Battlestar Galactica (2003)
| Fandom | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Battlestar Galactica |
| Abbreviation(s): | BSG |
| Creator: | Ronald D. Moore |
| Date(s): | 2003, 2004-2009 |
| Medium: | Television |
| Country of Origin: | United States |
| External Links: | SciFi Channel's official site |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
This article is about the 2003 miniseries and 2004-2009 television series. For the 1978 show, see Battlestar Galactica (1978)
Show
The re-imagined Battlestar Galactica was a dark retelling of the 1978 original with a completely new cast and mood.
Sometimes described as a gritty political/family drama in space,[1] the show followed the remnants of humanity fleeing from their star system in a rag-tag fleet of spaceships, searching for the lost mythical planet named "Earth." They had to flee after the Cylons (robots the humans had created decades before, had gone to war with when the Cylons rebelled, and were in an uneasy cease-fire with until the beginning of the series) attacked, nearly destroyed, and took over humanity's worlds, the Twelve Colonies. At the beginning of the series, the known human population had been reduced from billions to around 40,000 people.
Battlestar Galactica frequently touched on topics such as religion, (dirty) politics, nepotism, war crimes, torture, terrorism, and rule of law vs. rule of might under post-apocalyptic circumstances. Also loyalty, family, religion, and (often its own special brand of frakked-up) love.
Like other SF shows,[2] the show used invented swear words—particularly "frak," which is no longer limited to fans of the show.[3]
Battlestar Galactica regularly passed the Bechdel Test, including many major female characters with agency.
Fandom
BSG immediately became must-see television for much of fandom. Perhaps because of the large ensemble cast, and/or the strong arcs of the show, BSG elicited comparatively little fan fiction, but the vibrant action, pretty cast, and intense lighting of the show has encouraged fan vidders.
Controversial Wrap-Up
"The series finale of cult favorite Battlestar Galactica offered glib and one-sided resolutions to the program’s complex and ambivalent questions. In so doing, it proved extremely divisive among fans. Some of those who objected staged creative interventions to reclaim their beloved narrative, asserting the authority of diversified fan production over univocal industrial production." [4]
Ships
Unusually, probably the most loved pairing (which eventually became canon) is that of Laura Roslin and Admiral Adama[5]—unusual in that the actors were in their 50s[6] and 60s[7] respectively.
Another fan favorite pairing is that of Lee Adama (Apollo) and his canonically on-again, off-again love Kara Thrace (Starbuck — played by a woman in this version of BSG).[8]
Fans also liked the canon pairing of human pilot Karl Agathon (Helo) and the Cylon Number Eight copy who self-identified as Sharon (Boomer/Athena).[9]
Another canon ship is the conniving scoundrel Dr. Gaius Baltar and the Cylon Number Six.
A non-canon ship which has gained some fannish traction is the pairing of Gaius Baltar and Lt. Felix Gaeta.[10]
Canon ships that appear frequently in fan fiction, but often as past or non-requited pairings, include Kara Thrace and Sam Anders, Leoben Conoy and Kara Thrace, Zak Adama and Kara Thrace, and Lee Adama and Anastasia Dualla.
- I Built My Dreams Around You: Gaius Baltar/Felix Gaeta, Archived version by duckgirlie (2009)
- Earth Is a Cabin: A Laura Roslin/William Adama manifesto, Archived version by misscam (2009)
- Lee Adama and Kara Thrace, Archived version by ennyousai (2008)
- Everything I do - I do it for you: Helo/Boomer, Archived version by Kat (2005)
Fanon
Like many shows, BSG has inspired some penis fanon.
Notable Vids
- Kara/Pink/Awesomeness trilogy, by Dualbunny. 3 Starbuck-centric vids to Pink songs made up of God is a DJ, Cuz I Can and I'm Not Dead.
- Jerusalem (on imeem) by flummery. Centered around Starbuck, Laura Roslin, and Boomer.
- Proud by Dualbunny. Fun family dynamics between mom, dad, and the kids.
- Like My Very Own Blood by Jarrow. The frakked-up father-child-like relationship between Adama and Kara.
- Fix You by sdwolfpup. Cylon POV, vidder summary: They just want to help.
- Unnatural Selection by Charmax. Crossover with Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, in which parallels are drawn between the evolution of the Cylons and the Terminators and their eventual desires.
- Tandemonium by Jarrow.
- Meant Well: The Occupation
Notable Fanfic
- Benevolent Sibling by Fahye/mercurial-wit. Crackfic in which the cylons view the goings-on on the Battlestar Galactica as their very own soap opera. They watch, they fight, they 'ship.
- The Black Ships by freifraufischer (2006-7). "The Rag Tag Fleet's arrival at Earth is just the beginning of a complicated mess that could destroy both civilizations. Roslin/Adama, Roslin/Zarek." West Wing crossover.
Archives
- Survival Instinct: A Fanfiction Archive for Bill Adama and Laura Roslin
- galacticafics.com
- Battlestar Galactica 2003 Fanfiction
- Battlestar Galactica on Fanfiction.net
- The Fallout Shelter
- Cylon Dreams—at the Wayback Machine
Meta
- Lamest. Feminist Icon. Ever., Archived version (January 2005)
Resources
- Battlestar Wiki
- overview of Battlestar Galactica at Livejournal community newbieguide
- GalacticaNews (LJ Comm)
- Essay at Idol Reflections about the minor character of Doc Cottle
- Battlestar Galactica series overview entry at Wikipedia
References
- ^ needs citation
- ^ Earlier, Red Dwarf and Farscape had used invented swear words to get around broadcast restrictions.
- ^ What the 'frak'? Faux curse seeping into language by Chris Tabott, Associated Press Writer, 6 September 2008. (Accessed 18 April 2011)
- ^ Julie Russo Levine at In Media Res, Battlestar Redactica: Visual Revision of Narrative Error, Archived version, November 2007
- ^ Earth Is a Cabin: A Laura Roslin/William Adama manifesto at Ship Manifesto, 8 April 2009. (Accessed 7 April 2011)
- ^ IMDb page for Mary McDonell, born 1952.
- ^ IMDb page for Edward James Olmos, born 1947.
- ^ Kara Thrace/Lee Adama ship manifesto essay at Ship Manifesto, 9 March 2008. (Accessed 7 April 2011)
- ^ Everything I do - I do it for you - Helo/Boomer essay at Ship Manifesto, 7 December 2005. (Accessed 7 April 2011)
- ^ I Built My Dreams Around You A Gaius Baltar/Felix Gaeta manifesto at Ship Manifesto, 2 May 2009. (Accessed 7 April 2011).