Just wanted to update everyone on this:
After talking with Mark and Lloyd at Cyan, the answer is: Yes, you can apply a .bik movie to a mesh in your Age, without having to use any python at all.
The process is simple: Make sure you have the .bik file not only in your "avi" folder of your Uru install, but you need to make a "avi" folder under your export folder for Max (like mine is C:\PlasmaTest).
Create a Plasma Standard material for your mesh, and make the layer a Plasma Layer. Simply pick the .bik file for your texture is all (and correctly UV Map it).
Also, if you want the .bik movie to automatically play, and loop (like the case for animated linking panels on a book laying there), make sure in the Materials you put a check mark where it says "Autostart" and "Loop" under the Animation Perameters.
It's that simple.
Now, a word of warning. Dustin discovered that this can be buggy. Sometimes the plugin will give you a Unknown plConvert error when you export. If it does, try exporting a 2nd time.
Now for the bad news: I've not been able to replicate this (all though others have, so we know it works), but I think it may be because I'm using Windows 7. 3DS Max 7 does not like Windows 7 too much. I get the error every single time when I export. So if you suffer the same problem, and have Windows 7 as your OS, don't feel bad, I'm with you.
Guild of Writers
The state of the Age isn't reflected anyway in static panels, at least animated panel looks great, are a staple of the Myst series and if anything they would have been a selling point.
