Delenn
Encyclopedia
Delenn is a fictional lead character in the universe of the science fiction television series Babylon 5
, played by Mira Furlan
.
ambassador and leader from the planet Minbar
, is one of the pivotal characters in Babylon 5.
A wise woman who still manages to find humor and whimsy in life, Delenn changes over time from a shy, respectful priestess to a decisive military and political leader. Her character is complex: she's passionate, articulate and strong-willed, but retains insecurity and ambivalence about her place in prophecy. She is morally upright, always attempting to act for the better good — yet forced to keep deadly secrets and tell lies of omission. Delenn normally does not like violence, but prefers to be a consensus builder. Her decisions have repeatedly been the catalyst for violent change and war, however. Delenn is also quite willing to fight — as shown in the episode "Severed Dreams
", and during her encounter with the Drakh. She is both one of Babylon 5's key religious figures and its key romantic heroine.
Delenn was originally conceived as being a male character (eventually destined to change into a female one) but played by a female actor, in order to give the character feminine mannerisms and therefore make him more "alien". The Babylon 5 pilot
TV movie
The Gathering
was filmed with this in mind, but the computer alteration to Mira Furlan's voice to make it sound masculine wasn't convincing, so the idea was dropped and Delenn changed to being a female. The Minbari makeup used from then on gave Delenn a much more feminine appearance. In the pilot, Delenn's overall appearance is harsher, her voice is slightly lower, and her chin is noticeably sharper. This leads to a minor continuity error in the B5 film In the Beginning
, in that Delenn's appearance in overall series continuity
begins feminine in this prequel
, becomes masculine in the pilot, and returns to feminine in the series.
are broken up into three castes - religious, warrior, and worker. Delenn is a leader of her race's religious caste and a member of the Grey Council
, the mysterious and powerful group that governs Minbar.
Ten years prior to the opening scene of the series, an Earth military commander misinterprets the open gun ports (a Minbari sign of respect) from the Minbari flagship and hastily attacks it, killing their leader Dukhat. This single mistake leads to the bloody Earth-Minbari War
, in which the human race is almost exterminated. Delenn, then a young acolyte, is Dukhat's protege, and her vengeance and grief upon his death have far-reaching consequences (her vote was the deciding factor to start the Earth-Minbari War).
And yet, at the Battle of the Line
, the human race's last attempt to save itself, it is Delenn who prevents the final annihilation, which enables the discovery of a stunning revelation about humanity that prompts the decision that the war must suddenly end. She had been working for some time in fact to try to find a way out of the war for both sides, having come out of her "moment of madness" after Dukhat's death, with the revelation that Dukhat and the Vorlons had been working towards making contact with the humans, who would be absolutely critical to winning the coming Shadow War.
As the months of war rage on, Delenn becomes increasingly depressed by the war, realizing too late just what she had started and what it would cost. When told by a fellow member of the Grey Council that "her Holy War" was almost over, she simply replied with the question, "But are we any longer holy?" Many years later, it is revealed that her years of diplomatic work towards bringing Humans and Minbari together in peace was partially an attempt to try to make up for that mistake.
and John Sheridan
, is the catalyst for this change.
Delenn first appears as the mysterious yet apparently benevolent Minbari ambassador to Babylon 5. Her aide Lennier
calls her "Satai," when he first comes aboard, indicating that she is one of the leaders of the Grey Council, but Delenn chooses to keep this information quiet. When a renegade Soul Hunter
comes aboard the station, willing to murder important historical figures in order to steal their souls, he focuses his attention on Delenn, indicating that she will have great importance in the future. This reveals her status as a member of the Grey Council to the commander of Babylon 5, Jeffrey Sinclair.
Delenn is one of the most respected and well-liked diplomats aboard the station, and the command staff trust her to help soothe tensions and conflict between different races.
She quickly forms a friendship with Jeffrey Sinclair, the first commander of Babylon 5, whom the Minbari had specifically requested as the station's leader. Sinclair considers her a friend and confidante, but nevertheless suspects that Delenn is withholding information from him.
At the end of the first year, as power transfers from Sinclair to Sheridan, Delenn transforms herself, undergoing a strange and painful hibernation inside a cocoon created by an ancient device. When she resurfaces, she has become a half-human, half-Minbari hybrid - initially treated with suspicion by her own people, as well as Earth's humans. (Incidentally, at the time when Delenn was intended to be a male character, the character would have also changed gender as well as species and become female.)
When Delenn chooses Sheridan, it drives a further wedge between the Minbari religious and warrior castes, who soon break a thousand years of cooperation and begin a civil war against one another. Similarly, because he chooses Delenn as his mate, Sheridan is reviled and rejected by many Earthers at home, who believe him to be brainwashed by Delenn's 'alien influence'.
Like Sheridan, Delenn forges a friendship and alliance with Kosh, the Vorlon
ambassador to Babylon 5, becoming the first leader of an "Army of Light". She also becomes Entil'zha, the leader of the Rangers
, a dedicated group working for the Army of Light. Most of the Rangers are human or Minbari, coming together as one force to fight the Shadows, an ancient and deadly race.
A rivalry heats up between Delenn and Neroon
, one of the higher ranking leaders of Minbar's warrior caste, who finds Delenn's fascination for humans intolerable. Neroon arrives before the ceremony that would make her Entil'zha, the head of the Rangers (after Sinclair left the position open), seeking to take the position for himself on the grounds that the Rangers need a member of the Warrior Caste to lead them in the coming war. Neroon formally announces his intention to kill Delenn, leading to Marcus, a human ranger, fighting the vastly more experienced warrior in formal Minbari Combat, in an effort to delay him from reaching the ceremony that will irreversibly invest Delenn as the Entil'zha of the Rangers. He succeeds, but barely survives the battle with Neroon, who is shaken when Marcus invokes his willingness to die for 'The One' in the name of Valen. Ultimately Neroon realizes that while the Rangers would die for Delenn, they probably would not for him and agrees to leave Delenn in peace. Neroon and Delenn are still rivals, but a mutual respect between the two has been established.
After Sheridan and Babylon 5 break away from Earth, it is Delenn who rescues the station with a fleet of Minbari ships, but at a high cost. Because the Grey Council has refused to participate in the Shadow war (because the Warrior caste dominated the council; they have four members in the council instead of three thus tipping the balance of power into their favor), Delenn is left with no choice but to destroy the symbolic circle of the Grey Council. The religious and worker castes (and the two-thirds of the Minbari fleet which they control) side with Babylon 5 and the Army of Light.
Unfortunately, without the Grey Council keeping order, the divisions in Minbari society become so strong that civil war soon breaks out.
In the Minbari spiritual tradition, there are prophecies about "the One" - a triad of leaders - "The one who was, the one who is, the one who will be." "The One who was" is Valen
, the Minbari's greatest leader. Valen is a human man who has undergone the same transformation as Delenn - apparently becoming part human, part Minbari. In the distant past, hundreds of years before Babylon 5 is built, he becomes a great leader of the Minbari people. Using the "borrowed" Babylon 4
station and working with the Vorlons, Valen will create a powerful coalition, defeating the Shadows. It is later learned that Delenn herself is descended from Valen. ("Atonement
")
A thousand years later, John Sheridan is the "One who will be", who will transform the human race and the planet Earth much as Valen did.
Delenn is the "One who is," representing both halves of the Minbari and human race merged together, more literally merging together in the marriage of Delenn and Sheridan. Together they become war leaders, with Delenn managing to bind together diverse planets and races into a great alliance. Sheridan was the "warrior", while she was the "spirit". This alliance ends the great war between the Shadow and Vorlon races, and ushers in the Third age for Mankind - a great time of growth and change.
ended, both Delenn and Sheridan found their homeworlds embroiled in civil war
s. Although her work had saved countless lives and ended the great war, she returned home to a world wrought with chaos and death. Minbari are forbidden from killing one another - but through the destruction of cities, lives were lost.
Delenn and the religious caste surrendered to the warrior clans. She then forced a showdown between herself and the new leader of the warrior caste. This would be a purification in which Delenn could sacrifice herself for her caste and for the Minbari people. With her sacrifice, the leadership of Minbar would continue to be held by the religious caste - not the warriors. Her old rival Neroon
saved her life, however. And in his death cries he joined the religious caste, which returned to Delenn the balance of power. Delenn then gave control of the Grey Council to the worker caste, who had for many years stayed in the middle, as the religious and warrior castes simmered with disagreement.
After John Sheridan refused to stand for re-election as President of the Interstellar Alliance, Delenn is chosen to succeed him. When she accepted the role, she surrendered command of the Rangers to Ivanova.
Delenn's exact age is never revealed, although she does survive until at least 3 January 2362 (at the age of at least 140) when she appeared at an ISN
seminar to defend John Sheridan from academics who were critical of him. ("The Deconstruction of Falling Stars
")
Babylon 5
Babylon 5 is an American science fiction television series created, produced and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. The show centers on a space station named Babylon 5: a focal point for politics, diplomacy, and conflict during the years 2257–2262...
, played by Mira Furlan
Mira Furlan
Mira Furlan is a Croatian actress and singer currently residing in the United States. She is well known for her roles as the Minbari Ambassador Delenn on all five seasons of the science fiction television series Babylon 5 , and Danielle Rousseau on Lost.-Early life:Furlan was born to an...
.
Overview
Delenn, an alienExtraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
ambassador and leader from the planet Minbar
Minbari
The Minbari are a fictional alien race featured in the television show Babylon 5. The Minbari characters of Delenn and Lennier figure prominently throughout the series; Neroon, Draal, and Dukhat are less prominent Minbari characters....
, is one of the pivotal characters in Babylon 5.
A wise woman who still manages to find humor and whimsy in life, Delenn changes over time from a shy, respectful priestess to a decisive military and political leader. Her character is complex: she's passionate, articulate and strong-willed, but retains insecurity and ambivalence about her place in prophecy. She is morally upright, always attempting to act for the better good — yet forced to keep deadly secrets and tell lies of omission. Delenn normally does not like violence, but prefers to be a consensus builder. Her decisions have repeatedly been the catalyst for violent change and war, however. Delenn is also quite willing to fight — as shown in the episode "Severed Dreams
Severed Dreams
"Severed Dreams" is an episode from the third season of the science fiction television series Babylon 5. It won the 1997 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation.-Synopsis:...
", and during her encounter with the Drakh. She is both one of Babylon 5's key religious figures and its key romantic heroine.
Delenn was originally conceived as being a male character (eventually destined to change into a female one) but played by a female actor, in order to give the character feminine mannerisms and therefore make him more "alien". The Babylon 5 pilot
Television pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
TV movie
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
The Gathering
Babylon 5: The Gathering
Babylon 5: The Gathering is the pilot movie of the science fiction television series Babylon 5. The telefilm aired on February 22, 1993...
was filmed with this in mind, but the computer alteration to Mira Furlan's voice to make it sound masculine wasn't convincing, so the idea was dropped and Delenn changed to being a female. The Minbari makeup used from then on gave Delenn a much more feminine appearance. In the pilot, Delenn's overall appearance is harsher, her voice is slightly lower, and her chin is noticeably sharper. This leads to a minor continuity error in the B5 film In the Beginning
Babylon 5: In the Beginning
Babylon 5: In the Beginning is a science fiction television movie set in the Babylon 5 fictional universe. It was written by J. Michael Straczynski and directed by Michael Vejar....
, in that Delenn's appearance in overall series continuity
Continuity (fiction)
In fiction, continuity is consistency of the characteristics of persons, plot, objects, places and events seen by the reader or viewer over some period of time...
begins feminine in this prequel
Prequel
A prequel is a work that supplements a previously completed one, and has an earlier time setting.The widely recognized term was a 20th-century neologism, and a portmanteau from pre- and sequel...
, becomes masculine in the pilot, and returns to feminine in the series.
The Earth-Minbari War
The MinbariMinbari
The Minbari are a fictional alien race featured in the television show Babylon 5. The Minbari characters of Delenn and Lennier figure prominently throughout the series; Neroon, Draal, and Dukhat are less prominent Minbari characters....
are broken up into three castes - religious, warrior, and worker. Delenn is a leader of her race's religious caste and a member of the Grey Council
Grey Council
In the Babylon 5 fictional universe, the Grey Council is the governing body of the Minbari Federation. Its members carry the title satai...
, the mysterious and powerful group that governs Minbar.
Ten years prior to the opening scene of the series, an Earth military commander misinterprets the open gun ports (a Minbari sign of respect) from the Minbari flagship and hastily attacks it, killing their leader Dukhat. This single mistake leads to the bloody Earth-Minbari War
Earth-Minbari War
The Earth–Minbari War is a fictional war that formed a major part of the back story of the science fiction television series, Babylon 5. The war was fought between the Earth Alliance and the Minbari, an older alien race that overwhelmingly outmatched Earth in terms of technology and weapons...
, in which the human race is almost exterminated. Delenn, then a young acolyte, is Dukhat's protege, and her vengeance and grief upon his death have far-reaching consequences (her vote was the deciding factor to start the Earth-Minbari War).
And yet, at the Battle of the Line
Battle of the Line
In the Babylon 5 fictional universe, the Battle of the Line was the final battle of the Earth-Minbari war. The Battle of the Line was a desperate attempt by the Earth Alliance to stop a Minbari combat fleet from attacking Earth. Over 20,000 Human defenders fought in the battle; including most of...
, the human race's last attempt to save itself, it is Delenn who prevents the final annihilation, which enables the discovery of a stunning revelation about humanity that prompts the decision that the war must suddenly end. She had been working for some time in fact to try to find a way out of the war for both sides, having come out of her "moment of madness" after Dukhat's death, with the revelation that Dukhat and the Vorlons had been working towards making contact with the humans, who would be absolutely critical to winning the coming Shadow War.
As the months of war rage on, Delenn becomes increasingly depressed by the war, realizing too late just what she had started and what it would cost. When told by a fellow member of the Grey Council that "her Holy War" was almost over, she simply replied with the question, "But are we any longer holy?" Many years later, it is revealed that her years of diplomatic work towards bringing Humans and Minbari together in peace was partially an attempt to try to make up for that mistake.
The First Year
Much of Babylon 5's drama and sweep comes from the intersections and conflicts of different races and ideologies. The human and Minbari races become closely intertwined mere years after being mortal enemies. Delenn, along with Jeffrey SinclairJeffrey Sinclair
Jeffrey Sinclair is a character in the fictional universe of the science fiction television series Babylon 5, played by actor Michael O'Hare. He was a regular in the first season of the show, as Commander of the Babylon 5 station, and made a number of guest appearances afterward.-Early life and...
and John Sheridan
John Sheridan (Babylon 5)
John J. Sheridan is a lead character in the fictional universe of the science-fiction television series Babylon 5, played by Bruce Boxleitner. For most of the series, he is the commander of the Babylon 5 station; during the series' final season he is the President of the Interstellar...
, is the catalyst for this change.
Delenn first appears as the mysterious yet apparently benevolent Minbari ambassador to Babylon 5. Her aide Lennier
Lennier
Lennier is a character in the fictional universe of the science-fiction television series Babylon 5, played by Bill Mumy. He is Minbari and acts as ambassadorial aide to Delenn throughout most of the series.-Background and career:...
calls her "Satai," when he first comes aboard, indicating that she is one of the leaders of the Grey Council, but Delenn chooses to keep this information quiet. When a renegade Soul Hunter
Soul Hunter (Babylon 5)
"Soul Hunter" is an episode from the first season of the science fiction television series Babylon 5.- Summary :Lt. Cmdr. Susan Ivanova and Commander Jeffrey Sinclair stand near one of Babylon 5's entry bays, waiting for the station's new medical chief of staff, Dr. Stephen Franklin...
comes aboard the station, willing to murder important historical figures in order to steal their souls, he focuses his attention on Delenn, indicating that she will have great importance in the future. This reveals her status as a member of the Grey Council to the commander of Babylon 5, Jeffrey Sinclair.
Delenn is one of the most respected and well-liked diplomats aboard the station, and the command staff trust her to help soothe tensions and conflict between different races.
She quickly forms a friendship with Jeffrey Sinclair, the first commander of Babylon 5, whom the Minbari had specifically requested as the station's leader. Sinclair considers her a friend and confidante, but nevertheless suspects that Delenn is withholding information from him.
At the end of the first year, as power transfers from Sinclair to Sheridan, Delenn transforms herself, undergoing a strange and painful hibernation inside a cocoon created by an ancient device. When she resurfaces, she has become a half-human, half-Minbari hybrid - initially treated with suspicion by her own people, as well as Earth's humans. (Incidentally, at the time when Delenn was intended to be a male character, the character would have also changed gender as well as species and become female.)
The Shadow War
The choices made in the second year of "Babylon 5" force terrible change, for the station, Earth, and Minbar. The riskiest choice is for Delenn and John Sheridan to fall in love.When Delenn chooses Sheridan, it drives a further wedge between the Minbari religious and warrior castes, who soon break a thousand years of cooperation and begin a civil war against one another. Similarly, because he chooses Delenn as his mate, Sheridan is reviled and rejected by many Earthers at home, who believe him to be brainwashed by Delenn's 'alien influence'.
Like Sheridan, Delenn forges a friendship and alliance with Kosh, the Vorlon
Vorlon
A Vorlon is a member of a fictional alien species in the Babylon 5 television series and fictional universe. The Vorlon species is a member of the First Ones, a group made up of the earliest species to gain sentience in the galaxy...
ambassador to Babylon 5, becoming the first leader of an "Army of Light". She also becomes Entil'zha, the leader of the Rangers
Ranger (Babylon 5)
Rangers are a fictional class of warriors that play a prominent role in the science fiction television series Babylon 5.-History:...
, a dedicated group working for the Army of Light. Most of the Rangers are human or Minbari, coming together as one force to fight the Shadows, an ancient and deadly race.
A rivalry heats up between Delenn and Neroon
Neroon
Neroon is a fictional character in the universe of the science-fiction television series Babylon 5, portrayed by John Vickery. He was a recurring guest character throughout the series.-Background:...
, one of the higher ranking leaders of Minbar's warrior caste, who finds Delenn's fascination for humans intolerable. Neroon arrives before the ceremony that would make her Entil'zha, the head of the Rangers (after Sinclair left the position open), seeking to take the position for himself on the grounds that the Rangers need a member of the Warrior Caste to lead them in the coming war. Neroon formally announces his intention to kill Delenn, leading to Marcus, a human ranger, fighting the vastly more experienced warrior in formal Minbari Combat, in an effort to delay him from reaching the ceremony that will irreversibly invest Delenn as the Entil'zha of the Rangers. He succeeds, but barely survives the battle with Neroon, who is shaken when Marcus invokes his willingness to die for 'The One' in the name of Valen. Ultimately Neroon realizes that while the Rangers would die for Delenn, they probably would not for him and agrees to leave Delenn in peace. Neroon and Delenn are still rivals, but a mutual respect between the two has been established.
After Sheridan and Babylon 5 break away from Earth, it is Delenn who rescues the station with a fleet of Minbari ships, but at a high cost. Because the Grey Council has refused to participate in the Shadow war (because the Warrior caste dominated the council; they have four members in the council instead of three thus tipping the balance of power into their favor), Delenn is left with no choice but to destroy the symbolic circle of the Grey Council. The religious and worker castes (and the two-thirds of the Minbari fleet which they control) side with Babylon 5 and the Army of Light.
Unfortunately, without the Grey Council keeping order, the divisions in Minbari society become so strong that civil war soon breaks out.
In the Minbari spiritual tradition, there are prophecies about "the One" - a triad of leaders - "The one who was, the one who is, the one who will be." "The One who was" is Valen
Valen
Valen is a character in the fictional universe of the science-fiction television series Babylon 5. Although he has only one scene in the show, he is an important character in the history of the Minbari, and is frequently mentioned...
, the Minbari's greatest leader. Valen is a human man who has undergone the same transformation as Delenn - apparently becoming part human, part Minbari. In the distant past, hundreds of years before Babylon 5 is built, he becomes a great leader of the Minbari people. Using the "borrowed" Babylon 4
Babylon 4
Babylon 4 is a fictional space station from the television series Babylon 5.In the series, Babylon 4 was the immediate predecessor of Babylon 5 and the largest of the Babylon stations...
station and working with the Vorlons, Valen will create a powerful coalition, defeating the Shadows. It is later learned that Delenn herself is descended from Valen. ("Atonement
Atonement (Babylon 5)
"Atonement" is an episode from the fourth season of the science fiction television series Babylon 5.-Synopsis:As Babylon 5 recovers from the propaganda war started on ISN, Sheridan sends Marcus and Dr. Franklin to Mars. Along the journey, they annoy each other, including Marcus singing "The...
")
A thousand years later, John Sheridan is the "One who will be", who will transform the human race and the planet Earth much as Valen did.
Delenn is the "One who is," representing both halves of the Minbari and human race merged together, more literally merging together in the marriage of Delenn and Sheridan. Together they become war leaders, with Delenn managing to bind together diverse planets and races into a great alliance. Sheridan was the "warrior", while she was the "spirit". This alliance ends the great war between the Shadow and Vorlon races, and ushers in the Third age for Mankind - a great time of growth and change.
Aftermath of the Shadow War
But after the Shadow WarShadow War
The Shadow Wars are a fictional series of wars involving the Shadows in the television science fiction series Babylon 5. There have actually been many Shadow Wars since ancient times in the galaxy. Roughly every thousand years, the Shadows begin a new Shadow War to promote chaos in the universe in...
ended, both Delenn and Sheridan found their homeworlds embroiled in civil war
Civil war
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same nation state or republic, or, less commonly, between two countries created from a formerly-united nation state....
s. Although her work had saved countless lives and ended the great war, she returned home to a world wrought with chaos and death. Minbari are forbidden from killing one another - but through the destruction of cities, lives were lost.
Delenn and the religious caste surrendered to the warrior clans. She then forced a showdown between herself and the new leader of the warrior caste. This would be a purification in which Delenn could sacrifice herself for her caste and for the Minbari people. With her sacrifice, the leadership of Minbar would continue to be held by the religious caste - not the warriors. Her old rival Neroon
Neroon
Neroon is a fictional character in the universe of the science-fiction television series Babylon 5, portrayed by John Vickery. He was a recurring guest character throughout the series.-Background:...
saved her life, however. And in his death cries he joined the religious caste, which returned to Delenn the balance of power. Delenn then gave control of the Grey Council to the worker caste, who had for many years stayed in the middle, as the religious and warrior castes simmered with disagreement.
After John Sheridan refused to stand for re-election as President of the Interstellar Alliance, Delenn is chosen to succeed him. When she accepted the role, she surrendered command of the Rangers to Ivanova.
Delenn's exact age is never revealed, although she does survive until at least 3 January 2362 (at the age of at least 140) when she appeared at an ISN
Interstellar Network News
Interstellar Network News is a fictional TV news network in the Babylon 5 universe. ISN's motto is The Galaxy's Most Important Network. ISN was modelled on real-world news outlets, such as CNN....
seminar to defend John Sheridan from academics who were critical of him. ("The Deconstruction of Falling Stars
The Deconstruction of Falling Stars
"The Deconstruction of Falling Stars" is the final episode of the fourth season of the science-fiction television series Babylon 5. This was the final episode of Babylon 5 to air on PTEN.-Synopsis:...
")