2024/06/23

It was June 9^th, 1999, when Crusade started its first and final season. It already had been cancelled before it started. There were lots of conflicts behind the scenes between the suits and JMS. You can read about it a bit more in my “Complete Series Rewatch Blog”. So even before the show started, it didn’t got a chance, even though the show did okay in the ratings but it was too late. Sci-fi channel did not have any budget left to take over Crusade unfortunately.

I’ll be the first to say that Crusade wasn’t a perfect show, far from it, but you have to realize that this was also the case when Babylon 5 first started, the first few episodes also weren’t stellar, same you can say for all the 90’s Star Trek shows. Yes, it was flawed but I definitely saw the potential in the show, there were some interesting characters. Captain Gideon was my favorite character, played by Gary Cole. He was not a ‘by the book’ captain, which was so interesting about him. He wanted to get the job done, he did not really care how…for the most part.

Another favorite of mine definitely was Max Eilerson, played by David Allan Brooks. At first he really didn’t want to be there, had his own agenda, all the time. He was obnoxious, vain and sometimes he really was a asshole…but he was also so much fun! If the show had continued I’m convinced that he would have become a fan favorite. Galen, played by Peter Woodward, was also a favorite character of mine, a Technomage, helping out the crew of the Excalibur. He was gone for weeks/months and suddenly he was there again, to help or be helped. What was also nice is that Crusade could mean cross-over characters from the original show. Of course we already met Captain Elizabeth Lochley (Tracy Scoggings) who had also joined the Crusade cast. We also see doctor Stephen Franklin (Richard Biggs) return for an episode. This would most likely keep on happening all seasons, which would have been really cool!

Crusade premise was that the Drakh, servants of the Shadows, who are beyond the rim, introduce a virus into the earth’s atmosphere, which will became lethal in about five years or so. For some a bit shorter, while for others the virus could work slower. So the Excalibur crew is tasked to find a cure within these five years. Still, the premise would not have stayed the same for all five seasons. JMS said on the commentary of the movie “A Call To Arms” that the Drakh plague story would have been dealt with appropriately within the first two seasons.

It is a real shame “Crusade” wasn’t given a fair chance, even more unbelievable that the Sci-fi channel really wanted to take over the show but did not have any budget left for it. I really would have loved to see this show unfold and perhaps then Babylon 5 could have evolved in some kind of Star Trek in terms of franchise. I am convinced that Crusade would have become a big success, but we will never know. The only thing we can do is appreciate it for what it is, a cancelled TV show with lots of potential. This most likely was the knife in the back for any future Babylon 5 projects. Yes, I know, in 2002 we did get a backdoor pilot movie “Legend of the Rangers”, but that was doomed to fail from the start also. For (a bit) more info on that, read my rewatch blog of the movie here.

Final Word:

With every rewatch of Babylon 5, I also rewatch Crusade, I have to say, I am still enjoying the short-lived show, not all stories are good but it is entertaining, it is set in the Babylon 5 universe, so yes, it does matter! Happy 25th Anniversary!