Battlestar Galactica **Spoilers** discussion

[CNCRaymond]

Well now, time for the old CNC to chime in with his thoughts and opinions on the New BSG. (Note my avatar)

I have been a big fran of BSG since I was a kid. I thought it to be one of the most original concepts for a sci-fi show to ever come along. Star Trek was a nice original, but I believe Gene got his idea for Star Trek from the Forbidden Planet. Glen Larson, who wrote the original tele-play for BSG also did work on Buck Rogers in the 80's.

When BSG came out, they did not have the big a budget or the technologies for special effects that shows of today have. In fact, they did not even have the basic technology that were used in Star Wars at the time. That being said, the special effects, especially for the premier, were excellent for the time. Granted by today’s standards they are laughable, but back then and through much of the 80's, they were not. So judging the special effects of BSG by today’s standards is really a crime. If they had the technology of today back then, imagine how good it would have been. (The same could be said for the original Star Trek.)

My thoughts on the new BSG are a little mixed. I liked the Loren Green Adam better, a good father, good husband, and a spiritual man. The new Adama is also good, but in a different way. Elmos (sp) does an excellent job with the character, and I really enjoy watching him. I am a bit saddened however by how they are portraying the new Adama, a broken father, a divorced man, a flawed human. This new Adama character is much darker than its predecessor, however the new character traits lend themselves very nicely to the new story.

The new cylons. Well I am a big fan of the old Cylons, and to me they do not look like walking chrome toasters, and it really angers me when actors and people dis them as such. They looked cool and have always looked cool. They were impressive and awe inspiring and still are. They were very recognizable as being Cylon than the new Human models, or their metal counter parts, and they had a romantic appeal to them that the new models lack. They truly represented Man vs Machine far better IMHO than the new ones. And for the record, BSG came before Bladerunner so it was Bladerunner who copied the premis from BSG and not the New BSG copying Bladerunner. The New BSG has inherited the right to use this story in any way the writers see fit as far as I am concerned. Human vs Machine, or Cylon vs human, weather god made the cylons or man did, makes no difference to me.

About the human Cylons, well we saw them in the horrible series BSG 1980, and that in my opinion cleared the road for them now. I think it is a possible and entirely plausible expectation for a race of machines created by man to eventually want to become as human as they can. Ala Data of course. (Any one remember Lore? He would make a nice Cylon here. I should also note that in STNG they had an episode where Data, a human looking machine, right to be treated as a living being, or property was decided. Imagine if it had gone the other way? Would he, being sentient, wish to continue being a slave, or would he to rebel and seek vengance as his brother Lore had?)

A female Starbuck and Boomer what a concept. At first I was a bit turned off by this, but then I began to warm to it. I like the idea of having Starbuck as a women, although the lady playing the character I really do not care for. Boomer is an excellent match, but her being a Cylon sleeper really mucked it up for me.

The new ships are great. I love the new Basestars, Cylon raiders, and vipers. The new Galactica is nice as well, a bit more ribby than I would like, but still a very nice looking model.

All in all, I have enjoyed the new series a lot. I loved the old series, and no it is not campy, if you want campy lost in space will do just fine, compared to the new series. They are of a different flavor and I happen to enjoy both.

[ December 13, 2003, 02:24: Message edited by: CNCRaymond ]

[Starhawk]

I was saying Richard Hatch would probobly have made it campy as he was planning on playing up Apollo as an uberhero (big suprise right guys ).

I've never seen the Lost in Space series so I don't know anything about it there sorry.

And it was mainly the abusive use of words like Felgakarb, By the LORDS OF KOBOL!!!!, Hades Hole and various sayins like that that made it campy in my opinion I mean FRAK! has that nice ring to it because you know what it means especially in the new series where you actually get the impression of them saying a bad word ....well that and the woman who cried the second a viper was blown up spoiled it for me.

[ December 13, 2003, 02:25: Message edited by: Starhawk ]

[CNCRaymond]

They used those terms already in the new series as well.

And Richard Hatch and the original crew are far to old to be playing these roles now. Although I did see his short film he had made with the original cast at a Star Trek Convention many years ago, and it was rather good.

Don't sell off the original idea just yet. We still have Glen Larsons Pegasis (sp) to deal with.

[Starhawk]

Originally posted by CNCRaymond:
They used those terms already in the new series as well.

And Richard Hatch and the original crew are far to old to be playing these roles now. Although I did see his short film he had made with the original cast at a Star Trek Convention many years ago, and it was rather good.

Don't sell off the original idea just yet. We still have Glen Larsons Pegasis (sp) to deal with.

The only term they've used so far is Frak...Frakking...Frak Me....Frak that and so on I havn't heard the other wierd ones yet.

Yeah but he was gonna play up the Character Apollo to be a more uberhero type from what I've heard.

As for don't sell of the original idea just yet and the Glen Larson's Pegasus....what are you refering to here?

[CNCRaymond]

Remember the scene where they threw the guy in the brig and Baltar was walking away? Go watch it again and listen to what he says then come back here and post.

If you have been following the whole BSG opera over the Last few years, and indeed the discussion on this forum, then you would know that Glen Larson and Richard Hatch have been feuding over the rights to BSG. How the Sci-Fi channel got them is some slick business in my opinion, but still we have a new BSG.

Glen Larson wanted to produce, and was expected to have already released it, a series based upon the Battlestar Pegasus.

Richard Hatch wanted to pick up where the 1978 series ended and go forward.

They feuded over this for a good long time. Glen Larson eventually produced the Wing Commander movie to show that he could do a new BSG, but since the movie did horribly in the Box Office, thanks to George Lucas mind you, the Wing Commander, and Pegasus were never continued.

The original series had a lot going for it that the new series does not. The set design of the original Galactica Bridge was far better than the new one, however the new hanger is a lot better than the old, say for the space side of the hanger. I liked the way the old one looked just a tad more than the new one, although I love the new one where they land in vacuum and are brought down to the flight deck. That is cool.

The Colonial costumes looked better in the original series, but in the new one they are more military and practical. A bit bland in other words.

[ December 13, 2003, 05:12: Message edited by: CNCRaymond ]

[sachmo]

I don't even try to compare the two series anymore. If they do make a run at a regular series on sci-fi, I hope they trick it up so bad that it becomes impossible to compare the two.

[CNCRaymond]

Well said.

[Starhawk]

Well for the new BSG they were attempting to make a more realistic CIC and if you've ever had the fortune of seeing a US warships CIC (I did and it was awsome that and the bridge) then you'll actually understand the new CIC far more then the olg Galactica's bridge.

Also jsyk a CIC is NOT the bridge it is the Combat Information Center which is where the heart of most warships actually is, the bridge in modern warships is where the helmsmen and a few other positions reside but in Combat the CIC is the true command center of any warship.

I liked the new Colonial uniforms because of the fact that they were more laid back and because you can get an idea of what someone does just by looking at their uniform, which you really couldn't with the original series.

I'm a military buff so anything that makes the Galactica look more like a warship is all good to me because the Original one just seemed like a luxery liner that was armed to me.

[ December 13, 2003, 08:58: Message edited by: Starhawk ]

[geoschmo]

Originally posted by CNCRaymond:
Remember the scene where they threw the guy in the brig and Baltar was walking away? Go watch it again and listen to what he says then come back here and post.

I don't have it on tape and am not going to sit thourgh two hours of a repeat jsut to catch one line. Why don't you just remind us what he said?

[Starhawk]

Yeah...what did Baltar say?

And hey Sachmo come on pal post more of the Rise of the Remorhaz!!!!