Delenn is a fictional lead character in the universe of the science fiction television series ''
Babylon 5
''Babylon 5'' is an American space opera television series created by writer and producer J. Michael Straczynski, under the Babylonian Productions label, in association with Straczynski's Synthetic Worlds Ltd. and Warner Bros. Domestic Televi ...
''. She was originally
Minbari
The list of ''Babylon 5'' characters contains characters from the entire ''Babylon 5'' universe. The Babylon station was conceived as a political and cultural meeting place. As such, one of the show's many themes is the cultural and social intera ...
, but from season 2 onwards, became a Minbari/human hybrid. She was played by
Mira Furlan
Mira Furlan (7 September 1955 – 20 January 2021) was a Croatian actress and singer. Internationally, she was best known for her roles as the Minbari Ambassador Delenn in the science fiction television series '' Babylon 5'' (1993–1998), and ...
.
Role in ''Babylon 5''
Character arc
When first appearing as the
Minbari
The list of ''Babylon 5'' characters contains characters from the entire ''Babylon 5'' universe. The Babylon station was conceived as a political and cultural meeting place. As such, one of the show's many themes is the cultural and social intera ...
ambassador to Babylon 5, Delenn initially hides her status of being Satai, one of the nine members of the Grey Council, the ruling body of the Minbari Federation. At the start of the 2nd season, Delenn uses a special artifact to transform into a half-human, half-Minbari hybrid - initially treated with suspicion by humans and Minbari alike. She is excluded from the Grey Council as a consequence. Delenn was instrumental in also getting Sinclair to be stationed as the first Earth ambassador to Minbar, since unbeknownst to Sinclair initially, they chose him because he was the first human the Grey Council had any direct contact with during the Battle of the Line.
In season 3, Delenn and John Sheridan fall in love, which drives a further wedge between the Minbari religious and warrior castes, who soon break a thousand years of cooperation and begin a civil war against one another. After Sheridan and Babylon 5 break away from Earth, it is Delenn who rescues the station with a fleet of Minbari ships, but at the cost of destroying the symbolic circle of the Grey Council. The religious and worker castes side with Babylon 5 and the Army of Light. Without the Grey Council keeping order, the divisions in Minbari society become so strong that civil war soon breaks out. It is later learned that Delenn herself is descended from Valen. Delenn is the "One who is," representing both halves of the Minbari and human race merged, more literally merging in the marriage of Delenn and Sheridan. Together they become war leaders, with Delenn managing to bind together diverse planets and races into a great alliance. Sheridan was the "warrior", while she was the "spirit". This alliance ends the great war between the Shadow and Vorlon races, and ushers in the Third age for Mankind - a great time of growth and change.
After the
Shadow War ended, both Delenn and Sheridan find their homeworlds embroiled in