Dilgar
Encyclopedia
The Dilgar War is a fictional war
that forms part of the back story of the science fiction
television series Babylon 5
.
, moved in to fill the void left by the Centauri. The Dilgar were a xenophobic
race who displayed little except contempt for alien species. Although not as advanced technologically as the Minbari
or Centauri, the Dilgar were still more advanced and powerful than most of the other alien species they came into contact with. As the Centauri gradually retreated in the early 23rd Century, the Dilgar slowly increased the size of their own empire by conquering or simply annexing nearby worlds.
In the 2220s the Dilgar learned that their sun was about to go into a supernova
stage, an event which would completely destroy their world. To ensure the survival of their species, the Dilgar greatly accelerated their campaign of conquest and expansion. Although they had already proven themselves to be a ruthless opponent, the threat of their sun going nova caused them to abandon any pretense of morality or decency. Believing all species that were not Dilgar to be nothing more than potential slaves at best, the Dilgar quickly began attacking and destroying the outposts of many alien worlds.
together. In 2230, the Dilgar openly attacked a number of League worlds, including the Narn
s and Drazi. Despite combining their forces, the League of Non-Aligned Worlds fought a losing battle as world after world succumbed to Dilgar conquest and experimentation. The Dilgar's tactics in this war were ruthless, and included the destruction of entire worlds and the use of conquered races as subjects in cruel medical and biological experiments. The League races were overwhelmed by the Dilgar assault and suffered heavy losses. The desperate league then called upon the major galactic powers for assistance and help in fighting the Dilgar.
Even the Narn
spacefleet could not halt the Dilgar offensive; and the large Narn colony of Halax VII was captured by the Dilgar. By the time Narn forces arrived at the fallen system it was learned that the Dilgar Warmaster, Jha'Dur, had experimented and infected the entire colonial population with biogenic weapons, killing almost everyone on the colony.
After this attack, the Narn, not wishing to provoke the further wrath of the Dilgar, sent a Narn delegation to the Dilgar homeworld to seek a negotiated peace. The first two Narn ambassadors were used in scientific experiments by the Dilgar. The third Narn ambassador was allowed to live and finally opened diplomatic relations with the Dilgar Empire.
At the Tyree system, a fleet of League ships with some Narn ships present attacked a Dilgar warfleet. Losses for the combined League-Narn fleet were heavy and with the tide of battle turning against them the allied fleet was on the verge of defeat. At the last moment, however, a fleet of Earth Alliance
warships jumped out of Hyperspace
to join the fight (an event known as the 'Omega Incident'). With this surprise assistance from Earth, the allied fleet won their first major victory over the Dilgar in nearly a year.
In revenge for Earth's interference in the war, the Dilgar sent an assault force against the Earth Alliance's Orion Colonies. The Dilgar fleet included more than 180 warships; their plan was to reduce the Orion colonies to ashes and convince humanity to stay out of the war. Unfortunately for the Dilgar, they were unaware that their communications had been intercepted and descrambled by EarthForce intelligence. When the Dilgar attack fleet emerged from hyperspace, instead of facing a small colonial garrison, they faced more than 600 Earth warships and thousands of Starfury
fighters. Against such overwhelming numbers the Dilgar were forced to make a hasty retreat.
Earth's entry turned the tide of the war. Assisted by EarthForce, the League worlds succeeded in driving the Dilgar away from their territories and pushing them back to their homeworld. The final battle of the war was the Battle of Balos in 2232; after this defeat the Dilgar were forced to surrender. All Dilgar Warmasters were captured and tried for their crimes, except for one, Jha'dur, who disappeared during the fighting at Balos.
As part of the surrender terms, the Dilgar agreed to let Earth warships blockade the Dilgar jump-gate, thus trapping the Dilgar in their home solar system. Shortly after the war ended, the Dilgar sun went supernova
, vaporizing the Dilgar homeworld and wiping out the entire species. Unknown to Earth and the League, a single Dilgar survived both the war and the supernova eruption: Warmaster Jha'dur, nicknamed "Deathwalker", the most infamous Dilgar leader of the war. Jha'dur had been the foremost proponent of using captured aliens as live "guinea pigs" in sadistic medical and scientific experiments. Approximately twenty years after the Dilgar War ended, Jha'dur would reemerge on the Babylon 5 space station, where she claimed to have invented a serum that gave its users immortality
- but at a terrible price.
race. In 2245 an EarthForce task fleet would encounter a small group of Minbari warships; this disastrous contact would lead to the bloody Earth-Minbari War
, in which the Earth Alliance would be driven to near-extinction by the vastly superior Minbari forces, this was considered to be the ultimate revenge of Jha'dur, who by this time was helping the Minbari, on Minbar.
War
War is a state of organized, armed, and often prolonged conflict carried on between states, nations, or other parties typified by extreme aggression, social disruption, and usually high mortality. War should be understood as an actual, intentional and widespread armed conflict between political...
that forms part of the back story of the science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
television series Babylon 5
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...
.
Background
Until the early 23rd Century the mighty Centauri Republic controlled a vast empire. When the Centauri became decadent and corrupt their empire began to decline and the Centauri military began to withdraw. As this happened another alien race, the DilgarDilgar
The Dilgar War is a fictional war that forms part of the back story of the science fiction television series Babylon 5.-Background:Until the early 23rd Century the mighty Centauri Republic controlled a vast empire. When the Centauri became decadent and corrupt their empire began to decline and the...
, moved in to fill the void left by the Centauri. The Dilgar were a xenophobic
Xenophobia
Xenophobia is defined as "an unreasonable fear of foreigners or strangers or of that which is foreign or strange". It comes from the Greek words ξένος , meaning "stranger," "foreigner" and φόβος , meaning "fear."...
race who displayed little except contempt for alien species. Although not as advanced technologically as the Minbari
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....
or Centauri, the Dilgar were still more advanced and powerful than most of the other alien species they came into contact with. As the Centauri gradually retreated in the early 23rd Century, the Dilgar slowly increased the size of their own empire by conquering or simply annexing nearby worlds.
In the 2220s the Dilgar learned that their sun was about to go into a supernova
Supernova
A supernova is a stellar explosion that is more energetic than a nova. It is pronounced with the plural supernovae or supernovas. Supernovae are extremely luminous and cause a burst of radiation that often briefly outshines an entire galaxy, before fading from view over several weeks or months...
stage, an event which would completely destroy their world. To ensure the survival of their species, the Dilgar greatly accelerated their campaign of conquest and expansion. Although they had already proven themselves to be a ruthless opponent, the threat of their sun going nova caused them to abandon any pretense of morality or decency. Believing all species that were not Dilgar to be nothing more than potential slaves at best, the Dilgar quickly began attacking and destroying the outposts of many alien worlds.
The Dilgar Invasion
By 2228 the Dilgar raider attacks and rumors that the Dilgar were preparing for a major war quickly brought the League of Non-Aligned WorldsLeague of Non-Aligned Worlds
The League of Non-Aligned Worlds was a fictional collection of races in the Babylon 5 universe.The League of Non-Aligned Worlds was a loose confederation of independent worlds and minor species, most of whom had endured subjugation under the Centauri Republic at its height...
together. In 2230, the Dilgar openly attacked a number of League worlds, including the Narn
Narn
The Narn are a fictional alien race in the universe of the Babylon 5 television series. Their homeworld is also called Narn.-Homeworld:Narn is the homeworld of the Narn and the Narn Regime. Its day is 31 hours long. Prior to the Centauri's first invasion, Narn was a healthy green planet. Now it...
s and Drazi. Despite combining their forces, the League of Non-Aligned Worlds fought a losing battle as world after world succumbed to Dilgar conquest and experimentation. The Dilgar's tactics in this war were ruthless, and included the destruction of entire worlds and the use of conquered races as subjects in cruel medical and biological experiments. The League races were overwhelmed by the Dilgar assault and suffered heavy losses. The desperate league then called upon the major galactic powers for assistance and help in fighting the Dilgar.
Even the Narn
Narn
The Narn are a fictional alien race in the universe of the Babylon 5 television series. Their homeworld is also called Narn.-Homeworld:Narn is the homeworld of the Narn and the Narn Regime. Its day is 31 hours long. Prior to the Centauri's first invasion, Narn was a healthy green planet. Now it...
spacefleet could not halt the Dilgar offensive; and the large Narn colony of Halax VII was captured by the Dilgar. By the time Narn forces arrived at the fallen system it was learned that the Dilgar Warmaster, Jha'Dur, had experimented and infected the entire colonial population with biogenic weapons, killing almost everyone on the colony.
After this attack, the Narn, not wishing to provoke the further wrath of the Dilgar, sent a Narn delegation to the Dilgar homeworld to seek a negotiated peace. The first two Narn ambassadors were used in scientific experiments by the Dilgar. The third Narn ambassador was allowed to live and finally opened diplomatic relations with the Dilgar Empire.
At the Tyree system, a fleet of League ships with some Narn ships present attacked a Dilgar warfleet. Losses for the combined League-Narn fleet were heavy and with the tide of battle turning against them the allied fleet was on the verge of defeat. At the last moment, however, a fleet of Earth Alliance
Earth Alliance (Babylon 5)
The Earth Alliance is the name of a fictional alliance of the nations of Earth and off-world colonies in the television series Babylon 5. The transition of Earth government from a democratic, elected government to an authoritarian, militaristic one and back to a democracy again is a major theme of...
warships jumped out of Hyperspace
Hyperspace (science fiction)
Hyperspace is a plot device sometimes used in science fiction. It is typically described as an alternative region of space co-existing with our own universe which may be entered using an energy field or other device...
to join the fight (an event known as the 'Omega Incident'). With this surprise assistance from Earth, the allied fleet won their first major victory over the Dilgar in nearly a year.
The Tide Turns: The Earth Alliance Intervenes
When the Dilgar War began, the Earth Alliance had only recently emerged as an interstellar power, having acquired Jumpgate technology from the Centauri. In 2230, Earth decided to intervene in the Dilgar War on the side of the League. At first the Earth Alliance was motivated only by a desire to establish a reputation for themselves as a major player in galactic affairs. However, as human soldiers and fighter pilots witnessed first-hand the atrocities committed by the Dilgar on civilian populations, the Earth Alliance came to see the Dilgar Empire as an immoral, evil force not unlike the Nazis of Earth's twentieth century. Thus, the war effort on Earth took on a clear rationale of defeating a despicable enemy with a fierce enthuasism in an arguably just war.In revenge for Earth's interference in the war, the Dilgar sent an assault force against the Earth Alliance's Orion Colonies. The Dilgar fleet included more than 180 warships; their plan was to reduce the Orion colonies to ashes and convince humanity to stay out of the war. Unfortunately for the Dilgar, they were unaware that their communications had been intercepted and descrambled by EarthForce intelligence. When the Dilgar attack fleet emerged from hyperspace, instead of facing a small colonial garrison, they faced more than 600 Earth warships and thousands of Starfury
Starfury
The Starfury fighter is a fictional vessel used by Earthforce, the military branch of the Earth Alliance, in the science fiction television series Babylon 5...
fighters. Against such overwhelming numbers the Dilgar were forced to make a hasty retreat.
Earth's entry turned the tide of the war. Assisted by EarthForce, the League worlds succeeded in driving the Dilgar away from their territories and pushing them back to their homeworld. The final battle of the war was the Battle of Balos in 2232; after this defeat the Dilgar were forced to surrender. All Dilgar Warmasters were captured and tried for their crimes, except for one, Jha'dur, who disappeared during the fighting at Balos.
As part of the surrender terms, the Dilgar agreed to let Earth warships blockade the Dilgar jump-gate, thus trapping the Dilgar in their home solar system. Shortly after the war ended, the Dilgar sun went supernova
Supernova
A supernova is a stellar explosion that is more energetic than a nova. It is pronounced with the plural supernovae or supernovas. Supernovae are extremely luminous and cause a burst of radiation that often briefly outshines an entire galaxy, before fading from view over several weeks or months...
, vaporizing the Dilgar homeworld and wiping out the entire species. Unknown to Earth and the League, a single Dilgar survived both the war and the supernova eruption: Warmaster Jha'dur, nicknamed "Deathwalker", the most infamous Dilgar leader of the war. Jha'dur had been the foremost proponent of using captured aliens as live "guinea pigs" in sadistic medical and scientific experiments. Approximately twenty years after the Dilgar War ended, Jha'dur would reemerge on the Babylon 5 space station, where she claimed to have invented a serum that gave its users immortality
Immortality
Immortality is the ability to live forever. It is unknown whether human physical immortality is an achievable condition. Biological forms have inherent limitations which may or may not be able to be overcome through medical interventions or engineering...
- but at a terrible price.
Aftermath
The immediate effect of the Dilgar War was to make the Earth Alliance a major galactic power; the League of Non-Aligned Worlds would for many years look to the Earth Alliance as its protector and benefactor. However, the war also created an arrogant belief among Earth's military and civilian leaders that they could defeat any alien threat. Earth's victory over the technologically superior Dilgar gave the Earth Alliance an inflated view of its military capabilities. As a result the Earth Alliance ignored the warnings of the Centauri Republic to avoid contact with the reclusive but extremely advanced 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....
race. In 2245 an EarthForce task fleet would encounter a small group of Minbari warships; this disastrous contact would lead 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 Earth Alliance would be driven to near-extinction by the vastly superior Minbari forces, this was considered to be the ultimate revenge of Jha'dur, who by this time was helping the Minbari, on Minbar.
Sources
- The origin of the Earth-Minbari War is shown in the movie In the BeginningBabylon 5: In the BeginningBabylon 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....
. - The number of humans killed in the Earth-Minbari War is stated by journalist Cynthia Torqueman in the episode "And Now For a WordAnd Now For a Word"And Now For a Word" is an episode from the second season of the science fiction television series Babylon 5. The documentary format used in this episode was later revisited for the fourth season episode "The Illusion of Truth".-Synopsis:...
".