(Not sure if thoughts on the 1978 one are allowed, I just figured this was a Battlestar thread so give it a shot)

I've been rewatching 2004 Battlestar reboot, and happened to see that the original 1978 series first couple episodes had been put together as a TV movie. It's been years since I've seen the 78 show, and I was curious to see what changed between it and the reboot. So I ended up watching the TV movie.

I don't think it would surprise anybody to know that it's very much dated to that era. Almost theatrical acting, and very, dramatic, pauses for... Emphasis! As well as zooms and close-ups when something notable happens.

What did surprise me, is more about what the reboot took from the 78 version. Specifically Zach and Apollo being brothers came from the 78 version, although Zack is killed by a cylon raider group in the original series. Things like Adama being one of the quorum of 12 was interesting.

The references made to the cylon war were curious because it sounded like they weren't that far off from the original attack in the '78 version. Like it had only been a couple of years, but in the reboot Adama was a soldier in it.

Just seeing those little mentions in the reboot. Zack and Apollo, and references to the dog robot and Boxy (Which I'm glad they didn't keep the kid around. He seemed annoying in the 78 version) There were references to Admiral Kane, although we didn't see the Admiral in this TV movie. That was fun though. It's clear the folks working on the reboot somebody at least enjoyed the original series and putting in those references.

I'd forgotten about the imperious leader, that they were more lizard-like.

And I'm not sure what Baltar was supposed to be doing. He's not a computer genius. He just seems like a dude that the imperious leader keeps around because... Reasons.

The parts where they're escaping from the 12 colonies were pretty well done, I found it kind of funny that Adama sort of glazes over it with a speech about how man came from every corner of the 12 star systems to heed the call to travel in the wilderness sort of like Moses. Probably intentional though. I also thought it was interesting that they tried to tackle some issues with racism and bigotry between the different colonies. Again. I think they did that better in the reboot, but at least the 78 version tried. I also like the fact that they try to address some issues with the ragtag fleet. Particularly that their food stores are crap, and the ones they do have which aren't very good are being poisoned by a radiation leak of some sort. And the rest of the good stuff is being hoarded by rich assholes. So there's some classism at play.

Where it goes off the rails for me is I was about an hour and a half in, and it's 2 and 1/2 hour movie or thereabouts. I think they just crammed two different episodes together because they escape at like the hour and a half mark. They go off and they evade the cylons.

That part, aside from the acting, if you take it as it is for the time was pretty good.

But the next hour and a half is Starbuck and Apollo and Boomer on an alien casino planet trying to figure out why it's there, and trying to find tritium I think. And it's just completely out of left field and doesn't seem to fit together with the fact that they just escaped genocide.

Coming from a story about genocide, mild racism, and dealing with a radiation lake that was killing people by poisoning the food reserves and going immediately into a story about an alien death casino seems like an odd choice. But again I suppose it's '70s TV.

I think for the time the costuming was pretty good. The helmets over just regular day clothes in the viper cockpits was really weird. They didn't even have face Shields. It's just helmet over regular shirt and pants and a jacket. So that was funny.

And Adama looks like he's wearing a... You know those big blue moving blankets the really sturdy ones with the tri weave diamond pattern you use to move furniture? It's like that it looked like he was wearing one of those blankets that had been cut up and stitched into a cloak. And then weird boots that didn't match the rest of the outfit.

I have to say I really liked the bridge and the exterior of the Galactica. For the time that must have been very expensive to make. It looked dated now but I think it sort of works because it's a military context and they're always slow to adopt new technology. They're still running on the old stuff because if it's not broke we're not going to change it. It's nowhere near the design and aesthetic of the reboot, but I liked that ship. Looked like it could take a beating.

Seeing Lasers but no Shields was kind of funny. I much prefer the Canon Batteries and armor. The more realistic approach seems to serve the new series better.

So to sum up, I enjoyed the first half where they're escaping. It's honestly a fun watch. If you know it's going to be ridiculous, and you take it for what it is. The second half with the alien casino planet, you can just skip that it's not worth seeing.

And just as an added note, The theme for the original Battlestar Galactica is fantastic. I'm glad they included a reference to it in the Colonial Theme for the reboot.

jk Katee Sackhoff was in (and executive produced???) a Hallmark Christmas movie and I put it on yesterday to troll my boyfriend. It was about as good as any Hallmark Christmas movie. Does anyone have any information about what posessed inspired her to do this?

Something humorous to share…

So my elderly MIL was trying to do a voice-to-text Google search on her phone this morning, which wasn’t turning up the results she wanted / expected, so she goes off and starts yelling at “Siri or Alexa or whoever you are” for having selective listening skills…and then just to provoke Skynet further, she asks the search function: “Do AI robots have sex? And if so, how?”

My dry reply: “Well Mom, that’s how you end up with a Battlestar Galatica episode.”

I guess NBC is shopping it around so it must be no where? Man I really want a reboot or retelling or some other story in the universe

Anyone know the name of the quick bit (it’s only about seven notes) that plays right before Lee shoots the Olympic Carrier? It recurs throughout the series - I know it’s during Zac’s burial flashback and I believe it’s played during the Baltar trial scenes for sure - in other words, during intense Lee moments. I absolutely love it.

Phillips Larson and Mccreary

So, I’m at the tail end of S2 (or 2.5 according to my DVD), and have started S3… but in “previously on Battlestar Galactica” portion there are scenes from the rescue of the humans on New Caprica. That episode, assuming it exists, is NOT on my dvds. It goes right to the civilian airlock executions of collaborators. Was I shortchanged? And if so, what is the name of that episode?

I was just in the Star Trek subreddit and I got thinking about how these two characters would interact. Specifically Data’s desire to be human versus “I don’t want to be human!”

Been looking and can’t find one, but I am looking for a box set that has Caprica and the Caprica Movie, Mini Series, BSG Seasons 1-4 plus all of the other 4 movies and webisodes. Is this a thing? For streaming all I have access to is BSG 04 seasons 1-4 on Prime but nothing else is available on any streaming that I have seen.

I'm rewatching the show for the first time since it went off the air. I just finished the episode Scar, and I am absolutely devastated.

SPOILERS

SPOILERS

SPOILERS

The episode is incredible and how it examines the grief of all the pilots and crew. I love the fact that Starbuck is getting drunk all the time just to try to forget her grief. I also love that she tells everyone she doesn't even remember the name of all the dead pilots, but at the end when she makes the toast to Kat, she remembers every single pilot.

The emotion of this episode is so incredibly heavy I feel like this episode has physical weight to it. Everyone knocked it out of the park in my opinion for this episode.

Just finished the show for the first time and had some thoughts.

Throughout the series, characters repeatedly insist that the humanoid Cylons are machines, that they’re “things, not people,” that they don’t have feelings, only programming. This should read as pretty clearly untrue to the viewer — as early as season one we have a Cylon perspective character in Boomer, who nearly kills herself for fear of hurting people she cares about. But it also seems questionable even from our protagonists’ perspective. That the Cylons rebelled in the first place suggests conscious thought, as does the fact that they eventually agreed to an armistice.

More importantly though, the new humanoid Cylons are said to be identical to human beings down to the cellular level. There’s a difference somewhere — something has to transmit their memories for resurrection, something was able to be ‘plugged into’ when Boomer / Athena stuck wires in their arms, something in their spine glows when they have sex, etc — but the fact that their brains are structurally identical should indicate to our protagonists that they probably function at least similarly to human ones.

So in what sense can they be considered “machines”? Sure, the units of each model have a baseline personality they float around, but their specific behavior clearly isn’t fixed. If that’s mere “programming”, what’s the x-factor that makes human personalities different? There’s a lot of talk of ‘souls’ but it seems more significant to me that they function biologically the same way humans do.

Now, on the other hand: I realize that this is most likely deliberate. The show is in large part a commentary on the way we dehumanize our enemies and the intentionally obtuse reasoning people adopt in justifying otherwise unconscionable violence. There’s a parallel mentality in the Cylons’ decision to exterminate the human race. (Their occasional insistence that humans “don’t value life like we do” is a clear reference to one of those justifications in our own recent history). In moments where humans are brutal and coldhearted, it’s reasonable to say that the writers are asking us who the real machines are, who’s actually ‘just following programming,’ etc.

So, it’s arguably good writing — especially in comparison to modern TV, which I often feel is excessively direct in its commentary. (I don’t need Baltar to stare down the barrel of the camera and say “It’s wrong to torture people. The crew of the Pegasus are telling themselves that Cylons don’t have feelings in order to excuse the incomprehensible brutality to which they have subjected this clearly-sentient person. This is similar to the recent behavior of US Army and CIA personnel at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.”)

But really tests my suspension of disbelief that no one would ever directly address this question. On the occasion that she show does veer somewhere close to the issue, the discussion remains at the level of “Cylons are things” vs “no theyre not ☹️“ (thinking of Helo here). Even when Tigh, Tyrol, Tory, and Sam realize what they are — a moment for a reckoning if there ever was one — the debate seems to rather be about whether to join “their people” or remain with the humans. In other words, it’s about loyalty, not personhood. And it makes me crazy — how is no one else thinking about this? How has no one had a discussion on these terms?

I guess I’m answering a lot of my own questions here, but it drives me nuts!

Within reason, of course. As in we can't drastically alter the plot too much.

Personally, I would have Chief go find Hotdog and co-parent together, out of respect for Cally's memory and what time he did share with Nicky.

We do see Chief straight up kill Tory in the CIC when it's revealed she murdered Cally, so obviously there are some lingering feelings there, even if Boomer was "the one".

I don't want Chief to be alone.

deus ex machina*

Sorry. Bad start.

In Season 3, Starbuck’s Viper explodes, seemingly killing her. But she later reappears, claiming she’s been to Earth and knows the way to lead humanity there. Her return is never fully explained,

Her sudden reappearance with special knowledge is one of the biggest deus ex machina moments.

She is basically the show’s R2D2

In season 4 episode 4 Baltar gives a speech that you are perfect just the way you are. My wife turned to me and said "he gives exactly the same speech in Brigit Jones's Diary". I haven't seen it but if true wouldn't this be the ultimate proof of the show's basic premise?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWMU55SKdTM

I just started another rewatch and have watched the miniseries and am watching episode 1 now.

I noticed that some of the actors lines are actually lyrics from all along the watch tower. I don’t have the exact actors or timestamps right now, but in the mini series when the cylons attack, I think it’s Tigh how says “there must be another way out of here” and then Dualla who says “there’s so much confusion” as they’re figuring out what’s going on and in episode 1, The old man takes his 10 minutes to rest and Tigh says he “cant get relief”.

Is this a known Easter egg or am I just making this up?

Just watched. Good show. Have the dvd set for galactica and watched it many times. Just got blood and chrome as a present. Now I need caprica. Watched it when it aired. Need to complete the collection

I've watched BSG, Star Trek, Babylon 5, read Enders game. What should I watch/read next? The Expanse too

Who does better in the other role? What does O’Brien think when he finds out about the final 5?

Okay so it’s been a while since I’ve watched. I was talking to my mate (obviously an Aussie here) about the 1st earth the fleet come across and thought of some stuff that’s even got him questioning, and he’s rewatched the show a solid 3 times more than me.

1. Was that Earth a pure Cylon planet?

2. The ‘final 5’ had memories of that planet. So did the Cylon’s originate there? From what I remember that’s where they found resurrection?

2.5 Were the ‘final 5.’ Actually the first 5? And made their way back to the colonies, and thus that ‘Earth’ was part of the OG thirteenth tribe left behind. Now as we know star travel is SLOW. As we know the ‘final 5’ age. So my theory is: Scorched Earth developed just like the 12 colonies. Perhaps quicker. Developed their Cylon models the same etc. those Cylons rebelled the same etc. OR it was five people trying to achieve immortality. Anywho. They found their way back to the colonies, only to find the Cylon’s first and started teaching them the ways of resurrection and human form… those first 5 wanted to see life on the colonies etc. so made their way back.

3. Can anyone else see the plot hole of the Final Five having memories there? Saul walks into the damn ocean when we find out Ellen was the 5th!! (Which a lot of us guessed when she appeared and Gaius was all “they’ll never know.” Well then how come he didn’t pick up the damn XO and Chief engineer!!) and was this ever explained or am I missing something?

I just finished BSG (2005-2009) for the 3rd time, hands down the best SciFi television series ever (IMHO). BSG is tried and true and reaches EVERYONE, for me it’s a SciFi staple. I’m sure we’ve all heard the rumors for years that they’re going to do an entirely new BSG television series that has nothing to do with the original or 2005 series. I’m excited to watch if it ever happens.

“So say we all.”

I like Boomer the most.

Has anyone else noticed any continuity Mistakes between the mini-series and the show itself? Or even from season to season?

I notice a few in my most recent re-watch. For example, when they are swapping Apollo into the ceremony the pilot he replaced was named Anders. Then when talking to Starbuck in the brig his comments suggest that he knew Zack’s death was her fault.