Delenn's Telepathic Abilities???

Delenn\'s Telepathic Abilities???

Did Delenn have telepathic abilities that JMS at one point planned on taking to someplace?

1. She shut Alisa Belden out of her mind when she [Alisa] got too close to seeing the events of Chrysalis.
2. When Susan, Delenn, and Lyta went to Z'HA'DUM looking for Sheridan, Delenn seemed to amplify Lyta's call.
3. When sitting down to dinner with Londo when he came to Minbar to present Delenn and John with the Urn containing the Keeper, destined for David, you could see a realization in her face, when she felt Londo's Keeper's presence.

I can't remember any more specific examples, but, I'm sure there were more times when it seemed there was something telepathic about Delenn.

What's everyone think,
JMS decided not to travel a road he started?
JMS did travel the road and it's just too subtle to make sense to me?
or perhaps it's all in my mind?

Re: Delenn\'s Telepathic Abilities???

The first could be simple mental discipline, as some other non-telepathic characters demonstrated. The second is probably just subjective; I didn't perceive it that way (though you could be right). The third is your best evidence; she does seem to have some latent sense that something was wrong.

Re: Delenn\'s Telepathic Abilities???

I guess Delenn has some telepatic habilities also or a strong perception. Remember when he recognized Morden immediately when he was asking the ambassador. And what about the triangle on her forehead ? Valen's inheritance also ?

Re: Delenn\'s Telepathic Abilities???

I guess Delenn has some telepatic habilities also or a strong perception. Remember when he recognized Morden immediately when he was asking the ambassador. And what about the triangle on her forehead ? Valen's inheritance also ?

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Thanks, that was another example I hadn't recalled, not the triangle itself (I believe that was a "Shadow Detector" all of the Grey Council had). But the way Morden's face blacked out, was the same theatrical effect Talia had when Sheridan forced the encounter with Morden in the hallway, when Sheridan tried to co-erce Talia into scanning Morden to find out about the Icarus. Of course the "Shadow Detector" could also explain Delenn's reaction to Londo's Keeper.

Re: Delenn\'s Telepathic Abilities???

In the Season 1 episode 'And the Sky Full of Stars' Sinclair is delusional following his escape from the mind machine. Delenn meets him and brings him back to normal.

A couple of words seems insufficient but a Psi probe may be able to stabilise Sinclair's mind. Lyta appears to do something similar to Sheridan when he is rescued from integration.

I believe that Mira Furlan was asked at a convention if Delenn was a telepath and she replied that all Minbari are to some extent. Someone may have a link.

That just leaves Delenn's Psi rating. It is probably a P3/P4. P2s only work when they are touching you. If Delenn is a P12 she could read anyone in the room and either she never done that or is a very good actress.

Re: Delenn\'s Telepathic Abilities???

Delenn found out that Lochley was Sheridan's ex-wife. Sheridan avoided telling her and I have a feeling that Lochley and Garibaldi did not tell her. Although Delenn may have worked it out from the sort of questions Garibaldi was asking and Sheridan's reactions.

Re: Delenn\'s Telepathic Abilities???

Delenn found out that Lochley was Sheridan's ex-wife. Sheridan avoided telling her and I have a feeling that Lochley and Garibaldi did not tell her. Although Delenn may have worked it out from the sort of questions Garibaldi was asking and Sheridan's reactions.

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Actually, Sheridan told her, they just didn't show it on screen. You had a shot of Delenn asking him what Lochley meant when she said "that isn't like him", then cut to Sheridan and Delenn lying in bed and Delenn looking very pissed at what she heard and Sheridan saying he was waiting for the right opportunity to explain. No telepathy involved, just the normal husband and wife not communicating until one of them outright asks stuff.

Re: Delenn\'s Telepathic Abilities???

Delenn found out that Lochley was Sheridan's ex-wife. Sheridan avoided telling her and I have a feeling that Lochley and Garibaldi did not tell her. Although Delenn may have worked it out from the sort of questions Garibaldi was asking and Sheridan's reactions.

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As stated in the previous post, Sheridan confessed. What tipped Delenn off, that forced that conversation to take place was she got suspicious as to why Lochley would know what was and wasn't like Sheridan. So, maybe she picked up on a feeling, but this probably was just female intuition, as in "Why do you know so much about my man..."

Re: Delenn\'s Telepathic Abilities???

It's frequently been hinted that the older races are all telepathic -- the Vorlons certainly are, and perhaps the Shadows too. Perhaps the Minbari are a step ahead of Humans on that road. Remember that Minbari telepaths are stronger than Human ones -- or at least they can stop Bester in "Dust to Dust."

Also note that the most unambiguous evidence for Delenn's abilities is in relation to the Shadows. The Minbari have a long history with them, and Delenn, as Entil'zha, has even more reason to be aware of their movements. Perhaps she and other Minbari are latent telepaths, with their abilities brought out by Shadows.

Re: Delenn\'s Telepathic Abilities???

Personally I don’t think it has anything to do with Delenn having or not having Psi abilities.
If you would look closely at the timing of Delenn response to the keeper you will notice that the trigger are Londo words “My associates…” the same words that where used by one person only, Morden.
I think that made her wonder what is going on exactly.

Re: Delenn\'s Telepathic Abilities???

Yeah, I think that her relationship to the Vorlons made her sensitive to the Shadows. If she'd really known what the keeper was she would've said or done something about it.

Remember that guy in season 5 who was trying to block Lyta because he knew some of the tricks. Of course he couldn't because Lyta was so powerful, but we know that a disciplined mind of a non-telepath can fight off the lighter probing of telepaths. Delenn, as a high-ranking member of the religious caste, must have an incredibly disciplined mind.

Re: Delenn\'s Telepathic Abilities???

This might be a stretch, but remember that guy that tried to kill Garibaldi in season 5? Garibaldi had Lyta scan him, and she said that he was trained in countering telepathic scans. Perhaps Delenn had similar training on Minbar. Plus she was head of the Rangers and part of the Grey Council. Given that she had those two positions at one time or another, it would seem to make sense that she'd have some kind of training in dealing with telepaths.

Re: Delenn\'s Telepathic Abilities???

well, if you take the B5 univers at face value. They were in the first shadow war making them far more advanced than us. Yes I know I'm stating the obvious but consider this. They had telepaths as apart of society whereas human telepaths were a recent addition to human society. Maybe exposure to generations of telepaths and telepathic thoughts helped build up an immunity to certain levels of telepathy and RW's statement of her being part of the religious caste. Mental training and discipline might put her at an exceptionally strong mental level. Look at zen bhuddists who have control over pain and to a certain degree, involuntary body functions. Ie building up a sweat in the snow by merely concentrating on it.

Re: Delenn\'s Telepathic Abilities???

I haven't heard of Minbari making a fuss about telepaths living among non-telepaths (or about them marrying).

Therefore, with high probability, telepath genes are far more diluted (and fairly commonplace) among the Minbari.

Humans may have an unnaturally high proportion of high-level telepaths because of their recent introduction, and the Psi-Corps breeding them like cattle.

Telepathy among the Minbari is likely to follow a fairly natural distribution... typical for a gene set offering slight benefit when communicating with people, introduced in X copies Y years ago.

Among the Minbari, pieces of the telepath gene set... rarely meet in the same person.

Delenn could plausibly have a few telepath genes -- just a few pieces of the puzzle, but hardly anything like the whole set.

Re: Delenn\'s Telepathic Abilities???

In the Season 4 episode 'Lines of Communication' Delenn (and Lennier) "feels" the evil in the Drahk emissary.

Re: Delenn\'s Telepathic Abilities???

Well, to be honest... I would have considered that Drakh guy/gal/entity somewhat suspect too.

While its comments about a destroyed homeworld could have suggested the race was an unlucky victim of the Shadow war (which, in some sense, it was)... its notably high level of technology raised the question of why it was totally unknown (certainly capable of traveling far and wide).

Likewise, while possibly a Drakh cultural oddity... its eagerness to translate its homeworld into a meaningless self-reference could have raised suspicion -- leaving open the possibility that the original pronounciation of "Home" was omitted to avoid provoking ill associations in a Minbari mind.

Last of all, both Delenn and Lennier knew of a Pak'ma'ra transport which had been attacked and destroyed, presumably without provocation, in the near proximity of their contact.

Hence in my opinion... while a degree of telepathy is not excluded... it seems unlikely. It seems also unlikely that the Drakh would send as emissary anyone... whose mind is physically vulnerable and technically undefended against telepathy.

Since I presume the Drakh don't practise digital or quantum thinking... ...I suspect the emissary simply had certain skills on par with a strong telepath, or carried a technical device which helps prevent telepathic invasion of privacy.

That the Drakh emissary did not mess with anyone's mind can be attributed to avoidance of provocation.