Yep. I remember spending hours on that site -- I watched through when the SciFi channel re-ran B5, and I always pulled the Lurker's Guide up after each episode and read through each episode's discussion in its entirety. My brother did the same thing. We'd discuss at length afterwards. Had a huge impact on us.
It's a fascinating site. Besides being a great commentary on a really good TV show, and a great example of how durable and usable 90s-era web could really be, it also encapsulates something about the position and velocity of culture at the time. The whole thing really reflects how TV shows were viewed at the time, and how the Internet was used at the time, and the hopes and ideals people had about where things would go.
Yes, exactly! I'd seen an episode of B5 here and there, but it was hard to know what was going on. My family moved states when TNT bought the show and started airing the series in order 5 days a week as Season 5 was starting to come out. I didn't know anyone yet so the highlight of my day was coming home and watching the next episode, then reading the episode guide. It made me feel like part of a community.
It's a fascinating site. Besides being a great commentary on a really good TV show, and a great example of how durable and usable 90s-era web could really be, it also encapsulates something about the position and velocity of culture at the time. The whole thing really reflects how TV shows were viewed at the time, and how the Internet was used at the time, and the hopes and ideals people had about where things would go.