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Many fans of the Babylon 5 TV Series will agree that the single most important element of the show that kept us coming back for more was the mystery of the Vorlons and the Shadows. Two races of beings that were so advanced they no longer had material bodies. They were beings of light that placed their life energy into encounter suits to enable them to interact with the lesser races, with beings like us.

The Vorlons and the Shadows were the thread that wove its way throughout the series, the one main story underlying the many episodic stories. It is what bound all the episodes together. With each episode we learned a little more about these two god-like races. They were billions of years ahead of us. In time, as the series progressed, we came to learn they were among the first races ever to come into existence in our galaxy.

As a species they barely even noticed us most of the times, no more than we would acknowledge an insect. And yet they were interested in the lesser races to a small degree but for what purpose? Trying to figure out this secret is what engaged many of the viewers. Like reading a great mystery novel we tried to solve the riddle before reaching the end. It soon became evident that the Vorlons and the Shadows were aware of each other but were not on speaking terms, as if there was a great rift between them.

It was the Vorlons who made contact first, making themselves known to a small number of individuals from the Minbari and Human races. The extent of their involvement was minimal, offering nothing more than advice or maybe just being present to watch us. All they would impart to us was a warning – of a time that was coming when chaos and war might threaten our existence. We were to prepare ourselves but they could not get involved directly.

The Shadows on the other hand got involved directly. They chose individuals from the lesser races with whom they gave aid to. When needed, the Shadows would not hesitate to use their far superior warships to tip the balance in some dispute between the lesser races. Their warships, billions of years ahead of anything else, seemed indestructible and possessed a fire power that was unrivaled. Their shear power was unimaginable to us lesser races.

But what was this great cosmic dance that the Vorlons and the Shadows were playing at? And what did it have to do with us? Near the end we find out that it was nothing more than a difference in ideologies. The Vorlons evolved to their apex by choosing a life of order and discipline, this is what had worked for them so this is all they knew. The Shadows had arisen out the ashes of chaos, conflict and war, it had made them what they were. What they both wanted from the lesser races was for us to chose one of their ways, to follow them up the same evolutionary chain. What did the lesser races do? To appreciate the answer to that question you would just have to watch the entire series.

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