Observation Dome

Hi! How are you? My name's Lieutenant David Corwin and I'm one of the Dome Techs working in the Observation Dome, or C&C as we sometimes call it. Actually, this is Observation Dome 2 - there's another identical Command and Control centre diametrically opposite on the other side of Blue 1. We tend to work in 12-hour shifts. I monitor the traffic in and out of the local Grid Epsilon jumpgate. Sooner or later, everyone comes to Babylon 5.

As you can see the stars out through the Observation Dome directly ahead, you would correctly surmise that C&C is situated right at the front, or northern end, of Babylon 5. Actually, it's directly underneath the main docking bay. If you look out now, you may be able to see ships coming in overhead.

Docking Bay

On this external shot, taken by CamBot 4, you can see the command sphere of Babylon 5. The camera is focusing on the entrance to the main docking bay. You can see the magnetic stabiliser arms, which help to guide the arriving ships into the dock.

A ship has to approach the station along its main axis, rolling slowly, in order to synchronise with the station's rotation. The main carousel rotates at about 60 meters per second at the inner circumference, which gives a comfortable one standard Earth gravity inside.

You're right - the rotation doesn't look very fast from here, but you have to remember that the CamBot is filming us from over a kilometre away. You forget just how big Babylon 5 is - it's eight kilometres long, from the tip of the docking stabilisers to the end of the fusion reactor.

Right now, from the CamBot's point of view, we're standing upside down - you can just see C&C on the display here as the tiny dot-like protrusion about 1cm above the entrance to the bay. And that's why it only feels like one quarter standard gravity here - we're moving round a smaller circle and the centrifugal force isn't as strong. Parts of the station extend farther out, to give a more natural environment for higrav species.

Grid Epsilon

My job is to monitor traffic through Grid Epsilon. That's the name we give to this sector of space in Epsilon Eridani, served by the local jumpgate. Hear that signal? It means someone's coming through the gate now. You can see on the monitor from CamBot 17 over here. It's impressive when a jumpgate is activated - you get a massive gravitic charge to build up down the arms of each spine, and then the gravity incline into hyperspace opens up. The vortex is usually blue-shifted for arriving ships and red-shifted for departing ships.

It's the only way to travel from one star system to the next, unless you want to freeze yourself in cryo-suspension for a hundred years or so. You could talk to Dr Franklin in MedLab about that, it's not my area.

The jumpgates are basically a technology left behind by an ancient alien civilisation. We bought the technology from the Centauri, who were the first alien race to contact us over a hundred and fifty years ago. The jumpgates require an enormous amount of energy to work. Each spine has its own fusion reactor, supplemented by twin arrays of solar panels.

We cracked the technology for ourselves about fifty years ago; but only the largest capital ships have enough power to create their own jump points. Most transports and shuttles use the grid system of jumpgates linking known space. Beyond the Rim lies completely unexplored space.

Alien Visitors

Hey, that transport just arriving now is Ambassador Kosh's vessel. He's the first ever Vorlon ambassador to Babylon 5. Nobody other than Commander Sinclair has ever had more than the briefest glimpse of him; we think the Vorlons are an extremely advanced race, but they're a great mystery.

So what kinds of aliens do we get here? I reckon we must see them all, at one time or another. I suppose the most important are the Minbari, they helped to fund the Babylon Project after all, since the most important function of the station was to establish the peace after the Earth-Minbari War. You will have to find Commander Sinclair if you want to find out more about that - he served in the war.

But the Centauri are here too; and that means that the Narns are involved. I guess either race wouldn't want the other to gain an unfair advantage! They've had their differences in the past - it's only 100 years since Narn was a Centauri colony and the Narns are eager to make their mark in the new order.

Apart from that, we get all kinds of spacefaring species coming through the jumpgate - Abbai, Llort, Pak'ma'ra, Drazi, Gaim, Markab, Vree, Hyach and Brakiri are just some that come to mind.

Exit to Transport Tube

What next? Follow the EarthForce signs? Use the BabCom terminal? Or go home?