What a long, strange trip it’s been.

And continues to be. The magazine you hold—and that we so proudly debut this 2004—is testament to the persistent beliefs and energies of but a handful of people. While some overarching beliefs can damage good information (something you’ll read about often in this publication), the one that sustains us is that UFOs deserve some sort of consistent journalistic coverage. Coverage that “takes no prisoners” one day and bends over with compassionate non-partisanship the next; coverage that dares to grasp ambiguous and evanescent subject matter and turn it into palatable news. Most of all, coverage that can’t die, but can only hibernate for a brief time and then rise like a cleansed phoenix from the ashes of its former self.

While that may seem blowsy and histrionic to the max, it reflects the ideals of those who understand the importance of the UFO phenomenon in the 21st century. We do. We know you do, too. On both the reader and creator sides, there’s a sense of mission present only for those who have felt the smothering insensibility of secrecy and denial gone amok—and that, in a nutshell, is how the power structure typically deals with UFOs. But forget that. There’s enough open, circulatable info to fill this magazine for years to come while safely bypassing those who would bypass us. Case in point: When our reporter contacted the Jet Propulsion Laboratory to schedule some first-hand interviews about the Mars Rover mission, they flatly turned him down. Yet voila, here we have stuff about which we’re convinced the NASA/JPL honchos are clueless. So there! We do what we need to without recourse to the so-called authorities.

Facts, fantasy, folderol. The UFO field has it all. Without seeming flippant, we’re fact-oriented, but won’t forget a good measure of the other stuff that makes this game so fascinating.

Welcome back to the magazine of record on UFOs. We hope you like our new look and our renewed commitment. We’re damned ecstatic to be here.

Vicki Ecker