Battlestar Galactica-- the New One

[riska (deleted)]

I really enjoy the new BSG. I'm quite captivated by the concepts it conveys: artificial intelligence, robot rights, religion, all wrapped up with gorgeous yet complex characters.

I never got into the original BSG. Is there anyone who has seen both and can make an argument for why the old one is worth viewing again?

[tstone (deleted)]

I too thoroughly enjoy this show. I was a HUGE fan of the original when I was a kid, but it was basically just a bright adventure show. I still enjoy viewing it, but the science fiction which captivates me now is deeper, weightier, more complicated stuff. Babylon 5, Farscape, Firefly and the new BSG are great examples of this.

I love the care the creators are putting into the characters, exploration of the scenarios and painting a complex portrait for us to enjoy. Is it flawless? No. But is it, on balance, a welcome challenge to the brain and imagination? Oh, hell yes.

Some BSG fans want to see a continuation of the original. And if some press is to be believed, there are movers and shakers in Hollywood who also want to see this happen.

This may happen, I hope it does.

But for those haters who can't stand the fact this isn't your childhood Galactica, keep in mind, it's failure will only mean your childhood love never seen, or delayed for a very long time.

Get on board. You know you want to.

[rayman]

I can't give you a specific reason why you should enjoy the original, you either like it or you don't. The network wanted a "Star Wars" type show with colorful lasers and special effects, that's how Galactica was born. Back in 79 science-fiction was still considered kid stuff, I don't think the old series holds up well if you compare it to computer effects and gritty stories of the new Galactica. Although they did a good job in the first few episodes with the human drama and the struggle to survive. They sort of lost their way and ended up giving us the "Eastern Alliance" storyline.

The series was getting good ratings, the problem for the Network was it cost too much money to make, I think it was almost half a $ million each episode. So the suits made a decision, they cut the budget, fired the original cast (except Lauren Green), hired new actors and gave us the horrible "Galactica 1980" which some fans want to forget.

[bimpavidus (deleted)]

I too was a big fan of the original, at the time is was a great space adventure. Hmmmm, why watch it now? Well, there were actually some good story lines, but quite frankly I watch it now for nostalgia and some good laughs. The graphics and the "science" are quite funny in comparison to what we have today - as well as the people/acting and interactions.

The current show has just blown me away. I love the way the story is presented, indeed the "lovely" folks they've chosen for their roles, and the adult grit running through it. As a computer nerd, I also enjoy the intrigue around the evolution of artificial life, and its place with humanity.

[tstone (deleted)]

I also like the fact that RM isn't afraid to take chances, try new things and upset the applecart. It doesn' always pay off, at least not immediately. But it's never going to be the same ol' same ol'. Plus, this show rewards patience, seeing how it pans out over the long term.

LOVE IT.

[bimpavidus (deleted)]

My only concern is that the intrigue level is so high for me now, I hope there isn't a simply little wrap up - that is, can they live up to the tension they build in the story with and equally compelling resolution (hopefully not too soon ).

cheers

[tstone (deleted)]

We shall see. Personally, I think they'll pull it off. And they get points simply being ambitious enough to try.

In a related note, anyone notice some of the hardcore fans of the original series are being a little...nuts...in the vitriol they aim at this show? I still love the original show and hope it gets a continuation. And the thing to realize, the better the new show does, the better the chance the original will get that. If the new fails, that makes all things Galactica a dimmer star to shoot for.

[rayman]

I remember actor Richard Hatch (Apollo in the original series) going around studios trying to get Galactica back on the air a few years ago. He would show them a trailer and pitch his ideas for a continuation to the series. He later started showing the trailer at sci-fi conventions, which I got a opportunity to see. It showed Apollo in command of Galactica with a new generation of Viper pilots. The CGI and battle scenes were incredible, even the Cylons looked cool. Unfortunately sci-fi channel decided to do a remake, which kind of ruined all chance of Richard getting his series off the ground. I still think back and wonder if Richard's series would have been 10 times better than the remake.

[tstone (deleted)]

I dunno, for the new series is, IMO, the best damn scifi series since Babylon 5.

But again, I hope a continuation gets made. And for those who want to see one, your best bet is supporting the new show, unless you just hate it.

[fayjprufrock]

I've got to admit I was a wee bit antagonistic towards the show when I first heard about it, simply because I was so pissed off about Firefly being cancelled, and then there was all this fanfare about a 'new kind of gritty SciFi show', or words to that effect, which had us all very "So what the hell was Firefly? Chopped liver?" (A lot of the visual details that make BSG stand out - the hand-held camera work being carried through into the CGI, the more battered, Millenium Falcon school of space ship design...well, that was a strength of Firefly too, damn it. I know that a lot of the FX folks who worked on Firefly went on to BSG, and I believe that there's supposed to be a firefly tucked away in one of the shots of lots of spaceships somewhere, as a nod to Whedon's show, but I never did track it down...)

But I'm a sucker for SF, and I bought the DVDs for Season 1 at the tail end of last summer.

I cannot convey how utterly bemused my flatmate and I were to find that Season 1, Episode 1 begins with 'previously, on Battlestar Galactica...'

Once we'd established that, no, I hadn't put the wrong disk in, I scurried over to the internet and consulted my invisible internet mates, and they explained about the miniseries. There was a rending of hair and a gnashing of teeth Chez Fay, but we figured out The Story So Far and went with it (and the next time I was in the UK I picked up the Miniseries). Anyway, long story short - I love it to death. It doesn't supplant Firefly in my affections, but it's damned good. Excellent ensemble cast, twisty turny plotting, lovely attention to details, Big Questions about faith and pragmatism and morality and all that jazz. It's very good stuff. Worlds removed from the original series, which was shiny and enjoyable swashbuckling-in-space with very little depth. They're fundamentally different kinds of shows.

[rayman]

tstone wrote: I dunno, for the new series is, IMO, the best damn scifi series since Babylon 5.



Not to take anything away from the new series I think it's quite good, but if you saw the trailer for Richard's version you would be very impressed. I do notice a lot of hate for the remake from fans of the original, but I've seen some convert to the new series lately. Personally I don't think there will be a continuation for television, unless it's in a novel or comic-book form.

[tstone (deleted)]

No, never saw Hatch's trailer. Wish I had.

[fayjprufrock]

I'm sorry I didn't get to see the trailer - it sounds like a cool thing.

I was all kinds of delighted to see him crop up in the new BSG, though. (And to hear them play the themetune from the original show during the fly-by in first ep of the miniseries.)

[tstone (deleted)]

Even better use of the original theme, during that montage of the crew towards the end of the ep of Final Cut, preceded by a janitor mopping the floor and whistling it.

Also, other nods to the original series, from the museum, with original ships and centurions on display, to the sketches in the diplomat's folder on board that station at the beginning of the mini. Of course, the colonial ship designs, one utterance of "by your command", and they kept the red back and forth light on the robotic cylons.

[nyssa_PREV (deleted)]

tstone wrote: We shall see. Personally, I think they'll pull it off. And they get points simply being ambitious enough to try.

In a related note, anyone notice some of the hardcore fans of the original series are being a little...nuts...in the vitriol they aim at this show? I still love the original show and hope it gets a continuation. And the thing to realize, the better the new show does, the better the chance the original will get that. If the new fails, that makes all things Galactica a dimmer star to shoot for.

I have noticed some really extreme reactions to the new show. So much so that a few of the forums I was going to participate in actually shut down because of the arguments between the fans of the original series vs. the fans of the new series! And some of the anger seemed to be directed at Ron Moore specifically, which I thought was a little extreme. If nothing else how about avoiding attacking the guy (even if you don't like his current work) that gave us really good TNG, a lot of DS9 and now BSG. I guess I'm biased. I was a huge fan of the original when I was 12 or so, and I'm a huge fan of the new show as an adult. The new show's treatment of ethical issues, as a society and as an individual give me food for thought and really engage my emotions.

I was teaching a class on sociology and reading a study talking about how people create their identities (stay with me here..I'll get back to BSG ) It said that people are starting to create their identities by what they like. If you have something that compromises or changes that identity it could be seen as a threat. So if "I am a Galactica fan" means something different due to the new show maybe people it was a threat to who they are. *shrug* I dunno, but I certainly have been thinking about it since I have registered on this (and other sites) that ask me in detail what I like and I'm meeting people based on these kinds of similarities.

Just my two cents...

Nyssa