Crusade DVDs - question

[Sidrack Marinho]

I am seeing the spin-off now for the first time (currently watching the episode 4). One thing I noticed after reading the Wikipedia entry:

Initially the set included a commentary with Straczynski, however he got it removed from subsequent pressings when he learned that parts of it had been replaced with an entirely different interview to cover up his harsh criticism of TNT.

I heard that story, and since I didn't purchased the box, I need to ask you something important:

- What are the differences between the old and new back covers from the show? Can someone post one image comparing those two?

I need to ask one of these sites (Amazon, HidefDVD, etc.) that are selling the box if they have the old boxset with the commentary or not. But they won't be able to tell me opening the case - they will only look the back cover.

Here you can see the old specs, with the audio commentary still available:

http://www.dvdcompare.net/comparisons/film.php?fid=6712

Disc Three
4 episodes:
- Racing The Night
- The Memory Of War
- The Needs Of Earth
- Visitors From Down The Street
Supplements:
- Audio commentary on “Racing The Night” episode, with J Michael Straczynski (removed from subsequent pressings).

[KoshN]

I have three Crusade box sets, one bought when they first came out (Dec. 2004?, Got scratched by the slimcases I had them in. Hangs/skips.), one bought in 2006, and one bought in late 2008, and all are the same. I suspect that they haven't run out of the first pressing yet. The last one I bought from Deep Discount DVD for $14.76 (sale priced).

[DGTWoodward]

It will still only be the TNT neutral butchered commentary anyway. It's that or its nothing.

I bought it hoping to hear just what JMS had to say and did not realise that it had been butchered. A bit like the whole rest of the show really, such a shame.

[Truth66]

I know I posted this coment somewhere before, but here it is again.
Just when Crusade was to air on the Space Channel here in Canada, there was an interview with JMS on the channel. JMS stated that TNT essentially wanted Crusade to be "Baywatch meets wrestling in space."
I'd love to try and find that interview again because I know I taped it on VHS back then, but it would take a mircale to find it in the many large boxes of old VHS tapes. I guess I should've listened to my wife about labeling things.

[KoshN]

I know I posted this coment somewhere before, but here it is again.
Just when Crusade was to air on the Space Channel here in Canada, there was an interview with JMS on the channel. JMS stated that TNT essentially wanted Crusade to be "Baywatch meets wrestling in space."

That was before he found out about the TNT survey (the one where TNT found out that their audience doesn't like sci-fi in general.). I suppose if JMS had made Baywatch Meets Wrestling in Space and it was trashy enough, the TNT core audience might have gone for it.

The trouble is, all the B5 fans would have panned the show, and left.

[Sidrack Marinho]

I bought the Crusade set from HidefDVD and the audio commentary from JMS was still there on disc 3. The case states "audio commentary on 2 key episodes", so it seems this report is either false or Warner released many copies before doing that, what can explain why it's still largely available in such stores.

Which brings me to the question: has anyone seen the same set with this feature removed?

[Jan]

I think I've seen one report that said that JMS' commentary wasn't on it but I don't honestly remember where or who it was.

What JMS said the deal with WB was:

WB has agreed, after quite a bit of noise, to remove the
commentary that I did from all future pressings of the set, since that was the
deal that we had made: use it all, including the explanation of what happened, or use none of it.

...so the question would be how many they pressed. I suppose it's possible that they based the first pressing of Crusade on the sales figures for the B5 sets but I know there were a lot of fans who avoided Crusade, knowing that it was cut off without resolution so my suspicion is that the first pressing probably lasted a while.

Or perhaps WB never followed up and had the commentary removed. If JMS knows one way or another I've never seen him comment on it.

Jan

[JoeD80]

I need to go and re-watch my version, because I listened very hard to the commentary when I first bought the DVDs and it didn't sound like anything was edited at all on my copy, but I can't recall entirely what he said. I do remember him saying that "Racing the Night" was supposed to be the first pilot, and he mentions TNT wanting a different pilot, and he also mentions that he wished TNT would have let him do his "Rangers" series instead, but this is all from my memory.

What interview replaced commentary and where in the commentary did that happen?

(I'll try and re-watch it some time this week)

[OmahaStar]

I need to go and re-watch my version, because I listened very hard to the commentary when I first bought the DVDs and it didn't sound like anything was edited at all on my copy, but I can't recall entirely what he said. I do remember him saying that "Racing the Night" was supposed to be the first pilot, and he mentions TNT wanting a different pilot, and he also mentions that he wished TNT would have let him do his "Rangers" series instead, but this is all from my memory.

What interview replaced commentary and where in the commentary did that happen?

(I'll try and re-watch it some time this week)

Not sure which of the two episode commentaries it's on, but whichever one, right at the beginning is when he had talked about TNT, and it was replaced by audio from an interview. That interview is one of the bonus features in the set. If you watch it, and then go back and listen to the commentary, it's obvious they just copied that audio and stuck it in place of the "controversial" stuff.

[Jan]

I'm not certain but wasn't the usual on-camera interview conspicuous by it's absence on the Crusade set? I seem to remember noticing that when the question came up at the time. I did listen to the commentary not too long ago. The episode with the commentary is on 'Racing the Night'. First JMS is talking specifics about the episode and title sequencs, then it gets very general, then back to specifics again. Thing is, the part that they changed isn't terribly long so it's not very noticable.

Jan