Talk:Phoenix Five

Requested Move

The following discussion is an archived discussion of the proposal. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. No further edits should be made to this section.

The result of the proposal was no consensus. To be honest, both items are fairly obscure. However, I find it equally bad to have a 2-item dab page—in such cases, it's better to have one at the undisambiguated title with {{for}} hatlink, and the TV series at least has the virtue of being the first. Feel free to move the Sandbox to Phoenix Five (prank). Duja► 09:38, 3 November 2007 (UTC)

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I would like to move this page to Phoenix Five (TV series), to make way for the Phoenix Five article that can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:DEMKID/Sandbox

I believe that article is more notable and will be searched more by the general public, as it was significantly more recent and the event was well-publicized in the largest newspapers in the largest U.S. state (California), and was also publicized in the largest national sports magazine (Sports Illustrated). (Please see references.) The event also has lasting connotations due to the reaction by school administrators and police. The TV series was seen by a limited Australian population for less than half a year in 1970, and has very limited references and links to or from other wiki articles. DEMKID 22:39, 14 October 2007 (UTC)

No offense, DEM, but I think you're putting undue emphasis on a prank that will be forgotten everywhere but the two campuses within a few months. I'm no big fan of most television "science fiction"; but your Phoenix Five are not exactly the Chicago Seven. "More recent" does not equal "more important"! Why not create a new article, "Phoenix Five (prank)"? (I'll give you 7:1 odds it will be nominated for deletion as non-notable within a week of its creation, too.) --Orange Mike 17:35, 16 October 2007 (UTC)

In response to your comment, Orange, I would suggest that you read the entire article first before passing judgment on its notability. A quick read would show that this was something that took place 9 years ago, and it has been discussed much more recently than that. It clearly wasn't forgotten within a few months. It was an event that had lasting implications, and is always mentioned when similar pranks are attempted these days that are associated with this long-standing college football rivalry. (It has even been mentioned as recently as 2 years ago in a sports article that had nothing to do with the Big Game itself.) It was nationally publicized because of the over-the-top reaction by school administrators, and stands as an example for officials at other universities of what not to do when these things happen. The prank was considered perhaps the most tumultuous event associated with a rivalry that goes back to 1892. Finally, as to its importance and recognition, I would argue that more people in the world know about this Phoenix Five than the Phoenix Five TV series, as there were almost triple the number of California residents at the time of this event than there were Australians in 1970. In addition, this has been better publicized more recently and has more lasting value than does the obscure series that ran for less than a year. DEMKID 11:46, 26 October 2007 (UTC)

• Just because you haven't heard of the series doesn't mean it's obscure. It was broadcast internationally. If the total populations of every country where this show was broadcast were added together, they would exceed California many times. Crazysuit 20:26, 27 October 2007 (UTC)

See my comments below. Anyone else have an opinion? Thanks. DEMKID 21:33, 27 October 2007 (UTC)

Survey

• Oppose. This classic sci-fi show is more notable than the college prank. in the first 10 Google hits for "Phoenix Five", 7 are for the show, 2 for the prank, and 1 for this discussion. The fact that this gets the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th places on Google shows that this has more "lasting value" than a college prank from less than 10 years ago. This is the Australian Star Trek (unofficially), so it also has more cultural importance than a prank involving a tree costume. Crazysuit 20:26, 27 October 2007 (UTC)

Discussion

Is it true that this TV series was broadcast internationally, or was it just broadcast in Australia? Were there re-runs, or did it merely exist for the short period of time in 1970? Through a Google search, it really doesn't seem like there are many pages discussing this series at all; maybe just a couple people saying things like, "I vaguely remember this from back in my childhood!" If we examine the top 10 Google results for "Phoenix Five", it is true that 2 are for the prank, 2 are unrelated, and 1 is for the Wikipedia page. Of the remaining 5, however, one is for the Phoenix Five imdb page (which would obviously being there due to the fact that this was a TV show), one is to a page that merely lists basic info and episodes, and one is to a page talking about how the show isn't on DVD. Really there are only two meaningful Phoenix Five TV series links on the top 10: a short youtube clip of the theme music and an Australian TV shows link that discusses the show and episodes in depth. I would argue that if you look at the totality of pages out there, there are clearly more meaningful ones on the prank than on the TV show. (Just do a search for "phoenix five" tree, to see what I mean.) Any input from administrators would be appreciated. Again, I'd just like to hear what other people think, and I'm trying to be fair! DEMKID 01:59, 1 November 2007 (UTC)

Can an administrator relist this at the appropriate time in order to gain more input? Thanks. DEMKID 02:09, 1 November 2007 (UTC)

In the meantime, Kid, have you considered creating the Phoenix Five (prank) page I suggested? --Orange Mike 02:19, 1 November 2007 (UTC)

Yeah, just want to give this a bit more time. Thanks. DEMKID 02:41, 1 November 2007 (UTC)

I'm a UC Berkeley grad that was in school during this prank. It received region-wide and nation-wide media coverage almost ten years ago. It was one of the funniest and memorable events during college. You can ask most Pac-10 Conference American football fans and they know about this event. I believe it is noteworthy enough to move the Australian show. Cannon blast 07:22, 1 November 2007 (UTC)

The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the proposal. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on this talk page. No further edits should be made to this section.

International Broadcasts of Phoenix Five

"Phoenix Five" was, I believe, last shown on British television in 1976. The last showing I recall on Australian television was on Channel Seven in 1984. It was shown at 6.00 am in the morning, so you probably won't find too many Australian fans who will tell you this. I also recall a showing of one episode in a cinema in Paddington, Sydney as part of a retrospective of early Australian science fiction television. The theme "Strange Galaxy" was issued on a compilation Australian CD called 'Sounds of Seduction' which you can get through Amazon. I hope this helps.Eligius (talk) 03:58, 2 September 2009 (UTC)

I've also seen UK people refer to Phoenix 5, it was shown during the early 1970s. And yes, the theme is particularly remembered. Deathlibrarian (talk) 06:57, 25 February 2023 (UTC)