JMS obviously wanted to sneak in some high fantasy into his SF. The mystical themes (an epic battle between beings of light versus beings of shadow, resurrection, reincarnation, immortality, fate versus free will) names like Lorien, Morden, Zha Ha Dum, technomages (wizards - the "techno" part was just a thinly veiled contrivance, they were obviously just wizards) and the like are all basically fantasy tropes.

The Minbari were space elves and I defy you to prove me wrong.

And then you watch Crusade and realize it's literally an RPG party doing quests in a spaceship.