The Dilgar War was a massive interplanetary conflict between the Dilgar and the League of Non-Aligned Worlds, which later gained the support of the Earth Alliance.
History[]
Prior to the War[]
In 2228, facing almost overwhelming resistance in their occupation of the Narn homeworld, the Centauri Republic struck a secret trade with the Dilgar: in return for weapons, they handed the Dilgar the Narn colony world of Hilak VII. This was to be the staging area for the launch of their assault on the League of Non-Aligned Worlds.
War breaks out[]
In 2230, the Dilgar openly assaulted the League sector. Despite combining their forces, the League of Non-Aligned Worlds was fighting a losing battle as world after world succumbed to Dilgar conquest and experimentation. Dilgar tactics in this war were ruthless, including the destruction of entire worlds and the use of conquered races as subjects in their biological experiments. The League races were overwhelmed by the Dilgar assault and suffered heavy losses. The desperate league called upon the major powers for assistance and help.
Earth Alliance joins the fight[]
Earth intervened on the side of the League, motivated at first by a desire to establish a reputation for the Earth Alliance as a major player in galactic affairs, and later by moral outrage as the horror of the Dilgar atrocities became clear.
Earth's entry turned the tide of the war, succeeding in driving the Dilgar all the way back to their homeworld after the Battle of Balos in 2232. where all Dilgar Warmasters were captured and tried for their crimes, except for one, Jha'dur, who was believed dead in the war.[1]
Aftermath[]
As part of that surrender, the Dilgar jumpgate was shut down, their quantium 40 supplies were seized as reparations, and automated defense platforms around Omelos imprisoned the Dilgar in their home system. Sometime after the war ended, the Dilgar sun went supernova, wiping out the entire species.
It was revealed in 2258 that Jha'dur had not been killed, but managed to escape to the Non Aligned Sectors and find refuge with the Wind Swords of the Minbari.
The immediate effect of the Dilgar War was to make the Earth Alliance a major galactic power; the League of Non-Aligned Worlds would for many years look to the Earth Alliance as its protector and benefactor. Earthforce began an immediate and rapid push to expand Earth's sphere of influence.[2]
However, the war also created an arrogant belief among Earth's military and civilian leaders that they could defeat any alien threat. Because of this inflated view of its military capabilities, the Earth Alliance became anxious to gather more information about an unknown race that might pose a serious challenge--the Minbari. The Earth Alliance ignored the warnings of the Centauri Republic, and made a disastrous first contact that would lead to the bloody Earth-Minbari War.
Worlds Attacked by the Dilgar[]
Gallery[]
.jpg "Dilgar War (Dilgar Imperium).jpg (184 KB)")
.jpg "Dilgar War II (Dilgar Imperium).jpg (130 KB)")
.jpg "Dilgar War (EarthForce Campaign Book).jpg (166 KB)")
.jpg "Dilgar War II (EarthForce Campaign Book).jpg (171 KB)")
Sources[]
- Babylon 5 the Roleplaying Game's EarthForce Campaign Book
- Babylon 5 the Roleplaying Game's The League of Non-Aligned Worlds Fact Book
- Babylon 5 the Roleplaying Game's The Earth Alliance Fact Book
- Babylon 5: A Call to Arms (Game)'s Dilgar Imperium
References[]