If you haven't had a chance to check out "Earth 2" here's what we've figured out so far:

The setup: A group of colonists were planning to settle on Planet G889. Their spaceship crashed on the wrong side of the planet, so the colonists must trek more than 5,000 miles to New Pacifica, their intended landing site.

The aliens: The Terrians look like humans covered with a crust of dirt; they protect the planet from danger. The Grendlers look like two-legged rhinos; their drool can cure human illnesses. The Koba have poisonous fingernails, but they're little and cute. The Zed are villainous mutants who shoot on sight; they have no redeeming virtues.

Oh, yeah - the colonists can go into virtual reality whenever they want, so sometimes a scene that looks real is just a VR dream. And we haven't even told you about the geo-locks and the overzealous government guy and the dream plane... Well, you'll just have to watch. Trust us, figuring out the plot is half the fun!

Earth 2 D.A., Come In

D.A. wanted to find out if aliens really do exist. So we decided to travel 200 years into the future to Planet G889, where the hot new TV show "Earth 2" takes place. Luckily, it's just a short plane ride away in Santa Fe, New Mexico. We'd heard all sorts of aliens roamed there...

We arrived in Santa Fe early in the morning, shivering in the 36-degree temperature. Because of the cold weather, winter sets had been built inside two huge soundstages. Soundstage A houses miles and miles of dusty, copper colored underground caves; Soundstage B is filled with biospheres and laboratories. We wandered around the maze-like area, looking for aliens. None spotted.

Then 8-year-old Joey Zimmerman, who plays Ulysses (Uly) Adair, stopped by and invited us into his trailer for a late lunch. <picture: Joey doing a dance on a rock in cave>

D.A.: On the show, Uly is becoming part Terrian [an "Earth 2" alien]. What do you think about changing into an alien?

J.Z.: I think it's pretty cool. I get to do a lot of Terrian stuff.

D.A.: What TV show magic can you tell us about?

J.Z.: In the episode called "Moon Cross" outcast Terrians capture me and take me to the cave, where there is a pool of smoke and light. The pool was a plastic thing filled with dry ice. When I was stepping into the pool, I had to hold my head high because you can't breathe dry ice, 'cause it's carbon dioxide.

On the last step I held my breath - that's what all the guys who went down there did. Bill, the camera guy, felt light-headed and he almost fell backward, but there were guys behind him to catch him.

D.A.: Do you and Madison ever play pranks on each other?

J.Z.: One time when we were filming in Santa Clara, [California], there were a lot of bears around. That night, when Madison was eating dinner, I crept up behind her and made a big bear-growl, and she screamed. She's a loud screamer. She thought it was a real bear!

D.A.: What's been the most fun thing you've done on "Earth 2"?

J.Z.: I liked doing the Clint Eastwood thing in virtual reality [VR]. I always treasure the moments that I get to wear the VR gear 'cause I hardly ever get to wear it.

D.A.: Who's your favorite alien of all time?

J.Z.: I don't know... Well, from Star Wars, I like Chewbacca and the Ewoks.

D.A.: If you could go to another planet, where would you go?

J.Z.: I like Venus, but you could never live there. Me and my friend Justin (he loves D.A., by the way) are going to be inventors when we grow up, and we're going to invent something so you can land on the surface of Venus.

D.A.: Do you think there's life in outer space?

J.Z.: I believe it.

D.A.: If aliens talked to you, would you answer?

If I saw an alien, I'd run and hide - unless, of course, it looked nice.

Just then 10-year-old J. Madison Wright, who plays True Danziger, poked her head in the doorway and asked us to come visit her in her school trailer.

D.A.: Are you like your character, True?

J.M.W.: No. True gets into trouble a lot. And I don't get into trouble. She's a tomboy, and I'm not. But we both like to go into neat places and explore.

D.A.: Joey tells us you're a pretty good screamer. Is that true?

J.M.W.: (giggles) Uh, maybe. I have a lot of opportunities to scream on the show. But I don't really like it.

D.A.: If you met some aliens, what would you ask them before you climbed aboard their spacecraft?

J.M.W.: Are you going to bring me back? Where are we going to go? And what's your name?

D.A.: If they weren't going to hurt you, and they were going to bring you back, would you go?

J.M.W.: If they weren't going to do anything weird, maybe. That's a maybe.

D.A.: Would you want to travel to another planet?

J.M.W.: Probably. I think Mars would be pretty cool. No, I changed my mind. Saturn, 'cause I'd want to see all the rings and everything.

Debrah Farentino (who plays Devon Adair, leader of the "Earth 2" expedition) is really busy, so we had to talk as we walked quickly from the biospheres to the caves for a photo shoot. We told Debrah that every time we enter the caves we get lost. She admitted she does, too. That made us feel better. <picture: Debrah sitting on box in tent looking lovely as ever>

D.A.: What's your favorite "Earth 2" prop?

D.F.: The SandRail. It's like a dune buggy or Land Rover. I think it's really cool.

D.A.: As a kid, were you into sci-fi?

D.F.: No, but I was into science. I was 9 years old when man landed on the moon, so I grew up in the age of NASA.

D.A.: Do you think you'd like to travel to another planet?

D.F.: Oh yeah, to Venus and Saturn. It'd be an adventure. And I'd love to see Earth from outer space.

D.A.: How about hopping aboard an alien spaceship?

D.F.: I don't know about that. I wouldn't be in control. I'd rather be the leader than a guest.

We headed back to the Terrian caves, where we ran into Antonio Sabato, Jr., who plays pilot Alonzo Solace. <picture: Antonio leaning against cave wall with a grin on his face>

D.A.: Do you think there's life in outer space?

A.S.: Definitely. Without a doubt.

D.A.: Really? Have you seen any aliens?

A.S.: In Santa Fe, you hear all kinds of stories. One night, when I was driving toward town, I saw a light appear and kind of go across the sky. Now, a shooting star or comet shoots down, but never shoots across. So what was that? There are things that we don't know.

D.A.: Do you think aliens look like us?

A.S.: They probably look like us only more evolved. I think they're smarter. If they can fly across the universe, they're a lot smarter than we are.

D.A.: Who's your favorite superhero in real life?

A.S.: Batman. See, Batman is human, he's got no superpowers. That's pretty rough, man. And he beats everybody. If Superman wasn't a superhero, and he was just a human being, who would win? Batman.

D.A.: If you could do anything in VR, what would it be?

A.S.: I'd love to put on those VR glasses and be Batman. I'd take my girlfriend and my son, and be outta here. You could come along, too.

No need to ask twice, Antonio; we're there!

Next we met Clancy Brown, who plays mechanic John Danziger. He's very tall and speaks in a quiet voice. Clancy took some time out from playing with his dogs, Amy and Alma, to talk with us. <picture: Clancy just standing in a cave >

D.A.: Are you like your character, John Danziger?

C.B.: I look like him.

D.A.: (laughs) OK, but are you mechanically skilled like him?

C.B.: I like messing around, but I'm not good at it. You have to be a genius to fix automobiles these days, and I'm no genius.

D.A.: What's it like working with Joey and Madison?

C.B.: I'm not a dad in real life, so it's fun to practice. Madison is the best actress on the show

D.A.: Do you believe there's life in outer space?

C.B.: I haven't seen any proof.

D.A.: If a spaceship came down to Earth, would you go aboard?

C.B.: Only if it had cable, so I could watch baseball.

D.A.: What's been the hardest part about working on "Earth 2"?

C.B.: Getting the job.

D.A.: What's been the best part?

C.B.: Doing the job.

Now it was time for us to leave Planet G889 and all the cast and crew of "Earth 2." We hadn't see any real aliens, but we did have a fabulous time. As our plane took off from the airport, we looked out the window and saw a moving light in the sky. It wasn't an airplane, and it didn't look like a star. Hmmm...wonder what it was?

Terrian Territory

One really cold, dark night, D.A. wanted to scope out the newest "Earth 2" set, the Terrian caves. We were scared to go, so Joey and Madison bravely volunteered to be guides. Ducking into shadows to hide from the bright moonlight, we snuck onto Stage A of Garson Studios. When the door slammed behind us, we jumped and ran toward the caves. As we entered a tunnel leading to the caves, we walked very, very slowly. We didn't want to disturb any sleeping Terrians.

The caves are made of plaster and painted shades of copper and brown. Some are way high--20 feet above our heads--and others hang so low, we had to duck. Once, we bumped our head on an archway--it was hard as a (real) rock! Fortunately, we didn't dent the cave or our heads.

We continued to wander through the endless labyrinth of tunnels, caves and chambers. The tunnels run for miles, but the designers built the entire set in just a few weeks! The only light came from a few lighting fixtures left behind by the TV crew. Some of the caves' walls have glowing veins which contain minerals--that's where the Terrians get their energy source. When we touched the veins, it felt like smooth plastic.

Soon, we started coughing from the dust we had kicked up from the dirt floors. Our legs got tired from climbing up and down the multileveled walkways. We'd had enough of Terrian living. If Joey and Madison hadn't been with us, we would surely have gotten lost. Luckily, we made it safely out of the caves without ever waking a dozing Terrian.

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