Did you know that they cancelled Farscape? What the heck were those bozo's at the Sci-Fi channel thinking? Like, this is their hightest rated original production and they can't afford to make it anymore. Really smart business decision guys. Maybe they are thinking that they will end up with a cult/fan thing like Star Trek that will live on in syndication for the next 40 years? I don't think so, but at least they are going to broadcast the last of the original episodes eventually. It does make one wonder what the media decision makers are thinking. Do they even think about the fans, or just the bottom line?

In the meantime, we can all sit here on our hands/paws and anxiously await 12 November so we can get our copy of SW-AOTC. Then, another 30 days and we get our every 2-3 years Trek movie fix when Nemesis is released. I did get the newest book in the Eugenics Wars series, not a bad read, but for some reason, Khan really does loose something going from the big screen to the printed page.

They are already hyping all the AOTC toys for the Christmas buying season and it isn't even Halloween. Heaven help us all when we get Nemesis, Lord of the Rings part II and Harry Potter in the next few months. We are going to be totally overwhelmed by the marketing gurus and their hype. Seems that there is more $$ to be made with the merchandising than with the product. Of course, we know that George Lucas figured that out years ago - how do you think he paid for all the stuff he has done for the past 30 years?

The gang at Dark Horse Comics are really shaking things up with the new series Star Wars: Empire running neck and neck with the Star Wars: Republic offerings. We will be afforded the opportunity to enjoy prequel era stuff along with the good old fashioned Rebellion. There is so much going on at Dark Horse, its impossible to keep track - our best advice is to make their site a "favorite" and watch the shelves at the bookstore.

I am constantly amazed and confused by all the fuss and dollars spent with all the trading cards and collecting cards! They have cards, games, books about the cards and games, guides to play the games with the cards and the books, and magazines to explain all the stuff that you have already purchased to play with. Star Trek, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Babylon 5, you name it, there are cards and games for it.

I have a question for you, gentle readers and interested parties - who wants to explain this phenomenon to me? Do we have members that are actually into this stuff?? I know we have members who play games, but these games?? And collect the cards? Do you really understand all this? If you would like to shed some light on this question that has this poor furry friend of OTF totally confused, please send us an email at otftribune@msn.com. We could really use your help.

Thats all for now. I really couldn't find much of anything exciting to tell you about that hasn't been covered on the boards, or in the usual sites and trade publications. Of course, for all you Star Wars fans, I still personally recommend the Homing Beacon. For the Trekers out there, I am open to your personal selections? got any you'd like to tell us about??