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A Guide to the heroes, villains, aliens, places, items and adventures of sci-fi

Compiled by T. Rob Brown

B

• Ba’al: A Goa’uld System Lord who captured Jack O’Neill in a secret facility after Jack had been brought there by the Tok’ra, Kanan. Ba’al repeatedly tortured O’Neill to death, then revived him in a sarcophagus. Ba’al served Anubis for a while and later infiltrated Earth. He created multiple clones of himself and later implanted his Goa’uld into the Ori daughter of SG-1’s Vala Mal Doran. [SG1]
• BabCom: Babylon 5’s internal communications network. [BAB5]
• Ba-Bear-Lon 5 teddy bear: Teddy bear on sale at the Babylon Emporium, inspired by Captain Sheridan. When the war hero discovered he had been immortalized as a teddy bear, he ordered the closure of the Emporium and spaced one of the bears. (HONOR) [BAB5]
• Babylon 1: The first space station commissioned by the Earth Alliance, destroyed during construction when its infrastructure collapsed. Originally titled the Babylon station. (GATHERING, GRAIL) Also see Babylon Project. [BAB5]
• Babylon 2: The second Babylon station, sabotaged during construction and busequently abandoned. (GATHERING, GRAIL) Also see Babylon Project. [BAB5]
• Babylon 3: The third Babylon station, irreparably damaged by an explosion during construction. (GATHERING, GRAIL) Also see Babylon Project. [BAB5]
• Babylon 4: The biggest and most-expensive Babylon station, built using some of the leftover materials from the first three stations. Like its predecessors, the station was built in Sector 14. The last stages of construction were supervised by Major Lewis Krantz, who made history when the station was completed in 2254. Earthforce was in the process of choosing the station’s commander when it disappeared without a trace, exactly 24 hours after it had become operational. Four years later, Babylon 4 suddenly reappeared in the very spot it had disappeared in and sent a distress signal. When Commander Sinclair arrived on the station to lead the evacuation of its skeleton crew of 12,000-13,000 workers, Major Krantz explained to him that Babylon 4 had been operational for 24 hours when a number of discrepancies occurred in the station’s time-tracking systems. At first, everyone had assumed it was merely the result of a computer fault, but they soon realized they had become caught in some kind of time anomaly. Everyone in the station experienced different visions of the past and future, which the Babylon 4 crew dubbed "The Flashes." Sinclair saw a vision of the future in which Security Chief Garibaldi was fighting an invisible and seemingly-unstoppable force which was invading Babylon 5 and ordered Sinclair to leave before the station self-destructed, while Garibaldi remembered how he left hs girlfriend Lise Hampton on the Mars Colony to assume the role of Babylon 4’s security chief. Sinclair and Garibaldi were also introduced to Zathras, a strange alien who claimed that his leader, known only as The One, was stealing Babylon 4 to use as a base of operations in a great war and had stopped it in 2258 for the crew to disembark. Once the station was evacuated, it disappeared (SQUARED). Earthforce confiscated all records of Babylon 5’s encounter with its predecessor and officially the station was destroyed (KNIVES). It took 10 hours to evacuate Babylon 4’s skeleton crew and the station’s Secure Code is 0010835-081677 (SQUARED). Also see Babylon Project. [BAB5]
• Babylon 5: The fifth Babylon station, built by the Earth Alliance on the firm understanding it would be the last. Following the disappearance of the hugely-expensive Babylon 4, the Alliance passed a slim budget for its successor and tried to build it as cheaply as possible. Even then, it could not afford to fund the station’s construction on its own and required the backing of the Minbari Federation, as well as a contribution from the Centauri. To help pay for Babylon 5’s maintenance, every visitor pays a fee upon boarding the station and all staff have to pay rent which is automatically deducted from their wages. Babylon 5 receives further income from those who use its local jumpgate. In 2256, many of Earthforce’s finest officers were considered as possible commanders of Babylon 5. However, the Minbari Federation rejected all their choices, including several distinguished admirals and generals, and insted that Commander Jeffrey Sinclair assumed the position (SIGNS). When Sinclair was reassigned to the Minbari homeworld in 2259, the Earth Alliance appointed Captain John Sheridan without the Minbari’s approval (DEPARTURE). The station’s commanding officer represents the Earth Alliance on Babylon 5’s Advisory Council, leaving his or her first officer to supervise the station’s day-to-day operations. Most of the time, the commander acts autonomously, but is occasionally given direct instructions from the Earth Alliance. The commander has the authority to seal off the station and can grant the station’s security chief full diplomatic access. (GATHERING) As an Earth Alliance space station, English is the primary language spoken aboard Babylon 5. While most diplomats and many visiting members of the alien races learn the language, some rely on translators. Babylon 5 became on-line in 2256 and turned fully operational in 2257 (GATHERING). The station is located in an area of neutral space, the Euphrates Sector, at Grid Epsilon 470/18/22 (MIND). It orbits a supposedly barren planet, Euphrates (also known as Epsilon 3), and its sun is Tigris (WORD). The Euphrates Sector was originally chosen as the site for Babylon 5 because it is relatively central for the five major powers (Earth Alliance, Minbari Federation, Centauri Republic, Narn Regime, and Vorlon Empire) and because nothing valuable was believed to exist in the area. However, the area erupted into a war zone in 2258 when the stations learned Epsilon 3 had once been the home of a highly-advanced civilization which existed five miles beneath the planet’s surface. Fortunately, the violent ownership dispute ended when Epsilon 3’s guardian, Draal, announced that anyone who tried to land on the planet would be destroyed (VOICE I, II). Given the fates of its four predecessors, few people believed Babylon 5 would last six months. Asked to estimate the odds of the station reaching its first anniversary, Lloyds of London quoted 500-1 against, while the gambling institutions at Las Vegas and New Vegas offered customers 350-1 against and 200-1 against, respectively. By 2256, the odds had improved slightly: Lloyds of London placed them at 250-1 against, while Las Vegas and New Vegas felt they had fallen to 200-1 against and 5-1 against, respectively. (WORD) Babylon 5 functions as a free port for diplomacy, trade and commerce. The station is five miles long and its casing alone weighs 2.5 million tons. It can house approximately a quarter of a million inhabitants at a time and is normally visited by between 50 and 60 ships every day. Fifty-eight percent of Babylon 5’s population is human, while the alien races account for the remaining 42 percent. The station is divided into separate, color-coded sections, most of which spin to create different levels of artificial gravity. Red Sector is the center of the station’s commercial and leisure activities. Among other things, it houses the Zocalo, the Zen Garden, the maze and the hydroponic gardens, as well as various hotel suites, casinos, and bars. Blue Sector is the focus of station operations and contains the Observation Dome, medlabs, docking bays, and custom area. Green Sector includes the Ambassadorial Wing and can be accessed by station personnel only, while the nonrotating Yellow Sector houses the zero-gravity cargo bays and the fusion engines. Gray Sector is industrial and has no living quarters. The "Alien Sector," which is adjacent, contains 14 alternate atmospheres and is capable of sustaining every possible form of life aboard B5 -- including methane-breathers, silicon life-forms, and insectoids (GATHERING). Ironically, while the area is normally referred to as the "Alien Sector," those who visit the Gray Sector refer to the areas of the station inhabited by humans as the "Alien Sector" (WORD). Shortly after the station went on-line, the area was dubbed the "Babylon Triangle" by a number of maintenance workers who claimed to have seen strange lights and heard unusual noises in the area. There are always problems with scans and communications in Gray Sector, and several missing people were last seen there before they disappeared (KNIVES). The station’s undeveloped area is known as Down Below and plays host to the lurkers -- people who come to Babylon 5 searching for new lives and new jobs, but instead find themselves homeless, unemployed, and lalcking the funds to return hom. In case of attack, Babylon 5 is equipped with a defense grid, blast doors, and squadrons of Starfuries. When the defense grid was upgraded in 2259, the station became strong enough to battle a warcruiser. (GROPOS) Babylon 5 falls under Earth jurisdiction. All criminals are tried and convicted by the Ombuds (GRAIL). Commercial activity is not subject to Earthforce scrutiny (SPIDER). While guests are permitted to make arms deals aboard the station, weapons cannot be brought aboard or tranferred on the station (WORD, INQUISITOR). Babylon 5 boasts thousands of entertainment and industrial channels (BELIEVERS), including the Business Channel (MEANS). While its executive and command quarters contain real water showers, the rest of the station’s living quarters house vibe showers, due to the limitations of the water reclamation system (DEPARTURE). Although the station distinguishes between day and night, it does not commemorate seasons (FALL). It would take between three and five days to evacuate Babylon 5, even if all the ships in the sector offered assistance. (VOICE II) Despite the Earth Alliance’s desire to keep Babylon 5 self-sufficient, the station’s financial affairs have been dogged by controversy. When the 2258 budget failed to allocate extra money for increased dockers’ pay and modern equipment, the Dockers’ Guild called an illegal strike which they only ended when Commander Sinclair used the Rush Act to reallocate 1.3 million extra credits to them from the station’s war budget (MEANS). In the first two months of 2259, station revenue dropped by 15 percent due to the increased presence of Earthforce military transports. In order to avoid deficit, Earthforce troed to increase Captain Sheridan and Commander Ivanova’s rent for their executive suites by an extra 30 credits a week. Sheridan refused to pay or move to smaller quarters, and eventually reallocated the extra credits from the station’s war-readiness budget, on the grounds he wasn’t ready to fight unless he had slept well. (RACE) Shortly after, the Senate Oversight Committee decided the Earth Alliance could earn more than 2 million credits a year through the sale of Babylon 5 merchandise on the station. Many of the station’s inhabitants, including Ambassador Molari, felt embarrassed as Babylon 5 increasingly became a deep space franchise and Sheridan later ordered the sale of merchandise to end. (HONOR) Although the station managed to last longer than anyone expected, opposition to Babylon 5 steadily increased on Earth. An ISN poll in March 2257 suggested 30 percent of the planet’s population were against the time, money, and effort devoted to the station. By September 2259, that figure had risen to 41 percent. (WORD) When the Narn-Centauri War broke out in 2259, it was widely recognized as the beginning of the end for Babylon 5’s peace-keeping mission. However, in 2260 the station assumed a greater function as the last best hope for victory in the war against the Shadows. (TWILIGHT, FALL, MATTERS) Also see Babylon Project. [BAB5]
• Babylon 5 Advisory Council: The focus of all diplomatic activity aboard Babylon 5, based on the (now defunct) United Nations Security Council. The Advisory Council comprises the representatives of the Earth Alliance, Minbari Federation, Centauri Republic, Narn Regime, and Vorlon Empire, each of which has an equal vote (GATHERING). If the Council is deadlocked, then the League of Non-Aligned Worlds has the deciding vote (DEATHWALKER). [BAB5]
• Babylon 5 Emporium: A shop opened on the Zocalo in 2259 to sell Babylon 5 merchandise to residents and tourists. Items on sale included Babylon 5 jackets. dolls, T-shirts, posters, alien and human masks, teddy bears, and models. It offers a 20 percent discount to station personnel. (HONOR) [BAB5]
• Babylon 5 Senate Oversight Committe: Advisory board responsible for keeping Babylon 5 financially self-sufficient (MEANS). In 2259, tried to compensate for the station’s increasing budget deficit by charging Captain Sheridan and Commander Ivanova extra rent on their executive quarters (RACE) and subsequently suggested the station sell merchandise (HONOR). Over time, the Committee would attempt to exert increased influence in Babylon 5’s political structure (VOICES). [BAB5]
• Babylon Park: Impressive garden aboard Babylon 5. The site of a baseball pitch regularly used by Captain Sheridan. (KNIVES) [BAB5]
• Babylon Project: The Babylon Project was launched by Earth Alliance President Luis Santiago in 2249 following the conclusion of the Earth-Minbari War. The project’s goal was to create an environment in which humans and aliens could resolve their differences peacefully and, above all, could avoid another war based on a misunderstanding. The project was initially proposed and pushed through the senate, by David Indiri, a senator from New Delhi, India. At the time of its inception, peace was imperative not only from an idealistic viewpoint but from a practical one: Earth’s military forces had been drastically depleted in the war with the Minbari and the Alliance simply couldn’t afford to fight again. Earthforce decided to build a Babylon space station rather than a Babylon planetary base in order to allow ships incapable of entering planetary atomspheres (such as the Starfuries) to travel directly to the location. (LAW) From the very beginning, however, the Babylon Project faced serious resistance from members of the Alliance who believed it was a naive and pointless waste of time, money, and resources, and opposed the idea that humans should develop closer ties to alien species. As a result, the first three Babylon stations were sabotaged and destroyed during construction. Support for the Babylon Project steadily continued to dwindle over the years. As Earthforce rebuilt its military strength, the public increasingly began to believe the project was no longer necessary or valid. The mysterious disappearance of Babylon 4 in 2254 only served to undermine the project’s credibility. Consequently, the Earth Alliance agreed to finance Babylon 5 on the condition it would be the last of the Babylon stations. When President Santiago was killed on January 1, 2259, the Babylon Project lost its leading patron. When the Narn-Centauri War broke out a few months later, many considered it to be the final nail in the Babylon Project’s coffin. (WORD) Also see Babylon 1, Babylon 2, Babylon 3, Babylon 4, and Babylon 5. [BAB5]
• Babylon Station: See Babylon 1.
• bagna cauda: An Italian fondue, the main ingredients of which include a pint of olive oil, butter, salt, bread, garlic, and anchovies. Alfredo Garibaldi cooked bagna cauda for his son, Michael, every year on his birthday. Ever since Alfredo died, Garibaldi has cooked it every year as a tribute to his father. The ingredients are hard to come by aboard Babylon 5, especially when the station’s chief medical officer is determined to stop you from eating bagna cauda. (DISTANT) [BAB5]
• Balus: An alien world and a member of the Leage of Non-Aligned Worlds. Balus was invaded by the Dilgar and later liberated by Earth Alliance. (DEATHWALKER) [BAB5]
• Bay 11: Docking port in Babylon 5 in which Ambassador Kosh’s ship first arrived. Kosh was poisoned by a Minbari assassin just outside the bay. (GATHERING) [BAB5]
• Bay 13: Docking port in Babylon 5 which normally plays host to Ambassador Kosh’s ship. By 2259, Bay 13 was quarantined because the last maintenance crew assigned there refused to ever enter the bay again. Each member claimed to have had dreams about Kosh’s ship and that it talked to them in their sleep. (HUNTER) [BAB5]
• Beldon, Alisa: Born on Earth. Following the death of her mother in 2250 and father in 2257, Alisa lived Down Below and used to steal to pay for food. She was stealing jewelry from a boutique on the Zocalo in 2258 when she suffered a mindburst. When Alisa was found to be a strong telepath (possibly a high P10), Talia Winters and Commander Ivanova argued over her fate; while Talia was keen for her to join the Psi Corps, Ivanova was determined to find another option. Alisa turned down a lucrative offer from the Narn Regime to work as a telepath and help contribute to the genetic creation of telepathic Narns. When she discussed her situation with Ambassador Delenn, she accidentally scanned her mind and realized the Minbari had stolen the missing body of the war leader Branmer. She also saw one word in Delenn’s mind -- "chrysalis." After a great deal of thought, Alisa decided to take Delenn’s offer and traveled to Minbar to work as an instrument of communication between humans and Minbari. (Played by Grace Una.) (LEGACIES) [BAB5]
• Beldon, Eliot: Husband of Esperanza, father of Alisa. Brought her to Babylon 5 in 2256 when he was offered a job as a construction worker. He was killed in an accident the following year, thus leaving his daughter to fend for herself. (LEGACIES) [BAB5]
• Beldon, Esperanza: Wife of Eliot, mother of Alisa Beldon. Died in 2250 of Stafford’s Disease. (LEGACIES) [BAB5]
• Bene Gesserit (Be-na Jess-er-it): The ancient school of mental and physical training established primarily for female students. The program had as its object the breeding, over generations, of a person they called the "Kwisatz Haderach," a term signifying "one who can be in many places at once," specifically, their selective breeding program aimed at producing a human with mental powers permitting him to understand and use higher order dimensions, including that of prescience. [DUNE]
• Benson: A security officer aboard Babylon 5 in 2258. When he ran up a large debt in the casino, Benson was ordered to justify his actions to Commander Sinclair and Security Chief Garibaldi. Although Benson claimed he always stayed close to the official 50 credits a week gambling limit but had never broken it, Sinclair and Garibaldi realized he must have been participating in unregistered gambling to get into such debt. Consequently, they decided he was a security risk and took him off active duty. Benson later supplied the Bureau 13 operatives Knights One and Two with an energy pod in return for 15,000 credits, which he used to pay off his debts. As a result, Garibaldi’s aide Jack decided to put him back in action during the search for Sinclair. When Benson discovered the energy pod was being used to power the Virtual Reality Cybernet in which Sinclair had been placed, he was killed by Knight One. (Played by Jim Youngs.) (SKY) [BAB5]
• Ben Zayne, Colonel Ari: An Earthforce war veteran who served in Israel, New Jerusalem, and Syrius 3, Colonel Ari Ben Zayne was one of the leading candidates to command Babylon 5. When the post was offered to Jeffrey Sinclair, Zayne became enraged with jealousy. Zayne’s close personal friends included the sinister Psi Cop Bester, who personally assigned Harriman Gray as his aide. He doesn’t drink because he believes it makes a soldier weak. In 2258, Zayne siezed the opportunity to discredit Sinclair when he was assigned by the Earthforce Bureau of Internal Affairs to investigate the station’s senior command staff. Arriving on the station, he posed as a businessman, Aaron Franks, vealing his true intentions. Zayne ordered Security Chief Garibaldi to help him with his inquiries, saying he liked Garibaldi’s style. During the course of the investigation, Zayne revealed he thought Sinclair was a "hotshot hero" who had been promoted through the ranks without any real leadership ability. He then assumed command of Babylon 5 using Article 52. Ultimately, Zayne was betrayed by Gray, who exposed his unstable mental state. (Played by Gregory Martin.) (EYES) [BAB5]
• Beretta 92R pistol: Choice pistol of Jack O’Neill of the SGC. [SG, SG1]
• "Be Seeing You.": Catchphrase of the new order on Earth. First used by the sinister Psi Cop Bester (MIND) and then by Garibaldi’s traitorous aide, Jack (REVELATIONS). [BAB5]
• Bester: A ruthless Psi Cop who only cares about himself and the good of Psi Corps, Bester is referred to as one of the Corps’ "most valued members" in its propaganda (RACE, PSI). He is more than willing to kill and illegally scans most of those around him (RACE). Bester first traveled to Babylon 5 in 2258 to hunt for the rogue telepath Jason Ironheart. Bester was initially reluctant to divulge any information to the station’s command staff, but was subsequently forced to cooperate when Sinclair threated to accuse him of endangering the station and blame him for the death of Kelsey. Consequently, Bester corroborated Sinclair’s story that Ironheart was killed leaving the station (MIND). Bester made his second visit to the station the following year to search for an underground railroad of unregistered telepaths. He seemed intrigued by Talia Winters and was keen to enlist her support. Ultimately, Talia joined forces with the unregistered telepaths to make Bester believe he had killed all the unregistered telepaths with Talia’s help. (RACE) Bester prefers telepathic communication and finds talking a very slow process (MIND). He is married with a five-year-old daughter. When he is home on Mars, Bester and his family spend their Sundays together at Syria Planum, watching the stars come out. (RACE) (Played by Walter Koenig.) [BAB5]
• Beta System: Region of space conquered by the Centauri Republic in nine days at the height of its power. (GATHERING) [BAB5]
• Beta 7: Site of an ice-mining operation from which Robert J. Carlsen stole explosives. (CONVICTIONS) [BAB5]
• Biggs, Malcolm: A former lover of Commander Ivanova, Malcolm Biggs tried to rekindle their passion aboard Babylon 5 in 2258. Although Biggs told Ivanova he was setting up a business on the station, he neglected to mention the faction he was actually a member of the vicious pro-Earth group, Homeguard. When Ivanova and Commander Sinclair expressed anti-alien sentiments, Biggs invited them to join the Homeguard and revealed he intended to coordinate the assassination of the station’s four alien ambassadors. This, in turn, would act as a signal to other members of the Homeguard to terminate the other alien emissaries on Earth. Ivanova and Sinclair them turned on the group and ordered their arrest. Later, Biggs was sent back to Earth for trial. (Played by Tristan Rogers.) (PRAYER) [BAB5]
• black light cammo suit: A black costume which allows an individual to appear invisible in dark and shadowy places. Earthforce Research and Development prototypes of black light cammo suits were used by Homeguard in 2258 to commit a series of vicious and uprovoked attacks on aliens. (PRAYER) [BAB5]
• Black Omega Squad: Earth Alliance interceptor squadron of Black Omega Starfuries with Psi Corps connections. Several of its fighters were destroyed while pursuing rogue telepath Jason Ironheart in 2258. (MIND) [BAB5]
• Black Omega Starfury: An extremely-expensive class of Starfury used for surveillance and infiltration missions. [BAB5]
• Black Star: The Minbari flagship destroyed during the Earth-Minbari War by Captain John Sheridan, who mined an asteroid field between Jupiter and Mars and sent a distress signal which lured the ship and three heavy cruisers to their destruction. Although the Earth Alliance captain achieved the impossible by destroying the ship, the Minbari perceived it as a dishonorable victory and dubbed Sheridan "Starkiller" (DEPARTURE, HONOR). When the Black Star was destroyed, many members of the Third Fain of Chu’Domo were aboard, as well as several of Lennier’s relatives (HONOR). At Christmas 2259, Commander Ivanova gave Sinclair a fragment of the Black Star to remind him that sometimes the impossible is possible (FALL). [BAB5]
• blast doors: Exterior panels used to shield Babylon 5 from attack. [BAB5]
• Blue Sector: The focus of all station operations, Blue Sector incorporates the Observation Dome and medlabs, as well as Babylon 5’s docking bays and customs area. [BAB5]
• Bonehard Maneuver: Desperate strategem devised by Earthforce during the Earth-Minbari War, the Bonehard Maneuver refers to the extremely-risky procedure of opening a jumppoint within a jumpgate. The plan was abandoned by Earthforce, who concluded it was suicidal because not even its fastest ships could escape the explosion. In 2260, Captain Sheridan used the Bonehard Maneuver to destroy a Shadow ship, obliterating Sector 45’s local jumpgate in the process. Fortunately, the White Star was fast enough to escape from the tremendous force of the blast. (MATTERS) [BAB5]
• Book of G’Quan: The basis of G’Quan’s teachings. Each book is copied precisely by hand from the original, complete with every note and line (MATTERS). In his book, G’Quan outlines a Great War against the Shadows. He also reveals that they dwell at the rim of known space on a planet called Z’ha’dum (REVELATIONS) and set up a base in one of the Narn homeworld’s southern continents (MATTERS). Also see G’Quan. [BAB5]
• Book Universe: Bookstore situated in the Zocalo. [BAB5]
• brainwipe: A painless but controversial procedure also known as the "death of personality" used as a punishment for criminals. The offender has all his personality and memories erased, and is then reprogrammed with a new set of memories in order to serve the community harmlessly. A telepath is required to scan the subject before and after brainwipe to check that the procedure worked correctly. (MERCY) In 2258, the crew of Babylon 5 discovered that a Na’ka’leen feeder is also capable of removing all normal brainwave activity associated with personality or memory. (GRAIL) [BAB5]
• Brakiri: Alien race aboard Babylon 5. (SURVIVORS, TWILIGHT, STRIFE) [BAB5]
• Branmer: Branmer is widely regarded as one of the greatest Minbari warleaders who ever lived. Branmer’s father was a member of the warrior caste, while his mother was a member of the religious caste. As the religious caste generally takes precedence over the warrior caste, Branmer was raised as a member of the religious caste and subsequently became a high priest. Following the death of Dukhat, Branmer believed the war against Earth was righteous. He fought with honor, bravery, and vision. Toward the end of the war, he planned and led the Minbari during the historic Battle of the Line and commanded one of the warcruisers which destroyed Commander Sinclair’s squadron. Branmer obeyed the Grey Council’s order to surrender, but did not agree with it. Although he became a hero to his people, Ambassador Delenn felt he was always a priest in his heart. He once told her he wanted a quiet funeral and didn’t want his body displayed as a monument to war. When Branmer died suddenly during a diplomatic tour, Shai Alyt Neroon diliberately disobeyed his wishes and intended to display his former commander’s body to all Minbari from the Euphrates Sector to homeworld. As a result, Delenn stole Branmer’s body when it was about to be displayed on Babylon 5 and, as per his request, cremated his body and had his ashes scattered in space near the Minbari homeworld. The disappearance almost sparked another war between the humans and Minbari until Delenn ordered Neroon to support her story that Branmer’s body was transformed to allow him to take his place with the gods. (LEGACIES) [BAB5]
• breathers: Oxygen masks used in alien environments, including Babylon 5’s alien sector. [BAB5]
• Brivare: A Centauri beverage. Ambassador Mollari’s lifelong friend Urza Jaddo was almost legendary for his ability to drink Brivare. (KNIVES) [BAB5]
• Bugaboo glacier glasses: The favorite style of sunglasses worn by Jack O’Neill of the SGC. [SG1, SGA]
• Buffer: A GROPOS who served with his best friend, Large, for more than 25 years, until he was killed during the 2258 Mars Rebellion. Buffer used to say "a GROPOS who ain’t scared is either dead or stupid." (GROPOS) [BAB5]
• Bureau 13: A covert organization which operates within the Earth Alliance government, Bureau 13 is a dirty tricks squad which deals in starchamber justice and black projects. Captain Sheridan first heard of its existence in 2253 and learned its name three years later. Shortly after, his informant died. Bureau 13 is controlled by a mysterious woman known only as 13. She was once a Psi Cop and had been declared dead by Earth Alliance records. (SPIDER) Two of its operatives, KNIGHT ONE and KNIGHT TWO, believed the Minbari had chosen to build a "fifth column" on Earth to corrupt and destroy the Earth Alliance from within and believed Commander Sinclair was a leading member of the organization. In 2258, they kidnapped Sinclair and tried to find evidence of their theory, but were cut short by the commander’s escape. (SKY) The following year, Captain Sheridan discovered that Bureau 13 had developed Earthforce’s Project: Lazarus to create cyberorganic agents out of dying human beings. One such operative was Abel Horn, who had been instructed to kill Taro Isogi (thus preventing a peaceful solution to the Mars crisis) and destroy the Free Mars movement from within. However, the Bureau’s plans suffered a setback when Talia Winters touched Horn’s mind and made him consider what he had become. Naturally, Horn self-destructed when he was killed, thus destroying any evidence or further clues. (SPIDER) Following the breach in its operations, Bureau 13 destroyed many of its records, and changed its name, eventually re-emerging with other covert operations on Earth. [BAB5]

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