The alt.babylon5.uk FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

v2.18 - 3rd August 2005

Recent Changes:
3rd August 2005
Finally added the news of the Movie's cancellation. Better late than
never.

20th December 2004
Updated new stuff to cover the upcoming film. Also updated DVD release
info.

29th April 2004
Added info on upcoming announcement, and corrected the season 4 DVD
release date

31st January 2004
Added release date for season 4, region 2. Added link to freeware
B5 space sim. Updated spoiler status info. (thanks to guess who?
- - - Charlie!)

15th January 2004
Added info regarding TV movies DVDs, also the bit about Warners
replacing the damaged discs from season 3 (thanks Charlie).

1st January 2004
Re-arranged the DVD bits, and added season 5 release info.

- ------------------------------

This FAQ is posted to the alt.babylon5.uk newsgroup whenever I feel like it.

- ------------------------------


Subject: 1. Introduction

This FAQ exists to provide answers to the various Frequently Asked
Questions that crop up on the alt.babylon5.uk newsgroup.
If you have a question that you think belongs in this list, contact
the current maintainer, Stephen Courtney at <step...@steve-c.co.uk>.

- ------------------------------

Subject: 2. Contents

Updates indicated by '*'

1. Introduction
2. Contents
3. What is alt.babylon5.uk?
4. Why does no-one talk about Babylon 5?
5. When is Babylon 5 shown?
*5.1 What new B5 stuff is there arriving?
*6.1 When are the Babylon 5 DVDs released?
6.2 Season 1 Details
6.3 Season 2 Details
6.4 Season 3 Details
6.5 DVD Easter-eggs
7. What is the Legend of The Rangers?
8. When will more books be published?
9. What happened to the computer game?
10.1 What was Crusade supposed to be?
10.2 What happened to Crusade?
10.3 What about the Crusade scripts?
11. What has JMS got against SFX Magazine?
12.1 Are there any posting rules?
12.2 Current UK status regarding spoilers etc.
12.3 Top-posting (Don't do it!)
12.4 Other Rules
13. In-jokes and Mythology
14. IRC Meetings
15. The Official alt.babylon5.uk Website
16. Where can I go for more information?
17. Credits

- ------------------------------

Subject: 3. What is alt.babylon5.uk?

The alt.babylon5.uk newsgroup was created in 1995, in order to
provide a forum for discussing the Babylon 5 television series.
A number of other newsgroups also exist for this purpose,
however altb5uk tends to take a more laid-back approach to
life.

- ------------------------------

Subject: 4. Why does no-one talk about Babylon 5?

It's not that we don't talk about the series; in fact, it was
our shared interest in it that brought us to the newsgroup in
the first place.

Production of Babylon 5 finished in March 1998, and Crusade was
aborted in 1999; also, all the episodes have now been aired at
least once on terrestrial UK television. In light of this, and the
lack of new Babylon 5 related material (the more recent books have
not been published in the UK, - imports are all we can get) it was
inevitable that the 'off-topic' posts began to outnumber the
others.

Note that it is still perfectly acceptable to discuss Babylon
5, Crusade, and any other aspects of their universe. There are
usually one or two such threads ongoing (marked by [OT]).

For a nice analogy, try this:

In other words, it's just like going down the pub to talk about
something specific. You'll talk about it for about
half-an-hour, maybe even an hour, then you'll get bored/exhaust
the topic, and move on to other things that are just as
interesting. Occasionally you'll get back to the original topic,
and off you go again. Some people might go to the bar if a
particular conversation doesn't interest them, then come back
when something sounds more like their thing. This is all a good
and normal and healthy thing.

Of course, the problem is when people arrive late to the meeting,
not realising what's going on, and want to talk about the
original topic, which everybody else finished a good few pints
before. These people have a tendency to be Annoying.

Then you have the late people who arrive, say hello, then sit
quietly drinking whilst they catch up on the proceedings. These
people are a Good Thing.

For Vince's explanation, attempt to understand the following:

alt.babylon5.uk exists in an inverse reality matrix, wherein
what is on topic is off topic and what's off topic is on topic.
This of course means that Babylon 5 is off topic, and by being
off topic it is thereby rendered on topic, just as everything
else which is off topic. There is no confusion, however,
whereby off topic material being rendered on topic is therefore
once again rendered off topic, because the inverse reality
matrix has an automatic recursion suppressant algorithm built
in.

Now, you may think I've shot myself in the foot there by
first saying that the inverse reality matrix renders Babylon 5
as off topic, and therefore on topic. However, in fact the
automatic recursion subroutine actually has a feature (it was
originally considered a bug, but retrospective analysis of the
situation, together with a careful refinement of the inverse
reality matrix rulefile has lead to it being moved from the bug
list to the feature list - ie it has the desired outcome)
whereby any given subject has the first part of the inverse
reality rule, and then the second part of the same applied to
it, rather than having the whole rule applied recursively, as
happened in earlier versions (several usenet forums
subsequently imploded).

Therefore:

Babylon 5, in the normal scheme of things is on topic. The
first part of the inverse reality matrix ("what is on topic is
off topic") makes it off topic, and the second part ("and
what's off topic is on topic.") is applied to its new off topic
status, making it on topic.

Buffy, for example, in the normal scheme of things would be
off topic. The first part of the inverse reality matrix ("what
is on topic is off topic") therefore has no effect. The second
part ("and what's off topic is on topic.") is then applied, and
that renders Buffy on topic.

- ------------------------------

Subject: 5. When are Babylon 5 and Crusade shown?

Neither Babylon 5 nor Crusade are currently being broadcast on
any of the UK terrestrial or satellite channels.

- ------------------------------

Subject: 5.1 What new B5 stuff is arriving?

After a long wait (JMS let slip that something was happening around
the middle of May 2004) a movie was announced, titled 'The Memory of
Shadows'. Unfortunately, due to various 'issues', including a possible
re-casting of various key characters (only Galen was confirmed as
being played by someone else though) the whole thing came to nothing.

JMS hasn't ruled out more stories in the B5 universe, but has nothing
particular in the near future.

- ------------------------------

Subject: 6.1 When are the Babylon 5 DVDs released?

The first Babylon 5 DVD was released on the 4th December 2001
in a region 1 & 4 edition. This disc contained the re-mastered
version of "The Gathering" (Babylon 5's pilot episode) and
the widescreen edition of "In The Beginning" (the first TV
movie).

The region 2 versions of the above were released on 11th
March 2002, on two discs (each sold seperately).

The rest of Babylon 5 were released as box sets, one
per season (or series, depending on the label on the packaging!).

Season (Region 1 - US) (Region 2 - UK)
1 November 5th, 2002 October 28th, 2002
2 April 29th, 2003 May 26th, 2003
3 August 12, 2003 November 10th, 2003
4 January 6th, 2004 April 19th, 2004
5 April 13th, 2004 17th January, 2005

Also on release are two additional box sets:

Title: Region 1 - US Region 2 -UK
Babylon5 - Movie Collection August 17th, 2004 February 28th, 2005
Crusade: The Complete Series December 7th, 2004 January 2005

The Region 1 edition of the first extra box set contains all
the 'made-for-tv' movies that were produced (aside from Legend
of The Rangers), alongside commentaries by JMS and cast and crew.

The full list of movies on the Region 1 release:

* In The Beginning
* The Gathering
* Thirdspace
* River Of Souls
* A Call To Arms

Unfortunately, the Region 2 edition (ie, the UK release) only
supplies 'Third Space','A Call To Arms', and 'River of Souls' -
it also appears to be short on commentaries and lacks the documentary
present in the US edition.

The second box set contains all 13 produced episodes of Crusade.
Alongside the episodes are commentaries by JMS and cast and crew, a
'making-of' documentary and a piece on designing the starship 'Excalibur'.

JMS apparently only agreed to record a commentary on the grounds that
he be allowed to tell the whole story of the production of the series,
and the reasons behind the eventual cancellation. Time Warner apparently
agreed to this, but have managed to edit out any mention of the problems
encountered by JMS in dealing with the TNT executives.

- ------------------------------

Subject: 6.2 Season 1 Details

The second disc in the region 2, season 1 boxed set has a messed up
version of the episode "And The Sky Full Of Stars". The aspect ratio
for any shots which mix live action with computer generated graphics
has been mangled. For a more complete explanation, see:

<http://home.iae.nl/users/starcat/b5atsfos/index.html (Who's computer is this?) >

Warner Home Video has taken a decision to reauthor the disc (after a
correspondence with people on "The DVD Forums"). The responses from
a product manager at Warner Home Video are reproduced here:

"Following our recent correspondence regarding Babylon 5 Series 2,
Warner Home Video has taken a decision to reauthor the disc in
question. If you could e-mail me your address, I will post you
a replacement disc.

I can assure you that Warner Home Video takes very seriously any
consumer concerns and assistance from concerned members of the
public, such as yourself, is invaluable to our service.

Once again, thank you for your interest in, and support of, the
Babylon 5 franchise.

Regards,

Kirsty Savides
Product Manager"

That "Season 2" bit is almost certainly a typo.
A later letter:

"I am pleased that you are satisfied with the outcome.

Please can I suggest that any other customers wishing to obtain
a replacement copy send their existing copy together with full
contact address details for the attention of:

Steven Hill
Warner Home Video
Warner House
98 Theobald's Road
London
WC1X 8WB

Many thanks.

Regards,

Kirsty"

And a warning:

"Unfortunately Warner Home Video UK will only be able to replace R2
discs purchased in the UK, which is why we require customers to
send in their existing disc as proof of purchase. Customers who
have bought discs from other R2 territories should write to the
local WHV office to obtain a replacement."

For more details on the issue, see this thread on The DVD Forums:

<http://www.thedvdforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=138906 (Who's computer is this?) >

you will need to register before you can view the thread.

- ------------------------------

Subject: 6.3 Season 2 Details

Highlights of the contents of the 6-disc season 2 boxed set are
as follows:

- All-new digital widescreen transfers. (Enhanced for widescreen
TVs)
- Soundtrack remastered in Dolby Digital 5.1
- Introduction and commentary on 2 key episodes by series creator J.
Michael Straczynski
- "BEHIND BABYLON 5" dossier of documentaries: "THE MAKING OF
BABYLON 5" and "BACK TO BABYLON 5"
- Enter "THE WORLD OF BABYLON 5": Take a station tour and explore
the humans, aliens, political situations, scientific data tech
files, weaponry and hardware of this unique futuristic era.

JMS has added the following info:

"The disk has an on-camera introduction by me (despite my
warnings that this would undoubtedly drive down sales), a
letter of introduction each by me and Doug Netter, and the
half-hour piece features new interviews with Rick Biggs,
Stephen Furst, me, Doug, efx maven Mitch Suskin, makeup whiz
John Vulich, and others."

"Interviews for year 2's DVD have been ... conducted, with
Stephen Furst, Andrea Thompson, John Iacovelli, Anne
Bruice-Ailing, Jerry, Claudia, Bruce, me, John Copeland,
Doug Netter and others.

In addition, I'll be doing commentaries on "The Coming of
Shadows" and "The Fall of Night," and there will be a bonus
group commentary by Bruce, Claudia and Jerry on "The Long,
Twilight Struggle."

Point being...they're putting a LOT of energy and work into
this to make each set better than the one before."

- ------------------------------

Subject: 6.4 Season 3 Details

JMS had the following to say about the release:

"There's talk about a special musical sequence for the season 3
DVD, with Chris re-scoring 2-3 episodes end to end with
non-stop music, future segments on "The Future According to
Babylon 5" with NASA and JPL guys ... "

The re-scoring mentioned above didn't happen for the final release.

Unfortunately the region 2 release has nasty brittle plastic
packaging which has resulted in many DVD sets arriving with loose
and scratched discs. It is possible to play some of the damaged
discs, but a number of people have had to return their sets.
Apparently the region 1 release doesn't suffer from this problem.

Thanks to Charlie Pearce for contacting Warner Home Video about the
damaged discs, - this is their reply:

Thank you very much for your recent correspondence regarding the
above product

We acknowledge that there has been a problem with the packaging
on Babylon 5 Series 3, such that some discs are coming loose in
transit and becoming scratched. Steps have already been taken on
the packaging of Series 3 to ensure that all new box sets on the
market should be of a sturdier design, and you can rest assured
that we do not foresee this being a problem with future Babylon 5
releases.

For those like yourself, who have scratched discs requiring
replacement, we will replace those discs ourselves singly, rather
than disrupting peoples enjoyment of the rest of the series by
requesting complete boxes be sent back. If you send me any discs
you are experiencing problems with to the address at the bottom of
the page, I will send you replacements without delay.

I can assure you that Warner Home Video takes very seriously any
consumer concerns and assistance from members of the public such as
yourself is invaluable to our service.

Once again, thank you for your interest in, and support of, the
Babylon 5 franchise.

Long live Chico Babatunde!

Yours sincerely,

Tim Willoughby

Warner Home Video (UK) Ltd.
Warner House, 98 Theobald's Road, London, WC1X 8WB

- ------------------------------

Subject: 6.5 DVD Easter-eggs

The first region 2 release of the first season of B5 left out the
some of the extra features from the region 1 version. These included
episode trailers and a hidden 'gag-reel'.

Thankfully, the region 2 release of season 2 has had nothing taken
out. Each episode is accompanied by the promotional trailer shown on
US TV.

A short gag-reel is also on the DVD, but it's not instantly visible -
you'll need to hunt around on the sixth disc (clue: look at the
Universe of Babylon 5 - Data Files).

Season 3 also has an out-takes collection - again, search in the
Universe of Babylon 5 section.

- ------------------------------

Subject: 7. What is Babylon 5: The Legend of The Rangers?

Babylon 5: The Legend of The Rangers (or B5:LoTR, B5:LR, or simply
"Rangers") is a new, made-for-tv movie for the American SciFi
Channel.
The movie aired in the US on the 19th of January, 2002. Ratings for
the show were mixed, mainly due to it being up against a major
American Football event in some places.

At this time (April 2002) it appears that there will not be a series
made, as the American SciFi Channel is reducing the amount of
'Space-based' output they produce.

Air dates for other countries (ie the UK) are as yet unknown.

SciFi has a web site dedicated to the film, with trailers,
interviews and various other interesting bits at
<http://www.scifi.com/rangers (Who's computer is this?) >.

Here's what JMS had to say about it (actually, this was before the
movie was completed, but since it hasn't aired in the UK yet, this
spoiler-free text will stay):

The movie (and the series) is under the heading of BABYLON 5:
THE LEGEND OF THE RANGERS. The specific title for the 2-hour
movie's story is "To Live and Die in Starlight."

There isn't much I can tell you about the story because we're
kinda keeping the details under wraps as much as possible for
the time being. What little I can say....

It's set in the B5 universe just under 3 years after the events
of "Objects at Rest." At this point there's one major
character from the B5 universe in the movie (a fan favorite).
Where B5 was a heavy drama with some adventure/action elements,
this one is a little more skewed toward adventure with
underlying drama (which is about what you'd expect from the
Anla-Shok).

We've been sitting on this information for a while now... such
that we're already well into pre-production. We'll be shooting
this movie around mid-May, well in advance of any potential
actor's strike (the script is done and so far everybody likes
it a LOT).

We've already got designs coming in on a new ship, and a new
kind of ship...and we're going to be getting more into
Minbari aesthetics, technologies and philosophy.

It's got some great characters, and it's a lot of fun.

More information can be foud at <http://www.b5lr.com (Who's computer is this?) > - it's an
unofficial site, but a good source of news and information.

Be aware that, as the movie has now been shown in the US, any
discussions about it could contain spoilers (hopefully not on
alt.babylon5.uk though).

- ------------------------------

Subject: 8. When will more books be published?

A number of books have been set in the Babylon 5 universe, some
of the best include the Psi-Corps and Legions of Fire trilogies.

The current trilogy of books was released in the U.S. on the
following dates (all three books are now available):

The Passing of the Techno-Mages Trilogy, by Jeanne Cavelos
Book One: Casting Shadows (ISBN: 0345427211)
Release date: February/March 2001

Book Two: Summoning Light (ISBN: 034542722X)
Release date: July 2001

Book Three: Invoking Darkness (ISBN: 0345438337)
Release date: November 2001

- ------------------------------

Subject: 9. What happened to the computer game?

Development of Babylon 5: Into The Fire, a space combat
simulator, was cancelled by Sierra in September 1999. Since
then, a number of attempts have been made to purchase the
material and get development underway once more.

The effort deemed most likely to succeed, attempted by Sector 14
Studios (a company consisting mainly of people who worked on the
B5 game for Sierra), supported by the members of
<http://www.firstones.com (Who's computer is this?) > has finally been abandoned, at
least for the present time.

A freeware B5 space game has been created by the people at
<http://ifh.firstones.com/ (Who's computer is this?) > - it's apparently a prequel to the
full game that they are going to release eventually, but it's
still pretty good.

- ------------------------------

Subject: 10.1 What was Crusade supposed to be?

Crusade was JMS's new tv project after Babylon 5, the story
starts in 2267 in the Babylon 5 calendar. Like Babylon 5 itself,
JMS planned to tell an overall story arcing across 5 seasons of
22 episodes - though the framework of the connecting story would
be looser. The series stars Gary Cole (Midnight Caller), Peter
Woodward (son of Edward), Daniel Dae Kim, David Allen Brooks,
Marjean Holden and Carrie Dobro.

The TV movie A Call To Arms sets up the story for Crusade, and
premiered in the USA on 3rd January 1999. The series itself
debuted on TNT on Thursday 10th June 1999.

- ------------------------------

Subject: 10.2 What happened to Crusade?

As of 26th February 1999, and with 13 episodes (more than half
the first season) already filmed, JMS confirmed that production
has stopped.

TNT, (the US cable tv channel), were hailed for funding season 5
of Babylon 5 (the series had just managed to survive the collapse
of the PTEN network the year before). They also commissioned the
four tv movies. But despite signing up to buy Crusade their
relationship with Babylonian Productions and Warner Bros. had
become rather bumpy. One presumes that this reflects changes of
staff amongst TNT's tv executives in Atlanta.

Warners helped Babylonian resist TNT's requests to dumb down
the stories and to fill the sets with skimpily dressed females.
But TNT's jerking on the strings became too much for WB, who
started to look for another US outlet to underwrite production.
One report is that production initially stopped because all the
scripts in hand featured a minor character that TNT first said
they wanted to see more of, and then decided they didn't want
after all!

The state of play is that the completed 13 episodes of Crusade
have been aired, both in the USA and over here.

- ------------------------------

Subject: 10.3 What about the Crusade scripts?

At the time of Crusade's cancellation there existed scripts for
three inproduced episodes of the series. For a while, they were
available from the site of Bookface (an online e-book publisher).
Unfortunately, Bookface went out of business in 2001 and the
scripts were removed. Here's what JMS had to say on the matter:

"I keep seeing posts from people who are freely exchanging
textfiles containing the Crusade scripts that were posted on
bookface.com. To those folks, the rest of you can move on...I don't
think you've stopped to realize that what you're passing around so
freely is my property. It's not taking from WB, or TNT, it's taking
from me.
I own the scripts that I write, under the Writers Guild Separation
of Rights provision. I allowed Bookface to put them up because they
gave me assurances that they could not easily or well be pirated.
(They clearly did not anticipate the ingenuity of some folks.) You
are infringing on my rights, my copyright, my ownership, and
causing me to regret my decision to let folks see them, such that I
may never do this again because it greatly reduces my ability to
ever sell them or publish them in book form in future. You have, in
effect, stolen my property and are freely distributing same. That
it's not available elsewhere is not the issue; we all want things
we can't have, or which are not currently available. I'm asking you
politely, as the guy who made this show and wrote those scripts
(and owns those scripts) for you to stop. If it doesn't stop, I'm
going to have to start taking action against those doing this."

Bookface also had two short stories by JMS, which have since been
published in an anthology called "Outside the Box" by Lou Anders,
available on order from most bookshops (ISBN: 1587152835).

- ------------------------------

Subject: 11. What has JMS got against SFX Magazine?

If you've read any of JMS recent postings on the internet, you
may be wondering about the small chunk of text at the end of
every message that reads:

'all message content (c) 2001 by synthetic worlds, ltd.,
permission to reprint specifically denied to SFX Magazine'

The "problem" actually stems from a certain con organiser - part
(and only part) of the Wolf organisation. Way back when B5 was
young, said organiser started importing US taped copies of B5
episodes and started showing them at public meetings. This is
illegal here in the UK for both copyright and certification
reasons, and quiet words were had between the B5 production
office and this individual, who basically said he's stop the
practice.

He didn't. He carried on, just tried to be more sneaky about it.
Since he's not the sharpest pencil in the drawer, he failed
miserably in his attempts at subterfuge, and was taken to task
once again, and issued assurances that it wouldn't happen again.
This is the reason Warner's despatches F.A.C.T. people to
conventions in the UK to make sure no Warner's stuff is shown.
Say thanks to this guy anyone who's ever been disappointed that
there's no B5 or Crusade shown at B5 cons over here.

Then came the first of the Blackpool cons, and questions arose
concerning the ultimate destination of money donated for charity.
Assurances were given that all was above board, and there were no
issues. Stars were photographed handing over cheques to Great
Ormond Street children's hospital etc. and all seemed well.

Another Blackpool con was set up, and the organisers promised
that the accounts would be made available at the end of the con
to JMS and other guests. Once again, questions arose over the
charity auction funds. JMS and others asked to see the promised
accounts, which were not (and never have been) forthcoming. This
was the con where the Claudia Christian bombshell hit, and JMS'
notes for a lot of season 5 were destroyed by the hotel he was
staying at, so he understandably wasn't in the best of moods for
dealing with corruption issues.

Then came the Warner Bros. debacle over the public showing of
"In The Beginning" at the Warner's West End cinema. Warner's in
their infinite wisdom decided to use the Wolf organisation to
contact fans who might want to attend this event, which was a
promotion for the forthcoming UK video release of the TV movie.
Unfortunately, it was decided to charge for the tickets, which is
against all sorts of US Actors Guild rules ("cinematic
presentation" or somesuch). So once again, Wolf is in the middle
of a controversy concerning cash and its ultimate destination.
JMS stepped in, and as a direct result of his intervention, fans
were given refunds and the event became what it was always
supposed to be - a free one as a "thank you" to the UK fans for
their long-time support of the show.

Then comes the VOR con in the States, run by the same
organiser, but totally independent of Wolf. The budgeted 5,000
attendees turned out to be around 1,500 for a wide variety of
reasons - location and cost being the main two. Given that the
majority of the B5 cast were attending, the end result was that
some 90% of the speakers ended up either not getting paid in
full, or not getting paid at all. Nothing. Zip. In short, because
of the ineptitude of the organisers of VOR, most of the B5 cast
were not paid what they'd been promised. Quite why this failure
was their fault, I have never understood. As is his wont, JMS
spoke up for the short-changed actors, and was vociferous in his
demands that they be paid what they'd been promised.

Now in the middle of all of this, sits SFX magazine. Run by
people who are also not the sharpest pencils in the drawer, and
who get taken in hook line and sinker by the organiser's line
that he's being victimised by these nasty people (JMS in
particular, but also the UK B5 group) and how unfair it all is.
They start to use this organiser and his lackeys as their main
story feed for B5 and JMS items. As a consequence, accuracy falls
straight through the floor, as does SFX's small remaining
credibility with B5 fans.

SFX despatches an "independent journalist" to uncover the fuss
over the In The Beginning showing, and produces an article that
manages to slate JMS and the UK group without actually having dug
too hard into the underlying bad feeling. That a rabid defence
of the organiser was posted to the UK newsgroup a few months
afterwards from the same PC used by the journalist rather laid
low any claim to impartiality from that quarter. She has denied
posting the message, but the computer's IP address is fixed, so
it must have been someone else using her PC then.

Around this point in time, the B5 production office decide
they've had enough of the stuff put out by SFX, and cut them off
from any and all communication. No press releases, promotional
material, set visits, photos, nothing. SFX comes to rely more and
more on their "unofficial" sources of information with an
additional drop in quality.

SFX have never got over the fact that it seems to have been
easy for the B5 production office to "cut them off", and this has
coloured their reporting ever since - despite the fact that they
now seem to have severed their own relationship with the con
organiser. I don't know why they've done this. I am curious,
however!

I think this covers most of the events, in roughly the right
order. I have deliberately missed a few items out that are not
directly relevant to the JMS / SFX debate, but this is the broad
overview from my perspective.

(c) Paul Harper 1999 - This article may not be reproduced in
any form without the author's permission. Permission is granted
to the "JMS Digest" organisation.

- ------------------------------

Subject: 12.1 Are there any posting rules?

Way back when new episodes of Babylon 5 were being aired on a
weekly basis, there existed a body of information known as 'The
Posting Rules'. The relevant bits of it are included here.

- -----------------------------

Subject: 12.2 Current UK Status regarding spoilers etc.

To ensure you don't drop a spoiler by accident, here is the
current situation regarding what we have seen in the UK at the
moment:

B5 TV series:
All of it (although some people may be
watching it for the first time)

Crusade TV series:
All of it.

Book series:
The last book to be released was 'The Passing Of The
Technomages: Book III'. (import only)

TV movies:
All the TV movies have now aired. (although the
Legend Of The Rangers TV movie - 'To Live And Die
In Starlight' has only been shown on Sky Movies)

- ------------------------------

Subject: 12.3 Top-posting (Don't do it!)

Altb5uk is a non-top posting newsgroup, so don't stick your
reply above the previous article text. (Add it below the text, or
better still, intersperse with selected quotes from the original).

Anyone who deliberately top-posts in an attempt to annoy the
residents will probably end up being ignored.

- ------------------------------

Subject: 12.4 Other Rules

There are a number of common-sense rules for the group:

If you are using Microsoft Outlook express, or any other email
program that can produce HTML emails, ensure that the option is
switched off. This will prevent a large number of complaints.

Do not post ANYTHING that could be construed as being a
spoiler for B5 stuff we have not yet seen in the UK. That
includes episodes, books, comics, TV movies etc...

Do not cross-post to other groups, be they Babylon 5-related or
not. They may have different Posting Rules to this group, and
you'll probably get in a lot of trouble. DON'T DO IT!!!!

Do not post binary files to the newsgroup. This is a text-only
newsgroup, so programs, images, sounds, html etc...are not
allowed.

Never reply to a piece of spam or a trollish statement (a
deliberately antagonising post). It will only prolong the
thread. Just ignore it. (unless it really needs it :)

- ------------------------------

Subject: 13. In-Jokes and Mythology

There exists a compendium of all the various 'in-jokes' and
legends that have grown up around the group over the years. At
present it can be found on the official alt.babylon5.uk website.

- ------------------------------

Subject: 14. IRC Meetings

Going back a few years, regular posters used to meet up on IRC
at the weekends. This has mostly stopped now, but here are the
details:

Channel name - #altb5uk

Server - Use an IRCnet server
(ask someone on the group if you get stuck)

Time - 8pm UK time, Saturdays and Sundays

- ------------------------------

Subject: 15. The Official alt.babylon5.uk website

The group has a website at <http://www.steve-c.co.uk/altb5uk (Who's computer is this?) >
It hasn't been updated in quite some time, - there is the
possibility of it being rejuvenated at some point in
the not-so-distant future. There are plenty of things on the
site, including episode reviews, parodies and the In-jokes and
Mythology compendium.

- ------------------------------

Subject: 16. Where can I go for more information?

The UK Mini-FAQ - not regularly updated now, but still useful.
<http://www.ubik.demon.co.uk/babylon5/mfaq140.txt (Who's computer is this?) >

Alternative Newsgroups - there are several:

news:uk.media.tv.sf.babylon5 - the Babylon5 oriented UK B5 group
news:rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated - JMS posts here
news:rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5 - contains a number of other groups

The Lurker's Guide - <http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/lurker.html (Who's computer is this?) >
A large collection of material on all aspects of Babylon5 and
Crusade.

JMS News - <http://www.jmsnews.com/ (Who's computer is this?) >
A complete archive of all messages from JMS over the years.

ISN News: The Zolcalo Today - <http://www.isnnews.net/ (Who's computer is this?) >
An interactive B5 newsletter, run by Sandra Bruckner.

B5LR.com - <http://www.b5lr.com/ (Who's computer is this?) >
Unofficial site for the forthcoming Legend of The Rangers TV
movie/series.

- ------------------------------

Subject: 17. Credits

In case you need to moan, suggest an addition or whatever, these
are the credits...

Maintained by: Stephen Courtney (step...@steve-c.co.uk)

Material from: Simon Jones (posting rules and the pub analogy)
Callum Noble (posting rules and the website)
VinceH (the other explanation)
Paul Harper (JMS/SFX explanation)
Pål Are Nordal (pointers to various sources)

General comments/suggestions etc: everyone and anyone...