Crusade

Alright, ready for this? I've watched B5 since before it was a series, watching the movie every time it came on th'tube. I hooked everyone I could who likes sci-fi on it and in it. When I caught a whiff of the coming of Crusade I was beside myself with joy. The Rangers concept excites me. :) Didn't hurt that I had an emotional attachment to the Rangers I had already encountered in the B5 universe. I didn't know quite what to think about the Technomage thing, having had limited and unpleasant exposure to them on B5. Lordy, was I in for a pleasant surprise on that note! Then came the news that TNT were being pig-head and flighty again. This always tends to bite them in the backside, otherwise their network would be on my tv constantly (sporting events aside; I find those just irksome, especially when they disturb my weekly viewing pleasures - that's hearlded the death of many good shows on th'tube). So we were only going to get teased with a single season of this show. Major Bummer! It's been wonderful to have a show so in depth and versitile NOT set in the blasted Star Trek universe. (Don't take that wrong, I'm a trekkie, too - but to me, B5 and Crusade hold a spot closer to my heart; Star Trek has never made me cry.) Despite the continued depressing news (no future home for a second season <or more> for Cursade) I, along with countless others, tuned in to the show. Someone else in these comments compared it to Space: Above and Beyond. To me, that's like comparing it to Earth2. It just doesn't. You could only compare it to ST & B5... and maybe Starship Troopers. Though it had a rough start (ala B5 finding it's footing), it quickly captured diehards like myself - and newbies. Yeah, I got some MORE people hooked on it. :) I would say the most popular characters in my lil'world would be Galen, Dureena and Gideon. Previously, Technomages seems to be just pompous evil lil'men with dreams of grandeur. Now I know some of them have souls, and hearts. Dureena didn't interest me at all at first, but I've come to trust and even admire th'lil'thief. :) She's uber-kewL, as the saying goes. Then there's Gideon. I've never really watched Gary Cole do anything before, at least I've not paid attention to him in particular. I will from here on out. He's the really quirky one in the cast, in my opinion. But I believe that's why his character is singled out for this mission. His unconventional manner tends to save his own hide, why not the rest of humanity along with it?! When your options are few, why not consider the seemingly impossible. The chemistry between the three of the characters and actors makes the show. I would personally like to shoot Eilerson off into space myself, though. Lt. Matheson has a lotta potential, too, being a telepath on such an unconventional crew. Possibilies are/were endless, truely, once you actually sit and consider the show. So much space in the universe, so little time. Well, now the show is over. No big fanfare saying "last chance to catch the magic that is..." ...no warning... I knew it was coming, but it was such a crushing disappointment (exclusively in TNT). If, by some chance, you get the opportunity to see taped episodes (or some network DOES pick it up, tho don't hold your breath), see if I'm not right in the things that I've said. It is a MISTAKE and crime against the sci-fi/fantasy community to kill off such a wonderful creation.

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.

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.

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.