 Gary Cole |
Matthew GideonAs a young ensign Gideon (born somewhere around 2226) served on the EAS Cerberos. In 2259 the ship was attacked by a mysterious vessel (presumably of Shadow origin). Cerberos was badly damaged and the ship's captain ordered Gideon outside the ship to conduct repairs on the hull. Gideon had barely gotten outside when Cerberos suddenly accelerated, leaving the ensign alone in space. The ship made an attempt to escape into hyperspace, but it was destroyed inside a jump point. Gideon, floating helplessly in space, was the only survivor. Still, there wasn't much hope for him either, as his air supply was running low. Gideon's salvation came in the form of techno-mages travelling to their secret hide-out. Most of the techno-mages couldn't have cared less of Gideon's plight, but one of them, Galen, decided to rescue him. After returning to civilisation Gideon tried to tell his superiors what had really happened, but with no proof, no one believed him and the destruction of Cerberus was attributed to malfunctioning jump engines. What happened to Cerberos didn't hinder Gideon's career, though. In time he was promoted to the rank of captain and ended up commanding an explorer class vessel. In 2267 Gideon and his crew returned from exploring the Rim only days after the Drakh had attacked Earth. Gideon was immediately called to Mars where he found out the truth about the plague, the situation on Earth and the Excalibur - Earth's last best hope for finding the cure. He had been chosen as the captain of the Excalibur because as a captain of an explorer class vessel he was used to first contacts. Besides, he was younger than anyone else with similar experience and wasn't afraid to use his own head when needed. Gideon accepted the command, but demanded to bring along his first officer, Lieutenant John Matheson. He also used his powers to enlist Dureena Nafeel who had been dropped out of the crew because of her shadowy past. During his first days on the new job Gideon also ran into Galen for the first time in years. As if feeling responsible over Gideon's safety, Galen (who had been kicked out of the techno-mages' hide-out) also decided to join the crew. The Excalibur received help not only from the Interstellar Alliance, but also from Babylon 5. During this co-operation Gideon also had an affair with Captain Lochley. Episodes: C1-C13 |
 Daniel Dae Kim |
John MathesonMatheson, a P6 telepath, remained loyal to the Psi Corps during the Telepath Crisis. During the fights he served at the Psi Corps headquarters and when all the Psi Cops were otherwise engaged, he was asked to guard an incarcerated rebel leader and to make sure she stayed sedated. The prisoner talked Matheson into helping her and eventually the young telepath betrayed the Corps and helped the rogues destroy the building. After the war Matheson's life long dream (which under the Psi Corps rule had been impossible) came true as he joined EarthForce. By 2267 he was already a lieutenant and the first officer of an explorer class ship under Captain Gideon's command. The ship was patrolling the Rim but aborted its mission after the Drakh began their assault on Earth. The fighting was already over when the ship finally reached Earth space, but the crew were given another chance of helping Earth as Captain Gideon was appointed as the Captain of the Excalibur, a ship on a mission to find a cure for the Drakh plague. Gideon requested Matheson as his first officer, but because of the Telepath Crisis, telepaths were not among the most popular people and the forces behind this high profile mission of mercy decided against it. Still, Gideon was persistent and refused to accept the command if Matheson wasn't allowed into the crew. Nevertheless, Matheson remained under tight surveillance and even the smallest offence was enough to put his job under jeopardy. Episodes: C1-C6, C8-C13 |
Marjean Holden |
Sarah ChambersWhen the Drakh plague hit Earth in 2267, Doctor Chambers turned down a position as the chief medical officer on a ship called Olympus and instead joined the crew of the Excalibur. She didn't do this only for the good of humankind, but had personal agendas in the matter as well - her sister Jenny was on Earth and thus in danger of becoming a victim of the plague. On the Excalibur Chamber's job was to act not only as the chief medical officer, but also as a liaison between the scientists and researchers and the rest of the crew. During her first year on the ship she made many important discoveries. She discovered a nanovirus that could be used as a shield against the Drakh virus (although only for brief periods of time) and together with Doctor Franklin she even conducted a test where an uninfected volunteer was subjected to the plague. Still, the cure itself remained beyond reach. Episodes: C1, C5-C11, C13 |
Maximilian EilersonEilerson was born on Mars and his extraordinary intelligence was noticed already at an early age. He was a child prodigy. Unfortunately because of his 'superiority' (and his big mouth) other children didn't like him and so Eilerson had a very lonely and protected childhood. It wasn't until he married Cynthia Allen that Eilerson became more sociable. From that on his life was uphill as he was offered a job with the Interplanetary Expeditions and his intelligence was finally valued. Unfortunately Eilerson dedicated himself to his job so thoroughly that his marriage fell apart after a few years. In 2267 Eilerson and his team were exploring a deserted underground city on a planet called Ceti 4. Their peaceful expedition was disrupted when they witnessed a Drakh ship crash-landing there. The scientists hid in the caves while one of their pilots took a shuttle to look for help. He managed to contact Excalibur and Eilerson was reluctantly drafted into helping the ship's crew to capture and interrogate the Drakh leader. The Excalibur didn't have a xenoarcheologist or a xenolinguist yet, and Captain Gideon, impressed by Eilerson's skills, offered him a job on the ship. Episodes: C1, C3-C11 |
