Battlestar Galactica (2003)

:This article is about the 2003 miniseries and subsequent television series; for other versions, see Battlestar Galactica (disambiguation).

Reimagining

Previous efforts to remake or continue the story of Battlestar Galactica by Tom DeSanto, Bryan Singer, and original series star Richard Hatch have mainly involved using the original cast, or at least the original characters and plot. None of these projects proceeded beyond the developmental stage.

Related Topics:
Tom DeSanto - Bryan Singer - Richard Hatch

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Ronald D. Moore, executive producer and screenwriter of the new Battlestar Galactica, was previously credited with bringing darker story arcs to ' in the 1990s. Of Battlestar Galactica, he wrote in February 2003: "Here lies a slumbering giant, its name known to many, its voice remembered by but a few. For a brief moment, it strode the Earth, telling tall tales of things that never were, then stumbled over a rating point and fell into a deep sleep." He tackled the remake with realism in mind, and intended to portray the show's heroes as being part of "flawed" humanity. Examples of this include Commander Adama and his son harboring resentment towards each other, Colonel Tigh being an alcoholic, an outdated battlestar prone to problems and outside sabotage, muted special effects shots lacking unscientific sounds commonplace in TV and movie sci-fi, comparatively realistic Newtonian physics, and the use of bullets and missiles instead of energy weapons such as lasers.

Related Topics:
Executive producer - Screenwriter - 1990s - February 2003 - Newtonian - Laser

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Ronald D. Moore has also admitted that the mini-series and series drew inspiration from the tragic events of 9/11 and after. They feature elements such as "sleeper" agents, the threat of sneak terrorist attacks using civilian transports, Cylon suicide bombers, the torture of prisoners (as at the Abu Ghraib prison), and a struggle motivated by intense religious differences.

Related Topics:
9/11 - Abu Ghraib prison

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Differences from the 1978 series

Changes from the original series include:

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• The Cylons are now a creation of the humans. They rebelled against their creators during a war which ended forty years ago, formed their own civilization, broke off all contact with the humans and are now resuming the same genocidal conflict after an extended truce.
• There are no other alien species shown in the series, just Humans and Cylons.
• Cylon soldiers are significantly different from the "classic" Centurion design. These new units are faster, streamlined, more agile, and have built-in weaponry.
• Cylon Raiders (small fighter/attack craft) are no longer manned by a crew of three Cylon Centurions. Instead the crafts themselves are cybernetic organisms.
• Some Cylons are designed to be almost biologically and phenotypically identical to humans in order to serve the purpose of infiltration. Some units don't even know they are Cylons. So convincing are the stealth units that they can associate with humans even at an intimate emotional and sexual level. There were no human Cylons in the original series, but some did appear in the Galactica 1980 episode The Night the Cylons Landed. These human Cylons were much more simplistic then their re-imagined equivalents, however.
• Dr. Gaius Baltar was tricked into betraying humanity as opposed to making a conscious choice to do so.
• Adama no longer genuinely believes that Earth exists and that they can find it. Instead, he uses the Colonials' beliefs and claims that the route to Earth is a closely-guarded military secret (mini-series) to give the survivors a purpose.
• Instead of being the flagship, albeit generations old, of the colonial forces, the Galactica is one of the last of its kind still in operation. Slated for decommissioning and conversion to a museum when the story begins, it survives the Cylon onslaught due to its reliance on older technology. This is largely due to Commander Adama's insistence that there be no computer networks installed on the Galactica, and that all communications on board be conducted using old-fashioned wired telephones, so that the Cylons can not infiltrate the ship's computers.
• Physically, the Galactica is far more clearly designed for combat. She has heavy armor plating covering structural ribs and water tanks under the plating to absorb kinetic damage from missiles or harmful radiation from nuclear-tipped Cylon missiles. The command centre is much better protected, being located deep inside the ship (much like the Combat Information Center in a modern naval warship), rather than exposed on the outside as in the case of Star Trek's USS Enterprise. The Galactica must now also retract its landing bays prior to executing an FTL jump, then extend them upon entering normal space in order to conduct flight operations.
• Operations have become more militaristic on the reimagined Galactica. Unlike the original, many new details are taken directly from present-day aircraft carrier operations, such as standard operating procedures, combat air patrols, and the term "CAG" for the Galactica's command Viper pilot. The original, by contrast, was extremely unmilitary in its operations.
• The original Galactica utilized "scanners" to detect objects in space, while the reimagined battlestar is equipped with "DRADIS" — the Colonial equivalent of RADAR.
• The original Colonial Fleet costumes appeared to be a blend of World War II uniforms, disco fashions, and retro-futuristic attire. The original Colonial emblem on the uniforms was the symbol currently used by U.S. Army military intelligence officers with the interior of the rose petals colored in blue. The current costuming strongly resembles contemporary fashions, as does some of the technology.
• The new series has a deliberate "retro-tech" look, and there are no sophisticated computer systems or energy weapons — soldiers carry rifles, the fighters of both sides fire projectiles, and communications often take place on personal wired telephones.
• Most of the strange dialect of the original series, including the decimal time-measurement system of "centons" and "yahrens", has been removed and replaced by conventional present-day language. One instance of the word "yahren" does escape this revision and appears on the Cylon Centurion Model 0005 specification sheet seen at the beginning of the miniseries — either a homage to the original series or an indication that the Colonials' language had changed since the first Cylon War.
• There are no "daggits." The new series does not use a robotic daggitt like the original's Muffit — considering the origin of the Cylons in this series, the Colonial peoples are perhaps less than receptive to the idea of such advanced robotics.
• Adama is now only a military commander, rather than being "dual-hatted" as a member of the Council of Twelve. There is no mention in the miniseries of the council; however, it is shown in the series' first season as the "Quorum of Twelve." Instead, President Adar and most other government officials are killed in the initial Cylon bombardments; the highest ranking survivor of the Cabinet is the Secretary of Education, Laura Roslin, who is sworn in as new President, a scene highly reminiscent of the 1963 swearing-in of Lyndon B. Johnson after the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy. Civilian and military duties are divided between Roslin and Adama, respectively. In this version, the "Quorum of Twelve" is more akin to the UN Security Council than a unifying government.
• The Colonials themselves are clearly far more culturally and politically diverse, having previously experienced both political and even military conflicts between the different Colonies, and there are clear suggestions during the series that the Colonial society is riven by deep class divisions.
• The personal details of various characters have been changed; for example, Starbuck and Boomer are now women. Instead of being blacks, Boomer is now Asian, while Colonel Tigh is Caucasian. On the other hand, the character of Athena, originally a Caucasian woman and Adama's daughter, has been replaced by Petty Officer Dualla, a black woman of no relation to Adama.
• The unusual names of some of the original series characters — e.g. "Starbuck", "Apollo", "Boomer" — have become pilot call signs, although characters more often talk to each other using their call signs rather than their given names. Characters are instead given names that, in many cases, are very similar to Earth names, such as William Adama, Laura Roslin, Shelley Godfrey, and so on.
• The "rag-tag, fugitive fleet" is now made up only of ships with FTL capabilities. This helped to resolve a problem with the original show – the fleet could only move at the speed of the slowest ship in the convoy.
• The humans are polytheistic and follow a religion similar to Greek mythology, worshipping such gods as "Athena" and "Apollo." The Cylons are monotheistic and believe in one God.
• In the Original series, the Cylon sneak attack on the colonies marked the end of the war with the Cylons, which had lasted 1000 yahren (approx. 1000 years). In the new series, an armistice between the Colonials and the Cylons, had been in effect for approx. 40 years, prior to the attack.
• The Colonial military pilots and other troops, are no longer refered to as Warriors.
• The military sidearms of choice have been changed to conventional pistols and rifles, rather than lasers or blasters as in the Original series. Many of the pistols have a pod mounted below the main barrel, used to muzzle load and fire explosive rounds, one at a time.
• In the original series, Zak is killed when his Viper is destroyed in the initial Cylon attack. In the new series, Apollo's brother Zak was killed in a Viper accident two years prior to the first episode, which becomes a major plot point in later episodes.
• In the original series, Adama and Apollo had a strong father/son relationship — Apollo saw his father as a hero. At the beginning of the current series, the relationship was clearly strained. While there is clearly strong affection between them, political ideas and circumstances sometimes place them at odds. In the beginning of the series Apollo blamed Adama for pushing Zak (his brother) into flight school, even though he wasn't cut out to be a pilot. Zak's subsequent death led to a rift between father and son. The relationship again saw strain when Apollo agreed to be President Roslin's military advisor, a move that disturbed Adama. At one point, Apollo also sided with the President when Adama terminated her Presidency and had her arrested. It is later revealed that Starbuck may have indirectly caused her fiancee's accidental death.
• Commander Adama doesn't have a daughter, although he seems to treat Starbuck, who would have been his daughter-in-law, as one.
• Colonel Tigh is an alcoholic. In addition, he is married to a woman who often brings out the worst in him. In the old series, Tigh was not an alcoholic, was a different race, and was also a bachelor.
• In the old series, some humans had very limited psionic powers. In one episode, Adama demonstrated limited telekinetic abilities. In the new series, no human to date has been shown to have psionic powers.
• Commander Cain was a patronizing, belligerent old warhorse in the original series, with a daughter, Sheba, who became a regular cast member; now Admiral Nelena Cain is an attractive woman in the prime of life, albeit an authoritarian, bloodthirsty, sociopath and apparently has no children.
• Both Adama and Cain held the rank of Commander in the old series. However, Adama had senority over Cain, and at one point relieved him from duty for insubordination. In the new series, Cain is now an Admiral and is Adama's superior officer. When Tyrol and Helo are wrongfully tried, convicted and summarily condemned to death by Cain for murder, Adama defies her and incites mutiny by sending a Marine detatchment to Pegasus to retrieve Tyrol and Helo.
• The character of Jolly, a regular in the original series, has all but disappeared. His name is mentioned once only, in the mini-series. He is a member of the group of modern Vipers that is destroyed when the Cylons knock out their power. Jolly is presumably killed along with the rest of this group.

Similarities and homages to the 1978 series

• The "museum" section of the Galactica features both a suit of "classic" Cylon armor as well as the original model for the Cylon Base Ship. It would also seem that all original series designs are acknowledged as having existed, but in the new series, they are relics of the previous war with the Cylons.
• The original Battlestar Galactica theme, by Glen A. Larson and Stu Phillips, is heard in at least two points in the new show. It is played briefly during the Galacticas decommissioning ceremony in the opening episdoe of the mini-series. It is also the music played over a reporter's documentary about Galactica in the season 2 episode, Final Cut.
• The "cubit" is still the unit of currency in the Colonies, even though it appears now as regular paper money rather than the gold ducats seen in 1978.
• Despite the removal of most of the original Colonial dialect, the word "frak"—often described as a way to get "fuck" past network censors—has been retained as the all-purpose expletive of choice for most humans. As opposed to the original, where it was used exclusively as an interjection, the new series uses it in whatever contexts "fuck" would be used, employing variations such as "frak you", "frak off", "what the frak?" and even "motherfrakker", as well as referring literally to sexual intercourse. "Felgercarb", the original series' substitution for "bullshit", has yet to make an appearance.
• The original series' Colonial Viper design—referred to as the "Mark II"—is retained with a few tweaks as the mainstay fighter of the Galactica, while a newer design introduced in the miniseries—the "Mark VII"—occasionally makes an appearance. One of design changes are the use of Reaction Control Systems similar to those found on the Space Shuttle which can enable moves such as a 180 degree pivot to attack a pursuing enemy while the ship continues to move in its original direction, much like a Babylon 5 Starfury. The Galactica is similarly equipped with RCS units forward and aft on both port and starboard.
• Richard Hatch, who played Captain Apollo in the original series, returned to play Sagittaron terrorist-turned-politician Tom Zarek.
• After President Roslin continues to call Lee Adama "Captain Apollo," he tells her that his real name is Adama. Roslin tells him: "I know who you are, but Captain Apollo has a nice ring to it." She repeatedly calls him "Captain Apollo" afterwards.
• The last line in the miniseries, spoken by a "Number Six"-model Cylon, is "By your command," a phrase often used by the Cylons of the original series.
• The President of the original series was known as "Adar" and died in the opening war. In the new series, President Adar was the last elected colonial president.
• A basketball-like game, called "Triad" in the original series, appeared in the new series -- however, it was called "Pyramid," which was the name of a different, poker-like card game in the original series. The producers have admitted they made a mistake, but noted that by the time they noticed it, it was too late to fix the dialogue.
• Playing cards remain hexagonal.
• Starbuck still smokes cigars, and in early episodes of the series, Katee Sackhoff often incorporated mannerisms and facial expressions reminiscent of Dirk Benedict's portrayal; this decreased as the first season progressed.
• Upon being introduced to Admiral Cain, Baltar calls her "Commander," and she sternly corrects him. This may be an in-joke to fans familiar with the original Cain.

Other References

The series contains many references to other films and TV shows, as well as real historical events. Some of these may be just coincidence, but others were certainly intended.

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• Miniseries - After the death of President Adar, Laura Roslin is sworn in as President on her transport ship, which is then renamed Colonial One. Lyndon B Johnson was sworn in on Airforce One after John F Kennedy's assasination.
• Episode #2.4 "Resistance" - Galactica-Boomer, who had attempted to assasinate Commander Adama, is herself assasinated while being transferred to her cell. Lee Harvey Oswald, who assasinated John F Kennedy, was himself assasinated while being transferred to jail.
• Episode #1.6 "Litmus" - Six says to Baltar "Don't make me angry, Gaius. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry." This phrase was used by Dr David Banner in the pilot episode for the The Incredible Hulk TV series. The scene was then used in the opening credits for the series proper.
• Episode #1.11 "Colonial Day" - Laura, having thwarted Zarek's attempt to become her Vice President, says to him "Don't worry; I won't be kissing you today". To which Zarek replies "That's a shame; I shaved very closely in anticipation of being smacked by you". The same dialog takes place in the movie Patton (1970), in a scene between Patton and Montgomery.
• Episode #2.1 "Scattered". Chief Tyrol deliberately overdoses one of his men, thereby killing him, in order to spare the man further pain from his (already fatal) injuries. Simliar "mercy killings" take place in Saving Private Ryan (1998).

Military

The Colonial military appears to be organized much the same in the original and the remake. From the comparatively small amount of onscreen evidence, a Battlestar is apparently meant to be the lead vessel in a battle group which normally consists of many smaller vessels. This is spelled out in more detail in the remake, which explicitly places the Galactica as one of two or three battlestars of a battle group. We hear of both a Colonial Fleet, and Colonial Marines; however, we meet very few of the latter, as most of the Marine forces were presumably wiped out when the colonies were attacked.

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Officers in the Colonial Fleet are given ranks resembling ranks presently used in both armies and navies. The rank structure for Colonial Fleet officers is as follows:

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• Ensign
• Junior Lieutenant/Lieutenant Junior Grade
• Lieutenant
• Captain
• Major
• Colonel
• Commander
• Admiral

The commanding and executive officers of the Galactica are a Commander and Colonel, respectively, and have been since before the destruction of the colonies. Dr. Cottle holds the rank of Major. There are a couple senior officers with the rank of Captain as well as several lieutenants. The second season introduced Admiral Nelena Cain (played by Michelle Forbes), in command of the Battlestar Pegasus.

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Fleet enlisted ranks include Chief Petty Officer, Petty Officer, Specialist, and Crewman Specialist.

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Marine ranks may differ from Fleet ranks, and there are tentative plans by the producers for the Marines to have a different rank system. Recurring Marine characters include Galactica's Master-at-arms, Sergeant Hadrian, played by Jill Teed, and Corporal Venner?in addition to their ranks, the rank of Private is also known to exist.

Related Topics:
Master-at-arms - Jill Teed

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