Battlestar Galactica (TRS)

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This article refers to the 2003 re-imagined version of Battlestar Galactica. For information on the 1978 Original Series, see Battlestar Galactica (TOS).


Some of the central cast of the new "Battlestar Galactica" series.

Summary

The 2003 Miniseries debut of Battlestar Galactica was a "re-imagining," or updated version of the 1970s "Battlestar Galactica" made more suitable to the modern sensibilities of the 21st Century. Tackling issues of civil rights, survival, terrorism, and religion, "Battlestar Galactica" is an epic following the survivors of the human race—which number under 50,000. A familiar but different battlestar Galactica finds herself leading a refugee fleet on a lonely (and initially fictitious) quest for Earth, with turmoil from within and danger from without.

On the "Battlestar Wiki," the show's most common abbreviations are "the Re-imagined Series," or "RDM" for the initials of its executive co-producer and chief writer, Ronald D. Moore (as "Star Trek: The Next Generation" is often referred to as "TNG"). It was also initially disambiguated as "TNS" (for "The New Series"), or "BSG", but this has become rarer over time as it distinguished itself more from the 1978 series, or the "Original Series" as it is commonly called on Battlestar Wiki.

"Battlestar Galactica" began (or, "re-began") as a four-hour Miniseries pilot that showed the destruction of the Twelve Colonies, but in a style more familiar and disturbing to today's viewers, making its events eerily reminiscent of feelings felt by many viewers to the sporadic and inconsistent news and chaos shown during the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States.

While the ship was probably the most familar element derived from the Original Series, many elements of the new show were very, very different. The commander, William Adama, is a battle-hardened, secularly-minded commander on the eve of retirement for himself and his combat-decorated old battlestar. The names of Original Series characters are now the pilot call signs for his son, Lee "Apollo" Adama and the crack-pilot, Kara "Starbuck" Thrace. Starbuck's change into a female character initially became a torrid issue to Original Series fans who feared this and other changes would render an inferior series.

But the worries of the fans turned to surprise, cheers and applause as the Miniseries aired and the regular series began. Unlike its Original Series counterpart, this new series has not only survived, preparing episodes for its third season beginning in in October, 2006, but has received many awards and nominations, including several Emmy nominations and one award, a Hugo Award, and even its own spin-off series, currently in development.

As of the end of the regular 2006 television season, "Battlestar Galactica" was the Sci-Fi Channel's highest-rated program, beating out the venerable SF series, "Stargate SG-1" and its spin-off, "Stargate Atlantis."

Noted Changes from the Original Series

The basic story is still present: robotic Cylons surprisingly attack the Colonies resulting in a holocaust, thus forcing a "rag-tag, fugitive fleet" to coalesce around the last surviving battlestar, Galactica, to seek a mythical 13th Colony where refugees hope to find shelter from the Cylons.

However, many of the fine details are changed, such as:

  • The Cylons were created by Humanity, not by a reptilian race (also called Cylons) who hated Humanity.
  • Battlestar Galactica is a 50 year old relic on the verge of decommission.
  • The names of "Apollo", "Boomer", and "Starbuck" are changed to call signs. Most characters have standard first and last names; some first names were not given until later in the series, such as Felix Gaeta's or Anastasia Dualla's.
  • The futuristic (and often confusing) terminology used to denote distances, measuring, and time in the original series has been replaced with understandable terminology. For instance, "year" was replaced with "yahren" in the original.
  • The ship designs, save for some revisions to the Mk. II Viper and Galactica and a few noteworthy background ships (such as the Gemenon Traveler and the Botanical Cruiser), have been redone.
  • The Quorum of Twelve is not mentioned in the miniseries, and is apparently supplemented by a government body similar to the United States executive branch. There is a president, vice president, and secretaries. The Quorum does not make an appearance until episode 1.11 (Colonial Day).
  • Instead of the other-worldly, Egyptian-esque clothing and city designs (i.e. pyramids) seen in the original, the clothing and cities are more contemporary in design and function.

The relationships and characters also differ significantly from the Original Series.

The show has taken a more realistic turn. 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 -- it takes complex tests just to screen for these Cylon agents. 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 (a la suicide bombers).

Cast

Stars

Co-stars

Production Crew

Producers

Directors & Writing Staff

To view the list of all the directors and staff, see the Battlestar Wiki Crew Portal.
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