This episode begins the much-talked-about, often controversial spinoff to Crusade, a spinoff to the excellent sci-fi series Babylon 5. TNT billed Crusade as a "limited series" due to the fact that the network cancelled the show, despite the clamoring of fans and a potential breach of contract. Information on a campaign to further Crusade can be found at this site. So, is the show worth saving?

CRUSADE is a very different show with an intriguing premise and some groundbreaking special effects. However, based on the first episode, it isn't something that completely blew me away. Believe me, I wanted to be completely in shock at the coolness of CRUSADE, and there were moments when I was. However, as most first episodes go, War Zone needed to introduce an entire universe to an audience that may have never even heard of Babylon 5. Because of this, the episode seems a bit rushed. All in all, CRUSADE is a worthy successor to Babylon 5, and a show that deserves more than TNT has been giving it.

Gary Cole's Captain Matthew Gideon is a different kind of captain. He makes even Sheridan look like a quiet diplomat. Gideon will not hesitate to do whatever it takes to get his work done, even if it means stepping on a lot of toes in the process. We get the sensation that this is a man who is extremely loyal to the people under his command. This is a character that has a lot of potential, and looks like he could be someone to watch. The other breakout characters are the mysterious "Technomage" Galen (Peter Woodward), a wizardly character completely with precisely pronounced British accent. Galen could easily become a deus-ex-machina, but he could also be one of the coolest characters in sci-fi. Also noteworthy is Dureena Nafeel (Carrie Dobro), a master thief and generally bodacious babe. She manages to pull off the best performance of the episode, kicking ass without seeming completely unsympathetic. Unfortunately, the rest of the characters fall flat in comparison. Part of this is due to the fact that a lot of exposition is being packed into a single script. Both xenoarcheologist Max Eilerson (David Allan Brooks) and Dr. Sarah Chambers (Marjean Holden) don't generally match the intensity of the other characters, and some of their scenes seem a bit wooden. However, future episodes should help to flesh out some of these characters.

The effects are top-notch, even the CGI Drakh, who didn't turn out half as hokey as they could have. The Excalibur is the coolest ship I've yet seen in any show, especially the rack which holds several of the equally impressive Thunderbolt fighters. Although the CGI still looks, well, like CGI, it is quite good. The only glaring errors were several stock explosions that looked far too two-dimensional. Other than that, CRUSADE sets new heights for television special effects.

Of course, there are the usual minor gripes as well. For one, the Drakh language sucks, sounding like Arabic done by someone with a harelip. Also, some of the editing seemed to be quite strange, cutting off the dialog track during a major battle scene. Evan Chen's scoring is far improved from "A Call To Arms", actually managing to complement what was happening on-screen rather than just stepping on it, but still has moments where the music's strangeness outweighs its coolness. All in all, War Zone is a first episode, and first episodes are generally not the best episodes. Still, CRUSADE is good concept with great production values. If it can improve on what the first episode introduces, it should certainly be worthy of surviving beyond its thirteen-episode "limited run".