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Narn (race)

From The Babylon Project

Narn has other uses. Please see Narn (disambiguation) for other meanings.
Narn
Life-form Type: Humanoid Marsupial
Homeworld: Narn
Lifespan: Around 100 Earth Years
Government: Narn Regime
"They are a dying people. We should let them pass."
"Who? The Narn or the Centauri?"
"Yes."
– Kosh to Jeffery Sinclair, 2258
"What is left for Narn if all of creation falls around us? There is nothing: no hope, no dream, no future, no life. Unless we turn from the cycle of death toward something greater...if we fail in this then none of us will be saved, and the Narn will be only a memory."

– Kosh to G'Kar, 2260


The Narn are a humanoid species that have on two occasions been conquered by the Centauri.

Contents

[edit] Biology

Though somewhat reptilian in appearance, the Narn actually have more in common with Earth marsupials and felines than reptiles. As with many species, Narn sexual reproduction begins with a direct male-to-female mating in which the female carries the young (typically two or three children at a time) until birth. After which they are cared for by the male in an abdominal pouch for their first three months of life. From this process comes the terms "pouchling" and "pouchbrother/sister". In terms of appearance the Narn are humanoid, generally tall and of a stocky build; they are bald, with a yellow-orange complexion, mottled with brown and/or green spots. With their supple yet tough bone structure and thick skin, the Narn are considerably resilient against physical harm, a trait the Centauri "pain technicians" have tested to its limit.

[edit] Telepathy

At the time of the second Shadow War, there were no Narn telepaths, as according to legend all of the "Mindwalkers" were exterminated by the Shadows, a millennium previous. Biologically, the telepathic gene is present, but had since been too weak produce a natural telepath. This has led to several attempts by the Narn to buy the DNA of telepaths from other races which they hope to combine with their own and begin breeding Narn telepaths. In 2260 then Citizen G'Kar purchased a small quantity of Dust in hopes of using it as a weapon against the Centauri occupation, though a small sample was able the activate the dormant telepath gene, the result was unstable and with the intervention of the Psi Corps, the drugs were seized before the purchase could take place.[1] The Narn's perseverance finally paid off in 2262 when a group of Rogue Telepaths lead by Lyta Alexander agreed to supply the Narn Regime with DNA from as many telepaths as they wanted in exchange for an undisclosed, but extremely large sum of money, at least five deep-range starships and an agreement that the transaction be made in absolute secrecy. [2][3][4]

[edit] Culture & Society

Narn society is based on the traditional family structure with Narn males and females mating one-to-one for life, with the female joining the male's family group. Narns were once a peaceful and agrarian people, though after a century of slavery under the Centauri, the once peaceful people had become bitter and hostile, turning more to their warrior traditions than they once did. Among those traditions is the Shon-kar, a Narn blood oath sworn by a Narn against one who has wronged them or their family. An individual Narn is expected to not rest until the target of the Shon'Kar is dead. If the individual Narn fails, the rest of the family continues the Shon'Kar until the target is killed. [5] Even before the Centauri occupation, life on Narn was hard and often very short, out of this grew the tradition of giving newborn pouchlings temporary names until the age of ten, when he or she decides which of their religions to follow and to choose their "true name" from that faith. [6]

[edit] Food & Drink

[edit] Religion

The Narn are a deeply spiritual and socially conservative people who have several major religions. Being a practical and pragmatic people, atheism is easily tolerated. Most Narn religions are based around a central prophet figure as most Narns believe that the words of these prophets are guides to the will of the higher powers of the universe. As such all Narn holy books are copied in every detail from the original, with every note and line drawn exactly with even the imperfections in the paper reproduced exactly as it was when the author hand wrote the first copy. The most prominent of Narn propets include G'Quan, G'Lan, Na'Kili and G'Ston.[7]

  • G'Quan: One of Narn's more recent Prophets was G'Quan, who lived around 1260 (Earth calendar) in a time when Narn was being used as a base by the Shadows of which there are numerous mentions and diagrams in the Book of G'Quan. The symbol of the G'Quan religion is the G'Quan Eth plant and is used in a ritual observance that all followers of G'Quan must perform yearly during the Holy Days of G'Quann in which the faithful must burn the plant as incense when the sun rises behind the G'Quan mountain on Narn. This ritual must be done correctly or not at all. [8]
  • G'Lan: G'Lan is the most ancient of all Narn prophets, dating back to before recorded history that it is uncertain when exactly his writings were first recorded. Such is the age of these writings that it is uncertain if G'Lan was a real Narn or a Vorlon that is said to have swooped down from the sky. [9][7]
  • G'Kar: G'Kar is considered to be the newest prophet of Narn, his popularity drastically increasing after he returned from Centauri Prime unscathed. Unlike most prophets, G'Kar became a centre of cult worship in his own lifetime, much to his own distress. So disruptive was his presence on Babylon 5 in the latter half of 2262 and so great his frustration with the way his followers chose to interpret his words that he elected to leave and go out among the stars to explore the unknown. Such was his popularity that the Book of G'Kar, (which was appropriated without his consent) outsold the Book of G'Quan in just a few short months.

[edit] References

  1. ↑ Dust to Dust
  2. ↑ The Gathering
  3. ↑ Legacies
  4. ↑ Darkness Ascending
  5. ↑ Deathwalker (episode)
  6. ↑ No Compromises
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 The Official Guide to Babylon 5 (CD ROM)
  8. ↑ By Any Means Necessary
  9. ↑ The Fall of Night


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