Crusade (TV series)
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Crusade is a spin-off TV show from J. Michael Straczynski's Babylon 5. It occurs in the year 2267 C.E., several years after the events in Babylon 5, just after the movie A Call To Arms. A race called the Drakh have released a nanovirus plague on Earth, which will destroy all life on Earth within five years if it is not stopped. To that end, the long-range explorer ship Excalibur has been sent out to look for anything that could help the search for a cure.
As he had with Babylon 5, Stracynski planned a five-year story arc for Crusade. Initially, all seemed well, and he proceeded much as he had with Babylon 5. Soon, though, executives at the Atlanta office of TNT chose to interfere with the development of the show. Ultimately, they cancelled the show before a single episode aired. While the Sci-Fi Channel attempted to acquire the show after its cancellation, they were unable to find room in the budget. Only thirteen episodes were made, though at least four more were scripted. After the show was cancelled, Straczynski found out the reasoning behind TNT's decision. Ratings surveys taken at the time showed that the audience for Babylon 5 came only for Babylon 5, then left afterward. Likewise, TNT's main audience left when Babylon 5 started, and returned when it was over. TNT, therefore, made every effort they could to get out of the contract without actually breaking the contract. By interfering with the development, TNT could claim that Straczynski failed to deliver the series they wanted.
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Cast
- Captain Matthew Gideon (Gary Cole): captain of the Excalibur.
- Lieutenant John Matheson (Daniel Dae Kim): second in command. A strong telepath.
- Max Eilerson (David Allen Brooks): an archaeologist from Interplanetary Expeditions.
- Galen (Peter Woodward): a technomage, apparently cast out of his order for helping Gideon.
- Dr. Sarah Chambers (Marjean Holden): ship's medical officer.
- Dureena Nafeel (Carrie Dobro): an ex-thief. Came along because she thought it would be fun.
- Captain Elizabeth Lochley (Tracy Scoggins): commanding officer of Babylon 5.
List of episodes
- War Zone
- The Long Road
- The Well of Forever
- The Path of Sorrows
- Patterns of the Soul
- Ruling from the Tomb
- The Rules of the Game
- Appearances and Other Deceits
- Racing the Night
- The Memory of War
- The Needs of Earth
- Visitors from Down the Street
- Each Night I Dream of Home
JMS' preferred order
While the DVD release reflects the TNT airing order for the series, the following order suits the story more accurately, despite any aesthetic changes. [1] (http://midwinter.com/lurk/countries/us/eplist.html#crusade)
- Racing the Night
- The Needs of Earth
- The Memory of War
- The Long Road
- Visitors from Down the Street
- The Well of Forever
- Each Night I Dream of Home
- Patterns of the Soul
- The Path of Sorrows
- Ruling from the Tomb
- The Rules of the Game
- War Zone
- Appearances and Other Deceits
Unfilmed episodes
- Value Judgements
- Tried and True
- To The Ends Of The Earth
- The End of the Line (season finale)