Soul Hunters

[elver]

What is known about their order? Are they one of the First Ones? It seems that they popped up a few times and then disappeared again and that's that. Kinda... uninteresting. Has JMS ever said why they received so little attention?

[Shr'eshhhhhh]

I doubt that they are first ones. River of Souls (and they are very much around and in large numbers in that story) takes place after Season 5, long after the last of the first ones are mean't to have gone.
I think they are more like the Drakh, the Minbari and the Ventrazi. One of the older younger races. They techology is very advanced, they are virtually immortal and just about everyone dislikes them.
They have a degree of empathic powers, they can sense death and the feelings of the dying. But I doubt if any of them are telepathic. Lyta says that telepaths see a door open when the dead depart. It seems unlikey they would endeavor to 'save' the dying if they knew they had an existance after life.
They do share alot in common with the walkers in that they have places owned by them which they protect but only occationally dwell.
I'd be interested to see if there are any races who share their point of view and encourage their actions.

[The One to come]

I don't think that there would be any races who'd encourage there actions, Individuals on the other hand might offer to under go the process to give themselves measure of immortality.

[Shr'eshhhhhh]

There must be some races who, like the Soul Hunters, see death as the end and a waste and who would willingly volunteer it's great and good for collection.

[elver]

*** SPOILERS: Psi Corps Trilogy, Technomages Trilogy ***

Anyone remember Bester's door experiences? He finally came to the conclusion that beyond the door is only the things that you have in your heart. In his case, there was nothing.

And btw, was it Vacit who went with his mother's soul beyond the door and came back with some special abilities? Hm.

What I'm getting at is that while there is an afterlife that's not connected to the current life, Soul Hunters might be the people that keep the soul from going through that door, keep it in our Universe.

Souls can't return from beyond the door, whatever there is. Case in point: Isabelle promised to send Galen a message from the great beyond should she be able to and that didn't happen. And she was a technomage, even. (Anyone else think of Harry Houdini's similar promise to his wife when reading that? :P)

Also, an interesting point. Soul Hunters came for a species that was evolving into a form beyond flesh and bone, much like vorlons. So that evolutionary step seemed to them as death. Might it be that once the mind learns to transcend that door at will, you end up with creatures of pure energy?

In a sense, it would seem that preserving the souls of the dead on this side of the door is actually a good thing. It's virtual immortality.

[Shr'eshhhhhh]

Arr But Isabelle did send Galen a message, didn't she.

[jal]

Arr But Isabelle did send Galen a message, didn't she.

yes.

[bakana]

The Soul Hunters don't refer to themselves as a Race, but as an "Order".
They seem to see themselves as being on some sort of "Religious Mission" to "Preserve" the best souls.
But only the Best.

After the first encounter, when Delenn is releasing the Minbari souls from the Soul Hunter's collection, the souls appear to be Thanking her before they continue on to whatever awaits them.

Perhaps the reason the Soul Hunters store the souls in hidden caverns is because the souls keep asking to be Released and are easier to Ignore when no one can Hear them beg.

[The One to come]

I don't think so is they knew they were harming the souls the would'nt do it, hence the events in 'river of souls' once it was found out that they had harmed the souls the set them free.

[FuryPilot]

In SiL, Lorien is present at Sheridan's death, and his intention is to take Sheridan's soul beyond the rim (and make sure there is no body to be found...).

Does that make Lorien the fist Soul Hunter?

FP

[The One to come]

He did'nt just take his soul, I think he took him totaly, body and all, maybe sharadin became the first human to transend the phisical body like the future humans in Deconstruction.

[vacantlook]

...maybe sharadin became the first human to transend the phisical body like the future humans in Deconstruction.

Unless perhaps if one counts Jason Ironheart.

[bakana]

I don't think so is they knew they were harming the souls the would'nt do it, hence the events in 'river of souls'

Never underestimate the power of people to convince themselves that their Desires are the WORD OF GOD in spite of all the evidence to the contrary.

That's why I speculated the way I did.
The Soul Hunter leadership would have decided that any of their Brothers who listened to the souls and set them free were Abberent and Weak in their faith.
Then, to save Future brothers from the Temptation into Heresy, they'd have sealed off the caverns and reserved the privilege of visiting them only to those who had Proven their faith.

Much the way many current churches discourage their members from reading books that might shake their faith in the Leaders.

[The One to come]

That might be but the reasone that the caverns were hiden was to protect them from the membari and other woulf would "kill" the souls.

I don't think that it's ever implied any other way.

[Shr'eshhhhhh]

Indeed, they could also argue that any captured soul that begged for release was a 'blessed lunatic' and therefore even more precious.

What I loved about the first soul hunter story was that it was a story about faith and how faith taints one's perspective.

If you are Minbari Delenn's breaking of the soul globes at the end is an act of mercy.

If you are a soul hunter she is commiting murder, or at least euphanasia.

Typically with the best of B5, it's not a cut and dry story with an easy to handle moral.