Site map
The future of Galactica
It isn't often that a much-loved television show is revived, much less successfully revived. MTV revived The Monkees in the 1980s after enjoying success with reruns of the original show. But The New Monkees did not become the pop icon that the 60s show (and band) had been. The New Bonanza really didn't take off the way the original show did, either. All attempts to keep a Tarzan show on television seem doomed to failure.
In 1998, Michael Martinez asked Steven Sears (then Co-Executive Producer of Xena: Warrior Princess) how he envisioned a Xena revival show might look in 20 years. Sears said he couldn't imagine such a thing because he had no idea of what the audience would be like. A television show must be relevant to its audience in order to be successful. That is why so many once-popular shows, when broadcast in syndication decades after they stop production, seem so dated and boring. They have no relevance for the current generation. Even original viewers have moved on in their lives.
Hence, SciFi's willingness to bring back Battlestar Galactica left many fans feeling trepidation for more than one reason. First, the original series really did start out with high production values. The $1 million-per-episode budget was simply unheard of in its day. But despite occasional shlocky writing and acting, Battlestar Galactica had a broad-based appeal (its audience reached 20 million viewers at one point -- a success really achieved by any show today). So, given that SciFi is not well-known for high production values, fans wondered if the network could do justice to the show's legacy.
But the original Battlestar Galactica struck a nerve with fans in the late 1970s because it appealed to their sense of wonder and sparked their imaginations. Its relevance remains strong today because it was not rooted in the common social issues of the day. By contrast, Captain Kirk's debates with Leonard McCoy over the value of supporting bush wars in underdeveloped regions only remains relevant because our politics haven't changed. When bush wars go out of style, the original Trek will lose some of its appeal.
SciFi's approach, or rather, Ron Moore's approach to Galactica is more relevant to today's audience. The new show is addressing issues which strike close to home for many of us. Today's generation is struggling to find its own identity in a world which has suffered tremendous upheavals. The original series may have been forward-looking in that respect. And it may also outlive the current series if the new Galactica only looks inward and not toward the possibilities which still lie before us.
|
|
|
- Battlestar Galactica Forum
Okay, this is almost a shameless plug. But the SF-FANDOM Battlestar Galactica Forum was created by founder Michael Martinez solely on the strength of his faith in the production quality of the new SciFi series. Yes, there has long been a hard-core fan community for BG, but SF-FANDOM tries to help build new communities. While discussions of the original show will be most welcome at SF-FANDOM (Michael remains a huge fan of the original show), this is the place we feel fans of the new show will want to visit. Our friends in the United Kingdom, who watch episodes on SkyOne before they are broadcast on SciFi, have been dropping hints and spoilers into the discussions (but don't worry -- they use spoiler warnings and tags). SF-FANDOM is a popular resource for science fiction and fantasy fans around the world.
- Gateworld's Battlestar Galactica section
 Gateworld is best known as a Stargate fan megasite, but they have taken a shine to Battlestar Galactica and we applaud their efforts. The episode spoilers are brief and accompanied by clear, teasingly small screen captures. The shot of Grace Park (Sharon/Boomer) from "Water" is so hot we could almost recommend it as a Web site on its own.
- Grace Park Online
 Okay, the site doesn't look like much on first pass, but our screen capture shows the "Version 1.0" imprint in little itty-bitty letters. We expect to see this site grow and mature. As long as Grace continues to enchant the front page, we don't really care. This beautiful young lady will certainly be turning heads with her stunning looks for years to come, but her on-screen personality and acting skills have made waves. Fan communities are taking notice of Grace, and she could well become the next major Babe of TV SciFi.
- Grace Park
 People have been searching the Xenite.Org network for Grace Park, and we were happy to give them something substantial to find. Almost everything we could learn about Grace is here, along with as many pictures as we could fit onto the page (well, maybe we could have put in a few more). Additional content is planned for the future. Just give us some time....
- Grace Park Fan
 Grace Park Fan so far has the largest gallery of Grace images we have found. You'll find scenes with Grace from shows like Stargate-SG1, Andromeda, Dark Angel, and, of course, Battlestar Galactica. Non-Canadian fans who are curious about her work on Edgemont will learn more here, too.
- X-Star: Battlestar Galactica and The X-Files
 Matt Tinaglia, editor of the popular eBook Parma Endorion: Essays on Middle-earth, 3rd Edition, has written an essay comparing Battlestar Galactica to The X-Files. Wonder how many fans of The X-Files are now watching BSG....
- Battlestar Galactica News
 Xenite.Org has launched a Battlestar Galactica News Web site that collects headlines from news sources around the world. Browse news stories about Grace Park and Battlestar Galactica as well as discussion headlines from the Battlestar Galactica Forum at SF-Fandom.
|
