Is the Original Battlestar Galactica REALLY Better Than the Reboot?

[@bellaluthiel4858]

Both are products of their time. Modern BSG couldn't have been aired as it is back then, and the 70's were a less serious, more campy time all around. (B.J. and the Bear, anyone?) Both are worth watching with that in mind.

[@Echowhiskeyone]

I was a child of the '70s. Space 1999, Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica. They were not grand or good for today, but it was the best we had. When compared to other '70s sci-fi shows, it was much better than average.

[@Phoenix-214]

Outta curiosity, what would a kid of the 70s have made of, say, the Expanse, or the RDM BSG series, had they somehow managed to air in the exact same form as they do now? They're both...very out of context, there.

[@clydemarshall8095]

I don’t know, Star Wars mostly holds up all things considered

[@GregPrice-ep2dk]

BSG was originally conceived of as a series of 4-6 2-hour films. Then Universal wanted them to go to series at the last minute, so the comment about feeling rushed is entirely fair.

[@steinarvilnes3954]

It is also what supposed to be those 2 hour films that were the good episodes.

[@phoenixr6811]

Someone knows there history 😊

[@Sinapus]

"Sir? If I may..." -Baltar's Cylon pilots were amusing, plus John Colicos did play his role very well. "I think you should take a look at the other Battlestar..."

[@cane6074]

Damn right, John did a great job with limited martial and was never boring and stole every scene he was in.

[@Cliff-i8u]

Why call Baltar sir if they want to annihilate humans😮

[@barrybend7189]

Yes. But not the 1980 sequel series.

[@michaelmcnally2331]

The last episode of galactica 80 is ok. It’s the one with Starbuck in it where stranded with a cyclon and he sends the pregnant woman off whose child,becomes dr zee. The rest of galactica 80 give a hard miss.

[@stuartwald2395]

The worst thing about the 1980 shows was how they reduced Lorne Greene's Adama to a stupid fool; "What do we do, Dr. Zee?". He was the dominant force of the "original" series episodes, and I could "hear" him in my head talking to/with Apollo, Starbuck and Boomer as he did with Adam, Hoss and Joseph.

[@lordhosk]

the 1980 series never happened. Its a myth spread by angry star wars fans on internet forums. You think you saw it but you are misremembering other TV shows.

[@stuartwald2395]

@@lordhosk I always wanted an episode of Picard where he woke up and realized that he had been having a terrible nightmare about a version of Federation history and a distorted war with the Klingons that didn't "really" happen that way in history; it was all a bad dream created by hostile aliens who were trying to drive humanity crazy.

[@nickthx1138]

😂 yes

[@nuclearpreacher7680]

I always will love the RDM version of BSG but the 1978 BSG does have its place in history. Sort of like Buck rogers and those shows like that! They should always be remembered for what they were! Of course there is always Babylon 5 and the reason I mention that is because I will always love that show! well that is my thoughts for what it is worth!

[@dajonaneisnoah8714]

Fun fact: In the original version of the classic BSG miniseries, before the full TV series was green-lit, comically evil Baltar actually gets his comeuppance and is executed with a sword by Centurions during his post-conquest meeting with the Imperious Leader. The Library near where I lived had the original on video tape when I was a kid. It was only after the longer series was approved for production that they re-filmed the scene to spare Baltar and use him as a foil against Galactica.

[@afitz34]

Definitely worth watching. If the show back then had a better budget and didn't have to recycle so many scenes. The uniforms were fantastic and I wish they had carried them over to the more modern show. As an 8-year old, I looked forward to this show every Saturday. It was a wonderful time to be alive.

[@amberm3573]

Just looking at the haircuts, the obvious answer is "Yes, immediately and repeatedly."

[@skylx0812]

Rick Springfield was in the pilot and they rightly had him run in a certain scene and his feathered hair flows perfectly.

[@blackdragon5220]

It ALSO depends on when / what age you encountered them. In 1977, 10 year old me fell in love with the "sci-fi" genre because of Star Wars..., so Battlestar Galactica and Buck Rogers were the best thing to hit the airwaves. Then in 1985, I joined the Military and became a member of the Naval Special Warfare community and thus my duties put me on many vessels from AC Carriers and Submarines to Destroyers and Frigates, down to other support ships. After 12 years I left the service to become a LEO. Still having love for the genre, I was thrilled when they "remade" BG in 2004. But then "adult" me, who's tastes had "matured" loved the new series even more than the original. Primarily due to the better story telling and realism. However, the original STILL holds a special / nostalgic place in my heart.

[@bfriesen2636]

as a kid I looked forward to the original every week, when I got my hands on the box set as an adult I found it hard to watch so I have to agree with your assesment the remake was a better series. keep up the good work, your videoes are great

[@TheGenericavatar]

Season long story arcs, let alone multi-season long story arcs that the remake had, would not happen on American TV until Babylon5 showed that it could both be done and be done well to massive payoffs.

[@Scudboy17]

Not true. The original Robotech written and produced by Carl Macek had season and series long story arcs in 1985. It was created using 3 separate anime series, but the changes to the writing tied them all together.

[@RiceWD05]

There is a comic that does explain what happened to the OG Pegasus, which involves Lizard People, interdimensional shinagians, Baltar, and the Galacticas meeting.

[@lordhosk]

Sounds like something from AoC

[@thewanderer1317]

The biggest problem with the remake is that it is completely different from the original thematically. It’s no longer good vs evil with a hopeful tone, it’s morally grey on all sides, with a lack of hope. Characters were completely changed, and not for the better. For example, Admiral Cain when from damn near professional military officer (with the conflict being him wanting to take the fight to the cylons vs Adama’s fall back and recuperate plan) to sex swapping to a nigh incompetent, amoral, and power hungry Admiral that we see in the remake. There isn’t anything valid in remake Cain’s plan or ideals to even consider. And this same sort of character assassination happens to nearly everyone that made it into the remake. While the remake has better special effects, it’s not enough to say it’s a good remake when so much of the franchise’s character has been lost or twisted into something worse. Plus, meat Cylons, need I say more?

[@cesarespinozaspain]

SC.I BSG is absolutely worth watching for one reason.... The Sheer Solar plasma Hotness that is Lieutenant ATHENA.. Her smile alone could melt Pluto and the Oort cloud.

[@danielwilliamson6180]

1978 Battlestar Galactica is such a classic sci-fi series. Such a shame it was discontinued after only 1 season.

[@mikewhitaker2880]

it did have a 1980 version that had them finding Earth... also short lived, but gave some closure......

[@wrayday7149]

@@mikewhitaker2880 Battlestar 81 ...... I draw the limits at that one. "Look how advanced Earth is!" "Look at them drive in LA traffic"......

[@scottwalker6947]

I loved the original, but it is really a shame that the story could not be the equal of the visuals. Cylon Pin Wheel, baby!

[@leohalivan861]

I hadn't been born when it first came out, but I still feel like one of the people who watched the original when it was "new." Maybe 1987 or so. I loved it and it's one of the reasons I fell in love with science fiction. Not gonna lie though, The Day the Earth Stood Still - 1951 and The Last Starfighter are THE movies that made it happen for me. Anyway, I digress. I loved the original BSG, but even I have to admit that it was very much a product of its time. Overarching stories told over multiple episodes was brand new and still being worked out. Yes, OG BSG began the whole process of moving beyond monster of the week storytelling, but that was still most of what they did. Star Trek: TNG was the first to really do it right. For that reason alone, much as I love OG BSG, I still believe that the modern reboot is objectively better in every way. And I think that comes from the fact that people who worked on it loved the original as much as I did. Even the fan service was fantastic when they brought Richard Hatch as Tom Zarek. I would have LOVED to see Dirk Benedict as well, maybe as a flight instructor, but we can't have everything.

[@King-Ghidora]

Ever seen the photo of Starbucks to the 4th power? Dirk Benedict and Katee Sackhoff drinking a Starbucks coffee drink at a Starbucks, truly a photo of the ages.

[@BKavanaugh]

The show was conceived as a miniseries, not a weekly series. The episodes that were planned, mainly the multipart ones, are mostly the good ones. The ones they had to rush out to meet the requirements of a weekly series are pretty apparent. Most of them are not much more than "monster of the week".

[@MichaelLaing71]

The original Battlestar Galactica isn't perfect, and I think even the most die hard Galactica fan (which I count myself as) will admit to. Yes, I am sure there is some nostalgia going on in my head (even though I have the DVD and have rewatched the series several times. But the series does something the remake fails completely to do for me. Sometimes it is just good to have the good guys beat the bad guys, have bug eye aliens want to suck your brain out. To have a cackling Baltar be the massively over the top bad guy, and have disco stormtroopers, who can't shoot for shit. The devil, who has tempted the Cylons, and wants to tempt humanity, space guns, quick draws, and the massively overused special effects. The show may at times be completely bonkers, but for all its faults, it is fun. Unlike the remake, which is always mired in doom and gloom, artificially creating conflict between different crew members and generally sucking the joy out of the room. The Star Wars rip off, also, doesn't particularly work either. Yes, Star Wars came first and was undoubtably influenced countless crappy space movies, but the plot of Battlestar is completely different to Star Wars. It is like saying you have Superman, so you can't have Ironman. They are both hero's, they have 'man' in their titles, shoot lasers and can fly, but they are completely different movies that fall into the same genre. Add to that the original score for the series, which is just amazing, and I say that as someone who likes Bear McCreary's music for the re-imaged series. So, just for the fun factor, I would say watch the original series. It is flawed, but also amazing and nuts.

[@DZ-X3]

I watched both series back to back in the early 2010s, having never seen either one before. Sure, I can admit that Trek TOS is probably a better TV show, especially for its time. But even so, Battlestar Galactica is great. While it might be inspired by the visuals of Star Wars, the story is compelling in a completely different way. Besides, you can't beat Lorne Green as your patriarch. I'll always love BSG, and you can't say that's because of nostalgia. Immediately after finishing BSG, I was excited to start watching the reboot. I knew it was supposed to have great music, and the special effects in space ought to have been improved over the decades. After the first couple of episodes I wasn't impressed with Stardoe, and profoundly disappointed at what they'd done to Tigh and poor Boomer. But I kept watching, because at least the space stuff was pretty neat. That first bit with the countdown timer, that was nifty and inventive: probably the pinnacle of the reboot. Despite all this, I was convinced that in the next episode, it would suddenly become as good as the original series. Four seasons later, when there was only one episode left, I was sure it would be the first good episode. In hindsight, I realised what was going on. I'd seen exactly this pattern happen before, and I would see it happen again. The reboot was just Stargate Universe! With that in mind, I perfectly understand why reboot fans don't like BSG. Coming from something like SGU, it would be a total shock: what's wrong with these characters? Why do they have clothes on, and why aren't they screaming at each other? Nobody could possibly enjoy a series with so little nudity. It must be nostalgia!

[@Belligerent_Herald]

I started with RDM as a 14yo boy. It started a path that let directly to me being the kind of person that watches this channel. Tried the original series, charmingly campy is probably the best I could say. But, the PS2 viper game that uses the OG series as the base material. That was great, probably my favorite game of that era.

[@Ziggy-w3z]

I was all excited to watch this every week. Having seen Star Wars a bit earlier, as a kid, anything space / space related with adventure and ship battles was everything a 7 year old could want.

[@dawall3732]

There is a theory running around that the visual designers of Independence Day. Stole their ship designs for the aliens from the OG sylons. The theory is that they stole the basic designs. Cut the bass stars in half and just upgrade and modernize the design with a more organic feel and give it a giant city destroying laser.

[@liamscienceguy8153]

13:46 and that one shot isn't even made by the effects team its literally just the third stage of the Saturn V separating

[@PvtSchlock]

Dude, the toys. Man, the toys were awesome. You could hold a Cylon Raider ship in one hand, and you could hold a Viper in the other. I'm sorry but that was so kickass.

[@Livingeidolon]

Back when they were metal, too!

[@bartlester591]

You also have to take into account that Garrick a Larson the man that actually wrote the entirety of the first season of Battlestar Galactica originally had no intention of making this into a series. This was supposed to be like a movie of the week but then when ABC sell the numbers, they came to him and said now turned into a TV show so this man was on the premise originally that it was going to be a one and done. And then he was gonna move onto the next thing, but they didn’t remember. Larson was a very prolific writer for television. I believe he’s responsible for the bionic man the bionic woman Buck Rogers in the 25th century. There is a whole laundry list if you look of Science Fiction that this man has written, and he originally intended to write this as a movie of the week then was told you’re gonna turn this into a TV series. so he had to kinda scramble to make this work

[@oldeskul]

The comic series that was released after the OG series was cancelled was nuts. To skip right to the end of the comic run, the Galactica shows up at Earth 100 million years ago. It's not clear if the Galactica time traveled or if the events of the OG series and the following comic happened elsewhere in the galaxy, and humans wound up migrating to Earth.

[@troyimlach1453]

When The Original first came out it was Amazing, for its time. But compared to todays media it defiantly has not aged well.

[@steinarvilnes3954]

I am not really so sure. I am growing tired of long arcs really. I feel that many shows today feels like hardly anything happens in each episode!

[@troyimlach1453]

@@steinarvilnes3954 I agree with you about the long arcs. Shows that tell only one story over an entire season is getting tiring. What I meant was that episodic shows and there graphics, in general are better today than they were back then.

[@Winterydee]

This is the thing that many a person who was born post 1980's, the original BGS and Sci-fi in general had almost NOTHING to use as reference. Yes, there were the 3 seasons of Star Trek & the Saturday morning Star Trek cartoon, Logans Run (both movie and TV series). Oh, the old radio, cartoon stripes and early movies and TV series of things like Flash Gordon & Buck Rogers. But Sci-fi as a whole for film and television was seen as a kids and maybe teenagers thing. Yes, Star Wars had released to commercial success a little over a year beforehand, but most people do not remember or realize that BGS was originally released as a 125 minute film in limited theaters in the USA, Canada and Japan. When you watch this version of the show you have to always remember that there was no Alien, Aliens, Terminator, Robcop, Predator or Blade Runner. There was Star Trek (Original TV series only and its cartoon), Lost in Space, Planet of the Apes, 2001: A Space Odyssey and Star Wars (only Episode IV: A New Hope)as far as big name Sci-fi films and television show the average person would know. Hollywood and most people looked at both Sci-fi and Television very differently when BGS was being made. Also, if you were to watch most things as far as television shows for 1978 what happened in most shows episodes even the dramas had no barring on any of the subsequent episodes. I will agree that some of the things in the show are dumb. Some do not hold up over the decades. But it was really a good show for ts time and was more groundbreaking than it is being given credit in this video.

[@GregPrice-ep2dk]

YOu left out VOyage to the Bottom of the Sea, UFO, and Space:1999.

[@richardnicholson3827]

​@GregPrice-ep2dk You forgot the TV show Quark.

[@Winterydee]

@richardnicholson3827 - Quark was a mid-season replacement show of only 8 episodes in 1978. Yes, the pilot was aired May 7th, 1977, but a single episode is not much of a reference point.

[@richardnicholson3827]

​@Winterydee Thank you for that information. I really did enjoy watching it as a kid back in the day. I didn't realize that it had that many episodes.

[@jaredcolon4535]

What low budget science fiction b-style movie was made using the original series Battlestar Galactica model including the Vipers and Cylon base ship and Raiders but none of them were called anything that they are in the show and the movie had nothing to do with the show I've seen this movie like two or three times before I was 12 years old and I cannot remember the name of the movie or who was in it

[@BCWasbrough]

You're right, and you should feel okay about it. Also if it's any consolation, in the theatrical release of the first three episodes, the Cylons flat out execute Baltar for his troubles.

[@t_k_blitz4837]

I'm very fond of the theatrical release; I still have my old VHS copy somewhere!

[@thewanderer1317]

I just finished the book that was written around 1978 and it is amazing the worldbuilding that went into it and the original concept for the cylons

[@randomusernameCallin]

I seen the same amount of the 1978 and the remake. I would still pick the 1978. The new show is too full of everything I hate in a show.

[@kevinbartoe7881]

For me it's nostalgia. Grew up catching random episodes.

[@michaeldexter2544]

A big part of the reason they kept re-using special effects shots was because the show was originally pitched as a series of 3 or 4 made-for-television movies to be aired over the course of a year, and *then*, after a year or so, they would transition to a weekly series. The idea was that this would give them time to build up a nice, big library of special-effects shots to be used as needed, and to create a library of scripts that would be suitable for when they transitioned into a weekly format. However, ABC was so impressed by "Saga of a Star World" that they insisted that *Battlestar Galactica* go straight to a weekly series format, which the makers of BSG just weren't ready for. The special-effects team was working flat-out, but, given the technology available at the time, could only come up with one or maybe two new shots per week. Similarly, when they started the weekly series, they had only a few scripts ready. This is why they wound up "borrowing" so many plots from successful movies like *Shane* and *The Magnificent Seven* . Just as they were struggling to produce special effects on a weekly schedule, they were struggling to come up with scripts on such a short schedule. Many of the actors commented that they would start shooting an episode before the script was even finished, so they would be shooting a scene with literally no idea how it was supposed to end. Had ABC let Glen Larson and crew make the show that they'd originally intended, I suspect that the original *Battlestar Galactica* would have been a much better show. Honestly, given the conditions under which they were working, it's amazing the show was as good as it was.

[@Anacronian]

What I find funny is that every critique you have of the original BSG can be leveled at the new BSG just with a newish vernier, the difference is really that the original was...errr original. In duplicity, only weakness can grow.

[@wrayday7149]

The SCI-FI SyFy ... forget what they called themselves at the time did everything in their power to fk over the remake. I can only guess the cast were asking for more money... because after they killed the show they released so many stand alone low budget movies and Caprica.

[@djolds1]

A good enough show that the F16 ripped off its nickname from BSG78 in perpetuity.

[@avollant]

Alright, IF I remember correctly, the bug people needed the humans as living incubator.; like some wasp who paralyse a mygale to put its eggs in it. as the larvas hatch, they'll feed on the living mygale until they are ready to transform into wasp themselves. As for Baltar, I've always assumed that, yes! He was killed but the Cylon brought him back as some kind of android.

[@FiliusFidelis]

pains me to say, but you do make many very good points.

[@doomslove4295]

In my opinion regarding the cylon fighter requiring 3 crew, the cylon crew are the fighters computer while the ship itself has more room for components like the weapons, engine, power plant, ect. this way if the fighter is captured and the crew destroyed, it reduces or completely prevents any useful info on cylon data, movements, and other critical info from falling into colonial hands on top of being more efficient for the cylons.

[@kongilian]

What're your thoughts on "Space: Above and Beyond"? If favorable, could we get some breakdowns of the series and tech in it?

[@BlueLightning12]

Since you brought up the writing foibles a lot in this video, I feel it's only fair to bring up the fact that the Remake series had its own fumbles with the writing. To start with though, both my mother and I were initially excited to hear Galactica was coming back, she for the fact that, at one point when she was living out in California actually got to tour the studio it was being filmed at... She got to see the full size Viper used on the set and everything... And I for the fact that Galactica, along with the Original Star Trek, were TV series she recorded on VHS back in the day and then showed them to me as I was growing up. Where our excitement died for the Remake series was how they advertised it. I still remember to this day the TV Spot that was basically nothing but characters just saying "Frak" and then one of them goes "Talk to me you Mother-Fraker". The words "Frak" and "Feldercarb", were, in universe with the first Galactica series anyway, supposed to be swear words of the absolute highest order. The way those words got watered down and blatantly over-used in the advertising completely killed any interest she or I had for the remake series, and to this day we have avoided it like the plague.

[@Boki10]

It was originally supposed to be a 10 episode mini series but the studio forced them to make more the high budget was just for those episodes and they were surprisingly good when i watched the show for the first time a few years ago.

[@wrayday7149]

Random thought about the era. Some of the most popular shows of the time were long running sitcoms that had a guest of the week style casting. Shows like Love Boat, Gilligan's Island, Lost in Space and in low times they would do filler episodes to promote a celeb or product. That promotion episode would often have the cast get something amazing that solves their problem but immediately goes away when the celeb leaves and the cast returns to trying to get by. This also set the show up for sweeps week and other major events because the writers could focus on those while the celeb episode padded the show. I forget the timeframe but there was a set amount of weeks that shows needed ratings for to judge them for renewal so they needed to keep things interesting to get the viewers for ratings. Syndication was also another major factor.... if you keep the show generic enough you could play episodes in any order and viewers wouldn't know where they were in the story. You don't ever see this anymore in modern era TV shows..... they aren't competing for viewers like they used to they are just made for streaming filler content.

[@theofficerfactory2625]

I have no idea where you get your reference for Lorne Greene. To me, he is Ben Cartwright; patriarch of the Cartwright Family and owner of the Ponderosa Ranch. I love Bonanza and I am 36!

[@ReconViper1]

A friend of mine used to call the show Battlestar Ponderosa.

[@azrael1045]

No matter how long since it aired, when i think BSG the screne of the Galactica falling through atmosphere vomitting aircraft plays through my mind. So good

[@Sephiroth144]

BUCKET DROP!

[@lordhosk]

I agree with you full force, but having rewatched the 2005 series this past year. Its not as good as I remember either, once you get past pegasus the show really shows wear around the edges. The writer strike, the budget pressure, the time crunch and "keep fans on their toes" aspect as social media and the internet were coming in full force all contributed to the later seasons having great moments, but overall being lesser than the first season in scope, character development, and story. There often seemed to be "we haven't done anything with (actor) in a couple episodes, lets give them a B/C plot" When 1978 came out it aired ONCE... on sunday nights, and if you missed it, that was it... you might get to see it in the summer on a re-run. Then in the 80s it aired on UHF channels in the the weekday afternoons which is where many more people caught it. but again if you missed one episode you had to wait a month and a half for them to cycle back around. When I got my first summer job, I spent an entire paycheck... of nearly $40 renting the entire series on VHS from the local video store and watching several episodes back to back each day.. and even then it didn't hold up as well but at that point we were also entering into the golden age of sci-fi with a half dozen shows on the air. When BSG78 was on the air... it was THE sci fi show.

[@steinarvilnes3954]

I think what make the reboot feel outdated was that it used a way to film with fast cuts, handheld camera and use of color that was very hip then, but is totally out of fashion today. Today, sci fi shows rather look cinematic making the BSG reboot not very nice to watch.

[@hpbifta]

It was great for what it wanted to be back in the day especially compared to what was also available at the time on network TV, it just didn't age to well especially after the remake happened.

[@tainteddeer4026]

When I was a kid, all I wanted was the robot dog-thing.

[@adrianscott4288]

So I'm curious to know - have you ever watched Lexx? It's probably one of the worst sci fi series I've ever seen. Bad by every metric, poorly paced, constantly horny and downright offensive at times. But like driving past a horrific car crash, i couldn't look away. It somehow lasted 4 season's, with each being wildly different in tone. Almost nobody has talked about the show since so I'm curious to know what you think about it!

[@wrayday7149]

Cylons are Chrome and Shiny because a lot of people (especially kids) still had Black and White TV's and the badguys would pop on the screen if you had a color tv or not.

[@bartlester591]

I will agree with you that baltar isn’t insufferable prick. And yeah, he is chaotic stupid in my opinion is on the exact same level as Dr. Smith lost in space and I’m talking about the original series not the movie. And you can also put into those categories of chaotic, stupid, and also apparently slipping a few micro disks is the droid that was his liaison officer Lucifer

[@supsup335]

Another show hampered by vfx budgeting was andromeda. One of the most interesting and unique settings in scifi, in my opinion. Tragic how underexplored the setting turned out, as it had, and still has, so much potential. In a remake i would miss the cast, yes, even kevin sorbo, he was actually good in this role, but i would welcome deeper world building and better vfx. And i would miss micheal shanks as gabriel, i liked him as the ai of the balance of judgement. Ok. Rant over or i will make this a novel. Thanks for reading my ted talk, see you all under tge next video.

[@Cliff-i8u]

I would of liked to seen an updated. Galactica reunion film in 88 with peter graves as adama ignoring 1980 series with as much as original cast they could get.

[@itzhaktzvishohat7490]

Thank you for making me realize how old I am. You're not wrong, but then, neither am I. Still love the original series sans 1980 (except for "The Return of Starbuck" which I remember as being awesome). Wonderful thesis!

[@abrakahocus]

Before watching the video...yes, yes it is :D

[@GuardianSage]

This is nice. I'm curious as to what your thoughts are on the original lore where the actual cylons were a race of lizardfolk and the robots we saw on screen were their war machines vs the remake lore of the cylons being human creations that rebelled.

[@rodgerhunter1591]

It left enough of an impression that f16 pilots call the jet a viper and that name sticks to this day I enjoyed my time with the og Galactica

[@kejaris949]

Minus the Boxy & Daggit stuff I didn't have a problem with Classic BSG. Well the space Nazi stuff could have been left out too.

[@evlgenius74]

it was amazing when it came out. many of the problems you have with it are just part of the 70s. not saying it was good. hell i cant think of a single scifi show that aged well from then. it has its good moments and as much hate as daggit gets i SOOO wanted one as a kid! its schlock but its fun schlock just leave your brain at the door.

[@VIFFVDTCED]

I have never seen the OG Battlestar just clips BUT my Mom has the 1970s MAD magazine were they spoofed it. In my humble opinion that is worth a read and would like to see your take on it.

[@soverysleepy]

i saw OBSG when it originally aired, but after rewatching as an adult several years ago, i see why it dropped in popularity and so was cancelled still fun memories though

[@bartlester591]

Ralph Macquarie and John Dykstra are not just solely responsible for a ship design in Battlestar Galactica or Star Wars. They also did Star Trek so yes we all hail the genius of both Macquarie and Dykstra and you also got a real member. I believe that Larson used ILM industrial light magic Lucas Special effect firm to pull out the special effects in the first place. As I stated I Battlestar fan this when I was a kid.. and I am not going to let go of this. I am like a pitbull with lockjaw. I am not going to back down this hill.

[@mackenziebeeney3764]

It flabbergasts when characters are shallow stereotypes. When I’ve made characters who generally ascribe to a stereotype, *but I don’t stop there* they get personality quirks, things they like and dislike, actual depth.

[@seanbrazell7095]

Ever thought about doing a video on Blood & Chrome!? May it one day be remade or continued.

[@rochedl]

most of your problems with the original BSG is that it was common for shows of that era. It was one of the better shows out there at the time, but due to so many factors OBSG had as much of a chance of success as Firefly did, and for a lot of the same reasons. Was BSG campy, yes, very much so, the censoring of show at that time was insane, that is how the word "fraking" was created, so much of the writing was to see what they could get past the censors. Marvel did a super-size issue of the pilot series and in it Baltar was cut down, and that was from the script sent to Marvel. Baltar living was a last minute change because of censors, too graphic. For me the reimagining of BSG was ok for the first couple of seasons, but became unwatchable after everyone was a cylon. Was the acting better in the new BSG, yes, was the writing better in the BSG, very much so. But new BSG was also a show of it's time. and I could not stand the interpersonal drama. If you want that level of drama don't have your show based in the military. It is also one of the main reasons why I will not watch any new ST.

[@Grizabeebles]

12:10 -- There absolutely *was* "riding of coattails" going on between BSG and Star Wars. There was an entire lawsuit about it. Hiring members of the Star Wars production staff to do the show allowed BSG to pull tricks like invoking "Fogerty v. Fantasy" -- which established that "work for hire" only extends to one song or one deaign, it doesn't extend to an artist's entire "style". The copying of Star Wars was *very* deliberate and it shows because BSG stayed within the bounds of copyright and won that lawsuit.

[@vincentbreeden259]

I saw the original as a kid. BSG and Star wars was. what my love of science fiction began. I really got into the books. Yes it might suck by comparison but that's where I got started. The other cheesy as hell tv sci-fi show was Buck Rodgers in the 25th century. Wow.

[@davegallo8166]

It's not a budgetary thing, it's a writing thing, we had grown up in that era with three seasons of Star Trek one season of animated Star Trek and then nothing for years. Battlestar Galactica is written as Bonanza in space, Star wars is even more trope filled and does little to hide it. Let's remember that most sci-fi in America at this point, was British imports like Doctor Who, ufo, and the super marination shows from Britain and of course space 1999. BSG is simply the best expression of American 1950 sci-fi you could get in 1978

[@cane6074]

Original BSG is great old school space opera, reimaged BSG is a great sci-fi drama series. Original BSG has some issues, and at times It often misses, but win it lands, It lands pretty hard. The original cylons are some of the best sci-fi villains ever made, despite being dated in their look. Baltar was a bit of a one dimensional character, but the actor that played him, John Colicos, him imbued him with personality and utterly chewed every scene he was in, thus never boring despite being underwritten. He did a great job of making you love to hate him but fun watch at the same time.

[@MrAirpumpkin]

I'm surprised you made it through a critique of the original BSG without bringing up any of the weird and frequent parallels to "Mormonism" that permeates the original show.

[@Bryan-d8j]

Big problem they had was the show was rushed into production after the pilot. So yes, they were working off rough drafts. Edit: You do point that out. Apologies. Incidentally, your last point. Yeah, remember berries. As a 70’s/80’s kid loved Battlestar, just as I loved Star Wars (on,y one when I was a kid). It and stuff like Buck Rogers, Doctor Who, Star Trek repeats and weirdly toned down Japanese anime was what we had, and for the most part we had to watch it live, when it was on, or maybe on video tape. It was what we had and we gorged on it like bags of 1c lollies from the corner shop. There is such an abundance of sci-fi out there now I can afford to show more taste and discretion in my viewing.

[@russellflemister393]

i was born in 78 i grew up watching the reruns loved it and V

[@shingshongshamalama]

The theme tune is fucking S tier though 11/10 shit.

[@louisbabycos106]

Both are simultaneously very similar and extremely different from each other . Like two siblings from the same parents .

[@maevethefox5912]

Props to actually stepping forward with a changed opinion, that's far too rare for content creators anymore. Or anyone, really.

[@alanhembra2565]

I loved it as a kid but when I bought the boxes set on VHS in my late 20’s I found it boring. I still watch the 2003 remake every 2 or 3 years.

[@Scudboy17]

Honestly, both are good. The original BSG was my favorite show when I was a kid as it aired. It was a weekly near-Star Wars and I loved it. Having grown up watching shows by Sid and Marty Croft, Hanna Barbera, and a host of badly dubbed anime imports, Galactica was a major step up in quality and action. Yes, it was cheesy and repetitive, but so was everything else at the time. The modern BSG is different ennough that it's own franchise all together. Only the bare bones basics of the original story is used to build a far more realistic and plot driven story. The updates to the characters, character designs, and ship designs are all brilliantly done. Not perfect, but all enjoyable in their own way. Some people never got over the race and gender swaps of some of the characters but the changes to the writing of those charcters are different enough that they are unique and not just an old character remade. The writing falls apart a bit towards the end, but most of the show is so well done it just doesn't matter. The Easter eggs and callbacks to the original series are all appreciated and I think updated in ways that make sense. There is a false dichotomy here- you can, and I think should, enjoy both.

[@snufflebear]

You already mentioned this in the video, but I wanted to put my 2 cents in. In the late 70s, while Star Wars wasn't the first sci-fi show/movie, it was the first one with the quality of the effects, it was like nothing ever seen before. BSG was essentially Star Wars on TV, even TV Guide, or other magazines at the time were calling it Son of Star Wars. As a kid, these movies and shows started my love of sci-fi. Even as a kid though, I was more than aware of the repetitive, reused effects shots, it was just something I accepted, but it was still annoying. What seems like camp now, felt very serious back then. I have gone back and watched BSG and other 80s shows, and yeah they are campy, but for the time they seemed more serious, because you are a kid and haven't experienced those plot/story lines before, and experiencing it for the first time, but it was also something that was completely different on tv as well. Glen A Larson wrote A LOT of the shows on TV at the time, and it shows. You haven't mentioned Galactica 1980 in this. I was so excited as a kid that BSG was continuing. God what a flaming pile of garbage, even as a kid it really sucked. There was almost no space stuff at all, just everything occurred on earth, almost none of the characters were the same, though we did get Starbuck in a completely out of context episode, which was really depressing as a kid, but I can appreciate it more as an adult. The rest of it, the flying bikes, it's almost so bad it's good, but not quite. I'll admit when the reboot happened, and they replaced Boomer and Starbuck with women, I was a bit miffed. Not because they were women, but because they were changing what I was familiar with. I also wasn't sold on the Jupiter style Galactica, because the original was so iconic. But things were changing in tv then, and everything got darker. Look at SG-1/Atlantis compared to SG-Universe, they lost their audience because they made it too different, some of the main characters with questionable morals, they needed time to develop it further, it was getting better, but it was hard for me to watch at first, used to Stargate being a certain type of show, I think it was a mistake that it got canceled, ESPECIALLY to replace it with the dumpster fire that is Tremors the series, I STILL can't believe that there was more than one movie, let alone a series. I still really liked the new BSG, though it got really weird towards the end, though I like that they threw in some of the old designs for old fans. Hell I even watched Caprica, and was willing to follow that if they hadn't cancelled it. Sci-fi has to be pretty bad for me not to watch it. I'm glad you brought up the SW prequels, because that is exactly it. You were a kid, and experiencing that for the first time, and it blew your mind. Same thing for OG BSG with me, but that doesn't mean I can't see the flaws now. Same with Knight Rider, Airwolf, etc.. For the most part, I think your video is on the money with hindsight being what it is. Thinking back, I'm not sure even if they continued it, if they could have resolved it satisfactorily as a story line. If they had continued the original series, I could see them never finding earth, because they would want to milk it for all it's worth, then get canceled when they ran out of stories, or being repetitive. That was the other thing about sci-fi, it was all episodic until Babylon 5, where over arching story lines were unheard of. Things have changed so much, but TV execs will never stop being idiots.

[@brandonmadigan7523]

I liked both shows for what they were. I think the newer show suffered from some of the things you mentioned about the original. There are great episodes and arcs but the further in it got, the worse it got. Ideally I think Battlestar Galactica is a show that can only work on a shorter timeline. The actual premise put forward in BOTH pilots is a great one... But like shows like "Designated Survivor" or "Walking Dead" that have interesting original premises to start with , you have a finite amount of time you can tell the events that spiral out of the initial concept. The Walking Dead at least has made the wise decision to switch (for now at lease) to shorter , tighter spin off series that at least so far are interesting. If they DO decide to do another Battlestar Galactica series they need to make it a limited series OR they need to think of some places they can take it other than the day to day grind of trying to survive in space until they find Earth. Hell have them find earth by the end of season1 - Have them recruit people from Earth to take the fight BACK to the Stars.... In the orginal Galactica there was talk of them finding other Battlestars and humans that had survived out there. Have sending them back out into space to find other survivors an arc.

[@toddsing]

The show was supposed to be a mini-series. ABC wanted a full season, so they made a lot of fluffy episodes to complete the season. This led to some poor script writing. This is also why you see special effect scenes reused so much.

[@Kaiber_Phoenix]

Ill be honest i always prefered starwars but always have and probably always will prefer the BSG ship designs by a long shot. Never cared for the xwing or the falcon or anything imperial the republic ship design i do prefer but still nothing tops the vipers or battlestars.

[@SoullessAIMusic]

Frankly I find it very interesting that many who insult the original fail to realize the irony in that statement. Without the original fan base, the original creator, without the original writings, there would be no so-called good Galactica. Because they're simply wouldn't be a Galactica.

[@bartlester591]

The 1978 Battlestar Galactica is the only Battlestar Galactica that crap that the sci-fi channel tried to push on us is just that big industrial sized mound of crap everybody a cylon a bunch of crap. And I’ll say this I think although Richard hatch tried to revive the original as it was intended, he failed, and then he sold his soul to the Syfy channel and Ronald Moore, in my opinion should be hoisted up by his thumbs and toes in between two poles and left there for 40 days and 40 nights

[@fredlandry6170]

I liked the old show when I was 8 but I loved the reimagined version.

[@weldonwin]

Speaking of changes made for syndication, in the cinematic movie version of the pilot, Baltar DIES! He gets brought before the Imperious Leader, who lays out the facts that the Cylons are going to wipe out the human race entirely, points out why it would be stupid to trust someone who would betray his whole species and then one of the Centurions grabs Baltar by the hair, pulls his head back and pulls a sword and the scene cuts as the sword meets Baltar's neck. It's a really good scene, that illustrates how dark and serious they wanted the story to be, but had to tone right back for TV.

[@Paradukes]

I just barely remember watching re-runs of the original series when I was very young, and thinking the whole thing was rather daft. Unrelated, I'm kinda bummed out you didn't make it to 40k subscribers in time for Orktober 😕

[@jasonames145]

what i hear again and again, is that mishandling the budget and kidifying their story was why the show sucked. you cant make a gritty message filled saga and than "Lassy come home" it and expect it to be good. thank goodness the remake hit all the marks and told the story this old shoe wishes to heavens it could.

[@G-3-A-R-Z]

I like 1978 version. But I would say it is worth a watch to show that you can remake a property, politics, gender/race swap and it still be good or even a hit. I think the 2003 version was one of the best remakes I have seen. Funny thing is I didn't want to watch it at first. Later I was a lil obsessed. lol The changes were positive changes. Even adding the suicide bombers helped to bring a new tone to the property, even though it was divisive at the time. The 1978 version is were a lot of the story lines came from. Charter development. I am really happy they got rid of the aliens for the later version. They seemed obsessed with reptilians in the 70s. lol

[@icdansheep1873]

Just a thing, the 2000s BSG is not a remaster.

[@Darkwintre]

YES! I prefer it to the remake despite the acting I still find the original much better. Not everything has to be of human origin and the original is why that worked better than the remake.

[@nickthx1138]

You cant really compare 1978 Bsg, of course, to present day shows or the reboot (which was great), it was a show of its time and was just after massively successful star wars so, yes like loads of movies and shows then it ‘copied’ elements of that like they do today, but had its own heavy human mythology element Glen Larson put in the show. As you said it was groundbreaking for the time in many of its aspects story-wise and top notch then in its production still looking great with the model work etc today. It was only ever meant to be a film or short mini series but due to its popularity it was made into a very expensive series (which is why it was canned in the end), it was produced on a very tight timetable and scripts were literally being handed to the actors as they shot scenes so may explain some of the plots being as they were - but don’t forget it was aimed at kids in a big way of course so the most detailed realistic adult level plots were not needed for ratings or those action figure sales - also it was the 70s. Ck any 70s show for comparison. Personally I loved it then as a kid and now still greatly appreciate it esp the 1st ‘movie’. Grittier and darker compared to star wars for the time, the disaster, human survival being hunted elements plus its very human mythological interweave were quite compelling. Not to mention looooads of ‘pewpewpew-kaboooom’! 👍

[@Porphyrogenitus1]

Lorne Greene is amazing and Lloyd Bridges Cain is best Cain. Apollo, Starbuck, Athena, Sheba and Tigh are played by better actors than the material they sometimes got. I was thus glad Richard Hatch got a decent part for the later series after working so hard to keep even the idea of more BSG alive. Other than that I can't disagree with much that you said was wrong with it. I liked it when I was 9 and as others have said this period wasn't a period where you were going to have lots of great choices for SF so we took what we got. Season 1 of Buck was better (but season 2 an attrocity). I like old-school BSG mind but you're not wrong it was better in concept than in overall execution, tho some of the high points make the memorie of it better than the whole.

[@UGNAvalon]

“Tell me how the Reimagined version (of the attack on the Colonies) was darker.” - Never watched the original series, but from my ill-informed understanding, it’s a lot easier to survive strafing runs & bombings than it is nukes (esp in the aftermath). As proof, the bombing campaigns of WW2 (including those that literally leveled cities), vs the literal nukes that ended it (which were firecrackers by BSGR’s standards).

[@callen1904]

.....you still owe 1 bagpipes.

[@colinlaw9752]

I will hold my hands up and say the og is probably 60% bad but some of the good is really good. I will say as the series goes though the better bits take place outside of the vipers and space Action. The episode where Apolo gets shout down and it's basically a western is a very good episode. Also I think the episode The Young Warriors is very comic and one of my favourites

[@theofficerfactory2625]

I actually love both series but I do have a love for the original BSG. I should also note that in 1979, Starblazers was airing, the 1974 anime of Space Battleship Yamato but westernized. I swear, SPY had major influences on BSG and SW. I mean, look at IQ-9 and R2D2! Anyway, I have heard that many did not know SB was made in 1974 and compared it to BSG; some called it a rip-off series.

[@abrakahocus]

Ok, now that I watched the whole video, yup we can agree to disagree 🙂. Also, yes the show overall was chaotic, and in the end not so good BUT, it was made in that magical era when Star Wars proved battles in space can make gobs of money. Sadly while the studios decided they wanted in on the cash grab, they also didn't want to risk large amounts of cash. The original BSG like you stated was meant to be a movie. Studios got cold feet, broke it up into 3 episodes and saw it was well received. So they said ok, let's make it a series, here's $1.98, & a insane shooting schedule... Go make us eleventy bajillion dollars... As soon as it showed signs that wasn't going tohappen, they wanted thier $1.98 back... Budgets got cut, blah,blah,blah. It is what it is, and yes I love it all the same. One minor pick... The insectoids want the humans as food for their newly hatched young if memory serves. 😉

[@jollyjohnthepirate3168]

The series started off great but mid season they ran out of story. It was originally supposed to be a television movie. They were in production when ABC decided to go to full series. Everything was rushed. Everything was reused.

[@steinarvilnes3954]

I prefer the old show because it is made for nerds and not women aged 16-36 to be honest. I feel that the reboot it simply to "soapy" and it went way to far to avoid being "nerdy". What I feel killed the reboot was the choice to have no elements in addition to the human fleet and Cylons. It made the show constantly focus on a few elements and characters that matter, which I think is the reason for the "soapy" feel. For me, the reboot is stale hipster crap, while the original feels like appeal more to the childish instincts like the original Star Wars movies or whatever. I do not mind "nerd crack" but I do not enjoy "hipster cocaine".

[@bismarkeugen6881]

Okay up to a certain point, I agreed with you on various things, but then you questioned the Cylon shininess, that is heresy. Jokes aside, the rushed nature and lack of budget were a big problem but partly there is also a sense at least of a different audience intended. I loved the campiness(the dog thing can be vented though), the shininess of the Cylons is my second favourite after the Basestars themselves and I like the harder angles of the colonial ships. A big part that the 1978 show runs into is the whole idea of cliches, a series that originates or is early on ideas that later becomes cliches is subject to being seen as cliches when viewed much later. The reboot personally didn't work for me because I couldn't take the new Cylon ship and raider designs seriously and robot uprising was more boring for me than robots created by an extinct alien race continuously waging war, and the new Viper/Galactica designs are just too curved for my taste. The original series' campiness is the reason why the new show is seen as much darker, it balanced, maybe not in a way that worked, the dark themes. All in all, my two cents why I like the original more.