Peter Jurasik as Londo Mollari in Babylon 5

The Centauri are a humanoid species in the fictional Babylon 5 universe. They were the first alien species to make contact with the human race. Their homeworld is Centauri Prime. Their government is the Centauri Republic. Despite the name, the Centauri are neither from nor associated with the Alpha Centauri star system (within the context of Babylon 5, this inaccurate naming is explained as having resulted from a mistranslation during first contact between humans and the Centauri, however, there are also a number of other stars named Centauri). Fair Use Screenshot from the Babylon 5 DVDs This work is copyrighted. ... Fair Use Screenshot from the Babylon 5 DVDs This work is copyrighted. ... Peter Jurasik in Stuttgart, Germany in 2000 Peter Jurasik (born 25 April 1950, Queens, New York) is an American actor best known for his television roles as as Londo Mollari in the 1990s science fiction series Babylon 5, and Sid the Snitch on the 1980s series Hill Street Blues. ... Londo Mollari, played by Peter Jurasik, is a fictional character in the universe of the science-fiction television series Babylon 5. ... Babylon 5 is an epic American science fiction television series created, produced, and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. ... Babylon 5 is an epic American science fiction television series created, produced, and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. ... Alpha Centauri (α Cen / α Centauri) is the brightest star system in the southern constellation of Centaurus. ... This article is about the astronomical object. ...

Babylon 5 is an epic American science fiction television series created, produced, and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. ... Articles related to Babylon 5 and Crusade: Spoiler warning: Alphabetically by Subject Contents: Top - 0–9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z By Topic Episodes - Characters - Races - Locations Alphabetic Index... This is a list of Babylon 5 episodes. ... The following is a list of people involved in a significant way with the science-fiction television series Babylon 5. ...

Homeworld

Stephen Furst as Vir Cotto in Babylon 5

Centauri Prime is the homeworld of the Centauri and throne of the once-expansive Centauri Republic. There are very few major land masses on the planet, two main continents with an abundance of small islands and extensive marine habitats. Fair Use Screenshot from the Babylon 5 DVDs This work is copyrighted. ... Fair Use Screenshot from the Babylon 5 DVDs This work is copyrighted. ... Stephen Furst as Vir Cotto in Babylon 5 Stephen Furst (born Stephen Fuerstein on 8 May 1955 in Norfolk, Virginia) is an American actor, best known for his roles as Flounder in the feature film Animal House (1978), as Gonzer in the feature film Up the Creek (1984), as Dr... Vir Cotto is a character from the fictional Babylon 5 universe, played on screen by Stephen Furst. ... Babylon 5 is an epic American science fiction television series created, produced, and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. ...

In 2260-61, one of the islands in the southern hemisphere of the planet was used as a staging ground for Shadow ships and personnel, until, in late 2261, then-Prime Minister Londo Mollari destroyed this island. The Shadows are an ancient alien species in the science fiction television series Babylon 5. ...

Government

The Centauri Republic is a major power in the Babylon 5 universe and noted for being the first alien government with which Earth had open contact. The Republic is based on Centauri Prime but spans a number of other colonies and worlds. Despite its "Republic" moniker, the Centauri have a nominal constitutional monarchy headed by an Imperial family. It is ruled by an Emperor or Empress, or, in the event of an interregnum, a Regent. Babylon 5 is an epic American science fiction television series created, produced, and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. ... This does not cite its references or sources. ... An emperor is a (male) monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. ... Emperor is also a Norwegian black metal band; see Emperor (band). ... An interregnum is a period between monarchs, between popes of the Roman Catholic Church, emperors of Holy Roman Empire, polish kings (elective monarchy) or between consuls of the Roman Republic. ... Regent, from the Latin, a person selected to administer a state because the ruler is a minor or is not present or debilitated. ...

True power resides in the Centarum, an assembly of the leaders of the major noble houses. Nobles able to manipulate the Centarum successfully are able to wield great power. An exception to the supremacy of the Centarum came about during the reign of Cartagia, whose personal madness drove him to have his enemies in the assembly assassinated, allowing him to rule despotically.

The Centauri Republic reflects many imperial cultures of Earth, though J. Michael Straczynski specifically makes the comparison with "the British Empire once upon a time... It was a great military power. But slowly, as can happen, they grew content, and lazy, and gradually their own empire began to slip between their fingers.". [1] Londo Mollari complains, in the movie The Gathering, that Centauri Prime has been reduced to "A tourist attraction... See the Centauri Republic, nine to five, Earth time". [2] J. Michael Straczynski Joseph Michael Straczynski (born July 17, 1954) is an award-winning American writer/producer of television series, novels, short stories, comic books, and radio dramas. ... The British Empire in 1897, marked in pink, the traditional colour for Imperial British dominions on maps. ... Spoiler warning: Babylon 5: The Gathering was the pilot movie of the science fiction television series Babylon 5. ...

History

Early History

Around the earth year 3000 B.C. the first true Centauri civilization appeared. This rapid burst of technological development was a result of being at war with another sentient species on their world called the Xon. At first isolated by oceans, the two species later came into contact with violent results. A Centauri expedition of three vessels happened upon a Xon coastal city. The vessels returned to the Centauri continent, carrying a Xon invasion force (its original Centauri crew was slaughtered).

As the Centauri entered a historical period similar to the Renaissance, around the earth year 738 BC, the Xon began attacking and raiding Centauri villages in small scale regional wars. The Xon, riding high on these easy victories, then began a massive campaign to destroy their Centauri cousins only this time on a global scale. Losses on both sides were substantial in a thousand year war against the Centauri. Raphael was famous for depicting illustrious figures of the Classical past with the features of his Renaissance contemporaries. ...

By the earth year 262 A.D, the Xon were eradicated from the face of the planet. By this time the Centauri Republic was well into the Industrial Age, obtaining a technological level equivalent to earth at the beginning of the 20th century, but the Centauri quickly progressed out of the Industrial Age and into the Atomic Age and Information age.

Defeat of the Xon gave rise to the current class structure of modern Centauri society. Centauri families who had done the bulk of the fighting, and had the most survivors at the end of the war, became the great houses of the Centauri. This new government of nobles created the Centaurum. The nobles appointed Lord Tuscano, who led the war against the Xon to the position of Emperor.

The Shoggren, attempted to invade Centauri Prime in the last years of Tuscano's rule, but were defeated. The technology acquired from them and the discovery of a Jump Gate in the Centauri system allowed the Centauri to leap ahead technologically at a very fast pace and the modern Centauri Republic was born.

Before 2258

The republic quickly began a period of expansion spanned the centuries before the second Shadow War and the birth of the Interstellar Alliance. The Centauri first left their homeworld just as the first Shadow War was ending and consequently played no part in that struggle. Ships and some outposts fell to the Drakh suggesting they did encounter Shadow forces to a limited degree. These defeats were stricken from public record by the Emperor's order, yet surviving crewmen and colonial defenders brought stories back to Centauri Prime. The Shadow Wars refer to the great wars involving the Shadows in the television science fiction series Babylon 5. ... The Interstellar Alliance is a fictional interstellar government of civilizations in the Babylon 5 universe. ... The Drakh are a race from the fictional Babylon 5 universe. ...

At its greatest extent, hundreds of worlds were subject to the Centauri Republic, hence its epithet, 'Lion of the Galaxy'. The occupation of the Narn homeworld began in the early 22nd Century. For the next hundred years the agrarian and technologically primitive Narns were exploited and their world stripped of resources. The Centauri withdrew a hundred years later in the face of growing Narn resistance (see Narn Regime). By 2258 the empire had almost completely fallen apart, seemingly more through the apathy of the Republic than military inferiority. The 22nd century (Gregorian calendar) will comprise the years 2101-2200. ... Agrarian has two meanings: It can mean pertaining to Agriculture It can also refer to the ideology of Agrarianism and Agrarian parties. ... Andreas Katsulas as GKar in Babylon 5 The Narns are a race of humanoid aliens in the television series Babylon 5. ...

2258-2278

From 2258 onwards, the Centauri once again mapped out a path of conquest, taking over not just Narn space but also worlds formally belonging to the Drazi, Pak'ma'ra, and other members of the League. A non-aggression treaty between Earth and the Centauri Republic ensured that unlike the situation with the earlier Dilgar War, the Earth Alliance would not come to the League's aid, making resisting the expansion of the Centauri Republic much more difficult. The Drazi are an alien species in the fictional Babylon 5 universe. ... The Pakmara are a fictional race of aliens in the Babylon 5 universe. ... The Dilgar War is a fictional war that forms part of the back story of the science fiction television series, Babylon 5. ...

The guarantor of the revival of Centauri power was the aid of the Shadows, but by 2261 the Shadows had departed the galaxy along with the other First Ones. Former Shadow allies, the Drakh, led to a souring of relations between the Centauri and other worlds during 2262. Destruction of civilian shipping by the Drakh was blamed on the Centauri, and a force of Narn and Drazi ships made for Centauri Prime, while Drakh agents had managed to get the Regent to deactivate the planetary defences and send the space fleet away. Centauri Prime was bombarded and laid waste, and the Centauri severed all relations with the Interstellar Alliance. By 2278 little was left of the grandeur of the Centauri save their pride and their patriotism. The Shadows are an ancient alien species in the science fiction television series Babylon 5. ... The First Ones is the collective name of a group of aliens from the television science fiction drama Babylon 5. ...

After 2278

After John Sheridan and Delenn had saved their son David and fled from Centauri Prime, Emperor Mollari died soon afterwards. Vir Cotto went to Minbar, and met with the surviving leaders of the Centauri houses. In keeping with Lady Morella's prophecy, Vir's claim to the throne was accepted, and he became Emperor Cotto. The Alliance, realizing that they were the victims of a massive Drakh manipulation, joined forces with the Centauri military to hunt down the Drakh. With help from the Alliance, Vir spent the next years rebuilding his homeworld. John Sheridan was a character in the sci-fi series Babylon 5 John Sheridan is an Irish footballer This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Delenn, played by Mira Furlan, is a fictional character in the universe of the science fiction television series Babylon 5. ... Mira Furlan as Delenn in Babylon 5 The Minbari are a fictional race in the Babylon 5 universe. ...

Biology

Appearance

The Centauri are humanoid in appearance, similar enough to humans that the species can easily pass for one another under casual inspection. However, in terms of internal structure there are several important differences between the two species. Centauri teeth, for instance, are somewhat pointed. The term humanoid refers to any being whose body structure resembles that of a human. ...

Centauri males typically wear their hair in Peacock-tail shaped fans. The social standing of the male determines the length and style of the hair. Females typically shave their heads but for a knot of hair in the back. Peacock re-directs here; for alternate uses see Peacock (disambiguation). ...

Their dress and customs reflect their imperialistic culture, with militaristic clothing reminiscent of the 18th Century for the men, gowns for the women whose design appears to be of similar general vintage, and a generally courtly manner. Militarism or militarist ideology is the doctrinal view of a society as being best served (or more efficient) when it is governed or guided by concepts embodied in the culture, doctrine, system, or people of the military. ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ...

Reproductive Biology

The sexual organs of the Centauri are quite different from those of humans, and they are in a different location than the human sex organs. Male Centauri have six tentacle-like genital organs that extend out from the sides of the body and "fold" in over the solar plexus when not in use. The males can stretch the tentacles out to several feet. These tentacles are somewhat prehensile, to the extent that they can be used to cheat in card games. Females have six narrow receptive orifices, three on either side of the base of the spine, just above the hips. The male places the tentacles in the female orifices individually. Only one tentacle is necessary to inseminate, however. The solar plexus, also known as the celiac plexus, plexus cœliacus or plexus solaris, is an autonomous cluster of nerve cells (see Plexus) in the human body behind the stomach and below the diaphragm near the celiac artery in the abdominal cavity. ... Prehensility is the quality of an organ that has adapted for grasping or holding. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Look up spine on Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Bones of the Hip In anatomy, the hip is the bony projection of the femur, known as the greater trochanter, and the overlying muscle and fat. ... Insemination is the introduction of semen into the genital tract of a female. ...

Cardio-vascular system

The cardio-vascular system of Centauri has two hearts instead of the single heart that humans have. The right heart is a solid mass of muscle which provides most of the force behind the body's blood circulation. The left heart is much more complex - this heart is made up of an intricate system of thousands of veins that help cleanse the blood in a manner similar to the human kidneys. As a result, a heart attack in the left heart is a very serious matter because the left heart is very difficult to repair. A circulatory system (sometimes cardiovascular system) is an organ system that moves substances to and from cells; it can also help stabilize body temperature and pH (part of homeostasis). ...

ESP and telepathy

The Centauri have extra-sensory perception to varying degrees, generally manifesting as precognitive abilities. Most Centauri have limited perceptions, enjoying only rare fleeting glimpses of the future. However, some Centauri will experience vivid prophetic dreams telling them of the time and the circumstances of their deaths. A rare few Centauri, exclusively female, have very strong prophetic abilities.

Some Centauri have telepathic ability. Like humans, the degree of telepathic ability varies with the individual.

The Centauri Emperor Turhan always had four female telepaths in his court. When he traveled, two went with him and two remained at the royal palace allowing rapid communication between the Emperor and Centauri Prime. The widow of Emperor Turhan, Lady Morella, is said to have had extensive telepathic abilities, to the point where she was considered a great prophet. She also acts as if she speaks for both herself and her late husband.