Crusade: The Complete Series
The first and only spin-off ofBabylon 5, J. Michael Straczynski's short-lived sci-fi seriesCrusadehad its roots in theB5television movieA Call to Arms, in which Earth was battling a Drakh invasion at the end of the Shadow Wars. WhenCrusadebegins, the Drakh have released a deadly virus that threatens to wipe out all 10 billion humans living on Earth unless a cure can be found in five years. To take on this monumental task, Captain Matthew Gideon (Gary Cole) is assigned command of the state-of-the-art Destroyer-class shipExcalibur. His crew includes telepath John Matheson (Daniel Dae Kim); pompous but brilliant archaeologist-linguist Max Eilerson (David Allen Brooks); Dureena, a member of the Thieves' Guild and the last surviving member of her species (Carrie Dobro); medical officer Sarah Chambers (Marjean Holden); and technomage Galen (Peter Woodward).WhileBabylon 5had five years to develop into a powerful saga,Crusadehad its plug pulled after a mere 13 episodes (which were reordered for TNT's broadcast), and the series never really got its footing. Galen often took center stage, then disappeared for several episodes. Matheson was underutilized (other than to provide fans with clues about what happened in the Psi-Wars afterB5ended), and tough-guy Gideon bounced back and forth between his desire to save the human race and his own moral code. There were some good action scenes and intriguing concepts (developed in conjunction with the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory). Special effects sometimes were impressive and sometimes showed budget constraints, and we never really saw the power and scope of the mile-and-a-half-long ship, other than the cool bullet cars used to traverse its length. But it did have its moments. IfB5was the spiritual companion toStar Trek: Deep Space Ninewith its space-station setting and long story arc,Crusadewas more like a traditionalStar Treksetting, with mostly stand-alone episodes involving first contact with various species (even if, due to the nature of theExcalibur's quest, such species were usually extinct). And there were occasional tantalizing hints of a broader conspiracy that might have allowed the series to soar. Regardless,B5fans will welcome even a brief opportunity to revisit this universe, especially when theExcaliburvisits the station in "The Rules of the Game." John Sheridan's ex-wife Captain Elizabeth Lochley (Tracy Scoggins) even earned a spot in the opening credits for her appearance in a few episodes.--David Horiuchi