The Babylon Project
Register
Advertisement

"They are a mystery. And I am both terrified and reassured to know that there are still wonders in the universe."

Ambassador G'Kar to Catherine Sakai, 2258


The Walkers of Sigma 957 are a race of First Ones who inhabited the region of space surrounding the planet known as Sigma 957 for reasons never fully understood. For many years, they would completely ignore any of the younger races that tried to contact them (including the Narn Regime), and were sometimes oblivious to their presence.[1]

Biology[]

One of the most mysterious races in the galaxy, absolutely nothing is known of Walker physiology. Even their general form is a complete mystery as no one, at least amongst the younger races, has ever even seen one. When making contact with outsiders they use an interactive "mask" that seems humanoid in appearance, but this may be stylised iconography rather than an accurate representation of their true form.[2]

Encounters[]

WalkersSigma957a

Ship used by the Walkers

Like most of the First Ones, the Walkers left their homeworld of Sigma 957 a long time ago. However, they dwell in the space near their homeworld and appear to be drawn back whenever someone approaches.[3]

In 2258, Catherine Sakai conducted an initial survey mission to Sigma 957, despite warnings against going there from Ambassador G'Kar.[1] She encountered the Walkers' ship, and the event blew out most of her power systems, causing her ship to lose maneuvering and start falling into the planet's gravity well. Just before her ship burned up, two Narn fighters deployed by G'Kar came to her rescue. After the event, he explained to her the reason why he warned her to stay away from Sigma 957: trying to understand the creatures that walk there is as fruitless as an ant trying to understand a human.

In 2260, the Army of Light began to form against the upcoming war against the Shadows. Commander Susan Ivanova sought them out using the Great Machine, discovering the ruins of the Walker civilization on Sigma 957. She and Marcus Cole went aboard the White Star to contact them. She managed to convince them to join the allies, partly by exploiting the Walkers' disdain for the Vorlons.[3]

They participated in the final battle of the Second Shadow War. After being summoned into the fight by Captain John Sheridan, they helped destroy the Vorlon planet killer. They then departed the galaxy with the rest of the First Ones.[4]

Notes[]

  • The "mask" image seen by Ivanova is stated to have been a form of representation, an icon, rather than the actual appearance of the Walkers.[2]
  • The name "Walkers" is never explicitly mentioned in the series, nor is it the "real" name of the species. The name comes from G'Kar's line: "They walk near Sigma 957."[1] However, J. Michael Straczynski has stated that the species' name is 15,000 letters long.[5]
  • JMS wrote about the Walkers' reaction to the Vorlons: "Well, this isn't a *literal* translation, because some words don't translate, but the *sense* of the sentence would be 'the vorlons can kiss my ____.'"[2]

References[]


Advertisement