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

This article or section contains information about an in-progress television show(s). It may contain information of a speculative nature on future episodes, based on aired episodes, commercials for the show, its website, or other advance publicity. The content may change as future episodes are broadcast and more information becomes available.

Battlestar Galactica
The cast of Battlestar Galactica.
Genre	Science fiction Drama
Running time	42 minutes (approx.)
Creator(s)	Ronald D. Moore
Starring	Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Katee Sackhoff, Jamie Bamber, James Callis, Tricia Helfer, and Grace Park
Country of origin	USA, [1]
Original network/channel	Sci Fi Channel (United States)
Original run	December 8, 2003 (mini-series) October 18, 2004 (regular series - UK) January 14, 2005 (regular series - U.S.) – present
No. of episodes	Two (mini-series) Thirteen (Season One) Twenty (Season Two)
IMDb profile

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

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

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

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

Overview

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

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

Reimagining

North American DVD release of the first season.

History

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

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

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

Comparison with the 1978 series

Main article: Comparison of Battlestar Galactica (1978) and Battlestar Galactica (2003)

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

References to modern culture

The show references many aspects of modern culture and the military. The original Cylon attack plays upon the fears that came about after the 9/11 attacks, and the frequent episodes of xenophobia and fear of Cylon "sleeper agents" hiding in the fleet mirror current fears of terrorist "sleeper cells" in Europe and the USA; in one episode a Cylon android blows itself up in a successful suicide bombing attempt. The Blackbird stealth fighter is a direct reference to a sophisticated surveillance aircraft developed by Lockheed Martin, the SR-71 Blackbird. Although christened "Laura" (in honor of at-the-time president Laura Roslin. {Ep. 2:09; "Flight of the Phoenix"}), this name is almost never used on-air. Season Two's Episode Eleven, "Resurrection Ship", Part 1, includes a scene in which Starbuck, flying the Blackbird, is mistaken for an enemy and promptly attacked by the supposedly friendly surrounding ships. The show has also addressed other issues, such as abortion and the morality of prisoner torture.

Miniseries (2003)

Main article: Battlestar Galactica (2003 miniseries)

Regular television series (2004)

Main article: Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series)

"Caprica" prequel

Main article: Caprica (TV series)

Episodes and DVD/online download information

Main article: List of Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series) episodes

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

In January, 2006, Apple's iTunes began offering the miniseries, season one and season two episodes for purchase on its service. NBC Universal, the owner and distributor of the show, have provided a number of its shows for purchase to U.S. customers, to be released the day after the original broadcast.[2] All episodes of the series, as well as the miniseries, are available.

Downloadable Podcasts for each episode are also available via iTunes and SciFi.com.

Notes

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

See also

• Galactica 1980, the 1980 series
• Battlestar Galactica, the video game

References

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

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Battlestar Galactica (2003)

• Official Blog of series developer, executive producer, main writer, and show runner Ron D. Moore
• The Battlestar Galactica DVD Official Universal Studios Site
• Miniseries at The Internet Movie Database
• Regular series at The Internet Movie Database
• Scifi Channel miniseries site
• Scifi Channel regular series site
• Battlestar Galactica 2003 at EPisodeWorld.com
• Battlestar Galactica Wiki
• HollywoodNorthReport.com Flight Deck News
• Piracy is Good?: How Battlestar Galactica Killed Broadcast TV, Mindjack, (May 13, 2005)
• Official Battlestar Galactica CCG site
• [3] Dynamite Entertainment -- publisher of Battlestar Galactica Comic Book Series