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Old December 31st, 2013, 12:10 PM   #1
BountyHunter
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Default Building a coherent Original BSG Expanded Universe

....or trying to. I'm starting of course, with the original series dvds. And I'm including the original series comics from Dynamite. But what else fits? Marvel comics? Any novels, old or new that could fit, games or does everything contradict everything else? I'm not including or discounting Galactica 1980, as it takes place years after TOS, so I'm not worrying about it at the moment.

I just really wish the powers that be would give us an EU ala the kind Star Wars has, where things all tie together.
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Old December 31st, 2013, 02:34 PM   #2
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Default Re: Building a coherent Original BSG Expanded Universe

There was, when the series first came out, a book, filled with shots from the show. One section was titled "The State of the Galaxy", and delineated the situation between the Colonies and the Cylons. I couldn't afford one at the time, and have never seen one since. If one is still out there, it might fill in a few blanks.
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Old December 31st, 2013, 03:06 PM   #3
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Default Re: Building a coherent Original BSG Expanded Universe

That's a tough one. The novels vary, expanding on existing episodes, but sometimes contradicting. The comics (Marvel) kind of went their own way with a story about rigging the fleet with faster than light drives, which the original series never mentioned. The other comic series all took various approaches of their own. The Chris Scalf (spelling his name wrong, most likely) comics tried to tie in as much as possible. Richard Hatch's novels decided to make the Cylons reptilian in armor as they were originally conceived for the show, but changed due to network censors. Can kill as many robots as you like, but not living things. Changing that in Richard's novels is confusing to me because by that point the story line is pretty clear that they were once living beings that were destroyed by the now existing robots.

So sadly a clear consistency is not something that seems to exist in the Battlestar universe. Heck, we all discount Galactica 1980, and that was a produced series. One can come up with their own time line, but it will surely be debated in the annals of fandom.

For myself, I just take it all for what bit of original Galactica I can get out of it. For it all tying together, well that's something where I just ride over the bumps.
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Old December 31st, 2013, 07:08 PM   #4
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Default Re: Building a coherent Original BSG Expanded Universe

I'm with DK on the generally haphazard nature of 'resources'. Even the 'official' printed material from the time was a mish mash of pre concept, unused scripts and notes.

The Larson/Thurston books varied according to publishing sequence. Some were directly from episode scripts, some varied with additional backstory and some were clearly written before certain editing decisions were taken.
I have 3 copies of saga, two with diff text, all with diff covers. only the photo novel is even close to the film as shown.

Note also different zones got different cuts of the episodes and the ones cut together for telemovies were different again (as was the cinema releases) My local VHS tapes differ from purchased VHS tapes and from the DVDs

Sue Paxton ran an on line concordance for many years, but it is only on archive form now, as an archived mirror of her Geocities site from 2009.
Fanlore has a useful wiki on BG1978 which is still active and has some pointers to fan efforts at creating some sense of it all.
[URL="http://fanlore.org/wiki/Battlestar_Galactica_(1978)"[/URL]

I suspect any compilation project would need to reference its sources heavily and note the anomalies just to keep the author sane!!

I strongly suspect that between papa Larson, the writing pool and the suits at the network, there was never a real bible as we desire one... but Lucas makes it up as he goes along, too, and only Babylon 5 had a real story arc :-)

Put up what you have where people can help and we might manage to pull something together :-)

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Old January 1st, 2014, 03:45 AM   #5
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Default Re: Building a coherent Original BSG Expanded Universe

I need to get a lot of this stuff before I can make any sense of what might fit. I don't generally worry about novelizations of TV or movie scripts fitting in to any kind of 'canon' anyway, as they are always different from the show itself. In those cases, I go with the show.

What about the final 3 novels that told new stories?
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Old January 1st, 2014, 08:31 AM   #6
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Default Re: Building a coherent Original BSG Expanded Universe

One simple thing that demonstrates how it is difficult to get a coherent timeline... TV Pilot version has Baltar allowed to live, the theatrical version has Baltar beheaded. Obviously he continued in the show, but in the States they released the theatrical version after the show was off the air, so we all know Baltar lived, but that version has the sword swing to his neck, he screems, then cut to Vipers flying over Carrilon.
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Old January 1st, 2014, 12:06 PM   #7
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Default Re: Building a coherent Original BSG Expanded Universe

In that case, I'm inclined to also go with the version that's on the complete series boxset as the official canon version.
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Old January 1st, 2014, 06:10 PM   #8
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Default Re: Building a coherent Original BSG Expanded Universe

you can include the entire run of the Original novels. I think it goes to 13 or so, with the last 2 or three being original stories (the rest are adaptations of the series) The current Dynamite Comics can fit in (although people disagree on the quality of the stories, and the time traveling one ruffled feathers with the inclusion of Dr Zee)

I personally concider the Hatch novels (all ghost written) to be a proper continuation. I don't agree with everything in them, but it's decent and all based on the original series. This would discount the Maxim (Could have the name wrong) Comics which were a future storyline. I would also include the events hinted to in the Second Coming trailer.
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Old January 1st, 2014, 07:09 PM   #9
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Default Re: Building a coherent Original BSG Expanded Universe

I do like the Hatch novels (they're not perfect, but what it?), and are the closest we got to a continuation. The only strange thing for me with those was the change to the Cylons being living beings in armor. But like with all things Galactica, I ride over those bumps for the enjoyment.

But if I were to build a timeline, I agree that Richard's novels would be a good inclusion... and his Second Coming trailer. The Maximum Press comics I could do without, and that was another alternate continuation, different from Richard's novels. For me it didn't fit with the feel of the show the way the novels did.
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Old January 2nd, 2014, 06:48 AM   #10
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Default Re: Building a coherent Original BSG Expanded Universe

Realm Comics final issue of Battlestar Galactica the revelation that not all of the Organic Cylons were not wiped out by their machine creations.
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Old January 2nd, 2014, 06:57 AM   #11
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Default Re: Building a coherent Original BSG Expanded Universe

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Originally Posted by PaulGTweed View Post
Realm Comics final issue of Battlestar Galactica the revelation that not all of the Organic Cylons were not wiped out by their machine creations.
Ah, so that could explain their presence in Hatch's books. Are all the Cylons in Hatch's stuff organic, or are there still robotic ones kicking around, too? [I have the first two ordered. Just waiting for them to show up]
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Old January 2nd, 2014, 06:20 PM   #12
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Default Re: Building a coherent Original BSG Expanded Universe

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Originally Posted by BountyHunter View Post
Ah, so that could explain their presence in Hatch's books. Are all the Cylons in Hatch's stuff organic, or are there still robotic ones kicking around, too? [I have the first two ordered. Just waiting for them to show up]
I forgot about that, but in the comic were the organic Cylons also against the humans, or was there an alliance against the robotic Cylons. The robots did wipe them out after all... there may be hard feelings. Still a great story point that could bridge the novels to the series.

It has been some time since I read Hatch's novels, so I can't remember off hand if there were both organic and robotic, or they were retconned to always have been organic.

Liking this idea more and more of building a coherent timeline though... as stated before it's definitely been a shortcoming to the series.
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Old January 5th, 2014, 07:44 PM   #13
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Default Re: Building a coherent Original BSG Expanded Universe

Well, let's get at it. :] Like I said earlier, though, I need to track down a bunch of this stuff before I'll be any help.
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Old January 6th, 2014, 07:42 AM   #14
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Default Re: Building a coherent Original BSG Expanded Universe

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Originally Posted by David Kerin View Post
I forgot about that, but in the comic were the organic Cylons also against the humans, or was there an alliance against the robotic Cylons. The robots did wipe them out after all... there may be hard feelings. Still a great story point that could bridge the novels to the series.

It has been some time since I read Hatch's novels, so I can't remember off hand if there were both organic and robotic, or they were retconned to always have been organic.

Liking this idea more and more of building a coherent timeline though... as stated before it's definitely been a shortcoming to the series.
In the Realm Comic BSG Final Issue, the Organic Cylons were neither in alliance with the Colonials or against them. They were almost wiped out by the machine Cylons by a navigator's mistake until saved by a Viper patrol led by Lt. Jolly. They thanked the Colonials for the rescue by exiling the Navigator to the Colonial Fleet. In the Hatch novels, the Cylons were organic with machine parts.
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Old June 7th, 2020, 10:59 AM   #15
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Default Re: Building a coherent Original BSG Expanded Universe

I really need to track down the Realm stuff. I just finally got caught up on my Dynamite issues, and have just ordered a complete run of the Marvel comics.
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Old October 7th, 2020, 09:27 PM   #16
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Default Re: Building a coherent Original BSG Expanded Universe

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Originally Posted by BountyHunter View Post
I really need to track down the Realm stuff. I just finally got caught up on my Dynamite issues, and have just ordered a complete run of the Marvel comics.
There is a website where you can see all the comics issues.....indeed almost every single comic book of the major companies of the last sixty years but I can't post the link because of the copyright issue. Suffice to say it enabled me to discover all the Realm issues, and it just maddens me that so many storylines were left unfinished because it was hands-down potentially the best comic series of Galactica there ever was.
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