The future of theBattlestar Galacticafranchise is uncertain, withSam Esmail’s reimagined series with Peacock being abortedbefore it could launch. It had been in development for years, and the last update was that it was being shopped to other streaming platforms. However, nobody has picked it up yet. With a loyal cult following, Moore’s 2004 series is a risky property to pick up, especially as the cast of the 2004 series are so beloved and likely would not return.
I would like to see the original cast return, but if the reboot is set within the same universe as the 2004 series rather than a direct reboot of Moore’s story, I’m not sure where their characters would fit. I hope the human characters aren’t rewritten as either Cylons or divine beings to facilitate their appearance. This would undo years of development of their characters. I’d like to see them return to screens as completely different characters when the reboot eventually gets picked up, akin to majorcharacter changes in Moore’s series compared to the originalBattlestar Galactica.
Battlestar Galactica’s Old Characters Could Only Return In A Reboot As Cylons Or Angels
It Would Be Better To Cast Them As Brand New Characters
The premise of Sam Esmail’sBattlestar Galacticaproject with Peacock before it was confirmed“no longer in the works”(perVariety) made it seemunlikely that the characters from Ronald D. Moore’s reboot would return for the reimagining. During its development, Esmail confirmed in an interview withColliderthat when discussing the project with Moore for his blessing,“The one thing we both agreed on is that it won’t be a reboot of what he did.”While Esmail came on board as a fan of Moore’sGalactica,he wanted to find a new story to tell.
This suggests an original story set in the same universe as the 2004 property. This increases the burden of endearing new characters to old and new audiences. If Moore’s cast would be involved, assuming they return as the same characters, they would either be Cylons or angels. Some of the old cast returning would endear the reboot toBattlestar Galactica’s cult following – but it could do more harm than good to the story. I think it may be better to cast them as completely different characters. This would allow for a tribute without complicating Moore’s story.
Human Characters Returning As Cylons Risks Hurting Battlestar Galactica’s Ending
Hera’s Bloodline Was Already A Huge Twist
In theBattlestar Galacticafinale “Daybreak”, which has three parts, the events that play out have divided audiences since the show’s airing. The epilogue with Number Six and Gaius Baltar had a profound sense of ambiguity and acceptance of the cyclical nature of conflict between humans and Cylons. The revelation that this humanity of the future had descended from Hera, a human-Cylon hybrid, revealed a complex future with the lines between Cylon and human blurred. Despite this ambiguity, viewers have at least some idea of who is human by the end.
The understanding and acceptance the characters developed throughout the series was hard-won and poignant…
If the human characters are brought back as Cylons in a reboot, this would rewrite years of building their character arcs and reduce the impact of the Cylon reveals that already happened.Their morality and accountability as humans was cleverly questioned in the series, so undermining this would be frustrating. The understanding and acceptance the characters developed throughout the series was hard-won and poignant; for example, Tigh placing his military identity ahead of his identity as either human or Cylon,“whatever else it means”,was a powerful moment for his character, and one of thebest quotes inBattlestar Galactica.
After Starbuck, BSG Characters Returning As Angels Could Be Too Controversial
Starbuck’s And Gaius’ Divine Roles Are Interesting But Would Replicate Poorly
An aspect of the world ofBattlestar Galacticathat viewers tend to either love or hate is the religious allegory, which builds in intensity throughout the series. Arguably, the show has always been a religious allegory with its prominent Mormon influences on the original show by Glen A. Larson. Moore’s reboot makes the religious allusions more nuanced and mysterious. However, the implication in theBattlestar Galacticafinale that Starbuck is an angel is perhaps the most controversial religious detail. I personally liked it, but think it was a one-and-done device.
Although it is not explicitly stated in the show that Starbuck is an angel, all the signs point to her being one. Starbuck died in season 3 and was resurrected – following this, she finally led the fleet to earth. Once she had fulfilled this mission, she vanished.It is debatable whether this role for Kara was decided later on or if she was always meant to have a prophet role for the fleet. Another theory is that the returned Kara is not Kara at all, but a reconstruction, or more of a messenger like Six and Baltar.
Battlestar Galactica’s Spiritual Successor Needs A Return Way More Than The 2003 Show
Even though fans have longed for the 2003 show Battlestar Galactica to return, the show’s spiritual successor has a better reason to come back.
The question of what Kara is has been controversial since theBattlestar Galacticafinale. If angels are used in the reboot, they should be used thoughtfully to avoid them being too much of a Deus Ex Machina. Ronald D.Moore himself has gone on record stating his regrets about the finale, and the plotholes that came out of experiments in the writers’ room. Using Cylon resurrection and angelic entities as a plot device in a reboot could easily get out of hand and, as brilliant as Moore’sGalacticawas, a reimagining needs to learn from its drawbacks.
Battlestar Galactica
Cast
Battlestar Galactica is a science fiction television series that premiered in 2004. The plot follows the crew of the aging Battlestar Galactica as they protect a small fleet of human survivors from the renewed threat of the Cylons, in a quest to find the mythical 13th colony, Earth.
