It might also be a question of the other space faring people we get to know better having been in space far longer. Humans are a relatively “new” people on the galactic scene, and so a lot of inner integration hasn’t happened yet?
Otoh: a few episodes later, we’ll get to see the Minbari have inner divisions which the three caste system papers over but actually deepens and which eventually will lead to civil war. The Narn, religion wise, can follow different Prophets, and Na’Toth evidently has a very different relationship to religion than G’Kar has. (Of course, s1 is the only season before s5 where we see the Narn at peace time, and their specific situation in between makes for equalizing, to put it euphemistically. As for the Centauri, well, the backstory given in this episode points out that their culture was created by two sentient people in a lethal war in which one ended up wiping out the other. Now religion-wise, they show their being-modelled-on-the-Romans ness by being polytheists where you have the sense that additonal gods were adopted into the cosmos as their culture expanded, but I think we’re lacking the data to know whether or not there are inner Centauri divisions because other than Adira, the Centauri we get to meet and really know of are all nobility, and thus by definition hardly representative of the majority. At best, you can draw conclusions based on Cartagia’s quip about the torturers unionizing and wanting to be called “pain technicians”, but well, it’s Cartagia. It’s a big contrast to the human characters, where the only one who has what you could call a privileged background is Franklin as the son of a general.
Now we know, and it’s a plot point, that the Narn don’t have telepaths anymore, but I wish we’d gotten more about how the Minbari and the Centauri deal with theirs. Alas, we only see them in silent roles in about two episodes that I recall pre rewatch (the Minbari telepaths when Sheridan needs to make a point to Bester, and the Centauri telepaths once as the white-clad ladies around the Emperor in “The Coming of Shadows” and once in the last Peter David written episode where again, the guy doesn’t talk), but as we don’t, I do think that the (potential) difference to humanity lies in the fact (known) telepaths, like space travel, are a relatively new phenomenon on Earth, whereas the other three cultures we get to know had millennia to work it out.
Which brings me to: I hear you on the show avoiding the avoidance of the “Mutant Metaphor”. (For the most part - I think the whole “underground railroad” term, with Franklin helping out, is a pretty blatant nod to US style 19th century slavery, but that’s mostly an s2 thing.) Also conceding that this kind of power actually is a frightening thing with huge abusive potential. It’s also telling that in the post-Telepath War set Crusade, where the legal situation for telepaths has improved (so Matheson can be a regular officer and commercial telepath isn’t the sole career option anymore), there are still regulations and oversight in place.
Some Spoilers
Otoh: a few episodes later, we’ll get to see the Minbari have inner divisions which the three caste system papers over but actually deepens and which eventually will lead to civil war. The Narn, religion wise, can follow different Prophets, and Na’Toth evidently has a very different relationship to religion than G’Kar has. (Of course, s1 is the only season before s5 where we see the Narn at peace time, and their specific situation in between makes for equalizing, to put it euphemistically. As for the Centauri, well, the backstory given in this episode points out that their culture was created by two sentient people in a lethal war in which one ended up wiping out the other. Now religion-wise, they show their being-modelled-on-the-Romans ness by being polytheists where you have the sense that additonal gods were adopted into the cosmos as their culture expanded, but I think we’re lacking the data to know whether or not there are inner Centauri divisions because other than Adira, the Centauri we get to meet and really know of are all nobility, and thus by definition hardly representative of the majority. At best, you can draw conclusions based on Cartagia’s quip about the torturers unionizing and wanting to be called “pain technicians”, but well, it’s Cartagia. It’s a big contrast to the human characters, where the only one who has what you could call a privileged background is Franklin as the son of a general.
Now we know, and it’s a plot point, that the Narn don’t have telepaths anymore, but I wish we’d gotten more about how the Minbari and the Centauri deal with theirs. Alas, we only see them in silent roles in about two episodes that I recall pre rewatch (the Minbari telepaths when Sheridan needs to make a point to Bester, and the Centauri telepaths once as the white-clad ladies around the Emperor in “The Coming of Shadows” and once in the last Peter David written episode where again, the guy doesn’t talk), but as we don’t, I do think that the (potential) difference to humanity lies in the fact (known) telepaths, like space travel, are a relatively new phenomenon on Earth, whereas the other three cultures we get to know had millennia to work it out.
Which brings me to: I hear you on the show avoiding the avoidance of the “Mutant Metaphor”. (For the most part - I think the whole “underground railroad” term, with Franklin helping out, is a pretty blatant nod to US style 19th century slavery, but that’s mostly an s2 thing.) Also conceding that this kind of power actually is a frightening thing with huge abusive potential. It’s also telling that in the post-Telepath War set Crusade, where the legal situation for telepaths has improved (so Matheson can be a regular officer and commercial telepath isn’t the sole career option anymore), there are still regulations and oversight in place.