What exactly is B5 hyperspace?

Patrick Degan · Post by **Patrick Degan** » 2003-07-17 02:05pm

As I watch Babylon 5 more in reruns, I'm led inexorably to examine the nature of the travel zone which their civilisations refer to as "hyperspace".

One thing that has to be kept in mind is that none of the current races in the B5verse actually seem to have either discovered hyperspace or invented jumpgate technology on their own. Either each one has found an already-existing jumpgate which their scientists were able to reverse-engineer in order to produce working models, or were sold time on jumpgate routes not long after contact with the other space-traversing civilisations in the galaxy (before ultimately purchasing their own jumpgates and duplicating them). But in just about all cases, they were handed the keys to this so-called "hyperspace". The question is if any of these races actually understand what it is they're travelling the galaxy in —even the Vorlons and Shadows.

Consider: the other elder races which we know as the First Ones seem to have very different methods of Fast Galactic Travel. When the Walkers of Sigma 957 were first encountered, we observe their ship generating a very energetic electrostatic corridor through which a different region of the galaxy is clearly visible at the opposite end. First One ships observed in season four's "Into The Fire" very clearly do not operate on the jumpgate principle. Perhaps they do not traverse what the Younger Races refer to as "hyperspace" at all.

Consider what has been observed in the series regarding the nature of B5 hyperspace: it is accessed by artifical wormhole tunnels leading into the domain, which must also provide the access back into normal space. Ships within this space move at STL velocities and seek out mathematical coordinate points to align with in order to jump back to normal space, or these are provided by the beacons which are located at discrete points in space and lace this domain with signals; in a sense defining it. Distances are measured in kilometres and the domain is mapped into sectors. Finally, there is a measured drift within this domain produced by energy currents and a "gravitational incline" down which ships may be lost forever. Ships must run engines constantly to maintain course, but it appears that they can also hold station at selected rendezvous points, and free navigation within the domain is no different than in normal space.

All of this suggests that what the various races of the B5verse understand to be hyperspace may be no such thing. What if, instead, their "hyperspace" is actually the Galactic Core? This would suggest that all jumpgates are aimed toward this central point in the galaxy, where travellers end up traversing considerably shorter distances before finding an exit point analogous to their destination in their home region of the galaxy. The local conditions observed within "hyperspace" seem to be analogous to the Core. But then, there is the inevitable question as to whether the radiation levels would be far too intense for any protection to be effective.

The other possibility is that this "hyperspace" was manufactured; a discrete region of space/time which was engineered into a "closed timelike loop" (CTL) by one of the more ancient First Ones (or perhaps by Lorien's people) or poduced by an acolyte culture which predated the Vorlons but came after the First Ones; accessed by jumpgate and providing a central point for space travel and transit to galactic regions seperated by distances of light years. Perhaps part of a network of CTLs scattered throughout the galaxy which are linked in a different way: each one acting as a transit highway for their galactic region and also interconnected with one another (perhaps Thirdspace...?) —though this level of access was lost to the knowledge of the later FOs and is totally unknown to the YRs in the present time.

Solid Snake · Post by **Solid Snake** » 2003-07-17 03:34pm

Orange goo that cuts travel time in pieces.

Patrick Degan · Post by **Patrick Degan** » 2003-07-17 03:48pm

SolidSnake wrote:Orange goo that cuts travel time in pieces.

kojikun · Post by **kojikun** » 2003-07-17 04:29pm

strictly speaking, hyperspace itself is a basement universe below ours. the
idea is that the universe is a big sphere, and a hyperspace is a sphere
inside it (thirdspace being even deeper down). The polar distances (by
angle) between any two points in real space will be the same in hyperspace,
its the same angle, but the arc is smaller in hyperspace because its closer
to the vertex. Quantium-40 is the magic material the pulls you into
hyperspace. I'm guessing what happens is that quantum-40 and hyperspace
both have a natural attraction to one another like two oppositely charged
particles do, and a sufficient density of Q40 can pull the ship and real-space
into a wormhole type thing (the vortex you see) that connects hyperspace
and realspace.

but thats hyperspace, not anythign else.

and its RED FRACTAL NOISE not
orange goo.

Gil Hamilton · Post by **Gil Hamilton** » 2003-07-17 04:45pm

Actually, it was the Vorlons who originally placed all the Jumpgate/Beacon all around the galaxy, because they were trying to stop the younger races from developing hypertravel on their own, as a bit of a control device. So it's a fair chance they know all about hyperspace, since they originally developed that way of accessing hypertravel. Notice that the Shadows have an entirely different method of accessing hyperspace, as do all the other First Ones.

Rye · Post by **Rye** » 2003-07-17 04:57pm

THAT's what i wanted to ask! Thanks Gil!

Why do the Drach use jump points?

Gil Hamilton · Post by **Gil Hamilton** » 2003-07-17 05:08pm

Rye wrote:THAT's what i wanted to ask! Thanks Gil!

Why do the Drach use jump points?

I'm guessing that the Shadows aren't keen to give their hyperdrives to their followers, so the Drak had to make do with the jump network like everyone else.

kojikun · Post by **kojikun** » 2003-07-17 06:51pm

Gil Hamilton wrote:Actually, it was the Vorlons who originally placed all the Jumpgate/Beacon all around the galaxy, because they were trying to stop the younger races from developing hypertravel on their own, as a bit of a control device. So it's a fair chance they know all about hyperspace, since they originally developed that way of accessing hypertravel. Notice that the Shadows have an entirely different method of accessing hyperspace, as do all the other First Ones.

Whered you get that from? Novels?

SyntaxVorlon · Post by **SyntaxVorlon** » 2003-07-17 07:44pm

Gil Hamilton wrote:
Rye wrote:THAT's what i wanted to ask! Thanks Gil!

Why do the Drach use jump points?
I'm guessing that the Shadows aren't keen to give their hyperdrives to their followers, so the Drak had to make do with the jump network like everyone else.

The Shadows brought the drahk up pretty well with FO like qualities, though mostly corporeal they can detatch parts of their minds into little 'keepers' which control others and can make themselves invisible.

But they kept them mostly as a slave race, and only gave them technology as it suited the Shadow cause, leaving little behind.

XaLEv · Post by **XaLEv** » 2003-07-17 08:09pm

kojikun wrote: Whered you get that from? Novels?

That comes from B5wars.

Jeremy · Post by **Jeremy** » 2003-07-17 08:37pm

The Drakh were once a race, they then sided with the Shadows as recent as the AD1200 Shadow War or even before then. They recieved a techologicial leg up like Earth did but eventually they were altered much like the Tartimude. The "keepers" are just bio-technology that most likely have a limited thinking ability (geared towards self preservation and obeying the Drakh) and are equipped with the same "mental communicator" as the Drakh are, this allows the Drakh to control people.

The Vorlons are possibly capable of folding space (then again Ulkesh could have just dropped his transport's cloak to reveal himself to Galen, though the Vorlons were able to fold Hyperspace into a pocket to hide their fleet) as a means of FTL travel. We know that the Shadows phase into Hyperspace and that Lorien (if he is the ship that he used like many suspect) can use Hyperspace and create jump points. As for the Kirishiac, Torvalus, Mindriders, Triad, and Walkers (aside from AOG where I did get their names) we do not know what form of FTL travel they use.

But overall I have to agree that it is orange/red goo that cuts down travel time.

kojikun · Post by **kojikun** » 2003-07-17 09:22pm

Jeremy wrote:Torvalus

Do they happen to fly giant penguins..?

SyntaxVorlon · Post by **SyntaxVorlon** » 2003-07-17 09:35pm

The Walker's, it has been mentioned, use Third space and are completeing the careful mapping of the region.

XaLEv · Post by **XaLEv** » 2003-07-17 09:38pm

SyntaxVorlon wrote:The Walker's, it has been mentioned, use Third space and are completeing the careful mapping of the region.

The Walkers use whichever domain they want. Thirdspace is just the first one they found. And I'm pretty sure they've already mapped it.

SpacedTeddyBear · Post by **SpacedTeddyBear** » 2003-07-18 01:54am

The Walkers use whichever domain they want. Thirdspace is just the first one they found. And I'm pretty sure they've already mapped it.

So they're on friendly terms with the Thirdspace aliens?

XaLEv · Post by **XaLEv** » 2003-07-18 02:02am

SpacedTeddyBear wrote: So they're on friendly terms with the Thirdspace aliens?

Hell no. They just avoid them.

Xenophobe3691 · Post by **Xenophobe3691** » 2003-07-18 02:16am

SpacedTeddyBear wrote:
The Walkers use whichever domain they want. Thirdspace is just the first one they found. And I'm pretty sure they've already mapped it.
So they're on friendly terms with the Thirdspace aliens?

No one's on friendly terms with those hentai tentacle demons from hell. They've already wiped out thousands of species in their own space, they sure as hell aren't gonna get friendly with a bunch of fucktards who aren't even from their own Universe...

Stravo · Post by **Stravo** » 2003-07-18 02:17am

What ARE the third space aliens, their universe's version of 1st ones?

Enforcer Talen · Post by **Enforcer Talen** » 2003-07-18 02:31am

critters that sound *really* cool, till you realize slave 1 could clean house with them.

StarshipTitanic · Post by **StarshipTitanic** » 2003-07-18 02:48am

They're like the Borg but they like to recycle (they did send ancient Vorlon ships through with some of their tech glued onto the backs I believe) and they sure don't assimilate.

Their ships are extremely powerful compared to the Vorlons and Shadows (they'd tear apart Shadow ships while Vorlons can win with numbers on their side). Their smallest ship can take out a Sharlin easily but we don't know the capabilities of their main ships as they did not have the chance to enter our universe.

Gil Hamilton · Post by **Gil Hamilton** » 2003-07-18 03:03am

Stravo wrote:What ARE the third space aliens, their universe's version of 1st ones?

One of Babylon 5's many Super-Powerful-Ancient-Alien-Races-That-Want-to-Cause-Choas-and-Destruction-for-Some-Vague-Reason-that-Scare-the-Piss-Out-of-the Vorlons (or SPAARTWtCCaDfSVRtStPOooV for short). These ones in particular live in the hyperspace beyond hyperspace (a Thirdspace, if you will) and once spanked the Vorlons when they accident went into said Thirdspace, then turned a jumpgate evil, some time in the distant past. This freaked the Vorlons the hell out, so they programmed a huge fear response of these creatures in all the races they were manipulating and thus inspired tentacle hentai. Unfortunately, said Jumpgate of Evil was found and brought back to Babylon 5. Whoops, bad mistake, cause suddenly everyone starts flipping out and having funky nightmares about an ancient cyclopean city that tell them do evil stuff (and in my own mind, them chanting "Cthulhu fhtagn."). This procedes the tentacled bastards themselves popping out of the Jumpgate of Evil, big space battle happens, and John Sheridan manages some daring do with one of his infamous Pocket Nukes of Sufficent Yield, blowing the Jumpgate of Evil, saving the day. This was in the made for TV movie Thirdspace.

Oddly enough, I seem to remember some bloke writing a story about some ancient tentacled alien terror using its powerful psychic abilities to influence the dreams of unsuspecting mortals so that they dream of weird cities, while sleeping in it's lost and forgotten realm, till the day it would wake up and blow the everything the hell up. Hmmm...

Shadow WarChief · Post by **Shadow WarChief** » 2003-07-18 03:03am

Stravo wrote:What ARE the third space aliens, their universe's version of 1st ones?

They're essentially what species 8472 should have been: uber-power malevolent beings from an alternate dimension that want to commit genocide on an intergalactic scale

Of course, the main thing that they have over the species is that they don't tuck their tail between their legs and run away after losing a few ships

Enforcer Talen · Post by **Enforcer Talen** » 2003-07-18 03:05am

they just shatter at the first nuke to come along

Gil Hamilton · Post by **Gil Hamilton** » 2003-07-18 03:07am

Enforcer Talen wrote:they just shatter at the first nuke to come along

It would have been more appropriate if Sheridan rammed a fishing ship into it, but hey, Sheridan just loves his Pocket Nukes.

Rye · Post by **Rye** » 2003-07-18 01:15pm

Enforcer Talen wrote:they just shatter at the first nuke to come along

Wasn't it like..inside the artifact? A Nuke's gonna do a lot inside something...