DeSanto's version

[Soulmage]

I didn't see where anybody had posted this, or know if anybody had gotten a chance to read it.

Based on this description, I'm glad we got our Moore version instead. While I like the original series and would support a series of continuation movies, I don't think the version DeSanto was contemplating really works either as a continuation, or as a reimagining.



**********************************************************


February 12, 2004 - DeSanto Reveals A Little More About What Might Have Been - SciFi Pulse - In an interview with David Bassom for Dreamwatch X-Men producer Tom DeSanto revealed a little more about where he would have liked to have steered his version of Battlestar Galactica.

Unlike the Ron Moore remake which was recently given the go ahead for 13 episodes by the Sci Fi Channel, DeSanto's version was a continuation.

"We wanted to do a space opera that was very similar in tone to certain episodes of the original Battlestar Galactica, like The Living Legend and War Of The Gods," reveals DeSanto. "I think the one thing Fox wanted to make sure of was that we didn't just make the original show 25 years later. I think myself and Bryan were smart enough to realise that, but we did want the new show to have elements of the first show and still be true to it.

"Our Galactica was going to focus on a number of old and new characters. The leading characters were going to be new, but we'd also spoken to Dirk Benedict, Richard Hatch and Herb Jefferson about them playing Starbuck, Apollo and Boomer. Boxey was in command of the fleet, though he didn't call himself that. The only person who would call him Boxey was Starbuck, and he hated that name. He was actually now called Orin, which was sort of a derivative of Orion."

DeSanto's plot for a continuation asked the question, what if the colonials ceased wondering around space in search of Earth. As many fans know, the original Galactica had a very biblical Old Testament feel to it. It was kind of a Sci Fi Parallel to the story of Moses leading the Israelites to a new promised land. So in order to sell a continuation of Galactica to Fox, DeSanto had to pitch it by asking the question: "What if the Jews stopped at Mount Sinai and built Las Vagas?"

In DeSanto's continuation story, Adama is dead and Captain Apollo went missing in action and is assumed to be dead. It has been some time since the colonials last encountered the Cylons, and the Colonial fleet has opted to cease their quest for the Planet Earth and think of the Earth as nothing more than a myth. Also much like the Ron Moore story line when DeSanto's Galactica opens, the Galactica is about to be decommissioned by the civilian government.

"They decide they're spending too much money on the Galactica, and decide to decommission it and go down to using a smaller police force. But of course, those who have not remembered the lessons of the past are doomed to repeat them. The Cylons have been watching them and waiting for the complete decommissioning of Galactica. So when they find out what's happening, they attack and completely overwhelm the Colonial forces. The Cylons then order all remaining human life on the colony to get into their ships and head for some specified co - ordinates within a certain period - which was 24 hours. The President and the council capitulate, and it's all reminiscent of the holocaust as these people are loaded into ships."

From this point the story would have continued with Commander Orin making a desperate attack against the Cylons with a stripped down version of the proud ship Galactica. "Up to this point, Orin has been like Ahab without the whale - he's an unproven young commander. Orin decides to break off from the fleet with the Galactica and faces the Cylon Basestar, which is twice the size of the original basestar. The Galactica' getting hammered but it lures the Basestar between itself and the space colony, and it knocks out the gravitational stabilisers on the space colony, which drives the colony into the Basestar."

Of course having seen the destruction of their metaphorical golden calf the remainder of the fleet start to discus resuming their search for the mythical planet Earth.

The Galactica TV movie would have ended with a shocking revelation about both the Cylons and the fate of Captain Apollo. "Throughout the pilot, we hear voices ordering the Cylons around and telling them what to do. In the last shot, we here voices again and we go to the planet Cylon for the first time. We go through the clouds into this giant city - it's this giant mechanised Orwellian nightmare - and we move through this building into the 'Chamber of Rule' and we see these shadowy faces and land on the last one - which is Richard Hatch as Apollo. We push in on his eye and we see the red light in his pupil going back and forth."

DeSanto's Galactica would have taken on somewhat of a Star Trek slant. The mission of the Cylons which was originally to destroy humanity had changed in his version. Their new directive was to assimilate what was left of humanity. Had DeSanto's Galactica have gone to a series, a very important plot element would have been Commander Orin's struggle to save Captain Apollo from the Cylons. DeSanto even planned on bringing the Ship of lights into his story, as well as a very important cameo by Jane Seymour as Serena, who would have been very much the key to helping Apollo.

"Serena would have been an angel on a Light Ship and she's the key to breaking Apollo from Cylon control. It would have been the first time a human is liberated from Cylon control."

Sadly DeSanto's vision was never realised, the project which was meant to go in front of cameras in November of 2001 lost it's momentum with the departure of Bryon Singer and the tragic events of 9/11. DeSanto however was approached later to work on Studio USA's mini series remake of Galactica, however he declined, but has a contractual credit as a consulting producer.

"It's a shame it didn't happen," declares DeSanto. "I would have loved to have seen the show. It was something I wanted to do since I was 18 years old. I think it would have been a great combination of the old and the new. But that's the reality of the business sometimes."

In spite of his Galactica not going ahead, DeSanto bares no bitterness toward Ron Moore and his take on Galactica. "The show that Ron [Moore] did had a great cast and they got some great stuff out of it. I really wish them well with it."

You can read the full uncut version of this interview with Tom DeSanto in issue 114 of Dreamwatch magazine which is out now in the UK.

[jewels]

Soulimage, DeSanto's vision was better than this little snippet. Go to Cylon.org and look up the indepth description of the pilot that Alternity Orange wrote (you'll find all the continuation articles under 1978 series), check out the Cylon armor that was ready to be cast, or go to www.battlestarpegasus.com and download the flash file of the design concepts. Fantastic stuff. He had so very much right and knew how to make it all work together so the entire audience would go along for the ride.

[nccdee]

I agree with Jewls, these are great site to get more information (actual pictures) about his project. Its unfortunate to see how far along the project was and then having it end so close to filming. There is even a 30 second trailer out there.

nccdee

[shiningstar]

Welcome to the fleet Soulmage.
I agree with Jewels on this one.

[thomas7g]

did you get the trailer CF offered in january?

http://www.colonialfleets.com/forums...ead.php?t=5988

[shiningstar]

I did Thomas. I loved it

[crash4587]

Originally Posted by shiningstar

Welcome to the fleet Soulmage.
I agree with Jewels on this one.

ditto

Hi there, well im just about to watch Part one of the new miniseries, im filled with a sense of dread after watching the advertising programs about the making of it. I cant believe that they would think they could radically change the characters and get away with it!! COME BACK STARBUCK!! But anyway i hope its good, the galactica better look as good as the original!

Anyway just wanted to say that even the small snippet from this thread sounded better than the story and characters from the one im about to watch.

[shiningstar]

welcome to the club Airwolf.

You can always get the dvds of the original BSG, Airwolf I did .........I watch them alot.

[Dawg]

Hey, Airwolf - come on back and tell us what you think after you see it, OK?

Welcome to the Fleets.



I am
Dawg

Ok will do, only 45 minutes to go... of course after all these years of wanting to be starbuck i might be jaded in my opinions. Hey is this red thing for a picture a polite way of saying NOOB? ahahah

[Soulmage]

Originally Posted by jewels

Soulimage, DeSanto's vision was better than this little snippet. Go to Cylon.org and look up the indepth description of the pilot that Alternity Orange wrote (you'll find all the continuation articles under 1978 series), check out the Cylon armor that was ready to be cast, or go to www.battlestarpegasus.com and download the flash file of the design concepts. Fantastic stuff. He had so very much right and knew how to make it all work together so the entire audience would go along for the ride.

I'll check it out. Thanks!

[Titon]

Although i respect your thoughts Moore's BG could not hold DeSanto's jock.

Ok watching it now.... errrr what happened to the galactica???

Mmmmmmmm okay.... Well i just finished watching part 1, concludes tomorrow. What can i say, start was a bit boring. Starbuck stopped being a cool womaniser and became someone who gets p'd off real easy and seems to be trying way to hard to be tough. Adama was pretty cool, but apollo well i havent decided about him yet...the president is an idiot and doesnt realise what war is. I will think of more but i think the cgi saved it. In its own right it was ok but as battlestar??? definitely not. sorry

[Titon]

I will think of more but i think the cgi saved it

Why thank you.

Actually all at Zoic thanks you.

[shiningstar]

Originally Posted by Airwolf

Mmmmmmmm okay.... Well i just finished watching part 1, concludes tomorrow. What can i say, start was a bit boring. Starbuck stopped being a cool womaniser and became someone who gets p'd off real easy and seems to be trying way to hard to be tough. Adama was pretty cool, but apollo well i havent decided about him yet...the president is an idiot and doesnt realise what war is. I will think of more but i think the cgi saved it. In its own right it was ok but as battlestar??? definitely not. sorry

Thanks for you input Airwolf.

[Dawg]

Let us know what you think of part 2 tomorrow, OK?



I am
Dawg

[shiningstar]

Originally Posted by Dawg

Let us know what you think of part 2 tomorrow, OK?



I am
Dawg

Yes please do

Well its that time again, part 2 is on. Full review will follow shortly...when i say shortly i mean a few hours!

[jewels]

Looking forward to it!

As I continue to learn more about these competing versions I really begin to wonder why people fought so hard against Moore and for Desanto. Other than keeping the names it seems like the entire Desanto version's plot does its best to destroy the Galactica mythos also.

The cylons are now the borg?
Apollo is a cylon?
Boxey is not Boxey's name?
No one believes in Earth?
The cylons want to herd humanity not kill them?
The colonials want to get rid of their weapons...again?

The plot sounds terrible. Maybe this article doesn't give it justice. I would watch it just like I did the mini. But after reading this I would have better expectations of the mini before airing than this version. Maybe despite what I have been led to believe Moore saved us from the devastation this version would have led the franchise to.

I think I just joined the "I support a Continuation but not THIS continuation crowd!" I need to learn more about the Hatch version. The Moore version is starting to look better every day.

What ever happened to someone making a Continuation starting on the day TOS ended? Is that too simple? Just get new actors to play the old roles. Everything is a clean slate for the future. Nothing from the mythos would have to change.

[Dawg]

Antelope, go to www.cylon.org. In the "TV" section, click on Battlestar Galactica. There you will find extensive information about all incarnations, whether or not they got off the drawing board. That should give you the info you need.

I am
Dawg

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

I think that sums that one up .

Can i just ask what in the name of Adama's balls did they think they were doing making boomer a cylon?? Or even making us think she is?? The characters seem a bit brief. With TOS u got the idea that the viper pilots were a close knit group of people, on the mini it seems as though 3 people know each other??!! Adama doesnt believe in earth?? I thought that was his main motivation. President is still doing my swede in! And again the fight scenes saved it. The chief is good he is the only character that doesnt have me sobbing into my hands. Apollo turned out to be ok. But Starbuck is a wanna be hardwoman, although you get the feeling you could swat her like a mosquito. Oh i dunno i kind of feel cheated.

Im sure this has all been said before im gonna go cry

[The Rain]

Originally Posted by antelope526

As I continue to learn more about these competing versions I really begin to wonder why people fought so hard against Moore and for Desanto. Other than keeping the names it seems like the entire Desanto version's plot does its best to destroy the Galactica mythos also.

The cylons are now the borg?
Apollo is a cylon?
Boxey is not Boxey's name?
No one believes in Earth?
The cylons want to herd humanity not kill them?
The colonials want to get rid of their weapons...again?

The plot sounds terrible. Maybe this article doesn't give it justice. I would watch it just like I did the mini. But after reading this I would have better expectations of the mini before airing than this version. Maybe despite what I have been led to believe Moore saved us from the devastation this version would have led the franchise to.

I think I just joined the "I support a Continuation but not THIS continuation crowd!" I need to learn more about the Hatch version. The Moore version is starting to look better every day.

What ever happened to someone making a Continuation starting on the day TOS ended? Is that too simple? Just get new actors to play the old roles. Everything is a clean slate for the future. Nothing from the mythos would have to change.

Thank you!!!!! At least there are a few of us out there who think Ron Moore did us a favor. I also thought Desanto's script sucked. I hated it the first time I read it. And quite frankly I loved the mini. I've watched it about a half dozen times already.
I did like a script I saw where the Galactica had found Earth but was staying away because of it's technological level. Then, when the Cylons attacked, another Battlestar from the original colonials to earth appeared which was hidden on Mars to save the day. I don't know if it was fan fiction but was WAY better than the Desanto script.

[Dawg]

Rain, I've got to do a little bit of disagreeing with both your and antelope's assessment of the DeSanto story. I hope you'll both check out the DeSanto page in the BSG section over at cylon.org, and read through it if you haven't already.

And if you've seen the script, can you tell me where? I haven't, and I'd love to.

There are certainly aspects of the DeSanto story that raised my eyebrows when I first heard of it. At first glance, it does appear he borrowed from the Borg, and presenting Apollo as a Cylon, THE bad guy, in fact, set me back. This particular item tells me how epidemic Star Trek has become in all science fiction; somebody needs to rein that in. However, it can also be considered a logical progression in Cylon development: why destroy when you can absorb, and add their value to your own?

The biggest difference, though, and the reason so many of us are clamoring for DeSanto to pick the ball back up, is that he kept the mythos and back story of BSG intact. The people came from the 1978 universe. They backslid, relaxed, after their strong leaders finally died and there was no contact with the Cylons in 20 years. This was to be the BSG universe created in 1978, updated to conform with modern sensibilities and the expectations of a modern audience.

That's why the fuss. We've learned that the individual story points are nitpicky details; there's no way each and every one of us could see everything we expect to see in somebody else's story.

The RDM version does away with the universe created in 1978; there's no attempt to update it, it's just replaced. The origins and characters bear no resemblance at all to the universe BSG was born in. That doesn't make it, necessarily, bad, but it does make it so very, very different than the DeSanto concept.

I'm not saying this to try to burst anybody's bubble, or make anyone like something they don't, but by way of explanation. Does this make sense?



I am
Dawg

[dilbertman]

Originally Posted by Dawg

Rain, I've got to do a little bit of disagreeing with both your and antelope's assessment of the DeSanto story. I hope you'll both check out the DeSanto page in the BSG section over at cylon.org, and read through it if you haven't already.

And if you've seen the script, can you tell me where? I haven't, and I'd love to.



I am
Dawg

Me to Dawg, I would love to see all of Tom's scripts.

-Remake.
-Continuation with Singer.
-Continuation without Singer.

And yes I do have some issues with what Tom wanted to do. But know where near the issues I have with Moore's Re-????



I would also love to see more of the artwork from Tom's production. When Tom was at Galacticon he showed some stuff up on the big screen, but he also had a folder with a TON of art I would have "KILLED" for! BTW, I told Tom I'd give him alot of money for it, but he turned me down.



Jim:confused:

[Titon]

I'm with ya Jim.

It was even more impressive on how Tom delivered the synopsis to the people in attendance. There was carpeting in the room but let me tell ya, if you dropped a pin in there i believe you would have heard it!

[shiningstar]

Originally Posted by Dawg

Rain, I've got to do a little bit of disagreeing with both your and antelope's assessment of the DeSanto story. I hope you'll both check out the DeSanto page in the BSG section over at cylon.org, and read through it if you haven't already.

And if you've seen the script, can you tell me where? I haven't, and I'd love to.

There are certainly aspects of the DeSanto story that raised my eyebrows when I first heard of it. At first glance, it does appear he borrowed from the Borg, and presenting Apollo as a Cylon, THE bad guy, in fact, set me back. This particular item tells me how epidemic Star Trek has become in all science fiction; somebody needs to rein that in. However, it can also be considered a logical progression in Cylon development: why destroy when you can absorb, and add their value to your own?

The biggest difference, though, and the reason so many of us are clamoring for DeSanto to pick the ball back up, is that he kept the mythos and back story of BSG intact. The people came from the 1978 universe. They backslid, relaxed, after their strong leaders finally died and there was no contact with the Cylons in 20 years. This was to be the BSG universe created in 1978, updated to conform with modern sensibilities and the expectations of a modern audience.

That's why the fuss. We've learned that the individual story points are nitpicky details; there's no way each and every one of us could see everything we expect to see in somebody else's story.

The RDM version does away with the universe created in 1978; there's no attempt to update it, it's just replaced. The origins and characters bear no resemblance at all to the universe BSG was born in. That doesn't make it, necessarily, bad, but it does make it so very, very different than the DeSanto concept.

I'm not saying this to try to burst anybody's bubble, or make anyone like something they don't, but by way of explanation. Does this make sense?



I am
Dawg

Thank you for this post Dawg. I think you said it perfectly and best.

[dilbertman]

Originally Posted by Titon

I'm with ya Jim.

It was even more impressive on how Tom delivered the synopsis to the people in attendance. There was carpeting in the room but let me tell ya, if you dropped a pin in there i believe you would have heard it!

Titon

Are you going to try to make it to the Chicago Galactica con? I see you are in Minnesota, that should be less then a days drive to the Windy City. BTW, have you seen issue #114 of Dreamwatch, it has some of Tom's Cylon designs with his interview. Cool!!!

Jim

PS- Go check these out.

http://www.sciencefictionexperience.com/

http://www.cylon.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3815