Battlestar Galactica

Plot synopsis:
In a distant star system, the Twelve Colonies Of Mankind were reaching the end of a thousand year war with the Cylons, warrior robots created by a reptilian race which expired long ago, presumably destroyed by their own creations. Humanity was ultimately defeated in a sneak attack on their homeworlds by the Cylons, carried out with the help of a human traitor, Count Baltar (John Colicos). Protected by the last surviving capital warship, a "battlestar" (from "battle starship"), named Galactica, the survivors fled in any available ships. The Commander of the Galactica, Adama (Lorne Greene), led this "rag-tag fugitive fleet" of 220 ships in search of a new home. They began a quest to find the long lost thirteenth tribe of humanity that had settled on a legendary planet called Earth. However, the Cylons continued to pursue them relentlessly across the galaxy.
The era in which this exodus took place is never clearly stated in the series itself. At the start of the series, it is mentioned as being "the seventh millennium of time", although it is unknown when this is in relation to Earth's history. The implication of the final aired episode, "The Hand of God", was that the original series took place after the Apollo 11 moon landing in July 1969 (as the Galactica receives a television transmission from Earth showing the landing). The later Galactica 1980 series is expressly set in the year 1980 after a 30 year voyage to Earth.
Larson, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, incorporated many themes from Mormon theology into the shows.

Tags: thought-provoking, violence, dramatic, good versus evil, tragedy, romantic

Review:
I read a lot of people saying "the new one doesn't have the humour of the original" or "it takes itself so seriously, the characters are too serious," or things to that effect.
Adama's ship is being turned into a museum, effectively ending a major chapter in his military career (which is his life), Apollo's having to face his father, whom he blames for his brother's death, Teague is a drunk (they're not often the cheeriest people), Lauren's just been diagnosed with terminal cancer...
well, it only shows that you either can't do what the writers would like you to do-- and imagine yourself as a part of this world-- or that you can, but you're a suicidal sociopath.I thought the miniseries was excellent; the re-worked premise made for a more textured story, the characters actually had some depth this time around, and were well-played by actors who obviously tried to 'get' some of the nuances of their characters and could take a serious situation (however imaginary) seriously.
And I loved the special effects, too.So with all due respect, the puritans who prefer the shallow, campy 70's series with its recycled fx footage, its 2-dimensional characters and it's plot that provides little context or background, can stick their complaints in their old pipes and smoke 'em..
The stories are generally well-written, well-acted and consistently cruel to the characters we want so dearly to like.Be forewarned: This new BattleStar Galactica requires thought and some attention to detail.
And I was not disappointed.Since ENTERPRISE seems to be killing the Trek franchise -- and I admit, I enjoy ENTERPRISE a lot of the time, but a lot of people don't, and I can see why -- I am in high hopes a series based on BSG2003 can revitalize hope for on-going TV science fiction.
They also make do with what they have, there isn't a piece of technology that is presented to the characters at the beginning that will vanquish the enemy that will be introduced in ten minutes.All in all if you are looking for something different to watch than the new Battlestar Galactica is one to see.
The shots alternate between a hand-held documentary feel and a more standard dramatic presentation.I was never a big fan of the original Battlestar Galactica TV show, and I have only seen a few SciFi originals which did not embarrass me on behalf of the entire genre of science fiction (Farscape and both Dune Mini-series being the exceptions).
For a show based on the genocide of 12 planets, the original Battlestar Galactica never really got to grips with the futility, fear and condition of a race on the edge of extinction.The new show makes up for that in abundance.
Granted, all of the visual aspects far surpass anything the original series ever could have attained and are quite impressive to watch, but that is about all the new Battlestar has going for it.
The first hour of the series is absolutely pointless and wastes valuable time that could have been spent telling the story, not attempting to fit the original show into the situation by having Battlestar Galactica be some sort of a tourist destination...that was just lame.
The way he was portrayed in this new mini-series was terrible.For instance he would never make Commander Ty vent the hull that ejected 85 people, Adama would have taken personal responsibility as the leader and (later) Admiral of the Galatica, not given that order to a sub-ordinate.And where was the humor?
It has potential, if they address a few issues in any resulting serialisation, but I wonder how much mileage there is in a series where each week the cast and crew run away from searching Cylons, whilst doing little other than argue who's in commmand or who's fault it was Apollo's brother got killed, or perhaps punching out a superior officer to add excitement.
Of course, he had the new Adama as a father who shows almost as much emotion as the original Cylon centurians.The new Battlestar looks like it was another afterthought and someone had to build a model overnight to make a deadline.
It was sad that many of the other ships in the fleet were remarkably similar to the original series, including the Gemeni Movers freighter and the triple-saucer ship, but the star of the show, the Galactica, was so lacking in detail and a sense of scale.The new centurians did look great, and I was saddened again that they only appeared for a few seconds at the beginning and the end of the show.
Hell, the original Cylon model in the museum brought much more excitement to the show, and it just stood there.Ok, now on to the non-comparatives:  After one & a half hours of what felt like a Best Of Jerry Springer bitch-fest, we finally got close to the actual story.
Well, i voted 4 points, because i was very disappointed.I haven't expected a "remake", but a new series with new characters and the old known background Humanity vs Cylons.But the series was awful boring.
There was too much time trying to develop the characters, and not enough "Original" story, or actual "SCIENCE FICTION", to keep me entertained.
Voila- instant Cylon detector.The totally unnecessary sex scenes that had very little to do with the story seemed to placed there just to copy the 7-of-9 effect to get the 14 year old boys to watch.If the cloud storm around the planet visibly affected the Cylon at the dump, why not the Cylons on the Galactica?
If this is representative of the "new" science-fiction television series, I want nothing to do with sci-fi anymore.I went in to my viewing of the _Battlestar Galactica_ miniseries with a large amount of trepidation.
Having the Cylons created by humans, changing the sex of much-loved characters and the handful of other "tweaks" made in the name of updating, modernizing and improving left me worried about the integrity of the core story I fell in love with years ago.As it turned out, those things that had me most worried were far from the worst blemishes on the miniseries.In fact, the story pace, cinematography, soundtrack and plot caused more than enough problems on their own, making my initial concerns pale in comparison.The last time I watched anything that moved quite as slowly and flowed as poorly as this new _Battlestar_ was when I caught _Queen of the Damned_ on cable months ago.
I even read a lot of great stuff about the Galactica trailer Richard Hatch (original Apollo) had made a few years ago and was showing at sci-fi cons, so I was hoping something would be made from that.
Plus, reading that one of the actors (I forget which) actually said NOT to watch this new series because it sucked, and to go out and buy the new DVD set of the original Galactica, wasn't too encouraging.Well, the show came, and I watched it.
The characters were interesting, and the special effects, for it's time, was state of the art.The 2003 "re-imaging" of the series is as bad as the 2001 "re-imagining" of the Planet of the Apes.
Not to mention that Colonel Tigh, who was an african american character that I respected, is this time portrayed as a thoughtless drunk often in conflict with Starbuck, and by the second episode, I didn't care whether the Galactica was destroyed or not.The sound and special effects are also sub par, and they make the Babylon 5 series of the 1990's look state of the art.
(The viper's lasers also sounded like machine gun fire, a BAD mistake!)If you truly want to experience Galactica again, I suggest checking out the 2003 video game, with the voices of Richard Hatch and Dirk Benedict, currently available for PS2 and Xbox, that captures the true essence of the classic t.v. show.I truly hope that this "re-imagining" was a brief miniseries, and hopefully a TRUE remake of this t.v. classic, (away from these miserable characters) that stays true to the spirit of the original characters and show can be made by the SCI-FI channel sometime in the near future..
Oh, and let's pull out yet another soap opera cliche by making Michael Hogan (Colonel Tigh) a drunk!Having the Cylons originally created by humans was also pretty idiotic and one of the most played-out sci-fi cliches in the book.
I see very clearly influences like Das Boot, Babylon 5, the Alien series of movies, Space Above and Beyond and the Terminator movies (the origin and actions of the cylons themselves) and maybe the Manchurian Candidate.
What a laugh this has turned out to be!I just KNOW original BG fans will vehemently hate this 2003 "reinvention" of BG!They're not wrong!I couldn't stand it either, and I don't even *like* the original BG!Just because the special effects have been brought up to 2003 standards does not mean this TV show is suddenly above and beyond all other sci-fi TV shows, including (most definitely!) the one that spawned it.
Star Gate SG1 has better effects, better stories and better characters, for example.Can't writers come up with good ideas for sci-fi TV shows anymore?
Well, according to him, the vital 2003 requirements for "reinvented" sci-fi TV shows must be:1) Re hash a so-so 70's or early 80's TV show (hopefully one that nobody will remember therefore making it an easy target to rip off - or in this case - rip to shreds) 2) Completely change the story so the "reinvention" becomes nothing like the original 3) Bring it up to today's "sub-standards", i.e remove any cheesy, kid-friendly attributes and replace them with offensive language, excessive or extreme violence, and enough sex scenes to shame any blue movie
I think the story is incredibly well written, relatively believable (for a sci-fi series), there's great acting in it and it gives me a hell of a good time.Hats off (So say we all!).
This was a painful presentation to watch, not due to overly bad acting or cheesy special effects (both were adequate), but because the pacing was dreadfully slow, the characters poorly developed (especially the Cylons), and most of all, there was positively no joy.When you can't feel an emotion watching the human race getting wiped out, something is seriously wrong with the direction..
Terrible, awful, slow, boring and just plain bad.Let's face it, if the Sci-Fi Channel had changed the names, and the look of the ships this would be another one of those original sci-fi channel movies thatwould have flopped and quickly shunned off to the "direct to video" release rack.It has no character, no adventure and hopefuly no future series to suffer through.By the way, can anyone hum the music theme to this?
If this is the way sci-fi series are headed, this genre is soon to be dead.The beloved characters from the original are nothing at all like their modern day counterparts, the only thing similar are the names.
Well-orchestrated excuses, designed to belittle fans and push a damaged product.Further proving that they just DO - NOT - GET IT, Ronny's merry little band got Richard Hatch (who's intro blurb highlighted his failed attempts to bring back BSG and not the fact that he is responsible for the entire revival), and other members of the sci-fi classic, to talk about giving Ronny and his boy's a chance.Executive producers talked about how many remakes of Romeo and Juliet have been made, and how their version of Battlestar Galactica was no different.
What about ATHENA, SERINA, and SHEBA - the strong and determined female fighter pilots from the original Battlestar Galactica series, who are COMPLETELY and TOTALLY absent?The whole excuse put forward by Ronnie Moore and the dips over on the BSG-Mini, is that woman should have a role in a space, in combat, and that woman can be fighter pilots.
This - once again - hints to the fact that none of these guys ever watched the original series.All true Galactica fans know that Battlestar Galactica was the FIRST television series EVER to portray woman as fighter pilots.
It was the FIRST series in which main cast members like Athena, Serina, and fan favorite Sheba, often slipped into the cockpit of a Viper to deal death against the Cylons.Athena, Serina, and Sheba were all fighter pilot and officers who broke new ground and Sheba was depicted as being a better pilot than her male counterparts.The positive female quotient aboard Battlestar Galactica was always there and Battlestar Galactica broke new ground in it's portrayal of strong, independent and determined female leads in a Science Fiction program, and did so without sacrificing femininity or cheapening the portrayal of the male characters.What is real galling is the fact that, in the BSG Lowdown being used to advertise the new Galactica series, the executives making the BSG-Mini are sitting there, accusing fans like us of being boorish and sexist because we fans have been very, VERY vocal about our abject dislike for their decision to transform Starbuck and Boomer from men, into woman, and IGNORE the original female pilots from Galactica all together.Athena, Serina and Sheba do not exist in the mini universe!I think the fact that fans enjoyed the original series because it did break new ground and did portray woman in a far superior light, capable of doing a Man's job without sacrificing their womanhood is further evidence that Ronald D.
They completely discounted some of the greatest female role models ever to grace a science fiction television show!And how did they compensate for their complete and total ignorance of the original Galactica series and the groundbreaking portrayal of woman portrayed in Galactica?Gimmicks and the completely unjustified sex changes for Starbuck and Boomer, effectively castrating the heroes of the young boys who grew-up watching Galactica, and snubbing the heroes of the young girls who also grew up watching Galactica by saying that Athena, Serina, and Sheba don't even exist.And what about Boomer?
What was the real point behind giving so many of our Galactican heroes sex changes and why - all of a sudden - is a Black man not good enough to be a fighter jock in Ronnie's `re-imagined' universe?The mini producers highlighted the fact that their special effects will be better, how wonderful every one of THEM thinks the story is, and talked-up all the sex that will be going on between #6 (a clone of Star Trek's Seven of Nine) and Baltar.It all wrapped up with some departing comments from the producers, trash talking about how horrible fans are and their outrage that some people would decide NOT to watch this pant-load, given all the changes they've made and their p***-poor treatment of the fans who worked for so long and pulled together so hard to convince SFC to actually try this.
are you all as thrilled to watch the new Battlestar Galactica series as I am?Are all of you, just enthralled with the idea of giving our business to a group of people who hold us, the fans, in complete and total contempt?Yeah...
Oh my god, why do people feel the need to destroy fabulous pieces of film making by 'remaking' (allegedly) them?This is a case in point, the original series was innovative, the effects were, for the time, superb and the characters likeable.The 2003 remake on the other hand has a wooden cast, a completely new plot and the Baltar story is so pathetic it is laughable.If you liked the original even a little bit do yourself a favour and do not watch this, it'll ruin your memories.If you haven't seen the original - don't bother anyway, it isn't worth it..
I don't care about realism give me eye candy please.I don't know, it kept me interested somewhat because I like the original series but I cannot follow along these so called "modern" versions of movies and the tweaking of major characters (Starbuck) and villains (Cylons).2 Stars.
The new series is simply the best sci-fi series in ages, with great characters, engaging story and production values that are mind blowing.
It's called "Battlestar Galactica" and keeps the same basic plot and characters but has little else in common with the old series.
I look forward eagerly to the new series, as there has been a lot set up in the mini series that has me hanging to see how things will pan out and by the end I was just starting to get involved enough with the characters to really care about their fates.I give "Battlestar Galactica" 9/10.
In the Original series, the Cylons were not made by humans, but by a race of lizard like life forms.
In the original series, the characters CARED about each other, and were working together, instead of always arguing with each other all the time.
Watch the original series and maybe, Galactica 1980, on the Sci- Fi Channel..
The homage to 9/11 with the corridors lined with the photos of loved ones dead and/or missing could have been seen to be a bit callous, but was played out to great effect, without being insensitive.In my opinion if you want a drama series that will keep you hooked and have you caring about the characters, that looks good and is written for those of us with an IQ higher that of our shoe size - you cannot go far wrong with Battlestar Galactica..
The grittier-feel, the hand-held shots and the 'more-realistic' combat all add-up to making this one of the best science-fiction dramas that I have seen on television in a long while.There are a few fanboy reviews here that are overly critical of this new version and all I have to say to them is to 'get with it'.I mean, I liked old series, but to remake BG, with it's hammy 70's sensibilities intact, just doesn't cut it in the year 2004..
If anything this is the real story where the original series is how events were fictionalized by historians.Anyway, I went in expecting not to like it and ended up wanting to see the next installment immediately.