The show was fairly successful, if sometimes a little bit campy. Generally speaking, it was a fairly lighthearted action-adventure sci-fi show that depicted our heroes as a group of survivors who pulled together in a desperate attempt to save the human race. I enjoyed it for what it was -- a fun science fiction series that was most definitely a product of its time. However, it was expensive to produce, so it only lasted one season.
Fast-forward to the first decade of the 21st century. Battlestar Galactica gets a reboot. Still the story of the 12 colonies of man, suddenly attacked by a race of machines known as the Cylons, this time around we got a lot more backstory. The Cylons were created by man. They rebelled. Man and machine fought a war. Then, suddenly, the Cylons stopped. The war ended. The Cylons went away and no one heard from them again for more than 40 years.
Then they returned, but in a different form. They looked human, though they still used their robotic brothers as soldiers. As in the original, they attacked and wiped out the colonies, and those humans who survived were forced to form a "ragtag fugitive fleet" of space ships and flee the colonies. As in the original, led by the last known surviving battlestar, Galactica -- a military vessel from the Colonial Fleet -- that convoy of vessels set off on a quest to find the home of the long lost 13th colony, a shining planet known as Earth, all the while being pursued by the Cylons.
This time around, though, a number of things were different. The new show was phenomenally successful and the producers got to tell their complete story over four seasons. The show was dark, as it should have been. Mankind had been wiped out, a victim of utter genocide. Our heroes were depicted as as a group of survivors who tried to pull together in a desperate attempt to save the human race, but internal conflict and strife became a major part of their existence. No black hats or white hats this time. The hats were all shades of gray. In all honesty, I have to say that I enjoyed this reboot much more than I ever did the original.
That being said, I loved how the new show periodically paid homage to the original. The design of the colonials' Viper mark-II fighter plane was nearly identical to the originals. The original Cylon centurions, though slightly modified, made a few appearances, as did their raiders. The original theme music was used a few times. In a trilogy some of its best episodes, the new show retold the story of the Battlestar Pegasus, commanded by, this time around, a female Admiral Cain played by Michelle Forbes -- a male commander played by Lloyd Bridges in the original.
And, in what was perhaps the most genius decision of all, the producers of the new show adopted the theme, "All of this has happened before, and all of this will happen again." To the best of my knowledge, they did this as one more way of acknowledging the original, but it added so much more to the story. "What did it add?" I'm glad you asked.
SPOILER ALERT!
Thousands of years ago, the 13 tribes of mankind lived with the 'gods' on Kobol. Mankind created Cylons. Things did not go well. The 13th tribe fled Kobol. According to scripture, that tribe made a new home on a planet they called Earth. The other 12 tribes fled as well and eventually settled the 12 colonies on as many worlds orbiting a far-off star.
Thousands of years later, in the 12 colonies, mankind created a race of robots called Cylons -- Greystone Industries on the colony world of Caprica, as shown in the spin-off series of the same name, which was cancelled far too soon. Things went badly. As explained above, the twelve colonies went to war against the Cylons...twice (a humanoid series of Cylons led their side this time)...and paid a heavy price. All of it had happened before, and all of it happened again.
The fleeing fleet of survivors eventually found "Earth" -- a barren, radioactive wasteland. They discovered that the 13th tribe created Cylon Centurions. Things went badly. In fact, according to the remains that our heroes discovered, the entire 13th tribe was a tribe of Cylons, of the humanoid variety. All of it had happened before, and all of it had happened again.
To this day, in my opinion, the Battlestar Galactica reboot is the best dramatic science fiction series that has ever been on television. Those of you who know me as more than just the guy who writes this blog might want to keep something in mind...
All of this has happened before, and it will happen again... again... again... again... again... again... again... again... again... again...
