Vorlons

    The Vorlons were some of the first organisms to gain sentience.  And like the other "First Ones," they are very shy.  While they interact openly with the younger races, they are almost invaribly inside an atmospheric containment suit, like a space suit, called "encounter suits;" or otherwise carried inside the body of a host.

    Encounter suits function as a hiding place and defense for Vorlons for the most part.  Encounter suits provide force fields around Vorlons when needed to defend against attackers.  At least three offensive weapons are also included.  An electrical discharge can be released in the direction of a threat, but it does not appear to be particularly accurate.  A loud, high pitched sound can be emitted, which is sufficiently intense to crack glass face shields that protect aliens from the alternate atmosphere.  And thirdly, a force can be applied to an attacker by some kind of repulsive effect, as was applied to Captain Sheridan in Interludes and Examinations.  This effect was so intense that Sheridan was physically thrown against a wall repeatedly, strangled, and cut on his face.  This weapon was also used on Lyta Alexander by the second Vorlon ambassador to Babylon 5.  She was thrown violently across the room until she slammed into a wall.


A nearly invisible force field surrounds a Vorlon to protect against PPG fire.  An electrical discharge is being simultaneously released toward Security personnel.

A Vorlon sends an electrical discharge in the general direction of his attackers.

A Vorlon defeats Security personnel in a brief battle.
    Even in dreams, Vorlons prefer to take on alternate images.  Kosh spoke to Sheridan in a dream, as he was being killed by the Shadows.  He appeared in the image of Sheridan's father.  Previously, he had used the form of Ivonova and a crow.  The Vorlons collectively spoke to Sheridan in the form of a woman inside a block of ice.

    Only once has a Vorlon been seen in it's true form in the series.  The Kosh we all love was not all Vorlon in this scene, as Lorien stated that this was "some of him and some of me."  Thus, we have only seen one Vorlon in it's true form onscreen.  It appeared to be at least partially transparent, and almost completely defied the station's rotational gravity.  It also burned through the ceiling of one deck while fighting with the Kosh/Lorien hybrid.  This left a hole in the ceiling with charred edges.  Interestingly, Kosh was in direct contact with Sheridan in The Fall of Night, as he helped him safely to the station's deck, but Sheridan did not receive burns to his hands.

These images show a Vorlon's true form.  Young races do not perceive them different ways because of genetic mutations, or this Vorlon would appear the way Kosh did in The Fall of Night.  The statement by the Shadows that the Vorlons genetically altered the younger races so that we would respond favorably to them is either misinterpreted from a statement that we have been conditioned to respond favorably to them, or is otherwise simple propaganda.
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