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

Compiled by T. Rob Brown

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• Earharts: Officers’ lounge aboard Babylon 5 named after United States aviator, Amelia Earhart. Anyone who brings official business into the bar must buy everyone a drink, as Security Chief Garibaldi once found out to his cost. (RACE) [BAB5]
• Earth Alliance: A commonwealth of independent states which comprises more than two dozen worlds in 14 solar systems (WORD). Besides Earth, members of the Alliance include the colonies on the Moon and Mars, as well as a number of bronze-tech worlds. In general, the Alliance determines the foreign policies of its member worlds and leaves them to determine their own domestic policies. In the mid-22nd century, the Earth Alliance made contact with the Centauri Republic. In return for various trade agreements the Centauri gave Earth Alliance access to their technology (MIDNIGHT). The Alliance initially used Centauri jumpgates but soon learned to build its own (LONG). As the Earth Alliance became increasingly powerful, the declining Centauri Republic became more and more desperate to forge a military or political alliance (GATHERING). The Alliance sent several expeditions into Vorlon space, but none returned. When EarthGov enquired about their fates, the Vorlon Empire told them the ships had been lost and advised the Alliance not to mount any further explorations into Vorlon space. In 2230, the Earth Alliance joined forces with the non-aligned worlds to fight the Dilgar. At first, the Alliance was more interested in building its reputation as a major galactic empire, but became morally involved when it witnessed first-hand the atrocities which had been committed by the Dilgar. (DEATHWALKER) The Earth-Minbari War represented the first time Earth Alliance was faced with invasion and extinction. It was brought to its knees by the Minbari, who suddenly surrendered on the verge of victory. In 2249, Earth Alliance President Santiago launched the Babylon Project in the hope the Alliance would never again fight based on a misunderstanding. Although the majority of the Alliance’s population initially supported the program, they swiftly began to grow disillusioned with it. The only issue which proved more controversial than the Babylon Project was the Mars Colony (WORD). After the Earth-Minbari War, the population of the colony demanded independence from Earth with added vigor, while many of those on Earth resented that their taxes were paying for "Marsies" to have the best atmospheric reprocessors and water reclamation technology (VOICE I). Although the Earth Senate used shock troops to quell the Mars Rebellion in 2258, it failed to offer any viable long-term solution to the growing crisis. When Morgan Clark succeeded Luis Santiago as Earth Alliance president in January 2259, he promised to place a greater emphasis on Earth interests and combat growing alien influence. One of his first actions was to appoint Captain Sheridan as commander of Babylon 5 against the wishes of the Minbari. (DEPARTURE) Also see Earth-Minbari War, Babylon Project, and Mars Colony. [BAB5]
• Earth-Centauri Non-Aggression Treaty: Non-aggression pact signed by the Earth Alliance and the Centauri Republic in 2259 which guaranteed their areas of influence (FALL). The treaty also outlawed members of the Alliance from officially speaking to any Narn leaders without the permission of the Centauri (MATTERS). [BAB5]
• EarthDome: Situated in Geneva, Switzerland, EarthDome is the home of EarthGov. All EarthDome personnel have coded identification crystal implants which emit a low-level, short-range signal. Thus the implant can be used to prevent kidnapping. (HUNTER) [BAB5]
• Earthforce: The Earth Alliance’s military division. Officers of Earthforce’s different branches can be distinguished by the color of their uniforms: Command staff wear blue, marines wear olive/brown, and security staff wear gray. They can also be distinguished by their stetbar: Gold for command, silver for command staff, green for security, red for medical, and yellow for science division. Ever since the Earth-Minbari War, Earthforce has been obsessed with gaining new technology. (VOICE I) [BAB5]
• Earthforce 1: Earth Alliance presidential space cruiser. In 2258, President Santiago traveled on Earthforce 1 to Babylon 5, where he officially gave Zeta Squad to the station (SURVIVORS). On January 1, 2259, Earthforce 1 exploded as a result of a malfunction in its fusion reactor. It was destroyed near the transfer point at Io while en route to Jupiter, and was carrying President Santiago at the time. Its gold channel frequency was 1010105. (CHRYSALIS) [BAB5]
• Earthforce 2: Earth Alliance presidential space cruiser. Former Vice-President Morgan Clark was sworm in as president aboard this ship following the death of Luis Santiago aboard Earthforce 1. (CHRYSALIS) [BAB5]
• Earthforce Bureau of Internal Investigations: Internal affairs unit, also known as "eyes" (short for I.I.). The Bureau ran a series of investigations into senior command staff on all outposts in 2258. The investigations were exploited by Colonel Ari Ben Zayne, who used them to assume control of Babylon 5 before his true motives were exposed. (EYES) [BAB5]
• Earthforce Defense Bio-Weapons Division: Earth Alliance military unit in charge of the development of bio-organic weaponry. In 2258, the Division confiscated the Ikaaran bio-organic weaponry aboard Babylon 5 for "reasons of planetary security." (INFECTION) [BAB5]
• Earthforce Special Intelligence: The Earth Alliance’s equivalent of the United States’ FBI, the Special Intelligence agency falls under the direct control of the president. President Clark used the organization to track down Dr. Everett Jacobs in 2259. Also known as ESI. (HUNTER) [BAB5]
• EarthGov: Abbreviation for Earth Government. [BAB5]
• Earth History Exhibition: Historical display aboard Babylon 5. Exhibits include a 20th-century electric guitar. (MATES) [BAB5]
• Earth-Minbari War: A brutal conflict between the Earth Alliance and the Minbari Federation during which the human race faced annihilation. The Earth-Minbari War was based on a misunderstanding that occurred when the two species made contact in 2242. Captain Ellasai Ferdinand VI of the Earthforce warship Amundsen misinterpreted the intentions of the Minbari ship and opened fire, killing their leader, Dukhat. He then claimed they had fired first, thus precipitating war. The Earth Alliance offered little opposition to the Minbari, who used a stealth technology the humans were unable to overcome. The Alliance’s only real victory during the entire conflict came when Captain John Sheridan destroyed the Minbari flagship, the Black Star, and three heavy cruisers (DEPARTURE). The Alliance’s forces were depleted rapidly, so it was forced to buy weapons from the Narn (MIDNIGHT). It only took a few years for the Minbari to penetrate Earth Alliance territory and they bypassed several human outposts and colonies, including the Mars Colony, to attack Earth (TWILIGHT). The Alliance mounted a desperate (and suicidal) bid to save the Earth from invasion, known as the Battle of the Line. Once again, the Alliance could not stop its enemy and 19,800 pilots were killed during the offensive. However, on the verge of defeat, the Minbari surrendered on the orders of the Grey Council. Although their reason was not made public, the leaders of the Earth Alliance were told the Minbari had discovered their souls were being reborn, either in part or in full, into human beings. While many of the Alliance leaders thought the Minbari had gone insane, they were in no position to argue and accepted the Minbari’s conditional surrender in 2248 (DARKNESS). The Minbari made it absolutely clear they would not pay any reparations to the Alliance. In the years following the war, the Minbari’s decision to surrender on the verge of victory was widely debated both on Earth and on Minbar. Some believed the Battle of the Line convinced the Minbari they could not conquer Earth or beat the Alliance (GATHERING). Others, including some members of Bureau 13, speculated the Minbari decided to destroy Earth from within using human spies (SKY). On Minbar, rumors suggested the Grey Council had experienced some kind of religious vision. Over a quarter of a million humans were killed during the Earth-Minbari War. The Babylon Project was conceived to avoid a similar catastrophe. Also see Line, Battle of. [BAB5]
• Eclipse Cafe: Cafe situated along the Zocalo. [BAB5]
• ECO: See Electronic Countermeasures Officer.
• Electronic Countermeasures Officer (ECO): A standard crew member on a Colonial Raptor. See Raptor, Colonial. Operations of electronic countermeasures is capable of thwarting many Cylon weapons. [BG]
• Ellison: A GROPOS, Ellison was a member of the 356th Squadron’s Green Squad. (GROPOS) [BAB5]
• Ellison, Harlan: A renowned and notoriously-outspoken 20th-century author, Harlan Ellison’s treatises include "Working Without a Diet." Ellison’s work makes Commander Ivanova laugh. (TKO) [BAB5]
• Elric: Human leader of a group of Techno-mages who boarded Babylon 5 in 2259. Elric revaled they were heading for the Rim and had nothing to say to anyone in the known galaxy. Elric refused to grant private audiences and had little interest in meeting Ambassador Mollari, regardless of how much money the Centauri offered him. When Mollari annoyed him, the Techno-mage possessed his data system with a holodemon and later created some winged demons to keep him busy. Before he left the station, Elric told Mollari he was touched by darkness and he could hear the cries of billions -- his victims. (Played by Michael Ansara.) (GEOMETRY) [BAB5]
• Encounter Suit: Large apparel which protects aliens from hostile environments. Normally worn by Ambassador Kosh when he is in the pressence of others, although he uses his encounter suit more for disguise than protection (PRAYER, FALL). Kosh’s encounter suit also shields him from telepath scan (GATHERING). Also known as an Environment Suit. [BAB5]
• Endawi, David: Member of Earthforce Special Intelligence sent to Babylon 5 at the beginning of 2260 to investigate the film taken by Lieutenant Keffer of a Shadow ship. Endawi met with the senior command staff, Ambassador Delenn, Ambassador Mollar and G’Kar, but found no concrete evidence about the ship. Upon returning to Earth, his report suggested nobody on the station knew about the ship and only provided him with legends and interesting stories. Endawi doesn’t drink on duty. (Played by Tucker Smallwood.) (MATTERS) [BAB5]
• Energy Cap: The power source of Phased Plaser Guns. (STRIFE) [BAB5]
• Energy Pod: A portable energy source. Knights One and Two used an energy pod to power a Virtual Reality Cybernet. (SKY) [BAB5]
• Environment Suit: See Encounter Suit. [BAB5]
• Eronium Radiation: A benign form of radiation. All subjects of Project Lazarus were known to emit this. (SPIDER) [BAB5]
• Epsilon 3: The planet around which Babylon 5 orbits, also known as Euphrates. All surveys prior to the station’s construction showed no forms of life were present on the surface of Epsilon 3 or up to 2 miles beneath the planet’s surface. In 2258, Epsilon 3 became the site of a great deal of seismic activity. Then something or someone 5 miles beneath the planet’s surface began to send a series of regular signals which were repeated at specific intervals. Commander Sinclair and Lieutenant-Commander Ivanova traveled beneath the surface to investigate and discovered the planet was once the home of a highly-advanced civilization which built a Great Machine inside Epsilon 3. The custodian of the machine, Varn, controlled the planet and shared a symbiotic relationship with it. Thus, as Varn began to die, he lost control of its seismic activity. (VOICE I) When Sinclair and Ivanova took Varn to Babylon 5 for medical treatment, the Great Machine’s fusion reactors began to build toward critical mass. Aware that if Epsilon 3 exploded it would destroy Babylon 5, Draal assumed Varn’s place as the custodian of Epsilon 3. According to Varn, the Great Machine would allow Draal to see all tomorrows, hear all songs, and touch the edge of the universe with thoughts. Once installed inside the Great Machine, Draal warned all the alien races who attempted to claim the advanced technology inside Epsilon 3 that the planet belonged to no one and anyone attempting to land would be destroyed by its powerful defense system. He then told Commander Sinclair he would communicate with the station again when the time was right (VOICE II). The following year, Draal contacted Sinclair’s successor, Captain Sheridan, to offer him an alliance (TWILIGHT). As well as Draal, Epsilon 3 is home to some others, including Zathras. (TWILIGHT) [BAB5]
• ESI: See Earthforce Special Intelligence. [BAB5]
• Estevez, Dr.: Physician aboard Babylon 5. (STRIFE) [BAB5]
• Euphrates: See Epsilon 3. [BAB5]
• Euphrates Treaty: A settlement between the Centauri Republic and the Narn Regime, signed in 2258. Commander Sinclair was particularly keen for the two parties to sign the agreement, as it represented Babylon 5’s first success as a peacekeeping body. While the settlement favored the Narns more than the Centauri, Ambassador Mollari was happy to sign it after Sinclair had saved both the honor of the Centauri Republic and his career by helping him retrieve his Purple Files. (PURPLE) [BAB5]
• Europa: A Jovian moon. Europa was once the site of a series of illegal strikes which were resolved when the Earth Senate invoked the Rush Act and killed many of the striking workers, including Neeoma Connally’s father. (MEANS) [BAB5]
• Exchange Machines: Credit exchange facilities situated on Babylon 5. (GRAIL) [BAB5]
• Eye: The oldest symbol of Centauri power and nobility, the Eye belonged to the first Centauri emperor. It was lost during the 22nd century at the Battle of Na’Shok, and was recovered more than 100 years later by Reno, who sold it for a huge price to Ambassador Mollari. Lord Kiro planned to use the Eye to become the Centauri emperor, but his plans were cut short when he was killed by a Shadow ship instructed to return the Eye to Ambassador Mollari. (SIGNS) [BAB5]
• Eyes: See Earthforce Bureau of Internal Investigation. [BAB5]

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