Tag Archives: Apollo

Dec 11 2023

Battlestar Galactica Reimagined Circa 2003

After the original Battlestar Galactica TV show ended its run in the late ’70s there have been numerous attempts to revive it. Some included efforts by Bryan Singer and Richard Hatch, the star of the original TV show. But none were successful until Syfy greenlit a remake instead of a sequel to the orignal show, which aired as a two-part mini-series on the cable channel beginning on December 8, 2003.

Distinctly darker and more grounded than the original TV show, the new Battlestar Galactica quickly won acclaim from critics and fans, even those who were skeptical over the changes made to the concept. The mini-series was so successful that Syfy quickly ordered a series, which began airing later in 2004.

The basic premise of the new Battlestar Galactica was similar to the original TV show. In a distant part of the galaxy, a fragile truce between humans and a cybernetic race called the Cylons is shattered when the Cylons launch a surprise attack that destroys the human civilization. The few remaining human survivors set off in a ragtag fleet led by the last remaining battlestar warship called Galactica to find refuge in the lost human colony world known as Earth.

Whereas the original Battlestar Galactica clearly followed the spirit of Star Wars with an emphasis on starship battles and admittedly cheesy scripts, this version was edgier and grittier. It was clear that this 2003 version of Battlestar Galactica was influenced by 9/11. This turned off some fans of the original Battlestar Galactica who desired a more innocent rendition, but the reimagining drew in many more fans to take their place. They welcomed the moral dilemmas and flawed characters that were the main feature of the mini-series as the aftermath of war and its impact on humanity was fleshed out. The show was so grounded that even though these humans lived in a distant part of the galaxy they wore the same kind of clothes we wear today including business suits. They spoke like normal people, too with the exception that the F word was replaced by “frak” to get around censors, although this made up curse word was used too often and unrealistically in normal conversations.

Another way Battlestar Galactica stood apart from the original was with its exceptional acting. Starting from acclaimed and well known actors like Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonnell to relative newcomers like Jamie Bamber, Katee Sackhoff and James Callis, they infused their roles with needed gravitas which engaged the audience. Unlike the original which focused on the adventurous exploits of Captain Apollo and his buddy wingman Starbuck, the clear leads in the remake were Olmos’ William Adama and McDonnell’s President Laura Roslin. Both characters were unexpectedly thrust into leadership roles for the desperate remains of humanity looking for any kind of guidance and hope. Even with the compelling and mature leads, the remake was more of an ensemble piece, as it prominently featured other important characters like Adama’s son Apollo (Bamber) and his best friend, Starbuck (Sachhoff in a role that was orignally portrayed by a man).

Adding to the drama was that the Cylons were hunting down the last remnants of humanity. One of these survivors was Dr. Gaius Baltar (Callis), who unwittingly helped the Cylons destroy human civilization and grapples with his guilt as he is taunted and seduced by an imaginary Cylon called Number Six (Tricia Helfer). She is part of a new race of Cylons that evolved to look and act like humans and were able to infiltrate human society. This new wrinkle with the Cylons added an intriguing twist and put a face to the enemy, which in the original show were just robots without any personality. This development also introduced an element of paranoia as the humans were no longer sure if the enemy was hiding in plain sight among them ready to commit acts of sabotage and terrorism.

The success of Battlestar Galactica revitalized interest in the IP and led to a TV series that ran for four seasons, a spinoff series called Caprica and there are reports of a new version to be produced. Some of the best sci-fi episodes of any TV show were part of the TV show’s lineup as it further developed the plot lines and characters introduced in the mini-series. This would not have been possible if the Battlestar Galactica 2003 mini-series failed to find an audience and it is why it should be praised for its accomplishments twenty years later.

Jul 20 2019

One Giant Leap: Apollo 11’s 50th Anniversary

It may be all too easy to conveniently forget or dismiss the historic anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing given the current mess our world is in. It is also just as easy to get caught up in all the problems, both petty to serious, we face, from hateful political tweets to nuclear proliferation, from celebrity gossip to climate change. Yet, the fact remains that fifty years ago, humankind observed and celebrated its greatest technological feat with the first manned landing on our moon.

Of course, everyone knows of Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin Jr., the second man to walk on the moon, and Michael Collins, the command module pilot of the Columbia, which stayed in lunar orbit as Armstrong and Aldrin descended to moon on the lunar module Eagle. Their accomplishment was truly spectacular and took great courage considering the dangers they faced with relatively untested and primitive (by today’s standards) technologies. Neil Armstrong was always an understated, low-key person who quickly disappeared from the spotlight after his feat. This is part of the reason why not many know how suitable he was for the mission. In his career, Armstrong displayed a calm veneer and quick-thinking skills that were needed in the Apollo 11 mission. Before Apollo 11, Armstrong used these skills to improvise and save his life during dangerous tests and would do so again as the Eagle approached its landing spot. The astronaut saw as they approached the site that it was not a suitable place to land the Eagle, so he used his piloting and navigational skills to quickly find a new location with precious seconds to spare before the module’s fuel ran out. The mission was that close to failing but thankfully it was a huge success which momentarily united all of humankind.

Apollo 11 was one of the most significant milestones in our collective history because with this feat humanity was no longer Earthbound. We are now on the verge of becoming a spacefaring species thanks to the mission, which truly was one small step, but an incredibly important one. This is vital because by traveling into space we are taking steps to prevent our extinction. Of course, landing on the moon was just the beginning and as of now it will take much more for us to become a true space-dwelling species.

One downside to the Apollo mission is that it was fueled back in the ’60s by the Space Race between the United States and the Soviet Union. The U.S. was caught up in a struggle to get to the moon first, to achieve President John F. Kennedy’s goal of getting to the moon by the end of the decade. And this was accomplished 50 years ago, but afterwards, both superpowers took their eyes off the ball. Instead of expanding upon the landing and establishing a lunar colony, both countries focused their space efforts much closer to home. As we made numerous trips to low Earth orbits to set up space stations and conduct experiments the public’s interest in the space effort quickly diminished. Many became downright dismissive and openly (and loudly) wondered what was the use of traveling to space when we had more pressing problems down on Earth.

While these critics have a legitimate point, they overlooked the long-range benefits of space travel and even the immediate ones. For example, after the Apollo program closed down in the ’70s, many of the technicians involved in the program eventually migrated to the computer field. Many of them were considered geniuses and many organizations involved with computers took advantage of this. They were able to use their expertise and knowledge to help drive the marvelous Computer Age that we live in. This is stunning when you consider that the computer that ran the Eagle spaceship was far weaker than any cellphone. As primitive as the computers were during the Apollo mission they paved the way for the computer renaissance today.

However, computers and other technological innovations are not the primary legacy of Apollo 11. Thanks to the efforts of the Apollo 11 astronauts and everyone involved, the imagination was fueled for many of today’s entrepreneurs who have an eye toward space. These include Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Richard Branson, and Robert T. Bigelow. They are actively improving and creating new space technologies such as the resuable Falcon 9 rocket–a true successor to the Apollo’s Saturn V, inflatable space habitats, and more. Private companies are now paving the way to fully return us not just to the moon but to Mars itself. So even though it may seem as if we had reached a dead end with the lunar landing 50 years ago, the fact is that there was merely a delay. We are on the cusp of the next great Space Age where the Space Race won’t be between nations but companies as they rush to reach the red planet. There will be mishaps and setbacks but in the long run these will be mere blips in our future history of being space dwellers.

Thus, 50 years later, Apollo 11 continues to impress and inspire countless of others who will carry forth our species into the stars. Collectively, we will always commemorate and celebrate this historic moment for our species because as Neil Armstrong himself famously said when he took his first step on the moon, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

Walter L. Stevenson and José Soto