User:Chromancer/Technology of Babylon 5

=Starships=

Sharlin class warcruiser
The Sharlin-Class warcruiser is the main starship used by the Minbari Federation in the fictional Babylon 5 universe. Also commonly known as the Minbari War Cruiser, the Sharlin class is very large but conflicting sizes have been noted by different resources. The accepted size figure of 1,600 meters in length and roughly 1,900 meters in height was first noted by fan writer Brandon Bray, who worked as a consultant for Mongoose Publishing, producers of the Official Babylon 5 Role Playing Game. This size was officially accepted by Mongoose and published in their game line.

Sharlin class ships do not use conventional engines like rockets or ion propulsion. Instead, the Minbari War-Cruiser used a combination of gravitational and electromagnetic fields for propulsion, a system called a gravimetric drive system in the episode "Mediations on the Abyss". This, described by Minbari Ambassador Delenn in the episode "Matters of Honor", was used to provide propulsion and artificial gravity. No canon information exists on what powered Minbari ships, save for some vague references to fusion reactors. Material from Mongoose Publishing suggests that Minbari warships use an artificial quantum singularity for its main power, while fusion reactors provide a secondary reserve power for this type of vessel. The Sharlin class is very well armed, having gravitic and electro-magnetic cannons. In the TV movie "In the Beginning" this type ship was seen destroying an Earth space station, the Minbari weapon vaporizing an estimated volume of 3770 cubic meters, with a low-end destructive output of 265 Terawatts (63.3 kiloton per second). The ship also makes use of stealth technology which allows it to become effectively invisible to the scanners and targeting systems used by the younger races seen in the TV series.

These ships can hold up to 8,000 people. In peacetime the Sharlin class ships only have the 190 person regular crew. In combat situations there can be 60 additional combat personnel, such as pilots, gunners, and other support officers, and about 8,000 ground troops. The low crew requirement is due to the advanced computer system in place. The Valen'tha-a specially equipped Sharlin class-is home to the Grey Council, the leaders of the Minbari government.

The Sharlin class ships have a special holographic chamber. The chamber provides a complete 360 degree 3D image of the space around the ship. Normally it is used as a command center during battle situations. This chamber allows the commander to view the battlefield. A similar chamber is used by the Grey Council.

Among the younger races of the galaxy, the Sharlin class has no equals. During the Earth-Minbari war only few Sharlin class ships were lost, typically by ramming, while the Sharlin class inflicted heavy casualties on the humans. However, the Sharlin class was no match for the more advanced First Ones-the Shadows were able to destroy a number of Sharlin class ships during the course of the war with ease through the use of planet killer missiles and slicer beams. In Babylon 5: A Call to Arms, a Sharlin is annihilated as it intercepted a planet killer missile aimed at the IAS Excalibur. During the Earth-Minbari war only the Nova class dreadnoughts were able to fight with some effectiveness against the Sharlin class, and even these ships never succeeded in destroying a Sharlin in open battle.

Known Sharlin-class ships

 * Drala Fi (Black Star) - One of the Minbari Flagships during the Earth-Minbari War. Destroyed by Captain John Sheridan earning him the title of "Starkiller" by all Minbari, and making him the only Earth captain said to have destroyed a Minbari Cruiser and survive. In a later episode, Susan gives Sheridan a piece of the Black Star to always remind him nothing is impossible. (Some non-canon sources give a different class name for the Black Star, referring to it as a "Shargotti" class. This is chiefly because the Black Star was shown to be larger than other Sharlins which it traveled with, and thus may have been a different class. The class of the Black Star has never been stated on screen).
 * Trigati - This ship participated in the Battle of the Line. When the order to surrender came, the ship's captain committed suicide rather than obey. His crew took the ship into hyperspace, and spent the next ten years in exile. In 2259, after John Sheridan took command of Babylon 5, the Trigati reappeared and tried to provoke Sheridan into firing on them in the hopes of restarting the Earth-Minbari War. When he refused, another Minbari vessel came out of hyperspace and attempted to force the Trigati's surrender. The Trigati's crew committed suicide rather than obey. The Trigati is an important example as she highlights the fundamental weakness of the Sharlin design. The other Sharlin disabled the Trigati by slicing off its tail fin, part of the gravimetic drive system. As the Sharlin design has no other propulsion system, the Trigati was left dead in space.
 * Ingata - This war cruiser came to Babylon 5 in 2258 while carrying home the body of the deceased war leader Branmer.
 * Valen'tha - a specialized war cruiser that serves as home to the Grey Council. It was this vessel that was damaged by the humans at the disastrous first contact between the humans and Minbari. The damage resulted in the death of their leader Dukhat, and started the war between Minbar and Earth.
 * Dogato - John Sheridan and Delenn commanded the first major battle of the Army of Light against the Shadows in sector 83 from this ship.
 * Enfili - This vessel also participated in the first major battle against the Shadows in Sector 83.

Vorchan-class starship
The Vorchan class medium warship is a class of Centauri warship in the fictional universe of Babylon 5. The most recent warship designed by the Centauri Republic, the Vorchan is extremely fast and maneuverable, but not very well armed and armoured for its class. The Vorchan is capable of creating its own hyperspace jump points, and flying in a planetary atmosphere. Its primary weapons are two twin plasma accelerators, which can destroy larger warships of other races (such as the Narn G'Quan-Class cruiser) in just a few hits. Even the extremely advanced White Star vessels are vulnerable to the Vorchan's plasma cannon fire.

White Star-class
The White Star is a fictional, cruiser class combat spacecraft type in the science fiction television series Babylon 5.

Depiction
The White Star-class was designed and built through a collaborative effort between the Minbari religious caste and the Vorlon Empire. With the reorganization and revitalization of the Rangers as a force with which to fight the Shadows, it was imperative that they be provided with a warship that would not be inherently recognized as either Vorlon or Minbari. As such, the ship was designed and built in secret and in large numbers by the Minbari worker caste. These vessels proved devastating during the Shadow War and the subsequent Earth Alliance Civil War. After the dust had settled, they served as a vital part of the Interstellar Alliance's military assets.

The White Star commanded by John Sheridan was thought to be unique until near the end of the third season (in And the Rock Cried Out, No Hiding Place), where it was revealed that the first wave of 40-50 White Stars had entered service. White Stars continued to be built and they were used extensively thereafter. The original White Star was vaporized as Sheridan crashed it into the largest city on Z'ha'dum while detonating two 500-megaton nuclear warheads.

Unlike most other large ships in the series, White Stars were numbered, with most not being given unique names—Enrique Montoya's Maria (White Star 27) in Season 5, being the only known exception. At least 90 White Stars had been built by the end of the series.

The White Star was regarded as being amongst the smallest ships in the Babylon 5 universe which had the capability of opening its own hyperspace portals (known as "jump points") rather than relying on the jump gates already at a location used primarily by civilian craft, or upon jump points created by larger allied craft.

The heavy losses suffered in the conflicts of the Shadow War and subsequent liberation of Earth led to the design of the larger and more powerful Victory class destroyer as an Earth-Minbar joint project taking after Vorlon designs. The first results were two prototypes completed five years after the events of the television series. The White Stars were the best ship in their class size of cruisers, but the Interstellar Alliance had been forcing them to "play up", fielding them against heavy destroyers which they were never really meant to handle one-on-one. The Victory-class was therefore a concerted attempt to create a new backbone of dedicated heavy destroyer-class vessels for the Interstellar Alliance fleet.

Explorer-class Starship
The Explorer-class starship is an exploratory starship of the Earth Alliance in the fictional universe of Babylon 5. The Explorer is built to explore, conduct research, and build Jumpgates.

Appearances
In the episode "A Distant Star" Captain Sheridan tells the crew in C&C, "Take a good look people... if you're supremely lucky, you'll see two like her in your lifetime." Sheridan's comment conveys the rare nature of Explorer-class vessels. Indeed, "A Distant Star" is the only regular episode in which an Explorer-class vessel appears.

In the spin-off series Crusade, we learn that Captain Matthew Gideon was once the captain of an Explorer-class ship.

Purpose
The primary mission of all Explorer ships is research and exploration, thus they only possess moderate defenses consisting of four turreted 52mm Pulse cannons, four twin particle beam arrays, and two squadrons of Starfuries. This makes Explorer ships large, ill-defended targets, but their massive jump engines and powerful fusion reactors enable Explorer class vessels to escape dangerous situations quickly.

Explorer ships spend a great deal of their time exploring "The Rim," the uncharted and unexplored areas of space that have not been claimed by any known race. As this is the case, Explorer ships are often the first class of Earth Alliance vessel an alien race might come into contact with. This privilege and burden of first contact is not taken lightly and, as the slightest misinterpreted action can result in tragedy, the crews and commanding officers of Explorer ships are extremely well versed in first-contact procedures.

Due to Explorer-class ships dominating the exploration field, they are equipped with the latest in sensor and communications technology, allowing greater ease in contacting and communicating with different alien species. Also, several large planetary drop ships allow Explorer ships to chart and explore entire planets within a few short weeks, laying the foundation for a more detailed expedition.

Though Explorer class ships have more than enough power to jump into hyperspace and go where they will, the bulk of an Explorer class ship's mass consist of spare parts with which to build jumpgates. The continual construction and distribution of jumpgates makes it easier for other Earth Alliance vessels and commercial ships to move into new areas of space. This provides the Earth Alliance with a quick and effective way to quickly expand humanity's sphere of influence, as well as to gain valuable resources and revenue, as Earth Alliance can charge vessels transit fees for use of jumpgates.

=Devices=

Phased plasma gun (PPG)
The Phased Plasma Gun (or PPG) is a fictional weapon from the television series Babylon 5. It fires a small charge of superheated helium that retains its shape and small volume via a residual magnetic field. Upon impact with an object, the magnetic field dissipates and the heat discharges.

PPG are composed only of highly heat-resistant alloys, due to the rapid and extreme heating and cooling that they must endure during use. One of these alloys is morbidium. A line in the Babylon 5 episode "Chrysalis" states that it is a metal that is harder than diamond. The electromagnetic firing coil is composed of morbidium, and has the gun's serial number printed on it, so that PPGs are just as traceable as projectile weapons. PPGs make a distinctive charging sound when they are armed for firing, and they are powered by compact energy sources called energy caps. Two models are most commonly seen in the series: a handgun that is the standard EarthForce sidearm, and a more powerful rifle used by security personnel in emergencies.

Even though PPGs are more expensive to produce than normal projectile weapons ("slug-throwers"), they are the standard-issue military sidearm for space-based personnel. While a stray bullet from a normal weapon can puncture the hull of a spacecraft or space station, causing unintended decompression, a PPG cannot penetrate most heavy bulkheads. A PPG shot may, however, burn through some materials. In several episodes, PPG shots were fired through the thin walls of air ducts in order to attack people inside.

In earlier episodes, where few shots were fired, plasma bursts were carefully generated and penetrated their targets. Later in the B5 series, when massive battles were staged, a shift into a lower quality CGI followed and the bursts tended to fade off as opposed to continuing through its target.

Jumpgates
In the fictional Babylon 5 universe, a jumpgate is technology by which starships may travel faster than light. The jumpgate itself is a stationary set of rings which creates an energy vortex called a jump point. Starships travel through the jump point to enter hyperspace, a dimension running parallel to normal space, in which the distances between points are radically shorter. Jumpgates are placed throughout the galaxy and allow for timely interstellar travel. Jump gates also have beacons that allow vessels in hyperspace to lock on to a beacon and avoid getting lost. Amongst the "younger" races of the galaxy, jump gates are a vital part of interstellar travel. For most ships, a jump gate is required for interstellar travel. While the more advanced races - such as the First Ones - are able to fit jump point generators on to even its smallest vessels, for younger races the energy cost means that only the largest military vessels have the capability to create their own jump points. The White Star ships used by Babylon 5's allies, and later by the Interstellar Alliance, are amongst the smallest such vessels. If enough jump gates were destroyed the entire jump gate / beacon network would fall apart. Vessels would then be unable to make their way through hyperspace. For that reason jump gates are usually considered neutral territory and therefore very uncivilized to attack.

A jump gate is typically made of four long independent cylinders that form an ellipse. Some races use different configurations (a Narn jump gate employs three cylinders). When a jump gate is activated, an energy pulse runs down each of the cylinders, until it reaches the end of the cylinder. It then separates from the cylinder, and travels out to a point where it meets with the other energy pulses. The energy pulses together provide enough energy to create the vortex. The vortex will be yellow if a ship will be entering the point and going into hyperspace, and will be blue if a vessel is exiting hyperspace. The jump gate will provide the energy to keep the jump point open until a vessel has completed transit. A vessel wishing to enter a jump gate will usually send a signal to the jump gate to activate the gate. If a private vessel is entering hyperspace from a gate, a fee is charged for the use of the gate. If for whatever reason those in control of the gate wish to keep a certain vessel from entering hyperspace, the computers on the gate can be programmed to reject an activation signal from that vessel. However, whatever controls or fees may be in place for entering hyperspace, the general rule is to allow any vessel to exit hyperspace through the gate freely and without charge. Since the jump gate represents the only way most vessels can return to normal space, they are vital escape routes in emergencies. If a ship's power failed the ship could become forever lost in hyperspace without such an exit. Regardless of circumstances, the gate's computers do record each ship that enters or exits the gate, and such records can be used to establish presence in legal settings. Larger ships that have their own jump point engines will normally use a jump gate if one is available. This is because the onboard jump point generators require a large amount of energy to operate, and using a jump gate saves energy. However if such a vessel wanted to keep its arrival off the official records, it would then use its own generators to keep a record from being made by a gate. A jump gate can be turned on or off, but it takes quite some time for the jump gate generators to power up or power down. To either power them up or down too quickly would most likely result in the gate destroying itself in a large explosion. The cylinders are also movable. If an exceptionally large vessel needs to use the gate, the cylinders could be moved to accommodate it. Vessels equipped with their own jump point generators avoid opening their own jump point within an active jump gate; doing so destroys the jump gate and any nearby vessels.

The "Great Machine"
The "Great Machine" is an enormous technological marvel beneath the surface of the planet Epsilon III in Babylon 5. The Great Machine requires a biological mind to regulate it, and an ancient race that built or found the machine left one of their race to interface with it to operate and regulate it. When that being, Varn (Curt Lowens), became aged and ill, the machine became unstable. Because of the instability of the machine, the planet began to suffer geological events, and attempts by Babylon 5 personnel to investigate were repelled by missiles fired from the planet. Eventually, a force got close enough to find a cavern that served as entrance. Inside, they found Varn, removed him from the machine and took him to Babylon 5 for medical attention. In Varn's absence, the machine drifted even further out of control. Draal, an elderly Minbari who perceived his life as no longer useful, saw a possibility. Londo Mollari, the Centauri ambassador, dodged missiles to take Draal and Varn down to Epsilon III, where Draal joined himself with the machine and Varn stayed to help until his anticipated death by old age. Draal drove off aliens who claimed that the machine on Epsilon III belonged to them, then warned Commander Sinclair to stay off the planet, but that Babylon 5's continued presence would be accepted. Some months later, Draal appeared in holographic form to invite the Babylon 5 station to discuss his willingness to help in the coming Shadow War. Later, in an attempt to counteract the blatant propaganda of Interstellar Network News, Babylon 5 set up its own interstellar broadcast service, Voice of the Resistance. Draal made the planet's Great Machine available to help carry Voice of the Resistance to Earth and other worlds. The machine's great broadcasting power made possible the broadcasting to such distant places. The Machine also served to maintain the opening in time which allowed the events of War Without End to take place. The ultimate purpose of the Great Machine remains unknown, the audience only being told that it belongs to 'the future.'