A typical Jump Gate. This gate is in the process of opening a jump point into hyperspace.

In the fictional Babylon 5 universe, a Jump Gate is a static emplacement that creates an energy vortex, called a Jump Point, to allow vessels to travel to and from hyperspace for interstellar travel. In the Babylon 5 universe, hyperspace is a universe that is adjacent to the normal universe. Jump gates also have beacons that allow vessels in hyperspace to lock on to a beacon and avoid getting lost. Amongst the "younger" races of the galaxy, jump gates are a vital part of interstellar travel. A typical Jump Gate from the Babylon 5 science fiction universe. ... A typical Jump Gate from the Babylon 5 science fiction universe. ... Babylon 5 is an epic science fiction television series created, produced, and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. ... Scene from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope depicting the inside of a starship entering hyperspace. ...

For most ships, a jump gate is required for interstellar travel. While the more advanced races - such as the First Ones - are able to install jump point generators in even their smallest vessels, for younger races the energy cost means that only the largest vessels have the capability to create their own jump points. Such vessels are almost always government vessels. It was only recently that smaller vessels were fitted with jump point generators - such as the White Star class monitors or Liandra type patrol cutters. The White Star is a fictional, medium-sized combat spacecraft type employing a mix of Vorlon and Minbari technology appearing on the TV series Babylon 5. ...

The jump gates are also vital for the beacon signals that they provide. The beacons allow ships to travel through hyperspace without drifting so deep into hyperspace that they become permanently lost. If enough jump gates were destroyed the entire jump gate / beacon network would fall apart. Vessels would then be unable to make their way through hyperspace. For that reason jump gates are usually considered neutral territory, and it's considered very uncivilized to attack them.

Configuration

A jump gate is typically made of four long independent cylinders that form a circle. Some races use different configurations; a Narn jump gate employs three cylinders. When a jump gate is activated, an energy pulse runs down each of the cylinders, until it reaches the end of the cylinder. It then separates from the cylinder, and travels out to a point where it meets with the other three energy pulses. The four energy pulses together provide enough energy to create the vortex. The vortex will be yellow if a ship will be entering the point and going into hyperspace, and will be blue if a vessel is exiting hyperspace. The jump gate will provide the energy to keep the jump point open until a vessel has completed transit.

A vessel wishing to enter a jump point will usually send a signal to the jump gate to activate the gate. If a private vessel is entering a gate, a fee is charged for the use of the gate. If for whatever reason those in control of the gate wish to keep a certain vessel from entering hyperspace, the computers on the gate can be programmed to reject an activation signal from that vessel. However vessels are not normally kept from exiting hyperspace, nor is a fee charged, especially since the jump gate represents the only way to leave hyperspace for most vessels, and if a ship's power failed the ship could become forever lost in hyperspace. In either case, the gate's computers do record each ship that enters or exits the gate, and such records can be used to establish presence in legal settings.

Larger ships that have their own jump point engines will normally use a jump gate if one is available. This is because the onboard jump point generators require a large amount of energy to operate, and using a jump gate saves energy. However if such a vessel wanted to keep its arrival off the official records, it would then use its own generators to keep a record from being made by the gate. Babylon 5 is an epic science fiction television series created, produced, and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... 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. ...

A jump gate can be turned on or off, but it takes quite some time for the jump gate generators to power up or power down. To either power them up or down too quickly would most likely result in the gate destroying itself in a large explosion. The cylinders are also moveable, if an exceptionally large vessel needs to exit the gate the cylinders would be moved to accommodate this vessel.

Vessels equipped with their own jump point generators avoid opening their own jump point within an active jump gate; to do so would trigger a catastrophic release of energy and destroy the jump gate and any nearby vessels. Earth Force did experiment with the idea during the Earth-Minbari War. After learning about the consequences, they labeled their failure the "Bonehead Maneuver." This maneuver was once sucessfully performed by a White Star under the command of Captain Sheridan at the Markab jumpgate, in order to destroy a pursuing Shadow vessel - unlike war-era Earth Force vessels, the White Star was fast enough to escape the blast radius before the jumpgate exploded. The Earth-Minbari War is a fictional war that takes place in the science fiction series Babylon 5. ... The White Star is a fictional, medium-sized combat spacecraft type employing a mix of Vorlon and Minbari technology appearing on the TV series Babylon 5. ... Markab is the name of a number of things, including the following: Markab is a star in the constellation Pegasus The Markab are a race in the fictional Babylon 5 universe. ... Shadows on a pavement A shadow is a region of darkness where light is blocked. ...