The Logical Choice

[QMCO5]

In “No Compromises” Sheridan reiterates a decision that Minbar is the logical choice for the new Interstellar Alliance headquarters. So I thought for a minute and came to much the same conclusion. Can’t go to earth – wounds over civil war still healing and potential war zone with the telepaths. Can’t go to Centauri Prime – no longer an Alliance member. Can’t go to Narn – Sheridan wouldn’t make G’Kar go home and accommodations would be spartan. Can’t go to the Pakmara homeworld – the smell. Can’t go the Drazi homeworld – eyesight is too important. I’m sure an analysis of other home worlds would yield similar findings.

QMCO5

 

[Flounder]

There's allways the possibility of an agrarian colony world, or something. Like some UN agencies are headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland; and there are international courts in den Haag and in Strasbourg. A non-homeworld would signify the Alliance being impartial to a single member.
But Minbar had good defences allready.

 

[Sinclair]

I never really thought about it. Minbar probably was a good choice, but the Llort homeworld should have been the logical choice. With Delenn's ties to Minbar though, it was probably the wisest decision.

 

[Sindatur]

Plus the Ranger's main Base of Operations was on Minbar, so that's another reason for it to be the logical place to setup shop.

 

[Shaal Mayan]

Plus another reason would be that the Minbari were now the only ones that had access to any tech of the vorlons and were even before a strong military power.

 

[A_M_Swallow]

The other alternative is to make Babylon 5 the permanent capital. One way of ensuring that government stays small.

 

[RMcD]

The other alternative is to make Babylon 5 the permanent capital. One way of ensuring that government stays small.

Yeah, but the fact that they had to inaugurate the President of the Universe in front of fifteen people in a room the size of my flat (standing room only) suggests B5 is maybe just a bit too small..

 

[Granite]

What about DisneyPlanet? That would be a fun place to run the galaxy!

 

[fisheggs]

What about Epsilon 3? Refugees were shipped there so the climate is amenable, the Great Machine is formidable and can't be much of a secret by the end of the series and B5 could be a way station to E3 and the rest of the Universe. I never really got the idea that it had somehow become a navigational hazard unless folk were going to the planet, and it's still a big target to miss?

 

[sleepy_shadow]

To some extent... the Machine of Epsilon may have a will of its own. It may not be amenable to the possibility.

Likewise, if the Interstellar Alliance located its headquarters there... they would be a sitting duck to anyone who can control/provoke/infiltrate the Machine.

Sitting on a habitat with a mind of its own is jolly good... if the mind is good-natured and reliable. Epsilon 3 however, especially when denied a suitable custodian... has an inherent urge to play Z'ha'dum.

 

[wolfranger]

The other alternative is to make Babylon 5 the permanent capital. One way of ensuring that government stays small.

But Babylon 5 was a Earth Alliance Base. So it would be the same as being on Earth.

 

[Flounder]

I think it was meant to say that it was a way of keeping the government physically small. One flaw there: Extensions. After building up the unbuilt areas of Grey Sector and Brown Sector, they could have bought some 2nd-hand cargo ships and passenger liners, and extended the station piece by piece untill the station was a physical representation of the cobbled together mess of a bureaucracy it contained.

 

[PillowRock]

Another possibility, after some cleaning, would be the Markab home world (after re-building the jump gate, of course).

It already has a fair amount of infrastructure, and isn't a "home advantage" for any member race.

On the down side, you would have to convince *all* of the support people (shop keepers, barbers, power plant workers, etc. to relocate there from other planets. Given the recent history, that might be a bit of a tough sell ..... especially since that disease did jump species at least once.

 

[A_M_Swallow]

But Babylon 5 was a Earth Alliance Base. So it would be the same as being on Earth.

Babylon 5 had declared independence and fought 2 wars making it look very different from Earth. The aliens were also used to it being a diplomatic meeting point.

Babylon 5 would be expanded as the ISA government expands. However expanding spacestations is difficult and expensive. This is a big counter pressure keeping the government under control and encourages delegation.

 

[RW7427]

Another possibility, after some cleaning, would be the Markab home world (after re-building the jump gate, of course).

It already has a fair amount of infrastructure, and isn't a "home advantage" for any member race.

On the down side, you would have to convince *all* of the support people (shop keepers, barbers, power plant workers, etc. to relocate there from other planets. Given the recent history, that might be a bit of a tough sell ..... especially since that disease did jump species at least once.

Yeah, many members of the alliance would probably be afraid that traces of the disease that killed the Markabs would still be around and that they would get sick and die too.

 

[Sindatur]

Did we ever get solid proof that the Markab illness wasn't the same plague used on Earth, or is that still a possibility?

 

[sleepy_shadow]

It cannot have been identical. Otherwise the Human population of B5 would have caught it too.

From the speed at which a well-versed xenobiologist like Steven Franklin developed a vaccine... I dare say it was a soft, vulnerable biological disease -- deadly if unexpected, defeatable when given sufficient attention. The Markab failure to contain it... was a failure of surprise and inflexibility.

The Drakh contaminant used against Earth, especially if originating from Shadows... could have been a far more difficult thing. Part biological, part machine... possibly not just adaptive... but communicative, specializing, analytical and planning.

 

[deaded]

I'd also like to offer up my house as a base for the Interstellar Alliance. I have internet access and I'm pretty close to a freeway. Plus my kids are really well behaved and my backyard is big enough to land a WhiteStar.

 

[deaded]

Did we ever get solid proof that the Markab illness wasn't the same plague used on Earth, or is that still a possibility?

Nothing solid but since it was communicable only between Markab and did not seem to affect anyone else on the station I think we can be pretty comfortable that it's a different and non-adaptive virus.

 

[vacantlook]

...but since it was communicable only between Markab and did not seem to affect anyone else on the station....

At one point in the story, the drafa virus jumped species from the Markab to the Pak'ma'ra. It was in examining the similarity between Markab and Pak'ma'ra biology that enabled Franklin to devise a cure.