What kindled your interest?

[BST]

Folks,

Here's an easy mission for EVERYONE -- (and NO EXCUSES, FULL participation is strongly suggested on this one)!!

Please read the post* by Captain Tux, originally posted at the Cylon Alliance:

http://www.colonialfleets.com/forums/showpost.php?p=64515&postcount=25


Please contribute your thoughts.

Finally, something GOOD to talk about!!!


BST

* Since the original link, to the Cylon Alliance post, no longer exists, Please click on the link, to read Captain Tux's post in its entirety.

[jewels]

I'm being lazy: here's what I wrote to the folks in that thread, and anyone else with the time to read:

Posted: Sun Aug 24, 2003 12:09 pm__ _Post subject:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Guys and Gals:
thank you for all the jokes and Tux, BST, Larocque and Malkyte: thanks for refocusing the effort to get back into why I and possibly many of us (if I can be stereotypical for a second) joined any of these boards in the first place: I believed the original premise of the BSG story had relevence and important things to say to the people of our time. Sadly that point was lost on the current production leadership.

I think Scifi shot themselves in the foot in not doing a remake in the style of having say Starbuck and Apollo tell the story of the original pilot, having younger actors playing the younger them in flashback style. I see it as a grievous marketing mistake on Scifi's part. Then they could continue the story from 2 points: movies for the TOS cast & the next gen. and a "bridge" series for remaking the original series (I don't think you have to tell all the same stories to do that, which is why I'm calling it a bridge. The fleet obviously had many adventures over the intervening 25 yahren which weren't highlighted in the 17 episodes that we have).

I think the direction that SciFi has taken is the riskiest marketing thing they could have done: They alienated an extremely loyal fanbase, the people who reminded them that the property existed. And then they screwed everything that actually worked about the show in the first place.

I'm going to dwell on one point of TOS that made it's dark premise into a strength: The HOPE.
Their civilization had just been decimated, but they stood on what they had left: a rag-tag fleet and their faith that the 13th tribe existed and had a colony somewhere from which their society could rebuild and fight back. They approached everything from that faith and that hope. It was genuine and there was no deceit involved. Repeating for emphasis: Their hope was genuine and their faith was in a place that though they could not see it--they were certain it existed. Earth was not a lie, not fictitous--it was a real place, a possible to attain goal.

Without hope we would not have any heroes today: the self-involved don't have time for the greater good. Our TOS heroes understood hope and understood that the society's survival outweighed the individual. They were good as gold because they'd been through the sacrificial flames and come out a little more purified, focused, the dross burned off. But still human enough to chase a girl, be frustrated at an enigmatic light being or an inane council vote. Tigh could still confront Adama and have a patrol ready to launch regardless of how the discussion went. That last example wasn't about protocol, it was doing the best you could for your best friend. And it was about retaining his friend's hope so Adama could lead the people with hope.

That theme of Hope still resonates strongly for me. I think it is what sets humankind apart and gives us our strength and dignity. It is something that we still search for, and can't go a day without. It is ultimately why I believe a continuation is the only way to be successful.

Thank you all for stoking the Hope fire for me again.

September 17, 1978 I sat down with a few million friends for 3 hours of excellent TV somewhere in the heavens. As we know it turned into 3.5 hours as we ended up seeing a first step towards peace that, ironically two sparring brother earth tribes struggled to make. Somehow that wasn't a coincidence: somehow even that played into the hope of this wonderful fictional sister civilization, so far away, which Leslie, Glen, the entire cast, crew, writer, sfx and costume teams were giving us. There are things worth the struggle; there is reason to hold out hope. It was a very special show. It deserves better than it has gotten. And so do the viewers.

Sorry that rambled so much. Thanks for reading my piece.

[peter noble]

This is a strange one for me, being in England.

I first some pictures in Starlog, I think it was in #16, and thought this looks really good (something I didn't think while looking at the 2003 pics, but I digress).

But, it wasn't until 1979 that I saw the theatrical version of Saga at the cinema (it was the #1 film in the UK that week).

The first clip of BSG I ever saw was on a Saturday morning kids' TV show that was big in England called Tiswas. They showed the bit where Zac was trying to get back to the fleet. I rememember the clip ended with Lorne's line: "That was my son Mr President!"

After this clip [and like Zac :(] I was blown away. I can honestly say I was never the same again, and here I am today. :)

Peter

[Dawg]

Oh, my, what a question. For me it was many things.

What drew me first was that it was a grand, outer-space epic in the tradition of Star Wars or Star Trek (and it really bore no resemblance to Star Wars, except for a few sfx, not matter what anybody else says). I just love that space-opera stuff, when it's well done.

I came to identify with the main characters, wishing (and hoping) I was made of the same stuff. The villians were sometimes over the top, but, hey, I was still young then. Granted, in later years I saw the cheese, the elements that dated the production, the production and writing flaws, the scientific and psychological inconsistencies, which does take away from the storytelling, but....

What's kept me a fan is the story. How mankind can rise from devastation, survive impossible odds, and still keep going. The unique mythology, so cleverly expressed that this same mythology could easily have been the basis for our own. That is where BSG shines, I think. As much as I identify Richard as Apollo and Dirk as Starbuck, that's why a faithful remake would be OK, too, in my opinion; but I'd much rather see a continuation that takes our beloved characters and continues their story, this time dealing with it in a 21st-Century manner of storytelling (if they tried to bring it back complete with shallow performances, poor writing and that dratted hair, I'd be very upset).

Yes, jewels, it's the hope that made the dark premise work. It's also the incredibly detailed backstory, though, that gave BSG the foundation it needed to stand up so well after 25 years.

I am
Dawg
:warrior:

[Charybdis]

It was as Dawg said, it continued in the grand space epic ala Star Wars. As many have said, it was the NEXT BIG THING to come along after Star Wars and for a 10 year old kid, that was the greatest!!!

Also what got me even at that time, was the cool idea that we started out there in the heavens and now our brothers from space are coming to find us. That was neat. And the Egyptian stuff was totally cool!!!!

[BST]

OOPS, forgot something, didn't I?? :blush: :blush:

Here's my contribution:

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

Captain Tux,

That was a well-placed "kick in the pants"!! You know what, you are absolutely RIGHT ON TARGET!!!

We do know the good points about the Original Series and what has led us to this point in the 25 year effort to revive it but, like you said, we spend too much of our time fightin' the bad guys.

Well, even though that has to be done periodically, just like taking out the trash, it is HIGH TIME that we start anew and remember what was good.

To begin:

When BSG premiered, what drew me in was the Galactica. It was the most impressive "space ship" that I had ever seen (apologies to ST -- I will always have a warm spot in my heart for NCC-1701, no bloody A, B, C, or D). Also, for the time period, the sfx were excellent. As the show progressed, I found myself also becoming hooked on the story. The story of the Destruction of the Colonies and the survivors efforts to ward off extinction, at the hands of the tin-headed, gall-monging Cylons, grabbed hold of me and has not let go, to this day.

The story, itself, does have a very dark premise -- the near annihilation of an entire society. What made it interesting is how the survivors dealt with the situation. A very poignant moment, for me, was when Apollo was asked by Serina, to talk to Boxey. Boxey had just lost his daggit, in the attack on Caprica, and was feeling the same as any little boy would feel, having just lost his favorite pet. Apollo figuratively stepped out of Warrior boots and into civilian shoes and talked with Boxey, giving him one of his rank insignia. Afterward, as Serina was thanking him, in the hallway, Apollo stated, "What's a warrior to do after losing the big one (Zac and his mother), win a few of the little ones."

There are other examples that I will write about but, now my eyelids are starting to get a bit heavy and I'd better close for now.

Talk again soon.

Thanks again, this was fun!

BST

[Sept17th]

I could go on forever so perhaps I’ll do this in short bursts. Keep in mind I saw Star Wars 36 times in the theater during 1977. What got me started was something I did not know. I assume this happened everywhere, on the ABC affiliate in New York City they ran promos that summer of '78…but the end was “cut off’. I saw images of space combat and these Bad-Ass Mo-Fo’s who looked like Storm Troopers in chrome! I didn’t know what it was called and didn’t care…ABC was giving me another Star Wars.

Only weeks later I caught the title Battlestar Galactica because I saw it on some toys in a store!

Next time sitting down and watching…

BTW…Battlestar Galactica let that roll off your tongue a few times, I just love the title!

:cylon: :cylon: :cylon: :cylon: :cylon: :cylon: :cylon: :cylon: :cylon: :cylon: :cylon: :cylon: :cylon: :cylon: :cylon: :cylon: :cylon: :cylon:

[jewels]

Oh, my response didn't contain what initially got me:

They said John Dykstra was in charge of special effects. That was all they had to say to get me and my brother in control of the TV that one September night.

Dystra & ILM/Apogee did not disappoint; and the story was (IMO) even better than Star Wars.

[BSG_Sci_FiPulse]

My storie is similar to Peter's. I also saw the same scene on Tizwaz, peter, you spelt that one wrong matey:) Oggy Oggy Oggy?

Anyway it was not until 79 that I saw the movie version. I was on my summer holidays at the time. Because we never had much money back then we would usually go on Holiday to really far off places like Rhyl or Blackpool, and of course like every other 9 year old kid at that time I was a big Star Wars fan, but ironically I was a big Trek fan as well as all round general Sci Fi Fan.

We are talking the late 70s and early 80s here when the BBC was great because we had classic british Sci Fi Shows such as Dr Who and Blakes Seven. So when Battlestar Galactica eventually made it onto the small screen in this country, it got every UK Sci Fi fans attention. For the simple reason, that BBC had not run re-runs of Star Trek for awhile, Blakes Seven had finished, and Dr Who was about to regenarate into Peter Davison, which in DR Who terms was very much the beginning of the end for me, because Tom Baker was the one that I grew up with, however I continued to watch DR Who anyway, but not with the same avid interest. So for me Battlestar came along at the right time. There was nothing like it on television, not show had ever dared have such mammoth space battles. So like any 9 to 13 year old I went nuts. However I did not actually get the mythological aspects of the plot til late on, after had read a few things.

The series was shown pretty much through most of the 1980s here in the UK. It premiered around about 1983 and actually started out life as Sunday Afternoon viewing on ITV, the channel has shown Logans Run the series a couple of years prior. Ironically Battlestar got the same sunday afternoon slot that Space 1999 used to ocupie 1PM. You know what they show at 1PM now on ITV, nothing that special basically because cable and satalite has pretty taken over, and the original four networks, cannot seem to compete. But I remember looking foreword to Battlestar every week.

I just wish Sci Fi in the UK would re - run the series though.

[kingfish]

I went to see Star Wars on my Birthday. It was a gift from my mom. Two yahrens latter BG premiered. I don't recollect the ads for it however but was hooked from the premiere. The opening theme was MONUMENTAL. A grand theme for a great show. The series premiered soon after. My favorites included:

The Living Legend.
War of The Gods.
Gun On Ice Planet Zero.
Lost Planet of The Gods.

As a child one can't appreciate a show like this. As an adult one can see the masterpiece of what was being portrayed.

[repcisg]

Just from the promos I could tell something special this way comes.

Bought a VCR just for the occation.

[shiningstar]

That's a great question. For me BSG was a means for
escape .......I was working after school, in school and
exhausted continuelly. I loved BSG .......not only for
the plot lines but for the actors as well. It was nice
for a hour to be able to forget about high school,
work, nagging parents ..............and watch something
that didn't involve horror, wanton sex and violance.

That's also why I'll still be involved for my kids so
they don't have the mindless sex, violance and poor
story lines shoved down their throats.

[amberstar]

Whatt got me about BSG?
There are a lot of aspects that drew me in when I was younger and now that I am an adult I am still finding new angles that draw me closer to BSG. Here are a few:
I LOVED the Galatica! The ship was amazing, and vipors. Since day one I have always wanted to fly one! That actually got me involved in learning how to fly a plane. BSG sparked and interest in aviation and exploration of Space! I have always wondered if we were alone in the universe or if human life existed else where. Being a young girl I also had a huge crush on Dirk! Go ahead and laugh, but him as Starbuck won my heart back then. To me he was larger than life!!!
I loved the strong characters how they managed to surrive when facing such formidable odds. I am like Dawg, I hoped that when I grew up I too would have some of the same values that I saw in BSG. Honor, the will not to give up when life was tough & Compassion for fellow man.
Later I relized how the methology tied us closer to the endearing characters, the history between our culture and theirs made me feel like they were truly our brothers from a far away world. Their struggle to surrive was a part of us, and we could overcome anything if we only set our minds on it.
BSG is more than a story it repersents the good and bad in all of us! The strugle to become more than what we are and the journey that took us to that point.

Amberstar

[Starbuck]

As an old Star Trek fan, I tend (at least back then) to watch anything even remotely scifi-ish and BSG was no exception. I watched the series premiere and liked what I saw. Sure there were strong episodes and not so strong ones, but the series had a spark to it and had a great story premise and great characters. IMHO, it was deserving of a second season and then some. ABC (the nitwit network) just couldn't/wouldn't see what a gem of a series it had in BSG. :)

[shiningstar]

It was strange .........I was just turning 18 and I didn't realize
the mythology until after the show had been cancelled and
shown on reruns .....ONLY THEN did I really see the tie in
with the battle star galactica flag, the egyptian arc of the
story ......with kobol being the 'birthplace of life', or count
Iblis being quite literally "the devil incarnate".

I guess with my schedule at the time up at 5:00 AM in the
mornings and not asleep until around 12:30 AM after I got
off of work and I got my homework done ............I was
bound to miss a "FEW" things.

[Krystal]

I was young when I begin to see BG. What definitely get my attention was the story, and of course I always have been a fan of scifi. So for me it was a great series with a great story about people in space. I love the characters, the struggle against the cylons, etc. Since day one I become a fan and totally love BG.

Krystal

[Ian_W359]

Ah, the memories......

My tale too has some links to both Peter's and Ian's.... Although I was considered too young to see Star Wars in 1977 - :...: - I do remember Tiswas well (beware the 'Phantom Flan Flinger'!!!). My earliest memory of Galactica was..... a colouring-in book! I can't recall if I ever finished it, but there were cool pictures of (what appeared to me then as) spaceships, robots & a curious looking robotic dog......

Fast forward a few years to the early '80s, after watching Blakes' 7, Dr Who, and re-runs of Star Trek, Space 1999 & Thunderbirds, I was pretty keen on any kind of show with a sci-fi element to it (Logans Run, Jason of Star Command, Salvage 1, etc). Anyway onto the big 'G' - my region of ITV (ATV/Central) showed Galactica around 4-5 pm (after the darts-based quiz 'Bullseye' with Jim Bowen - "Super, smashing, great!").

I thought BsG was great the first time I saw it - space battles with robot villains and encounters with other strange characters, but I also recall a warmth to the show that I didn't really understand at the time. Only after watching re-runs did I realise that it was a combination of the mythology, the characters and the ideals of the show - friendship, loyalty & courage, amongst others.

Ian_W359

P.S. The first time I saw 'Greetings From Planet Earth Pt.1', I remember the announcer's message at the end of the show (after the shuttle sets off for Paradeen) - "And Apollo and Starbuck will be in Sleep Mode until the same time, next week".......

[BST]

For those who may have missed this thread the first time around and for those who may not have even known it existed --

Please feel free to contribute YOUR thoughts...

BST :)

[shiningstar]

Thanks for bumping up this thread BST.

[michaelfaries]

What got me interested in Battlestar Galactica was Everything. I loved the action, The Quality of the Uniforms, The Acting, The Special Effects and the Rotating Command center. The Battlestar on the interior had that rivetted together look and its exterior had that worn-out look as if the Battlestar has been in space for a very long time. In fact a lot of the space ships in the show had that worn-out look.

I can not help it, if I compare every scifi show that was made after Battlestar Galactica. I have to say that Battlestar Galactica Was the best show ever to be on television because of its special effects and superior set designs. No scifi show has yet to equal the sets of BSG with it's rotating Command Center and its Tektronix Vectorscan Computer Display Consoles, Oscilliscopes, Curve Tracers and Spectrum Analyzers. Not even Star Trek The Next Generation did they ever come close. Even though I like Star Trek TNG, their control panels and computer displays looked too much like those motion soda dispenser advertisements, and their outerspace scenes was lacking.

Also BSG was ahead of its time. It predicted the Palm Pilot, CGI Computer Simulations, Pulse Detonation Rocket Engines, Ion Engines, and Plasma Drives. Even the military today uses vectorscan display consoles for their Jet Fighter Pilot Targeting Systems and simple alphanumeric CRTs for weapons delivery systems.

The Thing that I like the most about Battlestar Galactica was the Larger Than Life Presence of Lorne Greene. When I found out that He passed away in 1987, that really bumbed me out. If they ever do a movie or a New TV series with all of the orginal actors, Battlestar Galactica Will never be the same without him.

[CmdrCain]

Like others here, I was a fan of just about anything sci-fi at the time that I first saw BSG. The uniforms, the ships, and the space battles were what really caught my attention. I was really young at the time, so I didn't pick up as much on the relationships between the characters. In the years since though, the friendships and themes of BSG, against the backdrop of the main storyline, have deepened my appreciation for the show even more. Even when I was a kid though, the regal but kindly presence of Lorne Greene held my attention whenever he stepped on screen. Although I didn't exactly think of it this way at the time, Greene's Adama seemed like the perfect incarnation of a leader.

To this day, much of BSG's F/X are still first-rate. The battlestar, baseship, Viper and Raider designs were/are excellent. The storyline is still engrossing, the themes are still fundamental and relevant, and the relationships (though they could have been developed more), are still what give the show its heart.

[cobrastrikelead]

That my Arch-Chess Nemesis (and best friend) smuggled the paperback into Science and I spent the next few weeks getting it read before the pilot came on. (Worked wonders for my Grades.) Liked the novel (especially the Adama Journal excerpts at the start of each chapter.) And the pilot was even better than the paperback.

[Dogface]

I am a third-generation science fiction fan. My grandfather bought Amazing and Astounding when they were brand new magazines and read Conan stories in their original serializations. My father subscribed to Worlds of If.

I did not ask to see Star Wars, it was expected of me. Sunday afternoons throughout my childhood were for Star Trek reruns (I still dream in primary colors). My childhood books were written by men named "Verne", "Burroughs" (not the freaky one--the real one), "Doyle", and "Wells". Soon enough, though, I was moving to Bova, Asimov, Heinlein, and many more that I cannot remember. I got to stay up late specifically because Channel 11 (Chicago) ran Dr. Who.

In 1978, there was no question to the matter. For the first time in time immemorial, I would be able to watch new TV science fiction, and the previews looked good. From the first to the last episodes, we watched every one. We were ticked to see no renewal. When Galactica 1980 showed up, it was soon apparent that it was a kiddy show, and none of us were kiddies, anymore, so there was a quick losing of interest.

[BST]

.
Originally posted by Captain Tux, at Cylon Alliance

Well, I think Jon owes us a jpeg or three of his date and his leisure suit. That may be a good start. As far as the seriousness goes. I think the clones and trolls and the war of pro mini pro continuation have worn you out.

You guys have to have fun again if you want to win the war. The battle is lost. The mini is going to air. The mini's success or failure is not the war either....that will be another battle. The ultimate war is seeing this dream of a continuation come to life.

There is a problem, though. You have to sell it as the winniing concept. You can think about it as a political campaign or an ad campaign. Gore vs Bush...Pepsi vs Coke...whatever. There are a lot of posts here sharing what is wrong with the mini and how it strays away from the original concept. What I am not seeing is a balance of content stating what is right about a continuation other than because that is what the fan base wants. Why does the fan base want it? Why should others want it?

Sell me. Do not just tell me that Pepsi is bad and is a cheap syrup rip off of Coke. You need to tell me why Coke is better. Tell me about Hatch's vision and the steps he has taken, talk about Desanto and Larson. Remind peole Donald P Bellisario who helmed hit shows like Magnum PI cut his teeth on BSG.

Fan is short for fanatic. Be a raving, foaming at the mouth fanatic. Make the rest of the world want what you want. Remember, you can attract more bees with honey than vinegar...or is flies...or is it Jon's date...I always get those mixed up.

You want to have fun? Be a fanatic. Do not lament the continuation that did not happen. Tell me about the contiunuation that may come. Tell me about the different visions for a continuation. Tell me about what is right with TOS! Have fun by sharing what you know to the rest of the world. You are on a board that can be viewed by anyone in the world with a computer and a phone line. As we near the airing of the mini, entertainment press and sponsors may be looking at this sight and skiffy and others. If they see a bunch of depressed, tired, grumpy fans suspicious of any raving loon that pops in here...it may not reflect well.

Am I saying to lay off the problems wioth the mini? Hell no! Make fun of Ron Moore and Bonnie. Camp the script. Let them see JJ's split avatar (my personal favorite). At the same time, let them see fans who love something and have fun with it. They can see us talking about special features on the dvd and voices on the video game. They can see polls as to who is hotter...Athena or Cassie...Strarbuck or Apollo...Boxy or Muffit?

I have tried on a few occasions on skiffy to have fun threads and it was met with moderate success. Throw a few bones out here that are fun and tasty and see who bites! Besides, it is harder for a troll to create havok in a room that is happy and fun!!

I do not know who has noticed, but my continuation roots are clawing at me and I am struggling with the mini. Is it because of your arguments and facts against the mini? No. It is that intangable something that has to do with passion. Passion and energy is like a virus. It can spread.

You want to have fun as a BSG fan? Then do it. I will be right there with ya and I will bring Jon's date along for the ride . Hee hee hee.

CHEERS!

Tux

ps I have been happily married for 8 years now with the most lovely 3 year olf daughter EVER...so I think I am too darn old and tired to chase Jon's scantily clad bundle of love anyway. Well, I am offf to bed. I got to see Jeff Gordon get bumped off the track near the end of Bristol so I am pouting. Sox are still in first so all is not lost.
_________________
He who has injured thee was either stronger or weaker than thee. If weaker, spare him; if stronger, spare thyself.
-William Shakespeare

[Gunstar Aries]

Tux nails it with that post; thanks for the re-post, BST, and for starting this thread.

The core of Galactica for me was not giving up in the face of defeat. Hope in the face of despair. Doing right in the face of Evil. I'm not saying that one shouldn't accept one's situation; had Adama not accepted the defeat of the Colonies, Galactica might have marched off to get destroyed trying to strike at the Cylon home world. To paraphrase Apollo, if you loose the big one, you start the climb back by winning the little ones.

But to answer the question, what peaked my interest was Galactica herself. She LOOKS like a spacefaring warship should. (Her looks wouldn't be approached until B5, but she reamins unsurpassed, but I digress...) No wedges, piecemeals, or a flying saucer. Form and function. Weapons, engines, landing bays and command. Tack on the beauty of the Viper, no starfighter designs based on letters of the alphabet (can't wait for the Q-wing, myself...). One of the guys reviewing the Viper kit on Starship modeler implied that the X-wing should look so good. He's right. The Viper IS what a starfighter should look like.

So Galactica pulled me in, the Viper pulled me deeper, and the actors and story kept me.

Regards,

GA

[BST]

B U M P

Bombadil's thread about how old you were when you saw Galactica got me thinking that this thread needed a bump, for all the new members of the Fleet that may not have seen it.

:D

Please share YOUR thoughts!

[SeoulWind]

I suppose what lured me in were the ships, the Galactica and the Vipers. I was, afterall, only about 12 at the time and those kind of things were guaranteed to get my attention. Yeah, the ships lured me in, but the story set the hook.

As others have said, the hope, the struggle, the perserverance in the face of an enemy that was bent on annihilating the human species, the teamwork and the sense of family kept me coming back for the next episode. The connection to Earth's ancient civilizations was icing on the cake - and a brilliant idea IMO.

These were people of honor, characters in whom I found qualities that were worthy of emulation. Individuals who were rising above their personal and collective tragedies to fight together for their survival.

In this day and age, we could really use a heroic story with characters like these again...

Mark Snyder
Seoul, Korea

[BST]

Time again for another well-placed.......


B U M P

:)

[Eric Paddon]

I have no recollection of any of the preview hype for Galactica before it debuted. I only recall catching the first hour of Saga on the night it all began by happenstance and finding myself impressed, but at 9 PM I recall switching to NBC because Part 2 of the 1976 "King Kong" movie was airing and I was anxious to see that since that had been a favorite of mine two years before.

My next memory of Galactica was catching part 2 of "Lost Planet Of The Gods" and I think I was helped by the fact that my older, teenaged brother and sister said a few things that got me caught up to speed, and the fact that most everyone else I knew in the fourth grade was watching Galactica too got me hooked in.

I think of course since the Star Wars craze had been going on, that made it easy for me to get involved with the FX and battle scenes so that meant as a consequence my nine year old mind always loved it whenever the episode had the Cylons and battles. I couldn't have cared if it was the same footage shown before, it always produced a rush of excitement! As a result, when the series shifted focus starting with "War Of The Gods" I can remember being disappointed, and thinking that Galactica wasn't as fun as it used to be. Then "Hand Of God" got me excited again, and before I knew it, it was gone.

The less said about the traumatic experience of "Galactica 1980" the better. What then followed was a 12 year on-off relationship with Galactica, that didn't get fully rekindled until 1992 when Sci-Fi Channel started the repeats. And suddenly then I was able to look past all the battle scenes that had excited me as a kid and for the first time saw the rich subtexts that coincided so closely to my own philosophical-political-religious viewpoint of the world. For the first time, I could really see clearly how Galactica was a rare breed of show that bucked the usual cliches of science fiction and offered something different. And the fact that the cast gave such strong performances and characters I could identify with in ways I could never do with any other sci-fi property only helped enhance that new appreciation for the series.

I was inspired to start writing fanfic to satisfy my curiosity about what happened next, and I've kept writing since. So my interest that was first kindled as a child for the battle scenes and action was ultimately rekindled by the deeper things to be found in Galactica as a series. I like to think of my own case as proof of how fondness for TOS has nothing to do with simple nostalgia for our childhood, if that is when we first experienced it, and everything to do with the show's staying power for those who can appreciate it better through grown-up eyes.

[BST]

Time for a B U M P

[Dawg]

Time for a B U M P

You should probably have that looked at.....

:blink:

:duck:

;)

I am
Dawg
:warrior:

[gmd3d]

Wow, what a question!! , "What kindled your interest?" in BSG.

Well as with many fans here, I first saw BSG as a young boy (others here where older but kids still at heart) it was soon after we saw StarWars in Ireland, Star Trek was on BBC on Saturday mornings after SwapShop with Noel Edmonds and I could watch it.

We as kids loved the visions of Star Trek and the excitment of Star Wars, our young eyes where open wide in exceleration of the movements of both shows and where hungery for more.

Announcement:: Then came on RTE TV (an Irish station) an add for the latest Science fiction spectacular at your local cinema house, In bold letters Battlestar Galactica followed quickly by the first images of the G herself , then in quicker follow ups the cast, Vipers, Cylons, Raiders, Apollo and Starbuck, new and fresh stars, then older well known star Lorne Green whom I have watched in Bananza for what seems forever (we loved Cowboy shows then..I still do) then the Gorgeous ladys of BSG. Athena and Cassi (I had the hots for both of them
even before I knew what the hots where :D :LOL: ).

Well I wanted to go. I ran to my mother (as one does when your 8 or 9 ) and begain to beg and pleaded to go to see the BSG.. No !! :cry: as was then in Ireland money was tight (not like now). My mother and father could not afford to
go because if I went my Brother and Sister would want to go. dad had the Idea of going and earn the cash myself.

We had a petrol lawnmower and Dad carried it through the house and we got the petrol and off I went and cutting the Lawns of every house I could ..(Profit were given to my Parents as all I wanted was to see the BSG and eat some junk food and McDonels had just opened in Ireland Perfect match) :D By the way I earned enough so that my Bro and sis could come, they are younger than me.

So I went and watched I loved the story. I loved the effects, I loved the Galactica
design Starbuck was my Fav, he is cool to a 8 year old and to be honest a 35 year old too. :) looking back the loylty the friendships . the feelings of the show had me buzzing.

well in closing what Kindled my intrest, mostly what you all have said already. but to me it was I earned it. I grew up a little more over those days and understood a little more.

Thanks for listening

"T"

[TopGun]

I was a kid who loved Star Wars (I was born in 1980, the same year as Katee Sackhoff and Grace Park), and proably tuned into it one day and fell in love

[cobrastrikelead]

paperback and read it during anatomy-physiology class. did wonders for my gpa. But the paper back sparked my interest and the original TV Movie was so great, that I was hooked.

[Haveke]

Well Now... Back in 1980 Battlestar Galactia (Movie) was Released in the U.S. Theatres ... It Was Done Shown in Sensor Sound (1st Try at Suround Sound)... Scenes Showing them in the Ships were Nomoral Sound, But then When they Were In Space having a Fight... Real LOUD!!! Big Speakers in the Back of the Theater & Postioned Around as well Pretty Cool if You're a Kid & Loved Space Battles!! :thumbsup: :colonial: ;) :salute:

Anyhow, it was Showing at the Theatre on the Far West End of the UA Cinema 6... at Our Local Mall of Abilene (They Started Construction in 1977 & Were Pretty Well Complete By Then) The Theatre had to Give Refunds to All the Other Shows, Because People Couldn't Hear "their Movies" over Battlestar Galactia!! It was Glorious!! You Could Hear the Space Scenes... Complete With the BIG Rumble of Galactia'a Big, Powerful Engines... They Even Had Complaints from other Merchants out in the Mall... the Rumble was that Awesume!! :) I haven't Thought about that is Years... Guess I was really Brought Back Around By this Thread. :warrior:

I have alwas Been interested in Space... laying outside on a Blanket, just watching the stars and seeing a satalitle as it passed overhead... (back in the 70's) watching Star Trek Reruns on TV... Capt. Kirk was always Cool: with his Cowboy Diplomacy... :) But Hey, Guess We All Had to Start Somewhere.... ;)

Never Leave Your Wingman:wings:

Hey, This Kid Don't Sign On for No Oneway Mission...We're Coming Back! :warrior:

See You On The Filght Deck:coolangel: :wings:

[Lara]

We had a new cinema that opened in our area that was closer to home than going into the city, so I was allowed to go with friends without having to have an adult.

We saved hard and went and saw lots of movies, but SciFi and fantasy movies were the best, so we saw Star Wars lots , and then this new one "Battlestar Galactica".
My best friend and I just loved it. Loved the story, the actors, the fx, the costumes the 'life out there' premise, the whole lot just clicked and we discussed it for hours.
Then we couldn't believe our luck as it was coming to TV: prime time Saturady night, no less!!.

Parents wanted to know what our 'crush' was all about.. and got hooked too.
Everyone waited for the next ep, and didn't miss a single one.

I vaguely remember we entered a competition and won promotional material, including posters and cast photographs.

Cheers,
Lara

[cobrastrikelead]

And the Galactica, and just about everything about the show.

[TheLimey]

Parents wanted to know what our 'crush' was all about.. and got hooked too.
Everyone waited for the next ep, and didn't miss a single one.


Hahahaha :thumbsup:

Remember that well - even going back to '78! My Parents watched the show because of Lorne Greene (kept reminding me he was in Bonanza!)

The love of Sci-fi probably really came about because of Star Wars - and what was going to fill the gap between after that??!! The answer came in BSG - and boy, what an answer. :salute:

Loved the X-Wings in SW, but there was something about the Vipers - they were somehow 'cooler' - although that appeared to be a major sin back in those days! - to say a Viper was better than an X-Wing!! But I stuck to my guns, and I still do - The Viper looks more like the sleek fighter it's supposed to be! So there!!! :D

They say you adulthood is built from the experiences of your childhood - and a large chunk of my childhood was spent watching BSG - An experience I can now happily re-live thanks to the complete BSG original series boxset and the 'new' series (which for me happily lives up to all expectations and beyond!!) :salute:

No-one ever truely grows up, and why should we! Happy Days!!

Nice touch having Richard Hatch in the new series as well.

[Tabitha]

Well, ok my turn. What brought me to scifi worldom, something girls like me arnt supposed to like, was the idea of a strong female figure playing Starbuck, but then I got more interested in TOS, wondering what the big deal was, it all happened before I was born, so I had no clue about it. So then I see Starbuck as a guy (cute ass) and Richard Hatch (great smile) and I thought, wow heres something neato. Well, honestly Im more of a new series girl than TOS, but I respect them both, they did the best they could with what they had back then. I figure the origional series would probably have been much more like the new one IF they had the CG abilities back then they do now. After all, when the budget says ONE cut scene of combat for the whole series, you go with that, and hate you have to but thats the way it goes. The new series, they can generate as much combat footage as they want, the computer just stays up all night doing what its told to do.
Also, the idea of big crome toasters is kewlies because it would be possible for a human to mascarade as a cylon to sneak about on a base star, but the new version, thats gonna be a real bitch. Also the human cylons, great idea, inspires a sense of paranoia that TOS didnt inspire in me. Im sure that the TOS would have done something like that eventually to get the sense of fear and paranoia that SHOULD exist in a situation that graphic. I mean, when I read the back of the DVD box, it was like, yeah, humans running, planets destroyed.. blah blah blah... but then the new series actually showed more of the effects of the attack, showed the losses. It hit me like a flash back of 9-11. That scene where Cami was playing with her doll and the nuke goes off. Man, that girl could been me, I could see myself there, feel the fear, the loss. Left behind because of bad luck, wrong ship, wrong time. TOS made it sound like all the survivors were all found and loaded into the fleet, the new series made it graphically clear that only a portion of them were able to get away, the rest were left to die. Oh God what a reality check that was. IF they can someday make the TOS over, and incorporate some of the graphic imagry and the sense of loss and sorrow, I would love that series more than either of these two. Maybe Im off base, this is favoring neither TOS or New Series, its just my humble opinion. Maybe someone out there feels the same and Im not alone? Dunno.

tabbi

[Creegan]

Hello all. First post.

I'm a long time fan of the first Battlestar Galactica series and I'm glad there's a community of people that still have a love for that first show. I can honestly say that I've tried to like the new series, but I've never been able to enjoy it much. Maybe it's because it's all so different from the original show. I was a boy when Battlestar Galactica had its network run, and I can remember eagerly looking forward to each episode. I always tended to love stories about heroes, and the characters of Battlestar Galactica seemed like heroes of the highest order: defending all that was left of the human race against mechanical foes that felt nothing and wanted to destroy mankind. The story captured my imagination as much as the first Star Wars film did when I was a boy, and I still love the stories and characters to this day. Maybe it's the fact that I like rooting for the underdog, or just love stories of heroes fighting against incredible odds. Whatever, the first is a classic, and I never get tired of it.

[julix]

Welcome Creegan...............
There are a lot of us here who love TOS........It was a wonderful show that was inspiring and hopeful. I have the DVD's which are very cool.

[dec5]

That TV Guide cover of Maren Jensen..........Star Wars didn't have a chance with me.

[oldwardaggit]

Well here comes a long winded way to explain what got me to Galactica and why a continuation would work.


Part 1


What first got me

I remember the adds on TV up here in Canada for Battlestar on the big screen
and it even out sold Star wars up here. My older brother begged my mom and dad to let him
go see it with a friend and because I was the little brother, I was not allowed to tag
along but after finding out that Galactica was going to be on TV, It sort of made my
disappointment go away. I remember all the adds on TV and how they could really sell a show
back then by making it look like the biggest thing since sliced bread. All the kids were
talking about Galactica back then and when it aired, it didn't disappoint.

What got me right off the bat was the musical score. The music was so strong and emotional
that it took me to another time and place before I even had a chance to see any of the actors
On Screen. I could list each of the things that made this show so special to me but it was a
combination of everything that made this show so special.

The best complement I could give any show is by saying that when you watch it, You end up
getting into it so much that you forget that your sitting in front of a TV watching a TV
show. Battlestar Galactica has that effect big time and it's an effect that it still has
on me and many, many others Today.

A year Later I found my self writing some letters at the ripe old age of 9. I was part of
the campaign to bring this great show back that only got the axe due to money. A fact that
still manages to be ignored today.

When Galactica came back, I along with millions, were freaked out and ready. At first
it was (Ok so they found earth, that's kind of cool but where is Starbuck and Apollo?)
Flying bikes to a 9-10 year old was kind of cool too but once again, where is starbuck
and Apollo? and while we are at it, where are the rest of the missing? Did they die from
fighting the Cylons? If they did then that sucks. I lost interest because after a few
Episodes, I realized that it wasn't Battlestar Galactica any more and like many others,
I thought Starbuck was dead and stopped watching long before The return of Starbuck aired so
I never had the chance to see it.

Fast forward 15 years and you have a 23 year old with access every once and a while to a
year old awesome channel called the sci fi channel. I seen some adds for Galactica and
remembered that it was my favourite show but forgot all of it's magic and even though I seen
some adds for the Galactathon that was to air, I couldn't be there in front of the TV for
when it aired.

A week later, A good friend of mine shows up with some VCR tapes and says, here ya go, the
whole Galactathon on tape. I thanked him and at the time, my soon to be wife and I didn't
Even have cable. Just an old floor model color TV and a borrowed VCR so the tapes were very
welcome.

We sat down and decided to do a marathon because just like the Galactathon, it was meant to be
watched Back to back. What took place next was very over whelming. All of a sudden that Magic
came flooding back. I've watched lots of shows again that I use to really love when I was
a kid but non of them had this big of an effect on me. I have never been a fan boy of any
thing but at that point I became one and when we were done watching the Galactathon, My
soon to be wife at the time looked at each other and said (How could they let such a great
show die off like that ) From that point on, I was collecting all that I could find, reading
every sci fi mag looking out for this great show and any news.

There has been highs = Richard Hatch continuing the story with books, Richard Hatch doing
a continuation trailer that we all thought would for sure convince Universal to bring our
show back as an upgraded continuation, Meeting many great online friends, Getting an online
petition for a continuation to hit the 10.000 mark in just one week, letter writing campaigns,
Adds placed in two major Magazines plus many other things that I was and still am very
proud to have been a part off. We even had 2 of the Biggest behind the camera names in
Hollywood ( Brian Singer and Tom Desanto) take the reins and even they new how much a
continuation could do for making this a huge franchise.

There has been lows = Universal sitting on a huge money maker for way too long. Richard Hatch
being turned down for his proposal to bring Galactica back, Larson announcing his version
with walking vipers. People going out of there way to clone internet handles and pretend
to be others they were not just to cause trouble for a fan base that fought very hard to
get there show back as something that would stay true to their favourite show, Coming within
weeks of finally getting what they worked so hard for, for many years and waited for over 25
years only to have it taken away and given to some one who would Ultimately do the total
opposite of every thing we worked so hard to achieve over so many years.

It was heartbreaking and to add insult to injury we had others come on line and call us
names and put us down just for venting our disappointment after working so hard and coming
so close but they did teach us something. We learned that it's better to ignore that, that
has nothing to do with what we still might get and addressing it only gives more publicity
to something else when we could be using that time and energy towards what we want in a new
Battlestar Galactica that stays true to the original.

[oldwardaggit]

Part 2

Reasons for a new Battlestar production as a continuation.

The first reason would have to be the fans that stayed true to the show for all these years.
They worked very,very hard to get the show back in the lime light so if you give them something
They feel they can support, they will work Damn hard to keep that show on the air. It's true
that you can't satisfy everyone but once the dust settles, little changes are not so hard to
swallow.

I give credit to Ron Moore because He proved that you can start a show off in the
middle of a story with some back story to bring you up to date. This was one of the reasons
given why a continuation wouldn't work but I have always said that every story has something
That happened before it so for this reason, there is no reason why a new continuation couldn't
be done in a way to make new fans. I also give him credit for proving that as long as the
writing is good for the most part, that you can build a fan base while keeping on budget.

All of which could be done in a continuation too.

A continuation would sell more original box sets too and here is why.
Most fans want a complete collection of what ever they are fans of. No die Hard fan of a new
Galactica that ties into the original, would want to just buy the new continuation box set
with out having the whole story if it existed on DVD.

It has been said that a continuation would not work because Disco is dead and the actors are
to old but no one has asked for a new Galactica with disco the same way disco didn't make it's
way into the new star wars but it did in a new hope because that was the sign of the times
and updating means just that. Many shows have older actors in it in supporting roles so
That in so many ways is just ridiculous as are many other things said against a continuation
that are to self explanatory in why those arguments don't make sense.

The main thing being said now is that another Galactica that differs with Ron Moore's Galactica
will confuse the viewers. With all due respect to those in charge, if you have the original
that is still airing off and on, on the sci fi channel and space the imagination station
plus many other stations in the world and a Box set of the Original that sold very well,
Then you come out with a re-imagined different show and that doesn't confuse the fans in the
first place, then another version isn't going to confuse them.


In my opinion, for the most part, Galactica fans can be put into 3 groups

Group 1. So we have factors that draw new viewers and in my view they are Cool effects,good writing,
well acting, Likable actors and an on set chemistry between the actors.Cool music is also
a bonus. I'm sure I'm missing a few things that fall in line with those above.

Even though we can argue over which of these aspects are better in the re-imagining, original
or would be continuation, I think it's safe to say that the first two have all these aspects
for the most part and the latter would also need this.

Group 2. From what I have been seeing and reading over the last year, Fans of both Ron Moore's
Galactica and original Galactica agree with most of the above but to add to that, They in general
like that the Battlestar Name is back, they like the story in general coming back, they like
just about anything that points towards the original and are not so solid on any new
Galactica having to be true to the original as long as it's a well done show. If asked, most
will say that they would have preferred a continuation but can see Moore's version as a
different show and appreciate it for what it is.

Group 3. Those who are still holding out for a continuation like me are usually the ones who are just not interested in anything
with the Galactica name unless it takes place within the Universe already established. We
feel that Galactica 80 was just a cheap way to cash in on our loyalty for this show and we
feel that we are still waiting to see what happened to all those characters that we came
to know week after week. The possibilities are endless and if two who are so big in
Hollywood can be interested in what we are interested in then that somewhat justifies our belief
That this show can truly be a giant. Some of us are only interested in a continuation as a
way to add to the Galactica story but many others are also interested in a prequel or
side story but prefer the continuation.

Group 1 and 2 can be achieved as a fan base for any well done re-imagined Galactica but
all 3 groups can be achieved as a fan base for a well done continuation Galactica and this
means more people. More people means more viewers. More viewers means higher ratings and
Fans spending money on merchandise and once again we come back to the fans and how they
come first.

OWD

[Centurion Draco]

I saw Battlestar Galactica at the cinema when it first came out, and then 'Mission Galactica' when that arrived a year or so later.
We didn't get the TV series version of it until some years after that, and in fact I had no idea it was a TV show until then!

In 78 (I think it hit the cinemas over here in 78?) I thought it stood up very well with the other sci-fi films of the time, and in fact I actually preffered it to Star Wars Ep4 and Star Trek TMP.
I think the FX and props were what attracted me to it as a kid. I really loved the ships, and the Cylons were an absolute revelation after the usual boring monsters/aliens of previous films.
The whole 'feel' of the show was perfect! It was like everything was thought through properly, from the unintelligable units of measurement, the clothing, the weapons, the steam catapults to launch the vipers, the little clues hinting at connections with ancient civilisations on Earth, it was all just perfect.
Rather like the casting!
I think it's the only show/film ever that I really can't find a 'weak' performance in.
It was just Class!

[TSA]

I was a kid....

I liked ANYTHING sci-fi and "fantasy based" back then. I even watched Automan for pete's sake. But what drew me in was the cylons, spaceships, and laser fire. That's all I needed to see and I was instantly hooked. :D

[martok2112]

I think, for me, it was the fact that I wasn't going to get to see Star Wars anytime soon back then (since my parents were trying to break me of my intense sci-fi fascination...and of course, citing money reasons). However, I saw these previews for this show called Battlestar Galactica, and it looked a heck of a lot like the trailers I'd seen for Star Wars. I thought "Wow, a Star Wars show for television!" I had to be on my best behavior because I knew that my parents would find ANY excuse they could to prevent me from seeing this show, at the first opportunity.

Well, Sunday, Sept17th 1978 came, and I had to secure special permission from my parents to stay up so late to watch this three hour premiere (which would go off at 11:00PM). My parents simply said: "You can watch the show on one condition: You DO NOT come out of your room telling us how great it is, because we aren't interested! That's your show, so just keep it to yourself."

I obliged them. They didn't need to know about the greatness of this show anyway.

I was hooked, and then I saw that 11 PM was closing in fast. The movie was about to end.

What I didn't know was that the show was going to become a series. When I saw the epilogue, Baltar's stay of execution, I was thinking: "What the--? You mean, the movie's not over yet?"

And then when I heard "This is Lorne Greene. Here are some scenes from the next episode of Battlestar Galactica." I jumped out of my bed for joy. Of course, I kept it quiet...didn't want to risk trouble with my parents.

I was a happy camper. I was gonna have Star Wars TV every week.

A week later, we went to go see Star Wars in the theatre. :D

Respectfully,
Martok2112

[CaptainTux]

WOW! Thank you for keeping this little rant of mine alive! Had I known it would still exist in 2005, I would have spelled better!!! I think it may be my turn.

My mom had just entered into yet another marriage. This one was a real winner. I had four years of seeing alot of straws, mirrors, and razor blades. My life essentially sucked and there was not real father figure save brief visits with my grandpa.

Then for a short time, there was this Star Wars like show in my living room once a week. But there was something more. There were absolutes, heroes, a desperate struggle, and hope. Some of these were things I could relate to and others were things I wished I had in my life.

On the outside I loved the battles and the good guys winning. Underneath, I wanted as Adama in my life and I felt my own life was desperate. Well, here I am, Sox are still in first, Jeff Gordon still ends up in the wall, my daughter is now five and in school, I am broke and broken from a messy marriage, and I am now the good and loving father who takes in an occasional stray and I have never lost hope. Misplaced it once in awhile, but never lost it.

BSG was a bright spot in the life of a dark young man. Did it alone change my life? It is a tv show...but it gave me some fond memories, heroes, and ideals to cling to. In today's homogonized world of strip malls and the amalgamization of good and evil, a little black and white is downright refreshing to pop in the DVD player.

[CaptainTux]

One more thing....no matter how hard I try to be Starbuck, I am eternally stuck as Apollo or Boomer..........sigh. ;)

[oldwardaggit]

WOW! Thank you for keeping this little rant of mine alive! Had I known it owuld still exist in 2005, I would have spelled better!!! I think it may be my turn.

My mom had just entered into yet another marriage. This one was a real winner. I had four years of seeing alot of straws, mirrors, and razor blades. My life essentially sucked and there was not real father figure save brief visits with my grandpa.

Then for a short time, there was this Star Wars like show in my living room once a week. But there was something more. There were absolutes, heroes, a desperate struggle, and hope. Some of these were things I could relate to and others were things I wished I had in my life.

On the outside I loved the battles and the good guys winning. Underneath, I wanted as Adama in my life and I felt my own life was desperate. Well, here I am, Sox are still in first, Jeff Gordon still ends up in the wall, my daughter is now five and in school, I am broke and broken from a messy marriage, and I am now the good and loving father who takes in an occasional stray and I have never lost hope. Misplaced it once in awhile, but never lost it.

BSG was a bright spot in the life of a dark young man. Did it alone change my life? It is a tv show...but it gave me some fond memories, heroes, and ideals to cling to. In today's homogonized world of strip malls and the amalgamization of good and evil, a little black and white is downright refreshing to pop in the DVD player.

I've been in some what of the same boat growing up. Although my Mother and father never split up, there were different reasons why my childhood wasn't the greatest and Galactica was that once a week escape from what the world was to me at the time.

Today they want to see doom and Gloom in their sci fi because it reflects the dark side of our planet. this is suppose to be realism although there is plenty of good in this world too that's just as real.

I can't understand why anyone would want entertainment that makes them feel crappy inside and if all doom and gloom makes them feel good , then I really can't understand it but at the same time I respect the difference in opinion and just because I don't understand it, It doesn't mean it isn't valet.

I'm sure there are those who would question why I would always want to suround my self with good vibes and that may be a very good question but that kind of question made me feal silly even typing it when the answer should be so obvious. At least to me anyway. :wtf:

OWD

[KamikazeAthena]

For me it was because I wanted to be an astronaut. The cool ships and lasers brought me to the show. The realism was facinating.

Once I started watching, the whole Eqyptian, "what if" thing hit me very hard. I was fascinated by the idea of us having evolved from another world. I had already long believed (at my insanely young age) that we were not alone in the universe. Now I had a new concept to work with. My brain was spinning! I even wrote grade school themes on it.

Regardless of what science tells me now, part of me still believes that it all might have happened. The more I read about the Spinx, the more I have to wonder who really built it.

Am I gulible or is that good story telling? I like to think that it is the story. :)

BTW - The cute guys in the tight pants did not hurt! :love:

[Ethan]

Okay, there are some that know where I posted this before . . . and this version is . . . slightly edited . . .

Disclaimer:
I still watch the RDM Series . . . late at night when my family is asleep. . . I like the tech . . . but the best story for me will always be TOS!

Why I like Battlestar Galactica
(or where I stand on the issue of TOS)

In 1978, I was eight years old. I was the first of three children of a Jewish father who became a member of the LDS faith in order to marry our mother. Things were ok. Battlestar Galactica premiered in September of that year and my family sat down to watch. We were all entertained and life went on. I became attached to the show because I likened myself to Boxey in some ways, Apollo in some ways and Starbuck in some ways.
I was drawn to Cassiopia more than the other female characters, but I wouldn’t know why for about 4-6 more years.
;) :drool: :drool: :naughty:
I was sad to see my new favorite show cancelled, and when I asked my father about it, he consoled me saying that he learned to deal with it because he went through the same thing with Star Trek. I watched Star Trek, liked it, but not as much as my beloved BSG.
I watched G80 as a ten-year-old, but it did not hold the same appeal for me as the original show . . . except for “The Return of Starbuck”. As I grew up, I held on to the memories of BSG and my lessons in life became parallel to the many storylines and details of BSG.
We were an LDS practicing family and the parts of doctrine that Glen Larson weaved in to the plot were highlights for me. Apollo and Serina were married, by the authority that Adama properly and worthily held, for eternity. LDS doctorine includes eternal marriage and the importance of families. There are many others, but I found the ones I did, and appreciated them. Later on though, BSG became more meaningful. I attached myself to the plot of a hand full of people who escaped certain doom. My father’s family is all Jewish Holocaust survivors. I have been to many Holocaust memorials including “Yad Vashem” ( www.yadvashem.org ) in Jerusalem. I once wondered why I was . . . chosen . . . to survive and to live at this time. I likened myself to BSG thinking that others who survived would like my friendship and maybe my help sometimes.
:) :salute:
On the other side of the coin, my mother’s family has a long LDS (Mormon) history including relatives that were persecuted and driven out of the state of Illinois and Missouri. There was, quite literally an “extermination” order on the Mormons in the state of Missouri. I can even visualize in my imagination the governors of Missouri and Illinois at the time (approx. 1844) standing around a burned down place in Nauvoo, Illinois talking to some Cylon . . . . Okay, that may have been a little harsh, but I have an imagination . . .
:D
My parents, with their respective histories . . .were my Apollo and Serina. Even when my parents got divorced in ’87, the character Boxey inspired me to deal with my situation and move on with my life.
:)
Now, I am married. We have a son who will be eight years old in April. He is close to the age where I will let go of him as a young child and will have to treat him as one who is learning the difference between good and bad. Instead of at infancy, in the LDS faith, a child does not need to be baptized until they are at least eight years old (at least he doesn’t have to wait until he’s thirteen to have a bar mitzvah). This is because a child generally begins to have a grasp of the concept of choosing between right and wrong at approximately this age. LDS doctrine holds that a child is innocent beforehand, and therefore has no need for baptism (and therefore is a responsibility of the parents in all aspects).
My son Joseph and I have watched BSG (TOS) all the way through three or four times. His favorite episode is “Gun on Ice Planet Zero” (mine was “The Long Patrol”, the effects of C.O.R.A. I guess).
:D ;) :rose:
He has not seen however any of TNS. I won’t share it with him. I had a copy of the mini until recently and did not share that with him either. Frankly, if any of my Mormon friends saw me watching TNS at this point, I would likely die of shame right after they told me to repent. My son reminded me a few days ago that he now can reach the DVD player and knows how to put one in . . . I can not imagine what I would have to explain if he put TNS in . . .
:eek:
The next day I got rid of my copy of the mini (TNS).
:salute:
My son is now my Boxey. What kind of father do I want to be? Shall I be Lee the son of William, or shall I be Apollo, the son of Adama? To me, the answer is clear.
:colonial:
I want to support a continuation of the original one and only BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, in a family oriented form. In my opinion, Zac died honorably trying to warn the fleet of impending doom, Sheba’s father, “the legendary Commander Cain”, was the greatest tactical genius of all time, and my son, . . . Boxey, . . . still wonders if and when he will become a Jedi Knight ( . . . oops, another thing he has seen on TV lately . . . )
:D

[spcglider]

Okay, I got a few hours.

I can add my own nostalgia to the pile.

I grew up in a small town called Elk River, MN. It was generally a farming community back in the 1970's, but I was one of the "odd" ones. I loved sci fi. Didn't care about being in 4-H or shooting skeet or bailing hay or riding motorcycles.

I liked Star Wars.

My social awakening happened in the Elk River Theatre on the last night that Star Wars was scheduled to show. I had to literally throw a tantrum to get my father to take me to see Star Wars. It actually changed my life.

When Galactica first started to be promoted, I was like just about everybody else. I thought it was a cheap rip off of SW. Even so, there was something really attractive about it. Something of the undergog vibe that drew me to it. By the time the show hit the air in it's initial telemovie, I had read all he articles and scrutinized all the grainy black and white photographs in all the two-bit sci-fi and horror magazines.

I watched the initial movie (interrupted by Jimmy Carter and some nonsensical press conference about world peace). And guess what? It WASN'T Star Wars at all.

It was cooler.

Why? Well first off, I couldn't be Han Solo or Luke Skywalker. I didn't look like either of them. Even if i could make or et a costume, I still wouldn't look like them. But Colonial Warriors, on the other hand... THAT I could be. And I could be on that looked just like ME. That's cool.

The other thing about Galactica was it's availability. I knew there was another action packed episode coming up in a week or two. Star Wars was out of reach. I couldn't go back to the theatre again and again and get a new SW thrill every week. Hell, this was before the VCR revolution so SW wasn't even available on tape. It would be quite a while before cable TV made Star Wars boring by playing it to death. But Galactica was FRESH and NEW.

It took me a long time to understand it, but Galactica isn't SCIENCE FICTION. It isn't even Science Fantasy or Space Opera. Its actually EPIC LEGEND.

The best comparison is Jason and the Argonauts. When Jason sails his ship up to the giant rocks that clash togehter in the middle of the ocean, and then decides the only way to get to where they're going is by sailing right through the middle even though they will certainly be crushed in the attempt, Its JUST LIKE Gun On Ice Planet Zero.

Yes, the Galactica could have simply waited for the planet Arcta to spin away from the fleet and avoid the firing arc of the laser.. but that isn't the point. Just like Jason could have simply sailed around those clashing rocks. But to quote Sir Didymous in "Labyrinth", "If that is the way it is done, then that is the way you must do it." That's what legend is about. You don't scrutinize legend. You take it in as the lesson, morality play, or social rite that it is meant to be.

The trappings that the storyteller sets about his story are basically unimportant. The fact that galactica was a space show is almost superfluous. Its not the artificial flavor of the vitamin that's good for you. Its the vitamin itself.

I dunno...maybe i'm just waxing "deep" and not making any sense at all.

-Gordon

[Lara]

I dunno...maybe i'm just waxing "deep" and not making any sense at all.

-Gordon

If you are, many more of us are as well!! :D :D

Its got a resonance that goes deeper than you think it should. But its real, and I think its a very good thing..

Cheers,
Lara

[spcglider]

Hokey Smokes, Bullwinkle!!

I didn't think anybody read these things!!

LOL :rotf:

[BST]

Time to dust off this thread.......

For those who may have missed it the first few times around and also, for our newer members, please share your thoughts about what made the original Battlestar Galactica special to you.

:)

[Bacho]

When the series first aired, I was in highschool, and the show was a welcome change from what else was on at the time.

With two primary interests, science and history, the show appealled to me because of the 'ancient astronauts' of mythology and legend.

And best of all, there was no Mr. Goody-Goody Kirk running around. I am sorry for insulting the trek watchers, but come on, with the exception of Capt Janeway, the rest of the Startrek series captains, were, without testicles.

[srgambuti]

I am new to the group, but loved the Original series. However, I think Sci Fi has done great things with the new series and I accept it as its own entity now. It was hard at first, but once I watched a few episodes I loved them.

Steve

[Kevin_J]

im a star trek fan and thats how i stared likeing bsg the tos came out b4 i was born and i watched it after have seeing the new i like them both but i dint lik galatcia somthing where they found earth i thoght it was kinda lame

[moabyte]

I loved the original as a kid and now I think the new series is so amazing. Overall one of the best Sci-Fi series ever. Intelligent, political, complicated and all that great stuff.

[Charybdis]

I was just 10 years old when Galactica aired in 1978. Funny, but I don't ever think I compared it to Star Wars or thought that Galactica was rip off. I just loved the whole concept! I was glued to the TV every Sunday night. some of my fondest childhood memories are sitting there watching that show. It moved me like no other show ever has...

[duende]

I, too, was a 10 yo eager to see this show. I had been deeply immersed in SciFi for a few years, having seen Star Wars a couple of times, been engaged in Star Trek on UHF reruns (and the animated ST too), devouring books in that vein that exceeded my comprehension. Anything to do with space flight (I was into model rocketry) caught my attention.

I still recall the TV Guide with the preview of the Fall season line up where there was an artist's idea of the Galactica on the cover. Funny it looked remarkably like Space Odyssey's "Discovery" with mods. ( I think the artist would be a car tuner today.) What was not to like about this coming show? It had space ships, robots, lasers and aliens.

The opening strains of the brasses of the theme are still stirring. Gotta love it! And now, at 37, I enjoy the new series almost as much as I recall enjoying the first. Though they have similarities (or should I say parallels?), each are their own shows. I watch the reruns when I get the chance; I watch the new one when I can too. I have space in my imagination for both. (Heck, how many times have I seen Star Wars IV?)

[Belloby]

What attracted me to Battlestar Galactica was Lorne Greene. I really loved him on Bonanza and was curious as to what he was going to do on this series. Adama, has been and always will be my favorite character.

And then after I started watching the show ( I was one of the millions who watched the original broadcast in Sept. 1978) the artwork just blew me away. I was a freshman in high school at the time and decided there and then to go into art.

[JLHurley]

I can't believe I have yet to answer this question...

I watched BG faithfully week after week when it first aired in '78-'79 but it wasn't until the summer of '79, after its cancelation announcement, that I started really enjoying and eventually loving it. Fearing that I would never see it again, I started to tape record the repeats; didn't think of doing such a thing until after "Living Legend" but I managed to get "Gun," "Young Lords, "Man w/ 9 Lives," and "War of the Gods" on tape, eventually even mail ordering other eps on tape cassettes. Heck, when BG hit the theater that same summer, I even smuggled in two tape recorders to get it on tape in its entirety, too! Every day after school, I listened to those same cassettes on my home stereo and eventually in my car. (It's been over 25 years and to this day I still listen to BG on the road, although I now have CD recordings of them all.)

The music definitely drew me into the series from the get-go, but I think it was its basic story of survival that really grabbed me--that and the "look" and "feel" to the series. In a way, BG reminds me of a favorite movie of mine, "The Ten Commandments": both involved an exodus, both had "bigger than life" characters, and both had incredible costumes.

[marlee]

I was 20 in 1978, and i loved the show at the very beginning. because of the concept that space travel is possible and u dont know what is out there. I always liked sci fi. I was in a fan club,it has been so long that I dont remember the name ,but it was out of corvalis oregon. I had patches like they wore on their uniforms and wrist bands. I really enjoyed it. I wrote on a continuing story by hand . No computer. so any correspondence took a while.Now I am 47 yahrens old 48 next month and i still enjoy it. They still show it fromm time to time on scifi channel. I 'll never tire of it

[Jan Reinar]

Hi! :salute:

I am from Brazil and in 1979 the Universal movies was openning a new movie theatre here on Rio de Janeiro. They had choosen a three hours version of BATTLESTAR GALACTICA to be the first movie to be showed with their new sound system.

I had 14 years in that time and as many of my friends was very curious about the movie. The series will take a year to be showed on Brazilian TV and we didn't know anything about BATTLESTAR GALACTICA.

See the movie on big screen with all of that sound effects was a amazing experience and I back many times for FIVE weeks and I was not the only one. So many people back for the movie that they began to show the series double epsoides like as movies!



Sorry for my English.

[Bradleyfett]

Wow Gordon!

You certainly have the gift of the Blarney! But what you say is very true- I'm right there with you. These are the reasons I haven't been able to connect with the new series.

I was 9 at the time it first aired and caught up in the post- Star Wars need for more sci-fi (or Epic Legend as you correctly peg'd it!). Buck Rogers and The Black Hole hooked me for the same reason. BSG, however had the most 'play vaule' for me as a kid.

I stayed a fan and collector into adulthood. The pinnical of my BSG geek fanhood was getting the oportunity to restore the original Galactica model for Universal Florida in 1990.

I put aside my fandom for a short while in the late 90s when a bad encounter with the current owner of the Galactica model (and other BSG studio miniatures) put a really bad taste in my mouth for all things BSG. It's funny how one thing can spoil the rest like that.

What re-kindled my interest a few years ago was the studio-scale Galactica model by Jim Creveling. He sparked my interest in doing BSG models again and in BSG in general. Though meeting him and Charles Adams (www.starshipmodeler.com), I have met a lot of other great fans and I has kept me interested every since just about everything TOS BSG.

Mark

[martok2112]

Wow Gordon!

You certainly have the gift of the Blarney! But what you say is very true- I'm right there with you. These are the reasons I haven't been able to connect with the new series.

I was 9 at the time it first aired and caught up in the post- Star Wars need for more sci-fi (or Epic Legend as you correctly peg'd it!). Buck Rogers and The Black Hole hooked me for the same reason. BSG, however had the most 'play vaule' for me as a kid.

I stayed a fan and collector into adulthood. The pinnical of my BSG geek fanhood was getting the oportunity to restore the original Galactica model for Universal Florida in 1990.

I put aside my fandom for a short while in the late 90s when a bad encounter with the current owner of the Galactica model (and other BSG studio miniatures) put a really bad taste in my mouth for all things BSG. It's funny how one thing can spoil the rest like that.

What re-kindled my interest a few years ago was the studio-scale Galactica model by Jim Creveling. He sparked my interest in doing BSG models again and in BSG in general. Though meeting him and Charles Adams (www.starshipmodeler.com), I have met a lot of other great fans and I has kept me interested every since just about everything TOS BSG.

Mark

Hi, Mark.

Can you tell us what happened when you had your bad encounter with the Galactica model owner? There are always things that happen to us as fans that at one time or another (or more than once) want to make us walk away from fandom. I'd be interested in hearing your story.

Respectfully,
Martok2112

[Bradleyfett]

Long story short, he thought I had kept pieces of the model when I had it (8 years prior) and he used made-up stories and intimidation to try and get me to give them up. He is still very bitter about it today and takes every opportunity to bad-mouth me to others. He and his buddies still will tell other collectors that they won't deal with them if t they deal with me. There are a lot more details, but that's the long and short of it.

I don't get mad about it any more- that take up too much energy. I just attribute it to certain personality types- they let their collections consume them. Some people are just like that and nothing I can do or say will change it, so I've moved on. There are many more BSG fans out there who have the proper attitude and perspective and can still enjoy this as a hobby.

Mark

[peter noble]

Mark,

I had an e-mail from that guy last year concerning his purchase of the Basestar model, the guy's a paranoid dickhead.

Best,

Peter

[Bradleyfett]

AH, we are talking about the same guy!

Yea, paranoid is one of his traits. I don't want this to become thread bashing him though- its just not productive.

Mark

[Darrell Lawrence]

Hey Mark, check your e-mail!

[Bradleyfett]

Thanks Warrior! Reply sent!

Hey Peter, I sent you a PM, but I don't think I can access that here yet- you could respond to me at mbradley3@cfl.rr.com

Mark

[Darrell Lawrence]

You should be all set up now, Mark.

[Bradleyfett]

Thanks a frak-load!

M

[Damocles]

Why do I think about the Galactica on June 7th?

Maybe because I saw it for the first time on videotape as I was preparing a report on the possibility of building O'Neill colonies and I was depressed by the latest failure in human imagination(the cancellation of Apollo.

Then I see the Galactica as she banks through an escape pivot as she heads for Caprica, during "Saga of a Starworld". (Impossible for a rocket, but who cares)?
And I see Starbuck and Apollo in their Vipers.(Unlikely, any fighters we use in space will be artilects, but they were so heroic!).
This was it for me. It restored my faith that we would make it into space despite the setbacks and the imbecility of those who try to stop us. Those Cylons in their three piece suits with their bottom lines won't stop us. Either on the screen or in reality.
We'll have our continuation and our real O'Neill colonies in space.
The Alligator still lives!

As always;

[Shatter]

A prodigal member poking his head in with a thought...

I read over Captain Tux's post that inspired this thread and found that it hit close to home, perhaps because in recent days I've found myself mulling over why I continue to adhere to TOS despite the momentum of the "reimagined" version. Were I to attempt what Tux suggested, and try to sell someone on the idea of a continuation of TOS, I think that the cornerstone of my argument would be simple and very "non sci-fi" in nature. For although I cherish the characters, technology, and universe of TOS, it is what I personally have always perceived as the central theme of the series that conitinues to draw me back to it, and fuels my hope that the story will someday continue.

We live in a cyncial age, where we witness some of the worst that humanity has to offer on a daily basis via the steady assault of media. One can't deny the reality of evil in the world. To fail to acknowledge its existence is naive. But it seems to me within the realm of entertainment, incluidng print, television, and film, a subtle hopelessness has invaded many of the stories that are presented in recent years, a despair that argues that the worst that is in mankind is essentially unavoidable and that, to a certain degree, all that individuals can do is struggle to survive and accept the fact that evil, within and outside of themselves, is here to stay. A few months back, I watched a few episodes of the ill-fated Law & Order spinoff Conviction, and although I found some of the stories interesting, as a whole the show wasn't especially compelling, as I found the central characters primarily devoid of morals, weaving through their professional and personal lives with an ever shifting set of situational ethics. The show epitomized what I sense in a great deal of entertainment now: protagonists that are not flawed, but corrupted, carrying the message that everyone is steered by their basest instincts.

History doesn't hold that supposition to be true. Some of the stories I was fortunate enough to grow up with as a child presented examples of individuals that acted out of nobility and rose up to meet challenges that were daunting, in an effort to defend what they believed to be right. In terms of fictional characters, I was always taken with the Arthurian legends and Arthur's insistence that might be a force governed by right, strength in the service of good. Battlestar Galactica fell right in line with the heroic stories of my youth. It presented a world wherein individuals were flawed, even weak, but they were ultimately ruled by their noblest instincts and made a stand against evil, devoting themselves to the protection of those that were weak. Tom, TOS presents a timeless story with timeless values, demonstrating that even those that have flaws can become heroes, and that standing up for good, even in the face of terrible odds, is ultimately the right course of action, and one that yields eternal rewards. Just as the Arthurian tales haven't grown old with countless retellings and additions, I belive that TOS taps into the same heroic tradition, and a continuation of the saga would offer more stories (with great characters, cool tech, and fascinating adversiares) that would inspire and challenge viewers. In short, it's a saga well worth extending, for viewers young and old, familiar and unfamiliar.

And were it continued, I think even after a single viewing, it wouldn't need "selling" to newcomers. Timeless tales have a magic that draws all of us in.

Just my two cents. :)

[CaptainTux]

I know I replied to this thread in the past, but I am feeling deep at the moment. Not including miniseries and made for tv movies, I have three all time favorite sci fi shows. Farscape, Firefly, and the one that struck a positive chord in a dark child hood, Battlestar Galactica.

Farscape is all about the hammering of John Chichton for me. How much can one man take and how far will he go. In the beginning he could not kill, in the end, he was willing to take out the galaxy. Suffice to say the show is all about one man for me.

Firefly....wow. It is the first time a show touched nerves on me since BSG and that is a thread all its own. Suffice it to say it is possibly the most amazing show ever written.

Battlestar Galactica. Okay, fine. It gave me a defined good and evil when I needed it. It gave me an ensemble of people to aspire to, respect, and root for. So why is that important for others? Why is this something we should share with the new generation of sci fi fans and why is it something to wish it could have been continued with the original cast...or at least a next generation based on the original vision?

The answer is simple...we need what BSG offers. We need heroes, we need leaders without moral ambiguity, we need hope in the face of desperate circumstances, we need faith, and we also need a good time. During the great depression the best selling movies were Shirley Temple films and Westerns. Shirley Temple made sense. She was cute and adorable and put smiles on faces that had not smiled and forgotten in some time....but western serials? It makes sense. People were suffering over matters that were unclear. Let's face it...how many folk today understand why decisions made by men on a trading floor means they lose a job, price of gas goes up, and beets become less affordable? The bad guy was intangible. It was something that did not make sense. Polly Purebread tied to the train tracks as Black Bart twirls his mustache and giggles at the sound of the train whistle made sense. It was tangible and real and the suspense was palatable. The hero would ride in on a horse, rescue Polly, and smack and shoot Bart at high noon. Or Pa and his boys were gonna lose the ranch to the wicked men and the family would have to pull together with the help of a stranger. Maybe a town was under siege and Miss Kitty would have to call in an old friend to help. It did not matter. The bad guys were bad, there was no complexity, there was nothing to understand, there was no confusion. The good guys were good. They did not have a dark side, and if they did, it was because Bart killed their kid brother or they needed to redeem themselves from something dark they did decades ago. Reality sucks. The studios need to remember that we need escape from reality, not a reflection of it to dilute the fantasy we are looking for in science fiction.

The bad guys were the Cylons. Why? They hate peace and equality and all the things that make us noble. Why? because they are evil. They have no souls.

The good guys? They come of different races, genders, and backgrounds. A socialator got to be a physicians assistant and got to be part of the family, publicly accepted by one of the best known families in the fleet. A Commander lost a son, a wife, and most of his peers. Shouldered with the burden of the survival of his species, he has followed a path of faith and wisdom and love and knew when to invoke diplomacy and when to invoke might. A cowboy and a lover who seemingly has not a care in the world....will follow his friend in suicide mission after suicide mission because he yearns to be more than the sum of his parts. He claims to be a loner, but is bound by friendship and love and duty. A son who lost a mother and a kid brother. In the midst of the pain, has time to fall in love and take in an orphan. When the love is lost, he never curses fate and does not shirk from duty...be that duty to the fleet or to a little boy. I could go through this list all the way to Jolly if I cared to.

Today our politicians are corrupt, our sports heroes are thugs, and our heroes are wicked and the villains are misunderstood. While the elite say BSG and Shane and the Rifleman and Superman are simplistic popcorn and lack depth....I say this is out hope and this is our chance. The children are lost and alone and their icons spend as much time on court tv as they do on the court or screen. When they are on tv...the character is another uninspired, homogenized, gray character painting a gray world a little more gray.

It is time for a little hope, faith, and love.

Battlestar Galactica brilliantly exemplified that with simplicity. That is not popcorn, that is brilliance. When you do not need a playbook to explain what is going on, you have communicated a message effectively. That is brilliance and quality storytelling. The right inspiration can shape a dark world into a brighter place. We may aspire to be the heroes we secretly yearn for. Maybe it is about time a splash of color was added to the gray.

That is all I have at the moment. I hope my ramblings made sense and I hope I sold the candidate BSG well.

[Dawg]

I could not possibly have said it better.

Well done, my friend.

I am
Dawg
:warrior:

[martok2112]

Very well told, my friend. :) :salute:

Personally, I just like a good story....I don't care if the good guys are pure, or morally ambiguous. I don't care if the bad guys are evil incarnate, or misunderstood. Just tell me a good story. Just entertain me, and the job's done. :)

But I do get where you're coming from, amigo. 110 percent.

Take care,
Martok :salute:

[spcglider]

I know I replied to this thread in the past, but I am feeling deep at the moment. Not including miniseries and made for tv movies, I have three all time favorite sci fi shows. Farscape, Firefly, and the one that struck a positive chord in a dark child hood, Battlestar Galactica.

Farscape is all about the hammering of John Chichton for me. How much can one man take and how far will he go. In the beginning he could not kill, in the end, he was willing to take out the galaxy. Suffice to say the show is all about one man for me.

Farscape is an unabashed "re-imagining" of Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon (the ORIGINALS). A good one, to be sure, but the human "fish out of water" story taken to it's extreme. No fault there, just acknowleging the source.

Battlestar Galactica. Okay, fine. It gave me a defined good and evil when I needed it. It gave me an ensemble of people to aspire to, respect, and root for. So why is that important for others? Why is this something we should share with the new generation of sci fi fans and why is it something to wish it could have been continued with the original cast...or at least a next generation based on the original vision?

The answer is simple...we need what BSG offers. We need heroes, we need leaders without moral ambiguity, we need hope in the face of desperate circumstances, we need faith, and we also need a good time.


Being a big fan of moral ambiguity, I'll have to agree to dis-agree! I believe what we need are leaders who know the definition of moral ambiguity and know how to use it to the advantage of the people they serve. Not just themselves. I don't believe that a black&white approach to reality is a safe one all the time. Especially when humanity is involved. That's why Commander Adama had the fashizzle. He knew when to bend or break the rules in order to keep 1000 pounds of humanity in a 5 pound space baggie.


During the great depression the best selling movies were Shirley Temple films and Westerns. Shirley Temple made sense. She was cute and adorable and put smiles on faces that had not smiled and forgotten in some time....but western serials? It makes sense. People were suffering over matters that were unclear. Let's face it...how many folk today understand why decisions made by men on a trading floor means they lose a job, price of gas goes up, and beets become less affordable? The bad guy was intangible. It was something that did not make sense. Polly Purebread tied to the train tracks as Black Bart twirls his mustache and giggles at the sound of the train whistle made sense. It was tangible and real and the suspense was palatable. The hero would ride in on a horse, rescue Polly, and smack and shoot Bart at high noon. Or Pa and his boys were gonna lose the ranch to the wicked men and the family would have to pull together with the help of a stranger. Maybe a town was under siege and Miss Kitty would have to call in an old friend to help. It did not matter. The bad guys were bad, there was no complexity, there was nothing to understand, there was no confusion. The good guys were good. They did not have a dark side, and if they did, it was because Bart killed their kid brother or they needed to redeem themselves from something dark they did decades ago. Reality sucks. The studios need to remember that we need escape from reality, not a reflection of it to dilute the fantasy we are looking for in science fiction.


That's exactly the feeling one gets from watching the epic Lord Of The Rings trilogy. And you are correct. Humanity needs a break every now and then to maintain what passes for sanity. In an objective view, it's really just lying to ourselves. But a necessary fantasy nonetheless. There were NEVER heroes pure of heart nor were there EVER villains operating simply for the purpose of evil for evil's sake (unless they were insane). John Wayne, while a standup guy and all around Hollywood like-able person, wasn't Sterling Pureheart the white Paladin in real life. He was a guy. Just like a million other guys in the great unwashed masses... going to work, doing his job, reacting with a mixture of logic and emotion to what life handed him.

It is refreshing, however, to allow ourselves the conceit of heroes and villains in cinema. It makes comforting entertainment. And that is one of the many functions of film/tv/radio/media. In fact, in light of the great tradition of storytelling, one might say one of the MAIN functions.


The bad guys were the Cylons. Why? They hate peace and equality and all the things that make us noble. Why? because they are evil. They have no souls.


Actually, if you examine the clues prvided in the story, one could infer that the Cylons were created to BE evil by the agent of evil itself, Count Iblis. If he was involved to a extent where his actual voice was used as that of the Machine Leader and then later transferred to the Imperious Leader, one could judge from the nature of the character that he was directly responsible for the ensuing situation.


Today our politicians are corrupt, our sports heroes are thugs, and our heroes are wicked and the villains are misunderstood.


While technically you are correct, I'm going to have to call this "looking through rose colored glasses". The overall trend in media is towards a "dark" hero... agreed. But I'm afraid that if you examine history you will note that corrupt politicians and sports thugs are no new phenomenon. It has been that way since time immemorial. As for wicked heroes, one has to come to terms with that self-same moral ambiguity. Is it not wicked to kill? Sherriff Matt Dillon, The Lone Ranger, The Batman, The Phantom, even Roy Rogers... all of them summarily killed their adversaries at one time or another. The only "hero" to eschew killing was Doc Savage, who captured his enemies whenever possible and performed brain surgery on them at a secret facility in upstate New York in order to turn them into useful members of society. But the killing of villains is a convenience afforded by storytelling. The creator is allowed to design an unredeemable person so vile and wicked that the only way to deal with them is to "kill them all and let God sort it out". Its a gift of the medium... catharsis. One could almost call it an emotional reward. We don't have that luxury in reality. Reality isn't that black and white. If it were, Pro Wrestling would be the only entertainment available.



While the elite say BSG and Shane and the Rifleman and Superman are simplistic popcorn and lack depth....I say this is out hope and this is our chance. The children are lost and alone and their icons spend as much time on court tv as they do on the court or screen. When they are on tv...the character is another uninspired, homogenized, gray character painting a gray world a little more gray.

It is time for a little hope, faith, and love.

Battlestar Galactica brilliantly exemplified that with simplicity. That is not popcorn, that is brilliance. When you do not need a playbook to explain what is going on, you have communicated a message effectively. That is brilliance and quality storytelling. The right inspiration can shape a dark world into a brighter place. We may aspire to be the heroes we secretly yearn for. Maybe it is about time a splash of color was added to the gray.

That is all I have at the moment. I hope my ramblings made sense and I hope I sold the candidate BSG well.

You make perfect sense. But I don't find your assesment of the world as nothing but gray to be an accurate one. The placement of color in the world is subject to the individual... and to the perception of the rest. Nature provides us with more color (in a metaphorical sense) than we can understand... add to that the color of society and the individual and we are subject to a rainbow of infinite breadth. But one must be willing to perceive it in full spectrum and not just obsess on a single color.

Hope, Faith, and Love, in my view, must remain the exception to the rule or they lose all meaning. I won't deign to argue that the existence of simplified fare like Galactica is necessary to distill and promote the message of Hope , Faith and Love, but these things are meaningless unless they are contrasted against their abscence or loss.

That having been said, I agree that Galactica is a smashing example of the epic storytelling art... carrying all the classic hallmarks that make it a much more useful thing to society than simple, empty entertainment.

-Gordon

[conconcv66]

I was 15 when it first air and i had to argue with my mom to watch it see want to watch the award show. when she finally let me watch it the first thing i saw was zac dying and adama saying that was my son. :cry:

[Dyonisis]

i was 8 or 9 when it aired and ever since then ive been hooked

[Norsehound]

I feel compelled to reply... before I go into my reasoning I have to state that I'm 21... I was born after Galactica came and left. There is no 'it was on when I was a kid' nostalgia for me.

I'm not sure when I saw it for the first time, maybe it was a re-run when I was a baby. I didn't recontact galactica until sometime in my middleschool years... maybe it was on the Scifi channel or so. I loved the Battlestar, and came to grow and admire the cast, also.

Why do I stand beside the origional even after Ron Moore's promises of a newer, flashier series?

...As I said, I love the ship, but I also love the mythos behind it. There's something deeper here, a living history that is only alluded to us in myths. There is a great evil among the stars in the form of Iblis... Earth, which we all know and live on, is a myth to these ancestors of ours across the stars somewhere. The fact that the roots of their mythology is found in ours only brings the tie between us and the colonies all the more closer.

The characters are also another significant draw. Adama is the ideal leader, one who commands and one who administrates. He's father to his son and daughter, and in some respects the entire fleet. He faces down Iblis without so much of a flinch, knowing the being is evil.

Starbuck is another memorable hero simply for the fact that nothing gets to him. He's always optimistic, and the resonant humor between him and the rest of the cast is always something to smile about (especially as I'm reading the novelized version of 'Saga' again.)

I'm such a fan I created an entire battlestar out of Legos. It's the oldest intact model I've ever constructed- made way back even before a move to another city! Only after my Uncle sent me his own Galactica model (after I oogled over it on a visit to his place) did I find the innacuracies.

Galactica, I see, has the potential for a long-reaching epic about heroism in the face of incredible odds. It's a potential that remains unfulfilled...

[Toltec42]

I was always intrigued by the multicultural aspects of the show and a little disappointed they didn't explore some of those ideas further.

[Arachne]

I don't think I ever watched BSG when it originally aired, but I don't remember a time when I didn't know about it. In spite of that, I kind of came to it in bits and pieces. I'd see pictures and articles, and they caught my interest, but I didn't get to see much of the actual show. I had an Imperious Leader action figure (which quickly got renamed "Bubblegum Head"), and the Cracked parody, plus a few of the Marvel comics. I liked Athena right from the start. She got to fly Vipers! (Princess Leia never got to fly X-wings.) Eventually I came across The Cylon Death Machine at a garage sale, and then the novelization of Saga of a Star World. Once I got online, I found out there were videos released, so I finally got to see some episodes. I also got to read about the episodes I didn't have and read lots fan fiction. :) I was rather disappointed that Athena didn't get as much screen time as I expected, but I still loved the show.

I finally got the dvds about a week and a half ago, and I've now seen all the episodes. The series was actually better than I thought it would be, so I'm kind of annoyed that I waited so long. :/:

[Mieal Deneb]

I finally got the dvds about a week and a half ago, and I've now seen all the episodes. The series was actually better than I thought it would be, so I'm kind of annoyed that I waited so long. :/:

Like I said before, it's never too late! ;) I still haven't gotten the money to pick up my own set of the DVDs, so I'm jealous! :P:

[JAFO]

I'm new to this site and this thread looked like a good place to start. I've been a fan of BSG since I was 8 - same year the show first aired. I was already a huge Star Trek fan (local TV station would run repeats on Saturday afternoons), then Star Wars hit. My mom used to buy me the sci-fi tv/movie magazines - especially Starlog. So I was all primed when BSG came out. I remember being blown away by it! And I remember that they had ads in Starlog for Warrior jackets - in kids' sizes!!! Man, I think I drove my mom crazy begging for one of those :) Anyway, I just loved the show from the first episode. The ships, the uniforms, man the blasters were just too cool.

Then in '81, or maybe '82, we went to Universal Studios in CA for the first time and I got to go through the Battlestar Galactica experience - it wasn't a ride but part of the backlot tour (but i'm sure you guys know all about it) and I swear, I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. I could NOT believe Colonial Warriors were battling Cylons right there in front of me! Definitely NOT something a kid from North Carolina sees every day.

Now, I'm a single dad with an 8 1/2 year old daughter. And she loves BSG! Ok, so maybe Starbuck has something to do with that :) But she digs watching it with me. And watching it now, 30 years later, I still love it. Now, if I could just come up with the cubits for that Warrior Uniform...


:salute:

[Reaper]

JAFO, First off, GREAT screen name!! I love it, ever since seeing the movie Blue Thunder.

Second, that's a great story there. I've been a fan from the beginning as well. and LOVED being able to see it week after week. (and then every day when it went into reruns in the 80's)

As for getting the cubits for the warrior's uniform, you're not alone there, a whole group of us are working to get the uniforms done!

And trying to help others do it too. Check out the costuming section in the Shatterer worlds section :)

[JAFO]

Thanks Reaper! I scanned the thread regarding the uniforms and if there's a pattern that can be used and a materials list I'll get one made this year. Looks like the best place for a blaster rig is Battlestargalactica.org - a little pricey but they look good so I think I'll splurge. The boots...well, that looks like it's gonna cost :)

As for the screen name, I've loved Blue Thunder since I first saw it. As a kid I watched the Blue Thunder TV show too. And I've got pictures of what's left of the chopper I've taken at Disney World on several vacations (she's nothing more than a bleached out, beat up shell but every time I see her I think..with a little paint and a little work she'd be right). Unfortunately I don't have pics of the Viper they had at Universal; I don't even remember seeing it IF they had it when I was there . Probably cause I was blown away by the tram ride through the battle. But how cool would it be to have that in your backyard??? Or am I the only one who's googled "full size colonial viper replica"? :)

Anyway, I love the original series - for me, that's it. You need somebody to help defend Caprica? Sign me up!

:salute:

[Reaper]

only one? Monolith and I have been talking about building Full sized Vipers lol. Nevermind googling them (not likely to happen anytime soon unfortunately lol)

If you want a ready to go out of the box Blaster, yes, my suggestion would be the BSG.ORG laser. I have one, I love it, it was my first laser lol. (only thing I added to it was a trigger)

If you would like to save a bit of money and do a little assembly then the Wilco Models Laser is almost the exact same laser piece.

You can find them on Ebay fairly regularly. I have been dealing with Wilco for a while now and love all their offerings. In fact I organized a group order that's in the works now. But the price difference between the group order and the Ebay auction is only $5.

If there is anything I can do for you, to further you're costume, just give a yell.

Oh and you've been Recruited by the Galactica to defend the fleet from Baltar and the Cylon Armada. lol :salute::salute:

[Orion24]

The thing that got me Hooked on the show was the Mythology side that was used in the show also the Chariots of the Gods? book by Erich von Däniken which really had a Big influence with the show, Everything back then had to do with U.F.O.'s, Pyramidology, Ancient Astronauts ect. , But the show brought that all together for me and it was also a fun time for me. :)

[Benedict]

Originally, what hooked me was the battles then the drama. When I first watched the 'movie' as a boy of 7-8 I was stunned by the attack on Caprica aided by Stu Phillips' music. But also Starbuck, he was one of my childhood heroes and a part of me still wishes I could be like him.
But mythology, like Orion24, has me hooked with BSG now amongst other things. "What if...life here...began out there?"

[Orion24]

That's Right Benedict, When it comes down to it, The Show Hit the Air Waves at the Right Time and it was just what I wanted in a SCI-FI Show. :)

[Reaper]

hey Orion, how you doing? I'm not far from you, I'm in Garfield NJ right now, just across the River really (almost at least lol)

[Orion24]

hey Orion, how you doing? I'm not far from you, I'm in Garfield NJ right now, just across the River really (almost at least lol)

I'm doing Great Reaper, Yeah, Garfield's a Nice Town. :) How are you doing?

Bill

[BST]

When I posted the initial question for this thread, I never imagined that I would post on the same thread nearly 6 years later!

:)

[Reaper]

It's the thread that keeps on going BST!
Always have new people coming in!!

Doing good Orion! Just cruising at the moment! :)

[Orion24]

Thank's Reaper, I also invited a Friend to Join, This is a Great Site. :)

[Orion24]

When I posted the initial question for this thread, I never imagined that I would post on the same thread nearly 6 years later!

:)

Some Threads Never Die BST. :D

[Reaper]

Thank's Reaper, I also invited a Friend to Join, This is a Great Site. :)

:salute::salute::salute:Glad to hear it! IT is an amazing site! the talent here is amazing!

[Orion24]

Yup, I can see that. :)

[LZaza]

I can still remember sitting in the passenger seat of our '68 Monaco, no doubt without a seatbelt, listening to my brother and his friends regaling me with tales of BSG on their way home from the theatre. When the TV series pilot came on, I tuned in to see if the real thing lived up to my expectations.

It surpassed them.

When I was ten, I was caught up in the epic story of people you could identify with crossing the universe, fleeing for their lives, while searching for a future. However, if you'd asked me then what I liked about BSG, I would have grinned inanely and answered in one word, "Starbuck". :drool:

Don't get me wrong here, I like sci-fi, but it was the characterizations of BSG that really hooked me. It was their ability to overcome adversity, and to move forward with the tantalizing promise of hope. The characters were laser-proof, and it didn't matter what the universe threw at them, they'd chew it up, spit it out, and go back for seconds the following week. I loved those guys!

Years later when I watched the DVD's after a twenty year estrangement, that same feeling of hope, lightness, luminosity--not really sure how to describe it, but it felt good--suffused me again! It was a welcome time warp, spiraling me back into those feel-good emotions of my childhood. More than anything, that's why I'm still part of the BSG community.

[Ramses]

this show was one of the few I looked forward to watching when I was a kid. Me and my mom would settle in with popcorn everyweek and watch. I loved the characters and the vipers. and even though I grew up with Star Trek and loved it as well. the Galactica and her crew were the Best thing going.

no matter what happens in the future Ill be able to watch this show and remember my mom and remember my childhood fondly.

[gmd3d]

Nice memory thanks for sharing .

[WarMachine]

This just goes to show that you will eventually click on something in CF, and facesmack the keyboard with "Why didn't I read this earlier?!"

I saw "Saga" in theaters when it first came out - it was the aftermath of Star Wars, and anything sci-fi was good. Then came the debut, and I was hooked. I recall being very upset when it was canceled - my first intro to the wonderful world of tv.

What grabbed me? Even at 11 or 12, what grabbed me was that these weren't Americans in funny clothes - the Colonials were different: different society, different history -- different everything.

Then came the ships...but not the gear. BSG never lived or died on the 'technobabalation of the week' - certain episodes aside - but they developed story and characterization...something other shows simply lack; my yardstick on this is "Would I want to drink/party with these people?" - for BSG, the answer is an overwhelming Yes! - I simply can't think of another show where I would want to knock back a few with pretty much every single person on the show -- not B5, not Farscape, not Firefly, not SAAB, not Stargate (neither movie nor shows), not Trek (in any incarnation), nor Star Wars...Understand, I would love to have a few with certain individuals from certain shows, but not the entire ensemble cast[s], as I would with BSG...even Baltar, before I "Han Solo'd" him. :D

[Mackon]

Parents took me to see a double feature at the Drive-In saw BSG back to back with Flying High.

[gmd3d]

Parents took me to see a double feature at the Drive-In saw BSG back to back with Flying High.

welcome aboard Mackon

[Mackon]

welcome aboard MackonThanks :salute: Looks like I'm going to spend a lot of time wandering around reading old threads. Every time I turn around there's a title I want to stick my nose into and see what people are saying about a episode or character.

[gmd3d]

Thanks :salute: Looks like I'm going to spend a lot of time wandering around reading old threads. Every time I turn around there's a title I want to stick my nose into and see what people are saying about a episode or character.

jump in anywhere.. and have fun

[Jubal]

I feel the best way to show how I feel about Battlestar is to comment on points that hit me from what others say. Plus I like talking Battlestar.

RESPONSE TO THE PAGE ONE COMMENTS:

Oh, my response didn't contain what initially got me:

They said John Dykstra was in charge of special effects. That was all they had to say to get me and my brother in control of the TV that one September night.

Dystra & ILM/Apogee did not disappoint; and the story was (IMO) even better than Star Wars.

Forgive me, what was Dykstra known for prior to Battlestar?

My favorites included:

The Living Legend.
War of The Gods.
Gun On Ice Planet Zero.
Lost Planet of The Gods.


Basically Living Legend is worn out on my DVD almost and Gun on Ice Planet Zero is my favorite because muffit saves the day. :P

Just from the promos I could tell something special this way comes.

Bought a VCR just for the occation.

We recorded it on beta.


Ah, the memories......
Fast forward a few years to the early '80s, after watching Blakes' 7, Dr Who, and re-runs of Star Trek, Space 1999 & Thunderbirds, I was pretty keen on any kind of show with a sci-fi element to it (Logans Run, Jason of Star Command, Salvage 1, etc). ".......

Wow... you know about Jason of Star command and Salvage 1. Again, just wow...

P.S. The first time I saw 'Greetings From Planet Earth Pt.1', I remember the announcer's message at the end of the show (after the shuttle sets off for Paradeen) - "And Apollo and Starbuck will be in Sleep Mode until the same time, next week".......

That is a neat story teller's trick, letting actual time (the time between two episodes) give the feeling that Apollo and Starbuck are out there, sleeping, waiting till we see them again. I think I remember talking about that in the 2nd grade at recess. :)

... No scifi show has yet to equal the sets of BSG with it's rotating Command Center and its Tektronix Vectorscan Computer Display Consoles, Oscilliscopes, Curve Tracers and Spectrum Analyzers. ...

I heard they borrowed flight equipment and simulators for that. And I loved the effect that it gave of that realism.

... Even when I was a kid though, the regal but kindly presence of Lorne Greene held my attention whenever he stepped on screen. Although I didn't exactly think of it this way at the time, Greene's Adama seemed like the perfect incarnation of a leader..

What helped on this to a 2nd grader like I was that he was so kind to Boxey. I think Boxey really did give me a gateway to me, a kid, actually being there.

But Adama as I get older, I grow to appreciate what he was as a character more and more. He was crafty, firm, and commanding, yet fair. And something else I get more and more as time goes on, a warrior.


The less said about the traumatic experience of "Galactica 1980" the better. .

I think it took me a while to see that Galactica 80 was as bad as we came to know it as. I was just happy to see Vipers, blasters, and in the end we got to see Starbuck again. Loved that.

So I plan on writing to the other four pages of responses just picking out the responses that catch my eye. But the basics about me...

ABOUT JUBAL....
-- The First Time Around --

I was in kindergarden when Star Wars came out. I was in the 2nd grade when Battlestar Galactica came out. My dad is the cool influence in my life. He would watch these shows, and I liked them. My dad found Battlestar Galactica, and I watched it.

I was HUGE into C3P0 and R2D2, so I vaguely remember being a little confused when the shiney knights were not the good guys. Weird! I might have wondered where the good knights were, but in time I figured it out.

There were ships flying around, there were explosions, there were robots. I was happy. I was easy to please in the end. :P

I collected Battlestar Galactica cards, and I got really wrapped up in the show. My grades faltered and my parents took up my cards.

I played Battlestar with the kid next door (he had the Viper and Cylon that could fire... they were always slightly better off than us.) I remember being careful not to loose the bullets.

We played Star Wars on the play ground. I played C3P0 and Leia would be kissing on me. I would there saying waving my arms like C3P0...

"OH NO! Master Luke is over there... you don't want me!!" Looking back, she got her hair put in the side buns for me and showed up to kindergarden like that. And then she had a Star Wars party and invited me and other kids and the Star Wars figures were the party favors. She was so cute. I hope I was cool to her but she was afterall a girl... :P

So we continued to play Star Wars up through the 3rd glade, but we also played Battlestar Galactica. And I remember we used to mix them. Soon we were fighting over who would play Starbuck... until we remembered he got the girl. That was a slight deterent. I believe I played a Cylon a few times even. That was fun. I vaguely remember a Leia and Starbuck along with a Han Solo. I might have played Muffit a few times just for fun. :P And I believe the black kid amoung us got to play Boomer.

It was good to be a kid in the late 70's and early 80's, and I thank my dad for making all that fun possible (and for being patient with me most of the time when my creativity got the best of me.) :blush:

[Dawg]

I
Forgive me, what was Dykstra known for prior to Battlestar?

Nothing major.

He just did the SFX for a small, inconsequential film called "Star Wars."

I am
Dawg
:warrior:

[Jubal]

Nothing major.

He just did the SFX for a small, inconsequential film called "Star Wars.

Oh ok, so he warmed up a bit before doing the real good work in Battlestar. Very good. :)

[Senmut]

When I was ten, I was caught up in the epic story of people you could identify with crossing the universe, fleeing for their lives, while searching for a future. However, if you'd asked me then what I liked about BSG, I would have grinned inanely and answered in one word, "Starbuck". :drool:

Don't get me wrong here, I like sci-fi, but it was the characterizations of BSG that really hooked me. It was their ability to overcome adversity, and to move forward with the tantalizing promise of hope. The characters were laser-proof, and it didn't matter what the universe threw at them, they'd chew it up, spit it out, and go back for seconds the following week. I loved those guys!




This is, in part, what makes BSG superior to SW, IMNSHO. In SW, the Rebels are rebels because they chose to be. Each and every one decided at some point to oppose the Emperor. In BSG, our heroes are there because of events they had no control over. Treachery and Fate have put them where they are, and they try to summon up all that is best in Mankind to overcome and survive. In this fashion, BSG is more akin, in some aspects, to Space:1999, than the others. The "Better angels of our nature" shines through in BSG, in ways it does not, either in SW, or even the original Trek.

[Norsehound]

I'm 26 years old. I was born in 1985... some six years after BSG left the airwaves. I don't have any fond memories of seeing it in theaters, or on re-runs, or anything like that.

It all began with some knock-off CD of collected Sci-fi soundtracks. I dunno where my dad found it or why he bought it but he was a sci fi fan. Maybe it was to please me when I was a kid, since I was a Trek fan and there was a trek track on it.

But so was a version of the Battlestar Galactica theme.

I had an active imagination so I knew "Battlestar" sounded cool. I poked around and eventually saw it. I became a fan of the original ever since.

...like TOS Star Trek I don't remember the cheesey elements. What I remember is the grand overtones of Biblical Mythology happening to a sister civilization of man far out in space. I remember the stand off between Adama and Apollo against count Iblis as he wore a pleasing face. I remember the craggy Commander Cain and the Battlestar Pegasus.

What I don't remember clearly my imagination fills in the blanks for, in between views. It also works when I have BSG playing in the background since it's uncommon nowadays for me to sit down and just watch a show completely with my undivided attention.

BSG is a marvelous seed of an idea that speaks of an epic premise. A civilization where robes were just as formal as buisnesswear today, and there's still great reverence for mysticism (which is largely dead by contemporary society today). A struggle in the night to keep the darkness from eclipsing the last group of man.

the 1979 presentation could do wonders in the hands of a modern audience dedicated to recreating the original ideas. There would be no place for child sidekicks and klunky daggit costumes, but there would be heroes taking hits but still standing because they have to, for the sake of the last group of humankind.

Earth? Not necessarily a desperate lie to keep the people occupied... but someplace that has to exist because belief tells us so.

And we know that belief is not always transient, since there has to be more to the Ship of Lights than just higher technology.

Even if my generation flocks to Moore's BSG as the galactica of their generation I'm still going to carry the torch of what the original could have been. Maybe someday I'll help in making the spiritual successor, and the idea can flourish as it should have.

:colonial:

[BST]

What a wonderfuil story.

:)

[Benedict]

excellent, Norsehound, excellent.

[Norsehound]

*shrugs* I figured I should say something as a young guy whose into the old show. RDM doesn't have claim over everyone in my generation :)

[Senmut]

Welcome to reality, Norse. See ya in the OC!

P.S. Was the album entitled Star Wars and other Galactic Funk?

[BST]

*shrugs* I figured I should say something as a young guy whose into the old show. RDM doesn't have claim over everyone in my generation :)

Much of "my generation" would smile and say thanks for restoring our faith in the younger folks.

:)

[Benedict]

*shrugs* I figured I should say something as a young guy whose into the old show. RDM doesn't have claim over everyone in my generation :)

as someone who is also 26 I quite agree. :salute: