Battlestar Galactica - Blood & Chrome [Archive]

Titon

November 10th, 2012, 05:56 AM

Julie, one thing that is interesting is the homage to the original series. I noticed the cresent on the front of Adama's viper helmet that matches somewhat to the original series. They also seemed to have modeled the helmet closely to resemble the one from G80. Of course there is always the token music at the begining of the first episode.

Frankly in my opinion if you are trying so hard to bring TOS elements into the mix why not telll the story the way it was originally planned? From what i've heard this could be a test as to how TOS material hold's up today. You can tell this was a heavy green screen production but it was also steller effects for a web based show. One thing that i did not enjoy was the len's flare effects were way to much. But that's to mask element's of the green screening. Right now it's popcorn and i like popcorn. They went overboard with Adama blowing his canopy. That was way to hotdog in space for me but it was entertaining. If the show stay's on task and becomes what DS9 did for Trek then i might enjoy it. I guess i'm changing in my old age. Keep us off planet and away from the hummer's and the tie's and i might just tune in.

:)

peter noble

November 10th, 2012, 06:37 AM

I enjoyed it far more than any episode I've seen of the new Galactica, but then I think they've subtly 'reimagined' or done a soft reboot of the material.

The virtual sets are better than what we saw in the new V, but there's still sometimes that look of people being placed or stamped on/in a surrounding that they can't physically touch.

Human being, by nature are incredibly tactile – they slouch, lean and fidget with things, they can't do that with greenscreen sets so there's still that unreality happening. Also, set designers/art directors are incredibly valuable, one could have told the FX guys, that while they're sets have that great whiz-bang look, they're a bit overcomplicated and sometimes less is more. The soft focus and the lens flares don't help matters either.

The reworking of the flying dustbuster is a huge improvement and the new Vipers are tweaked ones from the 2003 video game FMVs – a design that I always liked.

Luke Paqualino playing Adama is a far, far better actor than Nico Cortez and Ben Cotton as Coker is great support.

There's more of a Space: Above And Beyond vibe about this, which is rich when you consider that the new show borrowed heavily from that series.

Composer Bear McCreary continues to treat Stu Phillips with great respect and I noticed the mention of the Celestra.

3/5

martok2112

November 10th, 2012, 08:20 AM

I agree, Don, that if they can maintain this level of pacing and story telling, B&C will probably be an overall hit with fans of many Galactica stripes. :)

As far as remaining "off planet" and such, I am curious, unless others here know more about the story, if they will recreate the scene (I think as shown in RAZOR) where Adama discovers just what the Cylons are doing to lead up to events in the recent series? Or, if this takes place early enough in the war where that scene would not be relevant or necessary?

Titon

November 10th, 2012, 11:24 AM

Hey Peter, in the begining of the first episode where the cylon basestar is hanging in the sky that sure looks like a screen grab from the TOS. It looks way to detailed to be a cg model since i do not know anyone else that could have built that so accurately. But i might be mistaken. They seem to shy away from getting a heads on view of the Basestar further into the episodes during the narration.

Steve i would think that they would follow up to Razor. I only watched small parts of that ep but didn't the cylon's pull out completely when he discovered that sorta testing facility?

What it interesting is how this series looks more advanced than Moore's version. I'd be curious to see how they bridge that fact in the future if this thing get's picked up.

peter noble

November 10th, 2012, 11:37 AM

Hey Peter, in the begining of the first episode where the cylon basestar is hanging in the sky that sure looks like a screen grab from the TOS.

They did use them briefly in Razor but of the few CG ones I've seen, they aren't as detailed as the real model, apart from your STILL unfinished one >cough< ;) and are always too thick around the rims.

It's at an odd angle to the ground and got atmospheric haze round it but I still think it's CG.

Gemini1999

November 10th, 2012, 01:51 PM

I watched both parts last night. I liked some of the visual elements, but found the "shaky-cam" style of filming very annoying (still). My biggest gripes are in terms of characterization. A know it all, breaks all the rules, so sure of himself pilot right out of the academy whining about piloting a Raptor grates on my nerves like nails on a chalkboard. Also the co-pilot who can't leave the service soon enough with a drinking problem needs some work. Can't anyone write characters any better than this? It's almost as though someone read a book on screenwriting and how to inject drama and conflict into the story and used everything but the kitchen sink. The actor playing Ens. Adama does a fair job, but somehow doesn't seem right in the role. All that being said, I've got an open mind and I'll stay tuned.

I do have one other thing - I noticed a plug for the SyFy Channel running this in February of 2013. If that's so, then why premiere it on the internet 4 months earlier? If everyone's seen it by then, why bother when you can watch it for free? Have they changed their minds and are going forward with the series or not? Feels like Caprica all over again...

Senmut

November 10th, 2012, 05:51 PM

Eye candy.

BST

November 10th, 2012, 09:48 PM

Reposting my response from TOK:

Well, it's not bad but, it was only a total of about 24 minutes. Let's see how it goes after about 100 or so minutes.

I can tell right now, though, that if there's an over-reliance on sexual innuendo, I am probably not going to like it. I view it as a short-cut filler when the writer doesn't have the creativity to properly develop characters and tell a story. Note, I said 'over reliance'. Occasional use of sexual situations can actually add to a story, just don't over do it.

Like Peter, I'll go a 3/5 on these 2 eps.

martok2112

November 10th, 2012, 10:11 PM

Senmut

November 10th, 2012, 10:11 PM

Agreed. Nude woman in turbowash...eye candy to attract young male viewers. Zero plot/character development.

Titon

November 11th, 2012, 05:55 AM

I have to say that the only thing that concerns me about this thing is everyone know's how it end's. Piss poor if you ask me. I know you liked Ron's setup Steve but i cannot understand this concept. There will have to be a lot of back story telling to fix Blood and Chrome to mirror Ron's version. From what i have seen it will be difficult since this version seem's to be more technologically advanced than Moore's. Galactica's bridge for instance looks more like a command center and less of "Wing Commander". The Viper's are more in line with the Galactica's game concepts as is the raider. It looks more like the scatter raider from the game and is modeled closely to it.

My question is how will people that like Ron's version accept "change" themselves? What if this thing suddenly goes off tangent and they loose there "cannon" like we did?

Steve another question for you since i have only seen and heard bit's and pieces of the nubsg. Is it not true that in the end of the show's run the human cylon's said basically that the war is a revolving thing? That it somehow happen's over and over again? If that is true what are the odd's that blood and chrome end's differently?

Dawg

November 11th, 2012, 09:13 AM

That's true of any prequel, though, Don. Part of the reason the Star Wars Eps 1-3 weren't up to the standards the previous movies set is because we all knew the story going in.

To be honest, I count the women in the shower as a positive for this story. Yes, it was designed for the young male viewer (and I'm not so old that I don't appreciate such things) since such behavior is still "nudge-nudge-wink-wink" in this country (and it was shown because it is still "nudge-nudge-wink-wink" in this country), but it showed a society not hung up on nudity-is-sex like we are. That's a much healthier attitude.

I still don't like these people, though.

I am
Dawg
:warrior:

martok2112

November 11th, 2012, 12:18 PM

Hi, Don,

As I'd always mentioned before, I accepted the new series as a completely different take on the same entity, and any reservations I'd had about the show before the miniseries in 2003 aired were gone once the miniseries did air. :)

As for the show's ending: (God I hope these spoil tags work...)
Six and Baltar are conversing in a modern Earth city, 150,000 years after the landing of the Galactica on Earth. Six says: All of this has happened before. Gaius replies: "Yes, but the question is, does it have to happen again." Six says she bets "no", stating that in mathematics and the law of averages, give a complex system long enough time to repeat itself, eventually it may do something surprising.

As for the look of the bridge on the Galactica, and the tech appearance, in some areas, I kinda liken it to Enterprise in the Star Trek mythos. Remember, one of the big problems facing Enterprise's production at the time was "How do we make this technology look older than TOS Trek, and yet keep it from looking hokey, because we have cell phones now that look cooler than the communicators of TOS Trek." I imagine that trying to do retro tech to something that is clearly established in the far-future for any sci-fi show is a tall order to fill, although in new Galactica's case, the timeline is....well...see the spoilers above.

Regarding the look of the bridge, and the ship interiors themselves, my estimation is that if we who saw the show/miniseries remember, Galactica was about to be decommissioned and become a museum ship. She was on her way back to her final resting place, she may likely have had a lot of her gear stripped and stowed elsewhere, maintaining just enough for navigational purposes and other non-combat purposes. If you saw the mini, remember, she was stripped of all ammunition as well, and only seemed to have a couple of squadrons of Vipers on board, largely for the decommissioning ceremony. One of those squadrons was the old Mk II Vipers. When the new Cylon attack came, the Galactica had to make do with what she had, and rearm at Ragnar Anchorage. :)

Darrell Lawrence

November 15th, 2012, 07:17 AM

For Don -

Doug Drexler says:
The raiders are quite close to the original, and the basestar is a hybrid of the original and the reboot.

Part 3 tomorrow, folks.

Titon

November 15th, 2012, 08:32 AM

I figured as much on the basestar. It looks different and truthfully i only know of the accurate one that i have 3/4 done in cg.

I will shoot a render of the scatter raider from the game i have when i get home tonight to show how close they are.

:)

peter noble

November 15th, 2012, 12:51 PM

On his Facebook page, Doug Drexler seems to be in denial about the origins of the design of the Mk III Viper which is clearly the one from the cinematics from the 2003 videogame produced by Eden FX.

The strange thing is, that the producers of the mini series saw that design (by Pierre Drolet, I think) and asked for it to be simplified so they could make full-size versions of it for the mini-series.

Now it's gone the other way and the Drolet design is back although with more surface detail and the odd tweak, so it's obviously been sitting on someone's computer for a few years.

Darrell Lawrence

November 15th, 2012, 06:19 PM

Peter, did you notice who it was that brought the design thing up? :LOL:

Darrell Lawrence

November 16th, 2012, 07:01 AM

Thread edited! Parts 3 and 4 added to top post!

Titon

November 16th, 2012, 12:21 PM

Not to shabby....like the Basestar. I see they took another DeSanto concept with the launching of the raiders to look like bat's. Although Tom's design had the Raiders detach from the hull.

This thing is a hell of a lot more likeable than NuBsg. To bad it ultimately leads to that train wreck.

martok2112

November 16th, 2012, 07:48 PM

Digging the hell out of this! :)

peter noble

November 17th, 2012, 05:45 AM

While this week's release of 'Sweat & Grime' was as enjoyable as last week's, there's some ludicrous 'goosing' of the drama, the most shameless example being the bit where the Vipers are going to fire at the Weasel and Kelly has to scramble to find the codeword, written on a piece of paper!

Duh, something that important and supposedly secret, didn't she memorise it? False drama at it's worst.

I had an eye-rolling moment when somehow the Archeron's drives were still pumping away even though the thing looked like it had the frack blown out of it, but in this instance, it made for a very exciting action sequence.

There was a bit of a Monty python moment aboard the sweaty and grimy Osiris (God knows why they're cooped up in that small room, behind it seem to be more open areas, maybe they're so intent on reinforcing the submarine vibe come what may) where they're all looking at the ice planet intel on holobands – all those people wearing those goggles – very Monty Python. Why couldn't they just put the info on a screen?

This segment features Mike Dopud, Ty Olson, Sebastian Spence, Brian Markinson, Leo Li Chiang, and Jill Teed, actors who have all played other roles in NuG, which maybe a bit off-putting to some.

3/5

BST

November 17th, 2012, 08:19 PM

Repost from TOK:

This is really getting quite good although I wish that they'd get rid of that shaky cam crap. I don't know what genius thinks that it's a good technique but, for me, I have no use for it.
Without the shaky cam, the ep got a 4/5 from me; factoring in the shaky cam, it goes down to 3.5/5.

Looking forward to Eps 5 & 6.

Darrell Lawrence

November 23rd, 2012, 07:41 AM

Parts Five and Six inserted into the first post.

peter noble

November 24th, 2012, 06:17 AM

This week's releases were a game of two halves for me.

I thought part five was the best of the series so far. The sacrifice of the crew of the Osiris was a great courageous moment and it was a good contrast with Kirby retreating from the fight.

I love the Wesel and her twin Gatling guns, which is strange because I think the Raptor is a lousy design. I was sorry to see her go but I thought the crash sequence animation wasn't up to snuff.

This brings me up to this week's gripe – the CG, some of it is really good, the whole atmospheric dogfight was really good but the crash of the Osiris and the aforementioned Weasel crash-landing were too cartoony. I also thought the greenscreen snow planet looked as artificial as the the planet that had the Gun On Ice Planet Zero in the classic series.

The only thing I can say about part six is that it was saved by John Pyper-Ferguson as the sergeant. It was just kind of 'meh!' At least the 'Cython' wasn't too ridiculous!

Part five 4.5, part six 2.5/5.

jewels

November 27th, 2012, 09:11 PM

The cython was a scary beastie though it did feel like it moved super-quickly to save detailed CGI work. The sergeant was a highlight of that portion. I thought the CG on the crash was pretty bad. It should have been much less intact after that violent a crash too. I liked that it had a tailgunner position.

I'd agree that 5 was a better episode. The type of self sacrifice in the Osiris's ramming was reminiscent of the Pegasus taking on 2 basestars in TOS, with a less ambiguous ending. The writers need their mouths washed out with soap, just so they remember that good writing and conversation do not use extraneous curses every 10-15 seconds. I'd give the dialogue a 2 for that alone. I have to subtract from my overall score for episode 6 for the fall as that far of one would have caused at least some major bone breakage.

The battle gets some brownie points. I'm liking the actor playing William.

This isn't my BG, but it is hittlng more right marks than Moore's series (which only had 10-20 minutes worth watching.)

Senmut

November 27th, 2012, 11:27 PM

Couldn't agree more, Jewels.

137th Gebirg

November 29th, 2012, 08:45 AM

lonewriter

November 29th, 2012, 01:05 PM

It has been postulated on other forums that the cython could possibly be the precursor to the NuBSG Raider control organisms (like "Scar"), that were often viewed by the humanoid cylons as animals or pets. Less developed and less intelligent as their humanoid "masters", but still functional cybernetic organisms designed to serve a particular function.

I was thinking the same thing. I don't remember to much about TOS to compare that Pegasus I became a fan of the new BSG. I never really watched the old one. I did try to watch Galacticz 1980 (I was 10 when it was on...I feel so old:yikes:) but it was really bad.

Dawg

November 29th, 2012, 07:36 PM

I was thinking the same thing. I don't remember to much about TOS to compare that Pegasus I became a fan of the new BSG. I never really watched the old one. I did try to watch Galacticz 1980 (I was 10 when it was on...I feel so old:yikes:) but it was really bad.

Friend, you are still a child in the eyes of many here.

YOU feel old, my lily-:eek:

;)

I am
Dawg
:warrior:

BST

November 29th, 2012, 08:32 PM

Yep, you are gettin' kind of long-in-the-tooth, aren't ya?

;)

Dawg

November 29th, 2012, 08:46 PM

Yep, you are gettin' kind of long-in-the-tooth, aren't ya?

;)

You should know, my fanged friend...

:blink:

I am
Dawg
:warrior:

martok2112

November 29th, 2012, 11:10 PM

Hill?! What hill!? I don't remember any ..... hilllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll...................................................... (thud)...

oww!

:D

BST

November 30th, 2012, 04:36 AM

You should know, my fanged friend...

:blink:

I am
Dawg
:warrior:

Arrghh!!! Grrrr!!!

Checks mirror....yep, still got the teeth. Whew, worried for a moment, I was.

Darrell Lawrence

November 30th, 2012, 01:49 PM

Eps 7 & 8 posted in top post.

BST

November 30th, 2012, 05:15 PM

I find myself looking forward to this. Is this a condition that I should have checked?

:D

Seriously, I do look forward to the new mini-eps and find myself enjoying them.

Titon

December 1st, 2012, 06:01 AM

I have to say that the last 2 eps were a waste. Again for something to start so positive it already is boring the hell out of me.

:rolleyes:

martok2112

December 1st, 2012, 08:34 AM

Even I will admit I found something in the action a bit "groan-worthy" in this latest installment. Not unenjoyable, but definitely not up to snuff with previous installments.

Darrell Lawrence

December 7th, 2012, 07:39 AM

The final parts have been added to the first post.

Gemini1999

December 7th, 2012, 01:29 PM

I must confess that I've fallen behind... After all of the negative reviews over last Friday's episodes, I haven't watched them yet. I am curious about how folks feel about this week's episodes. Maybe it will give me enthusiasm to catch up.

BST

December 7th, 2012, 09:03 PM

Bryan,

Over the course of the 10 webisodes, I've pretty much been on board with it. I didn't expect 5-star episodes every time and so, if the occasioinal dud happens, I live with it and move on.

Overall, I would rate my time watching the entire project as well spent and would give it an 8/10. (Taking off 1.5 for overusing "Frak" and the other 0.5 for the dud).

:thumbsup:

Titon

December 8th, 2012, 06:27 AM

For me it was fun to see some ideas pointing to the TOS but in the end it still points to GINO. Although the ending episode felt more "popcorn" to me. That's what i have alway's wanted in episodes of Galactica and i would not be against seeing more of this. Ultimately i guess i have to push aside the ideas of being disappointed as to how this all comes together in the end. Ironically this Husker Adama does not seem to be anything like the one we see in NUbsg and how he becomes that man i do not know.

Dawg

December 8th, 2012, 03:44 PM

I have to agree. With everybody (pretty much). A technical win (with notable, if momentary, failures), otherwise, mostly so-so at best.

SPOILERS BELOW

That Cylon at the end was a cross between I, Robot and a Borg, with different contact lenses.

It ended on an up note (loved the music at the end) - but I did see the beginning of what could turn this Lt. Will into Admiral Mumbly, 40 years later.

This was head-and-shoulders better than anything GINO I've seen. If compared only to what was produced between 2003 and this, on a scale of 10 this was an 11 - but as Peter said over at TOK, this is still GINO. It's still a parody of what it could have been.

I rank it no better than a 2.5/5 - and that high because of the effects that worked, a lot more action, and decent pacing through most of it.

I am
Dawg
:warrior:

Titon

December 9th, 2012, 08:16 AM

Quite honestly i thought overall the effects had there moments but there was some big disappointments. The total green screen effect was a cheap copout that ultimately could spell the doom of Blood and Chrome. I believe the modeling in this was super but the effects in the end could have been so much better.

Like i have stated before i am not an animator so having the ability to do some of the things they did was pretty damn good.

:)

Darrell Lawrence

December 9th, 2012, 08:38 AM

Want a deep, dark secret? I have yet to watch this ;)

Titon

December 9th, 2012, 09:35 AM

Want a deep, dark secret? I have yet to watch this ;)

Ah....what???

Darrell Lawrence

December 9th, 2012, 09:44 AM

Been waiting for it to complete so I can watch all at once ;)

Senmut

December 9th, 2012, 03:54 PM

Darrell Lawrence

December 14th, 2012, 03:01 PM

Moved the thread.

Jubal

December 25th, 2012, 08:38 PM

So what the frak is "GINO". I feel it is referring to something other than our universe, or this other universe people talk about, but not sure what it spells out.

Senmut

December 25th, 2012, 08:50 PM

Galactica
In
Name
Only.

i.e. Moore's Frankenstein of a show.

martok2112

December 28th, 2012, 09:12 AM

Or, Galactica Is Nicely Overhauled if you fall on the side of those of us who enjoyed the new show.

Darrell Lawrence

December 28th, 2012, 10:07 AM

Still with the "us against them" attitude, eh?

martok2112

December 28th, 2012, 10:15 AM

Not at all.
You know I still love classic Galactica, so your question is rather invalid. I just happen to love the new show with equivalent intensity.

I'm not here to foster any "us" vs" "them" attitude, because I don't fall on the side of "us" or "them".

But, to use the words in a different light, without encampment: There are many among us who love both shows.

Darrell Lawrence

December 28th, 2012, 10:18 AM

I wasn't referring to you per sey. It was over-all to both of the GINO replies.

martok2112

December 28th, 2012, 10:25 AM

Ah.
Well, no need to fret over it too much. Folks are gonna feel how they're gonna feel, I guess.

:)

Gemini1999

December 28th, 2012, 01:21 PM

It is indeed JUST a television show...can't we just approach it that way instead of folks continually getting bent out of shape after all this time. In the grand scheme of things, fighting over this stuff is pretty insignificant. I'm one that enjoyed both, but after 9 years of this stuff, it is pretty wearing on the nerves.

BST

December 28th, 2012, 09:20 PM

Agreed. As much as I protested, and still protest some elements of Moore's show, I am way beyond the point of truly giving a damn.

I watched Blood and Chrome, in large part courtesy of Darrell's updates and links. I enjoyed it and count myself in the category who wish that B&C had preceded Moore's show in development instead of just time setting. If Moore had re-focused on just telling a story instead of creating so much dysfunction, it might have made the show more appealing to more people. Alas, he didn't and it didn't.

At any rate, I'll do my best to watch B&C when it's aired on television. Hopefully there will be sufficient advertising.

:)

Dawg

December 29th, 2012, 08:58 AM

Count me among you, although my reasons may vary from everyone else's. These are my opinions, my own observations, so your mileage, of course, may vary...

I utterly despise the GINO universe. The human species is capable of incredible darkness, supreme negativity, but it is also capable of rising above circumstance and displaying equally incredible nobility, selflessness, and determination in the face of overwhelming odds. BG portrayed the surviving Colonials as a mix of qualities, and had people of all creeds and colors and moral makeup, and our heroes displayed the nobility the human being is capable of attaining. Not so much GINO.

BG had a pretty simple framework and stayed pretty consistent throughout. GINO was made up as it went along and disregarded - sometimes quite blatantly - what had been established before. The GINO Cylon was "biologically indistinguishable from human" yet the girl Cylons lit up a room - literally - when they got their motor running, and could access computer systems simply by shoving fiber-optic cable into their forearms. And, despite a lack of implanted transceivers, they could upload and download themselves into new bodies...

I know people like Katee Sackhoff, and in her earlier roles I did, too. There wasn't much of her and she played the angsty teen quite well. But if she has more than two settings - screech and SCREECH - the role of Kara Thrace did not allow her to use them. Nor did her awful turn as the earlier version of the Bionic Woman...

Oh, and those of you singing the praises of David Eick - the travesty that was Bionic Woman was all his.

B&C is a contained story, not the open-ended series that was GINO, so it's possible to tell the entire story as a fast-paced action/adventure, rather than stuff it full of made-up fluff to stretch it out. Its production techniques and pacing are lightyears ahead of what GINO's team was capable of creating. This is all positive and made it something worth watching. But whenever we saw character interaction, actual universe-building, it was 100% GINO and there it crashed and burned.

If I am otherwise unoccupied the evening B&C is shown, I'll probably watch it, too. All things considered, I do not expect to like it as well as I did what was posted on YouTube.

But I no longer really care. Oh, I enjoy discussing my reasons for drawing such a clear distinction between the two shows and why my preferences are what they are - but I enjoy academic debates for the debate's sake. There's no animosity, I'm not trying to change any minds, it's just - discussion, an exchange of ideas on a subject we have no influence on. An academic exercise, one with no practical meaning.

I am
Dawg
:warrior:

David Kerin

December 29th, 2012, 12:42 PM

It is interesting now that we are almost ten years since the premiere of the new show. It did have a lot of things that as a fan of the original really turned me off. However into season 1 I was starting to get into the show, and was actually looking forward to season 2. But then things started to feel stretched out, and I lost interest. I checked in here and there, and kind of kept up on things until the end, but I felt the writers missed so many opportunities for what is a truly epic story.

Having watched Blood and Chrome, I actually liked it. Maybe I liked it because it seemed to embrace some of the feel of the original, but was still modernized as the new series was. I do say if the new series started more like Blood and Chrome, I would have been a bit more interested.

Now believe it or not, I'm not writing this to bash the new series. It is not totally my cup of tea, but in the end if it did one thing it helped bring the name Battlestar Galactica back into the public presence. It irritated me that during the show the differences were so extreme among the fans. I especially hated how so many were quick to put down the original show that started it all, in order to build up the new show. But I think with the new show being done, I've seen that drift away. Sure there will be some, but its not as extreme. In fact I think Battlestar Galactica as a whole is getting a bit more respect than it has in the past. Also on the commerical side, I have to say there have been some great things for original series fans. 12" figures, Mego styled figures, plastic sculpted figures, diecast ship miniatures, minimates (I have the Cylons, need to find the heroes), and an awesome Hallmark ornament that is beautiful and currently on my desk. And it talks!!! Now all we need is a remastered re-release of the original series on bluray. Maybe if that Singer movie ever actually happens.

So, to make a short story long, I can let the new series be what it is. In fact time to time I may go back and watch some of them, hoping to see it as its own thing after these years of distance. I was able to do that with Blood and Chrome. And I do hope that in the near future that movie idea will move forward. It may or may not be what will make me happy, but I'll know that when I see it. Hell, they completely recast Kirk, Spock and McCoy and they have me anxiously awaiting the new movie. I hope Battlestar will live on in many incarnations. And I hope I'm around to see a number of them.

Happy New Year everyone! Been around here a long time, and through the ups and downs, I'm glad we always had Battlestar to share and enjoy... and maybe debate... all these years. And I'm sure we will still be doing it for time to come.

Dave

Dawg

December 29th, 2012, 03:05 PM

Dave, you touch on something that I have come to realize is the biggest complaint I have with Moore and Co.

There is a fundamental difference between how Moore "rebooted" Galactica and how Abrams did the same with Star Trek, and it's the biggest reason why I despised GINO and I loved the Star Trek movie.

From Battlestar Galactica, Moore took the concept of the battlestar, the design of the Viper fighter, and basic story concept - Exodus in space, trying to find a mystical planet called Earth. To that he added characters he he based on characters in a WWII movie, and he took the given names from BG and Americanized them. "William" Adama. "Apollo" the callsign of his pilot son, "Lee" Adama. And so forth.

Abrams, on the other hand, took the Star Trek universe in its entirety and asked the very Star Trek question, "What if the timeline had been disrupted? What would these characters be like if that happened?" and went on to tell the Star Trek story from that altered perspective. He basically took the idea of "Yesterday's Enterprise" and applied it to the larger scale. Jim Kirk is still Jim Kirk, Leonard McCoy is undeniably Leonard McCoy, Spock still Spock. But because of Nero's incursion into the timeline, the timeline was changed and the influences on the characters were different. Jim Kirk is still Jim Kirk, but in this timeline his parents never made it to Iowa in time for him to be born there.

That's the difference. Abrams had enough sense to respect the source material and actually use the characters that inhabited the original universe.

I think I need to go write a blog... ;)

I am
Dawg
:warrior:

martok2112

December 29th, 2012, 03:42 PM

Yeah, but there's a lot of Star Trek fans out there who blast Abrams for being a "Star Wars" fan, and bringing Star Wars to Star Trek.

Me though....I loved the movie, and eagerly await "Into Darkness". :)

The big thing with Star Trek is that if you want heady stories, the best place to find that is in televised episodes. Granted, Star Trek The Motion Picture and Star Trek The Voyage Home proved that you did not need to have all out action or space battles to have a successful run, and further granted that Nemesis (my favorite of the TNG films) proved that too much action (and perhaps some very shoddy storytelling) can be detrimental to a successful run for so niche a franchise. (Also also further granting that even though TMP was a financial success, it was far from a critical success.)

But for the most part, the most successful Trek movies have been ones where action and adventure were the order of the day. (TWoK, First Contact).

Where Abrams got it right was not only in balancing action with a good story, but he succeeded in doing what no other Trek film (except maybe Voyage Home) could: Make it appeal to more than just the Trek fan. He made the movie appeal to the average movie goer. He made it appeal to those who may never have even given Trek a chance in the past. Now, he's got a bunch of folks actually wanting to watch the original Trek (and subsequent series), to see just what it was they were missing all these years. :)

TwoBrainedCylon

March 23rd, 2013, 10:23 PM

Somehow, I missed this thread entirely. I didn't get to catch Blood and Chrome until I downloaded it from YouTube. Again, I'm late to the party.

Not to repeat what's already been said but I also liked it quite a bit. (I had serious reservations about the script when I first read it but the final product surprised me). Like others, I wish this is what GINO had been, -- or at least wish GINO had been more like this. This didn't rely on mystical flashbacks, pits of self-pity and the darkness of humanity, or in your face political spin. It was an adventure story, fairly well executed.

Like Don, I found the VFXs erratic but commend the team on the job they did. In some areas, they went a bridge too far but overall, they really accomplished some amazing stuff. When images are flowing past you at 1800 frames a second, its easy to forget what the VFX teams had had to go through to put it all on the screen. They tackled something that was technically huge in scale and managed to make it watchable, even if they busted their timeline badly.

I bought the Blu-Ray, which for me doesn't say much as I also own GINO just for archive purposes. The GINO series is still sitting unwrapped and will likely stay that way for a decade or so but Blood and Chrome is something I can see myself watching from time to time. (I also bought Caprica and will likely give that a viewing in the next couple of years. Hopefully it will fit with Blood and Chrome pretty well).

I'd like to see more of these. They link to GINO, which does mean they eventually end in a lot of silliness ("Final Five", etc.) but on their own, the production did have a feel that was fairly close to what I'd expect a contemporary Hollywood version of the original series Cylon War would be like. Its easy to find the flaws in this prodcution but its one of the few connected with GINO in which I also found it pretty easy to find nuggets of gold.

All my best,

Russell

Senmut

March 24th, 2013, 06:08 PM

Abrams, on the other hand, took the Star Trek universe in its entirety and asked the very Star Trek question, "What if the timeline had been disrupted? What would these characters be like if that happened?" and went on to tell the Star Trek story from that altered perspective. He basically took the idea of "Yesterday's Enterprise" and applied it to the larger scale. Jim Kirk is still Jim Kirk, Leonard McCoy is undeniably Leonard McCoy, Spock still Spock. But because of Nero's incursion into the timeline, the timeline was changed and the influences on the characters were different. Jim Kirk is still Jim Kirk, but in this timeline his parents never made it to Iowa in time for him to be born there.

That's the difference. Abrams had enough sense to respect the source material and actually use the characters that inhabited the original universe.

I think I need to go write a blog... ;)

I am
Dawg
:warrior:

But the ship looks like a collision between a nightclub and a video arcade. Did anyone ever notice what the original warp nacelles looked like, or other bits of hardware?

martok2112

March 24th, 2013, 09:19 PM

Personally, I love the new Enterprise. :) She looks great in motion, and when she rises up out of the dust in Star Trek....that was one of the most spectacular shots I'd ever seen on the big screen. :)

And the water crash sequence for the trailer in Star Trek Into Darkness looks beautiful. :)

martok2112

March 24th, 2013, 09:23 PM

As for "All this has happened before, and it will happen again" I can say only this...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v474/martok2112/Funny-Motivational-Posters-21_zps01cb6bef.jpg

:D

Senmut

March 25th, 2013, 06:06 PM

Meeeeee-oWWWW!

TwoBrainedCylon

March 26th, 2013, 09:23 AM

Count me as another who likes the Abrams Enterprise. I'm not so crazy about the jerking-jolt into warp but the rest works well for me. I personally like the concept that to push a ship faster than light, you need big engines. Plus the darker chrome-glass strikes me as better than the glowing red circle things of the original design. Truth be told, I probably like the Abrams version better than the original, although its not an apples to apples comparison given the half-century difference between the two.

All my best,

Russell