Battlestar Galactica returns!



It's hard to believe that it's been 26 years since Galactica premiered on ABC. While it wasn't exactly groundbreaking TV back then, it was unique in that it was a scifi-based show in an era when scifi wasn't all that common in the medium. In fact, many felt it was a "me-too" response by the network to the Star Wars phenomenon of the time. It does hold a soft spot in my heart, though - I remember watching it back then, thinking it was pretty cool. By today's standards Galactica is a bit campy, but back then, to a twelve year old scifi fanatic it just plain rocked.

Fast forward to December 2003 - the Sci Fi Channel airs a "re-imagined" Galactica as a miniseries. The show was (very) loosely based on the original series, with many plot differences (including the recasting of Starbuck as a woman!) although the core story of a "ragtag fugitive fleet" remained the same. It was a much darker, grittier vision than the original series was.

An extremely capable ensemble cast led by the accomplished Edward James Olmos, the new Galactica is now prepared to launch as Sci Fi Channel's newest original series. The show is scheduled as the third component of a Friday triple-bill, preceeded by Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis.

Wow. Talk about a scifi smorgasbord... Friday night TV is starting to look pretty good. I have to admit that the radical changes from the original series turned me off at first, but after seeing the miniseries, I'm really looking forward to the new show.