hen last viewers visited the Babylon 5 universe, Earth forces had
succeeded in routing the army of Drakh, the former minions of the
Shadows--but not before the nefarious creatures unleashed a lethal plague
on Earth.
Crusade picks up where Babylon 5 left off--with a new crew
on a new ship whose mission is to find a cure for the "biogenetically
engineered virus" before it wipes out all life on Earth. It is guessed they
have about five years.
In the opening episode, "War Zone," Earth is under quarantine, orbited
by the wreckage of starships destroyed in the battle against the Drakh.
Riots have broken out among the panicked population, and the Earth government is
in disarray.
Intrepid Capt. Matthew Gideon (Cole), former skipper of a science
exploration vessel, has been ordered to Mars, where Senator McQuade appoints
him commander of the Ranger ship Excalibur. Seems the senator believes
Gideon is the man to find a cure out there in outer space somewhere:
"You're a dangerous man when you want to be, captain, and right now we need
a dangerous man," he says.
Gideon's new crew includes feisty physician Dr. Sarah Chambers (Marjean
Holden); thief and Drakh expert Dureena Nafeel (Dobro); and telepathic
first officer Lt. John Matheson (Kim). Then there's the techno-mage Galen
(Woodward), who acts as Gideon's guardian angel for reasons that aren't
clear.
Meanwhile, an Earth ship has forced one of the fleeing Drakh ships down
on CETI 4, where gifted xeno-archeologist Max Eilerson (Brooks) is
uncovering the ruins of a 10,000-year-old lost alien city. The Excalibur is
dispatched to rescue them before the Drakh can wipe out Eilerson and his
team. Unbeknownst to Gideon, however, a fleet of Drakh are closing in on
CETI 4. Before the end of the episode, Eilerson will sign on with Gideon's
crew.
"And so it begins"
Originally intended as the second, five-year "novel for television" in
the Babylon 5 universe, Crusade was cancelled after creative
disagreements between network TNT and the show's producers. TNT will air
the 13 episodes already produced. Talks with alternative venues, such as
the SCI FI Channel, have so far failed to find a new home for the series.
That said, it's difficult to get a bead on Crusade based on the
viewing of its introductory episode. The episode is largely taken up with
housekeeping matters like setting up the back story, meeting characters and
establishing the premise.
At first glimpse, though, Crusade seems to share Babylon
5's affection for rebels and misfits, and its universe is populated
with lots of them. That promises to make for some interesting character interactions
later on. TV veteran Cole is especially appealing as the no-nonsense Gideon.
Unfortunately, Crusade also shares Babylon 5's tin ear for
human speech, substituting in its place a lot of earnest declamations or
smart-alecky dialog. "I got plans for the weekend, and being dead ain't
part of them," one character says.
But it's difficult to fault Straczynski and company for the premise or the richly
complex universe they've envisioned. So rich, in fact, that it helps to have
some familiarity with Babylon 5 and its various political and social
conflicts as a context for the dramas sure to play out in Crusade's
brief run.
The computer special effects appear superior to Babylon 5's, and
the same can be said of the sets and costumes. (Oddly, and for reasons too
complicated to go into here, subsequent episodes will feature older sets
and costumes, as the series was shot out of order. It will be interesting
to see how the creators deal with this.)
