Universal Developing Battlestar Galactica Movie
Alright I know what you’re thinking… the final episodes of Battlestar Galactica are about to air on the Sci Fi Channel, and they’re already preparing to spin it off into a feature film franchise. Well, although there is another direct-to-DVD movie planned for sometime after the series finale, they’re not about to bring the re-imagined version to the big screen. What is apparently coming to the big screen, however, is a Battlestar Galactica movie based on the original 1978 series instead!
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Universal Pictures are in talks with Glen A. Larson, creator of the original Battlestar, to write and produce a new movie based on his original concept. It will not be connected in any way to the Sci Fi Channel series, although characters like Adama, Starbuck, and Baltar will remain (Starbuck likely being a man again this time). Larson is the same man responsible for such classic shows as Magnum P.I., The Fall Guy and Knight Rider, but his own recent attempts to bring Knight Rider to the big screen have been stymied by the new NBC remake.
So why bring out a BSG movie based on the original series now? Wasn’t the whole point of the new series that they re-invented it for today’s audience? I think the only way I’d be interested is if they kept it campy and played on old school nostalgia, similar to what they were talking about doing for the Buck Rogers movie. Do you think this idea has potential? Does anyone actually want to see a new old Battlestar Galactica movie?
Comments (91)
Well, my opinion is a bit longer … you can read it here: http://www.e-fee.de/bsgtweets/blog/2009/02/22/my-personal-opinion-on-a-possible-bsg-movie-why-not-take-richard-hatchs-continuation/
Posted by BSGtweets on February 22nd, 2009This has to be a joke, right? In my opinion, a (1978 series) remake is just a huge waist of money, time and resources. Script in trash – now, please. If you want to get serious for a minute, make a feature film franchise of the new, “re-imagined” Battlestar Galactica with its incredible cast and brilliant cinematography. You’ll make so much $$$$ money you’ll be… well … what can I say.
Posted by Irish on February 24th, 2009I cannot wait to see this! I hope Tom DeSanto is involved. Hell, the Sci Fi channel version stole most of its best stuff from his continuation work.
Posted by Mark on February 25th, 2009Ron Moore’s BSG is a abomination. Comprised of soap opera-esque revelations mistaken for “depth” by virtually illiterate SF morons. The production design is off the shelf at Home depot. The acting is either wooden and lifeless or so overhammed that it would make Miss Piggy embarassed. The continuity is an abysmal mess. I watched one episode where two warriors were supposedly hiding from the cylons by sitting next to a campfire in the rain. Golly, surely no better way to hide from beings DESIGNED to find and kill humans than that! It seems one could defeat the cylons on Moore’s show by simply sleeping with their best friend instead of having to defeat them militarily.
I find Moore’s BSG to be completely consistent with other SF channel fare, such as MANSQUITO.
Tell me, what other science fiction was on TV at the time of the original? Virtually none. BSG opened the door to SF on television again after the 60’s. For that achievement alone, it deserves it’s own movie.
Posted by TheDecepticon on February 26th, 2009^
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKjxFJfcrcA
the original BSG is a joke. the new BSG is the best show on television.
Posted by Goon on February 26th, 2009@TheDeception; Wow, all that just to say you dont like the remake. Did you just write all that to prove how literate you are in comparison to the rest of us, “illiterate SF morons”?
The remake is appropriate for the time in which it’s written and if you dont like it then you dont have to watch it.
As to the original series I have to ask, “who gives a damn”? It was a bad series to begin with that got canceled. And it was completely forgotten by everyone outside of an obscure niche of people that actually liked the original series.
The original was and still is crap, and making a movie based on it is a complete waste of time.
Posted by UFORocks on February 27th, 2009When I heard of a movie being made, I was hoping a prequel similar to the Razor episodes. Seeing a young Adama would be great, as well as exploring the storyline that led up to the current BSG serie. I agree that it is the best series ever. Watching the 70’s version is like watching the Rocky Horror Picture Show, you just do it for the camp value.
Posted by john on February 28th, 2009I hope this is speculation. Almost all of the current Battlestar Galactica fans are fans of the most recent show. It’s very well written — with great depth and detail. I hope Moore gets to make a movie first
Posted by Nushien on March 1st, 2009> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKjxFJfcrcA
> the original BSG is a joke. the new BSG is the best > show on television.
No, you’re a joke. The new BSG is a disaster worthy of scorn. The old original BSG paved the way for the existing show so be grateful for that since Ronald Moore doesn’t have the talent or skill to create Battlestar Galactica circa 1978. The 1978 show had one big handicap with 30 year old tech. Even star was would be better made in 2009.
The new show is about as stale as a crusty century old loaf of bread. Ronald Moores BSG is feldergarp. The attitude of the new show is let’s do everything different from the old show. Basically they changed several characters to women including Admiral Cain. Ronald Moore overhumanized the Cylons. In one episode the idea of a climax is a suicide. The 70s show doesn’t have the advantage of modern CGI because it would kick Ronald Moore’s Battlestar’s Ass if the old show had modern CGI and animation.
The original show was way better cast and the opening was much better musically. The new BSG opening is the cylons evolved into 12 models and they have a plan. So what. The new BSG is slow as a snail and has very little scifi being more of a soap instead of having adventure or intrigue like the old show. The new BSG is like ER in space with a bunch of dialog and little to know scifi. They basically wanted a really cheap show at the scifi channel so the result is about 95% drama and character plot with maybe a 5% scifi show which is why there are so few space battles in the entire 5 year series. The idea of the new show is more drama and very little space or planetary intrigue or discovery. There was more action in the Battlestar Galactica 1978 Pilot than there was in the entire Battlestar 2004+ disaster.
Dirk Benedict and Lorne Greene and John Colicos and Jane Seymour were way better as a cast than the new Battlestar with a bunch of no name cast members. Most of the new cast were basically nameless actors who no one had ever heard of or didn’t have the credits except possibly Edward James Olmos.
Lorne Greene at least has a lot more charisma than Edward James Olmos. So does John Calicos as Baltar in a role that thoroughly destroys the new Baltar who attempts to be a messianic disaster.
One thing that is absolutely terrible in the new show is that it is more of a soap opera written to appeal to drama queens and sci fi wannabes instead of featuring classic sci fi settings and exploration that the old show attempted to portray with greater courage 30 years ago with less technology and computer CGI in it’s infancy. The 1978 show was much more path breaking than the new show. It basically paved the way like it or not. The 1978 show explored much more technology and wasn’t afraid to push the bounds of TV technology. There was almost no technology in 1978 including video screens that were Tektronix terminals. A 6502 is thousands of times less powerful than a Intel Core 2. Semiconductors were extremely primitive but the show tried to push the scope much harder than the new show with 30 years of technology.
Ronald Moores show BSG is so conservative it barely attempts to push the limits and has very little space interaction and just tries to turn the show into a play instead of truly exploring the limits of technology. They used bullets to protect the Battlestar Galactica. There are no technology innovations in the entire show and the stealth viper basically was a one or two show event which was never recreated. For all the colonies technology they still don’t exceed 21st century earths technology. In this regard it is a disaster.
The old show make the mistake of trying to make the Cylons too robotic but the technology is 30 years old. This new show makes the Cylons too human and doesn’t even delve into the Cylon robotic culture and basically throws almost all the cylon robotics down the rabbit whole. Whereas the new show was written to appeal to men more the new show was written to appeal to women with more soap dialog and little technology.
The 1978 show with Count Iblis Patrick McGee basically tops the 2004 which never really has anyone with the same acting caliber.
This is a list of the BSG shows and which version was better.
A greater than sign ‘>’ denotes which show element was better and a ‘ 2004 BSG
Comments: BSG 1978 had Jane Seymour, Lorne Greene, Patrick Macnee, model-actress Maren Jensen (Athena), John Colicos, Lloyd Bridges, Terry Carter (Tigh). The old show cast was all a charisma cast.
Technology
2004 BSG 30 years newer > 1978 BSG
Opening score
1978 BSG > 2004 BSG
Chief Villain
John Colicos Baltar > 2004 BSG “????” Villain
Patrick McNee Count Iblis > 2004 BSG Baltar
Admiral Adama
Lorne Greene “Charisma” > Edward James Olmos
Best BSG Babe
1978 Jane Seymour > 2004 Tricia Helfer
1978 Maren Jensen > Katie Sackhoff
1978 Anne Lockhart > 2004 Mary McDonnell
1978 Laurette Spang (Cassiopeia) > ????
Best Music Score
1978 BSG fanfare > 2004 BSG with Drums
Opening Dialog
1978 dialog with Patrick Macnee “There are those who believe that life here began out there,….” > “They have a plan” 2004 BSG
Battlestar Displays
1978 BSG Tektronix displays cooler > 2004 Battlestar Displays
Pushing Technology
1978 Battlestar Galactica > 2004 BSG
Best BSG Cylon Robots
1978 Cylons Centurion > 2004 BSG Cylons
Hey the 1978 Cylons had lasers and would dust the new ones.
Best BSG Cylon Basestar
1978 Basestar > 2004 boomerang basestar
Best Saul Tigh
1978 Terry Carter (Tigh) > 2004 Tigh
Best Commander Cain
1978 Admiral “Charm” Legend Cain > 2004 “B****” Admiral Cain
Best Episode
1978 BSG “War Of The Gods” with count Iblis > ??? 2004 BSG
Best BSG Show
Posted by Haunted Mesa on March 2nd, 20091978 BSG (13 wins one big handicap) > 2004 BSG (1 win)
nothing you said is true.
the end.
Posted by Goon on March 2nd, 2009Please Explain what the new Battle Star Galactica means by “They Have a Plan.”
What plan?
Posted by Haunted Mesa on March 2nd, 2009> nothing you said is true.
> the end
You mean what you were saying.
Posted by Haunted Mesa on March 2nd, 2009> Wow, all that just to say you dont like the remake.
> Did you just write all that to prove how literate you > are in comparison to the rest of us, “illiterate SF > > morons”?
You should take your words seriously.
> The remake is appropriate for the time in which it’s > written and if you dont like it then you dont have to > watch it.
Yes, We do have to watch it to correct the record and really ask for the Battlestar that fans want. Ronald Moore’s version of Battlestar Galactica is not the one that the “true fans want.” On the record I hope they never make another one like it.
This is the same issue with the most recent Batman The Dark knight where it is like taking a canvas and painting it with dark oil. It has all the color and beauty of a horror novel and is like painting an impressionist painting in dark without color with no difference between grey or black. As Ford would say “you can have it in any color just so it’s black.” Battlestar 2004 is just bleak with no color or texture.
There are fans that prefer the color and optimism and fun of the original Battle Star which had a lot more vision and potential. If the old show were also remastered like the Old Trek Show and would probably kick the new Shows ***.
> As to the original series I have to ask, “who gives a > damn”? It was a bad series to begin with that got
> canceled. And it was completely forgotten by everyone > outside of an obscure niche of people that actually
> liked the original series.
1978 BSG was a good series which had some bad episodes. The pilot movie for 1978 BSG was very good. There are bad Star Trek Shows that doesn’t mean that Star Trek is a bad show. 1978 Battlestar had some very good shows including the 7 million dollar pilot.
The problem is that a lot of the new 2004 BSG episodes are bad and lack imagination or innovation or pizazz. Some examples are where the fleet went to earth and earth was nuked or when there was the episode ending suicide (You couldn’t due that on ABC which is why it isn’t on a network ABC unlike the original. Second tier shows can try to do really off the wall suicidal plots which would cause much more uproar on network TV).
The coup was also kind of pointless since it didn’t really accomplish much to further the plot just detract from the shows direction which is missing.
Another example of a bad episode or plot in the new BSG is where the fleet basically decided to settle New Caprica which was really a disaster and totally out of character of the show which is fleeing the Cylons. Not only that but the occupation was also portrayed quickly and very poorly. Adama would never let Baltar take the election.
Another questionable action is the Cylon Human alliance.
2004 BSG also had a bad plot when they made Cavil into a “Bad Teenage Cylon”.
Another plot whole is where they sacrificed the better Battlestar Pegasas instead of the Galactica to escape from New Caprica. Logic would dictate that the older Battlestar would be destroyed and they’d try to save the newer one but this show doesn’t follow any sort of logic. Military planning would dictate saving the higher priority military asset than the lower priority military asset in a war. This is even more illogical considering the battle damage and that the Galactica was essentially mothballed prior to escape.
A good well written show wouldn’t have these types of plot errors.
JJ Abrams would make a way better Battlestar that is actually logical and compelling. Then again the Current Battlestar is nothing like Lost or Alias or Fringe.
> The original was and still is crap, and making a
> movie based on it is a complete waste of time.
Actually the new 2004 Battlestar Galactica is a complete waste of time.
The pilot episode cost $7 million so it’s not crap. The old show is not cheap either. They probably spent more on the original 1978 show than on the 2004 show per episode including inflation. If you make a real scifi show it probably costs more which is why 2004 BSG is 5% scifi and 95% soap drama.
The 1978 Battlestar Galactica was one of the highest rated shows of all time. It had ratings the new show could only dream of. One of the reasons why it got canceled was the cost but you could argue that about Stargate Atlantis. Another reason is that the Scifi channel has no clue about programming and canceled Dresden for a cheapy Flash Gordon whose only redemption are the “Hot Women” and Farscape for Tremors. The Scifi channel is trying to cell the 2004 BSG as a gold enema or the greatest show which it’s not. The Scifi channels track record is B series shows such as Tremors or reruns of Dark Shadows or Ghost Hunters not Tony Soprano. “Don’t believe the hype. BSG 2004 is not a classic.”
Based on ratings the old show was higher rated than the new show will ever be. Just on numbers the 1978 show is higher rated than the 2003+ new show ever will be so take that. The old 1978 Battlestar Galactica was a phenomenon while the new show is just on a third tier network with a smaller audience and less of a fan base. The 1978 original was on a real network called ABC not also ran Scifi channel which cancels shows periodically. Hey there are a lot fewer viewers of the new show than ever existed for the old show. Based on that the new 2004 Battlestar fans are probably a minority.
The 1978 Battlestar is not crap. Crap is a Doctor Who show from the 60s campy with no special effects. The 1978 Pilot was very watchable as a feature with good special effects for 1978. The fanfare was inspiring and actually orchestrated by a professional orchestra unlike the new show. The cast was also above average and at least they had Jane Seymour which is more than you can say about the new show.
If it weren’t for the original the 2004 Battlestar Galactica wouldn’t exist. All the themes in the original are also similar in the new show. Making a remake of the original would not be bad. If you hate the original so much why are you watching the new show @TheDeception since they are both similar in plot?
Posted by Mantra on March 2nd, 2009The old show just has 30 year old special effects to handicap it whereas the new show has bad stories and bad direction which hamper it.
The possibilities for a BSG Movie are virtually as vast as the Galaxy, particularly using th Original series as the basis. A re telling of that story, a look back in to the dim past at the founding of the colonies, the ture origins of the cyclons, the fate of their long presumed dead creators, the fate of the Pegasus, the mysterious Crystal Ship, etc.
An even more exciting possibilty is REAL actor taking on the role of Adama. Watching the crusty, semi senile character portrayed lamely by Edward James Olmos has all the excitment and believability of, lets say, Jerry Seinfeld playing Tarzan.
The current castration, I mean, incarnation, of BSG reminds me of “Wing Commander”. Not the Excellent Series of Computer games, but instead The 1999 stinker in which Freddie Prinze Jr proved that bad acting and a bad script can overcome an special effects, no matter how good they are.
Say Maybe edwatf James Olmos and Freddie Prinze Jr. could team up for the next talentless remake of a Sci Fi Classic series – “Lost in Space … the Rodriguez Family blasts off from the barrio”.
Posted by Johnny on March 2nd, 2009Let me put it this way: for me the greatness of the new BSG is self evident, and everything I’ve seen from the original, which admittedly is only so much, is sub-Tron cheese. You and your buddies from wherever this got linked from can all write massive diatribes, but when you have to try and shit on the new one so much to try and pump up the original, it doesnt come across as reasoned, and just falls on deaf ears.
Posted by Goon on March 2nd, 2009“for me the greatness of the new BSG is self evident”
Goon, you must realize you are killing me with this.
Posted by Henrik on March 2nd, 2009“Ronald Moore’s version of Battlestar Galactica is not the one that the “true fans want.”
I dont care if the new BSG is true to the original and panders to the original fans. it is what it is and I like it. Ron Moore has been doing great work both here, as well as on Carnivale and Star Trek: TNG
Posted by Goon on March 2nd, 2009yeah whatever Henrik :p
I’d argue with you too but you’ve pissed on the Wire, Sopranos, and all these other shows, so whatevs. Not gonna go there, dont have time for the same ol argument.
Posted by Goon on March 2nd, 2009I was thinking the exact same thing. I’m sure this post could go to 50 comments in 24 hours, but just seems redundant.
I guess my social skills are improving.
Posted by Henrik on March 2nd, 2009I do agree that Ron Moore did good work on TNG though.
Posted by Henrik on March 2nd, 2009yeah, ha ha i was just thinking about how this was just going to play out exactly as we expect and people were just going to complain about us again.
its nice that we’ve almost made peace about disagreeing on most things. group hug.
Posted by Goon on March 2nd, 2009we agree on what matters – god and the wrestler.
Posted by Henrik on March 2nd, 2009one of each among our our favorite, and least favorite, fictional characters
Posted by Goon on March 2nd, 2009TheDecepticon and Haunted Mesa are both rambling idiots. Ronald Moore is a genius. The end.
Posted by Jason on March 4th, 2009I am 42 years old. I hated the original BSG when I was a kid and as far as I am concerned the Ron Moore BSG is the best thing ever put on television. I am not interested in a movie based on the old version at all.
Posted by Ernesto on March 4th, 2009I love it, people fighting over which is better. Here’s a clue guys & gals…they’re two different shows with the same name. The 78-79 series was a battle against a completely robotic “culture” and encountered other “races” along the way (that second part reminds me of Star Trek actually). Its point was not to look into the frailties of humanity, but rather its ability to overcome. It did not have political commentary, it was made for entertainment. The new series is deeper in the sense of how it looks at people and persons, why we fight with each other, why we love each other, how we can fail, and how we can succeed. The culture of the times was vastly different as well. We were not involved in an unpopular war, religious strife was certainly not as noticeable, and sitcoms were far more popular than humanistic dramas. Look at them as separate series, using a similar background, and both are/were good shows. The original never really hit its stride, whereas people easily identified with the new characters, and wanted more, that’s all.
Posted by Fan of Both on March 20th, 2009Mantra and haunted Mesa- neither of you has gotten the point of NEW vs. OLD BSG. The original series was the most advanced sci-fi series of its time, and yet it looks like crap and plastic now because the props and the effects are so outdated. It had some good concepts, but it was time for a fresh start. The “re-imagined” version started out with a war 40 years in the past, after which the Cylons simply disappeared. The Galactica, was being decommissioned and turned into a museum after some 50 years of service, when suddenly the Cylons are back, but they aren’t toasters anymore, they’re human-like. I was a bit disturbed about Starbuck and Boomer being women rather than men, but it worked. The “Cylons among us” idea was hard to grasp at first but it was developed well. In this age of advance graphics it would be a waste to simply redo the original, because those minds and those concepts have been replaced by others with a better view of the future. Look how Star Trek evolved through its 5 series. To ask for an updated original-style BSG would neither be a challenge for the studios nor entertainment for the fans. Stop trying to live in the past. Lost In Space (Movie) tried to do both, by using the old-style Jupiter 2 concept as a launch vehicle, but having the real Jupiter 2 nestled inside and updated. that movie would have spawned sequels if it hadn’t been only about effects and if they hadn’t chosen that ridiculous time-travel idea for the script. BSG as a series would never have lasted 4 years if they had just remade and revamped the original. I look forward to “The Plan” this summer, and also to “Caprica”. phooey on all you stick in the muds who don’t want anything to change from 1978 to 2004, just better effects- with the same story. the new series was about an old dilapidated ship that at one time HAD been like the ship in the first series- only it was 40 years later, which you obviously missed. Moore and the cast did a great job updating the concept for today, and couching the war on terrorism in the stories. The3 series is over, so stop griping. Let those of us who liked it have good memories, as you do of the original (me too, at the time I thought it was great, but I was only 25, and now I look back at it and roll my eyes.) peace and long life
Posted by leathrpaws on March 20th, 2009oh yes- addressed to all of you in here- have that many folks really forgotten how to spell and make grammatically correct sentences? or don’t they teach that in schools any more?
Posted by leathrpaws on March 20th, 2009Some of these people need to lay off the caffeine. WOW.
Posted by ME on March 20th, 2009I might also add that comparing ratings and viewership numbers from 1978 to today is complete folly and disingenuous. The majority of households in 1978 had three networks plus PBS coming in over the air. Many didn’t even have that. Today most homes can bring in upwards of 10 channels OTA and more than 200 via cable/satellite. Nearly ALL shows have lower ratings today than they did then. There’s too much competition. I don’t so much mind that you two loved the original series and hate this one. That’s your opinion freely had. It’s your arrogance and false facts (see above) that render your diatribes mute.
I was 10 when the original BSG was aired. I watched it; wasn’t my favorite, but I appreciated the show. The current re imagined series is light years beyond that one in story telling and ethos. And for a kind of cheesy cable channel (Sci Fi) they splurged on special effects and hit a home run with this series. I really liked it. They also had the courtesy to wrap it up for us. How many times does that happen? To address the original point, I’ll go see a movie based on the first series because I enjoy good sci fi. If it’s any good or not remains to be seen.
Posted by flockof4 on March 21st, 2009I agree with flockof4, I will give the movie a chance, but it sounds like a dud in the making. The idea of pandering to all 10 of the fans left of original series sounds like a HUGE mistake to me. Hopefully they can bring back that retarded kid and his robot dog, maybe market it the thing to children, and it will work out. Maybe get some input from George Lucas and Stephen Spielberg, get them running around New York, fighting crime and cylons. If they are going to lay down a turd, may as well make it ripe as possible. Someone has to buy toys.
Posted by stinkybean on March 22nd, 2009That said, it would be very difficult to make a movie from the recent series because they did the unthinkable and went ahead and finished it, which is more than the original series did. I always wondered if Starbuck or Apollo would be the fire chief of New York.
Wow, Haunted Mesa, you hit it right on the head. As far as writing goes, TOS definitely was better than BSG03. But, some people are easily wowed by CGI.
One thing not really discussed too much, however, is the mythology/theology of the two series. Larson’s in TOS was far superior. And wow, could BSG03 have used a Count Iblis, or what!?! They crossed over Pegasus and Cain, so they should have done likewise with Iblis. But BSG03 doesn’t really explore good vs. evil. “God” in BSG03, in true intelligent design fashion, uses evil as much as good to suit “It’s” purposes (e.g., blowing up the Colonies to get the ball rolling toward the new Earth.
What TOS series needs is a good solid ending like Moore gave us in Daybreak. The abortion that was the TOS sequel does not count, not at all. All what is really cool that Larson can do for us is bring Galactica and the fleet to our time (2009)!!! How cool would that be!?! They fly down, meet Pres. Obama or the head of the UN. Mankind on Earth realizes it’s not alone. That would be a sweet ending. Everything is bliss… and then the Cylons show up! Something crazy like the Planet of the Apes remake did.
Original series vs new series debates really are useless, folks! Both had up-sides and down-sides. We’re gonna see this in May with Star Trek vs. ST:TOS. Pointless, pointless, pointless. Just enjoy the “rollercoaster ride through the eye of the needle” as Helo put it, folks!!!
Posted by Chris in Texas on March 22nd, 2009Guess what…
Both versions are GREAT in their styles.
And if you could sit Ronald D Moore and Glen A Larsson in the same table for 30 minutes they could come to an awesome conclusion.
A film is a very GOOD oportunity to fulfill the Circle.
All of this has happened before……..yes in 1978.
Use the 78 Canon to set the Past of reimagined series, Let the Nuked “earth” Found in Revelations be the “Caprica” from the original series.
Posted by Hellcrooner on March 23rd, 2009> The 70s show doesn’t have the advantage of modern CGI because it would kick Ronald Moore’s Battlestar’s Ass if the old show had modern CGI and animation.
Not everything is in modern CGI and animation, there’s also something in distinguishing the term “galaxy” from the “star system”. In the OS, they kinda used… whichever.
Posted by Thierry on March 23rd, 2009Well, I would love to see “Battlestar Galactica: Saga of A Star World” re-released on DVD in its entirety with updated special effects. I think “Saga” was originally a three hour movie.
Posted by Dean on March 26th, 2009im 21 years old, and of course i don;t remember sitting down and watching TOS version of BSG because obviously i wasn’t i wasn’t even born yet, but anyway i did happen to watch a few episodes and clips of the original series only because i was curious to see how the new series….and i have to im not to interested in the original but thats just me. in my honest and non-biased opinion i think that the original series was just a great series for its time but if u watched it now it just doesn’t fit.
Sci-fi shows that come out in this day time can’t really be “too sci-fi” they have more to it than just a bunch of ridiculous action scenes every five minutes. both series have great story’s to tell but both are lacking something more that stops them from being exceptional.
Posted by Don on March 26th, 2009i also believe fans of the old series barely gave the new reinvisioned story a chance because they already fell in love with it and anything else would be utter garbage i guess. maybe i would have the same attitude if the “reimagined” firefly but i wouldn’t bash it from the get go.
i bet some of you who are completely bashing new BSG watched it all the way to end and still continued to say how much it sucked. also another thing so what if it was the highest rated series at that time, that has no relevance in 2009. back then there was no cable and cbs, nbc, and abc were the main three primetime networks because there wasnt anyone else, but today u have in between 200-300 something cable channels airing there own series. some of the popular cable tv shows only get 2-5 million viewers in ratings and those are good numbers. so who ever mentioned that “highest rated tv series” shit should retract that.
TOS battlestar hard to watch but if you want that good ol’ late 70’s lack of ingenuity tv then thats your show
Posted by Don on March 26th, 2009I’d love to know about the politics of this move on Universal’s part. I can’t imagine RDM is too pleased, either; but what’s motivating Glen Larson? Did he not like the new BSG? Is he trying to capitalize on the fact that he probably controls a lot of the intellectual property associated with the series and make some money? Is it a creative differences thing?
Given the enormous popularity of the new BSG, whatever Glen Larson can come up with at this point is going to look like “Never Say Never Again,” the James Bond movie that no one likes to talk about that was produced out of a rights conflict. It even had an older Sean Connery who looked like he belonged in Indiana Jones’ motorcycle sidecar more than in an Aston Martin.
Posted by Anonymous Coward on March 27th, 2009The new BSG had its moments of greatness, but just when I would start to think it might top the old BSG, Ron Moore would make us sit through yet another prolonged idiotic sex scene with #6 — what absolute trash.
Posted by Kedesh on March 28th, 2009The two versions of the show were good in their time periods. I agree with both sides of the argument the original was a great leap in technology and the new version lacked any real Science being added to the Fiction of the story. The new version has told a good story very well and with much drama. New technology was severely lacking in the updated version. Case in point the medical technology was more like 1970’s than some advanced society with Faster Than Light space travel would be expected to have. I suspect RD Moore was not allowed to developed the technology side of the story any farther because Bonnie Hammer and others at NBCU dislike the Geek side of Science Fiction and are trying to remove this from all the shows now and to be shown on the newly directed (with new name) SYFY channel. If you are angry that the new technology aspect of BSG was not included with the show, blame NBCU.
Posted by save Sci Fi on March 28th, 2009am i the oddball here?? i just love both new and old series.. it seems everyone loves one or the other .. is there anyone else out there like me who can seperate the two in their minds and love them both ??? just curious……..
Posted by joe massari on April 1st, 2009I’m 41, I’ve seen both shows and let me tell you this: when I was 10, TOS was the best cause as a kid, the only thing that I wanted to see was space battles and my favorite heros kicking cylon ass without violence and blood. Now I’m older and also a veteran, I’ve seen the best of humans and the worst of them…I love the new series cause it’s a reminder that nothing is always pretty and simple for those who are trying to survive. Of course it as his flaws just like TOS, but just try to see the big picture here and learn something instead of complaining. Both shows have merits, as for a movie…why dont they try to put a bridge between them so that would make everybody happy
Posted by Marc Hamel on April 6th, 2009Give me a break…TOS of Galactica is all but unwatchable, regardless of your feelings about the recent incarnation.
But I guess some folks feel that having a Penthouse and a handjob is better than real sex with someone else too.
Please!
Posted by JHo on April 7th, 2009I’m too young to remember much about the Original series. I did try several times to watch the new version, but could not get into it. I’m not a huge fan of soap operas or dramas that take themselves too seriously. I’m more a fan of oldschool Sci-fi and action adventures. If they were to make a movie based more on the original series that was more devoted to true Sci-Fi and not a soap opera then I would definitely watch it.
Posted by Joenhre on April 8th, 2009Personally I think that if this film does see production, then Larson and Universal are “jumping the shark” 40 years too late.
The original is what it was. The new is what it is.
Most of the fans of the original who are so obsessed with a television show, that was aimed at a late 70’s viewer, will never appreciate the re-invention of something that they are overly passionate about.
Most of them re-live the glory of youth by putting on home made colonial jumpsuits and sport resin blaster kits to sci-fi conventions. Much like trekkies (trekkers) they will bash any atempt to modernize or re-imagine something that the creators admired enough in thier youth to try and bring it to a new and diverse audience. Simply because it does not conform to their conception of fan lore.
I for one will watch any new movie as I have with many others and reserve my praise or scorn for after I see it, but I still say they are “jumping the shark”.
Posted by Devils advocate on April 10th, 2009I never saw the original, but I’m honestly not a big fan of the new. It’s ok..just too much “drama” and not enough action or good mythos [although it started and never followed through]. Also at times the drama seems contrived, whereas a more logical and military choice that was available would have prevented it, yet the show never explains why the more logical option was not chosen (if it did this it would be better)
In the end I don’t watch tv to see people cry for 15 min intervals. I watch for entertainment, and the new series was only ok at entertaining me.
But that’s my opinion, watch whatever you want
Posted by Wesley on April 13th, 2009i have read all these comments and have this to say,i liked them both.
Posted by r.mccormick on April 22nd, 2009first off the 1978 pilot was supposed to be a movie and was released in the uk. to very good reveiws.second the show it self was fun and maby a little campy at times but that is what made it work.
in the new show it was more real and that is what made that show work, and by the way i liked both starbucks.
as for which show had better actors, both shows were well
cast with damn fine actors.
as for ships and the effects, i’m a little sided to the tos,i just liked the old viper. but the mark 2 which is similar to it looked real nice. i must admit i got a little lost on the season but it worked out well. only thing is that at the end it should of went off with the original opening.
in closing both shows were fine in their on way, and worked for the time they were done, as for a new movie i hope it is done withe great writing and good actors and only makes the story that much more fun for my kids
I don’t know much the old BSG, but I don’t like the new one. I just watch it to see how bad and melodramatic it could be. It’s all soap characters, no proper story. And purposeless too – after all the fighting and deaths the Cylons “marry” humans and voila – our humankind is born like Messiah…oh, how deep…one would puke…
Posted by EW on May 2nd, 2009Looking at these post I can see where they would WANT to so a remake of the original series for the big screen.
I for one enjoyed the original as a kid. When the new version came out, I avoided it. But then I tuned in and hey I got into the story since it was much richer. I love all the BSG series.
But look at the passion some folks feel about the series NEW or ORIGINAL and you have to be impressed. The orginal fans have been clamouring for this remake for years. I have no doubt whatsoever that this will make money, as long as it is done well.
And in a few years you’ll start seeing movies of the newer version.
I’m good with both now. Never enough good sci fi, so why complain.
Posted by Nick From Pittsburgh on May 6th, 2009I’m 41 and was a fan of TOS. I tried watching the new series, but I wanted to see scifi not a soap opera. I dislike the SF channels’ BSG almost as much as I disliked their Dune miniseries.
We weren’t involved in an unpopular war in ‘78, but don’t forget, we had only been out of Vietnam for 3 years, and it was still fresh in a lot of minds.
I’m not saying the new BSG was junk, it just wasn’t what I wanted to watch. I did watch several episodes to make sure I wasn’t just catching a slow one, but they were ALL slow. If you like the new series, fine for you, but I just couldn’t get into it.
Posted by Paul on May 12th, 2009I think that making a BSG movie based on the classic series would be a mistake.
Big mistake.
I just finished to watch serie 4 and the final episode was amizing … i would like to see a movie that happens.. maby in between serie 1 and 2 or whatever.
I want more BSG … MORE PLEASE!!!
Posted by Mr. Einarsson on May 19th, 2009Only thing i can say is that the new BSG is not a Sci-fi show. It is in reality a night time soap. This is not a show for sci-fi buffs. I think the concept wasn’t bad and was a decent one in the beginning. I stopped watching it in the second season towards the beginning because it reminded me of the same things you find in soaps on TV. If would of kept up with original concept rather than turning it into a sob story i think that it would of gone a lot longer.
I loved the original series. I believe that the new movies should be like the original and just update the special effects and i think that it will do very well.
Posted by Dynolord on June 10th, 2009As someone who appreciates both shows (1 show when I was a kid & the other as an adult) I do believe it would not be a good idea to make a movie off of the original series.
I loved the original, and I really loved the newer, darker series.
However, I do believe that making a new movie that would be based on the 1978 series would do nothing but bring confusion to so many who do not even know about the original.
Personally I’d love to see a movie like this, but there are so few of us who do even know about the original in comparison to the scores of people who are familiar with the reimagined series.
This is different from Star Trek, as the newer series involved different characters, ships, etc.
The original Battlestar, while a great series in its own right, just simply does not have the following that the newer Battlestar has. The characters are all reimagined, and I just believe it would do nothing but bring unnecessary confusion to the brand.
Besides movies are all about the dollars generated by butts in the seat. I don’t believe the original would bring in as many butts as the new.
Again, I’m not slamming either. I love them both, and I know that this is a rarity.
Posted by Byll on June 11th, 2009The 1978 version had a corny ending…when they found Earth.
Otherwise these are two very different shows and can not be compared. When I watched the new BSG I watched it as if it was a new show and had no connection to the original.
I enjoyed both versions. Each version offered good times.
Posted by Salvatore Parrino on June 18th, 2009I don’t have cable and so just finished the new BSG through renting, Amazon and Hulu. I realize this post is rather after the fact in more than one way, but as such maybe it will be the final word on this chain. As I’ve read through the posts by those with nothing but bile and venom to say about the new series and nothing but nostalgic, romanticized treacle about the old one, I’m impressed with what seems to be a truth universal across music, movies/television, writing, performance and visual art. This truth is that the moment something is re-interpreted after it’s source material’s heyday, an immediate knee-jerk reaction happens amongst the “old-schoolers” who identify with the original. I suppose this is natural, since every generation thinks their childhood or coming of age was somehow more real and magical and resplendently golden than anyone else’s could be, but it begs a question. As far as any part of the creative arts go, is it EVER good and healthy to be backwards-gazing, traditional revivalists? I think not. The producers of the new BSG were, I believe, genuinely inspired by and respectful to the original series. They just didn’t want to re-hash what had already been done. This is what all good art is – aware of what came before it but interested in what it could be right now. To those above who call themselves the “true fans” because they don’t want the memory of their original BSG besmirched, I will say that at one time that series was the new and groundbreaking thing. It was made by people with a vision and passion for expanding what their art form could be right now. Don’t get all hot and bothered just because someone else is doing it a generation later.
Posted by Chad on June 28th, 2009Wow, I can’t believe people are actually badmouthing the new BSG. It’s clearly one of the best, if not THE best television series ever made.
As one earlier poster put it, “the quality of the show is self-evident”. Every scene, every line, every story arc is just immaculate.
Boggles my mind that anyone who claim to have actually watched the show could actually dislike it. The only logical conclusion is that some people simply have no taste.
Posted by poltergeist on July 3rd, 2009To all commenters posting massive diatribes about the greatness of BSG 1978:
Posted by 21stC on July 6th, 2009Get over your nostalgia now! Please!
I watched the original show on Hulu, and (admittedly from a 21st century perspective) found it to be poorly acted, poorly made, campy crap. It may have been excellent entertainment for juveniles in its day, but now it serves as another example of why the vast majority of the US population would rather forget 80’s pop culture. I have never seen a show so horrendously dated. The special effects (one of the few redeeming qualities of the original) were understandable, but the costumes appeared to be from a budget 80’s halloween party. The dialogue was as stiff and forced as the movements of the semi-animatronic we-were-too-cheap-to-hire-an-actual-dog thing.
As to Galactica 1980, to say that it was among the worst pieces of scifi ever made would be very, very, kind.
If Larson and Universal Studios wish to remake the original, they should first take a long introspective to grasp every possible meaning of the phrase “Tanked completely on opening night.”
new bsg is weak….i don’t have a problem with the characters and original changes but the plot started out interesting and grew into a wreck. i found myself watching episodes and waiting to be wowed and the show really never delivered. all of the episodes only delivered one moment where I was wowed… i believe everyone should be able to guess… all of about 10 seconds…
hollywood will get the final say on which version is better. $$$ dictate this coin toss. Myself….I take the original anyday of the week.
Posted by cowal25 on July 13th, 2009“of why the vast majority of the US population would rather forget 80’s pop culture.”
You’re completely delusional.
Posted by reality on July 17th, 2009I loved the original. After rewatching the original in reruns on the space channel you realize it took a pretty dark theme (the end of humanity) and watered it down enough for us 8 year olds not to be scared @#*%-less. I even had a cylon mask (that broke before halloween and I had to get a Darth Vader) My point being that the show was made for kids. Every one at the time considered it a rip off of Star Wars but in reality it was playing hommage to the 1930’s sci fi serials Campy fun for the kids with just enough adult drama to keep mom and dad from nodding off.
Now I would not watch it if it were released today cus I AM PUSHING 40. I want an adult sci fi show now… I want a show that wins a Peabody and gets emmy nods for its acting… not one that inspires a line of action figures and lunch boxes. I want to watch a show that challenges me to think about how I feel about abortion, human trafficing, what role religion should play in our lives, etc….
For my little neices and nephews I will gladly play the original. I will relive my childhood with them.
The original has a place in my heart… but BSG2003 has a place in my mind.
ps for those of you who called it a soap opera I ask when was the last time DAYS OF OUR LIVES got invited to the UN to talk about the realistic depiction of the realities of war??? BSG was a DRAMA not a soap.
Posted by Chris on July 24th, 2009A movie on the “old” BSG?? Frak That! Here’s an idea, I know that the plan for the Caprica series starts off 58 years prior to the destruction of Caprica itself. Hmmm…why not take that series as far as you can, do a rough outline of where you want to end it, and do a movie on the 1st Cylon war? You’ll get everyone who is a “new” BSG fan to go see it and you’ll draw on people who haven’t seen it, they’ll end up watching the Caprica series as well as going out and buying the “new” BSG DVDs. Get SciFi, now SyFy, in on the deal to put up a large portion of the $$. Revenues will be MUCH higher this way due to the 1. cult following of the new BSG-hell, most of us guys have gotten our girlfriends/wives into the show, and 2. People who aren’t fans of the show will still go see it-it is a win-win scenerio. Do a movie on the “old” BSG, and it will be a FLOP. BSG “new” was a huge success. Remember when they remade movies that were already remakes?? The Punisher, The Hulk, well, they didn’t do all that well. In fact, most people, myself included, would say that the Punisher made the second time was much much better than the final movie made, which tried to play on comic book campiness, but failed and just looked silly. Stop remaking stuff for frak’s sake!!! Doing a different time line is one thing, but remaking an already remade idea, well, it is making redundancy redundant.
Posted by Jeremy Frakenstein on July 30th, 2009To append my above post, I grew up with the “old” BSG in syndication with my dad…I liked it for what it was at the time. I couldn’t watch it today. I even tried on Hulu, but I couldn’t get through the first few episodes. I think that everyone here has to look at the nostalgia factor here, because though I liked the original when I was a 9 year old, I really couldn’t watch it today. It wasn’t crap, but it wasn’t good either. Plots were underdeveloped, everyone won at the end of the day, special effects were cutting edge for the time, but that is all it had. Take the new BSG, which is unpredictable with who lives and dies, plot twists, character development and so on, and you have a Hollywood $$ maker.
Posted by Jeremy Frakenstein on July 30th, 2009Wow. This really involved into a flame fest. I’ve never seen old series, but without it there would never be the new one. Even if the new series borrows from the old one they look like two completely different series. So stop bitching about what is the better one when it’s just a matter of preference. Be happy that there is a movie based on the old series coming out. No movie is waste of time as long as its properly made.
I love the new series, but I can agree with the people say that the drama goes a little overboard sometimes. Hey maybe its supposed to come of as realistic showing peoples despair when at the bringe extinction. But come on there is more crying in this than a spanish soap opera. It really makes it quite heavy to watch. Something thats okay for a movie, but for a 4 season series…
Posted by Aleksander Gullanger on August 3rd, 2009The “new” BSG (a.k.a. GINO) was a disaster. Despite all the hoopla, despite all the marketing, despite all the attempts at a viral media campaign, in the end the show could not garner enough viewers to even beat out an animated sponge in the ratings. Those who still claim that it was “the best show ever” are guilty of drinking the Kool-Aid. The one and only reason why SciFi is going forward with “Caprica” is because they have nothing else. Ron Moore has failed at everything he’s done on his own. “Good vs. Evil” failed, “Roswell” failed, “Carnivale” failed, and his version of “Battlestar Galactica” completely failed. The only reason it lasted as long as it did is due to its association with a network known for its failures.
Posted by Necron2.0 on August 9th, 2009I should add, for its day, Larson’s “Battlestar Galactica” was a rating phenomenon. It quite literally changed the face of television. When it aired on ABC, it blew everything on the other networks away. They were left scrambling to find anything they could throw up against it, and failed. In the end, Galactica was cancelled not because of its ratings, not because of its production costs and not because the actors were difficult to work with. It was cancelled simply because the top executives at ABC were biased against Science Fiction and did not want to be known as the network for geeks. This is documented fact:
http://www.tombsofkobol.com/bsg/bsg-article-01.html
Posted by Necron2.0 on August 9th, 2009Necron in your rousing attack on new school BSG, are you don’t once reference the actual quality. You just say it had bad ratings. Do you find that at all odd?
Posted by Rusty James on August 9th, 2009Do you really think that everything popular is good?
Necron in your rousing attack on new school BSG, are you [aware that you] don’t once reference the actual quality of the show? You just say it had bad ratings. Do you find that at all odd?
Posted by Rusty James on August 9th, 2009Do you really think that everything popular is good?
Ah yes. The whine of the elitist. “The ‘little people’ just don’t get it.” If it truly was the “greatest show on television,” people would have been watching it. They weren’t, therefore it wasn’t – simple equation. In fact, it tanked even worse when they tried broadcasting it on NBC. It’s called “show business” folks. If you put on a show and nobody watches it, nine times out of ten it’s because it sucked.
Posted by Necron2.0 on August 10th, 2009^^^^ha ha. what the fuck?!
Do you or do you not think all popular things are good? It’s not an insult it’s a question.
Posted by Rusty James on August 10th, 2009are you frakkin’ kidding me?
Too soon for ANOTHER reboot, especially since the recent series was frakkin’ awesome!
Sounds like a money grab trying to cash in on the BSG name that Ron Moore helped re-establish.
Oh and for the record, BSG TOS was a POS. Star Trek TOS has greater replay value and took greater risks than BSG TOS, and is 10+ years older!
Posted by Evillusion on August 14th, 2009I remember when the new series came out and all the blow out that came from that. I can’t believe that the tables have turned and now the oringal BG is being trashed rather than the new. Look the original was fun and great for it’s time, and it is certainly not forgotten. I think an update of the orginal can be as good as the new Star Trek movie. I am a fan of the orginal and I really think the original concept will have a much broader audience. I am not going to put dow the new version of BG, but I don’t get it nor do Ienjoy it and it is a popular among a certain audience. But like I said the original BG concept will be more appealing to a larger spectrum of people. I look forward to it
Posted by C.T. Betts on August 14th, 2009Personally the original series was a total rip of Star Wars. By the way does anyone remember the follow up to the original series bsg 1981? Talk about cheese, I tried watching it and couldn’t decide if it was supposed to be bsg or chips. The flying motor cycles and stock footage were too much for me. So cry and mope over the new series which is done and over with, I loved it! My wife and I had something to be excited about every week and frak has become a household word for us. I’ll go watch the movie, but will be skeptical of it just like I was with Transformers and GI Joe. Both of those came out when I was a kid and the “re-imagined” movies weren’t too bad. I do feel though that it is a little too early to make this film. Maybe 10 years from now, but most of the audience for the original will be dead or in nursing homes. Take that haters!
Posted by Darthhess on August 15th, 2009Remake Airwolf, The Fall Guy, Magnum PI and dare I say Riptide. See how many people will bitch about those as well. V is the next series for the haters to knock, we’ll see how it goes.
Posted by Darthhess on August 15th, 2009never seen original BSG but i think for me is better Moore version because i think that old series was just about fight between humans and cylons.nothing more.If this movie will be fighting between good and evil than it will be popular as XMen or Spiderman,Transformens..blah blah.good watching but pretty shit beside BSG.i dont want to take end of BSG..yes there can be more remake but cant they wait some time?for example when Caprica ends?
Posted by Miro on August 17th, 2009for the people bashing the new BSG. how many episodes did one actually watch?
Posted by Starfuck on August 18th, 2009The original BSG, although with some campy episodes, was better science-fiction that the new series (although the first two seasons before it became “As The Battlestar Turns” were good). Especially episodes like Take the Celestra, Gun On Ice Planet Zero, and the Pegasus mini-arc. The potential for non-cheese episodes were there (the bounty hunter aliens and the original cylons were awesome), but thanks to executive meddling (i’m 99% sure that was the cause), we got a lot of cheese. If the movie is a serious take on the original movie, it will be great!
Posted by floyd on August 18th, 2009Technology
2004 BSG 30 years newer > 1978 BSG
Agree with you there
Opening score
1978 BSG 2004 BSG “????” Villain
Patrick McNee Count Iblis < 2004 BSG Baltar
Again, Iblis is a cliche character, the evil overlord-turned good guy-escapes to return to bad guy.
Admiral Adama
Lorne Greene “Charisma” < Edward James Olmos
I did not care for Lorne Greene, he never intrigued me as an actor, and I think Eddie was just awesome, Adama in the new BSG is a whole new animal.
Best BSG Babe
1978 Jane Seymour < 2004 Tricia Helfer
1978 Maren Jensen ???? (This is not a win because you cant even put a name in the ????)
Are you NUTS!? Do you know what Tricia Helfer does in her spare time? I can tell you its not acting in Sci-fi shows. Its posing for nude shoots. You are absolutely nuts there.
Katie Sackhoff is a breath of fresh air. All the females from the old BSG seemed to be a little too….female. Katie brings a more tom-boy attitude to the show.
Best Music Score
1978 BSG fanfare < 2004 BSG with Drums
Disagree for the same reason as above.
Opening Dialog
1978 dialog with Patrick Macnee “There are those who believe that life here began out there,….” 2004 Battlestar Displays
Pushing Technology
1978 Battlestar Galactica = 2004 BSG
Um…I guess Battlestars that are six times the size of a nimitz class carrier are not pushing the technology, no, of course not, you’re right. We have a few of those in earth’s orbit now.
1978 “Technology” is useless. A talking computer in a viper? Why would you need that? And the “scanner” is dated DATED technology, DRADIS looks much better in the new BSG. And now the new BSG actually includes PHYSICS, something Starwars, Star Trek AND the old BSG seemed to forget. The fighters in the new BSG look like they are flying in space, not in an atmosphere like the three mentioned shows above.
Best BSG Cylon Robots
1978 Cylons Centurion = 2004 BSG Cylons
Hey the 1978 Cylons had lasers and would dust the new ones.
The old cylons are so slow that the new cylons would probably be able to dodge them, and destroy them just as quick. But it would probably be an even battle because the lasers would be quite damaging.
Best BSG Cylon Basestar
1978 Basestar < 2004 boomerang basestar
The new Basestar is one of my favorite things of the new series, I love the sounds of the missiles leaving their tubes.
Best Saul Tigh
1978 Terry Carter (Tigh) = 2004 Tigh
I liked both actors, so this is equal.
Best Commander Cain
1978 Admiral “Charm” Legend Cain < 2004 “B****” Admiral Cain
Admiral *coughs* “Charm” Legend Cain is a loose ripoff of the cliche, ego-centric US WWII General/Admiral such as Patton or Bradley, they are headstrong and always know the plan, nice, but VERY cliche.
Best Episode
1978 BSG “War Of The Gods” with count Iblis 2004 BSG (1 win)
Thats not the score I get, I am counting 11 wins for the new BSG, and alot of equals to the old series.
Seeing as you are unable to even find an episode/character to fill your “????” I seem to think you dont know what you are talking about.
I like BOTH series, and I hate this stupid fan-base for seeing who is better. I have just shown you that its easy to turn the tables on your “scorecard”.
Again, Iam a fan of both, but you need to tone yourself down, BSG is, well, BSG. Get over it, and grow up.
Posted by BSGRULS on August 19th, 2009Moore’s re-imagined version of Battlestar Galactica had some Fantastic moments!!! The best episodes were those that revolved around the Pegasus. The reason for this is because Moore was following Glen Larson’s original concept. The other episodes were fluff because Moore never had a clear direction. This was painfully obvious in the final epsiode. So many questions were left unanswered and even Starbuck simply diappeared. Furthermore,the cylons plan was never clearly defined.
Posted by BSG Fan on August 19th, 2009Moore improved BSG by eliminating the campy feeling of the first series. Additionally, he added modern CGI and better drama. For that he should be praised. His biggest downfall was that the cylons no longer felt like a cold metallic enemy. The re-imagined version could have been far better if the Moore had made the Cylons more like Terminators as in new Terminator Film “Salvation” which is fantastic! A new movie based off the original series would be WILD!!! The tip they can take from Moore is good drama, but the focus has to be clear and the plot to be remembered is that it is Science Fiction film about an enemy of technology who hates all humans.
ohhhh no…. I can’t believe they are WASTING money basing this on the old version. The old version is soooo pants when comapred with the new Battlestar Gallactica!!!! Is there a petition we can sign to try and persuade them to base it on the brilliant new series????
Posted by sarah on August 21st, 2009Go Larson! After Ron’s abomination it’s payback time!
Hey, I did enjoy some parts of the re-imagined version. But overall it was a tiring space soap drama with annoying characters (sans Baltar) while being more fantasy then science fiction. Which explains why woman like it
Posted by Dr. Z on August 22nd, 2009Give the haters of the new series a break. They are all going through mid-life crises right about now, and having a hard time dealing with chamges in music, tv, and movies. They look back fondly at what was new for them when they were kids or teens, and spew bile and hatred at any attempt to remake an old show (that died decades ago) to attract new viewers to the franchise. Most people’s tastes change when they grow up, but some people are just stuck in the past. I was like 5 years old when the original series was on. It was a fun show for that age group, but I prefer now to watch a show with a little more realism.
Posted by me3 on September 3rd, 2009I felt similarly about the new transformers movie. It showed some teenage girl’s ass more than the actual robots. The rest was special effects- no real plot. It didn’t meet my expectations, yet I don’t feel the need to write pages of fan-boy text bashing something because it doesn’t feel the same watching it as it did when I was a kid.
Making a movie now, based on TOS, is a bad idea. There isn’t a big enough following of hard-core old schoolers left to warrant it (who will whine about anything new or different from the original), and it will fail to attract any new fans. The same thing happened with Robotech:The Shadow Chronicles(old fans hated it and nobody else was interested in it). It will also only serve to confuse fans of the new series, having nothing at all to do with it.
If they do make a remake of the original BG it will make a shit load of money. All you fat ass. self hand job geeks will just have to accept your ripped off reimaged crap will soon be forgotten.
Posted by Thomas Harper on September 3rd, 2009People like this Thomas Harper are either trolls or he is describing himself. Sad, really…
Posted by me3 on September 10th, 2009BSG ‘78 was my fav TV series when I was a kid. BSG ‘04 is my fav TV series now. Besides having characters of the same names, they tell very different stories that appeal to different generations.
Though the effects were terrible for BSG ‘78, they had to stick to it because it was the “fashion”. Personally, I liked the fact that the new series considered that shuttles in space do not need large propulsion to move fast and battles in space should be noiseless and almost flameless because of the vacuum.
As for the music, I must say that though the drums are catchy, I love the old theme song, and I tot it was very neat that it was softly played in the background towards the end of season 4.5 when Adama made his final pass of galactica. It kinda brought a nice closure to both series.
As for the plot, while both series had very different focus, they were equally dry. I was hoping BSG 04 would have less focus on politics (Roslin, Tom Zarek, etc.) and develop more on human relations and camaraderie amongst the travellers (both on the human and cylon side). But I suppose all these have come to past… unless galactica didn’t actually fly into the sun and the cylon colony wasn’t fully destroyed =)
Posted by Phyz Geek on September 12th, 2009I thought the remake sucked. The more I watched, the more I hated it. I loved the original as a kid and still go back and watch it now and then.
I just thought the Sci-Fi version got ridiculous.
I’m a cylon, he’s a cylon, she’s a cylon, we are cylons, wouldn’t you like to be a cylon too, be a cylon, drink Dr. Cylon.
Posted by Smoothy on September 17th, 2009why do we need to go back to 1978?
Posted by Kevin on October 8th, 2009Joke. If anything they should base it on the first Cylon war, but in the Redux universe.
Posted by M. Moroi on October 14th, 2009This is a terrible idea. A terrible F—ing idea. If we’re going to try to revive the old Battlestar because of its camp/nostalgia value I’d like to remind people of the Batman and Robin attempt to revive the camp nostalgia value of the 1960s Batman series. It almost killed Batman series from that point on. It took years for DC based movies to recover even partially, it nearly killed the comic book movie genre in general. It wasn’t until people needed to be reminded that these stories aren’t supposed to be jokes that the genre started to return to its feet.
In short: Making a Battlestar Galactica movie right now using only is value as a joke is a TERRIBLE PLAN. And really kind of insulting to the people who worked the last five or six years to give Battlestar back some popularity and new found appreciation.
Posted by Ian Pond on October 18th, 2009OK lets be honest, yes, I loved to watch BSG on my dad’s Zenith back in the 70’s, then again I also liked cartoons, comic books, Pez, and didnt like girls very much (wait a sec… I still like all those things and even girls now!!
). I bought the box set of the original but even my plasma tv and sound system couldnt recapture the feelings I got when I was 8. The R/BSG though was AWSOME! Dirty, gritty, very adult. I was a skeptic at first, then I couldnt wait till the next episode. My wife even got into it. I was sooo disappointed when it ended, at least it got an ending unlike the original. And to all the haters, do you remember BSG 1980??? Most people into BSG wont even admit that little turd ever happened. But this new movie by Universal and Larson, its a poor attempt to jump on the bandwagon, and yes if its the same old campy, feel good, bad guys loose, Larson formula, it will kill the franchise. And to see another stinker BSG attempt, check out the Richard Hatch teaser on youtube
Posted by ThanosPrime on October 23rd, 2009the new series was better but i preferred lorne green as adama and the original plot of just metal machines but the reimagination was good but needed more the original needed alot more i think they should have dropped the life here began out there plot it kills the ability to keep the genre going for a possiable comback of the colonial empire and revenge on the cylons. maybe a possiable colonial side plot could be 100 years befor the cylons were created that the colonial s launch giant sleeper ships and battlestars to colonize a distant planet the thirteenth colony ? and it was all kept super secret the cylons didnt even know ?who ever went was considered dead in some giant accident what do u think ?
Posted by thorhammer on November 1st, 2009Why is everybody being an extremist??
I think most REAL FANS out there will agree that the original BSG of the ’70 was the best of the best, but lets face it, now it is an old school show that doesn’t meet the current “requirements” for a real good Sci-Fi Movie and/or series.
On the other hand, the BSG Re-imaged combined new faces with good special effects that look very realistic. The plot just went very off from the original which to my opinion was better. Also, like some people has said, even when the special effects were very good, the props used for regular “human interaction” are very cheap and look like a low budget series.
But there should be hope. We should learn from mistakes, and take the very best of each world and combine it to make a good movie that have a good chance to be the first of at least a trilogy. There are some good ideas out there including the famous “Second Coming” that many wished would be a real continuation of the original series.
I think it would be better to re-image the Galactica universe on a way that keeps most if not all audiences happy. But to do so, it would require to combine multiple ideas and try to make the best of it. I personally think the original series has a better plot, just make it more current to our times. The new series has superb special effects and should be obviously the same or better for the new movie.
But the idea of Cylons being made originally by humans is a little bit “retarded” and also old school too cause I think there are enough movies and series about our own machines turning against us. Instead, Cylons should be real Aliens that we humans must defeat in order to survive. It is more logical and is the way of nature: the stronger survives over the weak. So let humans show we are the stronger race.
Obviously, do not put fire arms instead of laser weapons. Humans have advanced technology, so bullets are old school. And please don’t make Galactica an old ship. It is kinda degrading. Let it be a current war ship. If Cylons can hack their system, then call McAfee or Norton to install antiviruses… obviously going to old ships just cause there are hackers out there is a stupid idea.
Last, but not least, is the time of the events. On the original series it was in our present. In the new series is 150,000 years ago and we are their direct descendants. Well, my opinion is to go where no one has gone yet: the future. If we are the 13th colony, then we should have some good technology too. In fact, if you look at history, after America was “invaded” by Europeans, it became the most powerful colony in the world (AKA USA… ehem). So why not make it the same? At the end of the last movie, they should find Earth, but to everybody surprise, in a future where we are united and have our onw colonies in space. In fact, let us be their saviors and the ones that destroy the Cylons and welcome them to our planet(s) were they can now be safe.
Hollywood, if you read this article, and decide to take my view for the end of the movies, please give me some $$$ lol. Just kidding. Just mentioning us (the fans) as part of the brainstorm for the production will be our best reward.
So stop complaining and start giving good ideas, so they can take them and make the best Sci Fi movie ever.
Posted by DDB on November 18th, 2009Leave a Reply