VORLON EMPIRE

NAME Vorlon Prime LOCATION Unknown STAR Vorlon SYSTEM Unknown SATELLITES Unknown AGE Unknown TEMPERATURE Unknown MASS Unknown ROTATION Unknown REVOLUTION Unknown

Ancient, powerful, enigmatic; all these words describe the powerful alien race known as the Vorlons. Having first achieved Hyperspace travel around five and seven milllion B.C. the Vorlons are part of a galactic generation of Titans known as First Ones. For thousands of years the Vorlons and the other First Ones ruled this galaxy. Eventually, as these ancient beings advanced as far as they could in this part of the universe, they went beyond the rim of our galaxy to explore the whole of the universe.

The Vorlons, one of the younger of the First Ones, believed in the concept of logic and order. Their society is based strongly on these themes, confident that only through logic, order and structure can perfect harmony be achieved. This belief was not however shared by other members of the First Ones, the Shadows in particular.

Several wars occurred between the Vorlons, Shadows, Walkers and the many other races that made up the First Ones. Under the guidance of the alien race of Lorien, the first species in our galaxy to become sentient, these battles usually ended in peaceful negotiations.

All information currently available would seem to indicate that most of these First Ones left our galaxy approximately 10,000 years ago, following a massive war that nearly lead to the destruction of all the fledgling races on younger worlds. Thus the First Ones decided that they had grown too large and powerful to remain in their home galaxy, and decided to explore the rest of the universe.

Several of these gods opted to stay behind, but had no interest in the affairs of the new fledgling sentients popping up across the Milky-way galaxy. Thus it was decided that two of the First Ones would stay behind to shepherd the new sentients popping up across the galaxy. Two races, the Vorlons and their ancient rivals the Shadows, willingly volunteered to take on the role of galactic guardians.

Despite the fact that their two belief structures were in direct conflict with one another, the two raced decided they could put aside their differences and care for the younger races as well as Lorien had cared for them. Thus the two great powers set aside their social disagreement and agreed to care of the younger races as best they could.

At first through the use of strict rules and laws, a balance was maintained between the radically different teaching structure of the Shadows, Vorlons and the few remaining First Ones. As the centuries passed however things changed. The Shadows began teaching their belief in chaos, prompting races to fight with one another as well as their neighbors in space.

In response to the actions being taken by the Shadows, the Vorlons began tinkering with races on a genetic level, in an effort to make the younger races evolve more like them. Among these genetic dabbling, the Vorlons manipulated the younger races to see them as angelic profits, using their telepathic abilities to shield their true form from the beings they manipulated. Through this action, the Vorlons were able to control the perceptions of the younger races.

Some Vorlon records would seem to indicate that those races that adopted the teachings of the Shadows were creating havoc across the cosmos. In an effort to spread their word to the races the Vorlons had invested interest in, the Shadows began starting wars between their children races and the races cared for by the Vorlons, in their continuing effort to weed out the weak from the strong.

Appalled by the actions being taken by the Shadows, the Vorlons attacked their fellow Titans and a massive war, once again took place. Over the course of the centuries that passed, the wars between the Shadows and Vorlons persisted. This time however, unlike wars in the past, the goal of the two super-powers was to have their students fight for them, in an effort to prove whether or not the Vorlons or Shadows were right. So violent was the last Great War a thousand years ago, the Vorlons were forced to ask the other First Ones for assistance in curbing the Shadows advance.

And so the gods of old fought along side the younger races in a no-holds barred war with the Shadows and their students. In the aftermath of the war, there was no clear winner to decide if the Shadows or Vorlons had been right. Almost all the younger races involved in the war were completely destroyed. Only a precious few like the Minbari, survived the last Great War.

Despite these tremendous losses, the Vorlons and Shadows continued to squabble. Finding the actions of their fellow ancients appalling, the remaining First Ones like the Walkers of Sigma 957 severed all relations with both the Shadows and Vorlons so long as they persisted in their petty conflict.

As the Shadows went into their thousand-year seclusion, the Vorlons began to once again tinker with the DNA of young races all across the galaxy, preparing for the next war against the Shadows. In the earth year 2250s, the philosophical conflict between the Vorlons and the Shadows began anew.

The Shadows, working slowly and methodically, attempted trick races into going to war with themselves and their neighbors. As always, they achieved great success. Unfortunately the Vorlons and their surviving children the Minbari had also begun preparing for the coming war.

In 2261, the war came to a head when the Vorlons decided that the Shadows had spread their word too far for them to deal with. Thus the Vorlons began to destroy entire worlds in order to purge the universe of Shadow influence. The war came to a head in mid 2261, when Captain John Sheridan and Minbari ambassador Delenn, with the help of Lorien (former mentor and guide to both the Vorlons and Shadows), were able to convince the two First Ones that the younger races were ready to stand on their own. Following the battle of Koreona VI the Shadows and Vorlons left our galaxy and passed beyond the rim. It is unlikely that the Vorlons will ever be heard from again.