Centauri Culture
The Centauri are basically like an alien version of "I, Claudius" (a British miniseries from 1976 that ANY Centauri-phile, or B5 fan in general, HAS to see). Their culture is very Romanesque. See, way back in history, they had this HUUUUGEEE Empire. I mean, it covered AN ENTIRE FRAGGING QUADRANT of the galaxy! If I'm not mistaken, that's more than the Dominion AND the Borg ever managed to conquer, PUT TOGETHER! Can we say, "Assimilate THIS!"
But eventually, through neglect, laziness, and the fact that they had just spread themeselves too thin, their empire started unravelling. When distant colony worlds declared independence, the government of Centauri Prime didn't even bother trying to stop them. After all, it was happening so far AWAY, it didn't affect THEM. In time, so many colonies and conquered worlds had broken off that the Republic now consists of only about a dozen star systems and 30 inhabited worlds. They are now a decadent Empire in its last days, like the fall of Rome, dreaming about past glories.
However, at ONE point, they WERE capable of taking over an entire quadrant of the galaxy, and they definitely have more than a bit of that old predatory streak left in them, so the Centauri remain a race that you DON'T want to mess with.
Now, let's talk about that decadence, which is one of the main reasons I like this race. They are a very comfort and pleasure-oriented people. Everything...and I mean EVERYTHING--is usually decorated to within an inch of its life. Gold filigree, velvet, brocade, huge jewels, intricate metalwork and elaborate patterns cover almost everything they make, from clothes to interior decor to weapons! They love shapes that are reminiscent of a peacock's tail or crest, (like their hair!), and swirling, twisty curves and spirals (like their...but that is no concern of yours). When it comes to killing, they are perfectly capable of firing a PPG (Phased Plasma Gun), but when they have time to be sytlish, they favour old-fashioned methods such as poisoning or sword duels.
Does this mean that the Centauri are low-tech? NO! For one thing, they gave the Humans JUMP-GATE technology (jump gates are a means of getting your ship from point a to point b without going through all that pesky space in between) and other things that basically raised our technology level something like an entire century in the course of ONE YEAR. They are one of the most advanced races. I believe that only the Minbari and, of course, the First Ones are higher. The Centauri just like things...traditional..that's all.
Their religion is pretty cool too. See, they have TONS of different deities to choose from--none of this "You have to believe THIS WAY or we'll kill you" stuff. No sirree, every Centauri can pick the deity that best fits his or her own personality and agendas. I'm not sure exactly what their religious beliefs entail, but there is one festival, in which they celebrate another year of being alive (it dates back to the days when the Centauri were fighting the Xon, the other intelligent race that evolved on Centauri Prime, and who are all extinct now), which is held in honour of ALL the gods. It includes laughing with friends, dancing, singing, live musicians, exotic dancers, rich foods, heady wines, and just basic FUN. This is not a stodgy, boring, Puritan race by a long shot. They consider the act of getting so drunk that you pass out on top of the buffet table
to be a RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE! Sounds like fun, sign me up! The Centauri are extremely devoted to their gods. They HAVE to be. See, the deal is, they believe that if you follow your deity of choice correctly all your life, then when you die, you will go to that deity's heaven. But if you DON'T do it right, you are reincarnated (always as another Centauri, never as an animal or the like) and have to try AGAIN, following a DIFFERENT deity this time. If you go through all the deities that exist and NEVER get it right, you will float in limbo for all eternity, which is their version of Hell. The only problem is, there's no way to tell WHICH life you're on; how many chances you have left! So just in case this is your LAST, you have to be super careful. Fun, huh?
The Centauri gods are, like with the Romans again, a strange mix of their own, deities that were adopted from conquered races, and deified ancient Emperors and other important people (for example, Li was a woman before she was made into a goddess by subsequent generations). This latter practice has not been used for centuries. Some of the main Centauri gods include the Great Maker, whom many Centauri swear by (they say "Great Maker!" the same way we would say "Oh my God!"), Mo-Gor, God of the Underworld and protector of front doors, the Goddess of Luck, Ruteri, and Li, the Goddess of Passion, who has both male AND female attributes, including those tentacles!
Status is EVERYTHING in Centauri society. They tend to use politicking, conniving, scheming, blackmailing, and poisoning to increase their own status while decreasing that of their rivals, and boy, are they GOOD at it! Their great talent for clever schemes has got to be the MAIN reason why I like them so much. It just seems like every time you've got Centauri heavily involved in a Babylon 5 episode, the entertainment factor just jumps right up. The antics of Ambassador Londo Mollari and Lord Refa especially are a major highlight of the show. They're just so wonderfully...well, devious!!
They marry for status, too, not love. In fact, that nice couple on the other page were matched up for political reasons (much against Vir (the guy's) will!). When Vir said that when he "crossed under the swords and boughs" he wanted it to be for love, Lyndisty (the girl in the picture) said, "Oh, you're a RADICAL!"
Marriage is practically always for political means, to raise their status and the status of their House (a House is indicated by your last name; so Vir Cotto is of House Cotto). And many times it can make all members involved MISERABLE, as with Londo and his wives. A typical Centauri wedding is very very grim and sad, to symbolise that if THIS is as bad as the relationship will get, then hopefully, the actual MARRIAGE will have to be better by default! They go in for multiple marriages. Considering that they do everything ELSE multiple--gods, plots and schemes, um..."attributes"...are you really surprised?
Reasons Why the Centauri Rule, Condensed:
1. They are clever and tricky.
2. They are tons of fun at parties.
3. They are great at coming up with funny lines and sarcastic comebacks.
4. They have those funky sharp teeth.
5. They have some really cool-looking warships.
6. They are really REALLY good at...making members of the opposite gender VERY happy...if you get my drift...(or so Londo says...)
7. Their religion allows you to choose the deity that is right for you instead of cramming one down your throat.
8. They do not consider fun and faith to be mutually incompatible. In fact, they ENCOURAGE you to get down at their religious ceremonies!
9. They have more hambones and scenery-eaters per capita than any other race, including, but definitely NOT limited to, Emperor Cartagia and "The No-Name Minister Dude"
11. Two words--FASHION SENSE!
I WOULD have told you, at this point, to go read the article on the Centauri at the Encyclopedia Xenobiologica, but that site has permanently passed away, by choice of its author. Sad. It was such a great site! Now I wish I had taken better notes on stuff there, and now it looks like you'll be dependent on MY smart-mouthed, irreverent version of things for your information on the races! Not good...
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