Zathras

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Tim Choate as "Zathras"

The characters of Zathras, portrayed by actor Tim Choate, were a race of 10 aliens of unknown origin who appeared on several episodes of the TV series Babylon 5, of which one was the oldest living (110 years old) caretaker of the Great Machine, in the service of the mysterious and messianic 'The One'. Looking like a slightly shaggy, slightly hunchbacked human, Zathras was prone to deadpan delivery of somewhat cryptic, somewhat humorous, generally self-pitying statements, patterned after J. Michael Straczynski's grandmother's uneasy grasp of English. He also referred to himself in the third person, although sometimes instead of himself he was referring to his brothers, as the story mentions that Zathras is one of 10 different brothers whose names all sound nigh-indistinguishably like 'Zathras'. This fact is revealed by a younger brother of the first Zathras - the second Zathras to be seen - who only appeared in one episode. The first Zathras travelled 1000 years into the past on Babylon 4 with Jeffrey Sinclair, who (during the trip) transformed into the Minbari religious figure Valen in order to help the Minbari defeat the Shadows. The fate of the first Zathras is not known following the Minbaris' acceptance of Sinclair as Valen.

[edit] Zathras quotes

• "Zathras understand. No Zathras not understand, but Zathras do. Zathras good at doings, not understandings."
• "Not The One. Not The One"
• "All is three... As you are three. As you are one... As you are the One. You are the One Who Was. You are the One Who Is. You are the One Who Will Be."
• "No. Oh. No, noo. No no. You did not meet Zathras. You met Zathras."
• "There are 10 of us, all of family Zathras, each one named Zathras. Slight differences in how you pronounce. Zathras, Zathras, Zathras...You are seeing now?" (all three names are pronounced almost identically)
• "Zathras warn Zathras, but Zathras never listen to Zathras. Zathras was quiet one in family."
• "Zathras warn, but no, no one listen to poor Zathras, no."
• "You take, Zathras die. You leave, Zathras die. Either way, it is bad for Zathras."
• "Just covering all possibilities. Zathras does not want you being confused. Bye."
• "Everyone always coming to Zathras with problems. Great responsibilities. But Zathras does not mind. Zathras trained in crisis management."
• "But only Zathras have no one to talk to. No one manages poor Zathras, you see. So Zathras talks to dirt. Sometimes talks to walls, or talks to ceilings. But dirt is closer. Dirt is used, through everyone walking on it. Just like Zathras, but we've come to like it. It is our role. It is our destiny in the universe. So, you see, sometimes dirt has insects in it. And Zathras likes insects. Not so good for conversation, but much protein for diet. Ha! Zathras fix now, this way."
• "Zathras is used to being beast of burden to other people's needs. Very sad life. Probably have very sad death. But, at least there is symmetry."
• "Cannot run out of time. There is infinite time. You, are finite. Zathras, is finite. This, is wrong tool."
• "'Quite mad,' they say. It is good that Zathras does not mind, even grow to like it."
• "Zathras can never have anything nice."