A suggestion for the viewing order of Crusade...

[Jump_Now]

Yes, once again the newbie is going over ground which has been walked over by many other feet...and when the ground was much younger...but bear with me.

I'll be honest upfront and be the first to say that I haven't put hours of thought into this (i.e. I haven't sat and analysed each and every scene of the 13 episodes) - but I think what I've come up with pretty much works. It may need a little tinkering with, but that's why I'm posting the suggestion here. Any thoughts on this - or even shouts of "you fool, you can't put that episode there" - are more than welcome.

And by the way, I'm not suggesting I know more than The Great Maker himself (JMS) by posting this - but one or two of the episode placements he suggested to Sci-Fi just don't work. Especially since the idea was to make the story run smoother.

And yes, I know he hates "War Zone", but I've put it first anyway, okay?

So...trying to stick as close as possible to his preferred running order, and also taking to heart the thought that the "2nd rate Star Trek uniform" episodes should happen first (because it makes a lot more sense that way), here goes:

WAR ZONE
RULING FROM THE TOMB
APPEARANCES AND OTHER DECEITS
RACING THE NIGHT
THE NEEDS OF EARTH
THE MEMORY OF WAR
VISITORS FROM DOWN THE STREET
EACH NIGHT I DREAM OF HOME
THE LONG ROAD
THE WELL OF FOREVER
PATTERNS OF THE SOUL
THE PATH OF SORROWS
THE RULES OF THE GAME

- After War Zone, I've tried to get back into the crap uniform episodes as soon as possible, but "Ruling From The Tomb" is definitely the first time Gideon and Lochley meet. And it doesn't seem too uncomfortable there, as Excalibur hasn't had time to get too far away from our solar system yet.
- After "Ruling From The Tomb", we stick with all the crap uniform episodes (sorry, it seems like the best bit of shorthand I can come up with), based on JMS' preference. And somewhere between "Each Night..." and "The Long Road" the launderette accident happens. Only offscreen.
- Then the remainder of the black uniform episodes, based on JMS' preference.

Insanity, or potentially workable?

 

[Demon]

A couple of observations:

Visitors from Down the Street is one of only 2 episodes where we know the date, as it's shown at the start - 13 May 2267.

Ruling From the Tomb is another. There's a calendar in the background of one shot (sorry!) indicating that it's June 2267.

So these 2 episodes can't be in the sequence you mention.

But your sequence does at least make sense of the insanity of the Gideon/Lochley relationship.

Sadly, the network permanently screwed the order of Crusade

 

[Sindatur]

Yes, sadly, the only way to get an accurate listing of viewing order for Crusade episodes, is to decide on your own what part of continuity is less important to you (IE: Do you care about Uniforms switching back and forth, about Lochley/Gideon relationship developing in order, contradiction of statements about something being said in the past that doesn't get said until a later episode, etc)

There is no absolute accurate viewing order that I've seen anyone come up with that doesn't sacrifice continuity in some way.

 

[Jump_Now]

Well, thank you both for your replies. As I'd said, I didn't examine the episodes thoroughly, and thought that there'd probably be a spanner in the works.

Yeah, Sindataur, one of my objectives was to try and "fix" the Gideon / Lochley thing. Along with trying to ensure that they discover the virus shield before they actually use it, etc. Apart from the calendar, I seem to have got it right. And if I can insert an offscreen launderette accident, I guess I can invent a scenario where a batch of calendars were printed with the wrong year on them... I'd rather that than Gideon and Lochley meeting for the first time twice.

And that is a weird thing. Why make it so clear in "Ruling From The Tomb" that this was their first meeting, if JMS had originally intended to have the first few episodes made transmitted first? Perhaps the network weren't planning to show the original episodes at all when it was written, and so a proper meeting between the characters was set up again..?

I take on board what you say, Demon. And you're right - the only way to watch Crusade is to decide for yourself which aspect of the mucked-up continuity will annoy you the least. I'll go for relationships and events in their "proper" order, at the expense of 2 costume changes and a dodgy calendar!

 

[Demon]

I take on board what you say, Demon. And you're right - the only way to watch Crusade is to decide for yourself which aspect of the mucked-up continuity will annoy you the least. I'll go for relationships and events in their "proper" order, at the expense of 2 costume changes and a dodgy calendar!

The problem is that you can't totally straighten out the relationship issue In Ruling From The Tomb, it's obvious they meet for the first time. But then Gideon refers to a 'first date' in Each Night I Dream of Home.

Damn the network!