Best of
Babylon-5

2011

Crusade: Other Voices. Volume 1


Fiona Kai Avery - 2011
    This script was discovered in 2010, 11 years after it was written.Oh, did we mentioned that said script was written by Peter Woodward--as in the fabulous British actor who portrayed Galen the techno-mage? As many of you know, Peter is a successful screenwriter and this CRUSADE story is a quirky adventure so good that JMS slated it for the second season.The script is called “Little Bugs Have Lesser Bugs" which reveals --* What the EXCALIBUR crew watched on the vid (23rd century TV). (It’s not what you’d expect!)* Find out if "that day on Mars with Louise meant anything to Brad"...and, more importantly, who the heck ARE Louise and Brad?* The dramatic way Galen gets the attention of the EXCALIBUR crew, causing a panic in the process.* The one thing Galen can do in handcuffs to get a reaction from EXCALIBUR security. (Hint: Kids love this.)* The introduction of a new planet whose surface makes a disconcerting crunching sound when walked on; you'll cringe when you find out why.* What Dureena, and other natives of Zander Prime, have twice the normal number of.* Why Galen was willing to swallow a large, living bug.In Woodward’s introduction, written exclusively for this book, you’ll find out:* Why Peter was compelled to write an episode of CRUSADE and what he thought about seeing it again 12 years later.* The reason he chose to feature bugs so prominently in the story.* Why JMS failed to comment on the script when it was originally submitted and how Peter interpreted the lack of response.The other "voice" in this volume is that of Fiona Avery--BABYLON 5's reference editor--who wrote:"Patterns of the Soul" (where Gideon confronted Earth colonists who might have been infected with the plague while escaping the planet) and "The Well of Forever" (in which Galen hijacked the EXCALIBUR to find a mythical site hidden in hyperspace). We've included not one, but two drafts of each of these episodes to showcase the changes made between a writer’s first draft and the final production script. This way, no aspect of CRUSADE's history will be unaccounted for. Also included is a complete analysis of each of these episodes, each one exceeding 40 pages. In these scripts, you will discover --* What real-world, every day inconvenience inspired “Patterns of the Soul.” (You'll definitely relate.)* How TNT wanted Dr. Chambers and Dureena to become "two tough women."* The obsession Captain Gideon indulged in the privacy of his quarters.* What key scene was missing from the earliest version of “Patterns of the Soul.”* Find out what Dureena did with the Old One after he died.* What "natural substances" were prized by Dureena’s people.* What the Prozeta Corporation was originally named.* Which BABYLON 5 character Captain Gideon thought was behind the EXCALIBUR’s diversion to Theta 49.* Cut from the script: the scene where Dureena’s people watched her depart Theta 49, and how they reacted.* The big switch: which EXCALIBUR crew member originally betrayed another in the first draft of “Patterns.”* How a dream suggested “The Well of Forever.”* Which new set TNT wanted to see in “The Well of Forever” and who they wanted to inhabit it.* Who's husband was originally scheduled to direct “Well.” (Hint: think Babylon 5.)* Which memorable subplot WASN’T in the first draft of “Well.”* Ultimate trivia: the creepy diet of the Morcetti.* Trimmed for time: Galen’s explanation of how the rock indicated the location of the Well of Forever.* The book Dureena was reading prior to the search for the Well...and what wisdom she took from it.* What experience was described as "like being stripped naked in front of a room full of strangers."* What happens immediately after you escape an amorous alien jellyfish (a moment not included in the episode).* Lost in revision: the action Max Eilerson took after the Excalibur was molested by the Fen.* Dureena’s philosophy on the aspect of our own deaths we CAN control.* Galen’s never-uttered-onscreen "power word." (It's not abracadabra.)PLUS nine pages of never-before-collected artwork showcasing:* The EXCALIBUR recreation deck that made its debut in “The Well of Forever.”* Detailed close-ups of Galen’s flyer. Learn more about the nuances of the ship.* Concept designs for the over-sexed inhabitants of hyperspace. See them in their totality!* Annotated designs for the Well of Forever that highlight aspects of it that could not be appreciated when seen in the episode.