Battlestar Galactica: Year Two proposal: Difference between revisions
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Around April 1979, [[Glen Larson]] wrote a '''proposal for the second season''' of ''[[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|Battlestar Galactica]]'', sometime before the airing of "[[The Hand of God]]".<ref>{{cite_book|last=Larson|first=Glen|authorlink=|authorlinkurl=|year=|title=[[bsp:Battlestar Galactica: Year Two Proposal|Battlestar Galactica: Year Two Proposal]]|publisher=|location=|id=|format=pdf|pages=39}}</ref> This document was discovered by his son, Chris Larson, who added concept art unrelated to ''Battlestar Galactica'' and stamped the pages so as to emulate uniqueness. Otherwise, the document is genuine, and provides various insights into what a second season of ''Battlestar Galactica'' may have looked like. | Around April 1979, [[Glen Larson]] wrote a '''proposal for the second season''' of ''[[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|Battlestar Galactica]]'', sometime before the airing of "[[The Hand of God]]".<ref>{{cite_book|last=Larson|first=Glen|authorlink=|authorlinkurl=|year=|title=[[bsp:Battlestar Galactica: Year Two Proposal|Battlestar Galactica: Year Two Proposal]]|publisher=|location=|id=|format=pdf|pages=39}}</ref> This document was discovered by his son, Chris Larson, who added concept art unrelated to ''Battlestar Galactica'' and stamped the pages so as to emulate uniqueness. Otherwise, the document is genuine, and provides various insights into what a second season of ''Battlestar Galactica'' may have looked like. | ||
== Document Breakdown == | |||
The document is broken up into these major parts: | |||
* Introduction | |||
* A Fleet Projection | |||
* A People Projection | |||
* Personality Arcs | |||
* Story Summaries | |||
* Chart of the Competition faced by ''Battlestar Galactica'' from CBS and NBC | |||
=== Introduction === | |||
According to the document, the "two things [that] are apparent". The introduction notes the "endless Sunday night barrage" of television specials, including the [[w:Emmy Awards|Emmy Awards]] ceremony, The World Series ([[w:baseball|baseball]]), and various popular movies and specials. The document notes that the series was preempted eight times, finding itself in a 10 P.M. timeslot (although it is noted that the show did well in this time slot).<ref name="p4">Ibid., p. 4</ref> | |||
The document further claims that "despite this unprecedented assault[,] ''Galactica'' has emerged with a core audience who will seek her out no matter where she is" and had difficulty establishing a "stable, lasting base audience."<ref name="p4"/> | |||
According to Larson, who claims that the Nielsen and TVQ's seasonal breakdown for that television season indicates that "''Battlestar'' supporters are almost entirely void of teenage girls and women". Furthermore, he posits that this loss is so great that "even a moderate success in this area would result in a substantative (sic) jump in [the] base audience".<ref name="p5">Ibid., p. 5</ref> | |||
Larson further posits that the lack of female viewers is due to two factors: "emotional content [that] women demand" and "the absence of any 'breakout' characters'". He attributes both these factors to the size of the cast, noting that it is "the largest in television" makes it "difficult and wnwieldy to zero in on three or four characters that the audience cares about".<ref name="p5"/> | |||
To support this, he makes a "battle plan born of two strategies": a projection of where both the [[The Fleet (TOS)|Fleet]] and the people within the Fleet are going. | |||
==== The Fleet ==== | |||
Larson claims that the series' first (and only) season where "people are moved by events, rather than the other way around". He asks, "What guiding light might we place on our bridge to pilot ''Galactica'' in a direction that starts with people whose interaction with events spell human commitment and involvement[?]" | |||
The answer he gives is the involvement of [[w:Issac Asimov|Issac Asimov]], the world-renowned science fiction writer whose stories are primarily about robots. Larson claims that Asimov "accepted the challenge to come on board the ''Galactica'' as her Creative Consultant", where he "will help mold and guide concepts", as well as write and critique stories and scripts.<ref>Ibid., p. 6</ref> | |||
==== The People ==== | |||
Larson follows up on his earlier concerns about the issue of the large ensemble cast. In this portion of the proposal, he indicates the following changes: development of the female characters, the introduction of humor into the show, and a "careful restructuring" of the cast.<ref name="p7">Ibid., p. 7</ref> | |||
The restructuring of the cast would have resulted in the loss of the following characters: | |||
* Colonel [[Tigh (TOS)|Tigh]]<ref name="p7"/>, who would be replaced by [[Athena]] | |||
* [[Sheba]]<ref name="p7"/>, who would die in "[[The Return of the Pegasus]]" | |||
* [[Boxey (TOS)|Boxey]], who would be reduced to an "occasional guest appearance, if required"<ref name="p7"/> | |||
* [[Muffit]]<ref name="p7"/> | |||
* Doctor [[Salik]]<ref name="p7"/>, who would be replaced by [[Cassiopeia]] | |||
* Doctor [[Wilker]]<ref name="p7"/>, who would be replaced by [[Boomer (TOS)|Boomer]] | |||
* [[Baltar]]<ref name="p7"/> | |||
== External links == | == External links == | ||
Revision as of 16:26, 8 March 2008
Around April 1979, Glen Larson wrote a proposal for the second season of Battlestar Galactica, sometime before the airing of "The Hand of God".[1] This document was discovered by his son, Chris Larson, who added concept art unrelated to Battlestar Galactica and stamped the pages so as to emulate uniqueness. Otherwise, the document is genuine, and provides various insights into what a second season of Battlestar Galactica may have looked like.
Document Breakdown
The document is broken up into these major parts:
- Introduction
- A Fleet Projection
- A People Projection
- Personality Arcs
- Story Summaries
- Chart of the Competition faced by Battlestar Galactica from CBS and NBC
Introduction
According to the document, the "two things [that] are apparent". The introduction notes the "endless Sunday night barrage" of television specials, including the Emmy Awards ceremony, The World Series (baseball), and various popular movies and specials. The document notes that the series was preempted eight times, finding itself in a 10 P.M. timeslot (although it is noted that the show did well in this time slot).[2]
The document further claims that "despite this unprecedented assault[,] Galactica has emerged with a core audience who will seek her out no matter where she is" and had difficulty establishing a "stable, lasting base audience."[2]
According to Larson, who claims that the Nielsen and TVQ's seasonal breakdown for that television season indicates that "Battlestar supporters are almost entirely void of teenage girls and women". Furthermore, he posits that this loss is so great that "even a moderate success in this area would result in a substantative (sic) jump in [the] base audience".[3]
Larson further posits that the lack of female viewers is due to two factors: "emotional content [that] women demand" and "the absence of any 'breakout' characters'". He attributes both these factors to the size of the cast, noting that it is "the largest in television" makes it "difficult and wnwieldy to zero in on three or four characters that the audience cares about".[3]
To support this, he makes a "battle plan born of two strategies": a projection of where both the Fleet and the people within the Fleet are going.
The Fleet
Larson claims that the series' first (and only) season where "people are moved by events, rather than the other way around". He asks, "What guiding light might we place on our bridge to pilot Galactica in a direction that starts with people whose interaction with events spell human commitment and involvement[?]"
The answer he gives is the involvement of Issac Asimov, the world-renowned science fiction writer whose stories are primarily about robots. Larson claims that Asimov "accepted the challenge to come on board the Galactica as her Creative Consultant", where he "will help mold and guide concepts", as well as write and critique stories and scripts.[4]
The People
Larson follows up on his earlier concerns about the issue of the large ensemble cast. In this portion of the proposal, he indicates the following changes: development of the female characters, the introduction of humor into the show, and a "careful restructuring" of the cast.[5]
The restructuring of the cast would have resulted in the loss of the following characters:
- Colonel Tigh[5], who would be replaced by Athena
- Sheba[5], who would die in "The Return of the Pegasus"
- Boxey, who would be reduced to an "occasional guest appearance, if required"[5]
- Muffit[5]
- Doctor Salik[5], who would be replaced by Cassiopeia
- Doctor Wilker[5], who would be replaced by Boomer
- Baltar[5]
External links
- Battlestar Zone: The Lost Season by Susan J. Paxton
References
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