Farscape Vs. Babylon 5

[mrjimmy]

If I am not mistaken, Babylon 5 also had this problem. Although they were origianaly a syndicated show thier doom was eminit much the same as Farscape's is, (before the completion of the story). I seem to remember TNT coming to the rescue and airing the rest of the show, furthur more I also recall how once the sci-fi channel saw how popular b5 actually was, they agreed to air the followup series, Crusade. This is why it blows my mind that sci-fi would cancell Farscape, we all know that Farscape is by far a much better show then crusade was! Maybe we (the producers and fans) of Farscape ought to be talking to the people at TNT. Maybe once the sci-fi channel sees that another network may be interested in the show, they may reconsider thier decision to end farscape before it's time.
Anybody out there have any insites into this?
mrjimmy

[LadyCrais]

Actually the history is that Crusade was cancelled before it ever aired because JMS refused to make changes demanded by TNT. While Sci-Fi was verbally supportive, they did not come up with the money to save Crusade, so it ran it's few episodes (13?) on TNT and that was that. Then Sci-Fi bought the entire B5 catalogue and supported some movies. But, as usual, not the new proposed series because the east coast numbers failed against a play-off sporting event, basketball maybe?

As to your opinion, I personally consider Crusade the best of all the B5 catalogue and the only other show ever produced that could be paired with Farscape and not look like dren in comparison. The first really touch-chick alien was in Crusade and she set a tone that was never again approached until Farscape. The technomages were pretty darn high on my list as well and the show incorporated great wit and humor as was never replicated until Farscape. In many many ways I consider Crusade the original breakout series on which Farscape was later built.

[mrjimmy]

Looking back on it I must say that you are 100% correct with everything you say in the first paragraph of your reply. I do think that Crusade would have blossomed into a very fine series had it been given the chance. Yes it was basketball, as TNT is very hot for that sport. I am glad that SCI-FI supported the B5 movies, although a few of them were slightly cheesy, they did help in the clousure of the over all story.
As for your second paragraph, I will admitt that the tough alien female and the technomages were very interesting charactors. My comparison of Crusade/B5 to Farscape was not meant to belittle them in any way, simply to point out that they shared a simular doom and that Farscape had the chance to blossom giving that edge that I am sure would have come to Crusade had it been able to proceed into a second season and/or beyond.
My love for Farscape grew from it's "realistc" tone, meaning that when we finally make our way to outer space it probally would be alot like it is protrayed in Farscape, at least to some degree, and although I am a big fan of Star Trek (all inseptions), thier view of this is a little more sterile then I think it would actually be.
mrjimmy

[LadyCrais]

What I was talking about with the sporting event wasn't related to Crusade or TNT. What I was referring to was the latest B5 movie produced by SciFi that was a pilot for a new series. It was about the Rangers. It did very respectable numbers in the west, where it aired after a major sporting event was complete. On the east coast, it was had major competition and the numbers were down. The result was that overall, it didn't meet whatever threshold Skiffy had set for it to go to a series. And apparently they didn't give the slightest consideration to different factors involved.

Is Polaris from JMS too? Seems like it is. Anyway, yet another "competition" of sorts was set up between several pilots, and while one (Polaris, I believe) was far and away considered the best quality and story, SciFi opted for some dren about vampires in space. I think that's the "secret" new series that they haven't started the push for. I haven't been following this too closely, so facts may vary somewhat from my memory. :) But this is ballpark information.

[LadyCrais]

I just noticed this thread was in Help Wanted.

Any of you mods out there want to move it to OT where it belongs?

Red? (don't know how, but everytime I put your name in you seem to magically pop up :) )

[Darkness Ascending]

crusade, i hated the epiodes i saw, most of all, i coulnt stand the people in it.

B5 was great, nearly as good, if not as good, as farscape :D