Battlestar Galacticawas seen as a cheesy relic of the 1970s post-Star Warsscience fiction boom untilRonald D. Moorereimagined it for the 21st century in 2004. Now, there’s a movement afoot to revive the property once more - and Moore is interested in seeing how it plays out. In a conversation with Collider’sSteve WeintraubatSan Diego Comic-Con, Moore revealed he’s kept an eye on recent attempts to reboot the property, and was contacted by the writer spearheading the project:
It certainly catches my attention whenever it’s mentioned, but like you said, they’ve been talking about it for a long time.Sam Esmailcalled me a couple of years ago, maybe several years ago now, just to say he was doing it and was I okay with that? And it was lovely. He didn’t need my permission. I just thought it was a nice courtesy call. I told him, “Godspeed.”Icame in and reinvented it, so what am I gonna say about anyone else who wants to do it? I wish them well.
Moore’s version of the series was a hit with critics and audiences,far beyond its 1970s source material. He acknowledges that his acclaimed version of the series is a tough act to follow:
In all modesty, we set a very high bar for what that show is. That’s a task for whoever comes after us.
He does think, however, that it’s possible to reboot the series successfully for a second time. As he says, “there’s a lot of talented people out there”, and Esmail is certainly one of them:
He is one of the few people that I’m like, “Oh, wait, I actually am curious. AfterMr. Robot, if you have an idea…” I’m curious to see what it is. I’ll watch. Sign me up.
What Is ‘Battlestar Galactica’ About?
Debuting with atwo-episode miniseriesin 2004,Battlestar Galacticais set in a distant region of space, where humns live on twelve planetary colonies. Those colonies were almost entirely wiped out in a devastating sneak attack by the robotic Cylons. The only remnants of humanity survive aboard the colonies' last capital ship, the BattlestarGalactica. They embark on a desperate journey to reach the fabled thirteenth colony - a world called Earth. However, they are still menaced by the Cylons both without and within; unlike in the original series, where the Cylons were clunky, chrome-coated robots, the new series' Cylons are able to take on human form, making themalmost-undetectable infiltratorsamong the human population. The series takes a look at the morality of the then-contemporary War on Terror and the paranoia and mistrust it sowed among the population, while also exploring science fiction themes like transhumanism. It was a huge success for the Sci-Fi Channel, and ran for four seasons before coming to acontroversial conclusion.
Esmail’s reboot of the series, which is said to hew more closely to the original 1978 series, was announced back in 2019 for the Peacock streaming service. Since then, it has experienced a number of setbacks, including the global pandemic and the dual SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes of last year, but Esmail has indicated that the series is still a priority for him.
Stay tuned to Collider for all of our San Diego Comic-Con coverage this weekend.
Battlestar Galactica
When an old enemy, the Cylons, resurface and obliterate the 12 colonies, the crew of the aged Galactica protect a small civilian fleet - the last of humanity - as they journey toward the fabled 13th colony, Earth.
