Just as remaking the original "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" film without consulting series mastermind Joss Whedon is nothing short of a Hollywood faux pas, it seems equally unthinkable to forge a big-screen "Battlestar Galactica" adventure without Ron Moore, creator of the recently finished television series. This may be a fairly common sentiment among fans of Moore's politically-minded take on the classic science fiction franchise, but it appears that not every "Galactica" vet shares that feeling -- so long as the film version is done right.
Richard Hatch, who played fighter pilot Apollo in the original '70s-era "Galactica" series and then terrorist-turned-politician-turned-terrorist Tom Zarek in the latest incarnation, tells Moviehole that he'd be keen to see Universal Studios' announced "Battlestar Galactica" film if it took a cue from the recent "Star Trek" revival.
"I think [Universal] saw the success Paramount had with their 'Star Trek' reboot. But unlike Paramount, who seems to know the 'Star Trek' audience, I don't think Universal ever quite got 'Battlestar,'" said Hatch. "[With 'Trek'], it was still the character we love, but they went back twenty, thirty years to when they were just kids. But with 'Battlestar,' they're just going to go back to the same timeframe we saw in the series and recast those roles."
Hatch also acknowledged that the fruition of this planned "Battlestar" adaptation is likely to be painful for Ron Moore, saying: "I'm sure [he] would love to do a film version of the new series."
Of course, there is more of Moore's "Battlestar Galactica" on the flight deck. The Edward James Olmos-directed telemovie "The Plan" will serve as a postscript to the show. There's also the prequel series called "Caprica," for which the pilot has already aired, focusing on the early creation of the Cylons. "Caprica" will launch on the Sci-Fi SyFy Network (*cough*) this fall. Hatch says that if the fans want more, they'll certainly get more.
"It's never the end if fans want more," he said. "It's a money game. If they realize people want more, believe me, they'll make more of them -- they did it with 'Babylon 5' and a number of other sci-fi shows. 'Battlestar' is not done yet, it's just a question of how and when it'll come back."
Given the very definitive ending of the latest, much-beloved "Battlestar Galactica" series, it's almost sacrilegious to imagine a follow-up to that story. What could be cool, however, is a series of movies -- or even a brand new serialized TV show -- focusing on the early days of Admiral William Adama and Colonel Saul Tigh during the first Cylon War. Heck, a big screen adaptation of that story could be frakkin' sweet.
Do you think Hatch is on the right track regarding a "Battlestar Galactica" film? Would you prefer that the franchise be left alone?
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