This news is likely not new for any die-hard Battlestar Galactica fan, but in case you hadn’t heard, the folks at Syfy noted last week that they’re looking into the possibility of yet another way to spin-off the BSG franchise. As VP of Original Programming of Syfy put it: “That world is so rich.” In other words, it was such a successful franchise for the cable channel that they’re not yet through picking the bones of it.
Stern went on to be somewhat unclear on the future of the first spin-off series, Caprica, stating that they have a lot of hope for the show and that DVR viewings have increased. As we all know, though, DVR viewings do not equal live TV viewings in the eyes of advertisers, the ones who will likely, ultimately decide the fate of the show.
It appears that whatever additional spin-off comes from BSG will likely deal more with “space” and not so much with what’s going on on the ground and in the colonies. It’s possible they’re talking yet more small BSG-related movies, but what if they mean a series? What could it be about? The Cylon War? Life on Earth after the events of the BSG series finale? Maybe fast-forward a bit, introduce new characters a century after those events, so there’s no need to get the original cast back for more than a flashback or two? Would they be using sticks and rocks by then?
I’m still on the fence with Caprica and, judging by the ratings, a lot of people who enjoyed BSG have already hopped that fence. Beyond the story Caprica has to tell, I can’t see what more I’d like to see out of the series. What spin-off would you be willing to turn to, if they went ahead with a full-on series?
Clacked by Keith McDuffee 
on Mar 25, 2010 @ 12:55 EST5EDT
the story of daniel, the never seen before cylon comes to mind… :)
Kobol!
Bring it!
Ice Planet Zero!
Mooooooooooooo!
Sorry the cow was being milked.
I’d like to see how the 12 colonies came to be. Are these planets in nearby star systems? Do some systems actually have more than one habitable planet?
Basically, I’d like to see how what appears to be the human race divide into 12 distinct cultures and apparently planet-wide cultures at that. It would seem that a race advanced enough to colonize multiple planets wouldn’t have such rigidly-defined ethnicities (for lack of a better word) on each planet. Were there ever wars between the 12 colonies and if so were there alliances or was it an every-planet-for-itself frack up?
I’m not sure what I’d like to see at this point, but I think casting is what will make it or break it. I don’t want someone known to step into any BSG world going forward. I like a show that creates stars, not one that starts with them. I think that is in some ways hampering Caprica. Esai Morales has been everywhere the last few years, and Eric Stoltz is Eric Stoltz.
I’d like more space stories, for sure, but Caprica could make up for that by speeding up the science fiction portion of the show just a tad.
A good story with a cast that becomes the characters would do it for me.
Kobol, no question. A BSG that’s set in Pythia’s era — an epic scope story of the fall of Kobol, the 13th tribe, the colonization of the 12 planets. Out of such a series I’d expect to see some answers about what the ‘gods’ were when they seemed to live alongside mankind (I’d love to see a revelation of mankind being created as a form of technology by other beings, much like Cylons are to humans).
One way forward would be to have a more military-focused spin off, set during the same time as Caprica. The cylons would be used in the Caprican suppression of the 11 other colonies, and the exploration of other star systems, including the exploration of the old world, Kobol. And of course, events would star building up to the cylon revolt, and the first cylon war. I do think that by having the final five be the creators of the humanoid cylons, the creative team kind of painted themselves into a corner, in the sense that Caprica can only deal with the metal centurions, v-characters, and potentially the Head characters. Humanoid cylons are just so cool, in the same way that vampires are, and compared to computer animated robots, much cheaper to put on screen. The only way round this, would be to have some original Kobol humanoid cylons not having left for first Earth during the exodus, but having stayed with the other 12 tribes. Kobol cylons were able to reproduce, so they could have continued the cylon line indefinitely, and of course, being cylons, they probably live much longer than humans anyway. Although the final five return to warn humanity, and attempt to create peace, while playing a part in a much bigger plan, Kobol cylons were still individuals, and there’s no reason why other cylons couldn’t have stayed with the humans and lived amongst them secretly on the colonies. Perhaps Daniel, in his bid to create a humanoid body for the cylons, would turn to the ancient scriptures, and read about Kobol, and go off on an archaeological adventure in search of the ancient cylons, or at least the knowledge of how to create them once again.
And though the fact that the 13th tribe were cylons is a big reveal in BSG, it doesn’t mean that Daniel couldn’t have found out himself, but kept the secret.
Honestly, I watched the entire series after the last finale with a partner who was really into it… and I was really into them so I made it a shared interest since I had heard good things about the show and liked the idea of it.
That said: What stood out the most for me was how weak and pathetic every single character was written and portrayed… no matter who it was they all ran from everything (ran to booze, drugs, sex anything to get away) none of them ever faced the real source of their own bull or the bull of those around them. Not one portrayed person had a deep strength of human character… scared of being seen as weak, scared of being seen as having made mistakes, scared of being found out, scared of dying, scared of being honest, scared of telling the truth… scared, scared, scared These parts portrayed people as very small, petty, selfish, self-pitying… the actions and or events intended to demonstrate the virtues of humanity were also pathetic, selfish, self-serving and weak, but somehow supposed to be viewed differently as though they were somehow the opposite in anything other than outward appearance or context.
Characters vacillating between being a sniveling weenie, to a drunken boor; to violence and false bravado being sold as strength. Even people (parts) that demonstrated to a greater degree a deeper conviction and more solid foundation couldn’t be relied on to be consistent in that regard. Every single character could be undone by the slightest doubt, rumor or staged event… suddenly turning into an aggressive fool ready, willing and able to do the most reckless, idiotic, destructive, totally lacking common sense… inconsistent behaviour at any time.
I cannot believe Katee Sackoff was given critical acclaim / accolades for her portrayal of a strong/powerful female character. Are you kidding me. Her portrayal of Kara Thrace was that of a an extremely weak and pathetic person… over compensating for inner weakness and issues that are distorted and justify any and all actions being expressed… Wow, we want to make role models out of people/characters who get drunk to celebrate, get drunk to mourn, get drunk to deal with adversity, get drunk to bond… and when they aren’t getting drunk they use people for sex, are physically violent like children and are constantly judging and taking verbal shots at everyone and anyone… who is supposedly looking for purpose in her life but rejects her destiny… then buys in to her destiny to the point of fanatical tantrums and more booze… then told something that is more important than everything she is supposedly fighting for but won’t tell anyone (harbinger of death thing)… selfishly asserts her authority as wife in authorizing surgery (while all the other aspects of being a wife were considered optional and mostly rejected by her character).., why because she thought she might be the 7th cylon; so she risked her husband’s life and disrupted the fact that he was providing the most valuable information ever heard by anyone that was important to the survival of either or both humans and cylons… no her selfish concerns were ore important AND the possibility that her ‘destiny’ was to bring about destruction of her race was not given any vale as she pushed her agenda and demanded to be listened to… oh and justifies hiding her own corpse. Yeah, what a great victory for women. I can see why Katee’s portrayal of Starbuck is a great achievement for female actors.
My impression of the entire show based on viewing all the episodes of all seasons over a couple of months was that the writers are themselves ‘small’ people or that they believe everyone to be completely stripped of all capacity to be balanced, reasonable, rational and consistent under stress become very small people (That the stress of what happened and the perpetual stress of their ongoing situation is enough to undermine everything turning every single person without exception into a whiny, self-pitying, self-serving… deny anything, justify anything threat to anyone and everyone around them pathetic piece of $%#&) my impression… the human race depicted in this series definitely deserves to be wiped out of existence. No redeeming qualities. Right, the dignity and value of humanity is to preserve the lives and authority of traitors, cowards and fools and to sacrifice the lives of soldiers in their defense… to always be counted on to let your core issues and the weakest aspects of character guide your decisions and your actions.. aggressively so… to have the arrogance to lose sight of value and the idiocy to create enemies out of friends by virtue of pride, arrogance and fear.
What if anything I would want to see… 3 people who aren’t complete and utter proof mankind deserves to be exterminated. 3 people who aren’t killed off who are smart, honest to a fault, emotionally healthy; so that even in the worst hell they are able to function, because they know what is truly valuable in life and aren’t needy people that are attached to things being certain ways and attached to contradictory notions and ideas. What I would like to see… real characters, yes real characters that are balanced without skeletons in their closets that they are trying (and failing) to hide… people without an endless supply of unresolved issues that run every single aspect of their existence… I’d like to see characters that are mature adults and not top to bottom every last one a pathetic, immature child.
If anything I would like to see humanity portrayed in a little more balance way… actually instill true character and virtue in a few people without the need to eventually bring every single one down to the same sniveling level given a specific set of poorly contrived circumstances… There wasn’t a single character portrayed on that show that I would ever respect or could possibly relate to… not even the machines her were less cold and calculating than the principle characters on the human side… and you of course had to instill the same petty, pathetic characteristics on the machines that adopted human traits… even machines can’t distinguish what is valuable in humanity and what is not.
What I would like to see… a generally better human potential and fewer examples of why we don’t deserve to exist.