[click image to a cool website]
After being Sci-Fi series deprived for a while, and considering I loved the classic series as a kid, this reimagined series was a breath of fresh air and I thoroughly enjoyed it – it did me some good … made me think, feel, relate, pause, etc – so it was more than enjoying the ride. Thanks to the Aussie guy for the loan! Cheers mate !
Oh yeah, I read this piece by Ron Moore the Screenwriter/producer which I found engaging .since their goal is “nothing less then the reinvention of the science fiction television series”.
“… 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.
I think there’s life in that old giant. But I think that just poking him with a stick and expecting him to leap to his feet and resume his journey as if no time had passed would serve only to hasten his final death throes. He needs a makeover. Especially that ’70s hair.
So we’ve set out to bring the old boy back to life and give him a new look and a new outlook on life. And we’re going to ask him to tell his stories again, from the beginning. Tell them again, but this time go deeper. See, we were young once and when the old guy spun his tales of Apollo and Starbuck, we were satisfied with clear-cut heroes and nakedly evil villains. But we’re older now. We’ve eaten a lot of popcorn over the years. We’re ready for a bigger meal. Make the story more complicated. Make the people less black-and-white. Challenge us, provoke us, grab us by the throat with those massive hands and dare us to invest ourselves in flawed characters who face ambiguous choices in an imperfect world. Dare us to root for heroes with all-too-human weaknesses. See if we’ll still embrace them if they fall prey to their imperfections.
Ask us to care for human beings instead of caricatures.
“Our goal is nothing less then the reinvention of the science- fiction television series”
With those words leading the way, I turned in the final draft of Battlestar Galactica. Bold words, perhaps. Arrogant even. But they accurately describe the ambition driving this project:
We believe you can explore adult themes with adult characters and still tell a ripping good yarn.
We believe that to portray human beings as flawed creations does not weaken them, it strengthens them.
We believe that bringing realism to science fiction is neither contradictory nor a fool’s errand.
We believe that science fiction provides an opportunity to explore our own society, to provoke debate and to challenge our perceptions of ourselves and our fellow Man.
We believe science fiction can still be relevant.
We believe all these things and more.
If you agree with us, then this is the show for you. If not, then thanks for coming, but the popcorn is in a different aisle.
Stick around — it’s going to be a helluva ride.
Ronald D. Moore
Executive Producer / Screenwriter
mate it only gets better as the series goes on, I personally like the diversity that has been introduced eg Starbuck is now a woman, will be good to have some dialogue about the theological aspects of the story once you catch up
ps old series also can ah
Yeah, it’s quite a ride! I wasn’t much of a fan of the starbuck sex change (then again, I had a crush on Dirk Benedict, so took it personally somewhat. :P)
But, the realism of the show rocks, and it’s easily one of the best shows out there (I actually wrote a review of the show on July’s Galaxie magazine)
Ironically, the Cylons are monotheistic while the humans are …. what’s the opposite of monotheistic? 😛 The Cylons, being robots, have religion and I wonder what that metaphor means?
Great show. 🙂
Am a science fiction fan – and esp of Star Trek. Also can remember the original Battlestar Galactica.
I think I like the New show esp the concept ofthe cylons able to take humna form and one of these models having a slight flaw (compassion and ability to love as the weakness).
I am even ok with Stabuck being a girl.
But the thing I realy don’t like is the heavy sexual imagery of the cylone in Dr. Gaius’ “mind” – because of that I don’t feel comfortable introducing this series to my son entering his teens. ðŸ™
Hi Sivin – it’s ironic because I’ve been wanting to see that show afte all that I’ve heard about it. I ended up watching it last night – the 2003 three hour miniseries that is on DVD, that is. I cannot believe how good it was. I have not been that impressed by the other things the SciFi channel has done (Dune, Earthsea) but holy cow! Now I’m trying to get my hands on 2004.
Hi Sivin – it’s ironic because I’ve been wanting to see that show after all that I’ve heard about it. I ended up watching it last night – the 2003 three hour miniseries that is on DVD, that is. I cannot believe how good it was. I have not been that impressed by the other things the SciFi channel has done (Dune, Earthsea) but I was amazed by how well-realized this is! Now I’m trying to get my hands on 2004 episodes. I’m glad to know you’re a fan too.
Hi Sivin – it’s ironic because I’ve been wanting to see that show after all that I’ve heard about it. I ended up watching it last night – the 2003 three hour miniseries that is on DVD, that is. I cannot believe how good it was. I have not been that impressed by the other things the SciFi channel has done (Dune, Earthsea) but I was amazed by how well-realized this is! Now I’m trying to get my hands on 2004 episodes. I’m glad to know you’re a fan too.
Okay, not only am I a sci-fi geek, but I am a posting nerd too. Sorry for the repetition- I kept getting a message telling to try again later.