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We proudly bring you the Battlestar Galactica Forum, a home away from home for fans of Battlestar Galactica around the world. |
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Operated by |
We proudly bring you the Battlestar Galactica Forum, a home away from home for fans of Battlestar Galactica around the world. |
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The Star Wars phenomenon launched a wave of lookalike television and movie projects in the late 1970s. Unbelievably, two television shows outperformed many quickly made movies which followed in the footsteps of George Lucas' ground-breaking adventure film.
Battlestar Galactica, built largely around the premise that movie-quality special effects could be brought to television in a cost-effective format, broke all the rules for television science fiction and fantasy shows. It even broke some ground not yet carved by Star Wars. The initial 3-hour program was so technically well-produced that the ABC television network and Universal Studios could not anticipate the massive audience response to the show. The only other contender for great television SF at the time was Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, starring Gil Gerrard. However, unlike Battlestar Galactica, the Buck Rogers series almost immediately drove its production values downward by developing campy, goofy episodes and villains. Nonetheless, while Universal and ABC fought over production values and strategies for Battlestar Galactica, the writers fought a losing battle in keeping the show fresh, vibrant, and realistic. Unprepared for the demanding schedule of producing quality SF stories on a weekly basis, the writing staff began raiding Hollywood's popular film and television stories for ideas. Stories such as "The Gun on Ice Planet Zero" (based on "The Guns of Navarrone") received mixed reactions from the fans. Two aspects of the show which withstood the test of time were the superb performances of the cast. Lorne Greene, who had not been seen outside of an animal biographical series for several years, took on the role of the legendary Commander Adama. He seemed a bit stiff and lost amidst all the gadgetry and the huge sets, but his solid presence served to anchor the younger, energetic cast. Time proved that Greene had appeal to ABC's young audience as a well-respected, highly experienced military leader who had inherited the responsibility for saving his people. Richard Hatch and Dirk Benedict played Captain Apollo and Starbuck. The pair of Colonial Warriors had a great on-screen chemistry which often rose above the declining quality of the story-lines. They managed to keep their stories serious while having a little fun with the concept. Benedict, especially, brought off over-the-top dialogue without looking like he was embarrassed to stand in front of the camera, while Hatch loomed large with passionate, sincere performances. The original series laid new groundwork by giving meaningful roles and respected positions to Terry Carter (who played Colonel Tigh, Adama's right-hand man) and Herbert Jefferson, Jr., who played Lieutenant Boomer (both African-American actors). As Starbuck was Apollo's sidekick, Boomer often filled in as Starbuck's sidekick. His no-nonsense attitude was occasionally peppered with a tongue-in-cheek light-heartedness that helped round out one of television's most beloved trios of heroes. Tigh's exasperation with the officers under his command was offset by an affection and respect he shared with the audience more than with Apollo and Starbuck. Women were also given significant roles, especially in the characters of Athena and Serena (played by Jane Seymour), Apollo's sister and wife. Ann Lockhart came along later as Lieutenant Sheba. Suddenly, SF television had women who weren't damsels in distress or arm-candy for campy conquerors and dictators. Well, yet more great things could be said about the original series: the numerous original gadgets and sets, the imaginative blend of imaginary and real (1970s) hi-tech equipment, and the endlessly unfolding story arc (a vital predecessor for SF series of the late 1980s and 1990s). But we also have to look at the new series. When the original series died, an ill-fated attempt to revive at least part of the concept devastated fans and advertisers alike in 1980. But fans kept hoping that Universal would somehow bring the original show back to life, especially after Gene Roddenberry and Paramount proved that the Star Trek franchise had a real future in syndicated television markets. Unfortunately, and despite Richard Hatch's own long-running efforts to bring the show back to life, fan dreams went unrealized for more than 20 years. But finally, SciFi and Universal started talking. Television politics being what it is, the fan community was disappointed to learn that Richard Hatch (along with other original cast members) would not become a vital part of the new production. The studio/network decision to go with Ronald D. Moore and all new blood (and ideas) immediately placed the new project under immense pressure. Fan predictions of failure and disaster resounded across the Internet. In the end, we were treated to an entertaining 4-hour mini-series which reinvented some characters (Boomer and Starbuck became women and were sent in two different directions rather than paired up as before), enlarged upon the massive set designs, but also backtracked on the technological development and cultural evolution. In fact, where the original series invested huge resources in making the Twelve Colonies and their inhabitants appear to be people who had a distant kinship with Earth's people, the new series looks like it is filmed right here on Earth. The production compromises sometimes lead one to wonder if the new Battlestar Galactica isn't as much a rework of Space: Above and Beyond as of the original series. Nonetheless, the long-awaited revival of the BG series left many fans with hope that an interesting, if different, treatment of the original concept might be achieved. The cast take their roles seriously and the characters are, so far, being treated with respect. The several back stories promise a lot of interesting character-oriented episodes. And the special effects are state-of-the-art, even if this new rendition of the Colonies of Kobol looks less advanced than a star-faring civilization should. Edward James Olmos plays the new Adama. Jamie Bamber plays the new Apollo. Katie Sackhoff plays the new Starbuck. Grace Park plays the new Boomer. James Callis is Gaius Baltar, the traitor who unwittingly helped the Cylons defeat their former masters. 
Battlestar Galactica 8 in. x 10 in. Buy this Photo at AllPosters.com Framed Mounted So what are you waiting for?
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In the original series, viewers learned that the Cylons had been created by an extinct race of beings who were destroyed by their robotic slaves. In the new series, the Cylons were created by the humans of the Twelve Colonies. The Classic Cylons, we discovered, were influenced, if not designed by, Count Iblis -- who apparently was a fallen angel of sorts, who travelled around the universe corrupting and destroying living races. In the new series, the Cylons have a very deeply ingrained faith in God. Whom do they view as God?
In the original series, Adama's Galactica preserved about 220 ships and a couple hundred thousand people. In fact, the novelization of the theatrical movie based on the original 3-hour special television production stipulated that 22,000 ships had survived the Cylon onslought. In the new series, only 50,000 people have survived so far as we know. The fleet is considerably smaller than in the original series. In the new series, we don't know how many people survived the onslought. Did Caprica and the other Colonies not have deep, underground bunkers and hidden bases in reserve against the unlikely attack the Cylons launched? Is it possible that a significant human population has survived on the Twelve Colonies? In the original series, the Galactica occasionally stumbled across a lost secondary colony, sparsely populated, sometimes under assault by the Cylons. Will the new series also populate the universe with scattered human settlements? |
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