rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated is a moderated

Usenet Usenet () is a worldwide distributed discussion system available on computers. It was developed from the general-purpose Unix-to-Unix Copy (UUCP) dial-up network architecture. Tom Truscott and Jim Ellis conceived the idea in 1979, and it wa ...

newsgroup A Usenet newsgroup is a repository usually within the Usenet system, for messages posted from users in different locations using the Internet. They are discussion groups and are not devoted to publishing news. Newsgroups are technically distinc ...

that focuses on the

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...

Babylon 5 ''Babylon 5'' is an American space opera television series created by writer and producer J. Michael Straczynski, under the Babylonian Productions label, in association with Straczynski's Synthetic Worlds Ltd. and Warner Bros. Domestic Tele ...

'' and the works of writer J. Michael Straczynski. It was spun off from its un-moderated version, rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5, in 1996. The newsgroup counts Straczynski as a frequent contributor, and was among the first internet-based forums where fans interacted directly with a ' showrunner'.

History

In the early 1990s, several newsgroups were created that focused on the sci-fi show ''Babylon 5.'' One of these groups, rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5, became well known for the participation of ''Babylon 5'' creator and writer J. Michael Straczynski. Straczynski had long participated in many online forums since the 1980s, and is widely credited as being the first notable artist and celebrity to interact with fans online, even before the advent of the

Internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...

as it is now known. Straczynski interacted with ''Babylon 5'' fans on rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5 and similar groups on

GEnie Jinn ( ar, , ') – also romanized as djinn or anglicized as genies (with the broader meaning of spirit or demon, depending on sources) – are invisible creatures in early pre-Islamic Arabian religious systems and later in Islamic myt ...

and CompuServe, however rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5 slowly turned into a morass of spam and '

flame wars Flaming or roasting is the act of posting insults, often including profanity or other offensive language, on the internet. This term should not be confused with the term trolling, which is the act of someone going online, or in person, and causing ...

' (usually perpetrated and carried forward by a rather small group of people). The more ''Babylon 5''s ratings increased, and the more attention was drawn to Straczynski's involvement in the group, the more extensive and vitriolic the many flame wars got. By the end of 1995, Straczynski was also being ' net-stalked', and had to scrap a script in pre-production because fans were posting story ideas. Eventually, Straczynski left rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5, focusing on the moderated Internet based forums. A group of fans then proposed the creation of a

moderated Moderation is the process of eliminating or lessening extremes. It is used to ensure normality throughout the medium on which it is being conducted. Common uses of moderation include: *Ensuring consistency and accuracy in the marking of stud ...

version of rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5. The resultant Request For Discussion became the most replied to RFD in the history of Usenet at the time (surpassed only by the rec.music.white-power newsgroup vote), and the proposal overwhelmingly passed, creating rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated. The majority of rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5 contributors, as well as Straczynski and other Usenet personalities, flocked to the new group, essentially continuing rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5 in a more controlled environment. Straczynski continues to post to rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated to this day, engaging in discussions with fans about many subjects in addition to answering questions about his works and using the group to make announcements about new projects. The various independent websites that archive his Usenet posts or the group itself are usually mis-cited in the

media Media may refer to: Communication * Media (communication), tools used to deliver information or data ** Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for advertising ** Broadcast media, communications delivered over mass e ...

as being his official websites. The group is actively moderated on a volunteer basis by two ''Babylon 5'' fans, and the computer equipment and bandwidth costs are supported by donations from other fans. Posts can be made through normal Usenet methods (via a newsreader or the

World Wide Web The World Wide Web (WWW), commonly known as the Web, is an information system enabling documents and other web resources to be accessed over the Internet. Documents and downloadable media are made available to the network through web ...

through

Google Groups Google Groups is a service from Google that provides discussion groups for people sharing common interests. The Groups service also provides a gateway to Usenet newsgroups via a shared user interface. Google Groups became operational in Febru ...

), or via

e-mail Electronic mail (email or e-mail) is a method of exchanging messages ("mail") between people using electronic devices. Email was thus conceived as the electronic (digital) version of, or counterpart to, mail, at a time when "mail" meant ...

Moderation

Per the group's charter, no topic is " off topic". Most discussions at first naturally focused on ''Babylon 5'', and since the show ended, on Straczynski's recent works in comics, film,

radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmi ...

and

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

. The group can be looked at as more of a general discussion group. The only things that are not allowed in the group are spam,

trolling In slang, a troll is a person who posts or makes inflammatory, insincere, digressive, extraneous, or off-topic messages online (such as in social media, a newsgroup, a forum, a chat room, a online video game), or in real life, with the i ...

, story ideas about ''Babylon 5'' or other projects Straczynski may be working on, and flame wars. Posts from new contributors or new threads go through the moderators for approval first ("hand moderation"). Posts to existing threads from experienced contributors are automatically allowed through by computer. Discussion threads on particularly heated subjects (usually politics) are continuously hand moderated to prevent flame wars from occurring, and if they do, the thread can be shut down. The system is not perfect: posts can be lost and the group can be down to new posts if the moderation computers are being moved or during power outages, etc. Appearance of new threads are dependent on the availability of the moderators, and may sometimes take more than a day to appear. Occasionally, complaints of

censorship Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governments ...

arise, though these complaints are often from people who were making posts that violated the clearly set rules. Nevertheless, the forum is still a popular discussion ground for Straczynski's fans, with the main selling point being the opportunity to interact with Straczynski. Jay Denebeim, a volunteer moderator for Rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated, was profiled in a ''Wall Street Journal'' article that covered the travails that beset the Usenet in the late 1990s.

Legacy

Straczynski's involvement with rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5 and its successor, rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated, has had great influence on his works, especially ''Babylon 5''. Straczynski's involvement on these groups also paved the way for similar online discussion involvement by many artists and celebrities today. At the time, the word "

blog A blog (a truncation of "weblog") is a discussion or informational website published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries (posts). Posts are typically displayed in reverse chronological order s ...

" had not yet been coined, and yet Straczynski's discussion of every episode of the show prior to its airing remains a critical milestone in the history of production-related blogging.

Straczynski's contributions

Straczynski began his postings on GEnie with background information about the setting and history of the major races and station. By the time he began posting to Usenet, the pilot was over and episodes were in production. Discussion of upcoming projects was a frequent topic throughout, and began as early as July 1993 with information about upcoming

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

adaptations. Early in the first season, Straczynski began to divulge details of upcoming plot threads, though he did so sparingly. One such comment set up the homosexual themes that would not be revealed until the second season between two of the female characters (" Divided Loyalties"). This particular plot thread eventually led to one of the most discussed editing choices in the show's history. A kiss between the two women during the second season was edited in such a way that it was strongly suggestive, but not a definitive kiss. Religion played a large role in ''Babylon 5'', and yet in many of his postings, Straczynski discussed his atheism. During the first season, he commented that In addition to his discussion of the show itself, Straczynski often fielded questions related to the writing process in general or regarding the business side of ''Babylon 5''. Many posters asked about topics such as the demands of writing for a series, and how to break into the industry. As the seasons progressed, ratings were a frequent topic because of the concern surrounding seasonal renewal of the show. For similar reasons, awards such as Emmys that the show received were also discussed on a regular basis. Departures from the show were often highly emotional topics for the fans, and for Straczynski. The three primary departures which sparked the most commentary were those of Michael O'Hare (between seasons 1 and 2),

Andrea Thompson Rebecca Andrea Thompson (born January 6, 1960)
Film Reference. Retrieved May 19, 2013. is an Ameri ...

(mid-season 2) and

Claudia Christian Claudia Christian (born Claudia Ann Coghlan August 10, 1965) is an American actress, singer and author, known for her roles as Commander Susan Ivanova on '' Babylon 5'', as Captain Maynard on Fox's ''9-1-1'', and as the voice of Hera on the N ...

(between seasons 4 and 5). These departures were also a great source of speculation which ignited strong responses from Straczynski. Straczynski shared information regarding the death of

Richard Biggs Richard James Biggs II (March 18, 1960 – May 22, 2004) was an American television and stage actor, known for his roles on the television series ''Days of Our Lives'' and ''Babylon 5''. Early life Born in Columbus, Ohio, Biggs attended the Un ...

and

Andreas Katsulas Andrew Katsulas (May 18, 1946February 13, 2006), known professionally as Andreas Katsulas, was an American film and television actor, most recognized for portrayals of Narn Ambassador G'Kar on the American science fiction television series ''Bab ...

. Details of production and business choices to which fans are not always privy were often shared. Some examples include: * The pre-filming of the last episode of the series during season 4, in case of cancellation. * The cancellation of '' Crusade'' and the notes process with

TNT Trinitrotoluene (), more commonly known as TNT, more specifically 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, and by its preferred IUPAC name 2-methyl-1,3,5-trinitrobenzene, is a chemical compound with the formula C6H2(NO2)3CH3. TNT is occasionally used as a reagen ...

that led up to it. * Negotiations to make a ''Babylon 5'' film (Note: these were suspended after Richard Biggs' death.) * The start of production of the ''Babylon 5: The Lost Tales'' direct to DVD. * Announcement that he would adapt E.E. Doc Smith's

Lensman series The ''Lensman'' series is a series of science fiction novels by American author E. E. "Doc" Smith. It was a runner-up for the 1966 Hugo award for Best All-Time Series, losing to the ''Foundation'' series by Isaac Asimov. Plot The series begin ...

for

Ron Howard Ronald William Howard (born March 1, 1954) is an American director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. He first came to prominence as a child actor, guest-starring in several television series, including an episode of ''The Twilight Zone''. He ...

. * Announcement that the only continuation of the ''Babylon 5'' series will be as a feature film.

References

External links

* ews://rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderatedon USENET
rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated
via