What Sci-Fi could use a BSG-style overhaul?

[ray53208]

okay as many of you must know by now, battlestar galactica has been given a brilliant overhaul and is a very different creation from its 70s version.

grittier, harder, less utopian fantasy, more realistic...

which of the above franchises could use a similar overhaul and why?

[bosssmiley]

Buck Rogers! We *need* an update of this for the 21st century. With less disco references and cutesy robots please. Although a new Flash Gordan (with several large steps away from the campiness of the 80s Queen version) wouldn't go amiss either.

I demand jut-jawed, bright-eyed, culturally imperialistic earthman heroism! Enough with these yawnsome 'flawed/unwilling hero' types already!

(and "Battlestar Galactica" needs the original theme music back - the 'Sousa in spaaaaace' march was far superior to the bongo-drum-and-whiney-female-singing tosh that replaced it!)

[Sundog]

(and "Battlestar Galactica" needs the original theme music back - the 'Sousa in spaaaaace' march was far superior to the bongo-drum-and-whiney-female-singing tosh that replaced it!)

They still do use the original music on the new show - it's the colonial military theme.

I voted V (which could be excellent if done properly, nice and gritty, and none of this "starchild" crap) but what I'd really like is a new version of UFO. The only problem is who they would get to play Straker, as the guy they used to have is dead.

[Logic]

Buck Rogers, because you can only go up from where it is.
Plus, there are alot less fanbois to piss off by deviating from canon.
I have more than a few freinds that hate the new Battlestar Galactica and cannot give any reason why other than "They made Starbuck a girl!"

[Flak_Razorwill]

They still do use the original music on the new show - it's the colonial military theme.


It's been played...what, three times since the miniseries? It's about as common as, "By your command." It really needs more exposure. I don't think it'd compromise the rest of the show.

And for an overhaul: A Saving Private Ryan look done on Star Wars. We always see this sanitized look at warfare. I mean, if you read some of the material, it's a nasty friggin' fight. There's a lot more going on. What about real consequences? I've always wanted to see an "Enemy at the Gates" Soviet-style charge of Original Trilogy Stormtroopers, with officers firing at the retreating deserters.

To be truthful, Star Wars wasn't meant to be like that. But it'd be an interesting change of pace.

[Ian.of.Donald]

V, all the way: it was a cool series back then, it would only get cooler with updated graphics and a 'grittier' storyline.

[Jerthanis]

My kingdom for a "none of the above" vote! If they succeed at avoiding mangling another sci-fi classic by taking out all the sci-fi and putting in boring and predictable dramas of completely unlikable characters which take entire seasons to resolve, I'll be happy.

I'd rather there be a dry spell of new Sci-fi than sully the names of classics with banal reinvisionings.

Then again, a new Flash Gordon would be pretty awesome...

[Hallavast]

V. I've only read the book, and that was in highschool. I'd love to see it in a modern series.

[Telonius]

Flash Gordon. Ming the Merciless and his Death Ray? Bring it on!

[Beleriphon]

My kingdom for a "none of the above" vote! If they succeed at avoiding mangling another sci-fi classic by taking out all the sci-fi and putting in boring and predictable dramas of completely unlikable characters which take entire seasons to resolve, I'll be happy.


As opposed to lame special effects and no effort at trying to produce a serious work of fiction? Sure, that's fun.

[Jerthanis]

As opposed to lame special effects and no effort at trying to produce a serious work of fiction? Sure, that's fun.

You mean special effects that were spectacular in their time, and an attempt to rip off Star Wars and doing it poorly and cheezily instead of trying to rip off Terminator 3/Species and doing THAT even worse. (as new BSG does)

If Ronald Moore is trying to do a serious work of fiction, he shouldn't be calling it Battlestar Galactica. If he's going to keep nothing but the names (but only keep the names in a technical sense, since the characters are Lee and Kara, not Appolo and Starbuck) and the broadest concept (Cylons are evil), why call it Battlestar Galactica at all?

I've only seen the miniseries, so I can't really comment on the rest of the show, so the rest of the show might make me care more, but the Miniseries made me want to watch from the Cylon perspective of all these stupid humans dying. And only that if they hire a new cameraman to actually hold the camera steady sometimes. My problems with the show include bad camerawork, shallow/unlikable characters (Baltar, who I'd call the least likable character in the universe, is probably my second favorite character), overplayed sexual content (3 sex scenes in the first 30 minutes), the fact that the gender swapping of characters was done so that they could have sexual tension,(oh yeah, and Starbuck being such a generic "Tough girl", can't women be strong without being portrayed as angry and crass?) and slow pacing. These issues might be cleared up in the series (Maybe the chief engineer gets more development than just being Boomer's boyfriend.)

I don't know how nBSG is so popular, but maybe others see the irresponsible jerk characters as charming, and accept the underdeveloped ones as background, but other than Adama and his great speeches, and the President of the Colonies, there was practically nothing I wanted to come back to the series for.

[Chunklets]

An interesting poll! I went with Star Trek, which has tried for more grit on occasion, but not nearly enough, IMHO.

[smellie_hippie]

V. I'll miss those cheesy effects though. Remember her stretching her mouth to eat the live gerbil? Classic. I think it could be given quite a makeover, but I haven't given any thought to who would star in the series.

Oh, and Queen is what MADE Flash Gordon rock! I don't hear anyone complaining about the Highlander soundtrack... Plus you can replace Max Von Sydow as Ming the Merciless. You just can't!

[bosssmiley]

V. I'll miss those cheesy effects though. Remember her stretching her mouth to eat the live gerbil? Classic. I think it could be given quite a makeover, but I haven't given any thought to who would star in the series.

Oh, and Queen is what MADE Flash Gordon rock! I don't hear anyone complaining about the Highlander soundtrack...

Why no, the ultra-macho Kurgan popping _Queen_ in the tape deck of his butch-as-owt growling black muscle car wasn't incongruous in the slightest. :smalltongue:

Then again, the soundtrack was the least of the "WTF?" elements in Highlander. "A Mexican-sounding Scotsman played by a Frenchmen and his teacher the Spanish-named Scots-accented Egyptian with the anachronistic samurai sword; yeah, my suspension of disbelief just *twanged*..." :smallconfused:


Plus you can replace Max Von Sydow as Ming the Merciless. You just can't!

We might have to: isn't he dead? Although that doesn't stop film-makers from using Burton and Olivier.
Fortunately we have many living British actors who do the disdainful evil thing *so* well. One name alone will suffice as a possible Ming the Merciless: Judi Dench. Just thing on it a little... :smallwink:

[ray53208]

you know, id really like to see a Tron remake... but id miss the soundtrack by Journey.

highlander doesnt need a remake in my book. just some way to erase every movie but the first from existence.

i think remaking flash gordon would be neat.

[Beleriphon]

You mean special effects that were spectacular in their time, and an attempt to rip off Star Wars and doing it poorly and cheezily instead of trying to rip off Terminator 3/Species and doing THAT even worse. (as new BSG does)


No, I mean special effects that rip of Star Wars badly. Original BSG tried hard to be Star Wars on TV and failed. Its just awful. As for Terminator, I like the new Cylons centurions, they don't look like guys in bad stormtrooper costumes. They actually look like mechanical killing machines.



If Ronald Moore is trying to do a serious work of fiction, he shouldn't be calling it Battlestar Galactica. If he's going to keep nothing but the names (but only keep the names in a technical sense, since the characters are Lee and Kara, not Appolo and Starbuck) and the broadest concept (Cylons are evil), why call it Battlestar Galactica at all?


Perhaps not a serious work of fiction, but perhaps a work of fiction that takes itself seriously. The original show fails on all attempts to do that. As for the name its Battlestar Galactica because its a reimagining of the original cheesy series into something much more serious in tone.



I've only seen the miniseries, so I can't really comment on the rest of the show, so the rest of the show might make me care more, but the Miniseries made me want to watch from the Cylon perspective of all these stupid humans dying. And only that if they hire a new cameraman to actually hold the camera steady sometimes. My problems with the show include bad camerawork, shallow/unlikable characters (Baltar, who I'd call the least likable character in the universe, is probably my second favorite character), overplayed sexual content (3 sex scenes in the first 30 minutes), the fact that the gender swapping of characters was done so that they could have sexual tension,(oh yeah, and Starbuck being such a generic "Tough girl", can't women be strong without being portrayed as angry and crass?) and slow pacing. These issues might be cleared up in the series (Maybe the chief engineer gets more development than just being Boomer's boyfriend.)


Oh, the show itself gets much, much better. And I like Baltar as well, he's a slime ball but thats why he's fun. As for sex, get over it, its not like there is that much all things considered. For camera work its quite intentional, its to make it appear as though the battles are being recorded using a handheld camera, or being shot by an embedded camerman.

As for women being strong see Rosilin. 'Nuff said.



I don't know how nBSG is so popular, but maybe others see the irresponsible jerk characters as charming, and accept the underdeveloped ones as background, but other than Adama and his great speeches, and the President of the Colonies, there was practically nothing I wanted to come back to the series for.

Really? You're truly missing something then. There is a reason that BSG has been called the best series on TV. All of the characters develope much more background, and in some cases become something entirely unexpected. Colonel Tigh for example during the third season does the unimaginable.

[Gorbash Kazdar]

I think a lot of people got stuck on the "Starbuck's a girl now" thing and just filed it as a cheap stunt... when, in reality, some of the most powerful scenes in the show revolve around Starbuck, and some of them really wouldn't work the same way if the character was male. Maybe the initial idea was simply to "shake things up," but the writers have taken that decision and really worked with it to make it much, much more than a simple gimmick. As the series has gone on, they've done a remarkable job of exploring why Starbuck is the way she is (partly just because she's Starbuck, but her past drives a lot of it as well), and it looks like they're going to get even further into that story this season.

Basically, if all you've seen is the miniseries, I heartily recommend coming back and checking out the actual series. I'm a huge fan of the show, but when I went back and re-watched the miniseries, I was stunned to realize that it's actually a step down from the quality of the actual series. So, if the miniseries was somewhat lukewarm for you, I'd still suggest checking out the full series, as it really takes things to another level (though there are a few mediocre episodes along the way, as with any television show).

Coming back to the character's again - Chief Tyrol does get quite a bit more character development. Also, one of the strongest themes of the show is how good people can make a decision for all the right reasons - and still be horrifyingly, disastrously wrong, or how sometimes a bad person can make the right choice for all the wrong reasons, and what happens then. Another is how the right decision - the one that has the most logic behind it, that makes the most sense, that will solve the problem - can still be unconscionable, and how people deal with choices like that. It really is the best show on TV, IMHO.

[hr]
Uh, as the main topic of this thread... I think Star Trek and Star Wars probably shouldn't get a BSG style re-dux.

Star Trek, I think, needs to get back to its roots of exploring uncharted territory, of a sort-of frontier in space. Personally, I think the next Star Trek series would be well-served by being set in a new colony in another galaxy - Star Trek's Milky Way is just too full, and too peaceful now, to work for the show's style. Also, they need to get back to more closely paralleling the concerns of the modern day - I've always felt Star Trek was at its best when it stayed relevant to the discussions and concerns of the day.

Though Star Wars can be gritty, to me it's always been a sort of throwback to the high adventure, pulp scifi of the past, with a bit of a more modern sensibility. Again, I think Star Wars should get back to being faster paced, adventurous, and fun-loving, rather than becoming more serious.

So in the list, that leaves Buck Rogers, Space 1999, and V. I'll toss Flash Gordon into the discussion as well. I think of those, both V and Space 1999 would make great choices for a BSG type remake.

V already has that more serious tone to it, and an update to its look would serve it well. Also, it already provides a setting that can easily connect to many concerns of the modern world. I thoroughly enjoyed the New Caprica arc in BSG, and V would be that writ large and with greater detail.

Space 1999 is more a tale of survival in harsh conditions, as well as exploring more metaphysical scifi storylines. I think it could work very well as a Lost in space kind of show (pun sort-of intended).

As for Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers, I think redoing one in the high adventure style would be a great idea, while making the other darker and grittier would be a fantastic complement. Of the two, I think Flash Gordon fits more naturally into the dark (and I think it should be very dark) concept, and Buck Rogers as an adventure series.

[Jerthanis]

No, I mean special effects that rip of Star Wars badly. Original BSG tried hard to be Star Wars on TV and failed. Its just awful. As for Terminator, I like the new Cylons centurions, they don't look like guys in bad stormtrooper costumes. They actually look like mechanical killing machines.

Original BSG came out during Star Wars's most powerful heyday, the name brand of Star Wars was so powerful that it influenced all Scifi around it, and BSG was what came out. It wasn't as good as Star Wars, but considering its timeframe and goals, I think it succeeded at being exceptional television for its time. It was television so beloved, that it got remade 30 years later.

And the new non-human Cylons looked awesome... all 15 seconds of walking and standing that we saw. (keep in mind I've only seen the miniseries, which might be significantly worse than the actual series, but keep in mind too that it was basically a four hour pilot episode, and was supposed to set the tone and set up the series, and if the series is a logical extension of the characters and plots set up in the miniseries, I have no interest in it.)



Perhaps not a serious work of fiction, but perhaps a work of fiction that takes itself seriously. The original show fails on all attempts to do that. As for the name its Battlestar Galactica because its a reimagining of the original cheesy series into something much more serious in tone.


I'm not sure why "taking itself seriously" automatically earns it a medal, since lots of shows take themselves seriously, and still suck. In fact, I'd say that only shows that take themselves seriously can be truly aweful, and saying, "X takes itself too seriously" is a bigger insult than, "X doesn't take itself seriously enough." The original wasn't intended to be a dark and depressing drama, it was meant to be lighthearted adventure, and it was good at what it did. That's actually one of my biggest gripes with the new BSG, the complete lack of gallows humor, there's no relief from the drama and tension, except the sexual tension or sex scenes.



Oh, the show itself gets much, much better. And I like Baltar as well, he's a slime ball but thats why he's fun. As for sex, get over it, its not like there is that much all things considered. For camera work its quite intentional, its to make it appear as though the battles are being recorded using a handheld camera, or being shot by an embedded camerman.

As for women being strong see Rosilin. 'Nuff said.


I'm inclined to agree that the show gets better, as I imagine it'd be hard to get worse, and someday I will get around to watching the actual show to see if the terrible miniseries wasn't just the actors and writers getting used to it, and if the pacing, dialogue and character development gets better. As far as sex goes, no thank you, I will not "Get over it", there's too much sex in the miniseries and if the actual show continues to waste my time with gratuity then I'll continue counting excessive sex as a reason not to like it. The problem with the camera being handheld is that it continues to have jolts and shakes during unexciting parts, and conceals parts of the action during spacebattles. An example of great camerawork is The Shield (which is really a good example of all KINDS of television quality) because during slow conversation or exposition it's very still and slow, with no unevenness, when there's rising tension the camera is constantly moving, but is still smooth for the most part, and when there's an all-out chase scene or gunfight, the camera bounces and jolts as you follow the perspectives of the characters, like there was an extra guy with a camera instead of a gun running through the streets and jumping fences. nBSG is unfortunately, not like that. And yes, Roslin is a strong female character, but Starbuck is a cliche come to life, which makes her a terrible main character.



Really? You're truly missing something then. There is a reason that BSG has been called the best series on TV. All of the characters develope much more background, and in some cases become something entirely unexpected. Colonel Tigh for example during the third season does the unimaginable.

I might be missing something, but I wouldn't fall back on platitudes hocked by a television marketing branch. BSG MIGHT be the best new sci-fi show on television, but I'd even dispute that with Stargate SG:1, since Stargate's characters are more likable. All the characters in Lost get fantastic amounts of background and character development, and plenty of those characters do things suprisingly unexpected. Does that make Lost ALSO the best show on TV, or does Seven-of-Nine, I MEAN T-X, I MEAN #6 make it better?

In any case, the show might get better, but from what I've seen, I think the new BSG is a bad direction for Sci-fi to be taken in.

[Gorbash Kazdar]

I might be missing something, but I wouldn't fall back on platitudes hocked by a television marketing branch. BSG MIGHT be the best new sci-fi show on television, but I'd even dispute that with Stargate SG:1, since Stargate's characters are more likable.
The "best show on TV" statements are coming from critics and commentators that aren't associated with SciFi or their parent company at all. SciFi uses them, certainly, but they're direct quotes pulled from reviews of the series, not just a claim SciFi is making. TIME magazine, the Chicago Tribune, Newsday, and Rolling Stone magazine are just a few of the publications making that claim, and the American Film Institute named it one of the best 10 shows on TV in 2005. I'd dare say that if so many disparate sources and respected critics are lauding it, dismissing the claim as a "platitude hocked by a television marketing branch" would be disingenuous.

As for too much sex - I can understand having a complaint on that front, it does show it fairly often in the series. My personal opinion is that it's done for a reason, not just for simple shock value or titillation. However, I'm frankly a bit perplexed that you raise this complaint in regards to BSG but at the same time bring up The Shield, which, based on my own viewing, certainly has its fair share of graphic violence and sex - I'm not saying it's gratuitous, I think they use it very well in The Shield, which I think is an excellent show, but I'm just surprised that you'd be a fan of that show but raise this particular complaint as an issue with BSG.

In any case, as I stated above, Starbuck rises above the cliché of the "angry tough chick" into a much more complicated and well-rounded character as the series goes on. She has reasons to be as angry as she is, and she doesn't get a free pass - the self-destructive aspects of her personality gets a lot of attention, and often she doesn't do particularly admirable things. Starbuck is an angry, tough woman, but that isn't all she is, and she isn't just that stereotype.

To me, the point about the BSG remake that is good for scifi as a whole is that it intentionally avoids some of the clichés of the genre. All too often in scifi, the primary problem in the plot is solved by some technical hand-waving (how many times did the Enterprise's deflector dish get its polarity reversed?). There's also been a lot of camp in science fiction - lots of "monster of the week" shows, for example. What BSG brings to the table is a science fiction series that doesn't get overwhelmed with the fact that it's scifi - the creators of the show recognized that a good story is a good story, and that the scifi elements should inform the details of that story and give it a unique and interesting tone, but that those elements shouldn't be the story. Much of the best scifi literature is the same way, using science fiction as a backdrop to isolate and examine certain concepts in a sensible way, instead of just using the story as an excuse to show off the cool ray guns and spaceships.

Now, some series work with the "cool ray guns and spaceships" model - I think Star Wars does it very well, and a new Buck Rogers series in the same mold would also be a wonderfully fun ride. There's also plenty of room for old school, campy scifi as well - the new Doctor Who series does this as well as any I've seen. But, that shouldn't be the only kind of scifi on TV. I think there's plenty of room for more serious, self-aware productions like BSG, and that shows like V and Space 1999 could benefit from a remake in that vein. I also think there's room to get even darker, and I'd like to see some go that route as well.

[ray53208]

jerthanis, i respect your right to an opinion. i respect you for standing up and voicing it. i would defend that right to the death.

but, i completely disagree with you on every point. i and all the people i know and respect in my life LOVE this show. LOVE it.

but back on topic:

im kinda glad to see good old buck rogers winning this event. get rid of that stuttering little robot, get rid of the lame disco music, get rid of the tiresome 80s cliches... but keep erin gray in those tight outfits.

[Logic]

This thread seems to have turned into "I hate BSG" and "You stink, it Rocks!"

As for Gaius Baltar:
He is not supposed to be a likeable character. He is a flawed human being.
Which at one point thought he was a cylon
Drama television works best with characters that are not prefect.
Would watching a television show where no conflict occurs happen because all the characters are utterly likeable and perfect be watchable?
Heavens no.

Back on Topic

I personally hated the original Buck Rogers, mostly for the annoying robot that only said "me-be-me-be" but I beleive that the premise for the story would work well if it were updated.

[Sundog]

Just a thought - Blake's Seven?

[Gorbash Kazdar]

Just a thought - Blake's Seven?
I think a new Blake's Seven would be fantastic. I don't think it would need as major a revamping as BSG recieved, but it's an excellent series that could benefit from an update.

Really, I'd like to see some new scifi shows as well on networks other than SciFi itself. There are a few decent ones on TV now, but besides BSG, most of them have only some scifi elements attached to another kind of show.

[Sereno]

Throw in another vote for Buck Rogers.

And, to the BSG discussion. When I first watched the miniseries, I was really turned off by it. Nothing to do with Starbuck being a woman, who cares....

But, the whole "Cylons look like us" just struck me as waaaay too Bladerunner (they're even calling them "skin-jobs," now!). And, I *expected* it to be too bland....

But, a friend of mine, a big fan of the series, talked me into watching the series on DVD and I'm so glad he did! It's definitely moved into my list of favorite TV series of all time (with "Firefly," "Lost" and the "X-Files" ...)!

I think in this day and age it's really rare to find a TV show that not only has characters with real depth and multiple dimensions, but actually succeeds in surprising me. BSG has got me a couple of times, where I just sat back and went "Whoa! I didn't see that coming!!"

[Altair_the_Vexed]

S1999 was an interesting premise, and I loved it when I was a kid... but it's a bit bizarre by today's standards, looking back.

If it were up to me, I'd keep the title, and make it an alternative history. The race to the moon never stopped, and 60s predictions of permenant space stations and 2001-style colonisation came true. We could have some relatively clunky technology and divergent politics - maybe the cold war hasn't died down, and the Soviets and NATO moonbases need to cooperate for the first time..?

Might be worth a season or two, anyway.

[Gorbash Kazdar]

S1999 was an interesting premise, and I loved it when I was a kid... but it's a bit bizarre by today's standards, looking back.

If it were up to me, I'd keep the title, and make it an alternative history. The race to the moon never stopped, and 60s predictions of permenant space stations and 2001-style colonisation came true. We could have some relatively clunky technology and divergent politics - maybe the cold war hasn't died down, and the Soviets and NATO moonbases need to cooperate for the first time..?

Might be worth a season or two, anyway.
That sounds like a really neat idea to me. I'd love to see some kind of alternate history show on TV that just ran with the idea, rather than have it as a gimmick episode for another series, or go the "stranger in a strange land" with someone from our timeline as a main character. That is to say, a series that didn't treat the timeline change as a problem to be corrected, but simply as part of the setting.

[Moomintroll]

Any remake of Flash Gordon had better keep Brian Blessed as Prince Vultan of the Hawkmen!

Edit:

Oooo, I just read here http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0421201/ that a remake of Flash Gordon is planned for 2008. It's to be written and directed by Stephen Sommers of The Mummy
and Van Helsing fame (or notoriety).

[bosssmiley]

I think a new Blake's Seven would be fantastic. I don't think it would need as major a revamping as BSG recieved, but it's an excellent series that could benefit from an update.

Don't! Don't even broach the subject of a "Blake's 7" remake at this time. :smallannoyed:

Joss Whedon could maybe do "Blake's 7" justice (heck, "Firefly" was "Blake's 7" in all but name), but you *know* who the BBC would let loose on it: the abominable Russell T. Davies.
What could be sci-fi darker, more evocative and more thought-provoking than "Firefly", "BSG" and "V" at their best would end up being the sort of awful jobs-for-the-boys kitschfest the recent remake of "The Quatermass Experiment (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Quatermass_Experiment#2005_remake)" was. :smallyuk:

Like the "Star Wars" prequels, some fanboy dreams are better left unrealised.

[Sundog]

Don't! Don't even broach the subject of a "Blake's 7" remake at this time. :smallannoyed:

Joss Whedon could maybe do "Blake's 7" justice (heck, "Firefly" was "Blake's 7" in all but name), but you *know* who the BBC would let loose on it: the abominable Russell T. Davies.
What could be sci-fi darker, more evocative and more thought-provoking than "Firefly", "BSG" and "V" at their best would end up being the sort of awful jobs-for-the-boys kitschfest the recent remake of "The Quatermass Experiment (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Quatermass_Experiment#2005_remake)" was. :smallyuk:

Like the "Star Wars" prequels, some fanboy dreams are better left unrealised.

Erm. I guess you have a point there.

They'd probably screw up a remake of Star Cops, too. Not that anyone but me seems to have HEARD of that, let alone watched it.

[CaptainSam]

They'd probably screw up a remake of Star Cops, too. Not that anyone but me seems to have HEARD of that, let alone watched it.

Don't worry, Sundog. It's on DVD (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Star-Cops-Complete-David-Calder/dp/B0002K103O/sr=8-1/qid=1164107048/ref=pd_ka_1/202-8297750-0281423?ie=UTF8&s=dvd) now.

How about Sapphire and Steel. Wouldn't need to change the scripts, just update the clothes and hair and effects. They could scare the pants off a whole new generation!

[WampaX]

And I weep, because we still don't have a Region 1 release for Blake's 7. :smallfrown:

And I'm in the current camp of non-BSG lover.
It just hasn't hooked me in any way and I don't know why.

I've watched the mini-series.
I've watched some of the first season.
Heck, I've watched all of the third season so far (housemate is BSG fan and we just keep it on after Dr. Who).

I've given it a fair shake, I'm sure, but there is no magic in this show for me. Maybe its the filming style/art style. I enjoy the show much more if I'm just listening to it and not watching it.

On the topic at hand, I'd really like to see a re-do of Flash Gordan with
all of its Pulpy goodness in tact. Mmmmm . . . pulp.

[waspsmakejam]

I want Buck Rogers back. But not BSG style.

What I want is Buck Rogers with:

lots and lots of exciting space battles (preferably expensive ones, but cheap ones will do)
LOADS of talking robots (preferably people in suits not CGI)
running up and down corridors firing space guns
very tight uniforms
naughty space princesses in their nighties
a georgeous, moody Hawkman much earlier on, but no Mrs Hawkman
and every episode ends with a gag about the new antique in Buck's bedroom gag

[Jerthanis]

I'm willing to admit that I may in fact be wrong in judging the series itself too harshly based solely on my experiences with the miniseries... and I have multiple testimonies telling me that the characters I've seen as flat stereotypes grow out of that and into full character-dom (unfortunately by some of the same people who leant me the miniseries claiming it was "great", and even they say that Appolo is still an incorrigible, unlikable jerk) but to some extent, I think the four hour pilot of a miniseries is entirely subject to my complaints, and as a four hour long pilot, you'd think it'd have the time and inclination to address these very issues.

As for Shield/BSG sex scenes, Aceveda being unable to perform with his wife at the same time a sex scandal about rape charges comes out about him develops the recurring theme that Aceveda has issues reguarding that sort of thing, which are built on brick by brick as the show develops. The fact that Vic Mackey walks into Danny's house after Danny cancelled plans with Dutch (implied infidelity and sex, not explicit) it sets up other issues coming between Dutch and Danny, which builds and develops into another event. The sex we see is generally heavily driven by the characters and their complex reactions and views reguarding it. This strikes me as a more mature way of handling it than I saw in the BSG miniseries, where at one specific point the Cylon mental projection began to obviously stimulate Baltar for, as far as I could tell, no reason beyond the fact that it had been almost 20 minutes since the last time she had last done just that. Perhaps, once again, this aspect is lessened/improved once the show proper begins.

You have to understand this from my perspective. I hear these great things about this legendary series being reinvisioned as "Better than the original" and all my friends are crazy about it. I don't care too much about watching TV on TV, since I hate commercials, and the current season is the third, so it'd be awkward to jump in. Finally someone tracks down their copy of the miniseries and lends it to me, and I am disappointed on almost every level. There's a few points while watching it where I think it's almost going to recover (Several points involving the President) but it never quite pulls its nose out of the water. I react in shock and search message boards and reviews, and I see pages and pages of "Zomg, I'd have BSG's babies!" and "Best show on TV, no, Best show EVER!" and the only real criticisms of the show are from people I don't agree with ("Adama was played by a dead fish!") or obviously from fans of the original who wouldn't be satisfied with ANY changes from the original, ("WTF, Starbuck isn't a woman, it's Star-BUCK! That's a male deer lol", "What's with having no egyptian symbols on their space-helmets?") And I have no outlet for what I see as very legitimate complaints about a disappointing series, and the only response I get from friends are exclaimations that the characters I cite are actually deep where I call them flat, and that I'm exaggerating how much needless sex there was. In this climate, I see a thread on "BSG is awesome, let's discuss how it can help other sci-fi become as awesome as it is." and the mental image of Picard walking down a staircase and stopping at a corded telephone to call Riker, who is on duty, but still having sex in a broom closet, who then gets paged over the PA, but decides to ignore it. Then Geordy is bossing his understudies around with overly demanding perfection while swigging back booze and then Data being played by a hot actress who's crazy scientist creator was apparently very lonely with the data he uploaded into her positronic brain, and have as many episodes revolving around phenomena which set off "Datette's" sex drive as on the show Enterprise and T'Pol's Pon Farr, and something in me just snapped with a freakin' vengeance.

To be fair, I still do intend to watch the actual series at LEAST through the first season, and I will keep an open mind about it. If it improves, I'm happy that it got such rave reviews after all, since it meant I could stick with it (kinda like Kingdom Hearts, I hated the first 5 hours of that game, but positive endorsement caused me to beat it, now I kinda like it, and am glad that the hype carried me through.)

[Beleriphon]

To be fair, I still do intend to watch the actual series at LEAST through the first season, and I will keep an open mind about it. If it improves, I'm happy that it got such rave reviews after all, since it meant I could stick with it (kinda like Kingdom Hearts, I hated the first 5 hours of that game, but positive endorsement caused me to beat it, now I kinda like it, and am glad that the hype carried me through.)

Alot of your complaints are actually explained in progressing detail as the series goes on. Baltar's sex for one may be entirely in his head, or it might not, its an interesting subject that receives a fair bit of scrutiny in the first and second season.

The first season is already out on DVD in full so you may want to try digging that up and see how you like the show. There are a few not so hot episodes (but still good), but its inevitable with any show. Also as a fan of the original series I'm sure that you'll enjoy Tom Zarack.

[bosssmiley]

How about Sapphire and Steel. Wouldn't need to change the scripts, just update the clothes and hair and effects. They could scare the pants off a whole new generation!

Ooooh, now there was a good sci-fi series. I only ever saw the first 2 or 3 episodes, but it was one of those shows that drew you in further and further.
Might see if Santa (assisted by his able Xmas Pixie, my gf) will bring me the DVDs. :smallsmile:

[Altair_the_Vexed]

One of the issues I have with the TV shows coming from the US market in recent years is that there seems to be a tendancy for them to have to run for seven seasons.

Sometimes a story needs to be faster and punchier than that. I'm worried that BSG (whatever you think of the re-imagining of it) might disappear up its own behind like the X-Files did. The last thing I want is for BSG to turn into an action soap opera.

A great and epic story can be told reasonably well in 14 hours of TV or film - the Lord of the Rings movies show us that. Seven seasons of a TV show will take us over 80 hours - three and a half days of TV. Without some tight and controlled story planning, and the discipline to follow it, the search for higher ratings, prima donna actors and media executives could so easily derail a good show. Who watched the X-Files after Mulder left? Which episodes of the third season of Star Trek: TOS are fondly remembered?

Anyway, all that is just to say: whatever great ideas we spend the XP on to cast Wish, let's just be sure that we stick to the vision and make a great show for all even seasons. Either that, or we stop, before we get stupid.

[Logic]

Problem is, TV executives want to make the show make money after it has been cancelled.
Unless it makes it to 4 seasons (minimum) it just can't make enough money to be worth putting on TV as a rerun show.
Few advertisers will pay to run commercials during a show that does not last that long, becuase they don't think their product will be shown to enough of an audiance.

[Ted_Stryker]

To some extent Star Trek has already gotten a gritty overhaul with Deep Space 9, especially the second half of the series' run. I wouldn't have minded seeing a continuation of some of the plot developments from that series, especially when I compare what might have been to what was in Voyager and Enterprise.

[Tharj TreeSmiter]

I thought V for Victory was a great mini-series when it was made, now it's pretty cheesy but could be cool again. Not as a running TV show but as a new mini-series

[Sailacela]

I'd also enjoy seeing V updated into a new miniseries. It's a classic alien invasion story that would benefit from a revamped look and feel. I've always liked the politics of V. On one hand you have some of the humans collaborating because they're either a) blind to what is going on or b) trying to save their own sorry arses. Then you have some of the aliens rebelling and aiding the humans because they feel it's wrong to take Earth's resources...good stuff.

Yep, V has lots of potential. Of course, anything would be better than watching Marc Singer make out with whats-her-face to cheesy saxophone music *shudder*

[SDF]

How about that Nickelodeon show Space Cases? That would be hilarious done in a serious way. :belkar:

[Rockphed]

How about that Nickelodeon show Space Cases? That would be hilarious done in a serious way. :belkar:

I have only seen one episode of that abomination, and it reeked rather muchly. And why would it be hilarious if done serious? Shouldn't the two be opposite? Maybe my sense of humor broke, and I am really confused.

[bosssmiley]

I'd also enjoy seeing V updated into a new miniseries. It's a classic alien invasion story that would benefit from a revamped look and feel. I've always liked the politics of V. On one hand you have some of the humans collaborating because they're either a) blind to what is going on or b) trying to save their own sorry arses. Then you have some of the aliens rebelling and aiding the humans because they feel it's wrong to take Earth's resources...good stuff.

Yep, V has lots of potential. Of course, anything would be better than watching Marc Singer make out with whats-her-face to cheesy saxophone music *shudder*

They already updated "V" in the 1990s. Think they called it "Earth: Final Conflict" or some such. :smallwink: