So there's going to be a movie: fantasy storyline

[jewels]

The movie is slated for 2011 and that's a fast-track schedule for any sci-fi epic. Meantime, if this takes a typical development track, there won't be much news about any aspects of the film until its actually getting ready to film or hit post-production.

I'm proposing some things, just to keep our interest and discussion going through the dry spell. All the writers despairing about BSG returning to her roots or being remade gets a little annoying. It's quite possibly the best opportunity that the original has to shine since the fall of 2001. The original creator is teaming up with one of the folks responsible for X-men, X-2, and House. This is good stuff, for Sagan's sake! :)

For the sake of this thread: Assume the reimagining is to return to the original mythos and tell an even better story (bigger, more epic, more backstory, more battles: whatever would improve on the original mythos.

Describe elements you would keep or drop, or a storyline as you'd like it. There are no right or wrong answers: only a huge pool of possibilities. You can make many suggestions as you wish.

[KJ]

For the sake of this thread: Assume the reimagining is to return to the original mythos and tell an even better story (bigger, more epic, more backstory, more battles: whatever would improve on the original mythos.

Describe elements you would keep or drop, or a storyline as you'd like it. There are no right or wrong answers: only a huge pool of possibilities. You can make many suggestions as you wish.


Battlestar Galactica movie elements to keep and discard

Themes

1) I'd keep the exploration for Earth as the central theme. Even though it wouldn't be exposed as such and would be a something of a recurring plot element that needed revisiting once the smaller plot storyarcs all lead up to it again, much like loose ends being sown together, i.e. all plot threads would lead to the quest for Earth again during the film, once we'd dealt with where they were presently (for all those years/yahrens) etc.

2) Ancient Earth mofits/mythology. Movie audiences would be reminded that the classic show delved into the ancient Earth myths and that these humans aren't from Earth originally. Think the major fantasy and science fiction elements can be sprung from the reverse implication of man's origins being from out there and how it may have influcenced life here (i.e. Earth?).

3) Kobol. If the 13th Tribe journeyed to Earth long before the 'Rag Tag Fleet' of the 12 tribes of 'The Fallen' Colonies of man, then its fair to say they might have left behind clues even in the huge expanse of space itself. Kobol despite being dead back in; "The Black Void" (BG's:LPOTG's), needs it history receited and told to us in the present. Albeit through flashbacks, past tense stories told in the present by characters etc.

Everything from the "9th Lord" of Kobol, to 'Sagan' from the original series, needs to be clarified, so as the audience, knows something of the backstory of these Colonial myths! That or a rebooted alternate take, on what might have been?

4) The Cylons and their "Roman" metaphor, Their fall, and the ties between them and Count Iblis interference in their origins. Iblis need not appear until any sequels, but even if by name or subtle reference he is tied to the Cylons anyhow. Showing how the Reptillian Cylons fell and what the Cylons are in the present, finally wants some sort of showing in the flesh! What better way to do all this, than in a big screen movie incarnation!

5) The 12 Colonies Of Mankind! Film version if a reboot or re-imaginning. Would have to address why some of the survivors are on the run. So for those who didn't see the series in 78, having a modern update with some brief 'montage' footage of sequences to fill in the gaps and fill in plenty of the details as quick as possible in a 2 hour + movie, is required.

It would also have to address, what happened to the survivors who didn't escape? (used for "slave labor", were killed, experiemented on, led rebellions etc.)

Storyline

Hmmm tricky. Story for a science fiction movie can start at anywhere in any particular starting point to get the story underway fast enough? and various Galactica revivals have the stories starting at some random junction. Hatch's second coming had the fleet moving, Singer & DeSanto's had the Rag Tag fleet stationed on an asteroid (akin to 'Las Vegas' On Mount Sinai, cos they lost track of their way?) and Larson's Battlestar Atlantis project; followed the Battlestar Pegasus looking for the Galactica, finding Earth and discovering the Battlestar Atlantis (Walking Vipers and all?).

Even with a outlined premise, i have no script. But one can imagine a setup which could be imaginative enough for a followup to a plot or story.

Could start the movie in space with a dogfight with all new unheard of characters fending off a Cylon attack. Vipers then fly off to a small freighter ship with some minor crew of colonial humans (no Galactica as of yet) and the story seems very small and self-contained until mid-way through when they wish to go to a planet thats under Cylon siege i.e. being conquered, and some *random event* happens, which brings in the supporting players in contact with one of the original stars (Apollo, Starbuck, Boomer take your pick?) who's undercover and reveals (through a clever twist) the location of the Galactica for its covert and top secret mission which they we unawares of? And why all the cloak & dagger taking place, and to ascertain why they've been in hiding thus far, in the movie?!

Then move off in another direction with whatever plot or storyline would be original and be a fresh approach to re-introducting the 'Big-G' again with the fleet.

No overly simple; well, they've been on an asteroid for a couple of years. Or they've now made "Walking Vipers" malarkey A unique and jawdropping opening with devastating consequences, leading to a shock surprising movie storyline, that isn't so straight forward etc.

Elements to fix/ditch

All the old TV show cliches!

1) Cylons are ruthless machines. Thus death, war, shooting straight etc are thing they excel at. No more goofyness with aiming at and shooting nothing at point-blank-range?, no more watered down B.S. killer robots are just that KILLER ROBOTS! With personalities i might add.

2) No more Galactica crew hog everything.

Film series would need a few cilivians in the fleet we as the audience can relate to. We need various groups and fractions to support in such a large cast in the Galactica movies. Colonial Warriors, Cilivians, Council Members, Cylons, Scienists, Borellians, Space Pirates etc.

3) No lack of real science applied. Crossing from one 'Starsystem' to another isn't crossing over to other "Galaxies" etc?

4) Fix the military ranks and honorary titles. From military personel to enlisted crewmen/women, to titles such as sire and siress. Royalty to miltary types to mere cilvian workforce.

5) Races & Creeds. Exactly what and how do we refer to "All" the peoples of the fleet, if there are only 12 Tribes but hundreds of different races in the colonial fleet? And what languages do they all speak besides 'Gemonese' heard in the original series?

To be continued...... ;) :salute: :cool:

KJ

[KJ]

Elements to fix/ditch

Continued....

6) Ships in the fleet.

Gotta add some purpose to the Rag Tag fleet. 220 ships surviving the holocaust of 12 worlds isn't alot, but sure is plenty in terms of ships following a single warship like the Galactica! Who are the other ship Captains/Commanders, what resources can be culled from the other ships. How do they build Vipers exactly and on what ships in the fleet? Did the Galactica have viper/shuttle building facilities? even if she had minor construction abilites to do so, its doubtful the big 'G' actually build her own shulttles and Vipers after the large exodus from the colonies.

What else escaped during the exodus that the fleet puts to its uses exactly? Where's the Academy for training new Warriors, what kind of ships does the fleet have besides; Gemini freighters, Agroships, Prison Barges and the sorts etc.

7) Characters from the series to bring into the movies?

Croft (so much potential besides being a rogue 'Colonial Warrior' who spent some time in the stockade?), Chameleon (Starbuck's father, i.e. and those unresolved issues from TMWNL) Sheba & Athena bigger parts and flesh out their storyarc alot moreso! Cassiopea probably going to be in there by "Starbuck" default as a headliner, so we'd need the other BG female leads in there too. Lucifer & Spectre (Cylon IL's with a nature to bicker and betray one another for power or position within the Cylon Empire, and to show that The Cylons themeselves have an ongoing power struggle in their society?) Count Iblis (Thinking for the sequels? but he's important to include) Imperious leader bout time alot of the backstory was told and we find out about the Cylon Empire's Leader and what a "3 Brained Cylon" truly caperble of. Commander Cain (A MUST), Borellian Nomen (The original 3 from the series or a new group introduced to us; A MUST!).

8) Add the only worthwhile G80 elements like the Two Seater Viper and AB-Cylon Raider (AB? 'Advanced-Bomber' perhaps?) Daggit Squadron helmets. Land-probes I.E. Flying Cycles are technically a BG creation since the episode 'Showdown' wasn't filmed, was originally going to be?

9) Heavy attention to detail.

We'll need a crew that'll reissue and design up the Galactica's blueprints. cutaways for bridge maps etc. everything in this new production would basically need something the original didn't in terms of this.

10) NO STUPID COMIC RELIEF CHARACTERS. NONE WHATSOEVER!

No Jar Jar Binks, Monkey alien from Lost In Space kinda thing, no C-3PO types, nothing of any sort. wouldn't say Muffey has to be there per se. But an old de-activated muffy rotting away in the corner might be called for with a small minor; 'pathos' driven exposition story, of how muffy became and ended up like that could be reference and cameo enough for elements from the old series creeping in the new movie.

Let any humor come from smart writing and subtle hints of cleverness in the screenplays for a Battlestar movie etc. Treat your audience with respect and as if they all have P.H.D's and never condesend and limit or lower the value of doing this movie franchise properly.

To be continued

With...

Storylines/Screenplays To Possibly follow?

KJ