technology
TEMPORAL MECHANICS

Moving in Time
The manipulation of time has always been something to strive toward for the races of the galaxy. Humankind have speculated for years on the mechanics and effects of time travel. Notable human research occurred during the Philadelphia Project, Project: Baby New Year, and the T-Blurr Experiments — all of which failed. The Minbari as well have funded research in this area. Neither race has the technology required to alter time.

The technology that can manipulate time, however, is present within theGreat Machine on Epsilon 3. The Machine dedicates itself to the production of an intense tachyon field. This field in turn "punches a hole" in time-space, creating a rift. To properly enter and exit this field, and to also manipulate time as well as distance, specialized equipment is necessary. Stabilizers must be worn by biological entities, and modifications must be made to starships.

Unprotected beings within the time field experience "The Flashes," or brief moments where the conscious mind travels forwards or backwards in time. A curious nature about the Flashes is that only the mind is relocated. A person's consciousness finds itself in its body wherever it is at that time, either in the past or future. Flashes are different for each individual, some travel backwards, other go forward in time. If a person enters a time field, there is a high chance that he will die of old age. Even if one does enter and leave a time field without adverse effects, should that same person enter a field again death would be instantaneous upon exiting (although wearing a stabilizer will lesson the effect to simply aging the person several years).

Time Stabilization
While most nonorganic machines can withstand the effects of time distortion, flesh does not. unprotected exposure to time distortion waves can age the body rapidly. Time stabilization technology found on the Great Machine have solved this problem by creating a whole system whereby a sizable amount of people and space vessels can travel in the time stream. The mother device is a high speed "brain" that regulates the individual time stabilizers worn by time travellers. Individual time stabilizers are delicate hand-held machines. Should the device become damaged, the wearer is "lost in time;" phasing in and out of time streams and inhabiting past and future version of his or herself.

A Different Path
In August, 2260, there was a crossroads in the time stream. A choice had to be made by a small group of people, whether to take an action that "had already happened," or do nothing and watch the future unfold, and their deaths.

If Entil'zha Sinclair did not travel back in time to take on the mantle of Valen and deliver Babylon 4 to the Minbari, August 21, 2260, would be much, much darker...

The Shadow War was going badly. Overwhelming numbers of Shadowships blasted world after world. The meager alliance of alien races did not have the firepower to engage the Shadow forces in the open. Telepaths were few in  number and barely adequate to stave off a fraction of the enemy. Facing an imminent attack, Entil'zha Sinclair returned to Babylon 5 to assist in the station's defense. The Shadows sliced through the few defending ships with ease. Boarding vessels clamped onto the hull. Knowing the situation was hopeless, Security Chief Garibaldi rigged the station's fusion reactors to blow. The first target to die was Captain Sheridan, assassinated in plain view by invisible attackers. Commander Ivanova remained at her post in C&C sending distress calls to anyone who would hear. The entire station was in chaos with Shadows and their minions burning through level by level slaughtering all they encountered. Sinclair, while wanting to stay, was dragged into a waiting shuttlecraft in the hope that he could continue to fight. Shadow cruisers blasted the control center of the station just as a lone shuttle blasted out of the docking bay. The fusion reactors reached critical mass, searing the station and its attackers to oblivion.