Soul Hunters

[jimbo']

I don't think Lorien is a soul hunter. Not just because it would destroy much of the story of B5, but also for the simple reason that he has all sorts of abilities the soul hunters don't. Perhaps the soul hunters are somehow genetically related to Lorien? Or, and this I find more likely, the visual resemblance is meant to emphasize a thematic connection (matters of the soul) and perhaps on some level make Garibaldi's discomfort more understandable.

Finally, I think Lorien's basic philosophy is exactly the opposite of the soul hunters. The soul hunters cannot let go, they are obsessed with preserving, and therefore also make any kind of transcendence impossible. Lorien, on the other hand, encourages Sheridan to let go, to face the inevitable, and thus to change. So if there's a reason the soul hunters aren't at Coriana 6, it's probably because Lorien would kick their arses if they showed up.

But if the soul hunters aren't a part of the first ones they would have no knowledge of lorien (unlike the first ones) meaning they didn't think he was an important figure. But it seems they more so save the souls of spiritual and artistic people rather than a political entity. I may be wrong but that's just what's portrayed. Also did they know if a person/race couldn't be saved by medicine cause they went after Tukat who died almost instantly but didn't go after others that were saved. Just a thought....

[Jonas]

I don't think Lorien is a soul hunter. Not just because it would destroy much of the story of B5, but also for the simple reason that he has all sorts of abilities the soul hunters don't. Perhaps the soul hunters are somehow genetically related to Lorien? Or, and this I find more likely, the visual resemblance is meant to emphasize a thematic connection (matters of the soul) and perhaps on some level make Garibaldi's discomfort more understandable.

Finally, I think Lorien's basic philosophy is exactly the opposite of the soul hunters. The soul hunters cannot let go, they are obsessed with preserving, and therefore also make any kind of transcendence impossible. Lorien, on the other hand, encourages Sheridan to let go, to face the inevitable, and thus to change. So if there's a reason the soul hunters aren't at Coriana 6, it's probably because Lorien would kick their arses if they showed up.

[DeMonk]

No mention anywhere in the script book or the religion part of the Asked & Answered series.

Maybe I'll go hunting for soul thieves tomorrow ... on the web of course.

[Jan]

I can't recall any soul hunters of the B5 sort that collect souls at the moment of death in order to preserve them. I seem to recall that there are various legends and beliefs in soul eaters in some cultures, though. I believe that most of those are thought to steal the soul causing the body to become ill and waste away?

Jan

[DeMonk]

Yesterday I couldn't resist any longer and started all over... again.

For the first time I wondered about the Soul Hunter. He knew our kind. So... who had he considered worth taking? Has this ever come up in discussions on this board?

Is there a soul hunter legend or something similar anywhere in our cultures?

[Ranger 6 and 7/8]

beside he fact that Bester caused Garibaldi to question everything about Sheridan's motives.I think Lorien, yes may have been a SoulHunter, But view him like Star Wars Mandalorians view "Mandalore". He is their chief representative. So maybe Lorien was the chief Soul HUnter. Being the first, he molded the Hunters much like the Shadows and Vorlons molded their lesser races.

[JoeD80]

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?

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.

Digging out an old thread, since I just had a similar thought.

I found a messages where jms confirms the intended similarity of the look of Soul Hunters and Lorien:

and as for the resemblance [of Lorien to the Soul Hunters], that's a valid point also, since when I met with the costume and prosthetics divisions, I mentioned that I wanted a soul-hunter sort of feel.

This would also answer the question in the Lurker's guide "Why didn't any Soul Hunters ... arrive to capture Sheridan's soul at Coriana 6? ...", the answer being: the Soul Hunters didn't approach because Lorien was a Soul Hunter. This also means the Soul Hunter race should've left the galaxy with the rest of the First Ones but didn't, and that perhaps Garibaldi was right in thinking that Lorien shouldn't be trusted, if the whole point of Lorien's aid to Sheridan was to help him determine whether Sheridan's soul was worthy of preservation later. Now that's interesting to think about!

[funkymikemoses]

Originally posted by WorkerCaste
Let me see... the Delenn/Sinclair scene would've been after going back in time and going forward in time, but before going forward in time and going backward in time, right?

Or in a box by the door?

FMM

P.S. Without chemicals, he points...

[Shr'eshhhhhh]

Yessssssssss

[WorkerCaste]

Let me see... the Delenn/Sinclair scene would've been after going back in time and going forward in time, but before going forward in time and going backward in time, right?

Ow! I think my ears are bleeding!

[Shr'eshhhhhh]

"Oh, I remember it being in WWE2, I just can't remember if it was before or after the scene where Sinclair told them he was riding B4 back in time." Originally posted by Vacant look.


It was before. Sinclair goes outside to try and raise Garibaldi and warn him about being shot in the back but he is too far out of range. He comes back in Delenn touches his hand and says something along the lines of "Quickly, the others are waiting for us." Then we get the scene where Zathras explains who 'The one' is.

[vacantlook]

Oh, I remember it being in WWE2, I just can't remember if it was before or after the scene where Sinclair told them he was riding B4 back in time.

[Shr'eshhhhhh]

She says it in War Without End 2 as well but this time we see her face. (obviously obscured in Babylon Squared because she hadn't changed yet....From our point of view)

[vacantlook]

I'm trying to remember in WWE2, when Sinclair came in from having been outside and at the reactor core hooking everything up, had they already had the conversation about him choosing to ride B4 back in time? If not, I would just interpret Delenn's "it's time" to mean that everything is set up now to send B4 back and time and it's time for us to do so and get out of here.

[AmyG]

Just because Delenn puts her hand on Sinclair's arm and says "It's time," does not mean that she was going back in time, also. She could have meant something like "It's time now, so we have to say goodbye to you."

Amy