Product Description: A spaceship is exploring military and scientific solutions to a plague on Earth. Genre: Television Rating: NR Release Date: 7-DEC-2004 Media Type: DVD
Amazon.com: The first and only spin-off of Babylon 5, J. Michael Straczynski's short-lived sci-fi series Crusade had its roots in the B5 television movie A Call to Arms, in which Earth was battling a Drakh invasion at the end of the Shadow Wars. When Crusade begins, 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 ship Excalibur. 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).
While Babylon 5 had five years to develop into a powerful saga, Crusade had 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 after B5 ended), 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. If B5 was the spiritual companion to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine with its space-station setting and long story arc, Crusade was more like a traditional Star Trek setting, with mostly stand-alone episodes involving first contact with various species (even if, due to the nature of the Excalibur'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, B5 fans will welcome even a brief opportunity to revisit this universe, especially when the Excalibur visits 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
In 2267 the Earth is quarantined, having been infected with a deadly plague by an attacking alien force. Scientists estimate that it will kill every inhabitant within 5 years, not nearly enough time for a cure to be developed. So the planet's only hope lies with the Excalibur, an advanced prototype starship sent out to search ancient alien ruins for their former inhabitant's secrets, hoping that s
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated) Binding: DVD Brand: WOODWARD,PETER EAN: 0085393972028 Feature: In 2267 the Earth is quarantined, having been infected with a deadly plague by an attacking alien force. Scientists estimate that it will kill every inhabitant within 5 years, not nearly enough time for a cure to be developed. So the planet's only hope lies with the Excalibur, an advanced prototype starship sent out to search ancient alien ruins for their former inhabitant's secrets, hoping that s Format: AC-3, Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, NTSC Item Dimensions:70 Label: Warner Home Video Languages:EnglishOriginal LanguageDolby Digital 5.1EnglishSubtitledSpanishSubtitledFrenchSubtitledPortugueseSubtitled Manufacturer: Warner Home Video MPN: 39720 Number Of Items: 4 Publisher: Warner Home Video Region Code: 1 Release Date: December 07, 2004 Running Time: 576 minutes Studio: Warner Home Video Theatrical Release Date: June 09, 1999
Customer Reviews
Crusade is to Babylon 5 like what DeepSpace 9 was to Star Trek, a wonderful spin off
Crusade was a wonderful attempt to expand the Babylon 5 Series with the first spin off and had great potential but it was also short lived. It kept the solid story line and introduced a few new Weapons and Ship Variants to spice up the adventure.
If you like Babylon 5 then you should also like Crusade...