Battlestar Galactica (2003)

This article is about the reimagining of Battlestar Galactica in 2003; for more about the miniseries, see Battlestar Galactica (TV miniseries); for more about the subsequent television series, see Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series); for other versions, see the main Battlestar Galactica page or Battlestar Galactica (disambiguation).

Battlestar Galactica was first re-imagined as a science fiction miniseries that was first broadcast on the Sci Fi Channel on December 8, 2003. It spawned a regular television series which premiered on Sky One in the UK on October 18, 2004 and on Sci Fi Channel in the U.S. on January 14, 2005.

This new series was promoted as a "re-imagining" of the Universal Studios 1978 movie and television series Battlestar Galactica. It is not simply a remake of the original but a new direction taken from the same original premise, analogous to a "reboot" in comic books.

The series is filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

A new comic book series was released in 2006 by Dynamite Entertainment, featuring the characters from the re-imagined show.

Overview

The new series departs from the original in several respects. In style, it rejects the traditional televised science fiction styles of Star Trek adopted by the original in favor of what executive producer Ronald D. Moore calls "naturalistic science fiction". In premise, the new series recasts several key characters from male to female and introduces the notion that the Cylons, the cybernetic enemies of the humans, were created by man. In addition to the Cylon Centurions there are also humanoid models that very closely mimic a complete human down to the cellular level. The look of the new series also benefits from recent advances in computer-generated imaging and digital special effects.

Although a small group of purists from the original series' fandom loudly disapproved of changes to the premise, the show was the highest-rated cable miniseries of 2003. In fact, it has been the highest rated original program in the Sci Fi Channel's history. Its strong audience draw was enough to prompt the channel to commission a new ongoing television series, the first episode of which drew an estimated 850,000 viewers — an 8% multichannel viewer share — on its world premiere on Sky One in the United Kingdom. Furthermore, the miniseries and the subsequent weekly series have enjoyed general critical acclaim as being superior to the original, leading TIME Magazine to declare in the spring of 2005 that the new show was one of the six best drama series on television. In the tradition of science fiction series such as Star Trek, the writers use science fiction to examine contemporary social, moral and ethical issues in allegory.

Re-imagining

History

Previous efforts to remake or continue the story of Battlestar Galactica by Tom DeSanto, Bryan Singer, and original series star Richard Hatch involved using either the original cast or the original characters and plot. None of these projects proceeded beyond the development stage.

Ronald D. Moore, executive producer and screenwriter of the new Battlestar Galactica, was noted for bringing darker story arcs to Deep Space Nine in the 1990s. Of Battlestar Galactica, he wrote in February 2003: "Here lies a slumbering giant, its name known to many, its voice remembered by but a few. For a brief moment, it strode the Earth, telling tall tales of things that never were, then stumbled over a rating point and fell into a deep sleep." He tackled the re-imagining with realism in mind and portraying the show's heroes as being part of "flawed" humanity. Those flaws include Adama and his son harboring resentment toward each other, Colonel Tigh being an alcoholic with deep personal demons, and an outdated battlestar prone to problems and outside sabotage. The muted special effects are without the unscientific sounds commonplace in television and film science fiction. Comparatively realistic Newtonian physics and the use of bullets and missiles instead of energy weapons such as lasers make the programs stand out.

Ronald D. Moore has also admitted that the miniseries and series drew inspiration from the tragic events of 9/11 and its aftermath. The shows feature elements such as "sleeper" agents, the threat of sneak terrorist attacks using civilian transports, Cylon suicide bombers, the torture of prisoners, and a struggle motivated by intense religious differences. Season Two's episode thirteen featured political activists attempting to use sabotage against the fleet to force "peace talks" with the Cylons.

Comparison with the 1978 series

Among the most notable changes made from the older series are the inclusion of Cylon models which mimic humans, and numerous characters who are of a different race or gender. Human culture is made to more closely resemble contemporary 21st century Western culture, with names and costuming often indistinguishable from other television shows. Human technology is deliberately retro, which is explained as a military necessity given Cylon tactical advantages. The tone is also changed from a heroic fantasy to a more naturalistic survival narrative with many allusions, both subtle and obvious, to current events.

References to modern culture

The re-imagined show references many aspects of modern culture and the military. The original Cylon attack plays upon the fears that came about after the 9/11 attacks, and the frequent episodes of xenophobia and fear of Cylon "sleeper agents" hiding in the fleet mirror current fears of terrorist "sleeper cells" in Europe and North America. In one episode, a Cylon android blows itself up in a successful suicide bombing attempt. In season one's first episode, "33," Apollo and Starbuck are ordered to destroy a civilian transport attempting a suicide attack on Galactica, and they later have to deal with the moral ramifications of their actions. The show has also addressed other issues, such as abortion and the morality of prisoner torture.

Miniseries (2003)

Regular television series (2004)

"Caprica" prequel

Episodes and DVD/online download information

For the first season, thirteen episodes were produced and all have been made available on DVD in the United States and United Kingdom. The second season consists of twenty episodes, ten of which have been released on DVD in the United States. A third season has been greenlighted and is expected in the fall of 2006.

In January, 2006, Apple's iTunes began offering the miniseries, season one and season two episodes for purchase on its service. NBC Universal, the owner and distributor of the show, have provided a number of its shows for purchase to U.S. customers, to be released the day after the original broadcast.^* All episodes of the series, as well as the miniseries, are available.

Downloadable Podcasts for each episode are also available via iTunes and SciFi.com. SciFi.com also usually has a watchable episode on the website.

Notes

Although it is funded and produced by American (and, in the case of the first season, British) companies, Battlestar Galactica is filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Two of the stars (Grace Park and Tricia Helfer) are Canadian. Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, and Katee Sackhoff are American, while James Callis and Jamie Bamber are British. The vast majority of the secondary actors (e.g. Michael Hogan), extras, and day players are hired from within Canada, as are many guest stars (most notably Donnelly Rhodes, who has a recurring role as the ship's chain-smoking doctor).

References

David Bassom's Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion (Titan Books 2006, ISBN 1845760972)

External links

Official Blog of series developer, executive producer, main writer, and show runner Ron D. Moore
The Battlestar Galactica DVD Official Universal Studios Site
Scifi Channel miniseries site
Scifi Channel regular series site
Battlestar Galactica 2003 at EPisodeWorld.com
Battlestar Galactica Wiki
HollywoodNorthReport.com Flight Deck News
Piracy is Good?: How Battlestar Galactica Killed Broadcast TV, Mindjack, (May 13, 2005)
Official Battlestar Galactica CCG site
^* Dynamite Entertainment -- publisher of Battlestar Galactica Comic Book Series
Rocket Man: Jamie Bamber and the Queering of Sci-Fi August 2006 Out magazine cover story

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