Excalibur (Crusade)
Encyclopedia
The IAS Excalibur is a starship in the fictional Babylon 5
/ Crusade
universe. First seen in the Babylon 5 movie A Call to Arms
, the ship is a Victory class destroyer. The ship combines human, Minbari
, and Vorlon
technology.
The Excalibur is one of two prototype ships built by Edgar Industries for the Interstellar Alliance. The other ship was the Victory. The two ships were intended to be the first in a fleet of Victory class heavy destroyer vessels. Despite being built for the Interstellar Alliance the ship is crewed by Earth Force personnel and not rangers during a Call to Arms & Crusade.
technology provided by the Minbari
. The gravity field provides workable gravity just under that found on Earth. A human would weigh slightly less on the ship than they would on Earth.
Excalibur features energy and particle beam weapons. The forward guns operate at two main power levels. Level One provides beams with little more fire power than a White Star. Level Two is much more powerful weapon, reverse engineered from Vorlon
planet killer
technology. The discharge is a pulse which originates from three emitters mounted on large "fin" structures at the ship's stern; the beams converge just forward of the bow into a single ravening blast that can destroy nearly anything in its path. The weapon is capable of destroying ground installations through the atmosphere of a planet. Firing this titanic weapon drains all the ship's power and the "Excalibur" is unable to maneuver, fire weapons or use long-range scanners for approximately one minute afterward.
. Along with Captain Leonard Anderson, who commanded the Victory, the two ships were instrumental in discovering Drakh
plans to destroy Earth with the Shadow Planet Killer
left behind by the Shadows
when they left the galaxy. Captain Elizabeth Lochley
of Babylon 5
was able to convince Earth's government to mobilize a large fleet to protect Earth, Excalibur and Victory were able to join this fleet. Sheridan and Anderson were able to destroy the planet killer, however Victory was destroyed in the process. Destroying the planet killer distracted the fleet, and the Drakh were able to get close enough to seed Earth's atmosphere with a plague. On their withdrawal, the Drakh destroyed the construction dock - which prevented any further Victory type ships from being built in the near future.
The Interstellar Alliance turned the Excalibur into a research ship, loaning it to Earthforce in the process. Commissioned as EAS Excalibur, Captain Matthew Gideon
took command of the ship, and with his crew set out to find a cure to the plague before the plague activated five years later. The beginning of this quest to discover a cure was shown on the Crusade television series.
It is known from other Babylon 5 episodes set further along the time-line than Crusade, that Excalibur succeeds after around 18 months (half-way through what would have been the second season) in finding a cure to the plague. This discovery, however, would lead to the grand revelation of a deeper story line in classic Babylon 5 style: the attack on earth is just a single battle in a larger war. The ship's future has not been documented. It remains to be seen if the ship will make any future television or movie appearances.
However, only 13 episodes were shown - creative differences between the series creator and TNT
led to the show being canceled. The Sci Fi Channel
had expressed interest in continuing the show, but did not have the budget to do so.
Babylon 5
Babylon 5 is an American science fiction television series created, produced and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. The show centers on a space station named Babylon 5: a focal point for politics, diplomacy, and conflict during the years 2257–2262...
/ Crusade
Crusade (TV series)
Crusade is a spin-off TV show from J. Michael Straczynski's Babylon 5. Its plot is set in AD 2267, five years after the events of Babylon 5, and just after the movie A Call to Arms. A race called the Drakh have released a nanovirus plague on Earth, which will destroy all life on Earth within five...
universe. First seen in the Babylon 5 movie A Call to Arms
Babylon 5: A Call to Arms
A Call To Arms is the fourth feature-length film set in the Babylon 5 universe . It was written by J. Michael Straczynski, directed by Mike Vejar, and originally aired January 3, 1999.-Summary:...
, the ship is a Victory class destroyer. The ship combines human, Minbari
Minbari
The Minbari are a fictional alien race featured in the television show Babylon 5. The Minbari characters of Delenn and Lennier figure prominently throughout the series; Neroon, Draal, and Dukhat are less prominent Minbari characters....
, and Vorlon
Vorlon
A Vorlon is a member of a fictional alien species in the Babylon 5 television series and fictional universe. The Vorlon species is a member of the First Ones, a group made up of the earliest species to gain sentience in the galaxy...
technology.
The Excalibur is one of two prototype ships built by Edgar Industries for the Interstellar Alliance. The other ship was the Victory. The two ships were intended to be the first in a fleet of Victory class heavy destroyer vessels. Despite being built for the Interstellar Alliance the ship is crewed by Earth Force personnel and not rangers during a Call to Arms & Crusade.
Technical specifications
The Excalibur was enormous in size, almost 3000 meters (2990) in length and was one of the first ships built by humans to use artificial gravityArtificial gravity
Artificial gravity is the varying of apparent gravity via artificial means, particularly in space, but also on the Earth...
technology provided by the Minbari
Minbari
The Minbari are a fictional alien race featured in the television show Babylon 5. The Minbari characters of Delenn and Lennier figure prominently throughout the series; Neroon, Draal, and Dukhat are less prominent Minbari characters....
. The gravity field provides workable gravity just under that found on Earth. A human would weigh slightly less on the ship than they would on Earth.
Excalibur features energy and particle beam weapons. The forward guns operate at two main power levels. Level One provides beams with little more fire power than a White Star. Level Two is much more powerful weapon, reverse engineered from Vorlon
Vorlon
A Vorlon is a member of a fictional alien species in the Babylon 5 television series and fictional universe. The Vorlon species is a member of the First Ones, a group made up of the earliest species to gain sentience in the galaxy...
planet killer
Planet killer
In science fiction, a planet killer, planet buster, or similar variations on that meaning, is a fictional object or device capable of either destroying an entire planet or otherwise rendering it uninhabitable - a variety of a doomsday device....
technology. The discharge is a pulse which originates from three emitters mounted on large "fin" structures at the ship's stern; the beams converge just forward of the bow into a single ravening blast that can destroy nearly anything in its path. The weapon is capable of destroying ground installations through the atmosphere of a planet. Firing this titanic weapon drains all the ship's power and the "Excalibur" is unable to maneuver, fire weapons or use long-range scanners for approximately one minute afterward.
History
The first commander of the Excalibur was President John SheridanJohn Sheridan (Babylon 5)
John J. Sheridan is a lead character in the fictional universe of the science-fiction television series Babylon 5, played by Bruce Boxleitner. For most of the series, he is the commander of the Babylon 5 station; during the series' final season he is the President of the Interstellar...
. Along with Captain Leonard Anderson, who commanded the Victory, the two ships were instrumental in discovering Drakh
Drakh
The Drakh are a fictional alien race in the Babylon 5 universe. The Drakh were dark servants for the race of First Ones known as the Shadows. They appeared in the fourth and fifth seasons of Babylon 5 as well as the television movie, A Call to Arms...
plans to destroy Earth with the Shadow Planet Killer
Shadow Planet Killer
A Shadow Planet Killer is a fictional machine from the Babylon 5 television show and films, which was used to destroy planetary ecosystems....
left behind by the Shadows
Shadow (Babylon 5)
The Shadows are a fictional alien species in the science fiction television series Babylon 5. Their homeworld is Z'ha'dum. In contrast to the Vorlons, whose philosophy is represented by the question "Who are you?", that of the Shadows is represented by the question "What do you want?", centering...
when they left the galaxy. Captain Elizabeth Lochley
Elizabeth Lochley
Elizabeth Lochley is a lead fictional character from the universe of the science fiction television series Babylon 5 and Crusade, played by Tracy Scoggins....
of Babylon 5
Babylon 5
Babylon 5 is an American science fiction television series created, produced and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. The show centers on a space station named Babylon 5: a focal point for politics, diplomacy, and conflict during the years 2257–2262...
was able to convince Earth's government to mobilize a large fleet to protect Earth, Excalibur and Victory were able to join this fleet. Sheridan and Anderson were able to destroy the planet killer, however Victory was destroyed in the process. Destroying the planet killer distracted the fleet, and the Drakh were able to get close enough to seed Earth's atmosphere with a plague. On their withdrawal, the Drakh destroyed the construction dock - which prevented any further Victory type ships from being built in the near future.
The Interstellar Alliance turned the Excalibur into a research ship, loaning it to Earthforce in the process. Commissioned as EAS Excalibur, Captain Matthew Gideon
Matthew Gideon
Captain Matthew Gideon is a character in the fictional universe of the television series Babylon 5, played by Gary Cole. Gideon was the lead character in the B5 spin-off show Crusade, which ran for 13 episodes in 1998-99.-Prior to Excalibur:...
took command of the ship, and with his crew set out to find a cure to the plague before the plague activated five years later. The beginning of this quest to discover a cure was shown on the Crusade television series.
It is known from other Babylon 5 episodes set further along the time-line than Crusade, that Excalibur succeeds after around 18 months (half-way through what would have been the second season) in finding a cure to the plague. This discovery, however, would lead to the grand revelation of a deeper story line in classic Babylon 5 style: the attack on earth is just a single battle in a larger war. The ship's future has not been documented. It remains to be seen if the ship will make any future television or movie appearances.
However, only 13 episodes were shown - creative differences between the series creator and TNT
Turner Network Television
Turner Network Television is an American cable television channel created by media mogul Ted Turner and currently owned by the Turner Broadcasting System division of Time Warner...
led to the show being canceled. The Sci Fi Channel
Syfy
Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
had expressed interest in continuing the show, but did not have the budget to do so.