Crusade
Title screen to Crusade
Genre	Science fiction
Created by	J. Michael Straczynski
Starring	Gary Cole Peter Woodward Carrie Dobro
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	13
Production
Running time	45 minutes per episode
Broadcast
Original channel	TNT
Original run	June 9, 1999 – September 1, 1999
External links
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

Crusade is a spin-off TV show from J. Michael Straczynski's Babylon 5. Its plot is set in the year 2267 A.D., 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 destroyer Excalibur has been sent out to look for anything that could help the search for a cure. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... Joseph Michael Straczynski (born July 17, 1954) is an award-winning American writer/producer of television series, novels, short stories, comic books, and radio dramas. ... Gary Cole (born September 20, 1956) is an American actor, known for numerous roles, including the television series Fatal Vision, The West Wing, Midnight Caller, American Gothic, Wanted and Crusade, and the films Office Space, In the Line of Fire, Kiss the Sky, Dodgeball, The Brady Bunch Movie, A Very... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Carrie Dobro is an american actress. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Turner Network Television, usually referred to as TNT, is a cable TV network created by media mogul Ted Turner and currently owned by the Turner Broadcasting System division of Time Warner. ... June 9 is the 160th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (161st in leap years), with 205 days remaining. ... The year 1999 in television involved some significant events. ... September 1 is the 244th day of the year (245th in leap years). ... The year 1999 in television involved some significant events. ... A spin-off (or spinoff) is a new organization or entity formed by a split from a larger one such as a new company formed from a university research group. ... Joseph Michael Straczynski (born July 17, 1954) is an award-winning American writer/producer of television series, novels, short stories, comic books, and radio dramas. ... Babylon 5 is an epic American science fiction television series created, produced, and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. ... The Drakh are a race from the fictional Babylon 5 universe. ... Grey goo refers to a hypothetical end-of-the-world scenario involving molecular nanotechnology in which out-of-control self-replicating robots consume all living matter on Earth while building more of themselves (a scenario known as ecophagy). ... Earth In the Babylon 5 universe, Earth was located in a relatively uncontested portion of the Galaxy. ... Image:Excalibur lg1. ... The ISA Excalibur is a starship in the fictional Babylon 5 / Crusade universe. ...

Background

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 arcs. However, conflicts arose 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] This article does not cite any references or sources. ... A major selling point of DVD video is that its storage capacity allows for a wide variety of extra features in addition to the feature film itself. ... Turner Network Television, usually referred to as TNT, is a cable TV network created by media mogul Ted Turner and currently owned by the Turner Broadcasting System division of Time Warner. ... SCI FI (sometimes rendered SCI FI Channel when part of a longer phrase) is an American cable television channel, launched on September 24, 1992, specializing in science fiction, fantasy, horror, and paranormal programming. ...

Drakh attack

Main article: Babylon 5: A Call to Arms

In 2267, seven 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 president John Sheridan takes command of the Excalibur and Victory and leads the EarthForce and ISA fleets to victory. Despite their defeat, the Drakh manage to release a nanovirus weapon into Earth's atmosphere, infecting everyone on the planet. In five years the plague will destroy all life on the planet. The Victory was destroyed in the battle, but the Excalibur survived. Command is turned over to Captain Matthew Gideon who is given a mission: explore the galaxy to either find a cure or an ally capable of producing one("War Zone"). The Shadow Wars refer to the great wars involving the Shadows in the television science fiction series Babylon 5. ... The Shadows are an ancient alien species in the science fiction television series Babylon 5. ... A Shadow Planet Killer is a fictional machine from the Babylon 5 television show and films, which was used to destroy planetary ecosystems. ... John J. Sheridan (2215–2281), played by Bruce Boxleitner, is a fictional character in the universe of the science-fiction television series Babylon 5. ... The ISA Excalibur is a starship in the fictional Babylon 5 / Crusade universe. ... EarthForce is the military branch of the Earth Alliance, Earths governing body in the fictional Babylon 5 universe. ... List of Crusade episodes War Zone is the first episode of the science fiction television series Crusade. ...

Telepath War

Main article: Telepath War

At some point between 2262 and 2267 a civil war broke out on Earth between the Psi Corps and mundanes (non-telepaths), assisted by a group of rogue telepaths. As a result of the war, the Psi Corps (which all telepaths were forced to join) were disbanded and telepaths were given limited rights and allowed back into society. Few telepaths have advanced very far due to how recent the war was and common fear of telepaths. Telepaths are still banned from scanning others 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"). The Telepath War was a conflict in the fictional Babylon 5 universe. ... Spoiler warning: In the fictional universe of Babylon 5, the Psi Corps was an agency of the Earth Alliance responsible for telepathic individuals. ... The Well of Forever is an episode from the first season of the television series Crusade. ...

Mars independence

After the Earth Alliance Civil War in 2261, Earth joined the Interstellar Alliance. As promised by John Sheridan, Mars was granted independence since ISA laws required members to free any colony where the majority of colonists want 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 Earthers and many in EarthForce do not feel obligated to risk their lives to help Earth fight the plague. The Earth Alliance Civil War is an armed conflict in the Babylon 5 series, in which President Clark dissolves the Earth senate and orders martial law throughout the Earth Alliance worlds. ... Rising Star is an episode from the fourth season of the science-fiction television series Babylon 5. ... Ruling From the Tomb is an episode from the first season of the television series Crusade. ... Objects in Motion is an episode from the fifth season of the science-fiction television series Babylon 5. ...

Cast

Main article: List of people involved with Crusade

Crew of the Excalibur:
John Matheson, Max Eilerson, Sarah Chambers, Matthew Gideon, Dureena Nafeel, and Galen

• Captain Matthew Gideon (Gary Cole): captain of the Excalibur. He was specifically chosen by Interstellar Alliance president John Sheridan because he would be willing to take chances and would not let diplomacy get in the way of completing the mission.
• Lieutenant John Matheson (Daniel Dae Kim): second in command and strong telepath. He is considered to be a role model among human telepaths since no other has advanced so far in the EarthForce military. He served as Gideon's first officer on his previous assignment as well. He was assigned to the Excalibur at the insistence of Gideon.
• Max Eilerson (David Allen Brooks): a successful archaeologist from Interplanetary Expeditions. He was a child prodigy and has a gift for understanding alien languages. He was not originally assigned to the Excalibur but was recruited by Gideon during their encounter in "War Zone".
• Galen (Peter Woodward): a technomage, who had saved Gideon's life 10 years prior to the series ("The Path of Sorrows"). He was exiled from the technomage's order in 2267 after he helped Earth and the Alliance fight the Drakh in the battle that resulted in Earth becoming infected with the plague (Babylon 5: A Call to Arms).
• Dr. Sarah Chambers (Marjean Holden): ship's medical officer. She was on Mars at the time of the Drakh attack and chose to join the crew rather than return to Earth and be with her family.
• Dureena Nafeel (Carrie Dobro): an ex-thief and last known survivor of her race (a race destroyed by the Drakh during the Shadow War). Along with Galen, she assisted the crew during the Drakh attack on Earth. After the attack she was held on Mars by EarthForce for further questioning, but was released when Gideon made her part of the crew.
• Captain Elizabeth Lochley (Tracy Scoggins): commanding officer of Babylon 5. She first encountered Gideon on Mars during an interstellar conference on the plague where she was heading security ("Ruling from the Tomb"). She and Gideon originally clashed due to similarities in personalities, but soon developed a strong intimate relationship ("The Rules of the Game"). She returned to Babylon 5 after the conference and appeared infrequently.

The following is a list of people involved in a significant way with the science fiction television series Crusade (1999), the short-lived spinoff of Babylon 5. ... Image File history File links Crusade_crew. ... Image File history File links Crusade_crew. ... Gary Cole (born September 20, 1956) is an American actor, known for numerous roles, including the television series Fatal Vision, The West Wing, Midnight Caller, American Gothic, Wanted and Crusade, and the films Office Space, In the Line of Fire, Kiss the Sky, Dodgeball, The Brady Bunch Movie, A Very... John Sheridan was a character in the sci-fi series Babylon 5 John Sheridan is an Irish footballer This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Daniel Dae Kim (born August 4, 1968) is a Korean/American actor. ... Warning: This is NOT a scientific article. ... EarthForce is the military branch of the Earth Alliance, Earths governing body in the fictional Babylon 5 universe. ... David Allen Brooks (born January 9, 1947) is an American actor. ... A child prodigy is someone who is a master of one or more skills or arts at an early age. ... List of Crusade episodes War Zone is the first episode of the science fiction television series Crusade. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... A Technomage performing a spell on the series Babylon 5. ... The Path of Sorrows is an episode from the first season of the television series Crusade. ... The Drakh are a race from the fictional Babylon 5 universe. ... Marjean Holden is an American actress, notable for her role as Dr. Sarah Chambers in the short-lived sci-fi series Crusade. ... Carrie Dobro is an american actress. ... The Shadow Wars refer to the great wars involving the Shadows in the television science fiction series Babylon 5. ... Elizabeth Lochley, played by Tracy Scoggins, is a fictional character from the television science fiction dramas Babylon 5 and Crusade. ... Tracy Scoggins (b. ... Ruling From the Tomb is an episode from the first season of the television series Crusade. ... The Rules of the Game is an episode of the science fiction series Crusade. ...

Episodes

Crusade series launch poster

The "correct" order of episodes is somewhat unclear, and the episodes contain conflicting evidence as to the chronological order. Series creator J. Michael Straczynski revised TNT's ordering for re-broadcast on the Sci-Fi Channel in April of 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.^[4] Image File history File links B5_Crusade. ... Image File history File links B5_Crusade. ... Turner Network Television, usually referred to as TNT, is a cable TV network created by media mogul Ted Turner and currently owned by the Turner Broadcasting System division of Time Warner. ... SCI FI (sometimes rendered SCI FI Channel when part of a longer phrase) is an American cable television channel, launched on September 24, 1992, specializing in science fiction, fantasy, horror, and paranormal programming. ... List of Crusade episodes War Zone is the first episode of the science fiction television series Crusade. ... In fiction, continuity is consistency of the characteristics of persons, plot, objects, places and events seen by the reader or viewer. ... Appearances and Other Deceits is an episode from the first season of the television series Crusade. ...

A third order was formally endorsed by Straczynski as the "true" chronological sequence of events for the filmed episode, as it appeared in The Official Babylon 5 Chronology (published in the pages of The Official Babylon 5 Magazine in 1999-2000). 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.

Completed episodes

"The Well of Forever" and "Patterns of the Soul" were written by Fiona Avery and "Ruling from the Tomb" was written by Peter David. All of the other episodes were written by J. Michael Straczynski. Production codes are noted next to the episode title.
The Well of Forever is an episode from the first season of the television series Crusade. ... Patterns of the Soul is an episode from the first season of the television series Crusade. ... Fiona Avery is a comic book and television writer. ... Ruling From the Tomb is an episode from the first season of the television series Crusade. ... Peter Allen David (often abbreviated PAD) (born September 23, 1956) is an American writer, best known for his work in comic books and Star Trek novels. ... Joseph Michael Straczynski (born July 17, 1954) is an award-winning American writer/producer of television series, novels, short stories, comic books, and radio dramas. ...

List of Crusade episodes War Zone is the first episode of the science fiction television series Crusade. ... The Long Road is an episode from the first season of the television series Crusade. ... The Well of Forever is an episode from the first season of the television series Crusade. ... The Path of Sorrows is an episode from the first season of the television series Crusade. ... Patterns of the Soul is an episode from the first season of the television series Crusade. ... Ruling From the Tomb is an episode from the first season of the television series Crusade. ... The Rules of the Game is an episode of the science fiction series Crusade. ... Appearances and Other Deceits is an episode from the first season of the television series Crusade. ... Racing the Night is an episode from the first season of the television series Crusade. ... The Memory of War is an episode from the first season of the television series Crusade. ... The Needs of Earth is an episode from the first season of the television series Crusade. ... Visitors From Down the Street is an episode from the first season of the television series Crusade. ... Each Night I Dream of Home is an episode from the first season of the television series Crusade. ...

Unfilmed episodes

• Value Judgments, by Fiona Avery
• Tried and True, by Fiona Avery
• To The Ends Of The Earth, by J. Michael Straczynski
• Untitled "Apocalypse Box" episode, by J. Michael Straczynski
• "Sword Trilogy"
  1. War Story, by Richard Mueller
  2. The Walls of Hell, by Larry DiTillio
  3. Part 3 (untitled), by J. Michael Straczynski
• The End of the Line (season finale), by J. Michael Straczynski

Scripts for "Value Judgments", "To the Ends of the Earth" and "The End of the Line" were available online for a time at Bookface.com. "Value Judgments" was to feature Bester, and "To the Ends of the Earth" and "The End of the Line" would deal with Earth use of shadow technology, and the mysterious ship that destroyed the Cerberus.^[5] Fiona Avery is a comic book and television writer. ... Joseph Michael Straczynski (born July 17, 1954) is an award-winning American writer/producer of television series, novels, short stories, comic books, and radio dramas. ... Lawrence G. Larry DiTillio is an American film and TV series writer. ... Alfred Bester is the name of a fictional character in the television series Babylon 5, played by Walter Koenig. ...

Continuity problems

As a result of TNT showing the episodes out of their intended sequence, there are several continuity problems, including:

• In episode 10 ("The Memory of War"), Dr. Chambers reprogrammed the technomages' nanovirus to create a short term protection against the Drakh nanovirus. However, they had already used the device in episode 5 ("Patterns of the Soul").
• The Apocalypse Box warned Gideon not to trust Galen in episode 10 ("The Memory of War"), however Galen's "betrayal" occurred in episode 3 ("The Well of Forever"), according to aired episodes. However, it is possible that the betrayal the Apocalypse Box actually referred to the events of "To the Ends of the Earth", the unaired script by JMS. This revealed information on Galen and the rest of the Technomages that might have been seen by Gideon as a betrayal. (see the Technomage Trilogy). Additionally, the Apocolypse Box lies and distorts the truth on occasion, so it is possible that the events of episode 3 were unrelated to the Box's information.
• The crew received new uniforms in episode 8 ("Appearances and Other Deceits"), however they had already been wearing the "new" uniforms for several episodes. In episode 14 the new uniforms would have been destroyed and the crew would have gone back to the "old" uniforms.^[6]
• Gideon and Lochley met each other for the very first time in "Ruling from the Tomb", and they developed an intimate relationship in episode 7 ("The Rules of the Game"), however in the final episode ("Each Night I Dream of Home") they are merely on friendly (and slightly flirty) terms with each other, after Lochley's damaged Starfury is rescued by Excalibur. This episode, the fifth to be filmed, was originally to have introduced Lochley; a line of voice-over dialogue establishes that they had previously met.

The Memory of War is an episode from the first season of the television series Crusade. ... Patterns of the Soul is an episode from the first season of the television series Crusade. ... The Memory of War is an episode from the first season of the television series Crusade. ... The Well of Forever is an episode from the first season of the television series Crusade. ... Unique to the Babylon 5 universe among virtually all other shared universes is the sanctioned canonicity of many of its offshoot novels and comic book stories; nearly all of the Babylon 5 novels and novelizations to date having been based on outlines written directly by J. Michael Straczynski. ... Appearances and Other Deceits is an episode from the first season of the television series Crusade. ... Ruling From the Tomb is an episode from the first season of the television series Crusade. ... The Rules of the Game is an episode of the science fiction series Crusade. ... Each Night I Dream of Home is an episode from the first season of the television series Crusade. ...

DVD releases

DVD cover art

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 UK on October 24, 2005. It was not included in Babylon 5: The Complete Television Series, which was a set released in the US. Image File history File links Crusade_season_1. ... Image File history File links Crusade_season_1. ... Babylon 5 is an epic American science fiction television series created, produced, and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. ... October 24 is the 297th day of the year (298th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic  - President George Walker Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from...

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, Crusade was not presented in widescreen on DVD. 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.^[7]

is the 341st day of the year (342nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... shelby was here 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... March 28 is the 87th day of the year (88th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... August 17 is the 229th day of the year (230th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... shelby was here 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... October 24 is the 297th day of the year (298th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

References

July 13 is the 194th day of the year (195th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... The Lurkers Guide to Babylon 5 is a significant and influential fan-run website that contains extremely detailed episode guides and analyses, production history notes, background materials, references, and more, related to the science fiction epic, Babylon 5. ... July 13 is the 194th day of the year (195th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... July 13 is the 194th day of the year (195th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... July 13 is the 194th day of the year (195th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... July 14 is the 195th day of the year (196th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ...

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Crusade (TV series)

• Crusade at the Internet Movie Database
• Crusade at TV.com
• Crusade at The Great Machine (Babylon 5 Wiki)

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Crusade (TV series)