ISN APRIL NEWSLETTER:

By Joe Steinkamp "Ranger" - Contributing Reporter and Executive Moderator of www.isnnews.net

Greetings Fellow Crusaders!

        We at ISN would like to start this update with a public service announcement. If you ever plan to run your own web site.. Never buy Drazi robots for your automated services. We at ISN have found out the hard way that the infer-red sensors that they use for accepting commands from our staff are very similar to those of used by common video recording units. In other words, we managed to record the Farscape season opener but the cat will never be the same again. We also found that they just plain stink at upgrading our site too. So if you need some spare circuit boards you know where to find them.

        Being that our new robotic pals were on the fritz we managed to be one of the last boards on the web to change our front page to trumpet in the new dawn of the third age. If you didn't know by now then let us tell you the great news. Starting in September, in the US, the Sci Fi Channel will be airing Babylon 5 on a daily evening basis. The SFC has already said that it plans on promoting the hell out of B5. So chances are that we won't have to wait long for new merchandise with the little SFC logo on it to show up on the web and Xmas lists of us fans.. Hint Hint!

        Along with this news comes the interesting bit from TNT. They also plan to start re-airing the B5 episodes this summer but in an early morning time slot. After a bit of research by our crack staff, alright we hired a couple of 9 year olds with the promise that Pikachu would visit them, we find that the TNT scheduling was more along the lines of a money making deal then that of stealing away viewers from the SFC. Either way it's a Win Win situation for the B5 fan.

        If you don't have the SFC then you have one last chance to get the shows you want before it moves to the SFC. If you just plan to replace your copies with the TNT logo for that of the ultra cool SFC one (yes the butt kissing has begun) then wait until September. AND.. if you are just waiting for a DVD release .. then… the line forms to the left. Hopefully if the ratings are good then Warner Home Video will have something positive to say in regards to B5 very soon.

        If you would like to take part in our message board discussions on both the TNT and SFC airings of B5 then head to these links. We have several to choose from.

SFC Conversations:

http://forums.isnnews.net/
http://forums.isnnews.net/
http://forums.isnnews.net/

http://forums.isnnews.net/

        Now I know what you are thinking … "What about Crusade?" Well, currently there is no official word from the SFC on this but all indications seem to be that it might be just a matter of time. Below is what one of our fellow Rangers posted on our boards about the future of Crusade and the SFC deal from the Great Maker himself.

"For those who might be interested, here are some comments that JMS has made on usenet over the last couple of days on the specific subject of SFC and Crusade:"

"I get the sense from some folks at SFC that they wanted to make the B5 deal its own thing, without diluting it, and that they might well come back next year to pick up the Crusade reruns as another kind of event to spike the B5 reruns a bit."

"Note: I'm not saying that's what's going to happen, only my sense of what will *probably* happen, given some recent conversations."

"Everything in TV has its time; shows are acquired at specific points and in specific ways. That's why, for instance, the project Chris Carter and I had in development has to wait until July/August before I can take it out again; development season runs from about that time through October, then the door's shut."

jms

"One thing I forgot to mention in my prior post was that thus far SFC has been just terrific and very excited about bringing on B5. They've stayed in touch with me pretty much every since the announcement, and we're working out what can be done to promote the show, how to best feature it, that sort of thing."

"There have been a couple of ideas expressed that are VERY cool, but it's still way too early to talk about them. I'll be meeting with Craig Engler from the SFC web site and Sci Fi Wire in about 2 weeks to continue the discussions about what can be done on that side as well."

"It's nice to have a situation of respectful give and take rather than having dictates handed down."

jms

On the subject of writing to SFC about Crusade:

"I'm suggesting that they probably don't need much in the way of encouragement in terms of picking up the 13 Crusades. So I'd go light on this."

jms

        I'm only encouraged by these comments, but I think it's still pretty clear that it's way, way, too early to even think about Crusade resuming production at some point.

To read more on this and to see how our members feel about it go to: http://forums.isnnews.net/

We also have some who make some bold predictions on the future and how things should pick up again if the show was to go back into production tomorrow. To read about that go to this topic: http://forums.isnnews.net/

The Virtual Season schedule has been voted on and now we are ready to announce the official dates of the episodes. Get out your calendar gang and mark these dates down.

1. Racing the Night: April 26th
2. The Memory of War: May 3rd
3. The Needs of Earth: May 10th
4. Visitors from Down the Street: May 17th
5. Each Night I Dream of Home: May 24th
6. The Long Road: May 31st
7. The Well of Forever: June 7th
8. Patterns of the Soul: June 14th
9. Ruling From the Tomb: June 21st
10. The Rules of the Game: June 28th
11. Appearances and Other Deceits: July 5th
12. The Path of Sorrows: July 12th
13. War Zone: July 26th
Crusade: Past, Present and Future: August 2nd thru the end of the month.

For those of you who don't know what the hell we are talking about ..

        The Virtual Season 2000 is ISN's way of celebrating the 13 episodes of Crusade that aired on TNT. It's almost been a year now and we keep meeting people who haven't experienced the wisdom of Max or the boldness of Mathew Gideon. So we decided to gather up all of our members to spread the word of Crusade. We plan to watch one episode a week in the order above, just like as if it were on TV again, then come to ISN to discuss how we feel about them with others who might have a different opinion.

         The idea is to re-examine what worked and what didn't. Why did some love this series and others just plain loath the mention of it? We also want to remind others about how Crusade fit into the overall plot of the Babylon Universe. A simple thing that is commonly overlooked by many fans when discussing the topic of Crusade is that it did tie up some of the loose ends of the series and if one was to read the series bible then they might be shocked to see what have come next had the series continued.

         We invite all of you to dust off your tapes and join us over the next few months as we relive the exploits of the crew of the Excalibur. Even if you don't have tapes .. Please stop by and join our discussions. We have many surprises in store for those who are planning on participating so .. C'Mon!

        We recently received this in our mail boxes at ISN from Ranger Gaidhiel . We all know about the rough times the B5 game has been through but let's hope that this one comes true. I really want this one to be true!

Babylon 5: The Legend lives on!

The latest news over at www.firstones.com is that several of the game developers are currently attempting to form their own company, Sector 14 Studios, to put out "Into the Fire." See the site for more details.

        We made a joke about B5 being on DVD above but there is some news on that subject. Joseph De Martino has given us some great info from the sources and boards he deals with in his never ending fight to bring B5, in Widescreen of course, to our homes in the wonderful DVD format. Yours truly, Ranger the over talkative, chimes in with a report on the new Digital Light Projector I saw in Dallas as well. This the projector is the one that Lucas wants to use for Episode Two.

Go here to read the reports:

Also, if you want to se what is in store for the Galaxy Quest DVD go here:

http://forums.isnnews.net/

        Speaking of technology that is leaps beyond what we see now.. If you haven't or don't know where to get that killer "Lord of the Rings" footage you have hard so much about then go to our discussion topic on it. There you will find the links you will need for the playback of this AWESOME footage. Now all you have to do is wait until Xmas 2001 with the rest of us to see the rest of the movie.

http://forums.isnnews.net/

        Well that's it for right now but we have plenty more where that came from. Right now we are discussing the awful truth that is Voyager's season cliffhanger, Brandon Braga's fan site [ No I am not kidding! ] and some TV cancellations. There is always something new on our boards and if you don't find what you want.. you have the power to post it in our Open Areas. We also have new members posting in our Fan Fiction areas for both B5 and Crusade. So if that's you thing then we have you covered.

We look forward to seeing you there!

VZSciFi is Go... Almost!:

Here is some information about VZSciFi:

        VZSciFi is an extension of VZones, a membership-based, immersive virtual world accessed through Avaterra's patented VZones software which can be downloaded from our various web sites. This software enables members to create their own avatar, a virtual version of yourself, who can explore the VZones environment, meet and chat with other avatars, rent a virtual apartment -- or even a spacecraft, in the case of VZSciFi -- shop, and be part of inworld events. All your activities are conducted in real time, so the people you meet inworld are online when you are, chatting about the shows, the books, the comics and other SF-related subjects they like in a common setting.

        VZSciFi, part of VZones virtual communities, will be launched in the UK during the weekend of the Comics2000 Festival (April 22 - 23 2000) in Bristol, England. As part of its launch, Comics2000 will have its own 'virtual convention' area within VZSciFi. Comics artists Dave Gibbons (Martha Washington Goes to War, Watchmen), John Higgins (2000AD, ComX - a new UK-based comics publisher), Gary Frank (Incredible Hulk, Kin), Bryan Talbot (Luther Arkwright, Tale of One Bad Rat) Hunt Emerson (Knockabout Comics) and 2000AD comics editor David Bishop will have their own avatars inworld during the weekend at some point.

        As VZSciFi gets up and running, we also have the following guests for just some of our live events during our first year of operation: Babylon 5 and Crusade creator J. Michael Straczynski (subject to work commitments); actress Pat Tallman (Babylon 5's Lyta Alexander); author and script writer Fiona Avery; comics author Warren (Transmetropolitan) Ellis; fantasy author J. Gregory Keyes; horror author Yvonne Navarro; and BBC Visual Effects Designer Mike (Doctor Who, Red Dwarf) Tucker. More guests will be announced on our web site at http://www.vzscifi.co.uk when they are fully confirmed: I am striving to ensure that the only information we give you is as accurate as I can make it at the time of writing and based on the responses I've had from the creators and actors involved!

        We're also planning: video and audio presentations of forthcoming movies and TV series; online competitions to win SF merchandise; opportunities for virtual shopping; an SF news and information web site; and free web space for VZSciFi members. But the most important aspect of this new service, in my humble opinion, is the opportunity for SF fans world-wide to interact with like-minded souls in a variety of activities, 'face to face'!