic optimism. Indeed, it is not hard to extrapolate that the Whitestar fleet will become better known by the contraction "Starfleet". 

Indeed, Starfleet origins in Human recruitment into the Anla'shock as chronicled in BABYLON-5 also finally makes plausible and even compelling historical sense of such things as Vulcanian crewed Starships in the Terran Starfleet while other Federation species maintain their own affiliated Starfleets (conceivably even for quite some time until absorption into the High Guard of the Systems Commonwealth).

BABYLON-5 even explains, at long last, in the origins of the Interstellar Alliance, how the rise and expansion of the unified egalitarian interspecies Federation of Planets has been so dependant upon the Human propensity for community building. So much so as to be accused, bitterly, by the Narn Klingons, of being Human-centric, in 'Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country'.

For, just as the League of  Nations preceded the United Nations on Earth, with the withdrawal the Romulans (Rihannsu and, presumably, later on, the Rihannha) of the Vulcan/Minbari Warrior Caste from the Grey Council, and the Drak inspired Isolationism  from the Babylon-5 Advisory Council of the Centauri Klingons, the remaining League of Non Aligned Worlds along with the Minbari/Vulcanians and, at first, the Narn Klingons, will more cohesively integrate with the Earth Federation into deeper commitment within the Interstellar Alliance, precursor to the United Federation of Planets, abbreviated to the United Planets by the 30th century of DC Comics' 'The Legion of Super Heroes' (and at some point, no doubt, incorporated with Tarn Vedra into the Systems Commonwealth so prominent in 'Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda').

(And, of course, also, BABYLON-5 makes frequent reference to Interlac, the standard interstellar interspecies lingua-code long established in 'The Legion of Super Heroes' continuity. 'The Legion of Super Heroes' having been markedly influenced by 'Star Trek' from when the Original Series first aired. And who can site for me the first and only known appearance of the Vulcanian Green Lantern?)

In  BABYLON-5, we learn how the demands of internal sovereignty of independent member powers in the Interstellar Alliance gave rise to the 'Star Trek' ironically Zen-futile Prime Directive of noninterference in the Federation of Planets and it's instrument, Starfleet.

But into the 23rd Century the Narn first withdraw and disappear, their independent regime collapsing, and then reappear, having subsumed from the Centauri the Klingon modern military dictatorship first engineered by the Shadowy conspiratorial Drak, returning to the hallowed ancient warrior tradition as the Klingon modern military dictatorship slips increasingly into Feudalism.

And somehow, in the process, the Centauri all seemingly disappeared, except for Barry Waddle alias Arne Darvin, still hiding out in Human disguise long after the K-7 debacle! ('The Trouble With Tribbles' sequelized as 'Trials and Tribble-ations') And such eminent Centauri as Kor, Koloth, Kang and Korax reappearing as, it would seem, Narns! 

But how can this be? What is it that they have done, who where they once, and what have they become? What, exactly, ever happened to the Centauri? We may never know. Because Klingons don't like to talk about it.

But the Klingons have always seemed vaguely Lycanthropic, haven't they? Perhaps, as it turns out, there is some deep dark twisted and wrenching stimulus that transforms the formerly decadent come vicious and totalitarian Centauri into angry Narns! Especially after the two divergent gene pools may have come back into greater communication. If so, then no wonder when they all end up so damn embarrassed and circumspect. And let that be a 'Star Trek' social allegorical lesson to us all!

All, of course, little surprise to the ancient and advanced Vorlons, sometimes classified in Terran Exotaxonomy as the Medusans, adept hyperspace navigators, ambassadors typically accompanied and assisted by telepaths, sometimes blind, shielded from view in mysterious travel boxes or elaborate encounter suits, quasi-angelic, flying and bioluminescent, too beautiful for humanoids (secretly long ago genetically altered to respond favorably) to look upon and retain sanity, all called 'Kosh' or, by Humans, sometimes the Romanized appellation of 'Kolos' to distinguish from the eponymous Zen Martial Arts sporting contest, according to legend, long ago still seen practiced in the Village.

Sadly, 'Star Trek: First Contact ' would later contradict BABYLON-5 by establishing the Vulcans as first contact for Humanity, rather than the Centauri Klingons. Indeed, speculation of genetic engineering to account for more humanlike Kilingons has at long last been validated. All dubious historical revisionism at best. Not to mention the easy, obvious and less interesting story lines. Doubtless, fall out from the Temporal Cold War...

Nevertheless, and speaking of the easy, obvious and less interesting story line, 'Enterprise' establishes the Vulcans of the 22nd century as cagey and reserved "never telling Humans the whole truth or any more than [whatever bare minimum] they need to know" not unlike the Minbari, where as, by the 23rd century Vulcans are well renowned not only for scrupulous truthfulness but certainly by the 24th century for high ethical standards as well.

Indeed, the Vulcans of the 22nd century as depicted in 'Enterprise' are scarcely more forthright or forthcoming than the Centauri in initial trade relations as related in the back story exposited into the 'Babylon-5' continuity in the pilot TV movie 'The Gathering'.

Pondering our next remaining burning questions: 

We can never know how to compare yet to be domestically manufactured light weight ergonomic hand phasers versus long ago far away bulky and clumsy pulse-laser pistols, because, clearly, the extreme recoil rendered manual targeting quite impossible. Which was, over all, quite fortunate. 

But at least we can definitively place for certain crucial mythopoetic events, because when the trickster hero Barney Rubble is disguised as Mr. Spock to purloin Fred's Fruity Pebbles, the notorious diminutive rascal appears clearly garbed in a blue tunic rather than a red jacket, hence definitive corroboration that this could only have taken place during the Stone Age.

Copyright 2001 - 2013 by Aaron Agassi