Battlestar Galactica (original) second season?

[CaptCStark]

A friend of mine claims that he has some scripts that were developed for the second season of the original Battlestar Galactica. I had never heard that there were any out there.

What would we have seen if a second season had made it onto network TV?

[Eric Paddon]

If your friend has scripts titled "I Have Seen Earth" and "Two For Twilly", those are actually stories that were prepared late in the Season 1 phase but not filmed.

As for what we would have seen in a real Season 2, that remains something hard to get a handle on. The emergence a year ago of a memo supposedly done by Larson that would have killed Sheba off in the season premiere and also had a Pegasus return story where Cain is now an alien replicant, and eliminated other supporting cast members didn't sit well with a lot of people, but whether that is exactly what Larson was committing to doing had Galactica been renewed is something we will probably never know.

[Muffit]

I heard they were gonna replace everybody with an all daggit cast. But that's just me, I've been into the spiked mushies again... :D

[kingfish]

I heard they were gonna replace everybody with an all daggit cast. But that's just me, I've been into the spiked mushies again... :D



:LOL: :LOL: :LOL: :LOL: :LOL:

[Sci-Fi]

Read this:

The Lost Season by Susan Paxton (http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/Satellite/2836/yeartwo.html)

:blush: :salute:

[Senmut]

If your friend has scripts titled "I Have Seen Earth" and "Two For Twilly", those are actually stories that were prepared late in the Season 1 phase but not filmed.




I have a copy of IHSE, BTW.

[jewels]

Senmut, was I have seen Earth a good script or did it still need work?

I think Jaime Lee Curtis even read for a part in Two for Twilly, if I'm not repeating an old legend....

Jewels

[KJ]

As for what we would have seen in a real Season 2, that remains something hard to get a handle on. The emergence a year ago of a memo supposedly done by Larson that would have killed Sheba off in the season premiere and also had a Pegasus return story where Cain is now an alien replicant, and eliminated other supporting cast members didn't sit well with a lot of people, but whether that is exactly what Larson was committing to doing had Galactica been renewed is something we will probably never know.

Maybe we won't know? But if "Two For Twilly" and several other BG scripts were pushed back another year for season 2. Then as i've said before The memo makes no sense as Sheba appears in Two For Twilly? Now before you say she'd be written out. Why so? Spend a year struggling to make Galactica work and develop "Buck Rogers In The 25th Century" (Larson did very little towards the end of BG depite his love for it, he was also struggling to get Buck Rogers of the ground too. Read any Starlog magazine from the late 70's) and introduce Sheba half way through only to kill her off?!!!..

While there are gutsy shows and BG already did so with Serina. Serina death in LPOTG worked so well only due to the fact, Jane Seymour didn't want to do weekly television at the time. (Good thing that all changed by the 90's or you'd have no Dr Quinn would you now?) BG wasn't one of them known for killing of it's cast members in such a way.

Far as deleted scripts go. Man, i miss BGinfosphere.net! I heard about it just as it closed and it had every unfilmed script of Galactica there was for download? only unfilmed script of BG i found on a well known site is "The Mutiny". And only Larson is said to have the unfilmed BG script "Final Flight" on him.

Several are in actual script form being sold on ebay.

[repcisg]

One needs to remember in 1978-1980 most series were shot just days before air time. There was no bible and each week planning for the next weeks show would begin. Long term planning simply did not happen. What we have for a second season are simply raw materials that might have been used or used for ideas in the new season. We are stuck with a pile of lumber, no blue prints, no layout sketches, just bits and pieces, and left to wonder, what the house might have looked like.

Some of the pieces, like scripts that might have been shot, or simply used for inspiration or ideas. Costume designs and shoulder patches for the Battlestars Prometheus and Solaria. Rumors of Prometheus showing up in season two. And Solaris?

Who knows?

We have but a void and are left to wonder what might have been.

[Megoman]

A friend of mine claims that he has some scripts that were developed for the second season of the original Battlestar Galactica. I had never heard that there were any out there.

What would we have seen if a second season had made it onto network TV?



Probably something that would have been worse than Galactica:1980 or the second season of Buck Rogers from what I understand. Although from what I've read elsewhere, the writing on the unfilmed scripts for G:1980 had improved. Dirk was supposed to make more appearences as Starbuck, and he might have made it back to the fleet. Weren't the flying motorcycles originally developed for BG:Season 2? As I understand a few of the story ideas from Galactica:1980 came from a few of the unfilmed BG scripts.

[Senmut]

Senmut, was I have seen Earth a good script or did it still need work?

I think Jaime Lee Curtis even read for a part in Two for Twilly, if I'm not repeating an old legend....

Jewels


IHSE needed a few tweaks; aside from that, I think it was a good script. The fact that it never made it to the screen is another indicator of the brain-dead state of most TV execs.

[KJ]

Far as the scripts go, i'd say the ones that weren't done for one reason and another. Were meant to be in the first season! The Beta Pirates from synopsis alone, is said to be one of the better if not best of the unfilmed scripts that should have been. along with Showdown, The Mutiny, I Have Seen Earth, the original Fire In Space and Two For Twilly.

Could have rounded out Galactica's first season to 30 episodes (Barring the 2-part "FIS") Crossfire wouldn't have been done since it became 'Gun On Ice Planet Zero'.

I'd say they were pushed towards the second season to pad it out a little, due to lack of scripts at the time?. Asimov was planning on coming aborad for the second season. The budget was going to be less, but changes were on the cards?

Some of the pieces, like scripts that might have been shot, or simply used for inspiration or ideas. Costume designs and shoulder patches for the Battlestars Prometheus and Solaria. Rumors of Prometheus showing up in season two. And Solaris?

Who knows?

We have but a void and are left to wonder what might have been.

Paxton's site says this doesn't it. When i heard that, i was more bummed about the classic sci-fi cancelled all those years ago? Other surviving Battlestars other than the Pegasus would draw many ideas and theories for the series writers, let alone fans imaginations soar then and years later in fandom!!! Paxton's website does allude to scripts and outlines beyond the ones we know of being "swiped" from the offices (people steal from 'work' don't they?) Whether thats true or not. Not that i question her stuff outright! But i never heard anybody else nor other people of fans bring this up. Everything bandied about here, this IS one of the lesser ones is it not?!

Battlestars: Prometheus and Solaria? wonder what outlines were written for them and their stories etc. A exact retread of Commander Cain and his style would have been very boring? Even as a kid you knew good stories and action adventure from the retreaded sequel stories thats a repeat of what came before.

Battlestars on an deep space expedition? lost years/yarhrens ago, commanded by a rogue or power mad trumatised leader from the 1,000 yahren war, A Battlestar commanded by a woman? (that would have been interesting) Commandeered by groups of space pirates? Or check this out: A lone Battlestar in deep space lost for years fighting cylons alone and its commander just about gives up looking for a way back runs into Count Iblis who promises them what they want should they follow him, and THEY DO! Episodes into the second season later and The Galactica encounters a lost Battlestar commandered by Count Iblis controlled colonial warriors. Who are now "Possesed Demons" in the thrall of Iblis, his revenge for "War Of The Gods" destroy the colonials with their own kind.

:eek:

Who knows and who is to say exactly. Paxton site never really covered this nor has anyone else so i guess its a non-issue. Long as it wasn't a repeat of Cain and the Pegasus and something along the lines i've described. Galactica would have further 'blown' everyone away!

Interesting stuff repcisg. But i disagree with the not planned thing. Many a time i hear in entertainment industry of things planned and outlined. Which are just that, outlines! biggest one of all is star Wars nine episode planned saga which Lucas now denys at all. But many still say Star Wars was layed out and thought over as 9 Episodes when the first film made box office gold in 1977! OT SW producer Gary Kurtz always talks about it fondly, while George Lucas changes the last line of his conversation what he says in "like" 5 minutes later. People to this day and beyond will still lament over the last 3 episodes lucas once said he'd do.

Same thing with Glen Larson. While i think the Second Season memo is B.S. It came from somwhere didn't it. Smells of a Larson "bad second season" curse doesn't it. Then again he did with G80. so at least he did it with mostly, new characters and a different show.

I'd like to know what was in those offices of Universal, ABC or whatever at the time the show was on before the axe fell and what unmade episodes outline ideas, were thrown around at the time.

KJ

[kingfish]

Probably something that would have been worse than Galactica:1980 or the second season of Buck Rogers from what I understand. Although from what I've read elsewhere, the writing on the unfilmed scripts for G:1980 had improved. Dirk was supposed to make more appearences as Starbuck, and he might have made it back to the fleet. Weren't the flying motorcycles originally developed for BG:Season 2? As I understand a few of the story ideas from Galactica:1980 came from a few of the unfilmed BG scripts.



Dirk was coming back as Starbuck a Being of Light. Thank god G-1980 ended. We are left to wonder Starbuck's fate. DeSanto wrote it that he is captured by the Cylons but escapes back to the fleet but wants nothing more to do with military life.

[kingfish]

The second G-1980 Starbuck episode:


http://blast.net/hart/WheelOfFire.htm


A viper squadron led by Troy and Dillon chase Xavier through space. Suddenly, three Cylon fighters attack. During the battle, one viper is destroyed and Dillon's viper is severely damaged. The entire squadron except for Troy is forced to return to the Galactica.

Troy continues after Xavier who is attacked by another Cylon fighter. Then the Ship of Lights appears (from the BG episode War Of The Gods) and its high-pitched whine causes Troy to fall unconscious, and his ship is captured. Meanwhile, Xaviar activates his time-travel device and enters a time warp. The Cylon fighter right behind him is caught in the time warp and is pulled in with him.

On the Galactica, Dr. Zee and Adama see images of what has happened to Xaviar and the Cylon raider. Because Troy's viper is gone, they assume he had been killed. Meanwhile, Troy wakes up on the Ship of Lights. He is welcomed by Lt. Starbuck, who was lost and believed dead fourteen years earlier. Troy is in disbelief.

Dillon lands on the Galactica and is told Troy is dead. He puts his grief aside to work on the problem with Xavier. He goes to Earth to get Jamie and takes her to the Galactica. While mourning the death of their friend, the two kiss. On the Ship Of Lights, Troy is confused. Starbuck says that he's going to help him stop Xaviar. He tells Troy that he didn't die. He merely evolved to another plane of existence. Starbuck says that this is the ship of the Guardians of the Universe, the beings who gave the Colonials the coordinates to Earth many years back (in War of the Gods).

Jamie and Dillon prepare to go 2,600 years into the Earth's past. Troy asks what happened to Apollo, his father, but Starbuck says there is no time to discuss it. Moments later, Troy wakes up on his viper, activates his time-warp synthesizer, and goes into the past.

Xaviar arrives in the Chaldea dessert in 592 B.C. followed by the Cylon raider. Seconds later, Troy arrives and gives pursuit. He and Xaviar agree to team together to destroy the Cylon raider.

In the desert below, the people watch the aerial battle with fascination. The Cylon raider is damaged and plummets toward the earth, giving the appearance of a giant wheel spinning in the sky. Xaviar time-warps into another period. Troy's viper is also damaged and he crashes.

Dillon and Jamie then arrive and investigate the crashed viper, believing it to be Xavier's. They are stunned when they see Troy climb out. Before Troy can explain, a damaged Cylon who survived the crash comes at them firing his laser. Troy and Dillon blast him and he falls. As the three are about to destroy what remains of the Cylon raider, the supposedly dead Cylon rises and fires at his ship, causing an explosion which knocks Dillon senseless. Then the Cylon aims at Troy, who can't fire back because his laser is jammed. Jamie grabs Dillon's laser and shoots the Cylon, exploding it in a shower of sparks. They then set explosive charges on the Cylon raider and completely incinerate it. They board their vipers and vanish into another time-warp, unaware that they were observed by a man on a sandy knoll.

On the Galactica, Troy and Adama are reunited, and Jamie realizes that the "Wheel of Fire" (the famous vision from the Old Testament prophet Ezekial) described in history books as being seen in 592 B.C. was caused by the Cylon raider's presence in the past.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This fantastic script is the sequel to the classic Galactica 1980 episode The Return Of Starbuck and is far better than most of the produced episodes of Galactica 1980.

It is revealed why Angela from The Return of Starbuck was judging Starbuck. She was testing him to see if he was worthy to become a Guardian of the Universe.

Troy asks Starbuck what happened to Apollo. Apparently, Apollo's death was a mystery.

Romance develops between Dillon and Jamie. They are only friends in the produced episodes of the series.

[KJ]

For Battlestar info over there on Paxton's site is information on things relating to the costumes of the series and what may have been on the cards or put away until next season?

A passage from the Costume Designs article

A. Because originally each squadron was distinguished by the colors of their patches and the color insert in the collar pins. Under testing, though, the red battle stations lights turned the Red Squadron insignia (the only other squadron supposed to be seen) totally black. The Red Squadron patch was a red background with black border and triangles, and a few were actually made. A great idea, but unfortunately unworkable.

Q. Did each ship have its own insignia?

A. Yes. The only time this was seen, however, was in Living Legend. The designer had thumbnail sketches drawn up for each battlestar in the fleet. Each ship had its own helmet ornament, sleeve patch, and collar pin design. The collar pins are standard military pins; that for the Galactica is the Army Military Intelligence pin, worn upside-down compared to standard military usage. The gold pins worn with the warrior uniforms had the petal inserts painted dark blue; the standard military color is black. The silver pins worn on the blue uniforms were plated and had black inserts. The Pegasus pin is the Command Ashore Project Manager pin from the Navy.

I'd love for those "thumbnail sketches" to turn up one day from somebody at the costume department. Well kept after all these years.

KJ

:)