Jonathan Lancaster

Jonathan Lancaster
Role:	Set Decorator
BSG Universe:	Re-imagined Series
Date of Birth:
Date of Death:	Missing required parameter 1=month! ,
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IMDb profile

Jonathan Lancaster is the head of set decoration for the Re-imagined Series.

Career on Battlestar Galactica

Lancaster appears in a video blog episode with David Eick on the sets of Pegasus prior to their debut.

New Caprica Set Design

Lancaster played a crucial role in designing and executing the New Caprica sets that appeared at the end of Season 2 and the beginning of Season 3.

Initial Design Concept

The initial design for New Caprica was conceived as "Tent City," a hodgepodge settlement that reflected Baltar's character as someone with good plans but poor execution who constantly protected himself and shifted with changing circumstances. The settlement was designed to look like it had been assembled from materials salvaged from the Fleet's ships.

Production designer Richard Hudolin designed the overall concept, working collaboratively with Lancaster, art director Douglas McLean, and construction coordinator Chris Claridge. The team used Middle Eastern references to nomadic peoples and how they lived in tents, while Hudolin incorporated modern architecture design for what he called "a more feasible system of housing." The team researched how people actually lived in desert environments and how the military would run such a settlement, reflecting Galactica's status as a military-run organization despite having a President.

Avoiding the "Old West" Look

One major design concern was avoiding an "Old West" or Civil War tent camp appearance with rows of identical tents. To address this, the construction team built aluminum structures down the main roadway as a central concourse. Since the settlement was built from ships made of metal alloy, these structures served as protection from the weather and created a more distinctive visual aesthetic. Lancaster compared the design theory to Vancouver's telephone poles and alleyways with power running through them.

Practical Challenges

The tents were set in sand, but underneath was asphalt from previous film productions, requiring the use of small jackhammers to create holes and drive three-foot pieces of rebar into the ground to secure the tents. All the tents used were authentic 1940s-era Second World War military tents.

Evolution Between Seasons

In Season 2, New Caprica featured more of a marketplace atmosphere, with rebellion against Baltar depicted in episodes 19 and 20 ("Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I" and Part II). In Season 3, the focus shifted to what the Cylons were doing. The Cylons' attempts to create a perfect society ironically caused heavier rebellion, making the city actually worse than before their intervention.

Set Components

The main road area was referred to as the "marketplace," serving as a trading center where people could obtain food and supplies. The industrial area included the market, a school tent (where President Laura Roslin worked as a teacher, reverting to her pre-apocalypse profession), union hall, build site, and other facilities. Additional amenities included a water tank and a bath tent, harking back to Old West traditions.

Cylon Detention Facility

The Cylon detention center structure was originally designed to be new housing for New Caprica. When the production resumed for Season 3, the structure needed to reflect that the Cylons had been present for four to eight months and had started with good intentions of trying to live with humans and improve conditions. The building was designed to show an accomplishment that both humans and Cylons could view positively, before it became the detention center seen in the aired episodes.

Scale and Logistics

The sheer scale of New Caprica presented significant challenges. The set included:

• 26 tents measuring 16m × 16m
• 10-12 tents measuring 32m × 16m
• 2 tents measuring 60m × 16m
• 2 separate tents measuring 20m × 10m covered in tarps, used as base of operations to hold hardware

The logistics of getting tents erected, markets built, and specific everyday life themes incorporated—including food, religion, and bathing facilities—required bringing in truckloads of equipment. Lighting was essential to give the set life.

Filming Location Challenges

The New Caprica set was built on the Richmond Sand Dunes location. During the previous season's filming, the ground was frozen from cold weather. The production was fortunate not to encounter heavy rain during construction, which Vancouver is known for. Lancaster noted that while it was a great set, it was very demanding to work on, and he was happy when filming concluded.

Unrealized Visions

Given more time and budget, Lancaster envisioned extending the aluminum trussing around the streets, adding more definite roadways, and incorporating additional long tents as an industrial park. These ideas were discussed at the beginning of Season 3 but were not pursued due to cost considerations.

Other Work

His other work includes the film Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed.

References