Shadow Vessel

From The Babylon Project

Shadow Vessel Status: Beyond the Rim (as of Jan 27, 2261)[1] Affiliation: Shadows Class: Capital Ship Length: Variable - 1000m - 2000m Crew: 1 organic being as CPU Engines: Gravimetric engines Jump Capable: Yes Weapons: 1 High Energy Beam Weapon 1 Jump Point Destabilizer[2] Defenses: Bio-organic Armored Hull Auxiliary Craft: Shadow Fighters Shadow Transport

The Shadow Vessel (sometimes known as Battle Crab or The Ghost)^[3][4] was the primary starship of the Shadows.

Contents 1 Characteristics 2 Behind the Scenes 3 Appearances 3.1 Babylon 5 TV Series 3.1.1 Signs and Portents 3.1.2 The Coming of Shadows 3.1.3 Point of No Return 3.1.4 No Surrender, No Retreat 3.2 Crusade 4 References 4.1 Other Sources

[edit] Characteristics

An extremely powerful war machine, it's primary beam weapon has an energy output on par with a controlled thermonuclear reaction and can effortlessly cut through even a four mile wide space station from a range of around a dozen miles.^[5][2] A direct hit from this weapon is under normal circumstances sufficient to destroy almost any known ship and a fully operational Shadow Vessel never misses.^[6]

Aside from their role as front line warships, Shadow Vessels also act as motherships to a number of smaller craft including transports and a compliment of fighters.^[7] They have even been known to capture and take on board small non-Shadow craft such as an Earth Alliance Starfury.^[8]

Like most Shadow Technology, these ships require a living component to operate. This take the form of a specially prepared sentient being that once merged, acts as the ship's central processing unit. The only known weakness in this system is it's susceptibility to telepathic interference. A sufficiently strong telepath can effectively "jam" a ship's systems leaving it's vulnerable to attack from conventional energy weapons.^[9][10]

Like all First One ships, save the Vorlons and Lorien's Vessel, Shadow vessels have never been observed utilising normal Jump points and instead appear to "phase" between normal space and Hyperspace.^[11][6]

They have however been observed operating in planetary atmospheres in temperatures exceeding 12,000 standard units and gravity wells well over 2 standard gravities before succumbing to the pressure.^[12][13]

[edit] Behind the Scenes

The ship was created by Foundation Imaging Co-Founder Ron Thornton. ^[14]

[edit] Appearances

Babylon 5 TV Series Signs and Portents "Signs and Portents" "Chrysalis" The Coming of Shadows "Revelations" "A Distant Star" "The Coming of Shadows" "The Long, Twilight Struggle" Point of No Return "Matters of Honor" "Messages from Earth" "Ship of Tears" "Interludes and Examinations" "Walkabout" "Shadow Dancing" "Z'ha'dum" No Surrender, No Retreat "The Hour of the Wolf" "The Long Night" "Into the Fire" Crusade "Patterns of the Soul" "Racing the Night"

[edit] References

1. ↑ Into the Fire - Assumes none were left behind
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} The Long, Twilight Struggle
3. ↑ Babylon 5 Season 3 DVD - Special features, Universe of Babylon 5: Shadow Dossier
4. ↑ The Fall of Night
5. ↑ JMS post on CIS - 2/23/1996 2:33:00 PM
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1} Matters of Honor
7. ↑ Shadow Dancing
8. ↑ Z'ha'dum (episode)
9. ↑ Ship of Tears
10. ↑ Walkabout
11. ↑ The Coming of Shadows
12. ↑ Messages from Earth
13. ↑ The Hour of the Wolf
14. ↑ B5Scrolls

[edit] Other Sources

• The Official Guide to Babylon 5 (CD ROM)

Fleet of the Shadows

Shadow Vessel  • Fighter  • Scout  • Transport  • Death Cloud