Did you like "Crusade" the B5 spin-off?

[Jayson1]

I recently just rewatched it and wondered what everyone thinks. Me I think it was a pretty decent show and might have even surpassed B5 at somepoint since from what I understand they weren't going to spend all 5 years looking for a cure to the disease. PLus Gary Cole might be the best actor they have ever gotten for either show though not close to the best character of course. It was also nice to see them going to planets and stuff even if they looked fake. Like B5 production values was never a strong suit. I don't think they simply had the money to do better. I also really like Galen and Iverson I think his name was called. I really wonder what they would have done with Lochley because they couldn't possibly have them show up to B5 all the time. Maybe she would have taken command of the ship at some point because Gary Cole's character has some other story arc going.


Jason

 

[F. King Daniel]

It was godawful. Years later and I'm still not sure if Galen ruined the show or was it's only saving grace.

And hey look, they're wearing USS Franklin uniforms from Star Trek Beyond!

 

[Jayson1]

It was godawful. Years later and I'm still not sure if Galen ruined the show or was it's only saving grace.

And hey look, they're wearing USS Franklin uniforms from Star Trek Beyond!

I admit both versions of the uniforms were bad. They should have just used the old blue ones from B5 which might be one of my more favorite Sci-Fi uniforms, ever.

Jason

 

[Cyrus]

No. Didn't like B5 either, but Crusade was worse.

 

[Booji]

I loved it. Pound for pound much better than the first season of B5 across the board.

 

[Kai "the spy"]

Yeah, even though TNT pretty much sabotaged them with their notes and demands for changes, the show is still pretty good and I usually include it when I do a big B5 re-watch.

 

[Asbo Zaprudder]

I recently just rewatched it and wondered what everyone thinks. Me I think it was a pretty decent show and might have even surpassed B5 at somepoint since from what I understand they weren't going to spend all 5 years looking for a cure to the disease. PLus Gary Cole might be the best actor they have ever gotten for either show though not close to the best character of course. It was also nice to see them going to planets and stuff even if they looked fake. Like B5 production values was never a strong suit. I don't think they simply had the money to do better. I also really like Galen and Iverson I think his name was called. I really wonder what they would have done with Lochley because they couldn't possibly have them show up to B5 all the time. Maybe she would have taken command of the ship at some point because Gary Cole's character has some other story arc going.


Jason

^Max Eilerson and Galen were my two favorite characters from the series.

Crusade could have been great. However, it was sorely let down by the network's interference, antipathy, and eventual cancellation and also the low budget, which probably resulted in the shoddy GFX and dismally poor music. Regarding the latter, I know they said they wanted a change from Christoper Franke's style but I suspect it was also a monetary decision.

I've read that Gideon would have died at the end of season 1 and would somehow have been resurrected by Galen using the apocalypse box at the start of season 2. I'm not sure how Lochley would have gotten involved seeing as the Excalibur crew would likely be on the run given their uncovering of the continuing use of Shadow tech by Earthforce. She'd be conflicted given her sense of duty and relationship with Gideon - maybe she'd resign and join the crew or maybe she'd offer them assistance covertly at risk of being exposed.

 

[Forbin]

It had great potential, and I sort of enjoyed most of it, and liked the characters. Like Asbo said, it was doomed by the network's sabotage.

 

[Booji]

JMS started doing script books for Crusade which were going to explain what was supposed to happen, but then he abandoned them after one volume. That really pisses me off...

 

[Mudd]

Crusade was barely a TV show; it came pre-packed with a bundle of excuses for why it wasn't good.

 

[Asbo Zaprudder]

Someone really needs to novelise how Crusade would have continued - probably as a trilogy. Damn, it's nearly 20 years since it aired.

 

[Ridcully]

Wish it could have taken off...but in United cancellation nothing gets much life...no wonder nobody wants to commit....

 

[DrCorby]

It had great potential, and I sort of enjoyed most of it, and liked the characters. Like Asbo said, it was doomed by the network's sabotage.

I agree on all points. If it had been given a decent chance, without the ridiculous interference of TNT network execs, it might have turned into an intriguing addition to the greater B5 storyline and an enjoyable SF TV series. I was disappointed in the Drakh being set up as uninspiring Shadow replacements; we'll never know if they could have grown into something more.

Yes, Galen could be pompous and annoying, providing a mouthpiece for JMS's sometimes over-the-top monologuing, but he was also one of the "outsider" characters that added flavor and non-Earthforce insights that also opened up the universe. Again, a lot of needlessly squandered potential at the hands of dithering and clueless network suits.

 

[diankra]

As others have said, with only 13 episodes that were messed up by network interference and resulting continuity snafus, it's impossible to know whether it was a mercy killing or strangling a great series in its cradle.

 

[Mudd]

Sure it's possible to know: what they actually produced was not good.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

All I remember about this one was that the guy who played Galen the technowizard or whatever really liked to ham it up and that the story seemed to be a riff on the old Star Blazers cartoon.

 

[Asbo Zaprudder]

All I remember about this one was that the guy who played Galen the technowizard or whatever really liked to ham it up and that the story seemed to be a riff on the old Star Blazers cartoon.

Pretty much so regarding Star Blazers although the Excalibur wasn't dredged from the bottom of the Pacific. The Drakh plague was an interesting concept as it appeared to have distributed intelligence and adaptivity based on nanoengineering. However, the Drakh in Crusade were never as intriguing as their first appearance on Babylon 5 where they appeared to be smeared in time. They ended up being generic evil aliens.

ETA: Galen was a Technomage - their abilities would have been revealed to be dependent on Shadow tech that required the death of other beings in its creation.

The characters in Crusade seem to be somewhat based on D&D archetypes - warrior, wizard, thief, healer and so on - but I don't know whether that's true or even if it's relevant to how the story would have developed.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

I enjoyed what little we got and I loved the characters, particularly Galen and Gideon, but more than anything, I'm saddened by the wasted potential.

There were three unfilmed scripts that have since been released (I can't remember if they were officially published or simply became available online) and all three of them were very well written. One of those scripts featured Bester.

Crusade was barely a TV show; it came pre-packed with a bundle of excuses for why it wasn't good.

That's what happens when you have a network like TNT who completely sabotages the show from behind the scenes before the show has even aired one episode. They might be excuses, but they're full understandable explanations considering the situation. The rest is a matter of opinion.

 

[Nerys Myk]

No. But I wasn't impressed by B5, either.

 

[Asbo Zaprudder]

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I identify with Derek.