- The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5
"The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5" is a popular fan-run
website containing detailed episode guides and analyses, production history notes, background materials, references, and other information related to thescience fiction epic, "Babylon 5 ". Series creator and writerJ. Michael Straczynski and other production crew have been known to use it. [http://jmsnews.com/msg.aspx?id=1-12074&query=lurker's%20guide JMSNews ] ] The name is derived from the termlurker , which Straczynski adopted to refer to the underclass residents on the "Babylon 5" station.Structure
"The Lurker's Guide" has five major sections, starting with "The Babylon 5 Universe". This section introduces the show and gives background on historical events in the series' timeline that shaped its political and social climate. There are also sections for resources and references, and detailed information on the production of the show.
The heart of "The Guide" lies in the individual episode listings. Each episode and telefilm has a synopsis page, a background page (providing a description and explanation of the
story arc up to that episode), and detailed cast and crew credits. The main guide page is the most utilized resource.Fact|date=August 2007 It contains a "backplot" section, which shows how the episode relates to the overall story arc, a section for unanswered questions from the episode, a detailed analysis section, plus a section on miscellaneous notes. Each article concludes with a "JMS Speaks" section, which contains Straczynski's comments about the episode, gathered from various online forums on which he posted.History
"The Guide" was created by Steven Grimm around early 1993, long before the pilot aired, as a
FAQ posted onUsenet . A website was set up, but when the FAQ became too cumbersome, "The Guide" was born. Grimm maintained the site, with contributions from several fans over the years.During the run of "Babylon 5", "The Lurker's Guide" was updated, adding new facts and insights whenever they became available. Although the site is not updated as frequently since the series' end, it still serves as a record and reference of the fan experience surrounding "Babylon 5". Straczynski commented that even he used the site for quick reference, calling it a "valuable resource".
Legacy
"The Guide" and its associated FTP archive used to be located at hyperion.com before Grimm lost the domain. In the first-season episode "
A Voice in the Wilderness ", Straczynski named the "EAS Hyperion " cruiser after the site.In 1997, when
TV Guide ran a cover story on "Babylon 5", "The Guide" was one of the websites featured in a special sidebar.On the "Babylon 5" Season 5
DVD , Straczynski also acknowledged "The Lurker's Guide" and Grimm for his years of help and support, illustrating "The Guide's" significant central role in the development of "Babylon 5" fandom, and the series itself.See also
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Internet marketing and fan influence on Babylon 5
*rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated References
External links
* [http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/lurker.html The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5]
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