Today, I found myself once again discussing ‘the difference between old and new Galactica.’ Maybe it’s the company I keep, but it seems I have this conversation over and over – so I decided to put my reasons in one place, rather than repeating the conversation again in future. This is what I see when I look at the two Galacticas:
The Premise
1978: Sometimes, people or cultures are just incompatible, and there is no ‘compromise solution.’ What you do on those occasions defines who you are.
2004: %$^* you – you did this to yourselves.
The Cyclons
1978: A race of pure order, who find humanity’s chaos inefficient and unacceptable as a means of running the universe. They seek to fix that, in whatever way they are able. When humans declined to be corrected, they left the cylons with no alternative but to eliminate them.
2004: Vengeance! Uprising! You oppressive bastards don’t know what you have created but you’re going to get yours now!!!
The Civilian Leader
1978: Weak, conceited idiot sells humanity out to an obvious used-car-salesman despite reasoned advice from his military leader.
2004: Never expected to be in this position, but steps up. OK, I’m totally gonna grant them this one.
The Military Leader (Personality)
1978:
Commanding Officer: Honest and competent.
First Officer: too forthright to succeed politically and get his own ship – but Adama knows he is competent and honest, and has kept his friend at his side, helping his career and choosing him as first officer of Galactica.
2004:
Commander: Military-character caricature out of an R. Lee Ermy movie.
First officer: a drunk and a jerk who, in real life, would likely get fragged.
The Military Leader (Leadership)
1978: When there is no good common sense answer, turns to his faith to lead his people to safety.
2004: Yeah – religious quest – that should shut these idiots up and keep them out of my way so I can be a military dictator and Get Things Done without stupid civilians interfering.
The Names
1978: Apollo, Athena – Commander names his children after figures of his faith – essentially, these names are “Biblical” and speak to who these individuals are as a family.
2004: Those names are just cool fighter-jock call signs like Maverick and Iceman. They don’t actually mean anything except that I am cool. And I am cool…
The Women
1978:
Athena: Bridge officer on the command flagship of the fleet
Sheba: Fighter squadron Commander
Serina: Renowned journalist
Casseiopeia: Socialator (geisha) turned medic (adapts
her healing and soothing skills to the current need).
In the cast photo, they are pictured in uniform, amongst
the men, as equals
2004:
Turns core male characters into women because “there are no strong female role models in the original.”
In the cast photo, the “strong women” are splayed out separately, dressed and posed as if for the cover of Maxim.
Baltar
1978: Villain makes a deal with the devil, agreeing to sell out humanity in exchange for the assurance that what remains will be “subjugated, under [him].” Manages to convince interplanetary leaders to talk to him, and then to sign his “armistice.”
(Bonus: John Colicos is a gleeful villain, from Baltar to “the first Klingon to appear in Star Trek”)
2004: Baltar: “I didn’t mean for this to happen! How could I have known?! Don’t hate me…..”
(Minus a point for whining about not only his fate but the fate he created for others, trying to hide, and generally failing to be either a hero or a villain.)
Good & Evil
1978:
There are truly evil things in this world (Baltar).
There are things in this world that are simply so different from us, we can’t really find connection, but that doesn’t make them evil (Cylons, Ovions)
But most people are just trying to do the best they can with what they have.
A character may have flaws (Starbuck: womanizing / gambling, Tigh: temper) but still be essentially good.
2004:
In a behind the scenes feature, they explained that their goal was to take every character and turn them ‘bad’ or unlikable at some point – that they intentionally wanted “moral ambiguity” and did not want any “good” characters.
[I get that this is the current trend – but for me, there has to be at least one character left at the end that I care about. When they are all %&$*s, I find it difficult to give a %&$* about the show]
The Verdict:
Galactica: 8
New “Galactica”: 1
