For many years now, there have been two attempts to revive the Battlestar Galactica franchise. The first has been through a movie that, as of 2020, is set to be written by Simon Kinberg, who will also co-produce with Dylan Clark. The second is through a Peacock subscription-exclusive TV show that will connect to the reimagined series that ran from 2004-2009. Its lineup of characters included Callum Keith Rennie’s Number Two-model Cylon, better known as Leoben Conoy, and while speaking with CinemaBlend, the actor explained why he wants this upcoming revival to outdo even the critically-acclaimed show he participated in.
In addition to Rennie comparing his time on Battlestar Galactica to his latest gig on Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 (which is now streaming to Paramount+ subscribers) playing Rayner, the new first officer on the title ship, he also told me the following when I asked him for his thoughts on Peacock’s Battlestar revival, namely if he welcome that specific continuity being expanded or if it would be better off left alone:
I think if someone’s doing something, if they’re gonna do it, it has to be better than the one prior. So if there’s anything to do with it… that’s the shooting point, to me. So what Battlestar originally was, and then the next version of it was great, and then the next one, which would be with all the new tech and toys, but grow it, make it better. And you go, ‘Oh, so this thing has a great thread of development.’ That’s all I would ever want from it.
Battlestar Galactica was originally a one-season sci-fi TV series that ran from 1978 to 1979 on ABC and developed a cult following, although the follow-up series Galactica 1980 was poorly received. Then in 2003, after various attempts to revive Battlestar either on TV or as a movie failed, the then-Sci-Fi Network released a three-hour miniseries reimagining that served as a backdoor pilot for the main show. Running for four seasons and including the tie-in movies Razor and The Plan, this version of Battlestar Galactica’ popularity arguably surpassed its predecessor and earned numerous accolades, including a Peabody Award. This continuity was later expanded in the prequels Caprica, which lasted one season, and the web series Blood & Chrome.
So for Callum Keith Rennie to hope that Peacock’s take on Battlestar Galactica is even better than the show was on is a high bar to clear. If the 2004 series is exceptional, then this new version would have to practically be perfect. Still, it’s important to measure a project on its own merits rather than just compare it to what came before, so if/when this show comes out, let’s keep that in mind as this latest Cylon-centric story unfolds.
In January, Deadline reported that The Sinner’s Derek Simonds joined the new Battlestar Galactica TV show as writer, executive producer and showrunner, and Mr. Robot’s Sam Esmail is still producing though his company Esmail Corps. It remains to be seen exactly how this series will connect to its 2004 predecessor, but once concrete details start trickling in, we’ll pass them along. Until then, browse through our 2024 TV schedule to see what else is currently on besides Star Trek: Discovery.
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