Main Events in the Babylon 5 Universe:

Dates are based on on-screen descriptions, with some details of events being conjecture. Some events made-up to explain human/ Earth Alliance developments.

7 billion years BCE-The first life forms to achieve sentience emerge. The First of the First Ones is called ‘Lorien’.

3.5 billion years BCE-The Shadows discover hyperspace.

7 million years BCE-The Vorlons discover hyperspace.

Many, if not most or all Vorlons, are highly telekinetic-maybe having a ‘Teek’ rating of 14 or 15. This, presumably, is how they ‘grow’ their transport ships.

Vorlons can read thoughts to an extent and can certainly project thoughts, but their equivalent Psi rating is probably around 10.

2 million years BCE-After centuries of war, the Hand are banished from this time and space, presumably into the distant future.

1 million years BCE-Most of the First Ones leave the Galaxy behind. The Vorlons and Shadows remain to watch over the younger races. Lorien settles in the catacombs deep within the continental crust of Z’ha’dum. His comments to Sheridan a million years later indicate that the Vorlon/ Shadow conflict stems from this time.

The Minbari evolve into their current form at around this time.

This period is an in-between time-many younger civilizations emerge at this time and the Vorlons and Shadows respect each others spheres of influence. Presumably this involves, on the part of the Vorlons, interfering with the genetic and technological development of planet-bound races, especially by building Jumpgates to stimulate development, and, on the Shadow’s part, destroying the fleets of space-faring races to encourage war, invasion and rebuilding.

35,000BCE-Beginning of First Age of Mankind when humans develop art, language and abstract thought.

20,000 BCE-The Soul Hunters are believed to have reached the apotheosis of their technological and social development.

9000 BCE-Agriculture developed on Earth. 'Great War' occurs roughly at this time-the Vorlons and some remaining First Ones drive the Shadows from Z'ha'dum.

c.6000BCE-Achieving ‘immortality’ via the development of an anti-agapic drug, an advanced race begins to explore the Galaxy, setting up outposts in all directions.

4800BCE-On one of these outposts an Immortal scientist develops hyperspace technology. Using large deposits of quantium-40 this race builds their first Jumpgate. Probes sent out into hyperspace discover very faint signals from Jumpgates built by the First Ones. Realising the signal is too weak to for them to use they send signals by tachyon instructing the rest of their race how to build Jumpgates of their own. After centuries of waiting for a reply, the Outpost Immortals build an automated Jumpgate-building ship. With no usable signal, this factory craft is forced to travel at sublight speeds. It then starts to build Jumpgates roughly ten light years apart over the next five thousand years until its supply of quantium-40 is depleted in around 200CE. By this point the Immortals have all killed each other for the ingredients (which can only come from a member of one’s race so that individual has to die) needed for the anti-agapic.

The reasoning for this is that the Jumpgates are needed for navigation as well as in entering hyperspace and that a) the First Ones wouldn’t have seen the point in faster than light travel except as a fad or b) would find it as easy to phase in and out of hyperspace in order to navigate as building a series of Jumpgates which they wouldn’t need except in the case of the Vorlons as the odd short cut. Military vessels used by the Younger Races have to keep within ten light years of any one beacon while smaller trading vessels and shuttles have to stay directly on one beacon at a time. These have to exit and then re-enter hyperspace using different Jumpgates in order to change course or to avoid competing beacons.

First definable cities built on Earth.

c.1000BCE-Minbari caste system (Worker, Warrior and Religious) established. Minbari in Information Age.

c.780CE-The Great Machine is built on Epsilon 3.

c.800CE-After fifteen centuries of exploring space at sub-light speeds the Minbari Warrior Caste discover the Jumpgate network. Minbari population stable at eight billion.

c.1050-After over two centuries, one of the Jumpgates is taken to Minbar. After several decades the factory craft is discovered.

1230-The last Xon dies on Centauri Prime.

1240-On Vorlon inspiration, the Minbari Worker Caste build a fleet of star ships.

1259-The Minbari first encounter the Shadows. With other races (including the Markeb?) they form the first Alliance to defeat the Shadows. Many of these races are wiped out by allies of the Shadows, while the Shadows themselves destroy the space-faring capability of many others, including the Markeb. After repeated invasions, the Ikarrans wipe themselves out.

1260-The last deep range base used by the Alliance is destroyed, then miraculously a replacement arrives with a ‘Minbari not born of Minbari’ aboard who calls himself ‘Valen’. Valen establishes the ‘Anlashok’ or Rangers to fight the Shadows, recruiting members from each Minbari caste. With many of their allies defeated, the Shadows establish a base on a sparsely populated area of Narn. The Shadows begin systematically wiping out Narn telepaths and their families. Narn pilots track the Shadow vessels and find their homeworld, Z’ha’dum, at the galaxy’s rim. The Minbari birth rate begins to decline as Minbari are re-incarnated as humans.

1261-Anticipating defeat, the Shadows seed their ships all over the Galaxy in anticipation of their return, including on Mars and Ganymede. ‘The Eye’, a P14/15 telepathic robot, is constructed as part of the defenses of Z’ha’dum.

1262-After visitations and instructions from the angelic being T’Lan, G’Quan and the surviving telepaths drive the Shadows from Narn. The Vorlons and several remaining First Ones drive the Shadows from Z’ha’dum. Valen establishes the ‘Grey Council’, with three members from each of the three Minbar castes.

The Taratimude wipe themselves out using the technology they obtained from the Shadows.

c.1522-The Centauri Republic is established as a Galactic Power. At this time the last Hyach-Do are exterminated and all records of their existence erased.

c.1780 -Epsilon 3 is now a dead world, or at least on the surface….

The Great Machine chooses Varn as its custodian.

2018-Lunar Colony founded.

2035-Peak Oil ends the dominance of the Internal Combustion Engine. Vehicles begin to be produced using nano-fuel cells for power. Population crashes due to intermittent shortages of food and fresh water.

2070-Semi-viable nuclear fusion developed for electricity production using deuterium-tritium reaction. Reactors last five years but produce a hundred times as much energy as nuclear fission.

Second Age of Mankind begins around this point when the Vorlons start introducing the ‘Telepath Gene’ into humans.

2085-Earth Alliance set up by allied nations on Earth (after World War Three?).

Founding nations are: Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, The Netherlands, Japan, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United States

2090-Lagrange 1 space station built at the lagrange point between the Earth and Moon.

Combined fusion/solar plant built on Moon using helium-3 mined on the Lunar surface provides power to some Earth cities via microwave.

EA scientists confirm the existence of ‘tachyons’, faster-than-light particles.

2095-2151-Earth Alliance sets up several temporary bases on Mars for scientific and military purposes.

2110-The Centauri Republic first contact the Narn. Through accident or design, the Narns independently establish several colonies in other systems.

2112-Anti-EA government elected in France after dissolution of United Nations.

2115-EA scientists confirm the existence of telepathic abilities in humans. The EA senate passes various laws to protect the privacy of its citizens and begins to track the genetic history of telepaths.

2118-Lagrange 2 is built between Earth and Mars as a staging point for the mining of Mars and the Asteroid Belt. It later becomes a center for commerce.

2125-Fusion batteries developed using helium-3 to be used to power vehicles and appliances. The technology is used a century later in Earth Force PPGs (Phased Plasma Guns).

2131-Lucifer station is built in orbit around Venus.

c.2140-The Centauri begin to expropriate Narn colonies. Cold Fusion of Gelled Deuterium developed on Earth.

2144-‘Sleeper’ missions are sent out into deep space in search of extra-terrestrial signals.

2150-San Diego destroyed by nuclear terrorists.* In response, the Earth Alliance defeats its opponents on Earth.

At about this time, Earth Gov, the Senate and governing/ legislative body of the Earth Alliance, is formally founded at Earth Dome in Geneva.

Each nation/ region/ planet elects at least one Senator each. All citizens on all planets and outposts are eligible to vote for the President of the Earth Alliance (bearing in mind that in 2258 most of humanity still lives on Earth, Mars has a population of two million and 125,000 humans live on Babylon 5, the largest outpost outside Earth’s Solar System).

2151-Foundations for Mars Dome built.

2156-Humans first contacted openly by another race: the Centauri.

The Centauri provide Earth with a Jumpgate.

2157- The first human colonists arrive on Mars via the Earth Jumpgate, in the first jump-capable ship built by humans, opening a jump-point in Mars orbit several hours later.

They establish the first permanent Martian colony (although many net sources give July 2169, the 200th anniversary of the Lunar Landings-this could be the date of the largest migration of 600 colonists. The date of 2157 fits better with Earth being provided with a Jumpgate).

First human Technomages emerge along with a hundred alien-inspired cults.

2161-Psi Corps formally established to monitor and regulate the activities of human telepaths. Telepaths are now required to join the Psi Corps, take drugs weekly to suppress their abilities or face prison. Presumably under Shadow influence, policies such as keeping telepaths out of regular military service are introduced to keep the vast majority of telepaths on Earth where they would not be recruited by the Vorlons or any new Alliance.

2168-Earth Alliance begins construction of the Io Jumpgate and Transfer Point.

2170-Europa and Ganymede colonized

2171-Earth Alliance sets up its first extra-solar colony on Proxima 3. More follow in the succeeding decades.

2173-Psi Corps establishes a secret research facility in Syria Planum on Mars.

2174-‘Mundanes’ working on the foundations and life support for the Psi Corps base left stranded on Mars build New Vegas and Flintown.

Demands for Martian autonomy stem from this point.

2175-Human separatists establish a colony Regula 4, eschewing modern technology in favour of hand tools and farming.

2177-Terrorist attack destroys Mars Dome One, killing most of the original colonists. During reconstruction, the Psi Corps establishes its main academy in Mars One.

2178-For security reasons, the Earth Jumpgate is dismantled. The quantium-40 left is used in the construction of the Earth Alliance fleet. Founding of Earth Force, the military wing of Earth Gov.

c.2180-The Centauri begin the strip-mining of Narn, completely destroying its ecosystem. The Narns begin to resist violently with sporadic attacks taking place all over occupied territory.

2208-2228-The Centauri are slowly driven off the Narn home world and colonies by a coordinated effort by the Narn Resistance. Population on Narn home world begins to increase from two billion, nearly equal to the total population on the various Narn colonies and on other worlds.

2212-President Kyoshi of the Eastern Bloc is killed in office three days after the end of the War of the Shining Star, by soldiers who fought for the opposition in the civil war.

2220-With the Eastern and African Blocs joining the Earth Alliance, Earth has a united planetary government**.

Earth Force personnel switch from slugthrowers to PPGs.

2230-Facing destruction with their sun about to go Nova, the Dilgar begin an invasion of the League of Non-Aligned Worlds.

2232-The Dilgar are driven back to their home system, their Jumpgate is destroyed and their supply of quantium-40 is confiscated by Earth Force. Earth begins construction of its fleet of Jumpgate-building ‘Explorer’-class starships. EA now a major military power.

2235-Extinction of the Dilgar with the destruction of their sun.

2241-A human, Stephen Franklin, is the first to have direct contact with Minbari.

October 2243-An Earth vessel encounters a Minbari ship and support vessels. Believing they were under attack, the vessel opens fire on the Minbari, killing Dukhat, leader of the Grey Council.

June 2245-The Earth-Minbari War “officially” begins when the Minbari attack the first colony within thirty light years from Earth.

October 2245-Earth’s only victory during the war occurs when Lt. Commander John Sheridan of the EAS-Lexington destroys the ‘Black Star’ in an ambush by mining the Asteroid Belt with tactical nukes and sending a fake distress signal.

2247-Mars declares itself neutral in the Earth-Minbari War. After the war the Senate imposes an embargo on Mars.

December 2247-The Battle of the Line ends with the Minbari mysteriously surrendering.

2248-Food riots on Mars end with the imposition of an Earth-selected Provisional Government. ‘Free Mars’ grows in numbers and begins to use violence to achieve its aims.

IPX, or InterPlanetary Expeditions, is set up as a front corporation for a secret EA bio-weapons research group.

2249-The first Babylon diplomatic and trade station is built, but is destroyed by sabotage as are numbers two and three.

2253-Psi Corps secretly instigate a sleeper agent program, inserting hidden Artificial Personalities into the personnel of various EA departments.

IPX uncover a buried Shadow vessel on Mars, Psi Corps become involved in its recovery. Michael Garibaldi observes part of this event and retrieves a Psi Corps insignia. It takes him and Jeffrey Sinclair, an Earth Force officer he was transporting, fifty miles to walk back to civilization after the shuttle Garibaldi was piloting crashes.

2254-Babylon 4, the largest of the five Babylon stations, disappears 24 hours after coming on-line.

2255-Psi Cop Alfred Bester founds ‘Black Omega’ squadron, with Byron Gordon as his protégé.

December 25^th 2256-Babylon 5 comes on-line.

January 2257-Kosh Naranek of the Vorlon Empire arrives on Babylon 5, the last ambassador to arrive from the four major federations.

Minbari population less than four billion.

An InterPlanetary Expeditions mission lands on Z’ha’dum, awakening the Shadows from hibernation.

Dawn of the Third Age of Mankind.

Earth Alliance has thirty colonies and outposts in over two dozen solar systems. Some are mining colonies or used for food/ fertilizer production while Beta 7 appears to be mainly used as a prison planet-cum-mental institution. Earth’s population is nearly ten billion.

The Death Penalty is still in place, but only for treason and mutiny involving the attempted or actual murder of a superior officer by serving Earth Force personnel. The penalty for mutiny is usually death by spacing-the perpetrator is shown the nearest airlock minus a breather unit. Murder is dealt with by ‘death of personality’.

2258-A volunteer in Psi Corps experiments, Jason Ironheart is now a P15 and ‘no longer what you or I would consider entirely human’.

The Shadows return in numbers to Z’ha’dum.

Catherine Sakai is the first human to knowingly come into contact with First Ones.

Alisa Beldon, a telepath, is the first human to live on Minbar.

Drall, a Minbari, takes custody of the Great Machine on Epsilon 3 after the death of Varn.

The EAS-Cerberus is destroyed by an unknown vessel. Its sole survivor is Ensign Matthew Gideon. He is saved by a Technomage known as Galen.

December 31^st 2258-The Narn outpost at Quadrant 37 is attacked by an unknown party acting on behalf of Centauri Ambassador Londo Mollari. Babylon 5 Security Chief Michael Garibaldi uncovers a plot to assassinate the EA President. Earth Force One explodes near Io Transfer Point, killing Earth Alliance President Louis Santiago. Vice President Morgan William Clark is sworn in as President. Clark later sets up several ministries to spy on the activities and opinions of EA citizens and serving personnel. Minbari Ambassador to Babylon 5 Delenn begins her transformation into a half-human Minbari using the Triluminary to address the imbalance in Minbari souls.

Around this time, the Shadows infiltrate the Psi Corps.

2259-While Earth Ambassador to Minbar, former B5 Commander Jeffrey Sinclair trains humans to be the next generation of Rangers. Outbreak of war between the Centauri Republic and the Narn Regime after an apparent attack on the Narn colony/ outpost in Quadrant 14 by Centauri forces. The war is ended six months later when the Shadows intercept a Narn attack on Gorash 7, the Centauri’s main supply base, while the Centauri Navy attack Narn itself using Mass Drivers to bombard Narn cities with asteroids.

Clark attempts to extend the definition of treason to include attempted murder while, on Earth, petty criminals and the homeless are locked away for life in mental institutions.

Near total extinction of the Markeb.

Lyta Alexander, the first telepath to scan a Vorlon, escapes the Psi Corps, uncovers Talia Winters as the sleeper agent on B5 and makes her way to the Vorlon homeworld in the space of a few months.

New Alliance formed to fight the Shadows. It first consists of Michael Garibaldi, B5 Governor-Captain John Sheridan, Delenn, the Rangers and Drall/ The Great Machine.

‘White Star’-class cruiser designed and built by elements in the Religious and Worker Minbari castes using Vorlon organic technology.

2260-B5 Commander Susan Ivanova uncovers evidence showing President Clark admitting responsibility for Santiago’s assassination. Martial Law is declared on Earth and the Senate dissolved after the EAS Agamenmon apparently destroys an alien ship above Jupiter. Mars is bombed when the Provisional Government refuses to enact Martial Law. In solidarity with Mars, Proxima 3 colony and Babylon 5, under the command of Captain John Sheridan, secede from the Earth Alliance. Battle of Euphrates.

Ranger One Jeffrey Sinclair travels one thousand years back in time on Babylon 4. Delenn takes over as head of the Rangers.

The Shadows openly attack Brakiri space.

Alliance of Light, using the recently revealed White Star fleet and using telepaths to jam Shadow vessels, has its first victory against the Shadows.

2261-Vorlon and Shadow forces confront each other indirectly by attacking each others allies and bases of operation. This results in planetary destruction and casualties on the scale of the Dilgar invasion. Extinction of the civilization of Zander Prime.

The Centauri occupation of Narn and the Last Shadow War ends when the last of the First Ones leave the Galaxy after Battle of Coriana 6***.

Interstellar Alliance founded after the Earth Alliance Civil War ends when President Clark commits suicide. Mars finally granted independence.

Ivanva promoted to Captain and given command of one of the first ‘Warlock’-class Destroyers.

2262-Byron Gordon reveals publicly that human and most telepaths were created by the Vorlons through generations of genetic manipulation***.

Centauri War. Combined Drazi and Narn assault on Centauri Prime after Centauri forces under the Prince Regent’s control attack members of the Interstellar Alliance.

As prophesied, Londo Mollari becomes Emperor.

It is revealed that the attacking Centauri warships were ‘piloted’ by left-over Shadow technology.

Lyta realizes the extent and purpose of the abilities the Vorlons gave her. Her Psi rating is at least 14.

2264-Telepath War ends with the disbanding of the Psi Corps***. Lyta Alexander is one of the casualties. Bester escapes justice.

John Matheson, formerly of Psi Corps, joins Earth Force. He is the first telepath to achieve the rank of Lieutenant and serves as Gideon’s First Officer aboard the Excalibur.

2267-Drakh release a biogenetic plague on the Earth. The Rangers and the crew of the prototype destroyer ‘Excalibur’, under the command of Matthew Gideon, search the Galaxy for a cure****.

2268-Cure found but a twenty-year-old conspiracy is uncovered involving reverse-engineered Shadow technology and the destruction of the Cerberus.

Around this time it is revealed that the Technomages use Shadow technology.

2271-Bester captured and put on trial for war crimes.

2278-Second Drakh crisis. Drakh driven off Centauri Prime but massive civilian casualties result. Vir Cotto becomes Emperor.

2281-Death of former IA President John Sheridan, Susan Ivanova takes over as Ranger Number One, Babylon 5 station destroyed in a controlled demolition.

2761-Earth civil war results in the “Great Burn”. Most of humanity reduced to medieval level.

4^th millennium-Rangers and the Interstellar Alliance restore contact with Earth.

1 million CE-Humans finally admitted to Vorlon homeworld. Humanity settles “New Earth” before Sol goes Nova.

200 billion CE-The Hand are transferred to this point in time, when most stars are now dead.

*I’m using this date on the assumption that this event happened before contact with the Centauri.

**Presumably, from ‘GROPOS’ and ‘No Compromises’, these political blocks were late in joining Earth Alliance.

***These events mark the beginning of the Third Age.

****Distances in hyperspace vary both over time and over comparative locations in real space. As a rough guide, it may be possible to traverse the entire width (120K l.y.) of the Galaxy (a White Star is supposed to be able to achieve this in seven weeks) in the same time as it takes to traverse the vertical Y-axis of the Galaxy (1500-2000 l.y.). Most Earth colonies are within 30 light years of Earth (according to JMS, B5 is 35-50 light years from Earth, although Lise Hampton describes it as being eighteen light years, these figures may reflect this “discrepancy”), but several deep-range colonies and outposts are c.1500 light years from Earth (specifically, references to Deneb and the Orion Belt). It takes an Earth Alliance courier 12-18 hours to reach Babylon 5 from Earth, while a White Star takes 3-6 hours. It, probably, also takes about the same time to reach Vega from Earth (36 light years) as it does to reach Deneb 1600 light years away (giving the colonies the same name as the star). It would probably have taken the Minbari over a year to locate all the deep range bases and to secure supply lines before they started attacking the inner colonies.