What is "minbari"

The Minbari are a fictional alien race featured in the television show Babylon 5. The Minbari characters of Delenn and Lennier figure prominently throughout the series; Neroon, Draal, and Dukhat are less prominent Minbari characters.

The fictional planet of Minbar is the homeworld of the Minbari race. The planet and race were named by Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski after the Islamic pulpit known as a minbar.

They use base-eleven mathematics but also place a great emphasis on the number three. They are arguably the most enigmatic of the "younger races" and generally prefer a more isolationist way of life, in fact, in the made-for-TV film In The Beginning the Centauri Ambassador Londo Mollari warns the Humans against provoking them for that very reason (a warning they ignored, ultimately leading Earth to almost complete annihilation in the Earth–Minbari War). Although the Minbari are considerably younger than the ancient First Ones, they are among the oldest of the "younger races". The Minbari are more advanced in terms of technology than the humans. During the time-frame in which most Babylon 5 episodes are set, Earth warships and fighters (such as the Omega destroyers) are shown to be inferior in speed, maneuverability, and firepower to Minbari warcruisers and fighters.