Mantu and B5 Shadows

Status
Not open for further replies.
J

JazzMan

Spaceman
I was reading some ealier posts on the Church of Man thread and I got thinking. You know there are a lot of Similarities between the Babylon 5 Shadows and the Mantu or StarGods mentioned in the books and in Prophesy. The Steltek also fall into this category. Origin may have borrowed some ideas from Babylon 5 seriers. Perhaps this may give us a clue on what the next Wing Commander Game may be? If it follows something even vaguely similar to B5 then we can expect alot more ancient races and a battle that spans not just the survival of the human race, but of the entire universe. What do you think? Any connection?
 
I'd just like to mention that we know practicly nothing about the Mantu, other that it was the Kilrathi that started the war, and the Mantu were in the process of kicking the crap out of them before they had to deal with another threat.
 
Wait, wait...

Firstoff, the aliens in Prophecy are not the Mantu. The Mantu were a race of explorers who the Kilrathi attacked quite a while ago -- and lost a war against (twice -- in 2431 and 2598)... after failing to defeat them, they demonized and mythologized the Mantu -- much like they had done with the Nephilim (the Prophecy aliens) and now do with us (the 'Blair cult' in WC4).

The Nephilim are the Prophecy aliens -- a race the Kilrathi first encounted in 1600 BC, and have since formed the a significant portion of their religion. They definately differ from B5's Shadows in *intent*... as far as we know, the Nephilim are evil, whereas the Shadows thought they were helping the universe...
 
Lots of places... the dates for the Mantu fights were in Action Stations and Fleet Action... the idea that they're *not* evil and that the Kilrathi have mythologized them comes from the ICIS manual... as does the background on the Nephilim. The idea that the Kilrathi are mythologizing *us* comes from the ICIS manual and the WCIV novel.
 
Okay... so I take it that those novels are the first we hear of the Mantu, not ICIS. I think I understand now.
 
Confed apparently knows all about the Mantu now...

But we first hear about them (from the Kilrathi perspective) in the novels, and then they're existence is *explained* in the ICIS manual.
 
I don't think the Nephilim are "evil" as such, just parasite who see Confed space as a righteous spreading place.

The Shadows were a bit dodgy in their methods. though, weren't they? I mean, anyone who steps foot on Za-Hadum is instantly condemned to death?!
 
I must say this, the Nephilim were intend on killing everybody while the Shadows were intent on getting everybody to believe the same thing as they do, primarily that chaos is the way to go
 
I think I worded that wrong.

The Kilrathi betrayed a peace treaty with Confed, they openly caused war.

I reckon the Nephilim are more like an infection than an enemy army. They have no diplomatic channels, no P.O.W's (those that DO get picked up are dissected for study). The Bugs don't know anything but war. Even the Kilrathi, one of the most agressive races in the galaxy had at least SOME concept of negotiation (Melek's surrender, the Kilrathi Assembly Of Clans in the ICIS manual)
 
We really don't know enough about them yet -- they must take POWs, since Blair was returned to us (G)

(Note that the Kilrathi don't take POWs, either -- they take slaves... and by the end of the war, they'd ordered all human slaves slaughtered).
 
Was that reality, or just the Kats' intentions? And I think they let Confed have Blair back because they knew he was special, and would send a message of some sort... or did they tinker with his brain or something? Perhaps the capture opened up plot devices which were never used...
 
I agree with you Silent Warrior about the Kilrathi. After all, nobody I know claims that the Kilngons from STrek are evil, although they are pretty much the same. The Kilrathi are bound by their word and honour. Of course there are minor exceptions, e.g. Krulan nar Ragitagha in "Word of Honor" (WCATV) or the false peace (really minor exception :) ).

But the Nephilim NEVER, not at the beginning, not at the end or in the middle, seemed invulnerable.

[Edited by Mekt-Hakkikt on 03-17-2001 at 17:23]
 
But the Nephilim NEVER, not at the beginning, not at the end or in the middle, seemed invulnerable.
Click to expand...

I dunno... they seemed pretty invulnerable to me when I read the Prophecy manuals...

TC
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top