2267, ultime croisade

This series was absolutely doomed from the beginning. Not only was it following on the coattails of Babylon 5 (appearing AFTER the original had run its course), but TNT moved this follow-up series so many times, most of its small audience was lost and assumed the show had been canceled (which it soon was).

The show had a bizarre premise. An alien atavistic race wanted to destroy the earth once and for all and sent a plague into our atmosphere. All life was doomed to die within a few years and there appeared to be no hope--except for a few ships that were off world and were madly searching for ANYONE or ANYTHING that could help us cure this plague.

Excellent acting and writing really mean nothing if there's no commitment from the TV execs, so this series quickly tanked. In fact, J. Michael Straczynski, the brains behind the series and writer of most of the episodes, left in disgust because of how Turner Networks handled this. It is available on DVD but don't expect the quality of the original series--it had some excellent moments and a lot of promise but quickly withered due to neglect.

To compare Crusade and/or Babylon 5 to shows like "Space, Above And Beyond" or "Lost in Space" is absurd! Babylon 5 was far above any other sci-fi series ever made. The special effects were state of the art and spectacular. The characters were superb, the stories ingenious and suspense was masterfully done.

The break from the usual "resolve everything in 40 minutes" mindset was refreshingly absent in B5. You never knew when a regular was going to buy the farm, which made it much more interesting. There was a darker tone to the show at times, which may have put off devotees of the aforementioned "formula" shows. The classic battle of good and evil, coupled with an extremely adept job of portraying the slimy world of politics and corruption of governments was a delight.

I'm just sorry it is no longer being made.

After some slow and rather uneventful episodes, this show later showed some promise and developed into an interesting Science Fiction series.

Of course, it is lacking the sophisticated story arc of Babylon 5, but many episodes are fun! It is nice to watch them and you want to know what happens next. In my eyes, it is Star trek Voyager done better.

The characters are of different quality: The Captain with his mysterious Boom Tube as an advisor gets better every episode, and Technomage Galen is simply wonderful. Archeologist Eilerson does not fail to convince as an arrogant scientist. The other characters are far less interesting.

Even so, I am rather sad that TNT decided to cancel the show without ever waiting for spectators approval. Some of the 13 episodes were excellent, and I do sincerely hope that they will be able to continue someday in the future.

"Crusade" is a spin-off "Babylon 5" composed of thirteen episodes but without conclusion of the lead plot.

The plot is based on a virus released on Earth by the aliens Drakh that will decimate the global population in five years. Captain Matthew Gideon is assigned to command the starship Excalibur and search for the cure exploring the galaxy. Along his journey, he lives adventures with his crew in the outer space.

The lead characters are reasonable: Captain Matthew Gideon (Gary Cole) is the best and most interesting one. Lt. John Matheson (Daniel Dae Kim) is a telepath not allowed to use his abilities that are pointless. Max Eilerson (David Allen Brooks) is an annoying character. Galen (Peter Woodward) and Dureena Nafeel (Carrie Dobro) are promising and should be better developed. Dr. Sarah Chambers (Marjean Holden) is expressionless in an important role.

The special effects are poor, even for a 1998 TV Series, but it was worthwhile watching the DVD Box. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): Not Available.

The tribulations associated with the production of this show were a drama in and of themselves, and anyone who doesn't know the history should check it out. The first episodes are not representative of the original vision Mr. JMS had for Crusade. The last episodes were actually the first ones filmed and intended to launch the series.

There are actually some sad parallels to the problems Gene Roddenberry had with NBC in trying to get Star Trek made. The NBC execs thought the Star Trek pilot (The Cage) was too brainy. They wanted the regular series plots dumbed down and more action added. As they say, the one thing we learn from history is that no one seems to learn from history.

Given the success of Babylon 5 and the fact that B5 fans were greatly anticipating Crusade, it was a business fiasco for TNT's execs to presume to tamper with something they didn't understand. Unfortunately, tamper they did, and we have been forced to live with the consequences of an unfulfilled vision. Compare Crusade's "Racing the Night", the intended first episode, with "War Zone" to see the result of TNT's meddling. Notice the utterly unnecessary fight scene in "War Zone". Also, notice that the Rangers disappeared entirely from the TNT-influenced episodes.

TNT's final insult was in trying to foist this off as a "special limited series". Since when do you introduce an audience to a story and a bunch of characters, then deliberately fail to finish what you've started? Curiosity prevented me from not watching. Now I'm stuck wondering about what might have been.

I was especially intrigued by the storyline involving Gideon and the mysterious "apocalypse box". JMS never let characters get away with cheating, as Gideon was clearly doing by consulting the force controlling the box. I'd really like to know what fate was in store for Gideon as recompense for taking shortcuts to success. Unfortunately, it looks like I'll have to make up my own ending to this story.

If allowed to develop unobstructed, Crusade could have been a classic series. In spite of TNT's interference, there were still flashes of brilliance in the few episodes that were produced. Instead, it seems that Crusade is doomed to occupy a place in sci-fi history as a memorial to what might have been.