Babylon 5 License Plates

"What the hell did you do that for ?!" This is question I faced many times in the first few days of owning my B5-related personalized plates. Since they say VORLON I gave them a Kosh look and said "You do not understand."

I suspected I wasn't the only one to have been so struck by this show that I wanted to turn my car into a mobile billboard. Turning to the Zocalo mailing list, I asked for others who had the same idea to contact me. This page is the result - I hope it either confirms your opinion that B5 fans are nuts, or that its time for you to get one too.

The background on this page was made with a free product that I wrote called

Brian Smith

I bought my plates on an impulse, one inspired by the idea that there simply aren't many 6 letter (the limit in Australia) words recognizable as being connected to B5. I wanted to get the best one while it was still available ! So far I haven't had any strange looks while out driving - the strange looks have been limited to my workmates who think I'm taking this whole thing way too seriously !


Kyle Ferrio

Kyle's web page about his "Zathras" license plate was the spark that made me get consider getting my license plate. There used to be a picture here but Kyle's web page has moved - Kyle ? Where'd you go ? Probably went a thousand years into the past or something...."Zathras warn but..*tch* nobody ever listen to poor Zathras".
Entilzha

Laura Appelbaum


As everyone in the B5 Internet Universe knows by now, I often refer to myself "Sinclair's Number One Fan," and am also known as the "High Priestess of Sinclair." I've been faithfully watching Babylon 5 ever since the very first showing of "The Gathering," and obviously, Sinclair has remained my favorite character, with my next most favorite being Delenn. My previous license plate, both in Maryland and in North Carolina, where I lived for three years, evoked the spirit of Kirk and Spock with the phrase "GO BOLDLY." Since Star Trek has become something very different, that I no longer even watch, and since B5 has pretty much taken over my life :) it seemed time to change my plates.

Unfortunately, the state of Maryland only gives you seven spaces, letters or numbers to play with. It's amazing how the lack of just one more letter limits your choices. Anyway, it took a while to come up with just the right word that would honor BOTH of my favorite characters and perhaps even describe a bit about my own, shall we say, "forceful" personality. Thus "ENTLZHA" with a hand-made "apostrophe" for completion.

Valen Fish There's actually a little more to the whole story as my car, a beloved 1994 Saturn SL2 developed a serious problem that resulted in Saturn (under warranty) having to replace the ENTIRE engine, including the BLOCK after it had taken me not only to the Saturn "Homecoming" event in Tennesse, but some 40K OTHER miles. My cars have always had names, and this calamity resulted in the aforementioned car being dubbed "Sheridan," since the body and other organs remain the same; recalling and showing signs of all of its previous adventures in life, but also acknowleging the fact that Saturn had to send to the Homeworld for a special dose of freely given, life-force energy! And so, in fact, my plate honors not only Sinclair/Valen and Delenn, but all THREE of "The One."

Finally, in my capacity as Spiritual Leader of the Intergalactic Temple of Sinclair, I handmade an ornament to honor our Holy Guide, Valen. Anyone who's ever seen a "Jesus Fish" or it's counterpart, the "Darwin Fish," will immediately understand the significance of my creation, the "Valen Fish," which evokes Valen's Name in the stylized shape of a Minbari War Cruiser (in turn, a stylization of an angel fish!).

Laura Marlene Appelbaum


PSICORP

Ken Buzzard


Maryland, USA
Having just recently moved to Maryland, I had to retire my previous Ohio plates and fork out an outrageous sum to get new plates here in the East. Being one of the Charter Members of the Babylon 5-Maryland (B5MD) "Fan Club", I had (shall we say) LOTS of help in selecting my plates. Bear in mind that I'm pratically the ONLY right-wing conservative in the entire group, and as the designated "evil Republican", I was driven to choose from the darker side of the B5 universe. After discarding several other plates (including "GAIMSUX" and "MORDEN"), and being fan of "The Prisoner", I settled on "PSICORP",. I'm getting a hat and pin set from the B5 Emporium soonly to prop up in my cars' rear window. Heck, I might even start driving around wearing black gloves!

So, if you see a dark teal 1995 Pontiac Grand Prix zipping around in the Southern Maryland and Greater DC/Baltimore areas with "PSICORP" plates, flash me a quick "Be Seeing You". Trust the Psi Corps. The Corps is your friend!


David and his B5 plate

David W. Smith, Texas

I thought of a Babylon5 based plate after the first season ended, and I realized what I had on my hands. Texas, like other states, limits the number of letters to six (although you can have two more characters in addition, dash dot and space), so I picked a simple one: B5.

I am a huge fan, with a huge collection of cards, pictures and other memorabilia.


VORLON of Massachusetts

Bill Mackiewicz, Massachusetts

I had a tough time finding good ideas for plates here in Massachusetts, but "VORLON" sounded like the right one to go for. Ironically enough, I left my car at the office for a business trip once, and returned to find a note clipped under my windshield wiper. There were three words on it: "WHO ARE YOU?" It's always cool to have the plate get recognized on the road.


Tina

Love your site! I'm glad to contribute to your list of Babylon 5 license plates. Mine is DELENN, registered in Maryland, USA.

My second choice, had that one been already taken, would have been WHTSTAR. I've taken to referring to my two-seater Honda as "the Whitestar" anyway, which I must say has made it even more fun to drive -- though I wish it had that 180° turn capability. When being followed too closely, I tend to mutter, "Full power to aft batteries -- one focused burst." Maybe I should get that on a bumper sticker.

I got a photo of the plate printed onto a t-shirt, which Mira Furlan signed at a recent convention. When I confirmed that this was my license plate, she said that she was honored. No other reactions to the plate, though two teenage girls did point to it as I drove by and turn for another look after I had passed them. I didn't have a chance to go back and ask if they were B5 fans.


Alan Ingles

Howdy!!! Yeah, i'm a proud devotee of b5 and have 'babyln5' plates on my subaru forester - no strange looks yet(of course, I DO have tint on the windows so maybe i just don't see them!!)

David Strauss

Well, I've got Florida plate "BABYLN-5" for my Sentra. I almost got "STRFURY" for my Saturn, but my wife thought that was pushing it. :)

Lara Nicosia

This past August, I got mine -- ZHALEN, the name of Delenn's flyer. I had been wanting to get a personalized plate for years, but had always had trouble deciding what it would say. At one time, I had considered something to do with Star Trek, then a more generic one having to do with me and my other interests...then I decided it HAD to be B5. I was going to go with RANGR-1, but while I was flipping through The A-Z B5 book and Andy Lane's B5 book, I found the name ZHALEN. I thought it was perfect. It was from B5, was related to one of my two favorite characters (the other being Sheridan) and was subtle enough that it probably wouldn't be used either.

Of course, the really big joke is that I own a Dodge Shadow. So a Shadow has the name of Delenn's flyer. :-)


Bill Washburn

Glad to hear there are others who spend extra money just to advertise b5 on their cars as they drive around!! :) mine reads "BABLON 5"... don't have any pictures of it tho...


Richard Feldman


Note: Richard's address has been altered to prevent spam engines finding him. Human beings can easily parse and correct it :-)
I've got California (USA) plate BABLON 5, which I got approximately the day after "The Gathering" aired here in the States! It's on my little '90 Mazda, bopping around southern California.

Friend of mine, Louise Kleba, has Florida plate MINBAR 9, while a local friend, Troy Rutter, has California plate ZA HA DUM.... His frame says on the top "If you go to" and on the bottom, "You will die." :-)


Steve Raulerson

I have a personalized plate in North Carolina that is BABYLON5. My brother in law now has FIRSTONE and used to have EPSILON3.

Charles Bryant

I've got the plate "STRFURY" on my Audi in Vermont. I love having the plate and even have a micromachine version of the starfury dangling from my rearview mirror. The only problem with the plate is that I have to explain to people two things.... Just what exactly a starfury is and that, no, the plate does NOT say STIRFRY!

Jim Poltrone

For some time, I had been toying with the idea of getting a personalized license plate. While chatting with some other B5 fans online, I mentioned the idea. One of them responded, "Why don't you get something named after Babylon 5?" At the time, I was limited to 6 letters. (Now we can get 7 characters on our plates here in Ohio.) And so I picked "VORLON", because it fit. I requested it, and, to my surprise, received it. I thought that some other B5 fan in the state would have requested it before me.

Another one of my friends here has selected "BBYLON 5" as their plate.


Vicki Groff

Your page was the push I needed to send me totally overboard in terms of supporting Babylon 5. I just ordered my new Michigan license plate a couple of weeks ago and it will read GR8MAKR. Everyone seems to have their favorite ship, character, or location for their license plate. I could think of no better way to show my appreciation to JMS than to immortalize his nickname for mine. Afterall, there would be no Babylon 5 without ' THE GREAT MAKER'.

Vicki Groff


Robert

I live in Missouri where we are limited to 6 spaces on a plate. For me, there was only one choice. ZHADUM. I started using that name as my "handle" when playing NTN trivia games in local bars. I like the way the name sounds, and it made people ask me what it meant. People do the same thing with my plates. I have had at least 50 people ask me "What does that mean?" What a great way to lead into a conversation. It also helps that I drive a black full-size sport/utility. Also, last year Missouri changed their plates. So, I have an extra set of plates in the old style on the shelf in my room. On the local mailing group, there are three others who have vanity plates. There is a B5FAN, a WHTSTR, and a DELENN.


Hayley Rickey

What a neat site! My friend and I are HUGE B5 and Star Wars fans. He has the license plates and I have the computer. I can't drive and he wouldn't know a mouse from a doorknob. At conventions, he dresses up as Han Solo (looks just like him, too) and I go as either Leia (no, we're NOT a couple!) or Delenn (they're both my role-models and I look enough like either one that I can pull it off). On the very day Ohio went to seven-character license plates, he rushed out to get his HAN SOLO and VORLON plates. He got the HAN SOLO one (for his Porsche), but VORLON was already taken (probably by Mr. Poltrone up there! I see he's also from Ohio). So, not being one to give up easily, he chose VORLONS (for the Subaru that he and his ex share - she's an avid B5 fan, too!).

Another friend of mine is seeking to buy a new or slightly used Ford Ranger and hopes to get RANGER as his license plate. I'm just disappointed that I can't drive - I'd like to have a MINBARI plate!!


That's it so far ! If you've got a B5-related number plate and would like to see it here, please write to me at bsmith@sausage.com.au and tell me about your plate and what state and country you live in. If you could add a little story about the reactions of other people to your plate that'd be great ! Lastly it'd look really cool if you could send me a scanned image of the plate itself.

If you've got a web page of your own let me know the URL so I can link to it - if not then I'll include your email address unless you ask me not to do so.

If you'd like to find out more about Babylon 5 you should visit the Lurker's Guide, the fan club or the Official Site.


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