AUSTIN, TX--(Marketwire - Mar 18, 2013) - The Multiverse -- Stardate: -309791.7808 -- The dust has settled and the initial round of the SolarWinds (NYSE: [ SWI ]) Sci-Fi Bracket Battle has come to a close, with each match-up crowning a clear victor. More than 3,800 votes were cast as galvanized fanbases rabidly defended their chosen icons... but the battle is only beginning, as Fleet 16 voting is now open in SolarWinds' [ thwack community ]!

Before moving onto a fresh slate of brawls, let us remember some of the fallen from Sector I:

• Captain James Tiberius, defeated at the hands of Captain Jean-Luc Picard
• Sarah Conner, smacked down by Firefly's River Tam
• Darth Vader, erased from the space-time continuum by the fickle will of Star Trek: The Next Generation's Q

Though jettisoned into geosynchronous orbit around Planet Fail, their brave sacrifices should not be forgotten... though they probably will be, as blood-hungry fans look ahead to some of the titillating match-ups set for Fleet 16. But the rules have changed for the second round, as the surviving icons will each be allowed one of their (in)famous items, be it a tool, weapon, vehicle or skill.

One step closer to the crowning of the Bracket Battle's Intergalactic Champion, [ Fleet 16 ] features several key bouts between illustrious, now armed-and-dangerous, combatants, including:

• [ Jean-Luc Picard with his faithful Number 1 (Riker) by his side versus Han Solo and his blaster ]
• [ Ellen Ripley, encased in a Weyland-Yutani Power Loader exoskeleton, versus Number Six and her copies ]
• [ The unfeeling Borg Collective with their cube versus Firefly's Mal and his ship, Serenity ]
• [ Ford Prefect, equipped with the "most important item a hitchhiker can have," against the focused fury of the T-1000's sword hands ]

So who will take the next step towards the crown and whose corpse/carcass/corrupted data will fuel the ever-hungry engines of the SolarWinds battlefleet?

As always, you decide -- read, debate and vote on thwack, with the polls open [ now ] until 12 PM Central Daylight Time on March 20, 2013. Back your champion on thwack and take the debate to Twitter and Facebook with #SWISciFiBattle -- let the world know that your champion will reign supreme!

The Details:

• Fleet 16 voting starts now on [ thwack ]
• Voting will remain open until 12 PM Central Daylight Time on March 20, 2013
• Fleet 16 results will be announced and Super-8 voting will kick off on 12 AM Central Daylight Time on March 21, 2013

About SolarWinds
SolarWinds (NYSE: [ SWI ]) provides powerful and affordable IT management software to customers worldwide from Fortune 500 enterprises to small businesses. In all of our market areas, our approach is consistent. We focus exclusively on IT Pros and strive to eliminate the complexity that they have been forced to accept from traditional enterprise software vendors. SolarWinds delivers on this commitment with unexpected simplicity through products that are easy to find, buy, use and maintain while providing the power to address any IT management problem on any scale. Our solutions are rooted in our deep connection to our user base, which interacts in our online community, [ thwack ], to solve problems, share technology and best practices, and directly participate in our product development process. Learn more today at [ http://www.solarwinds.com ].

This is for entertainment purposes only. SolarWinds, SolarWinds & Design, and thwack are the exclusive property of SolarWinds and are registered trademarks of SolarWinds Worldwide, LLC. [All other SolarWinds trademarks may be common law marks or are registered or pending registration in the United States or in other countries.] Any other trademarks or registered trademarks contained and/or mentioned herein are used only for identification purposes and may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Specifically, Star Wars, Han Solo, C3PO, Darth Vader, Darth Maul are trademarks of Lucasfilm Ltd.; Star Trek, Captain Kirk, Scotty, Spock, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Captain Picard, and Q - trademarks of CBS Studios, Inc.; Battlestar Galatica, Captain Adama, and Number Six - trademarks of Universal City Studios, Inc.; Doctor Who, The 10th Doctor, and Gallifrey - trademarks of The British Broadcasting Corporation; Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Ford Prefect, Infinite Improbability Drive, and Magrathea - trademarks of The British Broadcasting Corporation and Douglas Adams; Neuromancer - trademarks of Wintermute-William Gibson; Snow Crash, Hiro Protagonist, and Y.T. - trademarks of Neal Stephenson; Dune and Paul Atreides- trademarks of Universal Studios; Ender's Game and Ender Wiggins - trademarks of Orson Scott Card and Summit Entertainment; Firefly, Malcolm Reynolds, Kaylee, River Tam, Alien, and Ellen - trademarks of Twentieth Century Fox; I, Robot and Nestor- trademarks of Twentieth Century Fox and Isaac Asimov; Terminator 2, Sarah Connor, and T-1000 - trademarks of TriStar Pictures; The Matrix, Neo, Agent Smith, Morpheus Trilogy, Blade Runner, and Rick Deckard - trademarks of Warner Bros. Pictures; and 2001: A Space Odyssey and HAL-9000 - trademarks of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc.