Mace MacLeod Posted January 14, 2007 Share Posted January 14, 2007 The thread on Stargate reminded me how much I can't stand the new Battlestar Galactica, so I thought I'd open a poll. Now, for fans of the new show (ie. StarWarsPhreak) please note that I actually don't think the new incarnation/bastardization is a bad show. If it didn't have the Battlestar Galactica label stuck on it, I'd probably watch it as avidly as anyone else. I have to admit, the space battles are cool as hell, and those new Cylon Base Stars are incredible to look at. The original show was long overdue for an update to the fashions, hairdos, acting, F/X and everything else, and when I first heard the new show was in production, I was ecstatic. However, when the show came out...major downer. Here's why: If you're a fan of the original series, you're probably a fan because you saw it at a certain impressionable point in your childhood where things like plot, acting and coherence took a back seat to shiny laser blasts, neato-cool robots and that uber-awesome "WHOOOSH!!" noise the vipers made when launching. You were living right at the time when Star Wars first came out and swept across the globe, and anything with the word "star" in the title was guaranteed to get your little underooed butt slammed down in front of the tv. Battlestar Galactica became the stuff of cherished childhood nostalgia, and sure, I can watch it now as an adult and marvel at the hammy acting, threadbare plot contrivances and the use of the exact same 9 or 10 spaceship flybys in every single episode, but it was always basically a goofy kid's show. This new thing just walks all over the whole spirit of the original. They took a kid's show from the 70's and updated it as gritty, adult, hard sci-fi drama. It's like, "Let's bring back Little House on the Prairie, only with a Quentin Tarantino edge!". No...! They kept the names, but not the characters themselves. Except for Apollo, every single character got a sex and/or race change operation. These aren't the people! There is NOT supposed to be sexual tension between Colonel Tigh and Starbuck! Wrong! Humans do not hump cylons! Also wrong! Baltar's a bad guy! He's supposed to be the sort of fella who'd go to a Save the Whales benefit with a hundred lemon wedges and a bucket of tartar sauce! He's not a long-haired ripoff of Doctor Bashir on DS9! Wrongwrongwrong! Don't even get me started on Edward James "I'm so devastated by the near-complete genocide of the human race, I almost had a facial expression" Olmos as Commander Adama. And then there's the flagrant abuse of "Frack". Frack me, frack you, frackin' this, frackin' that, frackin' the other thing...WE GET IT! STOP! Gaaaa... In closing, I just can't watch the new version, good for its own merit though it may be, just because the words Battlestar Galactica call up something very specific, and the new thing just ain't it. Doesn't have the heart, doesn't have the soul, and perhaps most importantly, doesn't have the original theme song. Best tv show theme song EVER. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boba Rhett Posted January 14, 2007 Share Posted January 14, 2007 I'm an avid fan of the new one but I readily admit that I have never seen the original series. I find it hard to believe you don't care for Almos. I feel that people should be lining up to make sweet love to him. I agree with you on the whole "frak" thing. it's completely overused. I also don't like how everyone sleeps with everyone. There's sexual tension between Starbuck and Tigh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mace MacLeod Posted January 14, 2007 Author Share Posted January 14, 2007 There's sexual tension between Starbuck and Tigh? There was one scene in the pilot where I tuned in and it just seemed...I dunno, maybe it was just me and my wife's perception. It just seemed...awkward in...that way... Anyway. Maybe it was just us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reclaimer Posted January 14, 2007 Share Posted January 14, 2007 Classic BG all the way. The new version isn't all as great as the original. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pho3nix Posted January 14, 2007 Share Posted January 14, 2007 Never watched Battlestar Galactica I should though, being somewhat of a big SCI-FI fan myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynk Former Posted January 14, 2007 Share Posted January 14, 2007 New for me... never got into the old one, never will. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Q Posted January 14, 2007 Share Posted January 14, 2007 Heh, I knew this was going to come up sooner or later (and who was going to bring it up). The original BG was truly a show ahead of it's time. It came before the days of affordable special effects at a time when good writing was far from commonplace for a TV show. There were a few terrific episodes and several god-awful ones. Like Mace, I first watched it at a very young age and was entranced. It wasn't until I got older that I realized after watching the reruns on Scifi that the plots of about 9 out of 10 episodes really sucked. But then again, most TV shows of the period really sucked, too. I also noticed that the few episodes that were good were REALLY good, revealing the fact that this show had a lot of potential. Also like Mace I was very excited to find out that SciFi was going to remake the series. Great, I thought: they're going to resurrect the original premise and give it better special effects and hopefully better writing. And I was equally disgusted to discover what they had done with the original characters and themes. If you like it, fine, but I know Battlestar Galactica, I was raised with Battlestar Galactica, and THIS, SIRS, IS NO BATTLESTAR GALACTICA! Call it something else, PLEASE! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jae Onasi Posted January 14, 2007 Share Posted January 14, 2007 Starbuck is supposed to be male! End of story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CountVerilucus Posted January 14, 2007 Share Posted January 14, 2007 OMG I love Battlestar Galactica (new). Really enjoying the series, despite what Mace said. I think it's cool how Sharon Valeri joined them, but she better not pull a fast one! Infact I like every non-cylon character (and Sharon), Colonel Tigh, both Adama's, Helo, Starbuck, Duella, Geata, Roslin, Zarrick...did I forget anybody? I just hope that Gaius Baltar dies a horrible death. The frack thing is pretty corny, but you should look it up on wiki. It's origination with relation to the show. Just to understand. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fictional_expletives#F Never seen the old one so I can't make a comparison. Firefly is a good show too, its a shame it got cancelled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedHawke Posted January 14, 2007 Share Posted January 14, 2007 The mistake I think many are making is even 'trying' to compare the shows at all... the original Series is awesome for the reasons Mace states... but the new one seems to be standing on it's own two feet quite nicely. This type of argument was also used when Star Trek: The Next Generation came out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ET Warrior Posted January 14, 2007 Share Posted January 14, 2007 I don't understand why you cannot separate them. Sure, same character names, same show name, same most everything, except for the parts that actually MAKE a TV show what it is. The new Battlestar Galactica is an AMAZING show, and to deny yourself of it for those reasons is pretty weak tea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CountVerilucus Posted January 14, 2007 Share Posted January 14, 2007 I second that! Just pretend the name of the show is "Adventures of the Twelve Tribes of Kobul" and you should be alright Mace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HerbieZ Posted January 14, 2007 Share Posted January 14, 2007 I hate the old one, it's pure cheese to me. The new one is great i watch all the episodes when they air but it's too negative and depressing to watch a few episodes in a row. It's abit like deadwood in that respect, somtimes i pray for a gunfight or something to make the episode different from the next. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jae Onasi Posted January 14, 2007 Share Posted January 14, 2007 This type of argument was also used when Star Trek: The Next Generation came out. If they'd made a BG:TNG (Galactica 1980 notwithstanding), I'd have been OK with that. They made enough fundamental changes that they _should_ have made it a 'next generation' or something else instead of changing the original characters so drastically. The new BG is not a bad show, I just have this tremendous cognitive dissonance when I see a female Starbuck (the bumps are in all the wrong places!) among many other differences. It just ruins the whole thing for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mimartin Posted January 14, 2007 Share Posted January 14, 2007 Starbuck is supposed to be male! End of story. The mistake I think many are making is even 'trying' to compare the shows at all... the original Series is awesome for the reasons Mace states... but the new one seems to be standing on it's own two feet quite nicely. I agree with both statements. I really enjoyed the original series when it originally came out and like Mace and Qliverur; I was a kid and forgave the terrible special effect, writing and acting. It was a unique show cashing in on the Sci-fi popularity that George Lucas had brought to big screen. A much as the original BSG is a cherish childhood memory, I like the current incarnation better. I believe the writing and acting are far better. I like the concept of machines trying to wipe out the human race while still striving to become more human themselves, than the original story of mindless machines just wanting to kill their creators. The idea that anyone could also be a cylon also appeals to me. What I dislike about the new one is like Jae said, Starbuck should be male. I also hate the fact that Boomer is a cylon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CountVerilucus Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 Yeah but Athena is cool, so we think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedHawke Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 The new BG is not a bad show, I just have this tremendous cognitive dissonance when I see a female Starbuck (the bumps are in all the wrong places!) among many other differences. It just ruins the whole thing for me. Fair enough, but this leads me to think you aren't distancing yourself from the 'original' enough... The character was changed for some good reasons (to create a whole new dynamic, as well as intercharacter relationship possibilities, and update Starbuck for the new generation who would have no issues with a female pilot, remember female pilots were 'special' or a 'big thing' in the original series and done only out of desperation). Boomer being a Cylon was also a dramatic touch. Watching the mini-series and becoming a little disheartened by what I saw I then stopped myself and thought something akin to... Do we really want a strait-laced and cookie cutter remake of the original? I sure don't, especially not after thinking about it some. The new series takes the setting and mixes everything up into something more, and I hate to use this word, but 'realistic' comes to mind, the ships, how they operate, etc. The only pieces of really 'fantastic' tech they have is Artificial Gravity and the FTL Drives. Not to mention the Politics involved (The old Adama was usually the one 'in charge' and his authority usually unquestioned) the new Adama has a counter-part in President Rosalyn, I find that to be far more dynamic. But that is just IMHO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynk Former Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 Even though I chose the new over the old, I completely understand why those who support the original series do so. I have the same feeling when it comes to an anime series called Bubblegum Crisis. It has an original version and a "remake" called Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040, which pretty much reworks the entire concept of the original show. There's a thread in my forum which discusses it... http://forums.thecrisiscenter.net/showthread.php?t=25 http://forums.thecrisiscenter.net/showpost.php?p=3559&postcount=31 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth InSidious Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 Between the two, I'd choose the new one, I'm afraid. Sorry, but the old one was tat. Tatty tat. It was a marginally more intelligent Star Trek, IMO, and I don't think much of "TOS", myself...(BTW, I fail to see how people could have complained about TNG after the first episode...'Encounter At Farpoint' was definitely a sacrifice upon the altar of fandom...) The new one is made with the use of brain cells. Yay for brain cells! Intelligent plot, dialogue, etc etc etc... That said, I completely understand why people do and will compare it with the original, but of the two shows, I do believe the new one is the superior, based on actual quality of writing, as well as consistency, acting, etc. Comparing them, I think, is not just fair game, but perhaps necessary. They've both gone out under the same branding - you need to compare and contrast them. I know why a lot of people get upset by the new series - I'm much the same over Doctor Who (but much, much worse)... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
igyman Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 I love the new Galactica, but to be completely honest I never watched the old one, I did see some screenies on wikipedia and read the article there, but I wasn't thrilled with it. This new one is great, has an interesting story, great CGI, space battles are on the level, music, characters (I do admit that Baltar's face does remind me of Bashir of DS9, but it's not him, this is a completely different actor)... everything, you name it. I've watched it regularly so far and I'll keep watching it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Venom750 Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 I watch a couple of the old one's but didn't think much of it while the new Galactica is good because it bring the show into the 21st centaury with all the new issues like human Cylon, terrorism, sympathiser and extremists’ but I do see the "frak" word a lot and i do see how the thing between Tigh and Starbuck can be mistaken for sexual tension Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitty Kitty Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 I stand with Mace and Jae (among others). Old BG > New BG, but as has been said, not because the new one is a *bad* show -it just simply is *NOT* BG. If they had (as Jae suggested) made it BG: TNG (or whatever) and set this 20+ years later with new, different characters and such, it'd have worked for me. Had it been some other show entirely and not called BG it'd have worked for me. As it stands however, the way they've completely slaughtered almost every possible facet of the show I loved as a kid and twisted it so far around that the only real similarity left is most of the character names and the "us vs. them" plotline at its utterly basic level just makes me cringe every time I see it. I can easily understand why most who didn't grow up with the originals would prefer the new show, and I can even understand why a lot of people who did know the first show might feel that way. It depends on where you place most of your emphasis for sci-fi, which for many has always been the effects and the "ooooh, shiny!" factor. I can appreciate that, but for me, the key factor for a remake has always been how true it is to the original vision, and in that regard the new BG just failed utterly. -Kitt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jae Onasi Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 Fair enough, but this leads me to think you aren't distancing yourself from the 'original' enough... I don't want to distance myself from the original. I like the original. Ok, maybe not the high cheese factor, but it was cool in its time. The character was changed for some good reasons I'm sure they had some great reasons why. However, part of original Starbuck's charm was he was a great foil to Apollo's strait-laced character, and likely was conceived as BG's answer to Han Solo. Let's face it, some of us girls were in love with Starbuck (I had a bad crush on Apollo myself), and it's just really tough to imagine anyone else but Dirk Benedict, or at least a male who looks vaguely like him, in that role. Do we really want a strait-laced and cookie cutter remake of the original? I sure don't, especially not after thinking about it some. I don't want it to be entirely the same, but if you're going to call it BG and use the same character names, at least keep them the same gender. They could have kept those original characters the same, but added in a few more characters to create more storylines. You always need new pilots to replace the old ones or the ones who get killed by Cylons. Boomer could have been captured by Cylons and made one and then later escaped back to our little rag-tag fugitive fleet. It would have been a big stretch, but I could deal with that. Those would be perfect excuses to bring in some new characters and different story lines, and I would have found that fairly believable. Starbuck having a sex change operation? Nope, not working for me--he was too much a man's man. The new series takes the setting and mixes everything up into something more, and I hate to use this word, but 'realistic' comes to mind, the ships, how they operate, etc. The only pieces of really 'fantastic' tech they have is Artificial Gravity and the FTL Drives. Not to mention the Politics involved (The old Adama was usually the one 'in charge' and his authority usually unquestioned) the new Adama has a counter-part in President Rosalyn, I find that to be far more dynamic. But that is just IMHO. I don't mind better fx and a more complex storyline at all. I do appreciate the inclusion of more politics, because I'm sure throwing a bunch of people on fleeing ships is going to create some interesting dynamics. However it's just not the BG that I grew up with with with such substantial changes in characters. I may just have a serious case of Auld Pharte disease, too. I agree with Mace that the original theme song was fabulous. I have an album in a box in a basement--when we finally get our turntable set up, I'm going to save a copy on the computer and a CD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aash Li Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 The only thing I dont really like about the new BSG is the theme song. The old song WAS BSG. You knew the show was coming on when you heard the symphony strike up... now you hear this new song and youre like wtf was that? MacCloud, your comments about the new series made me giggle. ^_^ Don't even get me started on Edward James "I'm so devastated by the near-complete genocide of the human race, I almost had a facial expression" Olmos as Commander Adama. that and the Baltar comment were the best. xD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swphreak Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 Having never seen the original series (I don't think I was born yet), I am can easily accept the new series as the Battlestar Galactica. Admiral Adama kicks so much ass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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