Glen here...
...with some news about on-going efforts to save the Babylon 5 spin-off series, Crusade.
Regular Coaxial readers will remember my recent post which featured a somewhat appocalyptic characterization of Crusade's chances of being "renewed" after its initial thirteen episode run on TNT. ((Glen Note: the 22 episode first season of Crusade was cut short by the network after they decided the show wasn't their cup of tea. Subsequently, several other networks showed interest in picking up the series & taking it off TNT's hands, but no deal could be worked at the time. There are indications the Sci Fi Channel may be interested in picking-up the show in the near future, but logistical and economic considerations make the notion a tricky one.))
Well, those sentiments didn't fly too well with many B5 fans. Can't help that though, I gotta be as honest as I can on this page. While I must...in all good conscience...reiterate my belief that Crusade's chances of resurrection are rather slim at best (due to various considerations too detailed to go into herein & the fact that the reasons could fill a book. Now there's an idea - this whole mess would probably make a pretty amazing Barbarians at the Gate-style story!), I will concede there IS AN OUTSIDE POSSIBILITY that somehow, in someway, this crisis could all be worked out in Crusade's favor.
Accordingly, I am pointing you towards a "Save Crusade" web site which is just about to make its most desperate, passionate push to increase public awareness of Crusade - in the hopes their efforts will result in both increased viewership of the show (a factor whose importance I can not stress enough. In fact, it may be the only way to save the show), and increase the visibility of the show & its fan base in the eyes of The Powers That Be.
Currently, there are plans underway to take-up a collection from contributing fans in the hopes of buying a statement / ad in a major industry publication (TV Guide is being tossed around at the moment). Legally, I can not encourage you to contribute money to this cause - but I can make you aware of said cause (which I just have), and even go so far as to say the people at the site linked below have busted their asses to make this "Save Crusade" thing work - and I believe them to be quite reliable and serious in their efforts.
So, if you're in the mood to (possibly) make a difference, go to it! You can CLICK HERE to jump to the "Save Crusade web site, look to the right side of your screen for the "What You Can Do" toggles to learn more about the site's heroic efforts, and how you and your friends can help if so inclined.
In related news (and to answer more than a few e-mails about the subject), NO, Coaxial has not forgotten about Crusade. In fact, one of the reasons for the decreased number of updates on Coaxial over the last few weeks is due to my preparation of a rather extensive series of articles which...if all goes well...will pretty much result in my having reviewed the entire series before it actually gets aired. Concurrently, CORDWAINER HAWK (who has reviewed many other Crusade-related scripts & a few episodes for Coaxial) is feverishly prepping a few new (extensive) reports which should be posted in the very near future.
So, Crusade is not gone from Coaxial, and it has not been forgotten simply because of the show's current predicament. In fact, it's safe to say, we haven't even gotten started...
