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|affiliation=[[Earth Alliance]]<br>[[Psi Corps]]<br>[[MetaPol]]<br>[[Black Omega Squadron]]<br>[[Telepath Resistance]]
 
|affiliation=[[Earth Alliance]]<br>[[Psi Corps]]<br>[[MetaPol]]<br>[[Black Omega Squadron]]<br>[[Telepath Resistance]]
 
|actor=[[Robin Atkin Downes]]
 
|actor=[[Robin Atkin Downes]]
}}{{quote box|That's why we're here. Because we're tired of being ordered around by those who cannot hear the song. Tired of being used as cannon fodder, as inquisitors, as executioners, and as bloodhounds.|Byron, 2262}}
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|alias = Omega 7}}{{quote box|That's why we're here. Because we're tired of being ordered around by those who cannot hear the song. Tired of being used as cannon fodder, as inquisitors, as executioners, and as bloodhounds.|Byron, 2262}}
   
 
'''Byron Gordon''' was a [[Rogue Telepath|rogue]] [[human]] [[telepath]] and former [[Psi Cop]] whose name later would become a rallying cry of the [[Telepath War]].
 
'''Byron Gordon''' was a [[Rogue Telepath|rogue]] [[human]] [[telepath]] and former [[Psi Cop]] whose name later would become a rallying cry of the [[Telepath War]].
   
 
==History==
 
==History==
===Early Life===
+
===Early life===
Like many [[Earth]] telepaths, Byron was raised by the [[Psi Corps]]. Having tested as a strong P12, he was trained through the Corps' Minor and Major Academies before fully graduating as a [[MetaPol]] [[Psi Cop]].<ref name="pr"/>
+
Like many [[Earth]] telepaths, Byron was raised by the [[Psi Corps]]. Having tested as a strong P12, he was trained through the Corps' Minor and Major Academies before fully graduating as a [[MetaPol]] [[Psi Cop]].<ref name="pr">[[Phoenix Rising]]</ref>
   
In [[2256]], Byron was assigned to [[Black Omega Squadron]] under the command of [[Alfred Bester]]. Though Bester considered him somewhat young and naive, he still intended Byron to become one of his inner circle like [[Donne]] and [[Ysidra Tapia]]. On November 18th, Byron accompanied Bester and Tapia in pursuit of a transport supposedly carrying rogue telepaths which they tracked and captured near [[Jupiter]]. After a sensor scan showed that the ship was empty, Bester realized it was a trap set by Director [[Johnston]] and his cronies. The ship exploded , damaging Bester's [[Stealth Starfury|Starfury]]. Escorting Bester back to the Black Omega transport, Byron and Ysidra then headed to [[Ganymede]], docking at the secret [[Icehouse]] facility much to the surprise of base staff. After a brief encounter with a Mr. [[Morden]] from [[Earthforce]] [[Earthforce New Technologies Division|New Technologies Division]], the members of Black Omega bunked down for the night. Awoken by an explosion that rocked the facility, Byron found a wounded Bester near a flooded section of the base where the Director had been staying. Claiming that one of Johnston's guards turned on the Director during a late night meeting with the Psi Cop, Bester shot the guard in the leg before he set off a bomb. The damaged modular section quickly flooded and Bester had only just been able to escape before it auto-detached to save the rest of the complex, though the Director was not as lucky. Officially the bombing was blamed on the [[Telepath Resistance]], playing out exactly as he claimed. Unknown to anyone besides Bester's inner circle, it was actually Bester who staged the assassination, spending years planting telepathic triggers in Johnston's aides.<ref name=DRBA/>
+
In [[2256]], Byron was assigned to [[Black Omega Squadron]] under the command of [[Alfred Bester]]. Though Bester considered him somewhat young and naive, he still intended Byron to become one of his inner circle like [[Donne]] and [[Ysidra Tapia]]. On November 18, Byron accompanied Bester and Tapia in pursuit of a transport supposedly carrying rogue telepaths which they tracked and captured near [[Jupiter]]. After a sensor scan showed that the ship was empty, Bester realized it was a trap set by Director [[Johnston]] and his cronies. The ship exploded, damaging Bester's [[Stealth Starfury|Starfury]]. Escorting Bester back to the Black Omega transport, Byron and Ysidra then headed to [[Ganymede]], docking at the secret [[Icehouse]] facility much to the surprise of base staff. After a brief encounter with a Mr. [[Morden]] from [[Earthforce]] [[Earthforce New Technologies Division|New Technologies Division]], the members of Black Omega bunked down for the night. Awoken by an explosion that rocked the facility, Byron found a wounded Bester near a flooded section of the base where the Director had been staying. Claiming that one of Johnston's guards turned on the Director during a late night meeting with the Psi Cop, Bester shot the guard in the leg before he set off a bomb. The damaged modular section quickly flooded and Bester had only just been able to escape before it auto-detached to save the rest of the complex, though the Director was not as lucky. Officially the bombing was blamed on the [[Telepath Resistance]], playing out exactly as he claimed. Unknown to anyone besides Bester's inner circle, it was actually Bester who staged the assassination, spending years planting telepathic triggers in Johnston's aides.<ref name=DRBA/>
   
Sometime later, Psi Corps received word of a covert operation smuggling telepaths into Earth's outer colonies, where it would be harder for MetaPol to find them. Byron and the rest of Black Omega intercepted and surrounded another transport suspected of carrying telepaths, demanding the crew turn the telepaths over to them under or face deadly force, to which the mundane transport crew complied. As the last [[life pod|lifepod]] containing the telepaths was clear, Bester decided to send the underground a message, ordering Byron to lock all forward weapons on the transport and preparing to fire on his command. Byron protested at first, refusing to murder a ship full of unarmed civilians in cold blood. Intent on seeing if Byron had what it took to be in his inner circle, Bester moved to lock his own weapons onto Byron's fighter, telling Byron that either he carried out his orders, or face serious consequences. The other members of Omega Squadron followed Bester's lead. Knowing that they really would kill him, Byron pulled the trigger and destroyed the ship, since ''"after all, they were just mundanes."''<ref name=DRBA/>
+
Sometime later, Psi Corps received word of a covert operation smuggling telepaths into Earth's outer colonies, where it would be harder for MetaPol to find them. Byron and the rest of Black Omega intercepted and surrounded another transport suspected of carrying rogue telepaths, demanding the crew turn the telepaths over to them or face deadly force, with which the mundane transport crew complied. As the last [[life pod|lifepod]] containing the telepaths was clear, Bester decided to send the underground a message, ordering Byron to lock all forward weapons on the transport and preparing to fire on his command. Byron protested at first, refusing to murder a ship full of unarmed civilians in cold blood. Intent on seeing if Byron had what it took to be in his inner circle, Bester moved to lock his own weapons onto Byron's fighter, telling Byron that either he carried out his orders, or face serious consequences. The other members of Omega Squadron followed Bester's lead. Knowing that they really would kill him, Byron reluctantly pulled the trigger and destroyed the ship, since ''"after all, they were just mundanes."''<ref name="pr" /><ref name=DRBA/>
   
When he returned to base, Byron tried to file a report on the incident, but found that nobody wanted to know. Still haunted by the incident with the transport, in April of [[2258]] Byron managed to escape the Corps by faking his own death in pursuit of a rogue ship near [[Venus]]. Joining the underground, Byron swore to himself that he would never allow innocents be harmed like that again, and to find a better way for his people without violence, without preying on their own kind, or letting others prey on them.<ref name="pr">[[Phoenix Rising]]</ref><ref name=DRBA>[[Deadly Relations - Bester Ascendant]]</ref>
+
When he returned to base, Byron tried to file a report on the incident, but found that nobody wanted to know. Still haunted by the incident with the transport, in April of [[2258]] Byron managed to escape the Corps by faking his own death in pursuit of a rogue ship near [[Venus]]. Joining the underground, Byron swore to himself that he would never allow innocents be harmed like that again, and to find a better way for his people without violence, without preying on their own kind, or letting others prey on them.<ref name="pr" /><ref name=DRBA>[[Deadly Relations - Bester Ascendant]]</ref>
   
 
===Finding a New Way===
 
===Finding a New Way===
After nearly four years on the run, Byron and his followers arrived on [[Babylon 5]] in January [[2262]]. In search of a new home away from mundanes and the iron grip of the [[Psi Corps]], they were granted sanctuary on the station by [[Interstellar Alliance]] president [[John Sheridan]]. They set up a small colony in [[Brown Sector|Brown 3]], a part of [[Down Below]]. Keeping mainly to themselves, they hoped to prove that telepaths could be better than mundanes by not adopting their violent ways, like the Psi Corps had done.<ref name="nc">[[No Compromises]]</ref>
+
After nearly four years on the run, Byron and his followers arrived on [[Babylon 5]] in January [[2262]] in search of a new home away from mundanes and the iron grip of the [[Psi Corps]]. Granted sanctuary on the station by [[Interstellar Alliance]] president [[John Sheridan]], they set up a small colony in [[Brown Sector|Brown 3]], a part of [[Down Below]]. Keeping mainly to themselves, they hoped to prove that telepaths could be better than mundanes by not adopting their violent ways, like the Psi Corps had done.<ref name="nc">[[No Compromises]]</ref> Soon, however, Byron was approached by [[Michael Garibaldi]] to help in performing reconnaissance for the ISA. Byron flat-out denied the request, refusing to be used. Nevertheless, Byron later scanned the Drazi ambassador and found out about the Drazi's plan to ambush the [[White Star fleet]] as they tried to help the [[Enphili]]. When [[Lyta Alexander]] next came to ask for help, Byron challenged her for continuing to submit to the "mundane's" demands, however, he still helped as it would matter to her personally. He told her what he learned from the Drazi and also promised two of their group to help the ISA. Later, he was pleased to see Alexander came back to hear more about his position.<ref>[[The Paragon of Animals]]</ref>
   
 
Soon many more rogue telepaths continued to travel to Babylon 5.<ref name="sots">[[Secrets of the Soul]]</ref> What started as a small peaceful group soon became entirely too large to manage, and incidents began to break out across the station.
 
Soon many more rogue telepaths continued to travel to Babylon 5.<ref name="sots">[[Secrets of the Soul]]</ref> What started as a small peaceful group soon became entirely too large to manage, and incidents began to break out across the station.
   
In the meantime, Byron began a romantic relationship with [[Lyta Alexander]], a fellow telepath who was living on Babylon 5. During an evening of lovemaking, Lyta allowed Byron into her mind and dropped her defenses, <ref name="sr">[[Strange Relations]]</ref> not knowing that her enhanced abilities had inadvently projected her thoughts to the other telepaths in the colony, revealing to them that telepaths were created by the [[Vorlons]] to be used as tools to fight against the [[Shadows]].<ref name="sots" /> After this revelation, Byron and his followers came to believe that the mundanes owed them for this role, telling his people to follow the various ambassadors of the Alliance to find out their secrets. Storming a meeting of the IA Council, Byron demanded a homeworld for his people, threatening to reveal the secrets his people had discovered if the Alliance did not bend to his wishes.<ref>[[In the Kingdom of the Blind]]</ref> Following this, Byron began a hunger strike with Lyta and the majority of his followers, sealing themselves inside their colony. Shortly after the Psi Corps was called in to end the situation, Byron and a handful of his supporters committed suicide rather then being taken into custody by firing a PPG into a chemical leak, making him a martyr for his cause.<ref name="pr"/> After Byron died, Lyta Alexander became the ''de facto'' leader of the remainder of Byron's resistance.
+
In the meantime, Byron began a romantic relationship with [[Lyta Alexander]], a fellow telepath who was living on Babylon 5. During an evening of lovemaking, Lyta allowed Byron into her mind and dropped her defenses,<ref name="sr">[[Strange Relations]]</ref> not knowing that her enhanced abilities had inadvently projected her thoughts to the other telepaths in the colony, revealing to them that telepaths were created by the [[Vorlon]]s to be used as tools to fight against the [[Shadow]]s.<ref name="sots" /> After this revelation, Byron and his followers came to believe that the mundanes owed them for this role, telling his people to follow the various ambassadors of the Alliance to find out their secrets. Storming a meeting of the IA Council, Byron demanded a homeworld for his people, threatening to reveal the secrets his people had discovered if the Alliance did not bend to his wishes. He was disappointed later when some of his people continued to use violence against the aliens instead of staying resolute.<ref>[[In the Kingdom of the Blind]]</ref> Following this, Byron began a hunger strike with Alexander and the majority of his followers, sealing themselves inside their colony. They made it difficult for B5 crew to reach them, by reading where they planned to break through and reinforce the wall, by closing maintenance ducts, and making the workers go crazy and refuse to work. Gordon also sent a message to [[Elizabeth Lochley]] to enter the compound through a free duct safely. She did so, and he informed her they would not yield, would not give up those who were outside. He later was frustrated when the other telepaths fired on the B5 officers in his name.<ref>[[A Tragedy of Telepaths]]</ref> Shortly after the Psi Corps was called in to end the situation, Byron and a handful of his supporters committed suicide rather than being taken into custody by firing a PPG into a chemical leak, making him a martyr for his cause. After Byron died, Lyta Alexander became the ''de facto'' leader of the remainder of Byron's resistance.<ref name="pr"/>
   
 
==Notes==
 
==Notes==
 
* The personnel files on the "Babylon 5: Season 5 DVD" special features lists Byron's homeworld as "Mars Dome".
 
* The personnel files on the "Babylon 5: Season 5 DVD" special features lists Byron's homeworld as "Mars Dome".
  +
* Byron's name resembles that of [[Wikipedia:Lord Byron|George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron]], commonly known as Lord Byron.
   
 
==Appearances==
 
==Appearances==
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[[Category:Starfury Pilots|Gordon, Byron]]
 
[[Category:Starfury Pilots|Gordon, Byron]]
 
[[Category:Earth Alliance citizens|Gordon, Byron]]
 
[[Category:Earth Alliance citizens|Gordon, Byron]]
  +
[[Category:Suicide victims|Gordon, Byron]]

Latest revision as of 02:27, 30 June 2019

"That's why we're here. Because we're tired of being ordered around by those who cannot hear the song. Tired of being used as cannon fodder, as inquisitors, as executioners, and as bloodhounds."

Byron, 2262


Byron Gordon was a rogue human telepath and former Psi Cop whose name later would become a rallying cry of the Telepath War.

History[]

Early life[]

Like many Earth telepaths, Byron was raised by the Psi Corps. Having tested as a strong P12, he was trained through the Corps' Minor and Major Academies before fully graduating as a MetaPol Psi Cop.[1]

In 2256, Byron was assigned to Black Omega Squadron under the command of Alfred Bester. Though Bester considered him somewhat young and naive, he still intended Byron to become one of his inner circle like Donne and Ysidra Tapia. On November 18, Byron accompanied Bester and Tapia in pursuit of a transport supposedly carrying rogue telepaths which they tracked and captured near Jupiter. After a sensor scan showed that the ship was empty, Bester realized it was a trap set by Director Johnston and his cronies. The ship exploded, damaging Bester's Starfury. Escorting Bester back to the Black Omega transport, Byron and Ysidra then headed to Ganymede, docking at the secret Icehouse facility much to the surprise of base staff. After a brief encounter with a Mr. Morden from Earthforce New Technologies Division, the members of Black Omega bunked down for the night. Awoken by an explosion that rocked the facility, Byron found a wounded Bester near a flooded section of the base where the Director had been staying. Claiming that one of Johnston's guards turned on the Director during a late night meeting with the Psi Cop, Bester shot the guard in the leg before he set off a bomb. The damaged modular section quickly flooded and Bester had only just been able to escape before it auto-detached to save the rest of the complex, though the Director was not as lucky. Officially the bombing was blamed on the Telepath Resistance, playing out exactly as he claimed. Unknown to anyone besides Bester's inner circle, it was actually Bester who staged the assassination, spending years planting telepathic triggers in Johnston's aides.[2]

Sometime later, Psi Corps received word of a covert operation smuggling telepaths into Earth's outer colonies, where it would be harder for MetaPol to find them. Byron and the rest of Black Omega intercepted and surrounded another transport suspected of carrying rogue telepaths, demanding the crew turn the telepaths over to them or face deadly force, with which the mundane transport crew complied. As the last lifepod containing the telepaths was clear, Bester decided to send the underground a message, ordering Byron to lock all forward weapons on the transport and preparing to fire on his command. Byron protested at first, refusing to murder a ship full of unarmed civilians in cold blood. Intent on seeing if Byron had what it took to be in his inner circle, Bester moved to lock his own weapons onto Byron's fighter, telling Byron that either he carried out his orders, or face serious consequences. The other members of Omega Squadron followed Bester's lead. Knowing that they really would kill him, Byron reluctantly pulled the trigger and destroyed the ship, since "after all, they were just mundanes."[1][2]

When he returned to base, Byron tried to file a report on the incident, but found that nobody wanted to know. Still haunted by the incident with the transport, in April of 2258 Byron managed to escape the Corps by faking his own death in pursuit of a rogue ship near Venus. Joining the underground, Byron swore to himself that he would never allow innocents be harmed like that again, and to find a better way for his people without violence, without preying on their own kind, or letting others prey on them.[1][2]

Finding a New Way[]

After nearly four years on the run, Byron and his followers arrived on Babylon 5 in January 2262 in search of a new home away from mundanes and the iron grip of the Psi Corps. Granted sanctuary on the station by Interstellar Alliance president John Sheridan, they set up a small colony in Brown 3, a part of Down Below. Keeping mainly to themselves, they hoped to prove that telepaths could be better than mundanes by not adopting their violent ways, like the Psi Corps had done.[3] Soon, however, Byron was approached by Michael Garibaldi to help in performing reconnaissance for the ISA. Byron flat-out denied the request, refusing to be used. Nevertheless, Byron later scanned the Drazi ambassador and found out about the Drazi's plan to ambush the White Star fleet as they tried to help the Enphili. When Lyta Alexander next came to ask for help, Byron challenged her for continuing to submit to the "mundane's" demands, however, he still helped as it would matter to her personally. He told her what he learned from the Drazi and also promised two of their group to help the ISA. Later, he was pleased to see Alexander came back to hear more about his position.[4]

Soon many more rogue telepaths continued to travel to Babylon 5.[5] What started as a small peaceful group soon became entirely too large to manage, and incidents began to break out across the station.

In the meantime, Byron began a romantic relationship with Lyta Alexander, a fellow telepath who was living on Babylon 5. During an evening of lovemaking, Lyta allowed Byron into her mind and dropped her defenses,[6] not knowing that her enhanced abilities had inadvently projected her thoughts to the other telepaths in the colony, revealing to them that telepaths were created by the Vorlons to be used as tools to fight against the Shadows.[5] After this revelation, Byron and his followers came to believe that the mundanes owed them for this role, telling his people to follow the various ambassadors of the Alliance to find out their secrets. Storming a meeting of the IA Council, Byron demanded a homeworld for his people, threatening to reveal the secrets his people had discovered if the Alliance did not bend to his wishes. He was disappointed later when some of his people continued to use violence against the aliens instead of staying resolute.[7] Following this, Byron began a hunger strike with Alexander and the majority of his followers, sealing themselves inside their colony. They made it difficult for B5 crew to reach them, by reading where they planned to break through and reinforce the wall, by closing maintenance ducts, and making the workers go crazy and refuse to work. Gordon also sent a message to Elizabeth Lochley to enter the compound through a free duct safely. She did so, and he informed her they would not yield, would not give up those who were outside. He later was frustrated when the other telepaths fired on the B5 officers in his name.[8] Shortly after the Psi Corps was called in to end the situation, Byron and a handful of his supporters committed suicide rather than being taken into custody by firing a PPG into a chemical leak, making him a martyr for his cause. After Byron died, Lyta Alexander became the de facto leader of the remainder of Byron's resistance.[1]

Notes[]

  • The personnel files on the "Babylon 5: Season 5 DVD" special features lists Byron's homeworld as "Mars Dome".
  • Byron's name resembles that of George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron, commonly known as Lord Byron.

Appearances[]

TV Series

References[]