With Tom DeSanto you have a talented writer and producer who is a fan of the original Battlestar Galactica series. He knows every episode inside out and has a vast knowledge of the flaws and other campy elements that most Galactica fans would rather forget. His goal is to take the best elements that the original series such as some main characters, the fight for survival, despair, hope, comradary, family, the journey to find the lost 13th colony and combine them with an updated look, new visual effects, new younger characters and an updated story to for the 21st century television viewer. His goal is to bring back the original Battlestar Galactica viewer and to capture a new generation of younger viewers as well.
With Ronald D Moore you have a talented writer and producer with a vague memory of the original Battlestar Galactica series. After being hired to pitch a remake idea he chooses to view the shortened 2 hour version of the pilot and reimagined the entire characters and premise beyond recognition to any Battlestar Galactica Fan to the point of alienating them. Gone are the characters that fans knew and loved, comrade and family. It has been replaced with love triangles and explicit sex. His goal is to produce a new hit TV series with a familiar title and to only capture a new generation of younger viewers.
Tom’s movie resume is short but up and coming X-men’s box office gross stands at $157,299,717. Keep in mind that this movie release was a year before Sir Ian Mckellen’s American popularity as well as Hugh Jackman’s. It was 2 years before Halle Berry’s Oscar fame. The only notable cast were Patrick Stewart (who besides the Star Trek Franchise is not a bankable movie actor) and an up and coming Halle Berry. Tom DeSanto screenplay was able to deliver a quality motion picture that capture both hard core X-Men fans and non X-Men fans with out using any big name actors to draw in an audience. Also the X-Men 2 leaked script review from such sites as AICN went from negative to very positive after Tom DeSanto rejoined the production (after his BSG project has been derailed by Hammer and Moore’s efforts) and revised the script.
Ronald D Moore movie resume has a habit of alienating fanbase. Sure he co wrote Star Trek: First Contact which at the time was the best Next Generation Movie but John Logan has recently dethroned that spot with Star Trek: Nemesis. Also Moore had alienated Trekkers with Star Trek: Generations by not only killing their beloved Captain Kirk. He killed him in the shallowest meaningless manner that left a bad taste in every hard core Trek fan to date. Could James T Kirk’s death be any lamer? As for Mission Impossible: 2 it was a box office hit and grossed $215,400,000. However, On par with the Star Trek movies that Moore has written Mission Impossible has managed to alienate all the MI fans most notably the betrayal of Jimmy Phelps. Was it Ronald D Moore’s writing that brought the audience in? Of Course not. I hope Ronald D Moore isn’t patting himself too hard on the back because it was the combination of John Woo and mainly Tom Cruise that brought in the audience. The heart of the matter is, in the Summer of 2000 an up and coming writer and producer Tom Desanto gave Ronald D Moore a run for his money with out the help of Tom Cruise and John Woo. As for the Battlestar Galactica script review, unlike Tom DeSanto who single-handedly saved the X2 script with his rewrites, Moore’s BSG script is getting more negative reviews with each passing day.
Ronald D Moore to date has no notable stars that will join the cast of his reimagined Battlestar Galactica production. And insider sources has told me that with the budget he has to work with (which is nowhere in the 8 figure range) is forced to ensemble a cast of unknown B-list Canadians actors (or at this point actresses because the only male characters left are Adama,Apollo, Baltar and Tigh. The other 10 characters are female). That would also shed some light on his Naturalistic Science Fiction or Taking the Opera out of Space Opera (with no sounds effects and hand held camcorders) pitch to the audience as well as the executives. In other words “CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP”.
Sidenote: I have a feeling that Sci-Fi will hire ex-porn star Tracy Lords for a role in this because she worked for Sci-Fi before So there may be hope for a noteable star for Ronald D Moore.
Tom DeSanto may not have had the A list actors in his Battlestar Galactica pilot but he did have recognizable people in his cast. His casting process consisted of Herb Jefferson JR, (only known by BSG fans) Dirk Benedict (known by all BSG fans and A-Team fans among others) Jennifer Hetrick (known by LA Law viewers and Star Trek Fans) and Michael Ironside (who himself has a cult following of fans) also I like to point out his roles in V, Total Recall, ER, Starship Troopers. Also his production funds were in the 8-figure range. Also DeSanto knows that Visual effects are just as important as is the story and would never cop out with some Naturalistic Science Fiction or Taking the Opera out of Space Opera to save a few bucks.
Tom Desanto’s communication to the fans was practically non-existent to say the least but he did allow Insiders to give tid-bits from time to time. Also he didn’t have the stability support of any network like Ronald D Moore had with Sci-Fi and DeSanto’s relationship with network executives were shaky because of his attempt to bring in one person for a role that most Battlestar Galactica fans wanted most, Richard Hatch. Richard Hatch’s exclusion was not in anyway by fault by Tom DeSanto.
Ron D Moore on the other hand did communicate with the fans and told them flat out nothing but lies. Oh sure he can use the famous Obi wan Kenobi line “What I have told you was the truth from a certain point of view”. Sure he told us that there would be space battles but did he mention that there would be no sound? Sure he told us that there will be a Starbuck and Apollo but did he tell us that Starbuck would be a female and that Starbuck and Apollo would be lovers? He also Told us that Baltar and Adama would be in it but did he mention that Baltar would be based on Bill Clinton and Adama would be a war monger like Cain and have a bad relationship with Apollo? Also he mention Tigh and Boomer but did he mentioned that Tigh will be getting in fist fights with the female Starbuck and that Boomer is also going to be female? Ronald D Moore’s participation had only one intention, To lie to the few fans that were willing to give his remake a chance and to keep the fights going strong among them and the continuation fans. Also to stall time for a green-light that yet has to happen.
In all fairness Ronald D Moore may have a slim chance of succeeding with this Battlestar Galactica remake. He has the credential to draw in enough new viewers to keep this going for a season with out the original Battlestar Galactica fans to support it. Also I must point out that a lot of Star Trek fans do not like Ronald D Moore and his name does not hold to much ground to them so don’t expect too many Trekkers to be tuning in.
On the other hand Tom DeSanto has a better chance because just about every Battlestar Galactica fan will tune in and give it a chance (even with the exclusion of Richard Hatch) also more X-Men fans will check it out than the Star Trek Fans. If anything more Trekkers might tune in if Moore’s name was no where to be seen. Finally the percentage of gaining an average younger science fiction viewer are the same with DeSanto’s production as is Moore. Also it’s a given that Tom DeSanto a BSG fan will put more care in his production.
In my opinion:
Ronald D Moore, liar, egomaniac, a non-BSG fan = a failed production.
Tom DeSanto, Quiet, adored by many cast members of X2, a BSG fan = a successful production
To TPTB: Tom DeSanto versus Ronald D Moore
I'm a card toting member of the Halle Berry fan club
