Subject: alt.tv.vr5 Survival Guide
Supersedes: <tv/vr5-faq/survival-guide_829201511@rtfm.mit.edu>
Date: 19 Apr 1996 05:19:43 GMT
Summary: Essential tips and hints for new alt.tv.vr5 readers.
         Where to find VR.5 resources on the Net; the latest VR.5 news.
X-Last-Updated: 1996/03/25

Frequency: weekly
Last-updated: 24th March, 1996

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                   alt.tv.vr5  SURVIVAL GUIDE


Welcome to alt.tv.vr5, an unmoderated newsgroup devoted to the
discussion of Fox's science fiction/drama TV series "VR.5."
   Please read this Survival Guide before posting.


["!" denotes an added or modified line.]


news (updated 24-Mar-96)
 - - - - -
   KEEPING VR.5 ALIVE

  (Some definitions: Samoset Productions created and produced VR.5;
   Rysher Entertainment distributed VR.5; Fox broadcast VR.5 on
   U.S. TV.)

  + Fox (http://www.foxnetwork.com/) canceled VR.5 on 22 May 1995
      because of low ratings, internal friction between members of the
      cast and crew, disagreements between VR.5's production companies
      and Fox, high production costs, and cost overruns.  Each episode
      had cost up to $1.5 million to produce, and the dismal ratings
      picture couldn't justify the expense.
  + Fans organized themselves into an Internet-based group, called
      Virtual Storm (http://www.microserve.net/~server/vr5/vrstorm/),
      dedicated to keeping VR.5 alive.
  + After six months of intense lobbying by phone and mail, Virtual
      Storm's members had succeeded in persuading VR.5's producers at
      Samoset Productions to begin working on a two-hour made-for-TV
      VR.5 movie for Fox.  European backers were pushing for a 2-hour
      movie and had the money in place for Rysher Entertainment to go
      ahead with it, and Fox had approved the movie and given
      Samoset/Rysher the go-ahead.
  + It looked as if the movie was all set to be produced.
!     (http://daniel.drew.edu/~adebliec/omni.log)  But Fox reportedly
      pulled out at the request of Bob Greenblatt, Fox's vice president
      for programming.  This effectively put the movie in limbo.
  + Rysher, VR.5 Executive Producer John Sacret Young, and a few members
      of the cast/crew are still eager to do the movie.  (See:
      http://www.geocities.com/athens/2520/vr5-blain-final.html)  But
      without Fox's support, it's dead.
  + So, if you're from a big company in the TV distribution arena and
!     you like VR.5, give Rysher (http://www.rysher.com/) a call!
  + Writers at Samoset had completed at least two drafts of the movie's
      storyline by the time Fox withdrew its support.


   VR.5 MERCHANDISE

  + Virtual Storm sent a formal proposal to Rysher to obtain the rights
      to produce VR.5 T-shirts, mugs, keychains, acoustic modems (!),
      and other related items.  Rysher rejected it.  (See their letter
      at ftp://pearl.sri.com/pub/vr5/rysher1.jpg.)  We can only
      speculate that they believe the rights to VR.5 could be very
      valuable in the future.
  + In a letter related to the merchandising situation, Paul Eagleton,
      vice president of domestic television marketing at Rysher,
      expressed his support for Virtual Storm's efforts.  (See his
      letter at ftp://pearl.sri.com/pub/vr5/rysher2.jpg.)


   VR.5 FAQ

  + I've been rewriting and reorganizing the FAQ since September 1995.
!     No guesses as to when it'll be done yet, although we're getting
!     *very* close on this.  Expect it out soon.
! + Over twenty-five megabytes of new material is being added.
  + When the FAQ reappears, it will expand to 11 parts, with each part's
      subject line following this pattern:

        Subject: VR.5 FAQ (1/11: At a Glance)
        Subject: VR.5 FAQ (2/11: Characters)
        ...[etc.]

  + The FAQ will be signed with the PGP encryption program.  (More info:
      http://www.cs.ruu.nl/wais/html/na-bng/alt.security.pgp.html)
! + My e-mail address has changed to raquele@eskimo.com.  Please add my
!     new PGP public key (at http://www.eskimo.com/~raquele/pgp-key/) to
!     your electronic keyring.
  + Here's the current list of "chapters" in the FAQ:

         [0]  At a Glance
         [1]  Episodes
         [2]  People
         [3]  Visual Effects & Music
         [4]  Symbols, Plot Questions, & Speculation
         [5]  The Committee & VR
         [6]  VR.5 Online
         [7]  VR.5 in Reality
         [8]  Trivia, Idle Thoughts, & Miscellany
         [9]  VR: Science
        [10]  VR.5 Fandom
        [11]  This Old FAQ


sources say...
 - - - - -
  No one has stepped forward, non-anonymously, to either confirm or deny
  any of the following.  Take each piece of information you see here
  with a grain of salt.

  + John Dobbin says the VR.5 movie's storyline "was to feature stronger
      roles of Anthony Head and Michael Easton.  Word remains that
      Tracey Needham's availability was in question because of JAG on
      NBC.  Lori Singer is between opportunities at the moment."
  + He continues: "Apparently, a lot rides on the results of the Alien
      Nation movie Millenium from January 2.  If the results are good, it
      will have established a trend for AN, but also for other sci-fi
      related material for that time slot."
!   [NOTE: On 19 March 1996, Fox said to advertisers that it would be
!     airing additional "Alien Nation" movies in the fall.]
  + Fox is trying to see if the Friday night 8-9 p.m. time slot that
      leads into "X-Files" can hold a program that'll stay and garner
      decent ratings.  The slot has traditionally been regarded as a
      "death hole": all the shows put there, including "M.A.N.T.I.S.,"
      "The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.," and VR.5, have been
      canceled because of poor ratings.  The traditional reason's been
      that everyone goes out on Friday night.  (But gets back in time to
      see "X-Files.")
    Some of Fox's recent experiments with the slot include:

        * Showing two back-to-back "X-Files" episodes from 8-10 p.m.
            (ET/PT).  Fox is reportedly moving to position "X-Files" as
            a lead-in (8-9 p.m.) for new science fiction shows from 9-10
            p.m. -- a slot, Fox programmers hope, that will be more
            hospitable to new programs -- and they were trying to see if
            putting "X-Files" on an hour earlier would make any
            difference.
        * In late January 1996, Fox showed "Space: Above and Beyond"
!           (http://www.microserve.net/space:aab/) in the Friday 8-9
            p.m. time slot to see if *that* could be its new home.
!       * "Sliders" (http://www.brillig.com/sliders/) replaced "Strange
!           Luck" in March 1996 for the remainder of the '95-'96 season.
!           Industry sources say that both "Strange Luck" and "Sliders"
!           have about equal chances of being renewed.


resources
 - - - - -
  VR.5 Mini FAQ.
     Lori Olson's Mini FAQ contains succinct answers to frequently asked
     questions about VR.5, plus posting guidelines and news.
        You can get it:

        + By ftp at ftp://pearl.sri.com/pub/vr5/minifaq.txt.
        + By e-mailing Lori at <hobbit@pearl.sri.com>.

  VR.5 FAQ.
     The main FAQ is your definitive guide to VR.5, with character
     biographies, episode summaries, reviews, resources, trivia, and
     answers to your most niggling plot questions about the show.
        When it's finished, it'll be posted monthly to alt.tv.vr5,
     rec.arts.sf.tv, rec.arts.tv, alt.answers, rec.answers, and
     news.answers.  You can also get it:

        + By ftp at ftp://archive.egr.msu.edu/pub/vr5/vr5fact.txt.
        + On the Web at http://www.cs.ruu.nl/wais/html/na-bng/alt.tv.vr5.html.
        + By e-mailing <mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu> with a message
            containing the command "send usenet/news.answers/tv/vr5-faq/*"
            (without quotes).  Leave the subject blank.

  VR.5 Fan Fiction Archive.
     A collection of dozens of fan-written stories and parodies based on
     VR.5's plot and characters.
        You can get it:

        + By ftp at ftp://archive.egr.msu.edu/pub/vr5/vr5story.txt.

  VR.5 Online Conference Archive.
     Complete transcripts from all of the online conferences in which
     members of the VR.5 production team have participated with fans of
     the series.  It's a *must-read* if you're a fan; you'll find lots
     of valuable information.
        You can get it:

        + By ftp at ftp://archive.egr.msu.edu/pub/vr5/vr5conf.txt.

  VR.5 Electronic Newsletter Archive.
     The full text of every VR.5 newsletter published by Augie De Blieck
     Jr. on the Internet since July 1995.
        You can get it:

        + By ftp at ftp://archive.egr.msu.edu/pub/vr5/vr5enews.txt.

! VR.5 Discussion Archive.
!    When it's done, this will be the most comprehensive archive of
!    online VR.5 discussion available, containing compilations of
!    messages from the alt.tv.vr5 newsgroup and VR5/VRSTORM mailing
!    lists and covering hundreds of topics.  The archive should go back
!    to June 1995.
!       Recent discussion on the VR5 mailing list (since 27 February
!    1996) is currently available:
!
!       + By ftp at ftp://ftp.eskimo.com/u/r/raquele/vr5-digests/
!
!    The location of the completed archive will be announced later.

  Web sites.
     ftp://pearl.sri.com/pub/vr5/vr5.htm
     http://daniel.drew.edu/~adebliec/vr5.html
     http://rampages.onramp.net/~brummett/vr5.htm
     http://www.abacus.ghj.com/sci_fi/vr5/vr5.htm
     http://www.consiste.pt/sfsite/vr5.htm
     http://www.intercom.no/~savage/
     http://www.microserve.net/~server/vr5/
     http://www.microserve.net/~server/vr5/committee/
     http://www.microserve.net/~server/vr5/committee/book.html
     http://www.microserve.net/~server/vr5/update/
     http://www.quiknet.com/~franknw/news.html
     http://www.realtime.net/~lthumper/vr5/
     http://www.cs.ruu.nl/wais/html/na-bng/alt.tv.vr5.html
     http://www.yahoo.com/Entertainment/Television/Shows/Science_Fiction/VR5/

!   [The Dreamwatch site (http://www.flavour.co.uk/flavour/dreamwatch/),
!    which contained information about Virtual Storm, was recently
!    "suspended."  We don't know what the cause is or what happened.]


movie madness
 - - - - -
  Help us in our quest to convince Fox and Rysher that they should
  produce and broadcast a two-hour VR.5 movie.

    [1]  Sign the VR.5 Movie Petition, if you haven't already done so.
!        E-mail <jdobbin@solutions.net> with your name, e-mail address,
         and location, if you agree with the following:

           We the undersigned support FOX in creating a 2 hour VR.5 for
           their Tuesday Night Movie of the Week slot.  We would like to
           see the original cast and crew back in action and realize
           that this might be the only way to get our program back on
           the network. Thank you FOX for your consideration.

         For example, I might send this info:

           Jonathan Gan raquele@eskimo.com San Jose, California, USA

         If you have family members or friends who also like VR.5,
         please include their names, e-mail addresses (if any), and
         locations.
            You can also use Nathan Donato's World-Wide Web form at
         http://www.quiknet.com/~franknw/news.html.
!           As of the date of this Guide, the Petition contains over 565
         names from Portugal, Canada, the United Kingdom (including
         Scotland), the United States, Germany, Norway, Ireland, and
!        South Africa.  Updates to the Petition are posted occasionally
         to the newsgroup.
!           Our goal is to reach 1000 names.  We're told that the
!        petition's already had a substantial impact on the Powers That
!        Be; when we're at 1000, we'll send copies of the petition to
!        Fox, Rysher, and Samoset, and make an even bigger splash.

    [2]  Write short letters to Fox and Rysher expressing your support
         for a two-hour VR.5 movie.  Also, please mention that you're a
         member of Virtual Storm, the Internet-based fan group dedicated
         to promoting VR.5.
            Send your letters to:

         John Matoian
         President, Fox Entertainment Group
         Box 900
         Beverly Hills, CA 90213
         U.S.A.

         Rysher Entertainment
         Attn: Dawn Rosenquist/VR.5
         3400 Riverside Dr. #600
         Burbank, CA 91505
         U.S.A.


quick q&a
 - - - - -
  + What's with the "VR5 digest" messages?

       The VR5 mailing list, where lots of discussion happens, is piped
    into alt.tv.vr5 via the "VR5 digest" posts, so folks like you in the
    newsgroup can see what's happening.  In fact, some people at Samoset,
    Rysher, and Fox use the newsgroup solely as a way to monitor the
    happenings at Virtual Storm.

  + How do I join the VR5 mailing list?

       Send an e-mail message to <listserv@server.microserve.net> with
    the subject blank and the body of the message containing:
         subscribe vr5 My Name

       Replace "My Name" with your first and last name, or with your
    e-mail address if you prefer to remain anonymous.
       If this isn't working, or if you'd like an easier way to
    subscribe, you can do so by filling out the form on the World-Wide
    Web at any one of these sites:

        * [Committee Report]
            http://www.microserve.net/~server/vr5/subscribe.html
        * [SciFi Site]
            http://www.abacus.ghj.com/sci_fi/vr5/vr5sub.htm
        * [SciFi Site, Portugal]
            http://www.consiste.pt/sfsite/vr5sub.htm

       The mailing list's charter and purpose are stored on the Web at
    http://www.microserve.net/~server/vr5/committee/charter.

  + What episodes were broadcast, and in what order?
  + I forgot what happened in episode [something].
  + I missed some episodes.  Where can I get copies of them?
  + I live in the U.S., and didn't get to see the missing episodes.

    Here are all the episodes that were produced, in order:

          Title
          -----------------------------------
          1.   Pilot
          2.   Dr. Strangechild
          3.   Sisters (*)
          4.   Love and Death
          5.   5D
          6.   Escape
          7.   Facing the Fire
          8.   Simon's Choice
          9.   Send Me An Angel (*)
          10.  Control Freak
          11.  The Many Faces of Alex
          12.  Parallel Lives (*)
          13.  Reunion

        (*) = "Sisters," "Send Me An Angel," and "Parallel Lives" were
              not broadcast in the U.S.  They're called the "missing
              episodes," and were broadcast in countries like Canada,
              Norway, and the U.K.

    Descriptions of all 13 episodes are included in the main VR.5 FAQ.
       Rysher has not released plans for VR.5 videotapes.  If you want
    copies of any of these episodes, or if you live in the U.S. and
    didn't get to see the missing episodes, several members of Virtual
    Storm will be happy to copy them for you for the cost of tapes and
    shipping.
       Please send a request to John Dobbin at <jdobbin@solutions.net>,
    and he'll forward it to the people who can help you.

       Sky TV in the U.K. broadcast VR.5 out of order:

          Title
          -----------------------------------
          1.   Pilot
          2.   Dr. Strangechild
          4.   Love and Death
          5.   5D
          6.   Escape
          7.   Facing the Fire
          8.   Simon's Choice
          10.  Control Freak
          11.  The Many Faces of Alex
          9.   Send Me An Angel (*)
          13.  Reunion
          12.  Parallel Lives (*)

       They left out "Sisters" to make room for an "X-Files" documentary.

  + I'm new to the Net.

       Welcome!  Go to news.announce.newusers and read all of the posts
    there.  If you have questions, you can get answers in the newsgroup
    news.newusers.questions.

  + What are the asterisks?

       If asterisks surround a word, like *this*, read the word as if
    it's emphasized.

  + What is a flame?

       An emotional, often personal attack on another person's article.
    "I disagree with your statement because of X" is not a flame,
    whereas "I disagree with your moronic statement and the fact that
    you would say such a thing proves you're a moronic idiot" is.
!      Flames are strongly discouraged (and rarely appear) in
    alt.tv.vr5.

  + What is a lurker?

       Someone who reads a group, but doesn't post.  Doing so is called
    "lurking."

  + What is VR.5?

!      Fox says it's a science fiction/drama series that follows an
    ordinary telephone lineswoman who tinkers with the technology of
    virtual reality and is enlisted by a secret organization to aid in
    assignments that require more than conventional methods of solution.
    (http://www.microserve.net/~server/vr5/)

  + What is Virtual Storm?

       A group of fans who like and promote VR.5.  For information on
    what they do, and how to join, please see the VR.5 Mini FAQ.

  + What is:
       Syd?             Sydney Bloom
       Sam?             Samantha Bloom
       Dunc?            Duncan
       VR?              virtual reality
       TC?              The Committee
       The Other?       the person who is brought into VR
       PTB?             the Powers That Be (like: "Oh, if only the PTB
                          renew VR.5...")
       OS?              Oliver Sampson (usually: "OS/ASH")
       ASH?             Anthony Stewart Head
       VS, VStorm?      Virtual Storm
       JSY?             John Sacret Young, VR.5 executive producer/creator
       TSJ?             Thania St. John, VR.5 co-executive producer
       Stormers,
        Virtual
        Stormers?       members of Virtual Storm
       SaRF?            Samoset/Rysher/FOX
       LS?              Lori Singer
       MOW?             Movie of the Week.  The abbreviation is used
                          here to refer to the two-hour VR.5 movie
                          that's now in limbo.

  + What's Lori Singer's address?

       There are two addresses you may write to.  Lori says she answers
    all her mail, and several fans have reported getting autographed
    photos back.

    Address #1:  Lori Singer
                 c/o PMK Public Relations
                 1776 Broadway
                 8th Floor
                 New York, NY 10019
                 U.S.A.

    Address #2:  Creative Artists Agency
                 9830 Wilshire Blvd.
                 Beverly Hills, CA 90212
                 U.S.A.

  + Tell me about alt.tv.vr5.

       alt.tv.vr5 used to receive over 500 posts a week.  Now we're down
    to around 10 posts on a good week.  :-)
       The newsgroup seems to hit periods of peak traffic -- 120 posts a
    day in July, for example -- and slowness (6 posts a week in mid-May)
    from time to time.  alt.tv.vr5 has now been accepted at thousands of
    Usenet sites worldwide.
!      It's received over 7500 posts since it was created on 26 March
    1995 and re-created on 7 May 1995 (following accepted procedure).
    There have been participants from the United States, Canada, the
    United Kingdom (including Scotland), Norway, Australia, Germany,
!   Switzerland, Portugal, Ireland, Argentina, and South Africa.

  + Tell me about the alt.tv.vr5 Survival Guide.

       This Survival Guide is compiled and updated by Jonathan Gan and
    posted weekly to alt.tv.vr5, alt.answers, and news.answers.  You can
    also find it:

       + On the Web at:
           http://www.cs.ruu.nl/wais/html/na-bng/alt.tv.vr5.html
       + By ftp at:
           ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/tv/vr5-faq/survival-guide
       + By e-mail:
           Send a message to <mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu> containing the
           command "send usenet/news.answers/tv/vr5-faq/survival-guide"
           (without quotes).  Leave the subject blank.

       The Guide is PGP-signed to ensure that nothing is modified before
     it gets to you.


Thanks for visiting, and welcome to the Game!

- --
Jonathan Gan    San Jose, California
   For PGP public key, Web to http://www.eskimo.com/~raquele/pgp-key/.

           "With all this talk before Congress about
            installing "V" chips in future TVs so parents
            can block out violence for their children, it
            gave me an idea.
              The VR.5 Chip.  No matter what channel you
            tune to, you get nothing but VR.5.
              I could live with this, as long as the TV
            had a Babylon 5 chip installed too."
                                                --Stanley,
                             "Spokesman for the Committee,"
                                        28th August, 1995

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