Technomage
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The Technomages are a group of sentient beings from the fictional Babylon 5 universe. The technomages shown in the television series are primarily human, but in the "Technomage Trilogy" books, apprentices and mages of other races including Centauri are named. They are described as "using technology to create the appearance of magic". Galen, a Technomage, was a regular character on the spin-off series, Crusade.
Technomages may choose to establish a place of power for themselves, such as a particular planet. In doing so, they develop a strong connection with that place, and to some extent, a dependency on that connection.
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[edit] Technomage Characters
Notable Technomages who have appeared on screen include.
[edit] Galen
Played by (Peter Woodward), a major character appearing throughout the Babylon 5 spin-off series Crusade. Most powerful of the current remaining technomage having discovered the spell of destruction.
[edit] Elric
Played by (Michael Ansara), Galen's teacher
[edit] Alwynn
Played by (Edward Woodward)
[edit] Isabelle
Played by (Sophie Ward), Galen's dead "love" (he makes it clear that their relationship was not a "marriage" as we would understand it).
[edit] Wierden
Certainly the most notable Technomage in the universe's canon, the alien Technomage who codified the Order's teachings one thousand years before the time of the current Great War.
[edit] Others
Other notable mages include Kane, Gwynn, and Finian, who made appearances in Peter David's "Legions of Fire Trilogy", and Blaylock, Burrell, Carvin, Ing-Radi, Kell, Herazade, Elizar, and Razeel, who made appearances in the "Technomage Trilogy".
[edit] Origins
In the "Technomage Trilogy" of Babylon 5 novels, it is revealed that the technology in question consists of bio-technological implants, and that the process of installing the implants and adjusting to them is excruciatingly painful. The presence of these implants means that technomages are effectively cyborgs. Eventually it is also revealed that the technology was supplied by the Shadows who originally had plans to turn them into warriors of chaos and destruction. This was first done on young born race of similar age to the Minbari and were called the Tartimude who eventually became extinct but not before spreading the Technomage order to other races which included humans.
It appears that EarthForce black ops were attempting to create their own Technomages which was to have been expressly spelled out in the final episode of the first season of Crusade, but as the show was cancelled after only 13 episodes it was never filmed. The unproduced script was available for licenced downloads on Bookface.Com until that site was closed, and copies are still available at many Science Fiction Conventions.
[edit] Technomage powers
[edit] Shield
With practice a Technomage can cast a shield around their bodies to absorb damage or contain atmosphere in hostile environments. Isabelle was well known for her talent for shields.
[edit] Associate/Disassociate
Technomages used this power to make or break connections to their ships, staffs, places of power or other compatible technology.
[edit] Fireball
Technomages can hurl fireballs.
[edit] Platform
This ability generates an invisible platform that can suspend items above the ground. With further abilities, mages can move and even ride on these platforms. They can also be made in a variety of shapes, colours, and textures, although the standard is a simple rectangle.
[edit] Hologram
Technomages can generate holograms like Alwynn's famous red-eyed, golden dragon or more complex holodemons, which can actually interact physically with their environment.
[edit] Electron Incantation
Through this technique, Technomages can establish real-time communication with another Technomage regardless of distance. While under the effect of this ability, the speakers consciousness is manifest within a sort of dreamscape in which time moves quickly enough for the participants to have whole conversations in the span of seconds. It is possible to establish contact with non-Technomages, but it is difficult.
Through the course of the "Technomage Trilogy", Galen and Isabelle uncover several energetic, primal abilities that underlie the conventional mage abilities and relate to their connection with the Shadows. These abilities include but are not limited to:
[edit] Cloak
Galen can cloak himself in exactly the manner the Shadows are able to cloak themselves. This spell underlies the mage's ability to create illusion.
[edit] Destruction
Galen can collapse parts of the universe into smaller universes, destroying them completely.
[edit] Plasma Beam
Galen can fire plasma beams from his body.
[edit] Shadow Skin
Underlying the mage's shield spells is a primal spell that can cover the mage in a skin similar to that covering Shadow vessels.
[edit] Shadow Communication
This spell was the only one of its type discovered by Isabelle and allows mages to intercept the communications sent to Shadow agents like Morden or the Drakh.
