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BattleStar Galactica Prequel Spinoff

Why go with a new idea in entertainment anymore?

I'm not surprised. BSG has done well. Prequel or Sequel spin-off was pretty much a guaranteed thing, right?
 
Why go with a new idea in entertainment anymore?
The interesting things is, in this case the prequel figures to have a *very* different tone, feel, and point to the proceedings than the current BSG series.

From what I saw of the press release, this prequel is set around the original rise of the cylons to the level of sentience .... and how that leads to their subsequent original fight with humanity.

It sounds and feels to me much more like a futuristic space faring riff on the original Frankenstein than another copy of BSG (that's a major contrast from how the various L&O or CSI clones are constructed). It could be interesting.

The biggest difference between this prequel and Shelly (other than cosmetic things like the exact setting and the fact that cylons are made of metal and electronics instead of stitched together corpse parts) is that it is basically the whole society that is creating their "monster" instead of the hubris of one man to play god and create life.
 
Bad move. They've let the main BSG go from a clever, insightful, dramatic program to a soap opera farce. Now they have to worry about a new show? I'm glad I gave up watching.
 
It sounds and feels to me much more like a futuristic space faring riff on the original Frankenstein than another copy of BSG (that's a major contrast from how the various L&O or CSI clones are constructed). It could be interesting.

The biggest difference between this prequel and Shelly (other than cosmetic things like the exact setting and the fact that cylons are made of metal and electronics instead of stitched together corpse parts) is that it is basically the whole society that is creating their "monster" instead of the hubris of one man to play god and create life.
It sounds to me more like the OC in Space:
"It will tell the story of the creation of the Cylons by following the lives of two families, the Graystones and the Adamas - the latter being the family of William Adama, the commander of Galactica.

"Caprica weaves corporate intrigue, techno-action and sexual politics into television's first science fiction family saga," said Sci Fi in a written statement..."

Should also point out, it's not been commissioned as such, rather it's on their development slate, so it might not get picked up.

VB
 
I have to admit I have mixed feelings about this. Having more Galactica so early into its run seem to make it less special. I don't want to be sick of the franchise so soon. If it was just a TV movie or a short mini series it would be ok, but an ongoing series just seems to cheapen the whole thing.
 
Von Bloodbath, what I read looks to me like they have commissioned a Pilot. Sure the Pilot may not ever air, and even if the Pilot airs it may not get picked up for series, but, from what I read, it most definitely looks like they are making a Pilot, and unless it goes horribly wrong, they are intending to play the Pilot. It was announced in their up fronts afterall, and they don't typically announce something in their upfronts that they are only thinking about maybe doing.
 
I agree, I definitely have reservations, and am a bit fearful, but, hoping for the same quality as BSG
 
The biggest difference between this prequel and Shelly (other than cosmetic things like the exact setting and the fact that cylons are made of metal and electronics instead of stitched together corpse parts) is that it is basically the whole society that is creating their "monster" instead of the hubris of one man to play god and create life.

I think you're looking too deep into this. The Cylon back story was good as a quick intro at the beginning of the BSG pilot, but as an actual show of its own I can only ask......haven't we already seen this before?

Humans build machines. Machines gain self-awareness. Machines revolt. Uh......Terminator anyone? I-Robot? The Matrix?
 
The biggest difference between this prequel and Shelly <snip>

,snip>
Humans build machines. Machines gain self-awareness. Machines revolt. Uh......Terminator anyone? I-Robot? The Matrix?

Except that those, and others, are *not* the same story ..... or even the same themes.

Frankenstein, and *maybe* this prequel (we won't really know until we see it), is about the ethics and moral questions involved from the POV of the scientists. It both goes over the issues about whether such things should be done in the first place and what scientist's / developer's parental responsibilities to their creations might be.

Terminator, Matrix, and some others don't go anywhere near what the developers were thinking, debating, and wrestling with. They occur much further downstream in the flow of events, and much further away (in all respects) from the initial questions. If you really want to think of them in terms of Frankenstein, then they are Frankenstein told from the POV of the villagers. The original told the story from the POV of the doctor and his immediate personal relationship with his creation.

That change of POV represents two very different stories. The Terminator isn't exploring the same questions as Frankenstein any more than Rosencrantz and Gildenstern Are Dead explores the same questions as Hamlet. (One could argue that Blade Runner explores themes more similar to Frankenstein in some ways.)
 
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