What Happened to Battlestar Galactica (2003-2009)?
In the late 1970s and early 80s, one of the most popular science fiction shows was Battlestar Galactica. We did an episode of Gone But Not Forgotten going in-depth on the original show, but to sum up: the story revolves around a distant galaxy where humans have lost a war against the Cylons—an evil race of robots who have destroyed the human homeworld. The survivors of the war flee to find a new home. Their destination is a world where their lost tribe once traveled to—the planet Earth.
The show lasted a total of 24 episodes, and in 1980, an inferior follow-up series, Galactica 1980, was created. That series lasted 10 episodes and seemed to put an end to the future of Battlestar Galactica. But over the years, attempts were made to continue the series. Two of the most famous were when Richard Hatch invested $50,000 into creating a proof-of-concept trailer, and when X-Men director Bryan Singer attempted a revival series. Both failed to get off the ground.
The rights reverted to Universal, and then the president of Universal’s television division, Angela Mancuso, saw potential in the franchise. This is when she approached David Eick to adapt Battlestar for a new generation. Eick was a veteran producer with a steady track record of successful shows such as Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and cult classics like American Gothic. Seeing how big a task it would be to bring Battlestar back to life, David approached veteran Star Trek writer Ronald D. Moore.
The direction of the show began with a national tragedy—the September 11th attacks and their effects on society. Both David and Ronald realized that Battlestar Galactica had parallels to the terrorist attacks. They knew this series would be unlike anything else in the science fiction genre. Their goal was to make it as realistic as possible. The series would be shot in a documentary-like style, the sets were built to look like a military vessel, and the characters would be more complex than standard science fiction heroes or villains.
After speaking to Moore and Eick, Mancuso gave the green light to make a miniseries on a new network called The Science Fiction Network. But before the miniseries even aired, there was intense hatred from fans of the original series. It all started when Dawson attended the 2003 Galacticon to screen clips of the miniseries. Once the audience saw it, they began to boo and hiss. They became hostile to Dawson during the Q&A, and former star of the show Richard Hatch had to step in to defend him.
The anger from Battlestar Galactica fans stemmed from the drastic changes Moore and Eick had made with the revival. Its allegory of a post-9/11 society and the decision to make Cylons humanoid were seen as cheap and uninspired. But one of the biggest controversies was gender-swapping the characters of Starbuck and Boomer.
However, many fans quickly changed their minds when the miniseries aired to massive ratings. The show went to series due to this success and a clever marketing idea by David Eick. The first thing he did was leave the miniseries on a cliffhanger. He knew it would entice executives to give the green light to a full series if the ratings were strong.
Whether or not that decision was a factor is unknown. What we do know is that the revival was a game-changer for the Syfy Network. Galactica was seen as groundbreaking in the science fiction genre. Many said it was the first show to truly push the boundaries of the genre. People compared it to classic TV shows like The Twilight Zone and the original Star Trek, which incorporated social commentary into their stories. The consensus among critics was that Battlestar Galacticadid not hide its commentary. Themes of bitterness, survivor’s guilt, hatred of an unknown enemy, and religious conflict were front and center.
The first season of Battlestar focused on two ideologies: revenge against its enemies and the importance of preserving a free society. It was fascinating to see this play out with General Adama and President Roslin’s uneasy alliance that eventually turned into a love story. One of the best storylines came in season two with the introduction of Admiral Helena Cain, whose motivation for revenge against the Cylons at any cost changed Adama’s view of the war.
While I agree that Battlestar Galactica introduced these new themes, I think shows like Space: Above and Beyond did it first. But I can’t deny that Battlestar took it to a new level.
Of course, the stories couldn’t have worked without the actors behind the roles. Galactica’s cast was massive, and each actor gave incredible performances. The key was that everyone took their role seriously. At the time, science fiction roles weren’t as sought after as those in prime-time dramas. A role on a sci-fi show was often seen as a step down. However, every actor cast realized almost immediately that being on the show was an honor—and that it could lead to greater opportunities. The clearest example of this was Lieutenant Kara Thrace, a.k.a. Starbuck, played by Katee Sackhoff. To say that Sackhoff has the career she does today because of her portrayal of Starbuck is like saying that water is wet. Starbuck was the most popular character on the show, overshadowing even the legendary Edward James Olmos.
As I stated before, one of the most heated complaints before the show aired was the gender swap of Starbuck. Moore stated that these changes to Starbuck and Boomer were because the original series had few female roles. He felt this was unrealistic and limited the show’s appeal to potential new fans. Surprisingly, one of the most vocal critics of this change was the man who originated the role of Starbuck, who wrote an article titled “Starbuck: Lost in Castration.” It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out his opinion. To his credit, though, he did not personally attack Katee Sackhoff and even took a photo with her at Starbucks in the documentary Battlestar Galactica: The Lowdown.
The reason Boomer’s gender was also changed went deeper than that of Starbuck’s. Moore felt that making Boomer a woman would provide more story opportunities when introducing a female Cylon sleeper agent. It was more interesting to turn a trusted member of the team into a spy than to introduce an entirely new character. It also caught audiences by surprise when the reveal of Cylon Boomer came at the end of the miniseries. Grace Park was praised not just for her portrayal of the Cylon sleeper agent Boomer but also of Athena—a Cylon who turned against her kind to help the humans.
However, the main cast wasn’t the only one to benefit. Guest stars like Mark Sheppard, Rick Worthy, and Callum Keith Rennie moved on to bigger roles. Lucy Lawless and Dean Stockwell’s careers were also revitalized by their appearances. But one of the most memorable guest stars who saw the most benefit was the original Apollo, Richard Hatch, who gained a new generation of fans with his role as terrorist-turned-politician Tom Zarek.
Yet even though Battlestar Galactica seasons 1 and 2 were praised by critics and fans, season 3 is when the downfall began. A bold choice was made to have the survivors try to start a new life on a hostile planet, only to be conquered by the Cylons. It started out well, but by the end of season 3, the show had gone off the rails.
Controversial choices included Baltar being put on trial and then acquitted, a large portion of the cast being revealed as Cylons, and Starbuck being killed—only to be mysteriously resurrected. But the worst choice was the answer to one of the biggest questions of the series.
From the start of the Battlestar Galactica revival, Gaius Baltar was the scientist inadvertently responsible for the destruction of the Twelve Colonies. It was a Cylon known as Model Six, or Caprica Six, who seduced Baltar into giving her information that allowed the Cylons to destroy the colonies. Afterwards, Baltar would have visions of Six, who helped him survive exposure of his crimes and advised him on manipulating the crew for personal power.
The mystery of what “Vision Six” was—and her motivations—was heavily debated by viewers. The two most popular theories were that she was either a manifestation of Gaius’s broken psyche or some kind of Cylon program in his head. The mystery became even more intriguing when we learned that Caprica Six also had visions—of Gaius Baltar.
But the truth divided the fanbase: the answer was that Vision Six and Vision Baltar were angels.
While the concept of religion had been there from the beginning, it was subtle and never overshadowed the more engaging themes of survival and war. By the end of season 3, though, the series had changed drastically. Religion took center stage. Now it was about destiny, the Cylons’ belief in one god, Baltar starting a cult, miracles, a Christ-like child, and angels. As a fan, I felt betrayed. I had been enamored with a show about war, survival, hatred, and hope in the darkness. Now I didn’t know what the hell I was watching.
But how did the show end up like this?
Well, it goes all the way back to the miniseries. As Moore and Eick worked on it, the mythology of the Cylons wasn’t fleshed out. The basics were that the Cylons and humans had fought a war in the past. A truce was called, and then the Cylons attacked again, nearly exterminating humanity. A fleet of ships escaped to find Earth while the Cylons pursued them.
That’s all that was planned. In fact, one of the most memorable parts of the series was the tag before every episode—it always ended with the words “The Cylons Have a Plan.” This was suggested to the marketing team by David Eick. When Ronald found out, he went to Eick and said, “But they don’t have a plan, David.” Eick replied, “No, trust me! This is marketing. It doesn’t matter. We’ll figure it out later. There’ll be a plan someday.”
This anecdote sums up Battlestar Galactica’s biggest problem. Essentially, they had become the Hollywood cliché of “We’ll fix it in post.”
If you ask Ronald Moore, he proudly says that the freedom of not having a clear plan from beginning to end let the show write itself. He stated that this helped the show feel fresh because the writers were on the same journey as the characters. However, Moore would eventually discuss the controversial revelation that Dream Six and Dream Baltar were magical beings. When asked if they were angels or demons, he replied:
“I think they’re both. We never tried to name exactly what the head characters were; we never looked at them as angels or demons. They seemed to periodically say good things or evil things, to save people or to damn people. There was a sense that they worked in the service of something else… that was guiding and helping, sometimes obstructing, sometimes tempting. The idea at the end was that whatever they’re in service of is eternal and continues, and whatever they are, they too are still around, with all of us who are the children of Hera. They continue to walk among us and watch.”
He was also asked why the mystery of Starbuck’s resurrection was never explained. He responded that providing a concrete answer would diminish the mystery and impact of the character’s spiritual journey.
So, in other words, he had no idea how to explain it—and it was easier to leave it a mystery and try to convince everyone that was intentional.
This aspect of Battlestar Galactica serves as a great example for any writer creating a show: it’s incredibly important to have a plan when you create a story. The “fix it in post” mentality cannot sustain a TV series. You can only distract the audience for so long before they start asking questions, and if you don’t have answers, things can get ugly. Don’t believe me? Go ask a former Game of Thrones fan how they feel about the ending of that eight-season show. You’re not going to find many who praise that disaster of a series finale.
But for that miniseries, those first two seasons, and the Razor TV movie—it had incredible writing. I still remember amazing episodes like “33,” the first episode of season one, which made you feel as exhausted as the crew; “Bastille Day,” which introduced the fascinating character of Tom Zarek and asked whether he was a terrorist or a folk hero; and the nail-biter “Pegasus,” which introduced the brutal Admiral Cain.
There were also unforgettable moments, such as when Starbuck confesses her role in Adama’s son’s death or when Boomer tries to assassinate Adama while in a trance. Not to mention the incredible performances of James Callis and Tricia Helfer, filled with paranoia and raw sexuality.
It’s for these reasons that I could never say the Battlestar Galactica revival was a failure.
After the series ended, attempts were made to continue the Battlestar Galactica universe. A prequel called Caprica explored the origins of the Cylons but was canceled after one season. Then there was a two-hour pilot called Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome, revolving around a young Adama fresh out of the academy. However, it was not picked up and was later split into a web series.
Since then, the world of Battlestar Galactica has remained closed. A reboot was being developed for Peacock until the network canceled it in 2024. There is still talk about it being picked up by another network or streaming service. I’m on the fence about this one. On the one hand, I don’t think you could capture the same lightning in a bottle that the 2004 revival had. But on the other hand, it would be interesting to see what a fresh pair of eyes could make of it.
If you want to watch Battlestar Galactica, it’s a bit of a mess. I was only able to find the miniseries and the TV movie Razor to stream on—of all places—Fandango.com. Prime has the entire series and Blood & Chrome available to rent. Peacock is the only place you can watch Caprica. But the second TV movie, The Plan, was nowhere to be found online.
As I stated before, even with all its flaws, the Battlestar Galactica revival universe is something to be experienced. It was groundbreaking and still stands as some of the best science fiction ever made.
So maybe you should hop on board an old space battleship and witness the fear, the love, and—most importantly—the hope that we must all keep alive in the face of darkness.
So say we all.
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