| “ | When the long night comes, return to the end of the beginning. | „ |
| ~ Kosh's final instructions to John Sheridan. |
Kosh Naranek was a Vorlon ambassador in the Babylon 5 television series and various media based upon the series.
Kosh's voice was provided by Ardwight Chamberlain, with Jeffrey Willerth played Kosh inside his encounter suit.
Born over one million years ago at one point Kosh met Lorien. He was present during the previous conflicts between the Shadows and other races. Unlike many of his fellow Vorlons, Kosh cared about the younger races and took seriously the duty to guide them into becoming first ones in their own right. In the 23rd century he was one of two Vorlons, along with Ulkesh, who secretly made contact with the Minbari leader Dukhat. Ensconced in Dukhat's chambers they would later reveal themselves to Delenn after Dukhat's death, and guided her to end the war between the Minbari and humans before it was too late.
When Babylon 5 became operational the Vorlons sent Kosh to the station as their ambassador. He nearly died shortly after arrival due to an Assasin sent by the renegade Minbari Wind Swords clan trying to poison him, but station CMO Benjamin Kyle was able to remove the poison and saved his life.
After the station became operational, Kosh largely kept to himself. Even though he was a member of the B5 council, he rarely attended council meetings, and spent the time studying the members of the younger races.
When the Dilgar war criminal Jha'dur tried to take her anti-aging serum to Earth, Kosh arranged for his fellow Vorlons to destroy her ship before she could leave Babylon 5 space. He knew that if she was allowed to develop the serum - which required one person to die in order for another to live forever - it would cause massive chaos throughout the galaxy as people turned on each other. Station commander Jeffrey Sinclair asked Kosh why the Vorlons destroyed the ship, to which Kosh simply replied the younger races were not yet ready for immortality.
After Mr. Morden arrived on the station and began asking the various alien ambassadors what they wanted, Kosh realized that he was an agent of Shadows, Kosh tried to get Morden to leave. He told Morden that the people on the station were not for the Shadows to use. The Shadows accompanying Morden fought with Kosh and caused minor damage to his encounter suit.
After Sinclair left to become humanity's ambassador to the Minbari, Captain John Sheridan was assigned to command B5. Kosh suddenly became interested in attending council meetings, and was a regular attendee at meetings going forward. Kosh later trained Sheridan on how to defeat the Shadows. When Captain Sheridan said he would someday go to the Shadow homeworld Z'ha'dum to find out what happened to his wife Kosh warned Sheridan that he would die if he went there.
Kosh had also told Sheridan that if he had left his encounter suit that he would immediately be recognized by everyone. This prediction turned out to be true when Centauri agents tried to assassinate Sheridan by blowing up the core shuttle and Kosh exited his encounter suit to save Sheridan's life. The crowd that witnessed Kosh outside his encounter suit each saw Kosh as a mythical figure from their own world's history.
During a low point for the allied forces in the Shadow War Sheridan pressed Kosh into having the Vorlon fleet attack the Shadows to give the Army of Light a much needed victory. Kosh became angry for a few minutes and attacked Sheridan before Sheridan got through to him about how much was on the line. Kosh told Sheridan that he would not be there when Sheridan went to Z'ha'dum.
Initially Sheridan thought it was because Kosh was angry at him, but it was only after Kosh was attacked and apparently killed by the Shadows that Sheridan realized that Kosh knew the Shadows would kill him for having the Vorlon fleet attack them. Kosh appeared to Sheridan as Sheridan's father to say goodbye and apologize for attacking him earlier. He told Sheridan that as long as Sheridan was on Babylon 5 he would also be there.
What no one, including Sheridan himself, knew was that Kosh had hidden a small part of himself inside Sheridan. When Sheridan jumped into a deep chasm on Z'ha'dum the fall killed him, but the piece of Kosh inside him allowed Lorien to bring him back to life for another twenty years.
After returning to Babylon 5, at Lorien's prompting the last remnants of Kosh came out of Sheridan to force Ulkesh to leave the station. The two Vorlons fought their way outside the station and exploded, killing the last remnants of Kosh.
The next year Kosh had Captain Lochley's friend Zoe deliver a message for Sheridan to Lochley during the Brakiri Day of the Dead, that he should return to the place where the Shadow War ended. Twenty years later when his life force was slipping away Sheridan followed those instructions, going to Corianna VI where he was taken by Lorien beyond the galactic rim to join him and the other first ones.
Gallery
When Kosh left his encounter suit to save Sheridan's life he appeared as the following figures.
