New Battlestar Galactica Premieres Monday 483
An anonymous reader writes "In several
news articles, 'Battlestar
Galactica' returns in a new four hour mini-series on the Sci-Fi
channel this Monday. However, there has been fan furor over some
changes to the story. Aluminum Cylon enemies look more like
humans, complete with feelings, including one with rabid sexual
desires, and the quest is not for a mythical Earth, as it no
longer exists. More information at the BattlestarGalactica.com
website, and the Sci-Fi
channel."
another botched memory? (Score:5, Informative)
Mike
Re:another botched memory? (Score:5, Informative)
The producer's rebuttal can be found here [scifi.com].
For what it's worth, I've been watching my box set of the original series while stuck on a business trip. I'm hoping the new series will be good, but even if isn't, well... they're different series, and I'll judge them on their own merits, not how they relate to each other.
Just my $.02...
OT: aintitcool site contents (Score:3, Informative)
Number 6 (Score:5, Informative)
Victoria's Secret model Tricia Helfer was born in Donalda, Alberta, Canada. The 1992 Ford Supermodel of the World winner and former Elite model has graced the covers of such magazines as Elle,Amica Italia and Cosmopolitan UK, and has walked the runways for Christian Dior, Givenchy, Claude Montana, Emanuel Ungaro and other top fashion designers.
Clearly the producers have spared no expense in landing top thespians. According to IMDB [imdb.com], her previous acting gigs include:
A part in an episode of CSI, where she played a model who ends up dead.
A small part in the 16 minute short "Eventual Wife"
A judge at the 2003 Miss Teen USA
The role of Farrah Fawcett in "Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of 'Charlie's Angels'"
IMDB also reports her measurements are 34-24-34
Re:OT: aintitcool site contents (Score:5, Informative)
In short his site is indicative of eight-year-old design sensibilities.
Re:BSG a network tv production (Score:3, Informative)
Even great directors "borrow" material. It's nothing to be ashamed of.
Re:While you're in the mood.. (Score:3, Informative)
if your going to link to a place, at least make it one with more than 3 costumes to show, and and not a bunch of "coming soon" BS.
Re:Little? Cylon? Different? (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Anybody watch SciFi Previews? (Score:5, Informative)
The Cylons were fighting some war, so they built themselves a nice little robot army and gave them a simple command: "Go blow stuff up and kill things." So the robots go out and do it and wipe out the Cylons' enemies. Then they start looking for new targets, and, well... the Cylons happen to be the closest civilization, so the bots wipe them out. And then they start wandering the universe looking for stuff to kill.
It's basically the same premise as the Berserker novels by Saberhagen.
Moral of the story: Automating killing machines with just enough intelligence to distinguish between a lifeform and a rock and giving them power supplies that last for hundreds of thousands of years is a really, really, monumentally stupid idea.
And, just for the record, if a huge armada of homicidal robots showed up and started razing my world, I really wouldn't give a crap where they came from until *AFTER* I'd managed to stop 'em.
Re:So in other words.. (Score:2, Informative)
Lost Tribes (Score:5, Informative)
When the Babylonians returned the tribes to Israel and Jerusalem, which was located in the lands of the tribe of Judah, was reconstructed, some of the other tribes began traditions that were an amalgamation of ancient Hebrew and Babylonian culture. The tribe of Benjamin sided with Judah in returning to a more strictly Jewish lifestyle. So that's how the other 10 tribes were "lost", a more accurate description would be they, left the faith, or were, lost to God, depending on whose point of view you wich to honor.
At any rate, we know exactly where those 10 tribes went. The lands they occupied became known as Samaria or the home of the Samaritans, hence the story of the good Samaritan.
The idea of a 13th tribe is peculiar to the Mormons though, although I think other Judeo-Christian sects claim to be yet another unknown tribe of Hebrews. I believe according to Mormons the 13th tribe were the ancestors of Native Americans.
Incidentally the Biblical use of the word tribe is more closely related to the modern idea of a clan: a people group related by blood. A tribe is a people group related by language and custom, usually made up of multiple clans. The clan system helps prevent inbreeding since your close relatives are easily identified.
Re:Anybody watch SciFi Previews? (Score:5, Informative)
Yeah, nobody knew...unless you, you know, watched the first three episodes.
Cylons had been a reptilian race that created robots as slaves--the robots had themselves a revolution, and were bending everybody to their order, but in a weird bit of synchretism (sp?) kept the name "Cylon". Humans were the only power that hadn't bowed down before them, and they'd been fighting on and off for the better part of a thousand years.
So they hit on a peace conference, and then sucker-punched everybody with the fleet away at the signing ceremonies. The Cylons, much as Hitler and with the Jews, were determined to exterminate every last remnant of this troublesome race. Like the Mormons, the Humans took a wagon train to the promised land. Like the Jews, they were looking for the missing 13th tribe to fill their ranks and enable them to stand up to the cylons and hit back.
It was also very influenced by the self-perception of America in the wake of Vietnam. 60's idealism was dead, the Soviets were on the move, and the US was very much the underdog as the Sovs broke treaty after treaty (ABM, SALT I, etc. etc.). How different a world we live in.
Anyway, the backstory was told in the first movie and in repeats as the first three episodes. But if you missed that, then yes, take it as read that robots hate humans, commence plot.
Re:BSG a network tv production (Score:2, Informative)
Re:another botched memory? (Score:2, Informative)
Re:mormon influence... (Score:3, Informative)
I should know, I was married there and attend the temple monthly. I've also looked into the history of temple practice throughout time. I realize there are web sites that say nudity is in the temple, but I can assure you they don't know what they are talking about.
Richard Hatch on Oz TV (Score:3, Informative)
He was far from complementary of the rewrites of the new BSG. Despite the abscence of earth and the trans-sexual character evolution he also discussed that indefinable quality that is the difference between classic/crappy - he did not sound hopefull...
Ah, Richard Hatch I think was the name. He didn't really want to denigrate the new series too much but you got the idea....
Q.
Re:another botched memory? (Score:2, Informative)
In short (with no spoiling) it is a different concept. The original show was written for me (as a young kid) and the new show is still written for me (as a somewhat older kid)--it really isn't for young kids anymore.
Personally I think the new show rocked. I did not watch it expecting to be taken back to my childhood or back to the exact premise. I watched it with a certain comfort level (knowing names, general ideas, etc.) and really enjoyed it on its on merits. I look forward to seeing this part again on Monday as well as the remaining portions.
There will be plenty that of things that original show fans will still complain about as well as things that "realist" type people will complain about but I still think it was entertaining--and worth my time.
The Fly! (Score:2, Informative)
I would not make such a blanket-statement. This might workout like the remake of the Fly:
In the original Fly, a scientist invents the first teleporter. The scientist carefully teleports one object at a time because the teleporter can only focus on one object at a time. He finally tries to teleport himself, a fly is in the telepod with him. If the fly would not have been in the telepod with him or if the fly would be in physical contact, everything would be fine. As it is, the fly and the scientist emerged with parts exchanged. Because of scale this does not make sense. It is just for shock-value in a cheep horror-movie.
The premise of the Fly is almost a good one. Someone realized this and made a vastly superior remake:
In the remake of the fly all of the same up to reintegration:
The teleporter cannot reintegrate separate objects. The scientist and the fly become a chimaera, The chimaera looks just like the scientist. The scientist does not know that anything happens. Over the next few months, the scientist looses his humanity and sanity as he slowly becomes a chimaera intermediate between human and fly.
The story of the remake of the fly makes much more since and is much better than the original.
The original Battlestar Galactica is good but has a glaring problem:
The Cylons were originally suppose to be reptilian aliens. ABC did not want alien blood splattered all over the place. The Cylons became robots created by the Cylons, a race of reptilian aliens. Why do the Cylons want to kill humans? Because they want to conquer the universe! Why do the Cylons have an human form? Because the Cylons patterned the Cylons after humans! Why did the Cylons shape the Cylons after humans? Because humans are more efficient than Cylons! Why did not the Cylons invent a novel form more efficient than human? I do not know!
In the new series, the Cylons will have human form for a good reason:
They are made in the image of their creators.
The war between the Cylons and the humans also makes more sense as its causes are firmly rooted in the slavery of the Cylons and their rebellion:
Ever since the Cylon-Rebellion, both sides have been in a war of survival against the other -- a forty-year retreat is nothing.
The new series might be much better or much worse than the original. As a remake, I would not dismiss it just because it breaks cannon -- sequels should be burned for breaking cannon; while, remakes and their sequels and prequels can create their new cannon totally independent from the original and its sequels and prequels. If one is so interested in cannon, we should pickup where Battlestar Galactica 1980 leftoff. Battlestar Galactica 1980 + 23 would be a true sequel.