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I have something to say about campaigns. And relax Hillary, Barack and Mr. McCain ... I ain't talking to you guys.

Every once in a great while, you'll open up Airlock Alpha and see us talking about some fan campaign somewhere. It could be efforts to bring closure to "Farscape," or some fleeting attempt to give us more Star Trek, or even Clay Aiken single-handedly saving "Jericho." From time to time, we'll see some campaign newsworthy enough to deserve a mention in a news story or column somewhere, and we'll do it.

While we might mention our fair share of fan campaigns, we don't even touch the tip of the iceberg on everything out there. Believe it or not, almost every show that didn't return this past season has some type of fan campaign trying to resurrect it, and after the stunning success of "Jericho" fans, these campaigns have become more emboldened, and feel that they have a real shot to succeed, when in reality, they don't have a chance in hell.

I'm sorry, but 99 percent of the time, if your show got cancelled, there was probably a good reason. Fans, in their frustration, want to cite conspiracies or just prejudice against fandom, but in almost every case, the main factor leading toward cancellation goes to one simple thing: not enough people were watching the show in the first place.

Does that mean that networks always make the right call in cancelling a show? Definitely not. For instance, I understand why SciFi Channel head Bonnie Hammer pulled the plug on "Farscape," and to this day, I still don't feel it was the best decision. But ratings were down, and it got to the point where the network didn't like where the bottom line was headed and decided to do something about it.

And that's what it is in the end, the bottom line. I mean, the word "business" exists in "showbusiness" for a reason, and it's money that keeps these things going.

Yes, I know that it should be about the art and such, but culture never paid the bills, and when it does, then we can get up on our soapbox and breach about the art.

A few years back, I had the honor of interviewing the mother of all fan campaigns, Bjo Trimble. She was the woman who organized the campaign that brought back "Star Trek" for a third season on NBC before there was any such thing as the Internet, or even motorized vehicles (OK, maybe there were motorized vehicles, but you know what I mean). During the course of this interview, I asked Bjo for some advice in putting together fan campaigns, and here is a sampling of what she told me, and also what I have witnessed myself over the years in seeing these campaigns come and go.

* Don't insult the studio heads. I know it's easy to get frustrated and such, but kicking around the people who make the ultimate decision about whether your show lives or dies is probably not the best tactic you can take. These people may not read message boards or even letters and e-mail directly, but attacks have a way of getting back at people. And no matter how much you turn these network heads into monsters, they are still human beings, and are affected by negative and hurtful statements just like any other human being.

* Don't wait for the official announcement, start your campaign early. I was reading some of the message board conversations the handful of fans fighting for "The Dresden Files" on SciFi Channel were having, and many were saying to wait until an official decision was made. Why not just wait until the sets are struck, because the chances of seeing any success by waiting around for the official announcement are about the same: nil.

* Don't waste your time with online petitions. You can collect 10 billion signatures, and they still won't do a single thing to help your cause.

* Listen to those who ran or reported on past campaigns. And yes, I add "reported on" because we have seen all these campaigns, and provide an outside perspective you would never have otherwise. I personally have seen about 25 fan campaigns on a very direct level, and seen maybe two of them actually succeed.

* Understand that the chances of winning are miniscule, but don't give up the good fight. Fan campaigns have an uphill battle, but there are ways of getting the network's attention. While "Jericho" fans made a lot of press by sending 20 tons of nuts, what really got CBS' attention was the fact that fans knew the business quite well, and presented their case by showing numbers and possible cause-and-effect models that resulted in a ratings decline. Sending a letter to networks saying "Save this show because I like it!" will go nowhere. Bring the conversation to the network head's level, and talk about the factors they talked about going into cancelling the show in the first place.

I have a lot of respect for fan campaigns, even when I think a show deserved to die. Passion is contagious, and all I can say is keep your chin up ... and never surrender.

SyBits

Airlock Alpha is getting a lot of mentions in different places recently. A couple weeks back, Hercules at Ain't It Cool News mentioned some of our upcoming "Battlestar Galactica" spoilers. Wednesday, the great Michael Ausiello from TV Guide talked about more BSG rumors we had. And Thurday, Susan Getgood talked about my recent trip to Vancouver, B.C. Awesome!

Ok, and now ... some letters. If you all remember, a couple weeks back we talked a little bit about a possible new ship making an appearance in the fourth season of "Battlestar Galactica" called the Demetrius. In that story, we also talked about the possible meaning of the name.

But who would know better about a Greek name than someone who lives in Greece!

First of all, let me tell you how much I enjoy your site. It's one of my favorites, and a valuable source of information about science-fiction TV series.

Now about the ship, identified as the “Demetrius.” Although it is correct that the name "Demetrius" is derived from the name of Demeter, the goddess of agriculture, you might want to consider some other alternatives.

First of all, in Greek Orthodox tradition, St. Demetrius of Thessaloniki is considered one of the most important Orthodox military saints. (The other two are Sts. George, and Theodore the Tyro). So it is safe to assume that a possibility exists, that the ship, might not be an agricultural ship after all. (I know circumstantial evidence, but I will not stop here).

Travel back (you still have your portable time machine, don?t you?) six or seven centuries, and you will possibly meet him: Demetrius I of Macedon — Poliorcetes (Besieger) (336–283 BC). He was the son of Antigonus I Monophthalmus (Antigonus the Oned Eyed), a general under the command of Alexander The Great. Although he was not very successful in the field of battle, he managed to conquer the throne of Macedonia (and by doing it, he became a dominant figure in mainland Greece), and he created his own dynasty that ruled, until the Romans conquered Greece in 146 B.C. (He was also called “Besieger,” because he used exotic siege machines extensively).

About the time that Romans, started conquering Greece, (200 – 146 B.C.) there was another king with the name “Demetrius” (and now things start to get interesting). This fellow Demetrius I of Bactria, is very interesting. Not only he was a brilliant general, undefeated in battle just like Alexander The Great, but he also created an empired in what is now eastern Iran, Pakistan, and parts of India, thousands of miles far away from Greece. He was also considered a protector of Buddhism, since he allowed the followers of Buddha to practice their fate, in his kingdom.

History lesson is over, so lets see what we have: A name that points to the goddess of agriculture, but it is also used by Warrior Kings and Saints (One of them, creating an empire, far away from his home). A mess hall of a submarine-like ship. (A crop ship should have a lot of space, and plenty of light, don?t you agree?). So I strongly believe that “Demetrius” might be an military ship, build to operate behind enemy lines, and even deploy commando units. (A common practice in WWII was to use subs and small boats to deploy commando units).

I admit that this may be farfetched, but to be honest , I prefer to see a story in Galactica, about an operation behind Cylon lines, than one about living conditions in a support ship.
-- Nick K. Kalogeras of Athens, Greece

Wow, Nick. I couldn't have said it any better myself. In fact, I couldn't have said it at all. An amazing letter, and something I had to share with our readers. And tell your friends in Greece how much you love us, and we can finally start that Greek fan club I always wanted ...

If you want to send me a letter, just drop me an e-mail at mhinman@airlockalpha.com and you might find your words right in this very spot

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Have a great week, and don't be a stranger!

Michael Hinman, named Time magazine's Person of the Year in 2006, is the founder and site coordinator for Airlock Alpha, writing out of Tampa, Fla. He can be reached at mhinman@airlockalpha.com

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