189 replies to this topic

[Werthead]

Interesting.

Quote

Syfy also is seeking to expand its popular "Battlestar" franchise.

When asked about the chances of its modestly performing spinoff "Caprica" getting a renewal, Stern was bullish. He pointed to the show recently hitting a series high in the adult demographic using Live+7 ratings, drawing 1.6 million viewers and 913,000 adults 18-49.

"We have a lot of hope for that show," Stern said. "The (DVR data) has been very promising and growing week after week."

The network also is looking to order another "Battlestar"-related project. Details were slim, but Stern said the title would mark a return to the franchise's space-opera roots.

"We're looking for other ways to spin off 'Battlestar' beyond 'Caprica,' " he said. "That world is so rich. We're sitting down with (executive producer) Ron Moore and his team. It would not necessarily be a traditional series."

So what the heck is this going to be? First Cylon War? If rumours are to be believed, Caprica is heading in that direction anyway.

[Renasko]

I would treat that as generally good news.

[oneeye]

I don't know Caprica's numbers are so sluggish, I think a replacement for Caprica is more likely, like SG:U kind of replaced SG:A earlier than expected.

[denstorebog]

I'd say there are exactly three ways they would be able to do something outside what BSG and Caprica are covering already.

1. Either it's a mythological prequel going back to Kobol, the Purge and the escape from there. That could be one way to go into space, BUT it would   quickly become a repetition of BSG's plot and structure.

2. Or it goes way forward from BSG's ending to show our Earth A.D. 2200 when we're ready to go to into space. It could go anywhere from there, but probably wouldn't have a lot to do with BSG except for the random archeological discovery of the BSG cast's remains or technological leavings (surely they didn't literally send *everything* into the sun).

3. Finally, they could just go with what Edward James Olmos proposed during a convention panel: A new series starts off right where BSG left off, with Admiral Adama hobbling around in his newly built cabin. There's a knock on the door, and it's his old friend Col. Tigh who says: "We have a problem". (That would be awesome, actually, and would probably pertain to the Cylons returning in order to go into space. This could quickly become a repeat of the New Caprica storyline, though.)

I don't see how anything else could avoid being 'more Caprica' or could  go into space. I believe that at this point, if they really want to tie more stuff into the BSG-verse, they should do an actual sequel. Otherwise, it'll just be a repeat of what happened with Ender's Game and its gazillion sequels that effectively ruined an awesome first novel.

Any other ideas for premises?

Edited by denstorebog, 16 March 2010 - 08:30 PM.

[a wooden chair]

denstorebog, on 16 March 2010 - 08:26 PM, said:

I'd say there are exactly three ways they would be able to do something outside what BSG and Caprica are covering already.

1. Either it's a mythological prequel going back to Kobol, the Purge and the escape from there. That could be one way to go into space, BUT it would quickly become a repetition of BSG's plot and structure.

2. Or it goes way forward from BSG's ending to show our Earth A.D. 2200 when we're ready to go to into space. It could go anywhere from there, but probably wouldn't have a lot to do with BSG except for the random archeological discovery of the BSG cast's remains or technological leavings (surely they didn't literally send *everything* into the sun).

3. Finally, they could just go with what Edward James Olmos proposed during a convention panel: A new series starts off right where BSG left off, with Admiral Adama hobbling around in his newly built cabin. There's a knock on the door, and it's his old friend Col. Tigh who says: "We have a problem". (That would be awesome, actually, and would probably pertain to the Cylons returning in order to go into space. This could quickly become a repeat of the New Caprica storyline, though.)

I don't see how anything else could avoid being 'more Caprica' or could go into space. I believe that at this point, if they really want to tie more stuff into the BSG-verse, they should do an actual sequel. Otherwise, it'll just be a repeat of what happened with Ender's Game and its gazillion sequels that effectively ruined an awesome first novel.

Any other ideas for premises?

Didn't the colonies fight one another at some point and time? I can see them doing something based off that.

[Poobah]

denstorebog, on 16 March 2010 - 08:26 PM, said:

I don't see how anything else could avoid being 'more Caprica' or could  go into space. I believe that at this point, if they really want to tie more stuff into the BSG-verse, they should do an actual sequel. Otherwise, it'll just be a repeat of what happened with Ender's Game and its gazillion sequels that effectively ruined an awesome first novel.

Any other ideas for premises?

The original BSG was already spoiled by the ending.

Go go flagship retcon, re-do the final episode and start from there

[denstorebog]

Quote

Didn't the colonies fight one another at some point and time? I can see them doing something based off that.

I don't remember when an inter-colonial war is supposed to have taken place, but it would suck if they tried to make another series centered around the 12 colonies, imo. The colonies and their differences is already a main focus of Caprica.

[Aemon Stark]

Olmos' idea is weird and reminds me of the end of Back to the Future - but without the sense of whimsy. Just how many prequels do we need at once anyhow? I'm always a bit leery of having more than one spinoff in the mix at once - it tends to spread the talent and creativity too thin. You often end up with Voyager or The Cleveland Show (or Family Guy this season...). There's certainly a lot of material to mine with BSG spinoffs, but it'd be better if they concentrated on what's on the air now rather than coming up with new shows.

[Matrim Fox Cauthon]

So Olmos's idea for a spin-off inherently involves hiring Olmos?

[JetboyGirl]

I agree that two spin-offs at once seems a bit much.

But I'd really like a series about the First Earth, and why it was destroyed, and the story of that family tree of Cyclons. That is,

Spoiler

what is deal with the final five and the atomic war (?) that destroyed their planet?

[oneeye]

Maybe something with Kobol would work.

I think they need to just not cancel Caprica yet.

[red snow]

I posted my ideas yesterday in the Caprica thread. I cna only really see them doing a series that is further prequel about the original tribe or do one set after BSG

"they can't really do a "next gen" or maybe they should and show us how everyone begins to drop off like flies once they decide to eke out a luddite lifestyle? Cylons come back to present day earth and try and take over?"


I like the idea of a present day style cylon-invasion but that might be too SG (although syfy does love its SG franchise).


Plus it's going to be years before another spin-off turns up. It seems like they don't really have a firm idea yet. We heard of Caprica before the final season of BSG aired if that's any indicator.
I'd like a few more Razor/the plan style films. Nice short bursts of BSG fun.

Edited by red snow, 17 March 2010 - 07:46 AM.

[Ashara]

I am trying to avoid BSG's spoilers as we still have two last DVD's to go on that show, but I am game for another Galactica spin-off, and will give it a chance. Caprica is getting better in my view. Though I wish it was a Firefly spin-off to be honest AFter a while I did come to the conclusion that Firefly is dearer to my heart than BSG, though the competition is stiff. I think it's mostly because FF is more intimate in some ways and kinder.

[Harry the Heir]

Werthead, on 16 March 2010 - 07:07 PM, said:

First Cylon War? If rumours are to be believed, Caprica is heading in that direction anyway.

Even if Caprica flashed forward to the First Cylon War, they'd have to radically revamp the show beyond that in order to make it a space opera. It's hard to imagine Amanda Graystone or Joseph Adama piloting Vipers; so while they might want to start focusing on the home front during wartime, I really doubt that the Caprica showrunners are planning on cutting loose 90% of the regular cast.

[red snow]

Ashara, on 17 March 2010 - 12:17 PM, said:

I am trying to avoid BSG's spoilers as we still have two last DVD's to go on that show, but I am game for another Galactica spin-off, and will give it a chance. Caprica is getting better in my view. Though I wish it was a Firefly spin-off to be honest AFter a while I did come to the conclusion that Firefly is dearer to my heart than BSG, though the competition is stiff. I think it's mostly because FF is more intimate in some ways and kinder.

Firefly never got the chance to upset the fans and fail to deliver on storythreads (it did have loose ends but it was cancelled so not their fault). I'm sure if it had been given longer some of the fans would inevitably get pissed off or start claiming it all went downhill after season 3. The world of Firefly did have a whole load of spin-off potential though, whereas BSG is surprisingly limited. I guess that's what happens when you wipe-out all of civilization and reduce them to a convoy on the run though

[Werthead]

red snow, on 17 March 2010 - 07:44 AM, said:

I like the idea of a present day style cylon-invasion but that might be too SG (although syfy does love its SG franchise).

This could have worked if they'd kept the original ending to the series, in which Galactica makes a controlled landing in South America and in the flash-forwards we see archaeologists digging out the remains of the ship. That could be a jumping-off point for a sequel series in which humans retro-engineer the FTL drive and go into space, encountering the Cylons along the way (maybe as allies against a different, greater threat?). HeadBaltar/Six could then appear to provide continuity with the original series. Somewhat corncheese, but not unviably so.

I do wonder if this is another Lost situation where the studio is going, "We need to make more money out of this," and the creators are going, "Erm, maybe not." Certainly my impression was that both Eick and Moore are taking a back seat from Caprica and want to move on to projects outside the Galactica universe.

Actually, this is how I'd do it now:

Start with Olmos' idea. Tigh turns up and tells Adama something odd's come up. They find archaeological ruins suggesting that an advanced civilisation once existed on RealEarth, suggesting that they left RealEarth and travelled to Kobol. This then works as a framing device for a flashback to Kobol and an investigation of the backstory of the series, with a parallel storyline in the present, and also explains the parallel evolution thing in the finale, which never made much sense to me.

This would probably work better as a mini-series event or a TV movie than an ongoing series though. It does have the benefit of not requiring BSG's enormous sets to be rebuilt.

Edited by Werthead, 17 March 2010 - 03:57 PM.

[Seanathin]

They can just set it between the first and second wars, set it on some battlestar that is on a five year mission to seek out new life and.... maybe not.

Syfy might as well just make the BSG/SG crossover, and reveal that the anchents were really just the centurans evolved into skinjobs, and then ya, Jack O'nielll goes back and sees Kobal or something like that, who knows.

BSG should just stay done, the Plan really put a bad taste in my mouth.

[Mack Kilimaro]

Werthead, on 17 March 2010 - 03:53 PM, said:

This could have worked if they'd kept the original ending to the series, in which Galactica makes a controlled landing in South America and in the flash-forwards we see archaeologists digging out the remains of the ship.

Why did that get changed? I think that would have provided the same amount of closure without the ridiculous leap that we actually saw in the closing minutes of the final episode. I might have actually watched Battlestar spinoffs in that case!

[Myrddin]

They should have some people from the original show (or new actors that fill the same roles) time travel to 1980 with hoverbikes. And then Starbuck can show up as an angel or something.  







(I'm in favor of a spin off, provided the premise doesn't suck. )

[Werthead]

Mack Kilimaro, on 17 March 2010 - 04:34 PM, said:

Why did that get changed? I think that would have provided the same amount of closure without the ridiculous leap that we actually saw in the closing minutes of the final episode. I might have actually watched Battlestar spinoffs in that case!

I forgot that in that scenario, it was going to be 5,000 or so years ago, not 150,000, and they were going to tie the Galactica crew and survivors into the Greek myths.

This all got changed because - get this - Moore was concerned that by showing 21st Century humans digging out the Galactica, they were directly tying the Galactica universe into an alternate reality of our one, rather than saying our world as we know it now could be a direct result of events in the series.

I rejected this explanation as being completely retarded and not making any sense at all. Showing the Head-Beings in modern day NYC does pretty much exactly the same thing.