Crusade | |
---|---|
![]() Crusade series launch poster | |
Genre | |
Created by | J. Michael Straczynski |
Starring | |
Country of origin | United States |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 13 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Running time | 45 minutes per episode |
Production companies |
|
Original release | |
Network | TNT |
Release | June 9 – September 1, 1999 |
Related | |
Babylon 5 TV seasons and films 1993–2023 |
---|
In order of series chronology: |
|
Crusade is an American spin-off television series from J. Michael Straczynski's Babylon 5 , released in 1999. It is set in 2267, five years after the events of Babylon 5, and just after the movie A Call to Arms . The Drakh have released a nanovirus plague on Earth, which will destroy all life on Earth within five years if it is not stopped. The Victory class destroyer Excalibur has been sent out to look for anything that could help the search for a cure.
Like Babylon 5, Crusade was intended to have a five-year story arc, although as Straczynski notes in the DVD commentary for A Call to Arms, it was intended to resolve the Drakh plague after a season or two and move onto other storylines. Conflicts arose, however, between the producers and executives at TNT, and production was cancelled before the first episode was broadcast. [1]
TNT's research had indicated that the audience for Babylon 5 did not watch other TNT programming, and likewise TNT's main audience was not watching the show, making another related program unattractive to the network's management. Straczynski believes that the network's "interference" [2] with the production was an attempt to get out of their contract by allowing them to argue that he failed to deliver the series they wanted.
Thirteen episodes were made and broadcast by TNT, with at least four more scripted. The Sci-Fi Channel attempted to pick up the show and continue production, but was unable to find room in its budget. [3]
In 2267, six years after the end of the Shadow War, the Drakh, a former ally of the Shadows, attempt to destroy the Earth with a leftover Shadow Planet Killer. Interstellar Alliance (ISA) president John Sheridan takes command of Excalibur and Victory and leads the EarthForce and ISA fleets to victory. During the battle, the Drakh release a viral weapon into Earth's atmosphere, infecting every living thing on the planet. In five years, the virus will become active and kill everything. The Victory is destroyed in the battle, but the Excalibur survives. Command is turned over to Captain Matthew Gideon who is given a mission: explore the galaxy to find either a cure, or an ally capable of producing one ("War Zone").
At some point between 2262 and 2267 (most likely in 2264, and just before Babylon 5: The Legend of the Rangers , which took place in 2265[ original research? ]), a civil war broke out on Earth between the Psi Corps and a group of rogue telepaths, with mundanes (non-telepaths) caught in the middle. As a result of the war, the Psi Corps (which all telepaths had been forced by law to join) was disbanded and the laws were rewritten; telepaths were given limited rights and allowed back into society, including the military (e.g. Lt. Matheson in Crusade). Few telepaths have advanced very far because of how recent the war was and due to the common fear of telepaths. Telepaths are still banned from scanning others' thoughts without consent and are required to be "deep scanned" by powerful telepaths on a regular basis to ensure that they are not violating any laws ("The Well of Forever").
After the Earth Alliance Civil War in 2261, Earth joined the ISA. As promised by John Sheridan, Mars was granted independence since ISA laws required members to free any colony where the majority of colonists wanted independence ("Rising Star"). There is still resentment between the two sides ("Ruling from the Tomb"). Earth controls most of the information systems and resources in the solar system and Earth-based corporations control much of the Mars economy ("Objects in Motion"). As a result, there is some hostility among Mars-born humans towards Terrans and many in EarthForce do not feel obligated to risk their lives to help Earth fight the plague.
The galaxy is dealing with the Shadow technology legacy, which, among other things, includes the release of the plague on Earth by the Drakh, which is made out of Shadow technology, and Earthforce's use of it, which Gideon had to experience tragically ten years before.
This is a list of season star cast members, as credited on the DVDs. [4]
The "correct" order of episodes is somewhat unclear and the episodes contain conflicting evidence as to the in-universe chronological order. Series creator J. Michael Straczynski revised TNT's ordering for re-broadcast on the Sci Fi Channel in April 2001 and the episodes have been repeated in this order a number of occasions since then. "War Zone", an episode made halfway through the production as an opener, has been pushed near the end. In particular, these episodes ignore a discontinuity in uniforms – in the TNT order, the crew start out with the revised uniforms in production, and then in "Appearances and Other Deceits" were forced to change to the "new" uniforms used earlier in production. The fourteenth episode would have featured a return to the older uniforms that the crew prefer. [6]
A third order was formally endorsed by Straczynski as the "true" chronological sequence of in-universe events for the filmed episodes, as it appeared in The Official Babylon 5 Chronology (published in the pages of The Official Babylon 5 Magazine in 1999–2000) and the book Across Time and Space: The Chronologies of Babylon 5. Here, "Babylon 5 Historical Database" author Terry Jones explains the running order was done to take into account Straczynski's desire to have the grey bellhop uniform stories incorporated within the black explorer uniform stories and the internal story continuity had the series continued. This also accounted for the various on-air dates given and the changes made to dialogue in "Each Night I Dream of Home". This particular ordering supersedes Straczynski's own "preferred" sequence from a strictly chronological and causal standpoint. The original broadcast order as set by TNT was used for the DVD releases.
A fourth, continuity-based order can be inferred by the events of the episodes themselves as several of the episodes make mini-arcs within the series; i.e. the continuity order of Gideon/Lochley meetings based on dialog is "Ruling from the Tomb"/"Each Night I Dream of Home"/"The Rules of the Game" which also requires "Ruling" to precede "Appearances and Other Deceits" while the continuity order of the nanite mask is "The Memory of War"/"Each Night I Dream of Home"/"Patterns of the Soul", etc.
No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "War Zone" | Janet Greek | J. Michael Straczynski | June 9, 1999 | 108 |
After the Drakh infect Earth with a plague, Captain Gideon is called to Earth and given a new assignment. Using the brand-new Interstellar Alliance deep range vessel Excalibur, he and his crew must search for any clues to a cure for the plague. If a cure is not found within five years, everyone on Earth will soon die. | |||||
2 | "The Long Road" | Mike Vejar | J. Michael Straczynski | June 16, 1999 | 107 |
Earth's strip mining of a peaceful planet causes an environmental hazard to the population, who have rejected technology in favor of a more traditional lifestyle. However matters are complicated when the local population begin taking hostages from the mining operation. | |||||
3 | "The Well of Forever" | Janet Greek | Fiona Avery | June 23, 1999 | 106 |
Galen takes control of Excalibur and goes in search of a mysterious place in hyperspace known as the "Well of Forever", where he claims "powerful energies intersect". However, it is revealed that Galen has more personal reason to search for the Well. This episode also features creatures native to hyperspace: large, jellyfish-like, passive creatures. | |||||
4 | "The Path of Sorrows" | Mike Vejar | J. Michael Straczynski | June 30, 1999 | 109 |
On a world rumored to be a place of healing, the crew of Excalibur find an alien that acts as a confessor for passing travelers. | |||||
5 | "Patterns of the Soul" | Tony Dow | Fiona Avery | July 7, 1999 | 110 |
The crew travel to a world named Theta 49 to investigate the possibility that the Drakh plague may have spread beyond Earth. | |||||
6 | "Ruling From the Tomb" | John Copeland | Peter David | July 14, 1999 | 111 |
On a visit to Mars, the crew encounter the "Sacred Omega" doomsday cult. The cult plants a bomb at an antiplague action conference in the belief that judgement day is soon. | |||||
7 | "The Rules of the Game" | Jesus Trevino | J. Michael Straczynski | July 21, 1999 | 112 |
Gideon comes to Babylon 5 to try to negotiate a deal with the residents of Lorka 7, a world that may hold medical secrets useful in trying to cure the Drakh plague. | |||||
8 | "Appearances and Other Deceits" | Stephen Furst | J. Michael Straczynski | July 28, 1999 | 113 |
Two EarthGov representatives arrive to improve the ship's image when an alien being spread through people by touch arrives on the ship. | |||||
9 | "Racing the Night" | Mike Vejar | J. Michael Straczynski | August 4, 1999 | 103 |
The crew visits a planet once home to a civilization wiped out by the same plague as the one the Drakh left on Earth. They are surprised to find all the buildings still perfectly intact, but then motion is detected in the ancient city. | |||||
10 | "The Memory of War" | Tony Dow | J. Michael Straczynski | August 11, 1999 | 102 |
The crew visits a planet where the inhabitants were wiped out in a war 100 years ago. | |||||
11 | "The Needs of Earth" | Mike Vejar | J. Michael Straczynski | August 18, 1999 | 101 |
The crew rescue an individual whom the Rangers claim possesses all the important information of his race on six data crystals. | |||||
12 | "Visitors From Down the Street" | Jerry Apoian | J. Michael Straczynski | August 25, 1999 | 104 |
Excalibur detects a distress call and picks up a saucer-shaped life pod. Although never having seen the race before, the two individuals inside claim humans have corrupted their government and ruined lives on their homeworld. This episode can for many reasons be viewed as a satirical appreciation of the X-Files franchise, but from an inverted alien Mulder and Scully perspective including the basic character and costume designs. | |||||
13 | "Each Night I Dream of Home" | Stephen Furst | J. Michael Straczynski | September 1, 1999 | 105 |
A Warlock-class destroyer drops off two passengers onto Excalibur with instructions to take them to Earth. On the way, the crew take a risk by stopping to rescue a Starfury and Elizabeth Lochley. On arrival at Earth, they are greeted from a lifepod isolated in the medbay by Doctor Stephen Franklin. |
When production was suspended, planning for the episodes that would have made up the second half of the season was at various stages: three had completed scripts and a number of others were ready for scripting with titles and story outlines.
No. | Title | Written by | |
---|---|---|---|
14 | "To the Ends of the Earth" | J. Michael Straczynski | |
The Apocalypse Box directs Gideon to a ship like the one that destroyed Cerberus. This episode further expanded on the story of the unidentified black craft seen in Gideon's flashbacks. | |||
15 | "Value Judgments" | Fiona Avery | |
16 | "Darkness of the Soul" | J. Michael Straczynski | |
Episode involving the Apocalypse Box. Scripting was about to begin when the series was cancelled. [7] | |||
17 | "Tried and True" | Fiona Avery | |
Dureena is imprisoned and interrogated by her mentor Nafeek as to what she is doing on Excalibur. This episode was intended as a standalone "coming of age" story for Dureena, not connected to a story arc. [8] | |||
18 | TBA | J. Michael Straczynski | |
Episode would have involved the discovery of a construction base. Only exists as a one-line description. [9] | |||
19 | "War Story" | Richard Mueller | |
Dureena is abducted by an unknown ship under circumstances that leave Matheson feeling as though he's responsible. [10] | |||
20 | "The Walls of Hell" | Larry DiTillio | |
In attempt to rescue Dureena, Matheson gets possessed by the apocalypse box and subsequently takes over the ship. [10] | |||
21 | TBA | J. Michael Straczynski | |
Dureena returns with a magical sword and without any memory of what happened to her. [11] | |||
22 | "The End of the Line" | J. Michael Straczynski | |
Gideon learns of the origins of the ship that destroyed Cerberus, and of a conspiracy at the heart of the Earth Alliance. This was to have been the season finale, with a major cliffhanger leading into Season 2. |
The completed scripts of "To The Ends of the Earth", "Value Judgements", and "End of the Line" were published online for a period during 2001 on bookface.com. [12] [13] [14] [15]
A script written by Peter Woodward for the second season entitled "Little Bugs Have Lesser Bugs" was published in 2011 as part of the Other Voices Volume 1 collection. [16] Scripts for three further episodes, "Value Judgments", "Tried and True", and "War Story" were included in Other Voices Volume 2, also published in 2011. [17]
The complete series was released as a four-disc set in 2004, almost five years after the series ended and a few months after the final season and movie set of Babylon 5 was released. Crusade was also included in Babylon 5: The Complete Universe, a set of all B5 shows and movies released in the United Kingdom on October 24, 2005. It was not included in Babylon 5: The Complete Television Series, which was a set released in the United States.
The episodes are in the original broadcast order. The set does not include the pilot movie, A Call to Arms , which was released earlier as part of the movie set. Unlike Babylon 5, the DVD release of Crusade was not cropped and re-edited for widescreen; it maintains its original fullscreen format. Initially, the set included a commentary with Straczynski, however he got it removed from subsequent pressings when he learned that parts of it had been replaced with an entirely different interview to cover up his harsh criticism of TNT. [18] [19]
DVD Name | Region 1 | Region 2 |
---|---|---|
Crusade: The Complete Series | December 7, 2004 | March 28, 2005 |
Babylon 5: The Complete Television Series | August 17, 2004 | N/A |
Babylon 5: The Complete Universe | N/A | October 24, 2005 |
Space Battleship Yamato , a TV show with a similar premise about fixing up Earth
Babylon 5 is an American space opera television series created by writer and producer J. Michael Straczynski, under the Babylonian Productions label, in association with Straczynski's Synthetic Worlds Ltd. and Warner Bros. Domestic Television. After the successful airing of a test pilot movie on February 22, 1993, Babylon 5: The Gathering, Warner Bros. commissioned the series for production in May 1993 as part of its Prime Time Entertainment Network (PTEN). The show premiered in the US on January 26, 1994, and ran for five 22-episode seasons.
Joseph Michael Straczynski is an American filmmaker and comic book writer. He is the founder of Synthetic Worlds Ltd. and Studio JMS and is best known as the creator of the science fiction television series Babylon 5 (1993–1998) and its spinoff Crusade (1999), as well as the series Jeremiah (2002–2004) and Sense8 (2015–2018). He is the executor of the estate of Harlan Ellison.
Jeremiah is a post-apocalyptic action drama television series starring Luke Perry and Malcolm-Jamal Warner that ran on the Showtime network from 2002 to 2004. The series takes place in a future wherein the adult population has been wiped out by a deadly virus.
Susan Ivanova is a lead fictional character in the science fiction television series Babylon 5, played by Claudia Christian.
Michael Garibaldi is a lead fictional character in the universe of the science fiction television series Babylon 5, played by Jerry Doyle.
"Midnight on the Firing Line" is the first episode of the first season of the science fiction television series, Babylon 5, following the pilot movie, "The Gathering". It first aired on January 26, 1994. It was notable for being the first regular television episode which used computer-generated imagery rather than physical models for its special visual effects. The episode also marked the beginning of the first science fiction television series where the entire series had an overarching storyline, which the writer J. Michael Straczynski described as "a novel for television".
"Severed Dreams" is an episode from the third season of the science fiction television series Babylon 5. It won the 1997 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation.
John J. Sheridan is the lead character in the fictional universe of the science-fiction television series Babylon 5, played by Bruce Boxleitner. For most of the series, he is the commander of the Babylon 5 station; during the series' final season he is the President of the Interstellar Alliance.
Lyta Alexander [Lyta pronounced as: ] is a fictional character portrayed by Patricia Tallman in the science fiction television series Babylon 5.
Babylon 5: The Gathering is the test pilot movie of the science fiction television series Babylon 5, aired on February 22, 1993. It is also the first of six feature-length films in the Babylon 5 media franchise.
Babylon 5: Thirdspace is a 1998 American made-for-television film that is part of the Babylon 5 science fiction universe. It was written by J. Michael Straczynski and directed by Jesús Salvador Treviño.
Beginning around 1991, the creator of the television series Babylon 5, J. Michael Straczynski, participated in a number of Internet venues to discuss elements of his work with his fans, including the rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5 Usenet newsgroup, where he continued to communicate as late as March 2007. This flow of information and feedback had a substantial impact on Babylon 5, as well as Straczynski's other shows and his fan base. This interaction pre-dated the coining of the term "blog", but is functionally similar.
Babylon 5: A Call to Arms is a 1999 American made-for-television film and the fourth film set in the Babylon 5 universe. It was written by J. Michael Straczynski, directed by Mike Vejar, and originally aired on TNT on January 3, 1999, as one of two films shown over the 1998–1999 season to fill in the gap between the fifth season of Babylon 5 and the spin-off series Crusade.
rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated is a moderated Usenet newsgroup that focuses on the science fiction television series Babylon 5 and the works of writer J. Michael Straczynski. It was spun off from its un-moderated version, rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5, in 1996. The newsgroup counts Straczynski as a frequent contributor, and was among the first internet-based forums where fans interacted directly with a 'showrunner'.
The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5 is a fan-run website that includes detailed episode guides and analyses, production history notes, background materials, references and other information related to the science fiction epic, Babylon 5. The name is derived from the term lurker, which creator J. Michael Straczynski adopted to refer to the underclass residents on the Babylon 5 station.
Babylon 5: The Lost Tales was intended to be an anthology show set in the Babylon 5 universe. It was announced by J. Michael Straczynski, creator of Babylon 5, at the San Diego Comic Con in July 2006. Straczynski has described the stories as ideas he had for the Babylon 5 television series but never had the time to produce. Only one installment, titled Voices in the Dark, was produced before the project was shelved.
Babylon 5: A Call to Arms (ACtA) is a tabletop miniatures boardgame released in September 2004 by Mongoose Publishing, designed initially as an expansion to their Babylon 5: The Roleplaying Game, it is a complete game in its own right. Babylon 5: A Call to Arms is based upon the sci-fi television series Babylon 5 and draws heavily on material from the television show and the boardgame Babylon 5 Wars. The game's popularity exceeded Mongoose Publishing's initial expectations and has expanded to include new rules supplements and new miniatures; a second edition of the game was released in August 2007. Mongoose Publishing announced on their website in February 2008 that all production of miniatures for the line would cease as of March 2008. Mongoose have indicated they will continue to support the game however through supplements and articles in their in-house magazine Signs and Portents.
Babylon 5 is an American space opera media franchise created by writer and producer J. Michael Straczynski, under the Babylonian Productions label in association with Straczynski’s Synthetic Worlds Ltd. and Warner Bros. Domestic Television. After the successful airing of a pilot movie, Warner Bros. commissioned the series as part of the second year schedule of programs provided by its Prime Time Entertainment Network (PTEN). It premiered in the United States on January 26, 1994 and ran for the intended five seasons. Describing it as having "always been conceived as, fundamentally, a five year story, a novel for television", Straczynski wrote 92 of the 110 episodes and served as executive producer, along with Douglas Netter.
Who do you serve, and who do you trust?