New Reboot of Battlestar Galactica

[grumbler]

The whole "disaster and flee and escape by the skin of the teeth" works, indeed, for about two seasons.  And the second show did that about as well as it could be done (with maybe the best three-episode arc ever done for SF, Pegasus and the two Resurrection Ship eps), but that was it.  The show stopped being any good because no one could decide what the show was about, other than a disaster and escaping by the skin of the teeth.

I disagree with you that the universe can't allow for a good show to be done.  Imho, it could have been done.  And I think the characters were just right for this, but they would obviously need a little more flesh on their bones.   Wich was doable.

I think the universe as presented is too constrained.  Twelve planets in such close proximity that travel between them takes only hours?  Not enough diversity.  No aliens, only very limited interstellar flight, just a bunch of mostly-alike humans and very-alike robots.  I don't think that that's enough.

Most of the actors aren't, actually.  Nathan Fillion and Morena Baccarin are busy elsewhere.  So is Gina Torres.  Not many left to re-make the show.
But that was a good idea, and one we could agree on

None of those shows are going to be around by the time a FF revival gets underway.  Baccarin has probably become to big to cast in her old role, and Glau definitely has, but those aren't essential roles.  You need Fillian, Baldwin, Torres, and Tudyk.  It'll never be done, but I think it doable.  They came extremely close to getting JMS to completely reboot B5 this summer.

[jimmy olsen]

The whole "disaster and flee and escape by the skin of the teeth" works, indeed, for about two seasons.  And the second show did that about as well as it could be done (with maybe the best three-episode arc ever done for SF, Pegasus and the two Resurrection Ship eps), but that was it.  The show stopped being any good because no one could decide what the show was about, other than a disaster and escaping by the skin of the teeth.

I agree, the space refugees theme is played out, I'm skeptical that this can be remade and milk multiple seasons out of this concept so after nBSG has finished.

My opening miniseries would be a total fake out. The opening scene would have a Rag Tag Fleet fleeing attackers. Then it would shift to another scene where Adama is discussing the strategic situation with his subordinates. Patrol ships have been going missing and HQ is afraid that the Cylons are preparing to break the armistice. The Galactica is on a long distance patrol near a remote section of the border. They've been tasked to investigate a local disappearance.

Unbeknownst to the colonials, similar disappearances have occurred on the Cylon side of the armistice line. They are worried that the Colonials have somehow discovered their preparations to launch a massive invasion across the armistice line. A basestar is investigating the area.

Following clues (debris, sensor echoes, etc) both the Cylons and the Galactica arrive in a system to see the Rag Tag Fleet under attack. These are the survivors of the 13th tribe, whose Civilization was obliterated by an alien horde that wields incomprehensibly bizarre biotechnology. The scene devolves into a three way brawl between Human, Cylons and Aliens.

The last ship standing is the Galactica, the remaining RTF escorts were destroyed. It's up to the Galactica to escort over a million refugees (who of course are foreign and weird) to the Colonies through a war torn frontier, filled with clashing fleets of all three powers. This takes one season, after which the Galactica is sent to the front lines and it turns into a pure war story. Eventually in the last season the Colonials and the Cylons are forced to make peace and fight together to survive the alien onslaught.

[The Brain]

Map?

[Habbaku]

Sucks.

[jimmy olsen]

Sucks.

How would your battlestar galactica look then?

[Barrister]

Sucks.

How would your battlestar galactica look then?

[jimmy olsen]

Horrible 70s camp?

[Barrister]

Wonderful 70s camp?

[Berkut]

Heres a crazy fucking idea.

How about a Sci Fi series that is not based on something that has already been done?

Shocking, I know! But maybe they could get some good writer to come up with a NEW sci-fi story idea!

[Josephus]

Now that I look at the picture, it looks like it's some of Putin's thugs.

Actually the guy with the gun looks like it could be Putin.

[HisMajestyBOB]

Shocking, I know! But maybe they could get some good writer to come up with a NEW sci-fi story idea!

Doubtful - have you seen most sci-fi books? No concept of characterization, pacing, or most story elements in general.

[grumbler]

Heres a crazy fucking idea.

How about a Sci Fi series that is not based on something that has already been done?

Shocking, I know! But maybe they could get some good writer to come up with a NEW sci-fi story idea!

Not gonna happen.  Totally new stories that are not based on anything that has ever been done just don't happen.  Writers read to learn how to write, and so their writing is almost always based on what has gone before; they can't help it.

Seriously, though, original SF shows are done all the time, of course.  I'd bet there are far ore proposals for new shows than for remakes.  The advantage to basing them on known products is in getting them funded.  People are more apt to shell out the bucks if they have a clear idea in their head what the outcome of the investment will look like; even an earlier failure gives some sense of the scope and the scale of the thing, and assures that it can be done.

Plus, having an existing universe to ground one's contributing writers can help a lot.  They can be doing research rather than bugging the showrunner.  Scriptwriters are cheaper than producers.

[Darth Wagtaros]

The whole "disaster and flee and escape by the skin of the teeth" works, indeed, for about two seasons.  And the second show did that about as well as it could be done (with maybe the best three-episode arc ever done for SF, Pegasus and the two Resurrection Ship eps), but that was it.  The show stopped being any good because no one could decide what the show was about, other than a disaster and escaping by the skin of the teeth.

I agree, the space refugees theme is played out, I'm skeptical that this can be remade and milk multiple seasons out of this concept so after nBSG has finished.

My opening miniseries would be a total fake out. The opening scene would have a Rag Tag Fleet fleeing attackers. Then it would shift to another scene where Adama is discussing the strategic situation with his subordinates. Patrol ships have been going missing and HQ is afraid that the Cylons are preparing to break the armistice. The Galactica is on a long distance patrol near a remote section of the border. They've been tasked to investigate a local disappearance.

Unbeknownst to the colonials, similar disappearances have occurred on the Cylon side of the armistice line. They are worried that the Colonials have somehow discovered their preparations to launch a massive invasion across the armistice line. A basestar is investigating the area.

Following clues (debris, sensor echoes, etc) both the Cylons and the Galactica arrive in a system to see the Rag Tag Fleet under attack. These are the survivors of the 13th tribe, whose Civilization was obliterated by an alien horde that wields incomprehensibly bizarre biotechnology. The scene devolves into a three way brawl between Human, Cylons and Aliens.

The last ship standing is the Galactica, the remaining RTF escorts were destroyed. It's up to the Galactica to escort over a million refugees (who of course are foreign and weird) to the Colonies through a war torn frontier, filled with clashing fleets of all three powers. This takes one season, after which the Galactica is sent to the front lines and it turns into a pure war story. Eventually in the last season the Colonials and the Cylons are forced to make peace and fight together to survive the alien onslaught.

The Borg?

[Neil]

Biotechnology?  Played out.

[jimmy olsen]

Biotechnology?  Played out.

Well the Cylons are a machine race, so the Aliens need to be distinctive to them and the Humans.