From July 11-14, Blackpool(UK)saw the biggest gathering of Babylon 5 stars ever The Alliance convention, organized by Wolf 359. Virtually every member of the cast was there, along with many members of the crew, and Mira Furlan was -again- a highlight After her brief appearance during Friday's spectacular opening ceremony, her first panel took place on Saturday. She talked a lot about how much she enjoyed working on B5 and how glad she was that shooting the final episode of season 4 was not the end. "Constant change is the only continuity about Babylon 5" - that's how she summed up the ups and downs of the last months. Referring to this, she said she had "stopped making long term plans. Anything can go in any direction." Mira also stated she "felt great" about season 5.

When she was asked which parts of Delenn's character she identified with, she replied, "She is a strong. soft, complicated being. I don't identify with her toughness, I admire it. Her feeling of isolation-that's kind of what I feel." Concerning her role in Babylon 5 she also said it was hard for her to play an action heroine after her Shakespeare and Moliere roles back in Europe she told us, "I definitely learned a lot from Delenn, and also how much she enjoyed being a part of the great story JMS was creating, especially the antiracist aspects which suited her and her beliefs. Mira also had a lot of good things to say about SF fans. "The fandom was a big surprise for me. My first convention was an unbelievable surprise. Babylon 5 owes its existence to the fans' loyalty, respect, and understanding."

Before she left a couple of fans demanded to see her together with Bruce Boxleitner. Later, while he was onstage with Wayne Alexander, a familiar voice pretended. "I have a question for Bruce" Mira then joined them and it took a couple of minutes before all the photographers were done. A lot of the fans wanted to see a kiss, but with the words, "My mission is accomplished!" she tried to get off the stage, but before she could leave Bruce gave her a kiss and the crowd cheered enthusiastically!

Mira started her second panel with a lullaby from her home country which she tried to teach to the crowd. Then, she mentioned she wanted to learn a Scottish folk song as she was going to take a trip to Scotland after the convention. After that she once again expressed how much she enjoyed working on Babylon 5 with her colleagues. "They are an interesting bunch of people, they all come from such different places and such different backgrounds - all that makes the show alive!" When she was asked about Joe Straczynski's idea of the future she agreed to his -not so pretty- picture of the future. Another fan thanked Mira for her patience with the fans (especially during the autograph sessions) and she replied, "I'm here for you, it's my pleasure! You have so much enthusiasm, so much understanding you're so kind!" She then had a few German words for her German fans (her German is great!) and she then auctioned a cup signed by the entire cast for 200 pounds. When she left to continue signing autographs the applause seemed not to end. After this fascinating weekend, many people were impressed by Mira's warm and very special personality.....