Equality among the races?

[JMB1138]

Something occurred to me while watching LOTR the other day. Martel mentions in the movie how only recently have the Rangers begun accepting Narn and Drazi recruits. Ideally I suppose, once they gain more numbers and aquire an equal level of experience they will be equals in the eyes of the other Rangers.

My question though is this: the Rangers believe Humans and Minbari are two races with a greater destiny - and that their two destinies are intertwined. The organization seems centered around that belief. Ranger pins have one Minbari figure, and one Human figure. When made, the pins are cooled in Minbari blood, Human blood, and then some kind of holy water. The Rangers seem to hold Humans and Minbari with some kind of holier-than-thou attitude, as if they are the chosen people.

<table bgcolor=black><tr><td bgcolor=black><font size=1 color=white>Spoiler:</font></td></tr><tr><td><font size=2 color=black>(Which, if you go by the events depicted a million years hence in "The Deconstruction of Falling Stars," I suppose the are.)</font></td></tr></table>

I wonder how the other races feel about this, now that the Rangers are supposed to be representing *all* the races in the Alliance. I know that I wouldn't want to be a part of an organization if there was no hope whatsoever of me being able to stand as an equal as long as I prove my skill.

Thoughts?

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-jmb

 

[hell2555]

you have a point...



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We live for the one, we die for the one. and... I am the one.

 

[**DONOTDELETE**]

The human figure and blood were probably added after the Human Minbari war. I think that Dalenn added them and allowed humans into the rangers as a form atonement for the war and in an effort to "reunify their souls".

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[Joseph DeMartino]

The Human figure was added to the Ranger Pin when Sinclair became Anla'shok Na in 2259, and the ranks of the Rangers were opened (grudgingly) to Humans. The Minbari barely tolerated Humans, in part because of their belief (still held by many Minbari) that Minbari souls are being reborn as Humans, and that the two races are at least spiritually akin.

The Rangers began accepting recruits from other races in 2262. The movie is set in 2265 (possibly 2264 according to some sources) If 2265 we don't know when in that year, so it may be only slightly more than two years since other aliens were allowed into the group.

During most of that time the Narn have been rebuilding their devastated homeworld, and probably taking little interest in the rest of the universe. (Except when offered a chance to bomb the hell out of the Centauri homeworld.) Also, G'Kar has been away for much of that time, and he's probably one of the few Narn leaders who looks outward and would keep his people engaged. (I suspect he had a hand in Na'Feel's recruitment, for instance.)

The Drazi have were caught with their hand in the cookie jar in the early days of the Alliance, and were threatened with a Ranger fleet as a result. So the Rangers were probably not a popular career choice among the Drazi for awhile.

Finally, both the Narn and the Drazi ignored Sheridan's orders and bombed Centauri Prime. Chances are the IA imposed some kind of sanctions on them for that little escapade. Exclusion from the Rangers might have been part of those sanctions, and the ban may just have been lifted.

I don't this is a matter of Human-Minbari chauvanism generally. There are probably Rangers from other races who joined almost immediately. (The Pak'mara, for example.

) But the circumstances of the Drazi and the Narn were different, which probably explains why they've only just joined the ranks of the Rangers.

Regards,

Joe

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Joseph DeMartino
Sigh Corps
Pat Tallman Division
joseph-demartino@att.net

 

[GKarsEye]

The Human-Minbari connection is symbolic. Humans are the first non-Minbari to be accepted in to the Rangers. This is the largest milestone in their history since they were founded.

Think of the American flag, where the stripes represent the original 13 colonies. It's not a slight to the later colonies and states, it's just a reverence for the first ones, to symbolise the union. The Ranger pin is the same.

The Rangers movie made a point of telling us that Narns and Drazi are rare and treated a bit differently. It is something that will be explored in the (god willing) series.

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"You do not make history. You can only hope to survive it."

 

[Cern]

I seem to remember Lennier saying that the scar on his cheek was from a Drazi recruit.
That would have been in the middle of S5. Maybe it was Tirk?

Does anyone know how long Ranger school is? I remember something from To Dream in the City of Sorrows that mentioned 3 months, but that was in wartime and they would have needed to crank out as many Rangers as possible.

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So come on rally round this brave and valiant cause with tradition, pride, and honor at its core. With swords drawn to defend stood these noble-hearted men. Faugh-an-ballagh, clear the way, me boys!!
-Dropkick Murphys: Heroes From Our Past

 

[bakana]

I remember Marcus once saying that His training lasted about a Year.

Lennier's training seemed to be taking at least that long, too.

It would also vary a bit depending on the Individual, what he/she Already knew before joining and what sort of Specialty he/she was being trained in.



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Do not ascribe your own motivations to others:
At best, it will break your heart.
At worst, it will get you dead."

 

[Cern]

maybe the 3 months was like Boot Camp.

I'll have to check the book, but I'm pretty sure that at the end of 3 months they get their Isil Zha pin. whether thats the end of training I dont know, but the Minbari answer is probably "you really never stop training"...

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So come on rally round this brave and valiant cause with tradition, pride, and honor at its core. With swords drawn to defend stood these noble-hearted men. Faugh-an-ballagh, clear the way, me boys!!
-Dropkick Murphys: Heroes From Our Past