Battlestar Galactica On SciFi Channel

[geoschmo]

Originally posted by gregebowman:
PVK,

Yeah, I remember Battle Beyond The Stars. It was ok, but not the best movie ever made. It took me awhile to realize what it was: The Magnificient Seven in space. Heck it even had Robert Vaughn in it.

That's ok. The Magnificent Seven was just The Seven Samurai in the Old West.

There is an old saying something like all fiction can be reduced down to 10 (not sure the actual number here) Greek plays. Stuff is always reused, even when we don't realize it.

Did you ever notice that Pixar's a Bug's Life was another Seven Samurai/Magnificent Seven remake.

[kalthalior]

As a fan of the old series, I'm trying to keep an open mind, but it appears to me that the storyline has been severely compromised. I watched the Lowdown special, then I reread the book from the original movie Last weekend. The new series makes wholescale changes to the characters, the plot and the whole background universe. I will watch but most likely be disappointed. I would have to agree that by CURRENT standards, the old show is cheesy -- but that was 70's TV for you. Try watching 6 Million Dollar Man or Starsky & Hutch reruns and you'll see what I mean.

[gregebowman]

Originally posted by geoschmo:

quote:

---

Originally posted by gregebowman:
PVK,

Yeah, I remember Battle Beyond The Stars. It was ok, but not the best movie ever made. It took me awhile to realize what it was: The Magnificient Seven in space. Heck it even had Robert Vaughn in it.

That's ok. The Magnificent Seven was just The Seven Samurai in the Old West.

There is an old saying something like all fiction can be reduced down to 10 (not sure the actual number here) Greek plays. Stuff is always reused, even when we don't realize it.

Did you ever notice that Pixar's a Bug's Life was another Seven Samurai/Magnificent Seven remake.

---

I read somethere that all stories come from only 5 basic stories. I don't remember if that was supposed to be from the Greeks or not. As far as the new BSG, I find it interesting that instead of taking their names literally, like Apollo or Starbuck, they're going to be their call signs. Like Tom Cruise's character in Top Gun was called Maverick. It kind of makes sense, but who knows what kind of names were being used in the BSG universe. There did seem to be some sort of Greek or Roman influence in the names, though, in the old show.

[PvK]

Originally posted by Atrocities:

quote:

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Remember "Battle Beyond the Stars"?

Vaguely, it had that Japan actor in it. The guy who played the heavy in some mortal combat movie and also appeared in Snips/Conery movie rising sun.

Right????

---

As far as I know, which I'm afraid isn't much. I'll look it up. I just mentioned it because I remember it seemed at the time rather like the Buck Rogers film (cheap/corny late-70's sci fi vaguely copying Star Wars with 1% of the quality - bad guys come to destroy good guys, and get saved by some sassy heroes, with androids, lasers, incompetent villains, and space fighter dogfights involved) except there was no TV Version of BBTS.

Ok, looking it up - yes, you are correct, assuming I know which "Japan actor" and which "heavy in some mortal combat movie" you meant. That is, John Saxon, whom I mainly associate with the actually good film Enter the Dragon. Oh wait... guess I'm wrong... Saxon doesn't seem to have been in Mortal Kombat (fortunately for him). So, I don't know whom you mean.

Although I only really remembered Robert Vaughn, and the theme music (heh) and sort of the dogfights.

Apparently George Peppard and Julia Duffy were also in it, although I have almost no strands of memory of them in it. I'll have to re-watch it sometime when I feel like groaning.

PvK

[ December 04, 2003, 03:07: Message edited by: PvK ]

[Geckomlis]

Originally posted by PvK:
Remember "Battle Beyond the Stars"?

My family saw BBTS in the theatre. We have been throwing the lines at each other for 20+ years. When it came out on DVD recently, I bought a copy and made my wife watch it with me. Now she understands my family’s inside jokes and movie allusions.

Gecko

[Atrocities]

Oh god, I remember it now. John Boy in space.. Ya that was like a eon ago. Prior Star Wars I think.

Man the movie was.. and still is just plain odd.

[Starhawk]

Originally posted by gregebowman:

quote:

---

Originally posted by geoschmo:

quote:

---

Originally posted by gregebowman:
PVK,

Yeah, I remember Battle Beyond The Stars. It was ok, but not the best movie ever made. It took me awhile to realize what it was: The Magnificient Seven in space. Heck it even had Robert Vaughn in it.

That's ok. The Magnificent Seven was just The Seven Samurai in the Old West.

There is an old saying something like all fiction can be reduced down to 10 (not sure the actual number here) Greek plays. Stuff is always reused, even when we don't realize it.

Did you ever notice that Pixar's a Bug's Life was another Seven Samurai/Magnificent Seven remake.

---

I read somethere that all stories come from only 5 basic stories. I don't remember if that was supposed to be from the Greeks or not. As far as the new BSG, I find it interesting that instead of taking their names literally, like Apollo or Starbuck, they're going to be their call signs. Like Tom Cruise's character in Top Gun was called Maverick. It kind of makes sense, but who knows what kind of names were being used in the BSG universe. There did seem to be some sort of Greek or Roman influence in the names, though, in the old show.

---

Yeah well people now a days would have a lot more trouble taking names like "Boomer" "Starbuck" "Appolo" and the like seriously. I know I did when I first saw BSG the original....especially BOOMER! LOL.

[PvK]

Originally posted by Atrocities:
... Prior Star Wars I think.
...

Definitely post-Star-Wars. 1980. It's a Star Wars derivative (as well as a 7 Samurai / Magnificent 7 derivative), like the Buck Rogers movie was.

PvK

[Atrocities]

Originally posted by PvK:

quote:

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Originally posted by Atrocities:
... Prior Star Wars I think.
...

Definitely post-Star-Wars. 1980. It's a Star Wars derivative (as well as a 7 Samurai / Magnificent 7 derivative), like the Buck Rogers movie was.

PvK

---

Description
Seven mercenaries are recruited from throughout the galaxy to save a peaceful planet from the threat of an evil tyrant bent on dominating and enslaving the entire universe.

Yup, 1980 release with (waltons) John Boy playing the hero. This would have been right up SciFi channels ally. Looks like a SciFi channel D movie.

[Atrocities]

I really don't care what people say now, I still think the Cylons from the original BSG were awesome looking machines. I don't get this revisionistic re-writing of history to say that they were ugly, stupid, and silly. Who the hell is saying this? Mostly kids who grew up in the 90's and the technological advancement of CGI. Hey kiddies, this was real cool back in 1978, oddly enough the year "after" star wars came out, and it helped to pave the way for more the CGI effects that you all seem to love so very much. To me the original BSG was, and is, a nice looking show with original ideas, special effects, and costumes that, even by to days standards, are impressive for the era. They were real, and not computer generated. It really does make me angry to listen to these actors/actresses who play in the new BSG mini series when they trash talk the original series when most of them weren't even alive to have seen it.

I saw it on Sunday September 17th 1978, and to this day I can still remember thinking how cool those cylons looked. They set a standard for the series that said, hey we are not going to humanize a race of robots created by a race of reptilians. The Cylon race, the reptilians, were exterminated by the robots they created. Ronald Moore just took that tid bit and made it a human one. Humans created the cylons, not god. Well it is a dramatic statement, but it is way to much like Blade Runner and so many other Quter Limit episodes that I can't even begin to count.

The uniqueness of having the Cylons as a completely unhuman created race of machines bent on the destruction of humanity was just as appealing, and in my honest to god opinion, it was a better story.

The new Cylons, the robot ones, look CGI, and they are not as impressive on screen as the old chrome silver and gold ones from the original series. But hey, I guess the CGI cost for making the old chrome ones was to high.