When Galactica first aired in 1978, I was only sixteen years old. At that time in my life, I was craving anything Star Wars or Kiss. When Battlestar Galactica aired it was simply amazing. I made sure that every Sunday Night I would be there to cheer on my heroes, Starbuck and Apollo, to triumph over the evil Cylons. The initial cancellation came as a shock to me, especially since my friends and I would sit in the lunchroom on Monday and talk about the Battlestar Galactica episode the night before. When Galactica 1980 came along I had high hopes but was thoroughly disappointed with the series. I was so disappointed in Galactica 1980 that I buried the series way back in my mind, never again to be spoken of.
Now twenty-three years later, my sixteen-year-old daughter shows me this script of a show I loved in my youth. Obviously, I read it out of curiosity to see how they have remade my old show. My toughest experiences with the script were the gender changes of Starbuck and Boomer, and the names becoming call signs. At first I wanted to just put it down and just dream of what was, however my curiosity to see the conclusion kept me going. The most amazing thing about the script is that it is easy to relate to the characters and to understand what makes them human. Now without further ado, my review:
We begin the story at Armistice Station with Boxey's Father looking at pictures of his wife and son. Suddenly, a Cylon raiding party led by Number Six, who is a very attractive humanoid Cylon, interrupts him. She sexually assaults him and Armistice Station explodes. Number Six is characterized as being very seductive and Moore maybe trying to accentuate how truly seductive she is in the scene.
My issue with the scene is the need to use a sexual assault prior to the destruction of Armistice Station. They could have easily sent just Cylon Centurions in to destroy Armistice Station. However, the further along you go, you begin to understand why Moore chose the sexual assault. His attempt is to remove the Star Wars clichés. If the Cylon Centurions had assaulted the station in the manner described, it would have looked like the opening scene of Star Wars -A New Hope. The message he is conveying in a not so subtle way is this that "this is not Star Wars".
In fact, the script conveys that message rather loudly if you pay attention to it. The concept of no sound in space to the split screens to the use of missiles for long-range combat screams "this is not Star Wars". In 1978, critics often criticized Battlestar Galactica as a Star Wars rip-off. The effort to distance itself from this criticism is very apparent in the script.
The characters in the remake have been humanized with character flaws that exist in all of us. The approach in many ways has made the characters more compelling. For instance, Adama and Apollo are estranged over the death of Zak. Apparently Apollo feels his father pushed Zak into a career that was not fit for him. Because of the piloting accident Apollo feels the responsibility lies with his father. Many parents, such as myself, play a role in shaping their children's future. Adama, being a military man, would logically believe a military life is one's proof of manhood. This belief is something he conveyed to his children, which would create resentment if one was to die in career that another feels is not suited for the individual. Throughout the remake, you have a sense that the two men do still love one another. Because of the Cylon attack, the dynamics in their relationship begin to change for the better. When Apollo appeared to have died, Adama felt a loss that any parent would feel if they lost a child. But when Apollo returns, the relationship between the two begins to heal. The real turning point in the relationship was when Kara confesses to Apollo that she passed Zak even though he failed his piloting exam. Now Apollo can see that Adama is not solely guilty for his brother's death which helps lead to more healing. During the blockade run from Ragnar, Apollo acknowledges Adama as father instead of Commander. The two realize the love that is still there as Father and Son when the series concludes.
The Kara and Apollo relationship is a very interesting one. Kara was Apollo's brother Zak's fiancée. His death seems to be crucible between Kara, Apollo, and Adama. In many instances, you have the feeling that Kara has more than just friendship feelings for Apollo. This shows during Apollo's arrival on the Galactica where Kara and Apollo exchange more than pleasantries. Later on, when she heard that Apollo `died' she was visibly upset and the picture of Zak and her revealed that Apollo was there too. Her tough exterior hides a very complex woman. When she realizes that Apollo is alive, it just brought new life to her. Her feeling of shared guilt for Zak's death was finally shared with Apollo where she tells him that she passed Zak despite failing the exam. Kara proves to be every bit the warrior Dirk Benedict's Starbuck was and fights courageously over Ragnar. She saves Apollo in a belly-to-belly viper maneuver to get onboard a Galactica under duress from the Cylons without the thought of the danger she was in. I have the feeling that in a full series, Kara and Apollo might become a couple.
The relationship between Number Six and Baltar is a strange one at best. I see her as like a laboratory scientist who does research with guinea pigs to see how they react in certain environments. Baltar seems very self absorbed and more concern about people finding out how he was the unwitting tool used for the Cylon destruction of Kobol. Baltar seems intent in ridding the Galactica of Cylons but does not want to expose how he knows what he knows. Number Six seems to enjoy baiting him and studying his behavior.
President Laura Roslin and Commander Adama relationship adds a new dynamic missing from the original. She brings civilian rule over the Rag Tag Fleet instead of martial law that existed in the original. Roslin seems like the kind of leader to represent the people's concerns and needs over her personal agendas. She cares more for their safety than hers. She continually put her ship at risk trying to rescue more survivors following the devastating Cylon attack. Her first truly difficult choice as the leader of mankind was when the Cylons spotted the Rag Tag Fleet and sent fighters to intercept. She decided, with a heavy heart, to leave the ships without FTL drives to their doom while saving a majority of her people. Adama and Roslin butt heads several times but in the end, she persuaded Adama to see the reality of the situation despite his objections. Their partnership, I believe, will be a very interesting one during moments in crisis in future episodes.
One of the relationships that I feel will play out more is the one between Boomer and Boxey. I am under the impression that Boomer does not know she is a Cylon, which can lead to fascinating possibilities for the future. Boxey may bring out the maternal instincts within Boomer which when the time comes makes her decide to serve the humans and betray her fellow Cylons. I certainly hope that this element is played out correctly in the series as to where it becomes logical why she would choose humankind over cylonkind.
Besides the character relationships, the history of the Cylons is clearly defined in the remake. Man created the Cylons adding a twist from the original. The eventual man vs. man's creation relationship is an age-old tale. A tale similar to how the Monster turned against Dr. Frankenstein. In many ways, Cylons are the victims as is the Monster in Frankenstein. They were created as a slave force that eventually became the instruments of destruction for the Colonies to wage war against one another. Finally one day, the Cylons realized that mankind was the monster and warred against man. Apparently the Cylons left and as of forty years ago, they were never heard from again. An uneasy peace exists between creator and creation in which the creation evolved into the Humanoid Cylons. The Cylons also have a form of religion and a God. I found that absolutely fascinating and would like to see how Cylon religion is played out in a series.
By far my favorite element of the mini-series is that one can read it while being familiar with the original with a level of real suspense. The original pilot was the roadmap but Moore decided to tell the story from the point of view of what happened on the Colonies during the Cylon attack. The horror of nuclear war is shown in all its horrifying glory in the remake. The plight of the Colonists is a story worth telling and it done extremely well in the remake.
Overall, I am extremely pleased with this remake. Most remakes end up being carbon copies of the original story or they overuse the cliché moments of the original. This remake does none of the above, which makes it somewhat unique. It is not a question of comparing the original to the remake since both versions stand out as great works for their time. The remake is not the original but simply a retelling of the old story from a fresh perspective that leaves one wondering, what more will come from this.
Now twenty-three years later, my sixteen-year-old daughter shows me this script of a show I loved in my youth. Obviously, I read it out of curiosity to see how they have remade my old show. My toughest experiences with the script were the gender changes of Starbuck and Boomer, and the names becoming call signs. At first I wanted to just put it down and just dream of what was, however my curiosity to see the conclusion kept me going. The most amazing thing about the script is that it is easy to relate to the characters and to understand what makes them human. Now without further ado, my review:
We begin the story at Armistice Station with Boxey's Father looking at pictures of his wife and son. Suddenly, a Cylon raiding party led by Number Six, who is a very attractive humanoid Cylon, interrupts him. She sexually assaults him and Armistice Station explodes. Number Six is characterized as being very seductive and Moore maybe trying to accentuate how truly seductive she is in the scene.
My issue with the scene is the need to use a sexual assault prior to the destruction of Armistice Station. They could have easily sent just Cylon Centurions in to destroy Armistice Station. However, the further along you go, you begin to understand why Moore chose the sexual assault. His attempt is to remove the Star Wars clichés. If the Cylon Centurions had assaulted the station in the manner described, it would have looked like the opening scene of Star Wars -A New Hope. The message he is conveying in a not so subtle way is this that "this is not Star Wars".
In fact, the script conveys that message rather loudly if you pay attention to it. The concept of no sound in space to the split screens to the use of missiles for long-range combat screams "this is not Star Wars". In 1978, critics often criticized Battlestar Galactica as a Star Wars rip-off. The effort to distance itself from this criticism is very apparent in the script.
The characters in the remake have been humanized with character flaws that exist in all of us. The approach in many ways has made the characters more compelling. For instance, Adama and Apollo are estranged over the death of Zak. Apparently Apollo feels his father pushed Zak into a career that was not fit for him. Because of the piloting accident Apollo feels the responsibility lies with his father. Many parents, such as myself, play a role in shaping their children's future. Adama, being a military man, would logically believe a military life is one's proof of manhood. This belief is something he conveyed to his children, which would create resentment if one was to die in career that another feels is not suited for the individual. Throughout the remake, you have a sense that the two men do still love one another. Because of the Cylon attack, the dynamics in their relationship begin to change for the better. When Apollo appeared to have died, Adama felt a loss that any parent would feel if they lost a child. But when Apollo returns, the relationship between the two begins to heal. The real turning point in the relationship was when Kara confesses to Apollo that she passed Zak even though he failed his piloting exam. Now Apollo can see that Adama is not solely guilty for his brother's death which helps lead to more healing. During the blockade run from Ragnar, Apollo acknowledges Adama as father instead of Commander. The two realize the love that is still there as Father and Son when the series concludes.
The Kara and Apollo relationship is a very interesting one. Kara was Apollo's brother Zak's fiancée. His death seems to be crucible between Kara, Apollo, and Adama. In many instances, you have the feeling that Kara has more than just friendship feelings for Apollo. This shows during Apollo's arrival on the Galactica where Kara and Apollo exchange more than pleasantries. Later on, when she heard that Apollo `died' she was visibly upset and the picture of Zak and her revealed that Apollo was there too. Her tough exterior hides a very complex woman. When she realizes that Apollo is alive, it just brought new life to her. Her feeling of shared guilt for Zak's death was finally shared with Apollo where she tells him that she passed Zak despite failing the exam. Kara proves to be every bit the warrior Dirk Benedict's Starbuck was and fights courageously over Ragnar. She saves Apollo in a belly-to-belly viper maneuver to get onboard a Galactica under duress from the Cylons without the thought of the danger she was in. I have the feeling that in a full series, Kara and Apollo might become a couple.
The relationship between Number Six and Baltar is a strange one at best. I see her as like a laboratory scientist who does research with guinea pigs to see how they react in certain environments. Baltar seems very self absorbed and more concern about people finding out how he was the unwitting tool used for the Cylon destruction of Kobol. Baltar seems intent in ridding the Galactica of Cylons but does not want to expose how he knows what he knows. Number Six seems to enjoy baiting him and studying his behavior.
President Laura Roslin and Commander Adama relationship adds a new dynamic missing from the original. She brings civilian rule over the Rag Tag Fleet instead of martial law that existed in the original. Roslin seems like the kind of leader to represent the people's concerns and needs over her personal agendas. She cares more for their safety than hers. She continually put her ship at risk trying to rescue more survivors following the devastating Cylon attack. Her first truly difficult choice as the leader of mankind was when the Cylons spotted the Rag Tag Fleet and sent fighters to intercept. She decided, with a heavy heart, to leave the ships without FTL drives to their doom while saving a majority of her people. Adama and Roslin butt heads several times but in the end, she persuaded Adama to see the reality of the situation despite his objections. Their partnership, I believe, will be a very interesting one during moments in crisis in future episodes.
One of the relationships that I feel will play out more is the one between Boomer and Boxey. I am under the impression that Boomer does not know she is a Cylon, which can lead to fascinating possibilities for the future. Boxey may bring out the maternal instincts within Boomer which when the time comes makes her decide to serve the humans and betray her fellow Cylons. I certainly hope that this element is played out correctly in the series as to where it becomes logical why she would choose humankind over cylonkind.
Besides the character relationships, the history of the Cylons is clearly defined in the remake. Man created the Cylons adding a twist from the original. The eventual man vs. man's creation relationship is an age-old tale. A tale similar to how the Monster turned against Dr. Frankenstein. In many ways, Cylons are the victims as is the Monster in Frankenstein. They were created as a slave force that eventually became the instruments of destruction for the Colonies to wage war against one another. Finally one day, the Cylons realized that mankind was the monster and warred against man. Apparently the Cylons left and as of forty years ago, they were never heard from again. An uneasy peace exists between creator and creation in which the creation evolved into the Humanoid Cylons. The Cylons also have a form of religion and a God. I found that absolutely fascinating and would like to see how Cylon religion is played out in a series.
By far my favorite element of the mini-series is that one can read it while being familiar with the original with a level of real suspense. The original pilot was the roadmap but Moore decided to tell the story from the point of view of what happened on the Colonies during the Cylon attack. The horror of nuclear war is shown in all its horrifying glory in the remake. The plight of the Colonists is a story worth telling and it done extremely well in the remake.
Overall, I am extremely pleased with this remake. Most remakes end up being carbon copies of the original story or they overuse the cliché moments of the original. This remake does none of the above, which makes it somewhat unique. It is not a question of comparing the original to the remake since both versions stand out as great works for their time. The remake is not the original but simply a retelling of the old story from a fresh perspective that leaves one wondering, what more will come from this.