I spoke to Bruce today, and apparently whatever problems may
have existed have been worked out, and he, Richard Biggs and Jerry
Doyle are now all confirmed for the German convention this summer.

Now, that stated, an open letter to the German fan groups.

Many on the B5 staff and I have been inundated with email from
fans in Germany, and organizers of various fan groups, and fan
counter-groups, and counter-counter groups, and insisting -- no,
*demanding* -- that we get personally involved in the fan situation
there, that so-and-so has no business working in X area of fandom, that
this group over here isn't as right or proper as *that* group over
there, insisting again and again that we issue statements condemning or
repudiating one group or another....

Stop it.

For starters you're making my people crazy. And some of the
cast. You do not endear yourselves with this behavior.

Second: it is not our place to intervene in fan-vs-fan disputes.
Not only *would* we not do so, it would be wrong for us to try, and it
would be resented by the majority of fans, rightly so.

Granted that there are always, and will always be, schisms and
politics and back-alley metaphorical knifings between one fan group and
another, that goes with the territory, and it happens in many
countries. But the ferocity of this competition, and the blizzard of
email to my staffers and others involved with the show from those
involved in the current dispute has gone beyond the pale.

If I know from personal experience or knowledge that a given
convention is going to be trouble, I'll say so...but I (and we) have no
direct knowledge of the situation in German fandom, and to ask us to
condemn or recognize one faction or another when we are completely in
the dark is simply wrong.

(I should mention that it's primarily those who are actually
involved in one group or another who are making life difficult for us
here; we have received only wonderful support from German fans in
general, who don't get involved in the politics of local fandom. We're
very proud of how the show has been received in Germany, and are only
appreciative of the great response and support and letters we've
received. This is primarily addressed only to the specific groups
involved.)

The point of B5 is that hu jms