[alt.tv.alias] FAQ v1.04
Joseph
There are few spoilers past the mid-point of Season 1, basically 'cos Lene
hadn't seen the rest yet! Little new character or plot information has been
added so it remains virtually spoiler free.
Sections
----------
1. Welcome
2. Posting guidelines
2.1 General Guidelines
2.2 Spoiler Policy
2.3 Periodic Posts
3. General Alias Information
3.1 What is Alias?
3.2 When does Alias air?
3.3 Are there Alias DVD/VHS Sets?
3.4 Is there and Alias music soundtrack?
4. Where can I find?
4.1 Music from the Show?
4.2 Alias Fanfiction?
4.3 What's this about a web game?
4.4 Where can I download episodes?
4.5 Alias info on the net?
4.6 Other Alias fans?
4.7 How do I contact the stars?
4.8 An Archive of posts in this group?
4.9 What is Alias Underground?
4.10 What is Alias Declassified?
4.11 Alias's Nielsen ratings?
5. Show Information
5.1 Who does <insert character> work for?
5.2 What is <insert organization>?
5.3 Who plays <insert character>?
5.4 Who is Laura Bristow?
5.5 Who is Milo Rambaldi?
5.6 <o> ?
5.7 Number 47?
6. Acknowledgements
7. Copyrights
7.1 Who owns Alias?
7.2 This document?
Subject: 1. WELCOME
------------------------------
Welcome to alt.tv.alias.
When this group was created (April 13th 2002), it was done in the hope that
it would be an international group. We would like to keep this group lively,
civilized, and most of all friendly. This document will hopefully serve as a
guide that will help achieve these ideals.
Since alt.tv.alias is an international group, it is important that we do not
spoil others enjoyment of the show by giving them 'spoilers' of episodes not
aired yet in their own country. See Sections 2.1 and 2.2.
Subject: 2. POSTING GUIDELINES
------------------------------
2.1 General Guidelines
These guidelines are generally followed by the majority of us here. If you
do not then you may find a less than warm reception. Just because some
members may not follow these guidelines or something is accepted in another
group doesn't mean doing so is welcome here.
The following are guidelines to follow when posting to this group:
a. Protect spoilers. Do not post spoilers in the subject. Use spoiler space
before spoiler information in your post. See Section 2.2 below for the
Spoiler Policy.
b. No binaries or attachments (pictures, wav files, etc.). Not only do some
people have problems downloading them, certain news providers don't carry
groups that allow them. There is a group for this:
alt.binaries.multimedia.alias, which exists on many servers. If it isn't on
your server contact your news provider.
c. SPAM. If you want to sell stuff and advertise it on alt.tv.alias, you may
only if it is directly related to the show. Mark your post in the Subject
with [FS], indicating "for sale", or [FA], indicating "for auction." Note
that eBay is an auction site, not a sale site. Include the square brackets.
Yes, this is going to be used by people filter out stuff they are not
interested in.
If you want to post a link to your new website, you may if is it directly
related to Alias. Mark the Subject of your post with either [LINK] or [AD].
All these posts should be kept down to no more than once every fifteen days.
Any more than that and you are considered to be spamming the group, and are
subject to being reported to your ISP.
d. Bottom posting is the preferred method for replies. Top posting is
strongly discouraged. To simplify use of spoiler space please reply below
the quoted text. It makes reading the group much easier if everyone is
consistent.
e. Formatting. Posts should be in text only format, do not use HTML, MIME,
or any other type of encoding. Even though major newsreaders like Outlook
and Netscape allow sending HTML to newsgroups, it is looked down on in most
newsgroups. In any case, many newsreaders cannot read HTML.
Text should be wrapped at approximately 72 and no more than 80 characters.
This makes your text readable when it is quoted in replies, even multiple
levels.
If you include a signature in your posts please keep it short and simple.
f. Ignore trolls! A troll is a person who posts a message with the specific
intent to disrupt the group. They are basically troublemakers. The only way
to get rid of them is to ignore them. These individuals thrive on attention,
and ANY attention will only make them come back.
g. Cross Posting. It is not necessary to cross post your message to a group
for every topic you mention (like when comparing Alias to other TV shows).
Posting the same message to more than one group is generally not necessary,
and is almost always a bad idea. These messages are likely to either be
ignored or draw heavy criticism.
h. Fan Fiction. We try to keep the group family oriented so if the story
involves more graphic material than can be found in an Alias episode it
should not be posted here. See Section 4.2.
i. If you do not agree with any of these guidelines, and would like to
discuss them, first read <http://www.geocities.com/nnqweb/nquote.html> or one
of many documents on this subject found on the Internet. alt.tv.alias is not
the appropriate place for this discussion. If someone must start (another)
top-posting versus bottom-posting discussion, a good place to start is
news.groups.questions.
--------------------------------------------------
2.2 Spoiler Policy
Spoiler space and warnings should be maintained at least for any episode in
the current (or most recent) US season. This means when a new season starts
in the US you can discuss the previous season without spoiler space.
Posts with information about episodes not yet aired in the US must obviously
also be protected. Do not include things such as "Syd gets head cut off next
week" as your subject line (btw, as far as I know - she doesn't). Clearly
mark in the subject that the post reveals information from an unaired
episode. Also include in the subject or spoiler space area that it involves
an unaired episode.
All posts referencing an episode should contain the episode and season number
in the subject header. You can use either the episode name, or the code
SSxEE, where SS is the season number and EE is the episode number. Please do
NOT identify the episodes by the airdate! Almost all other countries are at
least several weeks behind the US airdates. If you need help identifying
this information see the Episode Guide, which lists all the episode numbers,
US airdates, and episode titles.
eg. Subject: 1x13: The Box pt 2 - Wow, can you believe what Syd did?
NOT Subject: Wow, can you believe Sydney did <insert plot info>?
All posts referencing an episode should also contain adequate spoiler space
in the body of the message. Adequate spoiler space is 20 lines. For those
who don't know, spoiler space is blank space above the text of the message
containing spoilers.
Future plot lines and cast/character information is considered a spoiler even
if it appears on ABC's Alias website. If the relevant future episode cannot
be identified please use "Pre Aired SPOILER" in the subject of any post of
this nature.
eg. Subject: SPOILER - Britney Spears guest starts
NOT Subject: Britney Spears will play Syd's evil half sister
Fan speculation its self is not a spoiler, but if the theory uses information
that is a spoiler as evidence it should still be protected. And other than
making random guesses you are probably basing it on spoiler information.
Info from entertainment websites or programs like TV Guide or Entertainment
Tonight are not considered fan speculation. They may be making some
predictions, but much is based on insider information or previews of the
episodes.
If you reference an episode within a thread, please use caution and if
relevant please use spoiler space. If spoiler space is missing or has been
removed and the message still contains spoilers insert new spoiler space.
We ask you to do this as many people in different countries see the episodes
at different times and do not want to know what will happen ahead of time.
By using spoiler space we allow more people to participate in this group.
Viewers from other countries are important to the group; they can provide
different points of view. Many regular posters in the group are from outside
North America.
There are also people who actively seek out spoilers before they see
episodes, either because they can't wait, they want to know which bits to
fast forward when they watch, to decide if the episode is worth watching, or
they missed the episode entirely.
Please be considerate to everyone and use spoiler space correctly so everyone
can enjoy the group.
--------------------------------------------------
2.3 Periodic Posts
Periodic Posting Guidelines:
The Subject line of periodic postings should start with "[alt.tv.alias] ",
without the quotes. It should also include a reasonably consistent title.
It may also include a version number or revision date.
This makes them both easy to find, and easy to filter out for those who don't
wish to see them. They should not be posted more than twice a month unless
specific to each episode.
If you wish to add a periodic posting to the group, you are welcome to
contribute. While there is NO approval process it must be Alias related and
useful to others. Several members are available for help, just look for an
author of any of the existing regular postings.
Current Periodic Postings:
There are Episode Guides to reference before making posts that may contain
spoilers.
There are Character Lists that may be helpful when you can't remember a
character's name or want to find more information on them.
After each episode an Episode Rating Poll is posted. Votes will be counted
and results will usually be available before the next episode.
This FAQ and those documents will be posted frequently.
Subject: 3. GENERAL ALIAS INFORMATION
------------------------------
3.1 What is Alias?
Alias is a TV show created by JJ Abrams. It premiered in 2001. The premise
is best summed up by Sydney's voice-over at the beginning of first season
episodes:
"My name is Sydney Bristow, seven years ago I was recruited by a secret
branch of the CIA called SD-6. I was sworn to secrecy but I couldn't keep it
from my fiancé. And when the head of SD-6 found out, he had him killed.
That's when I learned the truth; SD-6 is not part of the CIA. I'd been
working for the very people I thought I was fighting against. So I went to
the only place could help me take them down. Now I'm a double agent for the
CIA where my handler is a man named Michael Vaughn. Only one other person
knows the truth about what I do, another double agent inside SD-6, someone I
hardly know... My father."
--------------------------------------------------
3.2 When does Alias air?
USA:
Sunday 9:00pm EST/8:00pm CST on ABC
Latest episode: Season 2 Episode 12
ABC Family no longer shows Alias repeats.
Season 2 hasn't started yet in other countries. Times listed may change when
season 2 starts.
UK:
Tuesday 8:00pm on Sky One (Season 2 starting March 4th 2003)
Saturday 5:30pm on Channel 4 (Season 1 badly cut/censored)
Australia:
Monday 8:30pm on Channel 7 (Season 1 time, no longer showing)
Season 2 will probably start in March 2003.
France:
Season 1 is rerunning on Téva (cable and satellite):
Friday 8:50pm (2 episodes, dubbed in French)
Saturday 7:55pm (first ep repeats)
Sunday 7:55pm (second ep repeats)
Friday 12:15am (both episodes, in English with subtitles)
Season 2 will probably start on Téva around February-March 2003.
M6 will probably air it in September 2003.
Panama/Brazil:
Thursday 9:00pm on AXN cable 33/34 (English with subtitles)
Repeats: Friday 3:00am, 2:00pm
Sunday 8:00pm
Monday 4:00am
Season 2 should start in February.
AXN is in several countries including most of Latin America, Japan, Israel,
Spain, Brazil (separated because they speak Portuguese), and other countries
in Asia.
Germany:
Alias does not run yet in Germany.
Season 1 starts on February 18, 2003.
Tuesday 8:15 PM CET on ProSieben (satellite, cable, and air)
--------------------------------------------------
3.3 Are there Alias DVD/VHS Sets?
There is no OFFICIAL word on DVD/VHS releases. There are rumors that Season
1 DVD sets will be released with the premiere of Season 3 in September 2003.
There is currently a pre-order list at <http://www.amazon.com> (search for
Alias in the DVD section). This does not mean there will be a release; the
information collected by Amazon will be sent to the studio to show interest
in a DVD/VHS release.
--------------------------------------------------
3.4 Is there an Alias music soundtrack?
There is no OFFICIAL word on this either. See Section 4.1 for more
information on music.
Subject: 4. WHERE CAN I FIND?
------------------------------
4.1 Where can I find the music from the show?
All the music used in the show is listed on the official website:
<http://www.abc.com>
As yet there are no plans for a soundtrack CD.
The Alias theme music is by JJ Abrams. All other original music in the show
is composed by Michael Giacchino.
--------------------------------------------------
4.2 Where can I find Alias Fanfiction?
There isn't a group for this yet, a couple places to try are:
<http://www.fanfiction.net>
<http://www.creditdauphine.net>
--------------------------------------------------
4.3 What's this about a web game?
To quote JJ Abrams:
"What's fun about this show and the site is that there's a detailed mythology
to [Alias]. We're able to address things on the Web that we don't have time
to address on the show. We have the official site, at ABC.com, which is
going to be an entertaining wealth of information about Alias. And then
there's an alternative secret Web presence that I don't want to give any
details about. It's a very cool and very compelling, unadvertised project
that I think is going to be, ultimately, the most exciting part [of the
campaign]. There are certain things we're doing that, if I were a fan of the
show, I would find to be as interesting and compelling as the series itself."
The official site for the game:
<http://www.abc.com/primetime/alias/adv.html>
Information on the ongoing Season 2 game can be found:
<http://www.geocities.com/alias_faq>
For information on the Season 1 game which ended March 2002:
<http://pw2.netcom.com/~oakgrove/alias.htm>
--------------------------------------------------
4.4 Where can I download episodes?
Please note that downloading/distributing copyrighted material online is
likely illegal in your country. Most countries recognize and enforce
copyright laws. This section is not to encourage you to download copyrighted
material. Discussion involving downloading of episodes is discouraged.
However, since the question is asked multiple times every week anyway, below
are several sources that may have episodes available. Use them at your own
risk. The authors of this document take no responsibility for your
activities.
USENET
alt.binaries.multimedia.alias exists on many news servers.
Please note, some news servers restrict access to binaries newsgroups. Be
warned, if you're going to get episodes from USENET then they're gonna be in
tiny pieces and you're gonna have to reassemble them. If you miss 1 tiny
part and it has expired, you miss the episode.
A general guide for how to download binaries is here:
<http://www.help4newbies.fsnet.co.uk/home.htm>
For much a more informative and detailed guide try this:
<http://www.timdoc.com/guide/Download_Guide_TimDoc.htm>
IRC
For those not familiar with IRC, a good introduction is here:
<http://www.mirc.com/irc.html> and <http://www.mirc.com/ircintro.html>
Channels with episodes are: #alias and #alias-central on EFNet. There are
probably some on DALNet, find a TV-rips channel and ask there. Make sure you
are familiar with the rules of the channel before you start to get episodes.
Break the rules and you won't get them.
P2P
Episodes are available on peer-to-peer file sharing networks.
Try these links for more info on P2P programs:
<http://download.com.com/3150-2166-0.html>
<http://directory.google.com/Top/Computers/Software/Internet/Clients/File_Shar
ing/>
Another web guide covering P2P and Usenet can be found at:
http://www.weethet.nl/english/internet_downloadmovies.asp
BitTorrent
<http://www.turok.info/eps.shtml>
<http://bitconjurer.org/BitTorrent/>
--------------------------------------------------
4.5 Where can I find more Alias info on the net?
Try starting at the official site:
<http://www.abc.com/primetime/alias> or <http://www.aboutalias.com>.
There are also many excellent fan websites also available. Run a search on
"Alias Bristow" (without quotes) on any search engine and you should find
plenty.
--------------------------------------------------
4.6 Where can I find other Alias fans?
How about right here on alt.tv.alias? There are also many message boards,
chatrooms and clubs devoted to the show.
--------------------------------------------------
4.7 How do I contact the stars?
You can write to them at:
Star's Name
c/o: Alias
The Disney Studios
500 S. Buena Vista Street
Burbank, CA 91521
Replies are certainly not guaranteed though!
--------------------------------------------------
4.8 An Archive of posts in this group?
Google started archiving the group in November 2002. Messages since then can
be found at <http://groups.google.com>. Messages before then have been
archived at <http://sd-6.com/ataa>.
--------------------------------------------------
4.9 What is Alias Underground?
Alias Underground is a free computer game that is part of a sweepstakes. You
go through SD-6 agent training and on missions as Sydney Bristow.
It can be downloaded for free from:
<http://www.abc.com/primetime/alias/underground>
--------------------------------------------------
4.10 What is Alias Declassified?
Alias Declassified is the official companion for the show based on Season 1.
It is a paperback book that gives info about the characters, organizations,
Rambaldi, and the Profacy. It also gives a look behind the scenes including
costumes, story line evolution, stunts, props, etc. The first 100,000 copies
come with a DVD that contains cast interviews and other good stuff.
--------------------------------------------------
4.11 Alias's Nielsen ratings?
Neilson ratings are frequently posted to the group. You can also look at
ratings for each season here:
<http://www.thefutoncritic.com/cgi/gofuton.cgi?select=&id=alias&season=2002200
3&action=tracker>
Or visit this Alias fan site for more complete demographics and rankings:
<http://www.alias-online.net/season2/nielsenratings.html>
What do the ratings figures mean:
The first number is the rating - percentage of all US TV households.
The second is the share - percentage of households with the TV on.
Subject: 5. SHOW INFORMATION
------------------------------
5.1 Who does <insert character> work for?
SD-6:
Arvin Sloane (Director)
Jack Bristow (double agent)
Sydney Bristow (double agent)
Marcus Dixon (agent)
Marshall Flinkman (Ops Tech)
CIA:
Devlin (Director)
Michael Vaughn (agent - Sydney's Handler)
Eric Weiss (agent)
Sydney Bristow (double agent)
Jack Bristow (double agent)
FBI:
Kendall (Assistant Director)
K-Directorate:
Anna Espinosa
The Man's Organization:
Irina Derevko
Alexander Khasinau
Mr. Sark
The Triad:
Valerie Kholokov
Civilians:
Will Tippin
Francie Calfo
Daniel Hecht (deceased)
Detailed information is in the Character Lists (see other documents).
--------------------------------------------------
5.2 What is <insert organization>?
SD-6:
SD stands for "Section Disparu" or "division that doesn't exist" in English.
It has eleven 'sister' divisions (SD-#) in other countries.
CIA:
The Central Intelligence Agency was created in 1947 with the signing of the
National Security Act by President Truman. The National Security Act charged
the Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) with coordinating the nation's
intelligence activities and correlating, evaluating and disseminating
intelligence that affects national security.
Alliance of 12:
An alliance of 12 former intelligence officers who went freelance, and
created the SD divisions.
K-Directorate:
A Russian freelance intelligence agency.
FTL:
A Hong Kong based freelance intelligence agency.
The Triad:
A group of loosely associated criminal organizations.
More information on organizations may also be found at the bottom of the
Character Lists.
--------------------------------------------------
5.3 Who plays <insert character>?
There are many websites on the net with this information. Check out:
<http://us.imdb.com/Title?0285333>
--------------------------------------------------
5.4 Who is Laura Bristow?
Laura Bristow is Sydney's mother. She was a literature professor at UCLA.
In the pilot we are told she died in a car crash when Sydney was a child.
--------------------------------------------------
5.5 Who is Milo Rambaldi?
Born in Parma in 1444, Rambaldi was educated by monks of the Vespertine
order, and until the age of 12, was self-employed as a painter, sculptor and
student of the arts.
Rambaldi is said to have preceded the digital information age by implication
of an illustrated "machine code" language as early as 1489, through the
introduction of cryptic algorithms (eg. compression) around his use of
pre-binary 1's and 0's. Many of his drawings and documentation are written in
multiple languages ranging from Italian and Demotic hybrids, to elusive
mixtures of symbols (pre-masonic cipher encryptions).
More information at: <http://www.followersoframbaldi.org>
--------------------------------------------------
5.6 <o> ?
This is the "Eye of Rambaldi." Rambaldi created the earliest known watermark
on all of his papers, known as the "eye" of Rambaldi, and which show up to
the naked eye only when held under black light. It is also used as a sign of
his followers.
--------------------------------------------------
5.7 Number 47?
So what is the significance of the number 47?
Its a prime number and apparently Marshall likes prime numbers.
Sloan said that page 47 of all Rambaldi's writings held critical information.
In real life it all goes back to the 1960s at Pomona College. A professor
completed a mathematical proof that stated that all numbers were equal,
therefore all numbers were equal to 47. Later a student project to determine
whether 47 appeared more often in nature than other numbers turned into hunt
that continues today. During the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" series one
of the writers was a graduate of Pomona College. He got it started; since
then the number has appeared in nearly every episode.
<http://www.pomona.edu/Pomoniana/47.shtml>
<http://www.47.net/47society/>
The likely connection to Alias is the frequent reference to Star Trek in
television shows known as the 47 Conspiracy among Trekkies. There are
several other Star Trek connections in Alias including Sloane and Dixon's
names.
<http://pw1.netcom.com/~oakgrove/aliasmisc.htm#startrek>
Subject: 6. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
------------------------------
Thanks to:
SiKing - for starting the group, maintaining the episode guide, and FAQ help.
Lene - for writing most of this FAQ.
Lynn - for her revelation about usage of spoiler space!
Bit Cloud, Steve, P Kerr, Trevor Jenkins, DDT, Scake, Karine, Manu, and
Lothar Bartsch - for info on Alias in other countries.
Subject: 7. COPYRIGHTS
------------------------------
7.1 Who owns Alias?
Alias is copyrighted by Touchstone Television, a part of the ABC
Entertainment Television Group, which is owned by the Walt Disney Company.
This document is for entertainment purposes only and not intended to infringe
on any of their copyrights.
--------------------------------------------------
7.2 This document?
This FAQ was originally written by Lene Nilsson-Lewis on May 1st 2002 on the
suggestion of SiKing. Joseph <aliasfan@texas> has maintained the FAQ since
version 1.02 on December 16th 2002. Joseph will continue to maintain the FAQ
with Lene's help.