Editing Miniseries, Analysis
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** The character of Colonel {{TOS|Tigh}}, portrayed by [[Terry Carter]], is now separated from his wife and seeing out the rest of his career from inside a bottle in the form of Colonel [[Saul Tigh]] ([[Michael Hogan]]) who hasn't seen military action in a long while. | ** The character of Colonel {{TOS|Tigh}}, portrayed by [[Terry Carter]], is now separated from his wife and seeing out the rest of his career from inside a bottle in the form of Colonel [[Saul Tigh]] ([[Michael Hogan]]) who hasn't seen military action in a long while. | ||
* The show has taken a more realistic turn. [[Naturalistic science fiction|Realistic science]], which was painfully absent in the original series, is applied in this series. | * The show has taken a more realistic turn. [[Naturalistic science fiction|Realistic science]], which was painfully absent in the original series, is applied in this series. | ||
* Certain models of Cylons appear human, right down to the blood | * Certain models of Cylons appear human, right down to the blood -- it takes complex tests just to screen for these [[humanoid Cylon]]s. This generates some very disturbing questions. For one, the Cylons have now managed to merge in with human society, making it easier to manipulate from within. This mirrors terrorist methods of infiltration and delivering destructive results to heavy population centers (à la suicide bombers). It also brings up interesting questions regarding cross-species mating: Can the human-form Cylons mate with their human creators? ([[Hera Agathon|Answer]]) | ||
=== Plot and Character Analyses === | === Plot and Character Analyses === | ||
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The scene demonstrates Starbuck's mistrust of authority and the antagonistic relationship between [[Saul Tigh|Tigh]] and herself. The touch of classic Starbuck elements, i.e. the gambling and [[fumarello]] smoking, is a nice homage to the original that fits in nicely. [[Katee Sackhoff]]'s portrayal tells viewers that this isn't the same mischievous Starbuck from the original, as she is clearly unbalanced. (Information on Thrace's past and family comes later in "[[Flesh and Bone]]" and "[[The Farm]]".) | The scene demonstrates Starbuck's mistrust of authority and the antagonistic relationship between [[Saul Tigh|Tigh]] and herself. The touch of classic Starbuck elements, i.e. the gambling and [[fumarello]] smoking, is a nice homage to the original that fits in nicely. [[Katee Sackhoff]]'s portrayal tells viewers that this isn't the same mischievous Starbuck from the original, as she is clearly unbalanced. (Information on Thrace's past and family comes later in "[[Flesh and Bone]]" and "[[The Farm]]".) | ||
Tigh himself comes off as a grouchy, inebriated old man who has seen his glory days, which hammers home the fact that the good ship ''Galactica'' is seeing its last days. When he puts Starbuck in the brig, she knows she's stepped over the line | Tigh himself comes off as a grouchy, inebriated old man who has seen his glory days, which hammers home the fact that the good ship ''Galactica'' is seeing its last days. When he puts Starbuck in the brig, she knows she's stepped over the line -- but so has he, given that he flipped over the table first, starting the fight. At this point, the viewer might wonder how this grouchy, drunken executive officer has avoided retirement. | ||
It also nicely puts Starbuck in a confined place from a story standpoint, allowing other characters to be introduced. | It also nicely puts Starbuck in a confined place from a story standpoint, allowing other characters to be introduced. | ||
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==== The "Glowing Spine" Scene ==== | ==== The "Glowing Spine" Scene ==== | ||
One of the major inconsistencies in the Miniseries is gleaned from this scene. The fact is established that humanoid Cylons are, for all intents and purposes, organic. Also established is, even with the most thorough of tests, it is initially almost impossible to screen human from Cylon (this changes with Baltar's working [[Cylon detector]] later in the series). What causes the spine to glow? It certainly isn't a human reaction to sex. Since the Cylons went to the very painstaking process of creating an undetectable humanoid Cylon model, it is conceivable that glowing spinal columns | One of the major inconsistencies in the Miniseries is gleaned from this scene. The fact is established that humanoid Cylons are, for all intents and purposes, organic. Also established is, even with the most thorough of tests, it is initially almost impossible to screen human from Cylon (this changes with Baltar's working [[Cylon detector]] later in the series). What causes the spine to glow? It certainly isn't a human reaction to sex. Since the Cylons went to the very painstaking process of creating an undetectable humanoid Cylon model, it is conceivable that glowing spinal columns -- and more to the point the chemicals that would cause the aforementioned reaction -- would arouse undue suspicion and thwart Cylon plans. There are precedents in nature of bio luminescent creatures but what specific function a glowing spine would have outside of demonstrating sexual arousal is unknown. | ||
One possible explanation for the glowing spine would be that it is the act of Number Six transferring some part of herself into Baltar, as evidenced later. However, this explanation is highly speculative. Furthermore, the Caprica copy of Boomer has a glowing spine when having sex with Helo in a later episode. It has since been determined after the series run that the Six was not transferring part of herself the Baltar. Nor did the Caprica copy of Boomer to Helo. | One possible explanation for the glowing spine would be that it is the act of Number Six transferring some part of herself into Baltar, as evidenced later. However, this explanation is highly speculative. Furthermore, the Caprica copy of Boomer has a glowing spine when having sex with Helo in a later episode. It has since been determined after the series run that the Six was not transferring part of herself the Baltar. Nor did the Caprica copy of Boomer to Helo. | ||
Considering Baltar seems to be the only person qualified to work on distinguishing Cylon from human, it may be that he is not smart enough to look in the right places (after all he has not found other Cylon hallmarks, such as a transponder | Considering Baltar seems to be the only person qualified to work on distinguishing Cylon from human, it may be that he is not smart enough to look in the right places (after all he has not found other Cylon hallmarks, such as a transponder -- if it exists) or, being influenced by Six, unwilling to look in the right places, knowledgeable of it (but unwilling to come forward with the information), or some combination of all three. It has now been established after the series run that there was no transponder inside any of the humanoid Cylons. | ||
'''''Note:''' Comments from members of the production crew have since suggested that the only reason the glowing spine was included was that it "looked cool" at the time, and in retrospect, may have been a mistake. According to the novelization, the spines glow in the infrared spectrum, which would mean it would require special optical equipment for it to become visual.'' | '''''Note:''' Comments from members of the production crew have since suggested that the only reason the glowing spine was included was that it "looked cool" at the time, and in retrospect, may have been a mistake. According to the novelization, the spines glow in the infrared spectrum, which would mean it would require special optical equipment for it to become visual.'' | ||
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After the announcement of Edward James Olmos' involvement in the miniseries, portraying a role that was previously done by Canadian actor Lorne Greene, many fans contacted him. As is evidenced by the quotes before, Olmos demonstrates his honesty and reaction to the mail, most of which could be classified as negative. | After the announcement of Edward James Olmos' involvement in the miniseries, portraying a role that was previously done by Canadian actor Lorne Greene, many fans contacted him. As is evidenced by the quotes before, Olmos demonstrates his honesty and reaction to the mail, most of which could be classified as negative. | ||
*"I must say one thing and will say this very clearly. If you are a person who really has a strict belief in the original, I would not advise that you watch this program...We really don't stand true to the kind of characters that were built around the original. It definitely does break the mold. Some of the characters' names are the same, but the intent and the way that we are building the reality is completely not the reality that was built in the original." | *"I must say one thing and will say this very clearly. If you are a person who really has a strict belief in the original, I would not advise that you watch this program...We really don't stand true to the kind of characters that were built around the original. It definitely does break the mold. Some of the characters' names are the same, but the intent and the way that we are building the reality is completely not the reality that was built in the original." -- 7/03<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|archive=Y|url=http://hometown.aol.com/ejowebmistress/BSG.html|title=Edwared James Olmos Official Site: Battlestar Galactica|accessdate=30 December 2023}}</ref> | ||
*"I'm going to be the first one to say it really clearly. Please tell your readers, do not watch this program...[P]eople get really, really angry. You've got to remember that this is a show that was only on . . . in the late '70s, and to this day has a very strong fan base. Tens of thousands of people who write to each other for 25 years over a program that is not on the air and is not even being rerun.<ref name=":0" /><br/> | *"I'm going to be the first one to say it really clearly. Please tell your readers, do not watch this program...[P]eople get really, really angry. You've got to remember that this is a show that was only on . . . in the late '70s, and to this day has a very strong fan base. Tens of thousands of people who write to each other for 25 years over a program that is not on the air and is not even being rerun.<ref name=":0" /><br/> | ||
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"I think going into it, we all wondered. you know, what the audience numbers were going to be, especially given all the internet, sort of, controversy and the general, sort of, [something] about what we were doing and people objecting. And was it going to be a failure or was it not. | "I think going into it, we all wondered. you know, what the audience numbers were going to be, especially given all the internet, sort of, controversy and the general, sort of, [something] about what we were doing and people objecting. And was it going to be a failure or was it not. | ||
"The first night's numbers were good, but not great. We were waiting to see what the drop-off would be, because there was always a drop off on the second night. And the ratings actually went up." | "The first night's numbers were good, but not great. We were waiting to see what the drop-off would be, because there was always a drop off on the second night. And the ratings actually went up." -- Ron D. Moore [http://scifi.com/battlestar/bts/video/mov/video_06_320.mov] | ||
=== Regarding Roslin's Refusal to Leave Her Nascent Fleet === | === Regarding Roslin's Refusal to Leave Her Nascent Fleet === | ||
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* ''"Don't know if this has been addressed elsewhere already: Do [[Lee Adama|Apollo]] and {{callsign|Helo}} already know each other at the start of the show? I recently reviewed the mini and noticed that in the [[Ready Room]] scene where Apollo is introduced and told he will fly [[William Adama|Husker's]] [[Viper (RDM)|Viper]], when first introduced, Helo waves and Lee gives him one of those "oh, hey!" looks of familiarity, then when Lee isn't thrilled about flying his dad's Viper, Helo is the only one who *doesn't* look confused, he just smiles and turns back around."'' | * ''"Don't know if this has been addressed elsewhere already: Do [[Lee Adama|Apollo]] and {{callsign|Helo}} already know each other at the start of the show? I recently reviewed the mini and noticed that in the [[Ready Room]] scene where Apollo is introduced and told he will fly [[William Adama|Husker's]] [[Viper (RDM)|Viper]], when first introduced, Helo waves and Lee gives him one of those "oh, hey!" looks of familiarity, then when Lee isn't thrilled about flying his dad's Viper, Helo is the only one who *doesn't* look confused, he just smiles and turns back around."'' | ||
:I don't think they knew each other prior to the pilot. Lee probably had never set foot on the ''{{RDM|Galactica}}'' before then. I think the look was something improvised on the set. | :I don't think they knew each other prior to the pilot. Lee probably had never set foot on the ''{{RDM|Galactica}}'' before then. I think the look was something improvised on the set. -- {{from_RDM_blog}} | ||
:: '''Wikipedian's Note:''' It is likely Helo knew Apollo through {{callsign|Starbuck}}. | :: '''Wikipedian's Note:''' It is likely Helo knew Apollo through {{callsign|Starbuck}}. | ||
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: I was completely was (''sic'') into the story. Only once in a while did I pop out and think, "Oh, look at those effects, They're so good." | : I was completely was (''sic'') into the story. Only once in a while did I pop out and think, "Oh, look at those effects, They're so good." | ||
: [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies|The destruction of Caprica]] felt so [[Wikipedia:September 11th attacks|911]] | : [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies|The destruction of Caprica]] felt so [[Wikipedia:September 11th attacks|911]] -- the hopelessness of it. I remember back then watching [[Wikipedia:The Twin Towers|the towers]] fall over and over, and I remember how odd it was that a non-organic object exploding and how painful it was. And then there I was watching this and I'm crying, and I had to remind myself this time there weren't really people dying. But it really took me back there. [http://scifi.about.com/od/bgsonscifi/a/parkinter1.htm] | ||
* '''[[Paul Campbell]] discusses how he got the part of [[Billy Keikeya]]:''' | * '''[[Paul Campbell]] discusses how he got the part of [[Billy Keikeya]]:''' | ||