Today is the 19th anniversary of the premiere of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica miniseries on the SciFi Channel (later renamed SyFy). I think it's time for me to break out the bluray discs and watch this fantastic series yet again.
“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”
“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”
I hate most changes to classic original spacecraft except the aesthetic improvements to the NCC-1701A retrofit (admittedly helped by seeing the Enterprise for the first time on a big theater screen).
Feminizing Starbuck is one thing, but feminizing the Viper went too far.
OT EDIT: And that new Countach coming out...just no.
Last edited by MarkG; 12/11/2212:08 AM.
The rusty wire that holds the cork that keeps the anger in Gives way and suddenly it’s day again The sun is in the east Even though the day is done Two suns in the sunset, hmph Could be the human race is run
I hate most changes to classic original spacecraft except the aesthetic improvements to the NCC-1701A retrofit (admittedly helped by seeing the Enterprise for the first time on a big theater screen).
Feminizing Starbuck is one thing, but feminizing the Viper went too far.
OT EDIT: And that new Countach coming out...just no.
The reimagined BSG has plenty of the MK I Viper. If you ever watch the miniseries you’ll know why!
“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”
While I don't think it was a particularly cool looking ship, the more industrial look to the BSG in the re-imagined show has its appeal, because it just seems more functional somehow. The older Vipers in the show weren't great, but the Mk VIIs, as I think the newer ones were called, looked really bad, in my opinion. I thought they looked like what a 14-year-old would draw if someone showed them the Viper for the original show and said, "Now make it look more futuristic."
I still think the original design looks better than anything in the new show, though. The Raiders from the new show were kind of cool, and the updated version of the original series version they made for Blood and Chrome looked good, in my opinion.
Ken Cartwright
No single drop of rain feels it is responsible for the flood.
I loved the original series when I was 12, but the new series was a lot less campy than the original, so I find myself liking that better. I hated female Starbuck at first, but she really grew on me, as she was portrayed every bit as brash and rebellious as Dirk Benedict's interpretation. If anything, Apollo was more feminized that Starbuck. Some things just made more sense in the new version too - like the idea that raiders were entities unto themselves rather than piloted ships. Smart drones, if you will. And the twist that the skinjob Cylons created was interesting as well. All in all, it was a great re-telling, though the ending left a little something to be desired.
Throughout history, poverty is the normal condition of man. Advances which permit this norm to be exceeded — here and there, now and then — are the work of an extremely small minority, frequently despised, often condemned, and almost always opposed by all right-thinking people. Whenever this tiny minority is kept from creating, or (as sometimes happens) is driven out of a society, the people then slip back into abject poverty. This is known as "bad luck.” -Robert Heinlein
I loved the original series when I was 12, but the new series was a lot less campy than the original, so I find myself liking that better. I hated female Starbuck at first, but she really grew on me, as she was portrayed every bit as brash and rebellious as Dirk Benedict's interpretation. If anything, Apollo was more feminized that Starbuck. Some things just made more sense in the new version too - like the idea that raiders were entities unto themselves rather than piloted ships. Smart drones, if you will. And the twist that the skinjob Cylons created was interesting as well. All in all, it was a great re-telling, though the ending left a little something to be desired.
Good post JohnnyChemo and I would also like to add that Admiral Cain being made a woman also worked out fantastic in the end in my opinion. Michelle Forbes absolutely NAILED that role.
And quite naturally the original BSG had a lot of cheese/camp. It came out in the 70's and the intended audience for the show was mostly kids and teenagers. I actually re-watched the 2 hour pilot episode of the original BSG about 10 years ago and while certain aspects held up pretty well, most of it was just too campy for me as an adult viewer.
Last edited by PanzerMeyer; 12/21/2212:25 PM.
“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”
I loved the original series when I was 12, but the new series was a lot less campy than the original, so I find myself liking that better. I hated female Starbuck at first, but she really grew on me, as she was portrayed every bit as brash and rebellious as Dirk Benedict's interpretation. If anything, Apollo was more feminized that Starbuck. Some things just made more sense in the new version too - like the idea that raiders were entities unto themselves rather than piloted ships. Smart drones, if you will. And the twist that the skinjob Cylons created was interesting as well. All in all, it was a great re-telling, though the ending left a little something to be desired.
Good post JohnnyChemo and I would also like to add that Admiral Cain being made a woman also worked out fantastic in the end in my opinion. Michelle Forbes absolutely NAILED that role.
Thanks, PM! I agree about Admiral Cain - Forbes really made that character a big contributor to the show.
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And quite naturally the original BSG had a lot of cheese/camp. It came out in the 70's and the intended audience for the show was mostly kids and teenagers. I actually re-watched the 2 hour pilot episode of the original BSG about 10 years ago and while certain aspects held up pretty well, most of it was just too campy for me as an adult viewer.
Agreed. It debuted right after Star Wars and was meant to try and capitalize off its success. Of course, so much 70's TV was campy (or maybe just the stuff I watched at that age) it was probably inevitable. Though there were some pretty solid episodes IIRC, they were exceptions rather than rules.
Throughout history, poverty is the normal condition of man. Advances which permit this norm to be exceeded — here and there, now and then — are the work of an extremely small minority, frequently despised, often condemned, and almost always opposed by all right-thinking people. Whenever this tiny minority is kept from creating, or (as sometimes happens) is driven out of a society, the people then slip back into abject poverty. This is known as "bad luck.” -Robert Heinlein
"In the vast library of socialist books, there’s not a single volume on how to create wealth, only how to take and “redistribute” it.” - David Horowitz
The rusty wire that holds the cork that keeps the anger in Gives way and suddenly it’s day again The sun is in the east Even though the day is done Two suns in the sunset, hmph Could be the human race is run
Star Trek: TOS does indeed have a lot of campy acting but many of the scripts for the episodes were really fantastic and ahead of their time.
And there are only two things for me that make Flash Gordon (1980) watchable: Queen's brilliant soundtrack and Max von Sydow's performance.
“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”
The rusty wire that holds the cork that keeps the anger in Gives way and suddenly it’s day again The sun is in the east Even though the day is done Two suns in the sunset, hmph Could be the human race is run
I was about 7 years old when I discovered Erin Gray. Sigh.
“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”
Another series I really enjoyed at that age. But Erin Gray makes me want to watch it again!
Who can forget the utterly forgettable "Galactica 1980?"
Last edited by JohnnyChemo; 12/21/2207:47 PM.
Throughout history, poverty is the normal condition of man. Advances which permit this norm to be exceeded — here and there, now and then — are the work of an extremely small minority, frequently despised, often condemned, and almost always opposed by all right-thinking people. Whenever this tiny minority is kept from creating, or (as sometimes happens) is driven out of a society, the people then slip back into abject poverty. This is known as "bad luck.” -Robert Heinlein
Who can forget the utterly forgettable "Galactica 1980?"
Ah yes, lots of interesting history behind that where the network essentially said that the show could be brought back but only for about half the budget so hence they made Galactica 1980! And what happened? It lasted one season just like the original BSG did. LOL
“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”
I became a teenager in 1980 and my interests were quickly changing to things other than sci-fi, including my 4-channel B&W TV collecting dust in favor of my 'new' stereo (other than The Dukes of Hazzard, IIRC).
I still need to get this on DVD if just for the first season...
The rusty wire that holds the cork that keeps the anger in Gives way and suddenly it’s day again The sun is in the east Even though the day is done Two suns in the sunset, hmph Could be the human race is run
Who can forget the utterly forgettable "Galactica 1980?"
Ah yes, lots of interesting history behind that where the network essentially said that the show could be brought back but only for about half the budget so hence they made Galactica 1980! And what happened? It lasted one season just like the original BSG did. LOL
As I recall, the original series did pretty well ratings wise, but it was constantly running behind production wise and over budget, so the network canned it.
Galactica 1980 was mercifully cancelled after 10 episodes.
Throughout history, poverty is the normal condition of man. Advances which permit this norm to be exceeded — here and there, now and then — are the work of an extremely small minority, frequently despised, often condemned, and almost always opposed by all right-thinking people. Whenever this tiny minority is kept from creating, or (as sometimes happens) is driven out of a society, the people then slip back into abject poverty. This is known as "bad luck.” -Robert Heinlein