White Star
Encyclopedia
The White Star is a fictional, cruiser class combat spacecraft
type in the science fiction
television series Babylon 5
.
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 constructed 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.
Spacecraft
A spacecraft or spaceship is a craft or machine designed for spaceflight. Spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including communications, earth observation, meteorology, navigation, planetary exploration and transportation of humans and cargo....
type in 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...
.
Depiction
The White Star-class was designed and built through a collaborative effort between 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....
religious caste and 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...
Empire. With the reorganization and revitalization 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:...
as a force with which to fight the Shadows
Shadow (Babylon 5)
The Shadows are a fictional alien species in the science fiction television series Babylon 5. Their homeworld is Z'ha'dum. In contrast to the Vorlons, whose philosophy is represented by the question "Who are you?", that of the Shadows is represented by the question "What do you want?", centering...
, 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
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...
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
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...
was thought to be unique until near the end of the third season (in And the Rock Cried Out, No Hiding Place
And the Rock Cried Out, No Hiding Place
"And the Rock Cried Out, No Hiding Place" is an episode from the third season of the science fiction television series Babylon 5.-Synopsis:...
), 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
Z'ha'dum (planet)
In the fictional Babylon 5 universe, Z'ha'dum was the homeworld of the ancient, mysterious race known as the Shadows. The planet is near the galactic rim...
while detonating two 500-megaton
TNT equivalent
TNT equivalent is a method of quantifying the energy released in explosions. The ton of TNT is a unit of energy equal to 4.184 gigajoules, which is approximately the amount of energy released in the detonation of one ton of TNT...
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 constructed 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
Shadow 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...
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.