Category:Story

In our story, we follow the general beliefs and guidelines laid down by JMS, but we have adjusted certain views here and there to be to our liking. We have done a lot of research on Minbari society and have unfortunately come upon certain contradictions and certain gaps. It is therefore that we have decided to take our personal view on Minbari society and ex

Added by Ayame007pand this.

The differences lye not so much in physical differences as layed down in the Minbari Federation fact book (Aside from the stamina of some of our heroes of course!), but more on the society of the Minbari culture. As has been explained throughout the series, the structure has certain contradictions with the Federation Fact book, which we have ‘adjusted’ to our liking.

For example: The Warrior Caste consists solely of Clans, there are no Families. The Families are restricted to the Religious Caste, whereas the Guilds are the collective of the Worker Caste.

Minbari society at the point of our writing is struggling with itself. After the war against the Humans, the Warrior Caste have never let go of their grudge against the Religious Caste. These continue to treat the warriors with disdain, which will escalate into Civil War as it does at the middle of season 4. We have tried to emphasise the fundamental differences between these two main Castes and how the Worker Caste is always ‘stuck in between’.

The Religious Caste sees itself as progressive, however clouds society with covering normal everyday events with more and more rituals and regulations. They look down on native feelings and seek higher spiritual meaning. By doing so, they are kicking the shins of the Warrior Caste, who are more and more returning to the methods of old, for they worked. For example: with the Warrior Caste, inter clan marriage is allowed under special circumstances, but are more common than inter family marriages with the Religious Caste.

Love is a difficult thing amongst Minbari.

The Religious and the Warrior Caste stand across each other with their conceptual understanding of this, while the Worker Caste tries to find the best of both worlds out of it. However, because of the heavy impact the Religious Satai of the Grey Council have had on Minbari society since Valen, many of their ‘beliefs’ have forced their way into the Warriors’ society.

Many Warriors still struggle with that today. They are naturally more inclined to follow their feelings, for they must if they are to survive in battle. It is common for Warriors to have had several ‘mates’ before finding the one they wish to spend the rest of their life with, however by the bidding of the Religious Caste they are forbidden to ‘join’ unless they are to be wed. It is a given that not every Warrior is capable of living by this rule.

Religious Caste society forces a different light on love amongst their youngsters. Love is about the spiritual connection between the two of them, not the physical. It is therefore rare to find a Religious Caste who has had several ‘mates’ before finding his or her true love, as it is looked down upon by the Caste. Physical bonding is nothing compared to the spiritual connection one can have with another. They do believe in a very great variety of spiritual connections, controversially enabling them to love several partners at the same time, albeit on a different level. They are however always restricted to a single mate, as are all Minbari.

All Castes believe in the sanctuary of marriage, however as the marriage grows older, many couples drift apart and seek their own meaning. This is phenomenon often found with members of the Religious Caste, as they wonder off in search of new spiritual companions.

Warriors carry their feistiness in their heart, with all consequences that go with it. However, the rituals belonging to the Caste and Clan are sacred.

The largest problem with Minbari society regarding love is their high emotional connection to everything and – especially for the Warrior Caste – high passion drive. Masking all of this with rituals over many hundreds of years in an attempt to control the population has done them no good.

The Worker Caste apply the rules of both Castes as they see fit, creating a shift in the Caste.

As for cross-caste unions, we follow the point of view as is stated in the MFFB. It is not forbidden as such, but is considered an insult to the Caste (and Clan/Family/Guild) so is generally avoided. Only in exceptional situations it is allowed.

Further interpretations will become clear as the story proceeds.

<p style="line-height:26px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:TrebuchetMS,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Hungry for it? Read the first chapter!

<p style="line-height:26px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:TrebuchetMS,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This story requires basic knowledge of the Babylon Five universe, created by J. Michael Straczynski, all rights reserved. The characters portrayed in this fanfic are a product of our creativity and purely fictional. Any resemblance to certain individuals is purely coincidental.

<p style="line-height:26px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:TrebuchetMS,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Questions, feedback or others: [mailto:ayame@dream-grafix.com ayame@dream-grafix.com] (Please include ‘B5 fanfic’ in your subject!)