Antono Refa
| Lord Antono Refa | |
|---|---|
| Babylon 5 character | |
| First appearance | The Geometry of Shadows |
| Last appearance | And the Rock Cried Out, No Hiding Place |
| Portrayed by | William Forward |
| Information | |
| Species | Centauri |
| Home planet | Centauri Prime |
| Affiliated with | Centauri Republic |
Lord Antono Refa is a fictional character from the universe of the science fiction television series Babylon 5, played by William Forward. He is a regular guest character in the second and third seasons.
A Centauri politician and a member of the nobility, Lord Refa is dedicated to restoring the power of the Centauri Republic through distinctly Machiavellian methods. His house is one of the most powerful in the Centaurum, the Centauri Republic's ruling legislature, and he is apparently a man of great wealth and influence. As the series progresses he emerges as a sinister character. While he is charismatic and otherwise amicable, Refa is extremely ambitious and seeks to revive Centauri Prime's imperial tradition of conquest as a means to position himself for the Centauri throne. Devoid of empathy and exploitative of cultural mores, he engineers a campaign of paranoid nationalism among the Centauri population to create distrust against his opponents in the Centaurum, allowing him the clout to successfully plan a coup d'état against the emperor. Initially Refa and Londo Mollari, a Centauri noble and ambassador to Babylon 5, are portrayed as allies in their mutual desire to restore the Centauri Republic to its former power, prestige, and glory. However, Refa's ruthless tactics eventually strain their alliance to the breaking point, and they eventually become bitter rivals and enemies who will stop at nothing to destroy one another. While Londo wanted only the return of the Centauri to their place in the galaxy, and Refa wanted nothing less than the throne, Londo would ironically become Emperor before the series ended.
Refa appears on Babylon 5 shortly after the only son of Emperor Turhan dies, leaving a gap in the line of succession for the Centauri throne. On his first visit, Refa makes it clear to Londo that he speaks for a group of Centauri politicians who are interested in making a move for the throne after the death of Turhan, whose health is in rapid decline. In an attempt to restore his wounded pride and prestige, Londo naively allies himself with Mr. Morden for assistance in dealing with problematic Narn military outposts, unaware that he is the intermediary for The Shadows. When The Shadows successfully destroy all their assigned targets, Londo's mysterious association with a powerful military force earns him tremendous political advancement in the Centauri Republic. Refa sees him and his "associates" as the tools necessary to complete the transition of power; while he initially believes Londo to be a fellow sympathizer, Londo's escalating reservations about Refa's ruthlessness in the Centaurum lead Refa to consider disposing of him once he has outlived his usefulness.
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