The argument for and against a continuation of BattleStar Galactica.

[Kaith Rustaz]

The argument for and against a continuation of BattleStar Galactica.

This article is certain to annoy, and in some cases, “royally frost the knickers” of some fans of the original series. My apologies in advance.

Let me begin this by qualifying myself. I am a long time fan. I was 8 years old when the series first aired. I fondly remember my grandfather taking me to the theater to see “BattleStar Galactica in Sensurround”. I bought the action figures, have multiple copies of most of the Larson books, have worn out copies of the VHS tapes, have built models, collected hundreds of fanfics, and so much more. I remember being at a Creation convention in the mid 90’s and seeing a Warriors Jacket at one of the dealers tables, wanting it so bad I rushed to the bank, cleaned out my checking account and raced back only to get there too late to buy it. I love the original series.

The original was killed prematurely by the network. The second season had already begun scripting and had some parts filmed when the axe came down. Like most fans, I tuned into the Galactica 1980 series full of hope, and walked away feeling betrayed. We’ve had so many promises, taken so much abuse over the years, its honestly not fair.

We’ve kept the dream alive in fanfiction, bbs’s and now the internet, conventions, cosplay, and hounding the various networks and stations to keep TOS on the air. Sci-Fi channel has kept TOS in rotation for years, feeding our desire, but only enough to take the edge off.

Finish it we cried. Let the story continue. There was so much more left to do, see and feel.

The problem is, time marches on. First, we lost Lorne Greene in September 1987. Next passed Lloyd Bridges in March 1998, and finally John Colicos March 2000. Our beloved Commander Adama, the father figure and pillar of strength was gone. The possibility of a reunion with the Pegasus and the legendary Commander Cain vanished with the death of Lloyd Bridges, and with the too soon passing of the talented John Colicos, so there went our arch nemesis. Recasting those roles would be a sin, as each actor brought part of their own heart and soul to the role.

Lorne Greene –was- Adama. The proud patriarch, who now bears this heavy burden, yet still has room in his heart. So like Ben Cartwright, another character played by Greene. The 2 were very similar. Strong, father figures, whose faith and overwhelming ability to believe and love always gave hope to a happy ending.

The dashing Lloyd Bridges was the embodiment of Cain. Arrogant, certain of himself and his troops, he was the George Patton of Galactica. In him, we can see an older and wiser Starbuck.

John Colicos brought a passion to the personage of Baltar. Oily, evil, cowardly and fatally flawed, Baltar was the Yang to Adamas’ Yin.

Who could replace them and remain true to the original? No one. To ‘replace’ them, would be to insult the memory of the great men who first brought the role to life.

So, how do we continue? Leaping ahead 20-30 years would make sence. We could easily use some flashbacks to fill in the gaps, some CGI tricks to show Adama bravely dying in battle, the bridge in flames around him. We can explain away the Baltar was left behind, marooned, or died of old age or in the tragic loss of the prison barge to Cylon attack. A new enemy would need to be brought in to be the face of the Cylons, as week after week of the emotionless robots would grow old fast. The surviving original cast are all ‘good guys’, so there would have to either be another great betrayal, a ‘humanized’ (or unmasked lizard type) cylon, or a new character, brought into play.

Where to start is also a problem. If we accept Richard Hatchs’ novels as ‘canon’, we have to leap yet further ahead. The reason being easy. Richards books have a living Baltar, yet John is gone. We can’t have both. I’m not certain the path of Richards novels is the ‘right’ way to go. While they are ok works, they are not steller. They would require a great deal of fine tuning and fleshing out to work as more than a guidepost. The direction he has taken things also drifts into ‘mystical sci-fi’ more so than many fans might be willing to accept. This is Galactica after all, not Star Wars.

Mr. Larson’s vision also may not be correct for similar reasons.

A retelling of the original pilot, with the original cast in their original roles won’t work either. It would require a lot more effort to make the 58 year old Hatch look like the 33 year old he was when filming the original. And, what fan would truly accept someone other than Lorne Greene in the role of Adama?

So, what do we do?
Sci-Fi channel did what they had to do. No matter what they would have done, it would have fallen far short of what we, the fans, truly want. That being to turn the clock back to 1979, and give the old girl the second, third and more seasons she truly deserved.

The Future of Galactica:
Right now, Galactica is once again in the spotlight. Investors are paying attention. The rumor that Richard had everything but the “OK” from the powers to do his Second Coming vision is a good sign. Perhaps now, with the renewed attention created by the Mini series, room can be made to give the green light. Give us as much Galactica as they can. The mini, reimagined as it is, taking the old story in a brave new direction, the old, being the baseline upon which all others would stand, and the continuation, which will tell the story far in the future of our heros. There is room for all this and more. After so long a drought, its again a good time to be a Galactica Fan.


Peace.

[dec5]

We will never get the original.....but they can produce a movie that could catch the original spirit...I think what BGTOS fans want the most is the learn the fate of their favorite characters......BG1980 just gave a dopey gloss over that said some didn't make the voyage to earth....and left no explaination after that.......this was probably the most frustrating part of that series.

[GreggAllinson]

I have no problems with recasting, remaking, reimagining, regurgitating...whatever. Yes, many of the key players of the original series are dead or retired. Yes, there are some dated, puzzling, and scientifically inaccurate elements in the original series.

I do have a problem, however, with taking something that deviates *completely* from Battlestar Galactica and calling it Battlestar Galactica. Honestly, can you say that- brief flashes of the original series here and a handful of names there- it resembled the original Galactica in any way? I admire the realism and darkness of the project...but since when was Battlestar Galactica *that* realistic or *that* dark?

Honestly, I'd have had less problems with the mini if Ron Moore had thrown a few more bones to the fans. I have no problem accepting Star Trek and Star Wars stories set in different eras, with wildly different visual styles, and- with a few minor modifications- I could easily accept this as a prequel or a sequel to the classic Galactica. Make Edward James Olmos's character Troy, change some of the other characters' names, and just drop the issue of the Cylons' origins altogether. If Moore felt he absolutely needed to include the "Mankind is responsible for the Cylons" angle, he could have still laid the blame at Troy's feet. Just have him say "We were stupid enough to believe that we could appease the Cylons...that they would accept us. We were wrong, and now we need to accept responsibility for our short-sightedness." With just a few tweaks, we could have had a series that was %90-%95 identical to what we got earlier this week, yet still compatible with the original Galactica continuity and lore. Ron Moore, and/or the Sci-Fi Channel- for reasons unknown- decided instead to "replace" the original, and that's a damn shame, because it's led to all sorts of divisions and problems that absolutely didn't need to exist.

[amberstar]

I think that a continuation could work. One that is set 20 -30 years after The Hand Of God episode.

So, how do we continue? Leaping ahead 20-30 years would make sence. We could easily use some flashbacks to fill in the gaps, some CGI tricks to show Adama bravely dying in battle, the bridge in flames around him. We can explain away the Baltar was left behind, marooned, or died of old age or in the tragic loss of the prison barge to Cylon attack. A new enemy would need to be brought in to be the face of the Cylons, as week after week of the emotionless robots would grow old fast. The surviving original cast are all ‘good guys’, so there would have to either be another great betrayal, a ‘humanized’ (or unmasked lizard type) cylon, or a new character, brought into play.

I'm not annoyed, these ideas are good. Adama could never be replaced no one could bring him to life as Green did. John also could never be replaced as Baltar. CGI could make this happen and that would explain how they died.
Count Iblis could still exist and be the new arch enemy. The Galactica could find The Pegasus and crew on a distant planet and have a grave for Cain. Just a few ideas that might work too.
What I would like to see is a continuation faithful to TOS with as many of the ORIGINAL actors as possible as well as new ones. I would like to see how Apollo Starbuck Sheba ect grew and evolved.
I know a continuation would work, the right direction to go in just has to be found
Amber