This is my frakkin' term paper for my Theory of Co...
This is my frakkin' term paper for my Theory of Communicaton's Class, hope you enjoy it if you're a BSG fan. It's not complete, but it's almost there. br / br / br / HOLY FRAK IT’S THE NEW BATTLESTAR GALACTICA br / Stephen Peace br / Comm 6010 br / br / br / br / The new Battlestar Galactica (BSG) show has been both a TV ratings hit for the Sci-Fi channel, and also, a critically acclaimed one.
Rolling Stone Magazine and TV Guide Magazine, plus numerous newspapers sing its praises; applaud the themes, plots and subtexts. In the second season BSG won a Peabody Award and was nominated for six Emmys (Coffren, 2006). BSG fans like Rob Morganbesser also has a high opinion of the series.
“There are two shows on I consider to be the finest written shows on TV; Deadwood and Battlestar Galactica” (Morganbesser, 2006). Sci-fi fans want to feel a part of the writing and try and own a piece of the show. Jenkins (1992) says: br / Michael de Certeau (1984) has characterized such active reading br / as “poaching” and impertinent raid on the literary preserve that br / takes away only those things that are useful or pleasurable to the reader: br / “Far from being writer’s …readers are travelers; they move across lands belonging to someone else, like nomads poaching their ways across br / fields they did not write, despoiling the wealth of Egypt to enjoy br / it themselves” (174).
De Certeaus’ “poaching” analogy characterizes the relationship between readers and writers as an ongoing struggle for br / possession of the text and for control over its meanings (Page #) br / br / Fans at the www.tv.groups.
yahoo.com/group/battlestargalacticarevival site evidence this textual poaching. Many science fiction series in recent years have never reached their logical endings; they were usually cancelled before the journeys were supposed to have ended.
Star Trek’s journey was supposed to have been a five year mission of exploration, it only lasted three years. To remedy this situation fans on the “Battlestar Galactica Resurrection” site have written possible endings to the new BSG. In one story the Cylons finally chase down the remaining humans just as they reach earth’s galaxy.
This is after years and years of constant battles between the two enemies. The remaining few hundred humans on Galactica, the last ship in the fleet and knowing that the end is near blow it up rather than have it fall into Cylon hands (Morganbessers, 2006). Another story is that the Cylons beat Galactica to earth and will be waiting on them (Vladimir, 2006).
I read these theories about three weeks ago and am not sure if Vladimir might not have had a hint that this was where the series was headed, because according to the very last episode aired the week of November 10, 2006, the Cylons have decided that earth would make a very good home for them (Moore, 2006). br / br / Also, if fans write their own stories and possible endings, they feel as if they are somehow participating in writing the series. It should also be noted that “active reader sci-fi fans” see TV viewing fans as not being as aware of all the intricacies of science fiction or really “true fans.
” Active fans consider the late comers of the 70’s brought in by Star Trek, Star Wars and Battlestar Galactica as being invading barbarians (Brown, 1994). Science fiction fans are inventive as Cynthia Jenkins (1998) points out: br / Science fiction fans are motivated by self-invention, in which fandom br / provides an opportunity to live in and through a set of symbols that are br / expressive of ones aspirations rather than “reality.” “What many br / .
..fans enjoy is the sense of creating their own cultures…which more br / perfectly express their own social vision and fantasies” (p.
br / br / “As a lead up and to the third season and to help new viewers catch up and possibly become regular fans, BSG and the Sci-Fi Channel condensed the first two seasons into a one hour summation narrated by Laura Rosalyn, former Education Secretary to the 12 Colonies, turned president, turned spiritual leader, turned captive.” “In the third season the Cylons are divided on how to handle the rebellion of the captured colonists. Some favor a more aggressive approach to the “insurgency.
” This is where Galactica gets really interesting using terminology that Americans have heard during the war in Iraq, but assigning them to different players. In the “Galactica” battle, it is the humans, ostensibly the good guys, who are insurgents, embarking on suicide bombings” (Young, 2006). David Eick, Executive Producer of the show, said that, “this is an opportunity to explore the adage that “one person’s freedom fighter is another person’s terrorist.
” Eick and Rob Moore, producer-writer, believe that the world did not need another Star Trek or space opera. Instead of trying to out do Star Trek they decided to go back to the origins of science-fiction, taking their cues from the novels of Robert A. Heinlein and Isaac Asimov.
Eick says, “Those were all about the allegorical and socio-political commentary, which we felt had been lost in contemporary science-fiction. It wasn’t so much about us coming up with a new idea as going back to an old one, using science-fiction as a smokescreen to discuss and invest in issues of the day.” Eick says, “We’re political junkies, poly-sci majors in college, so we gravitate toward these kind of stories”.
Eick explains, “Religion plays a large role in “Battlestar”, which blends elements of Mormonism, Christianity and ancient religions. It all came about through a throw away line in the very first episode in which a Cylon says that “God is love.” For some reason a network executive, who was probably leaving, said “go more religious.
” Eick says, “we took a note like that and really ran with it. of the Cylons” (Owen, 2006). br / br / Battlestar Galactica has many points of entry for science-fiction fans; sleek laser firing spaceships, human like robots, shiny metal robots, strong women characters, sexy women characters, strong male characters, wimpy male characters, action adventure situations, topical situations including war, terrorism, torture, and the most important of all, the setting in a future and galaxy far, far away.
One of the more interesting word/vocabulary points in BSG is the word “frak.” Frak is one of the signals used in the BSG community to show that you are in with the BSG in crowd. “Frak it” or just plain “frak” are heard a lot on the series.
“Frak replaces an FCC-unfriendly term that shares the same first and last letter” (Young, 2006). br / br / Fall 2006 was the third year for BSG, and to commemorate the new season, BSG online groups were encouraging fans to have opening night “frak parties.” The idea was that BSG fans would understand and spread the word both literally and figuratively.
These “frak parties” might just encourage people unfamiliar with the show or word to watch BSG and find out what is going on. Also, to keep the word frak from being overused the series writers and producers are combining frak with other words to make new otherworldly cusswords such as “Holy Frak.” In the third season holy frak seems to be coming into its own and is being used by several characters.
The use of the substitute word frak by the series writer and co-producer, Ronald Moore, seems to reflect the freshness and new ground being broken by BSG and the Sci-Fi Channel. Most fans assume that frak means very close to what it sounds and which supposedly comes from or was first mentioned in the Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. br / br / Fans reason if you were a character from another planet or galaxy you would probably use some type of socially unacceptable words to show your frustration with your fellow beings, the systems or when you have screwed up and wish you hadn’t.
In a conversation between two BSG 2003 fans the word frak always comes up. It is like cussing and people think they know what you mean, but they aren’t sure because you really haven’t said the real word. BSG fans know what you mean; it is part of the code.
So, what is new to new fans might just be a slightly new twist to old fans. An unknown fact too many new fans of BSG are that the old show also used a recognizable word as a stand in cuss word. In the 1978 show the word that they used was “felgercarb” (Whyman, 2006).
The old male Starbuck was the one most prone to use the word. br / br / One of the main characters that use frak in the new BSG is the female character Kara “Starbuck” Thrace. Starbuck, which is her fighter pilot nickname, has a big ego, and isn’t afraid to question or bop a superior’s nose.
Frak is Starbuck’s favorite word and flows easily from her mouth. Both the old and new Starbuck, smokes cigars and gambles. But the new female Starbuck hasn’t exhibited very many “supposed” feminine qualities in the first two seasons.
But interestingly, she hasn’t been portrayed as being a lesbian or bisexual. Sexual orientation is a touchy subject in the sci-fi community. In many sci-fi movies or series there have only been small hints of anything but what is considered to be normal sexual behavior.
br / br / Some female fans have noticed this and taken matters into their own hands by writing their own stories. One form of alternate literature written by fans that has gotten a lot of notice in academic circles is called “slash.” Slash material has male characters involved in homosexual activity.
A lot of the fan’s slash material involves Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock from the Star Trek TV show and movies. Another interesting factor is that most of the slash material has been written by women.
The women slash writers do it for different reasons, but some admit it is to satisfy their own sexual orientations or desires. The women writers are writing about a male bonding from which they are excluded. Ciconi (1998) writes, “That Russ (1985a, 1985b) Lamb and Veith (1986), and Penley (1991); they concluded that slash texts are not discourses about homosexuality, but rather fantasies that articulate women’s desires concerning relationships…” (p.
#) The women slash writers usually project themselves in the secondary male character in the show and write the feelings and emotions that they would like to feel either in that situation or in real life. This means that the leading man would have to exert characteristics that are often lacking in real life men. br / br / Chapters 6 7 of the book Science Fiction Culture by Bacon-Smith reflect how sci-fi conventions and sci-fi writing has changed to meet and reflect new audiences.
Chapter # 6 of Science Fiction Culture is: “Women in Science Fiction: The Backlash and Beyond. Chapter # 7 of the book is titled: “Gay and Lesbian Presence in Science Fiction. Bacon-Smith relates how in the 1930’s there were gay science fiction writers and editors, but due to the times they were kept their sexual orientation secret.
Then with New Wave and feminism of the 70’s, plus the widely popular success of Star Wars with both males and females, a new audience was brought into the science fiction community. These new audiences/groups at conventions and meetings forced science fiction to open up to sexual issues and openly gay and lesbian writers. At one convention a new sub-group was formed which recognized gay members.
The group is called Gaylaxians. Gaylaxians was founded to help gay fans and writers seeking acceptance in the fan community and in the larger world. Gaylaxians, as a group, has struggled to stay a viable entity and many chapters have folded.
Also many books and stories written about gay lifestyles, have met with mixed sales results. br / br / “A reader and a fan are terms that are used almost interchangeably in much of the available work on sf reading.” Kofmel (2006) states, “A sci-fi reader is someone for whom sf is was facet of his/her social life or his or her identity.
” Not all readers are fans. Many un-initiated people view sci-fi and fantasy as the same, but fans know the difference. Science fiction and fantasy are both fantastic, speculative genres, but speculation in sci-fi is based on science and technology.
In most fantasy, the speculation is based on myth, magic and the supernatural. Readers continue to choose sci-fi for two reasons: satisfaction and strategy. The three strongest goals of “purposeful reasons” for reading sci-fi are the exploration of ideas, the affirmation of worldviews, and escape.
Four strategy reasons for reading sci-fi are habit, using category as a filter to make the selection task a manageable size, influence of the reader’s social network, and domain knowledge (p. br / br / “Fandom Is a Way of Life” or FIAWOL has been a fannish slogan for years. At the 2006 summer Dragon Con Festival held in Atlanta many fans dressed as Star Imperial Troopers, plus numerous other Star Wars and Star Trek characters.
This seemed to verify FIAWOL. Pictures at the online bulletin board there were pictures of at least twenty men and possibly women, dressed as Star Wars Imperial Troopers. In one picture the fans dressed as Troopers were marching down Peachtree Street, as hundreds of other fans and spectators watched from the sidewalk.
This parade was organized and broken up into the Star Trek look a-likes, Star Wars look a-likes, plus smatterings of people who looked like the new and old BSG Colonial soldiers. There was also one person dressed as a 1978 BSG metal Centurion. As a recent counter slogan at conventions to “Fandom Is a Way of Life” is the term FIJAGH, “Fandom Is Just a Goddamned Hobby.
” (Dragoncon.org) br / br / In 1978 the first TV series named Battlestar Galactica premiered. This was a major milestone to science fiction fans, because, after the cancellation of Star Trek, several years earlier, there had been no significant science fiction series on a major TV channel.
Many former Star Trek fans watched to see is this new show would take off where Star Trek had left off. But BSG was different; it was about a futuristic race of people living in another galaxy far from earth. The 1978 series was also made possible by the phenomenal success of the 1977 film Star Wars.
“In fact, 20th Century Fox sued Universal Studios (the studio behind Battlestar Galactica) for copyright infringement, claiming that it had stolen 34 distinct ideas from Star Wars. Universal promptly countersued, claiming Star Wars had stolen ideas from the 1972 Silent Running (notably the robot “drones”) and the Buck Rogers Serials of the 1940’s. The lawsuit was eventually dismissed in 1980” (Wikipedia, 2006).
br / br / Something strange had happened after the cancellation of Star Trek; fans didn’t disappear into the vast TV world, but organized themselves. This was something that no other group of TV fans had ever accomplished. But this was not something new for science fiction fans.
In 1928 and 1929 the first Science Correspondence clubs were formed and bylaws for clubs were written. Soon there were Science Correspondence Clubs formed all over the states. The clubs held meetings, read books and magazine, then held discussions both in person and via letters.
Soon a club from NY and a club from Philadelphia meet in what is considered to be the first convention. (Moskowitz, 1954) As Jenkins (1992) says of conventions, “For more than six decades, the science fiction convention has been a crossroads where fans can interact with their favorite writers or performers, get to know other fans with common interests, exchange ideas, and showcase their own creative productions” (p. br / br / Sci-fi fan loyalty has sometimes gone to extremes, and often leads to the “weirdness” label that follows the genre and fan culture.
Fan loyalty to the original Star Trek show was and is an example of when something turns on a fan they often won’t ever let it go. They even gained their own distinctive name, “Trekkers.” On a Saturday Night Live show there was even a skit of Captain Kirk still on the bridge of the Enterprise sitting in his famous chair as stagehands began to dismantle the set around him.
He refused to give in even as the set disappeared and character after character left to pick up their last paycheck (link to video @ Michaels, 2006). John Belushi, who was playing Captain Kirk would not leave nor give up the character. Belushi as Kirk said at the end of the skit, “…Except at one television network we have found intelligence throughout the galaxy”.
After a few more years as the fan obsession with Star Trek continued unabated, also on Saturday Night Live, William Shatner, who played Captain Kirk in the series, made fun of Trekkers obsession with the show. The title of the skit was “Get a Life” and Shatner rebuked fans for obsessing over even the smallest things relating to Star Trek (Michaels, 2006). But it was evident to many in the business industry that these fans spent money on clothes, props and bought merchandise based on the show.
The TV executives soon realized that this fan base could be seen as a possible viewing audience. Therefore, it can be reasoned that Star Trek fans and other science fiction fans, helped in making the 1978 BSG series a reality. Another plus for the formation of the series was that Lorene Green had signed on to be playing the pivotal character of Admiral Adama.
Lorene Green had played Ben Cartwright on the much beloved and well viewed Bonanza series. It had been cancelled about two years earlier. It was evidently reasoned by the TV executives, that Lorene Green would give the new show a degree of credibility.
He would play another father figure, similar to the one he had played on Bonanza, and he would supposedly bring his fan base to the new series. But in reality, Lorene Green’s fan base was comprised mostly of older women who did not know very much about or care for science fiction and what they considered to be Buck Rogers’s stories. He was not popular with the younger male science fiction audience who were probably rebelling against their very own father figures.
br / br / The human characters of this 1978 BSG series were supposedly of earth origin and part of a government alliance they called the 12 Colonies of Kobol. At sometime in the distant past they had migrated from the home planet earth, but had lost contact with, and thereby the location of earth. There are two descriptions of the origin of the Cylons, the shiny metal robots with the red shifting eye.
The first story goes that once the Cylons realized they were being used like slaves, they rebelled starting a war. The Cylons were defeated and the remaining ones retreated into deep space. After about 40 years of perfecting their technology, they returned to attack the 12 Colonies of Kobol.
This back story was given during the credits of the 1978 series. An alternate story was later given by Starbuck to a young boy. According to Starbuck it seems that the 12 Colonies had been in a long war with a race of lizard like creatures, and that the lizards weren’t fairing well against the humans.
So the lizards reasoned that the best way to fight the humans was to create something like them. So the lizard like creatures created the warrior Centurion Cylons. Starbuck said that the lizard creatures somehow died, but the Cylon robots kept fighting the humans.
In both the old and new series the Cylons were defeated and driven away into deep space. br / br / The 12 Colonies of Kobol were spread out over a galaxy, but the Cylons had prepared for every eventuality, including overcoming of the Colonies military security codes. Thus due to their years of planning and highly developed spaceships, the Cylons quickly defeated the 12 Colonies.
Their swarms of robot controlled fighters and Base Star mother ships first set out to destroy the Battlestars. Batlestars were the 12 Colonies battleship like spaceships. The Battlestars were the same ships that had defeated the Cylons’ armies 40 years ago.
This time, due to their lack of military preparedness, the Battlestars were easily defeated by the modern Cylon armada. The 1978 back story was meant to be reminiscent of the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor at the beginning of WW II. It also reflected a political theme of the time about the military preparedness of the U.
S. in the cold war with the U.S.
S.R. These were all different points of entry for the 1978 fans.
This story also reflected the times and a train of thought which reasoned that the United States needed to stay prepared to fight the Soviet Union. “The show also seemed to reflect contemporary political anxieties, especially with regard to the Cold War and “nation malaise” (Wikipedia, 2006). Again, the old show was using current politics and issues and reflecting them in the writing.
New fans, who might have watched reruns of the old show or bought the C.D. collection, might not have understood what seemed like ancient histories to them were current events and politics of those days.
The new BSG, probably based on the fact that it is on a cable channel and not a tightly regulated network, and also the fact that over 25 years separate the two shows, allows the new BSG to be a more accurate mirror of the wars, politics and times. br / br / The main acting cast of this 1978 series was comprised of Admiral Adama, who commanded the Battlestar named Galactica and the fleet. Another character was Lee Adama, the admiral’s son.
Lee Adama was also a Captain in the Colonial Fleet of Kobol and a viper pilot who commanded a squadron of vipers. Vipers were the main spaceship/fighters of Galactica. Lee Adama’s viper pilot nickname was “Apollo”.
Giving nicknames to viper pilots was similar to the system U.S. fighter pilots had adopted during WW II, the Korean War and in subsequent wars.
Apollo’s buddy was also a fighter pilot named “Starbuck”. Starbuck’s character was supposed to be a handsome cigar smoking “ladies man.” He was also a slightly long haired anti-establishment type character.
Anti-establishment characters were also a much analyzed and discussed subject in those days. br / br / The present BSG series on the Sci-Fi Channel is called a “re-imaging” of the first series. Re-imaging is a term that is being used by networks and production companies to say that something is like the old, but with several new changes.
This is supposed to help fans of the old TV show or movie become aware that this won’t just be a repeat of the old, but will have variations. These variations might mean new or deleted favorite characters or changed situations from the old show or movie. Jenkins says that fans are possessive of popular narratives they are also aware that the text does not belong to them and that the producers can change the material to suit their desires.
Jenkins (1992) called this “retooling.” br / Sometimes, fans respond to the situation with a worshipful deference br / to media producers, yet often they respond with hostility and anger br / against those who have the owner to “retool” their narratives into something radically different from that which the audience desires” (p. br / The BSG fan online bulletin boards were instantly galvanized and delighted with the prospect of a new BSG series.
The Sci-Fi Channel even started a BSG website to keep the fans informed of what was happening and to do a countdown to the opening of the new series. On this website they posted short clips from the new series for fans to watch in advance. br / br / Many years prior to all of this Richard Hatch, the actor who had played Apollo in the old series, had bought the re-production rights to the 1978 version a few years after it had been cancelled.
Then he hit the convention circuit and TV board rooms trying to get BSG back on the air. At the conventions and at any available venue Hatch kept talking up the possibility of a new BSG. Plus over the ensuing years Hatch took matters into his own hand and wrote two books based on the characters from the original show.
He sold the books at conventions and at bookstores where he made personal appearances. He also made a short pilot of a possible series and also showed that at conventions. Finally, Hatch and some others secured financial backing and were green lighted for the new BSG series.
Part of the development deal was because of the creation of the Sci-Fi Channel. The Sci-Fi channel like most channels does reruns, but to maintain fans and draw new potential viewers it also needs a constant flow of new material. When the BSG pilot show was being filmed Richard Hatch again made the rounds of the fan conventions, but this time he began to talk of re-imaging of the new BSG.
When the show aired most of the fans were delighted, even with the new characters and situations. But the main re-imaging on the new BSG that created the most fan consternation was the character Starbuck. The gregarious male Starbuck was now a woman.
Many fans saw this as a betrayal of the original series ideas and concepts. Again this goes back to Jenkins “ongoing struggle for possession of the text and for control over its meanings.” New fans couldn’t care less about what sex Starbuck was they liked the character.
The old fans, even with their resentment couldn’t help themselves and had to watch the show. Then, over the course of the first year, opposition to the female Starbuck gave way to acceptance. Over that first year she became her own character and not just a reflection of the male character from the past.
br / br / The fan’s unspoken fear in the first year was that this female Starbuck might just turn out to be a lesbian. This was because she was strong, athletic and had many attributes that people associate with lesbians. If she had turned out to be a lesbian, this probably would have created a huge fan backlash.
“The portrayal of heterosexuality as a sexual norm is so pervasive in U.S. popular culture that the constructed ness of (hetro) sexuality is often ignored in critical studies” (Whately, 1991).
br / br / OTT and AOKI (2001) investigated this norm by inquiring into the construction of sexuality in Star Trek the Next Generation (TNG). br / “Though the coupling on TNG are often inter-special (racial), they have br / never been same sex. During its run TNG never depicted an openly gay character.
” The “symbolic annihilation” (Gross, 1994, p. 143) of gay br / men and women in the self-proclaimed utopian world of the twenty-fourth century can be interpreted in a number of ways. Perhaps homosexuality is br / simply considered unnatural, or it was cured by advanced medical technology.
” (p. 407) br / To take control and to confront these issues several gay groups waged a letter writing campaign insisting that the producers film an episode about sexual orientation. OTT and AOKI (2001): br / The show responded with two different episodes.
Beverly br / Crusher falls in love with a member of an alien race called the Trill. Crusher doesn’t realize, has a symbiotic life form inside br / of a host body. During the course of the episode the host dies and the br / symbiotic life-form is transferred to a female host.
When confronted by br / this female host, who professes her love for Crusher, Crusher rejects br / the host, but gives her a kiss. (pp.407-408) br / br / Science Fiction fans refer to this as the “Trill Kiss”.
br / In another episode of the Next Generation called “The Outcast” Commander Riker, always seen as the series manly man, falls in love with Soren a female from an androgynous race called the J‘nai. “Given Soren’s sexual ambiguity, the relationship has, at least at the level of display, homosexual overtones. But throughout the episode Riker states that he isn’t gay.
And Soren tells Riker that she has always felt female tendencies. When her race finds out she is leaning toward the female tendencies they have her re-programmed. She then becomes androgynous again and rejects Riker.
” Start Trek the Next Generation depicted a “Utopian Society.” In the STNG people evidently did not use money and they had very enlightened views on most subjects, which supposedly included sex. But again due to the nature of sci-fi fans and possible backlash there were no overtly gay characters.
In claiming to depict an ideal society utopias not only suggest what is wrong with society, but they also suggest how it should be different. The 2003 BSG does not depict a utopian society; it has all of the ills and politics that reflect our very own society. By depicting these less than utopian qualities in another society, especially one created in a science fiction story, we can compare their problems to ours.
By using a sci-fi story it is also possible to investigate a subject that might not be acceptable using contemporary human characters. br / br / At this time BSG doesn’t have an openly gay character, although there has been speculation that one might appear. Present day BSG fans probably won’t be as shocked or turned off as say, fans of the 1968 Star Trek or the 1978 BSG would have been.
As a matter of fact, some fans have begun copying and making their own web based TV patterned on Star Trek. According to an article by Jenkins (1992)1998??
?? Jenkins says “Fandom constitutes its own distinctive Art World founded less upon the consumption of pre-existing texts that on the production of fan texts which draw raw materials from the media as a basis for new forms of cultural creation” (p.
A fan named Rob Caves is doing as Jenkins’ observed and constructed a twenty fourth century set similar to the Star Trek Next Generation set. He also outfits his actors with imitation uniforms from the STNG series. The main difference is that his male characters are gay and in an episode might be discussing their same sex relationships.
Caves’ has named his series “The Hidden Frontier” the subtitle proclaims it “A Frontier Beyond The Rest.” So far, he has produced and shown nearly 50 episodes that cost about $500.00 each to make.
CBS Paramount was not amused and is suing him to make him stop infringing on their copyrights. If Paramount is successful Caves plans on doing another series, but this time it would be an original Sci-Fi series. He has said that he hopes the fans he created who watched “The Hidden Frontier” will follow him to his new series.
(Deburge 2006) br / br / Another team of fans in Finland made a feature length movie called “Star Wreck: In The Pirkinning” and gave it away for free on the internet. They had 4 million downloads and made money selling t-shirts based on their movie. There is also a web series called “New Voyages.
” His scene designs are so elaborate that the shows cost $70,000.00 each to produce. People who worked on set designs of this web series have been recommended and gotten jobs on the new BSG.
The cost of web based productions seem quite a bargain when compared to the 2.2 million it takes to make a weekly TV series and the 1.2 million for a weekly reality TV show.
(Deburge 2006) br / br / Adam Stoskey, Sci-Fi Channel’s Senior VP of marketing said of launching BSG that “The heat, and energy and emotion and passion for this project in these halls has been staggering from day one” (Jensen, 2006). Part of that was due that people were familiar with the story and former series. And part of that was also due to the high internal expectations for the show.
Sci-Fi channel decided to try and move beyond genre and go for a broad 18-49 year old audience that would be attracted to a good drama, not to the narrower audience for a good science fiction. At its core BSG is a drama, a politically charged social commentary drama, more than it is a space opera.” Its contemporaries were more in the line of The West Wing, and the Shield, rather than Star Trek or Stargate SG-1.
This meant that the Sci-Fi Channel would have to “redefine viewer’s expectations.” According to Mr. Stotsky they took a three pronged approach, First they decided that they needed to get an advance preview into as many hands as possible.
Some 2 million DVD previews were made and distributed everywhere from movie theatres to comic book conventions. A free video on demand preview was setup with the cable systems. And after the show launched, post episode conversations on AOL with the creators and cast were held, as well as longer podcasts and blogs, gave new viewers more reason to watch and become a fan.
br / br / Another strategy was to tap into the synergy form NBC Universal, which reran the original Sci-Fi Channel’s mini-series a week before the cable series launched. Research later determined that one quarter of the 25-54 year old viewers of the Sci-fi series had watched the miniseries on NBC. There was also a tie-in with Spanish language Teleumondo and its youth targeted cable channel mun2 using actor Edward James Olmos, who is of Mexican heritage.
Universal Home Video offered DVD exclusives and a four minute clip before some film screenings. Finally, there was the creative execution itself. Nowhere in the advertising is there a spaceship.
“No phasers, no robotics, no metallic Cylons, no techno battles, no outer space shots” Mr. Stoksy said, just close ups of the character’s faces, evoking the drama, emotion and complex characters in the series. (Jensen, 2006) br / br / The Peabody Award’s committee member Melanie Mcfarland and a TV critic for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer says that “Battlestar transcends the pitfalls of the genre’ She also says, “Science fiction doesn’t get taken seriously because people think of it as aliens and space suits.
Really great television shows comment on their times, and Battlestar does that. It explores what it means to be human. And it filters through politics, power and divine right.
It challenges its viewers to define humanity in times of war.” (Mcfarland, 2006) br / br / The “feminist perspective” is also present in BSG. There are female fighter pilots, there was a female president the first two years, and females are liberally scattered as both the good and bad guys.
Also, determining who is good and who is bad doesn’t necessarily go along the Cylons versus the humans. Sometimes the Cylons seem to take the high road and the humans the low road, and then on the next episode the roles are reversed. br / In a nod to feminism and how it might play out in the future it was announced that the historically male Starbuck, played in the 1978 series by a handsome leading man type, would this time be re-imagined as a woman.
Re-imagined was supposed to help fans realize that this would have a lot of similarities to the original series, but also have many differences. The female Starbuck was one of the main re-imaginings. Many male fans of the old series had difficulty with this re-imagining for two reasons: 1) It interfered with the two leading men’s friendship.
2) It upset the male view of what a hero was supposed to be and look like. Another nod to a different possible feminist future was the president of the fleeing survivors of the 12 Colonies of Kobol; Laura Rosalyn. This female character faced the same type of prejudices a “real life” woman president would face.
Other characters kept saying of her. “How can she be president, she was just a schoolteacher?” But Laura Rosalyn had evidently been tapped to be the then Secretary of Education of the 12 Colonies of Kobol.
And after the sneak attack and the death of the rest of the government leaders, she was the highest ranking official alive, thereby the de-facto president. In the show some of the military men, including Admiral Adama, thought that now there is a war the military-men should only be in control. Eventually, they relinquished command to the formation of a new government headed by the woman president.
Admiral Adama and the new president strike an uneasy alliance. Just like in real life politics they are forced to compromise for the benefit of their society. Slowly, over the first two seasons, the female president’s skills and leadership ability win Admiral Adama over to her side.
Another featured women on Galectica is a woman mechanic who helps maintain the fighter vipers. There are also other women officers who serve on the bridge and women in every facet of the spaceship life. In this large ensemble cast there are also women Cylons.
An interesting note and something that seems to be opposed to a feminist idea, is the sexy and scantily clad Number 6. Creed (****): br / br / Laura Mulvaney published a daring essay “Visual Pleasure and br / Narrative Cinema”, which put female spectatorship on the agenda br / for all time. Mulvaney argued that in a world ordered by sexual br / imbalance the role of making things happen usually fell to the br / male protagonist, while the female star occupied a more passive br / position, functioning as an erotic object for the desiring look of br / the male.
Woman signified image, a figure to be looked at, while br / man controlled the look. This is my frakkin' term paper for my Theory of Co..
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