In Babylon 5, the Vorlons and the Shadows were ancient forces that defined much of the cosmos, making the surprising resolution of their seemingly endless war all the more effective. While most of Babylon 5 is focused on humanity and its peers from across the universe as they try to achieve peace, two of the most mysterious forces manipulating events and people behind the scenes are the Vorlons and the Shadows. The former is introduced early in the show through the mysterious Kosh, while the latter steadily develops into an overarching threat for the whole show.
The history of the two stretches far back into the early history of Babylon 5‘s universe, setting a galactic conflict that raged for eons before it could be resolved (in part through some unexpected time-travel). The ending to their story is also quietly a portent of what could become of humanity down the line, setting up one of Babylon 5‘s most ambitious sci-fi concepts. Here is the history of Babylon 5‘s First Ones, what happened to them, and the true meaning of their storyline.
The Vorlons And The Shadows Are The Last Of Babylon 5’s Old Races
The Vorlons And The Shadows Are Countless Eons Old
The Vorlons and the Shadows are the last of the First Ones in Babylon 5, making their conflict (and eventual departure) all the more important in the overarching story. Over the course of Babylon 5, the history of the two races is steadily revealed. They were among the “First Ones,” some of the oldest species in the galaxy, with only the mysterious and immortal First Born following them. Through the guidance of the last First Born (such as Lorien), these First Ones became the foundational forces of the galaxy.
Over time, many of the races died out or chose to leave the galaxy to instead explore beyond the Rim. The two most prominent First Ones to remain were the Vorlons and the Shadows, which took up a leadership role in the galaxy. They began to interact and guide the younger races that had sprung up across the galaxy, steadily developing opposing ideologies. While the Vorlons favored order, mercy, and unity under their specific code of laws, the harsher Shadows pushed survival of the fittest, cunning, and personal freedom as core tenets of existence.
The Vorlons Defeated The Shadows In The Last War
The Vorlons Have Been Fighting The Shadows Off And On In Countless Proxy Wars
Tensions between the Vorlons and the Shadows grew over the centuries as their influence spread to the younger races. While they initially worked to avoid conflict, the two sides eventually came up against one another. This led to countless proxy wars, where the races guided and manipulated by the Vorlons and the Shadows came into conflict. These conflicts always concluded with the Shadows forced back to their home world of Z’ha’dum, where they would hibernate and regroup ahead of their next efforts to spread across the cosmos.
Together with a time-displaced Captain Sinclair (who ᴀssumed the role of the Minbari holy figure Valen) and his Babylon 4 space station, the alliance defeated the Shadows…
The most recent conflict between the Vorlons and the Shadows occurred a thousand years before the events of Babylon 5, roughly in the 13th century on Earth. As confirmed in season 3’s “War Without End,” the Vorlons were able to rally an alliance made up of the other First Ones and the more prominent young races, such as the Minbari. Together with a time-displaced Captain Sinclair (who ᴀssumed the role of the Minbari holy figure Valen) and his Babylon 4 space station, the alliance defeated the Shadows and forced them into a retreat to Z’ha’dum.
Why The Shadows Were Contained For Centuries (And How They Got Free)
Humanity Accidently Discovered The Shadow Homeworld And Woke Them Up Early
In the aftermath of that conflict, the Vorlons spent a thousand years further developing the young races. They also played a major role in introducing telepathy to those young races, which could give them an edge over the Shadows when they returned. However, the Shadows specifically left behind many of their ships around the galaxy. Hidden on uninhabited planets, this would allow the Shadows to deploy a full armada as soon as they awoke again. Their efforts to prepare the Minbari by instructing them to ally with humanity only set off conflict between those two races.
Humanity’s ambitions in the cosmos were the cause for the Shadows’ awakening earlier than they should have. The Interplanetary Expeditions ship known as the Icarus landed on Z’ha’dum, awakening the Shadows. Almost all the crew were indoctrinated by the Shadows and transformed into living processing units for their ships. The only exception was Morden, who became an emissary for the Shadows among the younger races. Awakened before the Vorlons could fully prepare, the ensuing conflict erupted into a full-scale conflict in which the Vorlons were forced to become actively involved for the first time.
Among the humans who reawakened the Shadows were Anna Sheridan, John Sheridan’s wife. Thought ᴅᴇᴀᴅ for years, she eventually returned in season 3 under the thrall of the Shadows as part of their efforts to manipulate John.
Babylon 5’s Shadow War Ends With The Vorlons And The Shadows Both Losing
How Sheridan Used Words To End An Endless War
The escalation of the Shadow War in Babylon 5 became one of the show’s major overarching storylines, to the point where it became the central throughline of season 3 and much of season 4. Initially, the conflict felt similar to previous battles between the Shadows and the Vorlon. However, after Sheridan’s successful nuclear strike on Z’ha’dum severely weakened the Shadows, the Vorlons went on the offensive. In a bid to finally wipe the Shadows out rather than allow them to regroup, the Vorlon began destroying entire worlds if they had become entangled in the Shadows’ plans.
Desperate, the Shadows responded in kind, with the growing conflict threatening the entire galaxy. It was only through the alliance that grew on Babylon 5 that the younger races could properly respond, with Sheridan (saved from his attack on Z’ha’dum by Lorien) ultimately calling out both races for their actions at the Battle of Coriana VI. Convincing them that their time in this universe was over, Sheridan convinced the Vorlon and the Shadows (along with the rest of the remaining First Ones like the Walkers or Lorien) to go beyond the Rim into a new future.
Humanity Becomes The New Vorlons In Babylon 5’s Ending
Humanity Is Destined For Great Things In Babylon 5’s Future
In the aftermath of the Shadow War, the young races fully ᴀssumed their place among the galactic order. The rest of the show explored the fallout, such as pitting Babylon 5 and their allies against an increasingly fascist Earth government. As humanity spread further in the galaxy, it would go on to become a foundational force for the universe. Season 4’s “The Deconstruction of Falling Stars” reveals that in the next millennium, humanity expands far beyond their corner of the galaxy to become one of the leading forces of the universe.
In that future, humanity is revealed to have evolved to a point where they can ᴀssume an energy form and travel in containment suits, similar to the Vorlons eons before them. This suggests that in Babylon 5, humanity’s resistance and endurance saw them eventually evolve into the same god-like state as the Vorlon, implicitly taking a similar guiding role to the First Ones to younger races. It’s a powerful moment about the potential of humanity, speaking to a core theme of Babylon 5 about what societies could become if they got over their conflicts and internal problems.
