Battlestar Galactica (2003– )

A re-imagining of the original series in which a "rag-tag fugitive fleet" of the last remnants of mankind flees pursuing robots while simultaneously searching for their true home, Earth.

Stars:

Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Katee Sackhoff

Nominated for 3 Primetime Emmys. Another 2 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Edward James Olmos	...	Commander Adama (2 episodes, 2003)
Mary McDonnell	...	Laura Roslin (2 episodes, 2003)
Katee Sackhoff	...	Kara 'Starbuck' Thrace (2 episodes, 2003)
Jamie Bamber	...	Lee 'Apollo' Adama (2 episodes, 2003)
James Callis	...	Gaius Baltar (2 episodes, 2003)
Tricia Helfer	...	Number Six (2 episodes, 2003)
Callum Keith Rennie	...	Leoben Conoy (2 episodes, 2003)
Grace Park	...	Lt. Sharon Valerii - Boomer (2 episodes, 2003)
Michael Hogan	...	Col. Tigh (2 episodes, 2003)
Matthew Bennett	...	Doral (2 episodes, 2003)
Paul Campbell	...	Billy (2 episodes, 2003)
Aaron Douglas	...	Crew Chief Tyrol (2 episodes, 2003)
Barclay Hope	...	Transport Pilot (2 episodes, 2003)
Lorena Gale	...	Elosha (2 episodes, 2003)
Kandyse McClure	...	Dualla (2 episodes, 2003)
Connor Widdows	...	Boxey (2 episodes, 2003)
John Mann	...	CAG (2 episodes, 2003)
Alessandro Juliani	...	Gaeta (2 episodes, 2003)
Nicki Clyne	...	Cally (2 episodes, 2003)
Michael Eklund	...	Prosna (2 episodes, 2003)
Tahmoh Penikett	...	Lt. Karl Agathon (2 episodes, 2003)
Ginger Broatch	...	Cami (2 episodes, 2003)
Alonso Oyarzun	...	Socinus (2 episodes, 2003)
Ty Olsson	...	Capt. Kelly (2 episodes, 2003)
Ron Blecker	...	Launch Officer (2 episodes, 2003)
Ryan Robbins	...	Armistice Officer (2 episodes, 2003)
Tim Henry	...	Doctor (2 episodes, 2003)
Kwesi Ameyaw	...	Liner Captain (2 episodes, 2003)
Brenda McDonald	...	Old Woman (2 episodes, 2003)
Suleka Mathew	...	Reporter (2 episodes, 2003)
Erin Karpluk	...	Woman #1 (2 episodes, 2003)
Jenn Griffin	...	Woman #2 (2 episodes, 2003)
BJ Harrison	...	Woman #3 (2 episodes, 2003)
Moneca Delain	...	Blonde Woman (2 episodes, 2003)
Zahf Paroo	...	Man #1 (2 episodes, 2003)
Robert Lewis	...	Man #2 (2 episodes, 2003)
Denzel Sinclaire	...	Man #3 (2 episodes, 2003)
Nadine Wright	...	Chantara (2 episodes, 2003)
Michael Soltis	...	Chantara's Husband (2 episodes, 2003)
Fred Keating	...	Jr. Reporter (2 episodes, 2003)
Lymari Nadal	...	Giana (2 episodes, 2003)
Biski Gugushe	...	Pilot #1 (2 episodes, 2003)
Nahanni Arntzen	...	Pilot #2 (2 episodes, 2003)
Nigel Vonas	...	Pilot #3 (2 episodes, 2003)
Ryan Nelson	...	Pilot #4 (2 episodes, 2003)

Storyline

It's been 40 years since the 12 colonies of mankind have heard from their progeny, the Cylons -- robotic creatures who rose up and declared war on their masters, then disappeared. In a sudden, devastating strike, the Cylons return and lay waste to the colonies, aided by human-looking Cylon variants and an unwitting fifth columnist. The attack forces Commander William Adama to call into action his museum-piece warship, the Battlestar Galactica, and soon its company of hotshot fighter pilots is blasting away at the invaders. But their best efforts can't prevent the colonies' obliteration. Fleeing the Cylon genocide, the Galactica leads a rag-tag fleet of survivors on a lonely quest to find humanity's fabled 13th colony -- a planet known as Earth.

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Plot Keywords:

cylon | survivor | quest | planet | robot | 

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Taglines:

The threat of a new Cylon Empire is about to begin...

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

TV-14

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Sci-Fi Channel

Country:

USA Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 December 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

Battlestar Galactica: The Miniseries

Filming Locations:

Bloedel Floral Conservatory, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

R&D TV, Sky TV, USA Cable Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

180 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Ryan Robbins, who plays the officer on Armistice Station (identified as Colonel Wakefield in the novelization), is seen with age-enhancing makeup in his sole onscreen scene. This was because the original version of the opening teaser would have featured his character visiting Armistice Station several times over 40 years, each time appearing progressively older. However, all scenes but the final one were cut after filming.

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Goofs

The Colonials have a polytheistic religion and throughout the series say "Oh my Gods," yet Adama says "Oh my God" when he sees his old Vioer and the CAG says it when the Cylon nukes are approaching.

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Quotes

[Starbuck's in the brig]
Apollo: What's the charge this time?
Starbuck: Striking a superior asshole.

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Crazy Credits

The stop-motion/cut-out animation R&D TV logo has Ronald D. Moore and David Eick taking turns to kill each other every week, with one partner making a proposal in gibberish and the other attacking him using items from a gorilla to a lance.

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Connections

Referenced in Big Bang Theory: A XXX Parody (2010)

User Reviews

Intense, moody, and dark. Much better than expected.

Those who are used to SciFi's standard fare are likely to be a bit bored by the realism, character development, intelligent dialog, and lack of explosions, mutant organisms and/or poor special effects. This is REAL science fiction, not cheap shock effects strung together with a mediocre plot. Hand-held photography- pioneered in groundbreaking series like ER and Firefly - has started to become cliché. Nevertheless, it works in this film partly because it is not overdone. The shots alternate between a hand-held documentary feel and a more standard dramatic presentation.

I was never a big fan of the original Battlestar Galactica TV show, and I have only seen a few SciFi originals which did not embarrass me on behalf of the entire genre of science fiction (Farscape and both Dune Mini-series being the exceptions). SciFi hypes their productions heavily, and they are almost always disappointingly silly. So, I was not inclined to go into this with an open mind. If anything convinced me to give it a shot, it was the fact that E J Olmos was hired to play Adama and that Mary MacDonnell was on-board. To say the least, I was very pleasantly surprised by the production quality, intelligent script, and the cast. This is more than a reinvention of BSG, it is a vast improvement over the silly cowboy histrionics the first series devolved into.

The story begins just before an invasion of 12 planets colonized by humans. The invading force has infiltrated all of the defense networks by positioning key agents in positions where they can easily exploit vulnerabilities, and has basically disabled all planetary defenses, leaving everybody and everything vulnerable. There is no battle. The few vestiges left of the once thriving human population are those who were fortunate enough to have been in space at the time of the attack. From this dire premise, Battlestar Galactica proceeds.

All considered, this is a film about the human will to survive, redemption and the spirit of hope. Though dark, moody, and as fragmented as life often is, BSG is also driven, suspenseful, and very well written. The cast is as talented as it is visually striking - mixing weird beauty, youthful energy, and hard-edged agedness. None of the actors misstep, and each seems to know their character particularly well. This is an unusual quality for SciFi originals, and shows that the network invested in quality directing talent and worked with reasonable production deadlines (as opposed to rush-jobs).

I strongly recommend this film for serious science fiction fans.