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Who's Been Around Longer?

raven2032

Regular
Who\'s Been Around Longer?

Between the Humans, the Narns, and the Centauri, who has had space travel the longest? I don't know if it was ever said in the series, I've always thought that the Centauri had space travel first but I don't remember if it was ever said.
 
Re: Who\'s Been Around Longer?

Yes, it was said many times throughout the series and ItB.

The Minbari achieved hyperspace travel sometime over 1000 years ago, but i would personally guess about 1200-1400 years ago.

The Centauri achieved hyperspace travel around 800 years ago

The Narns achieved hyperspace travel about 100 years ago when they drove the centauri off their planet and took some of their tech and studied it.

and the Humans achieved hyperspace travel about 100 years before 2260.

The Narns are a guess from what i remember, but the others are facts i know from the series.
 
Re: Who\'s Been Around Longer?

It was never said specifically, but what you can gather is that the Minbari were space-faring for over 1000 years (1000 years ago was the latest Shadow war in which they were at LEAST space worthy enough to put up a good fight). So Minbari were probably 1200-1400 years in space.

The Centauri of the ones you mentioned were next Id say. Maybe they said it, but you have to assume they were around at least 500 years. CERTAINLY longer than the Narns, since they conquered them, and the Narns only gained space flight and technology AFTER pushing the Centauri off their world.

Humans were last to arrive on the scene. We know this because Narns were apparently JUST recently independent once we got on the scene. Then, once the Earth-Minbari war started, Narns tried to help us out (they were just a tad more experienced than we were).

Of the ones you mentioned that was probably the order. Centaur => Narns => Humans.

Again, never specifically mentioned, but from what happened in the series, that is how it plays out.
 
Re: Who\'s Been Around Longer?

I do remember it being specifically mentioned for the centauri that they were around 800 years in space (hyperspace) and in Rangers, the leader of the Gray Council said: We have been a space ferring race for over a thousand years, yet we know nothing of this race (referring to the Hand lackies)
 
Re: Who\'s Been Around Longer?

I think the order of spacefaringness (I made a new word! /forums/images/icons/grin.gif ) among the 4 would be:
1) Minbari
2) Centauri
3) Human
4) Narn

Actually, the Humans and Narns could be interchangeable, but I remember G'Kar saying in "The Gathering" that the Narns were the youngest of the 4. So if they were the youngest, chances would seem to be good that they were the last of the 4 in space.
 
Re: Who\'s Been Around Longer?

Hold on a second, here. What about the guy sueing because his granddad was abducted by a "grey" alien? Obviously, that race had space travel long before the humans did. /forums/images/icons/confused.gif
I think everyone agrees it was Minbari then Centauri. But where to the others fit in?
 
Re: Who\'s Been Around Longer?

There are some Non-Aligned worlds that had spaceflight longer than the Humans, but they never gained the *influence* that the Humans did, which is why they remained in the League and Humans got a vote to themselves on the Council. /forums/images/icons/wink.gif
 
Re: Who\'s Been Around Longer?

Ah, I see. We were pushier. /forums/images/icons/laugh.gif The meek shall not inherit the Universe, it seems. /forums/images/icons/wink.gif

Also reading through this thread I see that some think the Humans had achieved space flight before the Narns. I thought it was the other way around. That's how they could sell weapons to us.

That is what I have always assumed, at least.
 
Re: Who\'s Been Around Longer?

I'm pretty sure that humans made first contact with the Centauri (or vice versa, really) when the Centauri still occupied the Narn.

Thus humans got the means for interstellar travel from the Centauri around ... well, around 2160 or so (and of course we were a "space-faring species" before that, just within our own solar system mostly) while the Narn didn't really get the chance to go out until they regained their freedom, which was in the early 23rd century or so.
 
Re: Who\'s Been Around Longer?

That would explain why it was said the Narns were the fourth, then.

But why would we be buying weapons from them, then? did they put all of their G.N.P. into weapon building?
 
Re: Who\'s Been Around Longer?

they had left-over centauri tech that we had not obtained, and though they were the last race, they had some of the strongest weapons on there planet thanks to there slavers.
 
Re: Who\'s Been Around Longer?

Also, with the Minbari taking out Earth colonies, they were probably eradicting the factories that the EA was using to build weapons. If you can't build them, ya' need to buy them.

Admiral Dave
 
Re: Who\'s Been Around Longer?

That makes sense, what both of you said. Somehow I would have thought the Narn would be keeping those weapons to themselves. But if, as you say, they had plenty, and no immediate enemy to fight off, it would make sense.
 
Re: Who\'s Been Around Longer?

Plus the Narn were very motivated to built a sizable military so they alotted more than possibly other races normally do. Yet they needed money and they were charging Earth ALOT of money for their few weapons they were giving. Plus always the hope the Minbari would blame the Centauri.
 
Re: Who\'s Been Around Longer?

Good point channe. /forums/images/icons/grin.gif

I had forgotten that some of the Leauge worlds were older than Mankind. But as you said, we were just "pushier". A fine example of our pushiness was when we thought we could "handle" the Minbari. /forums/images/icons/wink.gif
 
Re: Who\'s Been Around Longer?

both the drazi and the Hyach have been in space for at least 800 years
 
Re: Who\'s Been Around Longer?

I think another reason the Legue often didn't advance fast even if they had hyperspace tech for centuries is they were often between major powers and got caught by invasions and expanding empires *cough**cough*Centauri*cough* and often were packed so close together there was much infighting between the members or just no where to expand territory and resources. Other races - principly the Hyach and Abai and Gaim - seem to stay at home more than travel and might have a stagnating society.

Does anyone think the past thousand years of Minbari history would be a bloody boring read? I mean ... did they do anything between the end of the last Great War and before the Earth-Minbari War? Save for possibly a battle or two with the Strieb ...
 
Re: Who\'s Been Around Longer?

They probably had family game night several nights a week. /forums/images/icons/grin.gif
 
Re: Who\'s Been Around Longer?

The Minbari probably sat on their butts and built something. Played their equivalent of chess, drank some tea, and read headlines about Centauri expansion.

Finally getting bored of building something, they probably built some more. Just to be on the safe side, because Valen had told that the Shadows would return, and Valen was someone whose words mattered. They also gathered intelligence, at least until the Rangers became underfunded.

Eventually, one thousand years of Minbari research and construction fell short of even delaying the Shadows. What the Minbari could build in centuries, the Shadows would build in months. But portions of the Minbari fleet were enough to give the Alliance at least some credibility.
 
Re: Who\'s Been Around Longer?

There is an ancient curse, I think it is Chinese, that says "May you live in interesting times".

For, as you say, peace and prosperity might make great for a wonderful life, but it doesn't make good drama, does it!
 

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