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Taking a break from Narn for a mo, I theorised that maybe the Minbari evolved from aquatic mammals, and this is my thinking:
For a start, back here on Earth, the "aquatic ape hypothesis" proposes that "many of the features that distinguish humans from their nearest evolutionary relatives can be explained through a period of aquatic adaptation in which protohumans spent time wading, swimming and feeding on the shores of fresh, saline or brackish waters."
That would, the proponents believe, explain many of the features that distinguish us from apes, and I'll not mangle it up by trying to paraphrase it - if you're interested, Wikipedia has the story in readably brief form.
All those features are echoed in the Minbari, so although the veracity of that hypothesis is disputed here on Earth (aka back in the real world) I'm talking possibilities here, and fiction, not trying to prove (or disprove) that with regards to us: so I'll move on to my next thought.
The bony crown the Minbari have resembles a cross between coral and baleen (the filtering grills used by whales to extract plankton) - with my theory, I see proto-Minbaris swimming with those powerful muscles head first through their oceans before they froze, using the crest to echo-locate like a bat's ears, and of course to protect their craniums.
It was possibly also a weapon (it does grow into a sharp point, and the Warrior caste seem to emphasise this more) and generally a useful thing to have evolved on your skull, when heading through the murky depths...
Finally, we have "going to the sea" - yes, I know JMS already defined it - but my theory doesn't sink his, nor is it sunk by it - to refresh your memories, he said:
"Re: going to the sea...in early Minbari history, pre-space flight, when someone felt he had outlived his usefulness in his own society, he would set sail beyond the horizon, hoping to bring his knowledge to another place which could use it. These were voyages from which they would never return. With the arrival of space travel, the range they could travel was greatly expanded. jms"
A custom which I propose could have been a cultural carry over from the early days when the Minbari first left the oceans and sought land again, and would send their elderly (who would benefit from the support of the waters they'd evolved to need) to the sea, and sooner or later, the elder wouldn't return.
Finally - isn't there something just a LITTLE bit dolphin-like, about Lennier, and pre-change Delenn?
Just fun and fluff - as before, comments and constructive criticism welcome!
RedEyeSky
For a start, back here on Earth, the "aquatic ape hypothesis" proposes that "many of the features that distinguish humans from their nearest evolutionary relatives can be explained through a period of aquatic adaptation in which protohumans spent time wading, swimming and feeding on the shores of fresh, saline or brackish waters."
That would, the proponents believe, explain many of the features that distinguish us from apes, and I'll not mangle it up by trying to paraphrase it - if you're interested, Wikipedia has the story in readably brief form.
All those features are echoed in the Minbari, so although the veracity of that hypothesis is disputed here on Earth (aka back in the real world) I'm talking possibilities here, and fiction, not trying to prove (or disprove) that with regards to us: so I'll move on to my next thought.
The bony crown the Minbari have resembles a cross between coral and baleen (the filtering grills used by whales to extract plankton) - with my theory, I see proto-Minbaris swimming with those powerful muscles head first through their oceans before they froze, using the crest to echo-locate like a bat's ears, and of course to protect their craniums.
It was possibly also a weapon (it does grow into a sharp point, and the Warrior caste seem to emphasise this more) and generally a useful thing to have evolved on your skull, when heading through the murky depths...
Finally, we have "going to the sea" - yes, I know JMS already defined it - but my theory doesn't sink his, nor is it sunk by it - to refresh your memories, he said:
"Re: going to the sea...in early Minbari history, pre-space flight, when someone felt he had outlived his usefulness in his own society, he would set sail beyond the horizon, hoping to bring his knowledge to another place which could use it. These were voyages from which they would never return. With the arrival of space travel, the range they could travel was greatly expanded. jms"
A custom which I propose could have been a cultural carry over from the early days when the Minbari first left the oceans and sought land again, and would send their elderly (who would benefit from the support of the waters they'd evolved to need) to the sea, and sooner or later, the elder wouldn't return.
Finally - isn't there something just a LITTLE bit dolphin-like, about Lennier, and pre-change Delenn?
Just fun and fluff - as before, comments and constructive criticism welcome!
RedEyeSky
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