Path: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu!bloom-beacon.mit.edu!yama.mcc.ac.uk!pln-w!extra.newsguy.com!lotsanews.com!nntp.primenet.com!nntp.gctr.net!dispose.news.demon.net!demon!news.demon.co.uk!demon!ubik.demon.co.uk!MrFaq From: FAQ Feedback Newsgroups: uk.media.tv.sf.babylon5,alt.babylon5.uk,alt.answers,uk.answers,news.answers Subject: Babylon 5, UK Mini-FAQ: tv news & newsgroup info (v1.3) Followup-To: poster Date: Tue, 6 Jul 1999 00:50:10 +0100 Organization: Ubikuity Approved: news-answers-request@MIT.EDU Expires: 15 July 1999 22:00:00 Message-ID: NNTP-Posting-Host: ubik.demon.co.uk Summary: Points to the main FAQ / Posting Rules for the UK B5 newsgroups: uk.media.sf.tv.babylon5 & alt.babylon5.uk It is (usuallly) updated frequently to address topical questions, e.g. as transmission times and dates change. Keywords: mini-faq,faq,babylon,5 X-NNTP-Posting-Host: ubik.demon.co.uk:194.222.125.229 X-Trace: news.demon.co.uk 931219706 nnrp-11:20998 NO-IDENT ubik.demon.co.uk:194.222.125.229 X-Complaints-To: abuse@demon.net MIME-Version: 1.0 X-Last-Updated: 1999/07/05 X-Mini-Faq: 1.30 X-Newsreader: Turnpike (32) Version 4.01 Lines: 524 Xref: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu uk.media.tv.sf.babylon5:127271 alt.babylon5.uk:48559 alt.answers:42963 uk.answers:249 news.answers:161792 Archive-name: uk/tv/babylon-min-faq Posting-frequency: weekly Last-modified: 5th July 1999 Copyright: (c) 1998,1999 Anthony Naggs Maintainer: Anthony Naggs URL: http://www.ubik.demon.co.uk/babylon5/ Mini-FAQ version 1.3 Some Frequently Answered Questions on uk.media.tv.sf.babylon5 and alt.babylon5.uk Warning: Please choose only one of these Babylon 5 newsgroups for your own postings, as these groups do not normally like cross-posting. This Mini-FAQ attempts to cover more topical stuff than is in the main FAQ for umtsb5: current broadcast times on the various UK tv channels, impending dates for B5 novels & video release, pointers to a few other information resources. For the latest version of the Mini-FAQ, UK related B5 links and information that hasn't made it to the Mini-FAQ (too long, too transient or arrived too late for posting) you should visit It's all over now! This Mini-FAQ started in August 1998, when the Final Five episodes of Babylon 5 were held back from the main run of season 5, with information on why they were delayed. Now the final episode has been shown and the story has ended. Except the Mini-FAQ has grown, and there are the new Babylon 5 novels on the way, and Crusade is coming via Sky - it's just so exciting! :-) * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * See Section 1 for TV scheduling info, for Channel 4, * * S4C, the SciFi Channel and Sky One. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Note 'redlines' of '*'s in left margin indicate recent additions or significant changes. (Typos are not so marked!) Changes since v1.25: Mostly stuff about Crusade on Sky One and rules against spoilers. And info on the Crusade writer's bible (Q4.6), rumours of Crusade Videos (Q2.4), Evan Chen's soundtracks on CD (Q4.3), etc... Also JMS first B5 story has now appeared in Amazing Stories. ------------------------------ Subject: CONTENTS Subject: 1. Babylon 5 broadcast dates/times: Q 1.0 When are the Babylon 5 reruns on Channel 4? (S4C?) Q 1.1 What happened to the Sci-Fi Channel's reruns of Babylon 5? Q 1.2 When can I watch Crusade on Sky One? Subject: 2. Crusade Q 2.0 When can I see Crusade on UK tv? Q 2.1 What has happened to the production of Crusade? Q 2.2 What was Crusade supposed to be? Q 2.3 When/where will Crusade be broadcast on 'normal' tv in the UK? Q 2.4 When will Crusade come out on video? Q 2.5 Anything else I should know? Q 2.6 Is there a website with more information about Crusade? Subject: 3. UK Babylon 5 newsgroups: Q 3.0 What about these newsgroups then? Q 3.1 Can I post spoilers here about upcoming episodes of B5 or Crusade? Subject: 4. Meanwhile: Q 4.0 So what's going down in the meantime? Q 4.1 Tell me about the TV movie videos. Q 4.2 When will Season 5 be released on video? Q 4.3 Is the B5 or Crusade music available? Q 4.4 When can I get JMS's Babylon 5 short stories in 'Amazing Stories'? Q 4.5 When are the new Babylon 5 novels due? Q 4.6 Can I get scripts or writer's bibles for Babylon 5 or Crusade? Q 4.7 You mentioned The Babylon 5 Magazine, where can I get this? Q 4.8 Stuff to do, places to be. (cons & social stuff) Subject: 5. About this Mini-FAQ: Q 5.0 How do I avoid seeing this Mini-FAQ? Q 5.1 You haven't answered my question! Subject: Notes about this posting and uk.* ------------------------------ Subject: 1. Babylon 5 broadcast dates/times: Q 1.0 When are the Babylon 5 reruns on Channel 4? (S4C?) A. Channel 4 are rerunning all 5 seasons of Babylon 5 on Sunday nights. Unfortunately the time has slipped back from around midnight towards 1 o'clock, (again). There are occasional breaks when Ch4 want the late slot for one of their feature weekends. The Ch4 reruns opened with the original feature length pilot, The Gathering, on November 8th/9th 1998 at 00:15. (Not the re-edited version.) S4C told me, (in email on November 13th 1998): "Unfortunately the reruns of Babylon 5 will not be shown on S4C, due to the channel's tight scheduling plans to show Welsh programmes." Q 1.1 What happened to the Sci-Fi Channel's reruns of Babylon 5? A. The Sci-Fi Channel's reruns restarted in January, this time it should run for all 5 seasons. The feature length pilot was shown twice, on January 14th and 17th 1999. Season 1 proper restarted on 21st January 1999 on Thursday & Sunday evenings at 21:00, (9pm). As of February 1st B5 is now on 3 times a week; Sundays, Mondays & Thursdays. (The first set of B5 reruns, seasons 1 to 4, ended on December 2nd, 1998.) Check the SciFi Channel's website for more news: Q 1.2 When can I watch Crusade on Sky One? * A. Sunday evenings at 8pm, from 4th July 1999 onwards. Crusade is being * carried by OnDigital as well as Sky's satellite broadcasts, cable and * Sky Digital. (Sky doesn't have the rights for terrestrial * transmission of all its shows, so they don't always appear on * OnDigital.) ------------------------------ Subject: 2. Crusade See also details of the tv movie "A Call to Arms" in section 4, (Q 4.1 and info on the novelization in Q 4.5). Q 2.0 When can I see Crusade on UK tv? * A. Right now on Sunday evenings, if you have access to Sky One. Q 2.1 What has happened to the production of Crusade? A. As of 26th February 1999, and with 13 episodes (more than half the first season) already filmed, JMS confirmed that production has stopped. You can see his news posting care of DejaNews: TNT, (the US cable tv channel), were hailed for stepping in at the last moment and funding season 5 of Babylon 5. 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. 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, as reported on the 'net by JMS: "So TNT will now air the full 13 produced, and that's the end of it for now. I say for now because WB has told us to fold and hold all the sets, rather than scrap them, because they believe strongly in the show, and feel that when the ratings come in we may well be able to pick up a second season. We'll see." For Crusade to get that reprieve it must get good ratings in the USA for those 13 episodes. Unfortunately the cast of Crusade are only on contract until July, and even JMS himself will be involved in other tv projects in the meantime so may not be available for a new season. Other difficulties include the preference of channels such as SciFi for productions that they own part of, so that they get a slice of any success. (Crusade, like Babylon 5 before it, is owned by WB.) More details of Crusade's travails can be found via DejaNews, or at "Ain't it Cool News": Q 2.2 What was Crusade supposed to be? A. 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. Q 2.3 When/where will Crusade be broadcast on 'normal' tv in the UK? A. So far there are lots of rumours, some outright lies (e.g. that the BBC had purchased the show), and few facts. Channel 4 have announced that they will be carrying fewer expensive imported programmes. Most likely this will affect programs such as Friends & Fraiser, where competing bids from other UK channels push up the price. My personal guess is that Channel 4 will eventually buy the rights to Crusade, and that it will therefore appear on S4C too. One problem is that Warners prefer to release the tv movies in the UK on the video 6 months before the first tv broadcast. Yet A Call to * Arms is important in setting up the premise for Crusade. (Episode one * of Crusade does have a lot of introductory exposition to help * introduce viewers.) Paul Bolchover has suggested a possible timetable could be: Jan 99 - US Airing of "A Call to Arms" Jun 99 - UK Video release of "A Call to Arms" Jan 00 - UK TV rights to "A Call to Arms" become available Mar 00 - UK TV airing of "A Call to Arms" Apr 00 - UK TV airing of "Crusade" * The UK video release of A Call to Arms is actually on the 2nd August. Q 2.4 When will Crusade come out on video? * A. Rumour central is whispering Monday 7th February 2000 for the first * two episodes, and more astoundingly a complete boxed set before that * on the 13th of September! Q 2.5 Anything else I should know? A. 1: uk.media.tv.sf.babylon5 * * You should not post Crusade plot or character details to * uk.media.tv.sf.babylon5, use uk.media.tv.sf.babylon5.misc instead. * See the "Micro-FAQ: Crusade on * Sky tv" posting for more details. * * 2: alt.babylon5.uk * * Title your posts clearly and use 25 lines of "spoiler space" to * protect readers who don't have access to Sky tv. Q 2.6 Is there a website with more information about Crusade? A. The official site is at: ------------------------------ Subject: 3. UK Babylon 5 newsgroups: Q 3.0 What about these newsgroups then? A. There are two main newsgroups for UK viewers of Babylon 5, with (mostly) different members. Both have rules against crossposts and spoilers for episodes not yet broadcast by Channel 4 or S4C. uk.media.tv.sf.babylon5 This is where I mostly hang out, the .social newsgroup is a good place to find out how and where to meet other UK fans. (Particularly gatherings in London and Manchester.) For advice on what you can post etc there is a FAQ for the group. It is a little out of date at the moment but being revised. Either email to faq@arrakis.nu or visit: * Don't forget, posts about Crusade should be made to the .misc group. alt.babylon5.uk This is similar but with a different mix of people, and therefore different conversations. Posters there have weekly IRC sessions which you may enjoy. For details what you can do here look out for the "Posting Rules" either on the newsgroup or at the group's website: * Posts about Crusade need 25 lines of spoiler space. Visit one or both to keep up to date with your favourite tv show! Q 3.1 Can I post spoilers here about upcoming episodes of B5 or Crusade? A. No. No. And thrice no. (With apologies to Frankie Howerd.) Episodes not broadcast Channel 4 must not be discussed. Also episodes recently shown on Channel 4 may not have been shown on S4C, and so need special consideration. See the relevant FAQ or Posting Rules described above for more details of what is acceptable. ------------------------------ Subject: 4. Meanwhile: Q 4.0 So what's going down in the meantime? A. Well there are the novels, the comics, the soundtracks, the videos of * the tv movies and the Writer's Bible for Crusade. Channel 4 and the satellite/cable SciFi Channel are rerunning previously screened episodes. (See section 1.) And you can get to know the people in these B5 newsgroups! For general information about Babylon 5 The Lurker's Guide is the best place to visit, but beware of spoilers for material not yet broadcast in the UK. Q 4.1 Tell me about the TV movie videos. A. The first B5 TV movie, In the Beginning, is a prequel story it was released in the UK on 27th July 1998. The second movie, Thirdspace, came out on the 14th September 1998 and leans to the horror/adventure genre. Two more tv movies have been broadcast in the US and are on their way here: River of Souls was released on 22nd Feb 1999. * A Call to Arms segues from the Babylon 5 story into Crusade, and will * be released on video here on 2nd August 1999. HMV will again be * doing a twinpack of book & video. JMS (Joe Straczynski) has also re-edited the pilot, The Gathering, nearer to his original vision. Amongst other changes JMS has restored some missing scenes, and a new Chris Franke score gives it a feel more similar to the series. This will hopefully appear on UK shores soon. Look on Arwel Parry's web page for news of future release dates: Q 4.2 When will Season 5 be released on video? A. Release dates are sometimes changed, so check with your shop or supplier, (or watch the website mentioned above), provisionally: 5.01 15th March 1999 5.07 19th July 1999 5.02 5th April 1999 5.08 9th August 1999 5.03 26th April 1999 5.09 30th August 1999 5.04 17th May 1999 5.10 20th September 1999 5.05 7th June 1999 5.11 20th September 1999 5.06 28th June 1999 Q 4.3 Is the B5 or Crusade music available? A. Much of Christopher Franke's music for Babylon 5 is available on CD: + Two CDs "Babylon 5" and "Babylon 5 Vol 2" have music from the first 4 seasons. + Individual soundtrack CDs for the TV movies "In The Beginning" and "Thirdspace". + A further 19 episodic soundtracks from episodes in the first 4 seasons! + Soundtracks for River of Souls and some season 5 episodes are likely soon. + February '99, 4 new soundtracks have been released. Two are on general distribution: Falling Towards Apotheosis and Darkness Ascending. The other two only available through the website: Objects At Rest and Sleeping In Light. * + June '99, Evan Chen's soundtrack for Crusade will be released * through Franke's record company. In the UK the first two CDs and the TV movie soundtracks should be available from larger music stores. The episode soundtracks are carried by specialist shops such as Forbidden Planet, Andromeda and Tower records. For more information, or even to order online, select "Babylon 5" under Favorites in the left hand menu of: Q 4.4 When can I get JMS's Babylon 5 short stories in 'Amazing Stories'? A. The first is in the Summer issue (issue #597), out now (July). * JMS wrote on 2nd April 1999: "Aside from the coming novels, I've just turned in the first of three B5 stories that will be appearing in Amazing Stories Magazine." The 3 short stories are all set after the penultimate episode, Objects at Rest. The first, 'The Shadow of his Thoughts', is about Londo, another follows G'Kar & Lyta. Check the Amazing Stories website for more news, and subscription info: Q 4.5 When are the new Babylon 5 novels due? A. There is a stack of B5 novels in print, and on the way, to supplement the tv series with aspects of the story that didn't make it to the small screen. The first nine were of variable quality, and are not currently covered in this FAQ. The newer B5 novels are first published in the US by Del Rey, and a few months later in the UK by Boxtree. Watch for: the novelization for A Call to Arms hit the US bookshops in December, and the second Psi Corps/telepath novel was due out in January. See below ... There are three trilogies of new B5 novels in progress: The telepath (a.k.a. Psi Corps) trilogy - by J. Gregory Keyes 1 Dark Genesis: The Birth of the Psi Corps UK; Boxtree ISBN 0-7522-2112-4 US; Del Rey ISBN 0-345-42715-7 2 Deadly Relations: Bester Ascendant UK; appeared in April 99, Boxtree; ISBN: 0-7522-2113-2 US; arrived in March 99 - Del Rey ISBN 0-345-42716-5 3 Final Reckoning: The Fate of Bester UK: no info yet. US: expected July 99 - Del Rey ISBN 0-345-42717-3 Centauri Prime trilogy - by Peter David no publication information yet (first one in 1999?) Technomage trilogy - by Jeanne Cavelos no publication information yet (first one in 1999?) Jeanne wrote one of the better ones in the first run of B5 novels, "The Shadow Within", which told Anna Sheridan's story. Three of the four TV movies, (but not the pilot), have also been novelized. The novels for "In the Beginning" and "Thirdspace", both by Peter David, are widely available in both the US and UK. The River of Souls novel has been dropped. A Call to Arms, by Robert Sheckley US; December 1998 - Del Rey ISBN 0-345-43155-3 * UK; 9 July 1999, Boxtree ISBN 0752218131 US editions are often available in the UK from SF shops such as Forbidden Planet and Andromeda. Or they can be purchased with a credit card from amazon.co.uk or from US bookshops, by phone or Internet. Disclaimer: ISBN numbers are quoted in good faith but may have typographical errors. Q 4.6 Can I get scripts or writer's bibles for Babylon 5 or Crusade? A. Most tv scripts you may see advertised or on dealer stands are bootleg photocopies of actors scripts. No money from these will reach JMS or Babylonian Productions. Fortunately two genuine full B5 scripts are available: The Coming of Shadows: The Coming of Shadows Script Book, by Joe Straczynski UK only: Boxtree; ISBN: 0752211447 (128 pages, 19 June 1998) The Complete Book of Scriptwriting, by Joe Straczynski includes the script of TCoS as an appendix. US: Writers Digest Books; ISBN: 0898795125 (Oct 1996) UK: Titan Books; ISBN: 1-85286-882-1 (paperback 432pp Sept 1997) The Day of the Dead: Neil Gaiman's script is sold on the net in aid of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund; Disclaimer: ISBN numbers are quoted in good faith but may have typographical errors. * On 26th June 1999 JMS posted to the 'net that the Writer's Bible for * Crusade is available. Here's what he said: * For those interested...www.thestation.com is now selling copies of * the original Crusade writer's bible, packed with information about * the series, and the characters, stuff that won't be seen until all * 13 air. This is the first time we've made a series bible available * for either B5 or Crusade...and they're already going fast. Q 4.7 You mentioned The Babylon 5 Magazine, where can I get this? A. Information on where to get The Official Babylon 5 Magazine and how you can subscribe check the magazine's FAQ: Q 4.8 Stuff to do, places to be. (cons & pub visits, ...) A. The folk from uk.media.sf.tv.babylon5 often meet up for a chat over a few drinks. The uk.media.tv.sf.babylon5.social newsgroup has discussion of London events. Fans in other areas, (e.g. Manchester, Edinburgh & Oxford), also get together, post a message and ask what is going on in your area. There are a number of UK cons with B5 links coming up, including: Telefantastique 2 - 23-25 July 1999, London (Heathrow) Expected guests include: Mira Furlan and Michael O'Hare Get more info here For info on other UK media cons, etc... visit: * and Bob at Page's Bar in London has an excellent list of upcoming * events at: * ------------------------------ Subject: 5. About this Mini-FAQ: Q 5.0 How do I avoid seeing lots of copies of this Mini-FAQ? A. Each weekly posting should automatically replace any older copies that you have collected. If you never want to see this Mini-FAQ again your newsreader may be able to 'killfile' posts with this header line "Keywords: mini-faq". If you want to only see revised versions killfiling posts with a "X-Mini-Faq: 1.30" header should work. More simply, kill on the subject line. Q 5.1 You haven't answered my question! A. This is only a Mini-FAQ, it endeavours to be short and topical. If it answered all your questions it wouldn't be a Mini-FAQ anymore! Oh, and I'm feeling lazy. :-) ------------------------------ Subject: Notes about this posting and uk.* Corrections & suggestions for additions should be sent to MrFaq@ubik.demon.co.uk My thanks to all who have commented, especially Bruce Goatly and Paul Bolchover for updated info on Crusade. Announcements relating to uk.* newsgroups, (e.g. of new groups), appear in the low traffic newsgroup news:uk.net.news.announce, which you are encouraged to subscribe to. Followups to this posting are directed to the poster.