The Battlestar Galactica Reboot Dilemma: A Contemporary Conundrum

The Continuing Relevance of Battlestar Galactica

The Battlestar Galactica reboot, executive produced by Sam Esmail, is facing a significant dilemma as it attempts to bring the iconic sci-fi series into the 2020s. With the original series' themes still relevant today, the reboot must navigate the challenges of thematic redundancy and differentiation to succeed in a contemporary context. This article explores the biggest problem with the Battlestar Galactica reboot and the complexities of modernizing a beloved classic for today's audience.

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Ronald D. Moore's original reboot of the Glen A. Larson sci-fi show was critically lauded for how it updated the story for the post-9/11 world of the early 2000s. 20 years since BSG's original miniseries aired on the Sci-Fi Channel, Peacock is looking to reboot the series again, with Mr. Robot's Sam Esmail as executive producer. Sam Esmail is under no illusions about what the Battlestar Galactica reboot needs to succeed. Discussing the reboot while promoting his new Netflix movie, Leave the World Behind, Esmail hailed Ronald D Moore's BSG as "one of the most perfect TV shows out there". The BSG reboot's executive producer also went on to outline his ambitions to do something equally contemporary and relevant as Moore's version did in the early 2000s. The only problem is that the world is still facing a lot of the very same issues that Battlestar Galactica was talking about 20 years ago.

One of Bsg's Cylons and the pianist plays music for Starbuck

Many of the issues facing humanity today are the very same issues that were facing audiences when Ronald D. Moore's Battlestar Galactica began in 2003. This means that the majority of potential stories for the 2020s reboot have already been told. The big themes of Moore's BSG reboot were a divided society, the trauma of war, and the rise of artificial intelligence. The cycles of violence between humans and Cylons in Battlestar Galactica was an allegory not just for the progress of technology, it was also an allegory for the futility of war, and a plea to find common ground.

Six cradles an infant before killing it in Battlestar Galactica

Those themes are still hugely relevant in 2023, a year that has been marked by the devastating conflicts in Ukraine and Palestine, and by the Hollywood strikes in which the role of AI in film and TV production was a major concern. Ronald D. Moore's Battlestar Galactica reboot even foreshadowed the Donald Trump Presidency, with the story of Gaius Baltar (James Callis) and his disastrous time in power during BSG seasons 2 and 3. With the original BSG reboot still relevant for the 2020s, and still readily available to watch, it makes a new version feel redundant.

Helena is held at gunpoint by Gina in Battlestar Galactica

The thematic redundancy of the Battlestar Galactica reboot does prove that it's a huge risk, and one that may not be worth taking. Sam Esmail acknowledges this in his interview, stating that: ". . . if it's not up to that caliber, then there's no point in making it." While this assertion from Esmail should give Battlestar Galactica fans some comfort, it's still hard to picture exactly how the reboot can surmount this problem. The ending of Battlestar Galactica did set up a potential reboot in a world that is more recognizably contemporary. The beings that had taken the form of Gaius Baltar and Six (Tricia Helfer) were wandering around early 21st-century Earth, pondering whether humanity could escape the same mistakes made by their ancestors.

Two men face the firing squad in Battlestar Galactica

Navigating the Thematic Redundancy

The thematic redundancy of the Battlestar Galactica reboot does prove that it's a huge risk, and one that may not be worth taking. Sam Esmail acknowledges this in his interview, stating that: ". . . if it's not up to that caliber, then there's no point in making it." While this assertion from Esmail should give Battlestar Galactica fans some comfort, it's still hard to picture exactly how the reboot can surmount this problem. The ending of Battlestar Galactica did set up a potential reboot in a world that is more recognizably contemporary. The beings that had taken the form of Gaius Baltar and Six (Tricia Helfer) were wandering around early 21st-century Earth, pondering whether humanity could escape the same mistakes made by their ancestors.

President Fitch sits at his desk with the words "one year later" on the screen in Battlestar Galactica.

Similarly, the idea of corporations using AI to generate artwork and story ideas does provide an alternative way of looking at the human and Cylon conflict. The machines were meant to make life easier, allowing human beings more time to engage in more creative and rewarding pursuits. Now, it seems that machines are used to cut costs and leave creatives unemployed. That's an interesting starting point for a Battlestar Galactica reboot, perhaps beginning with the Cylons having already subjugated humanity, with a group of workers rebelling against their machine masters. The problem is that, even with this fresh take on Battlestar Galactica it would feel more like The Matrix or Terminator than it would the show it's supposed to be rebooting.

This image shows the Battlestar Galactica cast with a red overlay.

Differentiation and Modernization

Battlestar Galactica influenced TV sci-fi for the ensuing two decades, so the BSG reboot needs to work hard to mark itself out as a different entity. There are certainly interesting developments in artificial intelligence that could provide a new take on the battle between humans and Cylons, but it remains to be seen if they'd be enough to justify a reboot. Technology and humanity's relationship with it has drastically changed since BSG ended. For example, cancel culture, deep fake technology, and the spread of disinformation on social media could provide fertile ground for a more insidious approach by the Cylons to topple humanity.

Similarly, the idea of corporations using AI to generate artwork and story ideas does provide an alternative way of looking at the human and Cylon conflict. The machines were meant to make life easier, allowing human beings more time to engage in more creative and rewarding pursuits. Now, it seems that machines are used to cut costs and leave creatives unemployed. That's an interesting starting point for a Battlestar Galactica reboot, perhaps beginning with the Cylons having already subjugated humanity, with a group of workers rebelling against their machine masters. The problem is that, even with this fresh take on Battlestar Galactica it would feel more like The Matrix or Terminator than it would the show it's supposed to be rebooting.