Ragesh 3

[HockeyPlayer47]

Hey Guys,

In the episode Midnight on the Firing Line G'kar states, in the councel chamber, that, before the Centauri invaded Narn, Ragesh 3 was a Narn colonie. What confuses me is that the Narns didn't have any of the technology to travel to other worlds before the Centauri invaded them. So how could Ragesh 3 have been a Narn colonie before the Centauri invasion? Anyone got any ideas? Thanks in advance.

Later,
HockeyPlayer47

 

[KoshFan]

You know, the whole Narn-technology-and-colonies-before-the-Centauri-came question has bugged me too.

So that makes two votes in request of enlightenment.

 

[Enlightened_GKar]

It could simply be a matter of territory. If an alien race setup a base on Neptune, the majority of us would feel threatened. We would feel as if the aliens were setting foot on 'our' land, although we have no official claim to it.

 

[raisincajuns]

At one point they had to have had the technology though -- since they participated in the war a 1000 years ago (I think) since that is where it is said that all the Narn telepaths were destroyed?!?

 

[vacantlook]

It is my understanding that in the skermish with the Shadows a thousand years prior to Babylon 5, the Narns fought an isolated part of the war against the Shadows trying to establish a base on their homeworld with the aid of a single Vorlon, not that the Nars were a part of the spacefaring community that took part in the greater space battle with or parallel to the Minbari.

 

[raisincajuns]

Okay then, the question is valid how could they have had an outpost on Ragesh 3 before the Centauri came then?? Go ahead and ruin what could have been a good answer **RC is feeling peckish due to the flu -- please excuse anything she says**

 

[vacantlook]

I don't really know. Maybe while they hadn't developed hyperspace-travelling ships they had employed either some cryosleep ships or generational ships to colonize Ragesh 3.



It is a bit "Hmm..." provoking.

 

[Fas]

According to this page the Narns had a jumpgate in their orbit, and had already explored space. Maybe thats the answer to the question.

 

[Jade Jaguar]

Even if the Narns didn't have a jump gate nearby, the could still reach a few stars with fast sublight travel, and without sleeper ships, thus establishing colonies, just as the Earth may one day do, even if faster-than-light travel isn't possible.

 

[MOmega]

It seems that Narns had jump gate on the orbit. It is only reasonable explanation.

 

[GeoKuutio]

It seems that Narns had jump gate on the orbit. It is only reasonable explanation.

But.. if they had the technology to use jumpgate and travel in hyperspace and even navigate there, which isn't so easy even for current (talking about year 2262 and beyond) ships, without beacons I would say, impossible. I mean, if they had all this before Centauri invasion.. then they would have orbital planetary defence or something? This just.. well.. is bugging me too.

 

[Jade Jaguar]

Perhaps B5Tech is wrong, and they didn't have a jumpgate. Has B5Tech been declared cannon? It would still be possible to have colonies on near by stars with sub light ships, unless there were no stars as near to Narn as there are to Earth.

 

[Gary Baldy]

simple explanation: jms screwed up

I imagine what they tried to do was to arrange the timeline so that you first have the Narns liberating themselves then conquering Ragesh 3 from the Centauri. Unfortunately they were about 50 yrs out (Narn independence 2209 from B5 timeline).

Assume JMS didn't screw up. There is another plausible explanation. During the Centauri occupation, Narns were shipped elsewhere in the Republic, much like how Indians were sent to Guyana, Fiji, South Africa in the British Empire. There were sufficient Narns in Ragesh 3 with a small number of Centauri stationed there as overseers. When the Centauri left Narn, Narns from Ragesh 3 were repatriated back to Narn homeworld as part of a peace settlement. Nevertheless, the Narn govt can claim that Narns have been present in Ragesh 3 from 100 yrs ago.

 

[Zathras]

Keep in mind that we're talking about G'Kar at the very beginning of the B5 arc. He was often willing to blow the truth out of proportion when it came to relations with the Centauri. The statement didn't have to be TRUE, he just had to make the council BELIEVE it was true (somewhere in the backs of their minds). It just adds a little more weight to the Narn position.

 

[raisincajuns]

Fine!! Just do a simple explanation that makes sense and make the rest of the discussion senseless!! Actually, you are probably right -- but does that make the discussion a moot point?

 

[PillowRock]

By the same token, the only source we have for the premise that the Narn had no tech except what the Centauri gave them is Londo. He has also had every reason lie (or at least "exagerate"). It may very well be that the Narn were a fledgling space fairing race with just a couple of colonies when the Centauri turned their attention to them. "Not being a technological match for the Centauri in a war" and "having colonies on a couple of planets" are not contradictory statements.

 

[vacantlook]

I was thinking a bit earlier and for some reason I remember reading somewhere that the Centauri didn't invade Narn right away. I can't remember where I read this, but if I'm remembering correctly, it said that the Centauri approached Narn trying to annex it similarly in effort to how the Centauri at first tried to take Earth into the Centauri Republic until Earth found out the Centauri had lied to them and that the Centauri were vastly different from humans genetically despite appearances. If the Centauri did originally attempt a less militaristic way of pulling the Narn into the Centauri government, perhaps it was then that the Narn got their hands on some of the more advanced technology that would allow them to create the colony on Ragesh 3 with it being only after that that the Centauri decided that it would just be easier to invade and seize Narn than to try and diplomatically manipulate them into what the wanted them to be.

Again, I can't remember where I read this, so it might have just been something some fan of the show thought up, but it's still a thought.

 

[Mindwalker]

why not ask JMS?