Blood & Chrome

[Crash Calestorm 0]

Not sure how many of y'all are even remotely interested in the prequel series for BSG: "Blood & Chrome" was in production as of February 2011. According to IMBD, the airdate of the two hour pilot premier will be October 2011.

 

"Blood & Chrome" will focus on young William Adama in the final year of the Cylon War. According to Wikipedia, it will supposedly be offered in the same manner as The Hurt Locker, showing the cost and strain of war on individuals.

 

I've re-upped my interest in the reimagined Battlestar Galactica. I'm checking out the full series back to back on DVD. Bottom line, BSG is phenomenal with the military, civilian, and political goings on. Purchased an excellent source book from Titan books that covers seasons one and two, even grabbed a couple of fan based podcast reviews to get a general read on the fan community at large.

 

I'm personally hyped for a prequel pilot premier/series. The focus on Adama early on in his career is interesting. The First Cylon War is briefly shown in the TV Movie "Battlestar Galactica: Razor" via quick flashbacks, and I loved the retro design of the uniforms, a cross between Classic BSG and the new series.

 

And, well, the whole space fighter pilot thing I like as well. Not that I'm biased or anything. Nah, not at all. :P

[Zaphod_the_spacebum 0]

I'm going to have to check that out. I've been a fan of BSG since the original series back in the '70s. I loved Sci-Fi's re imaging and also enjoyed Caprica. Looks like it's going to be a great prequel series.

[V'Roy 0]

Caprica would have been an OK series has it been about cybernetic life in general and not been part of the BSG universe. Blood & Chrome looks like it could work, but unless it is in somewhat real-time like 24 it will only be good for a season or two since it only focuses on one year.

 

However, even in wartime much of military life is pretty boring. Would you want to see a series of people filling out paperwork, repairing vehicles, taking floor-buffer rides and complaining about the food?

[V'Roy 0]

One thing I didn't really get about the new BSG - I can understand why they would have to blend with humans, and I can see how that would include some "down there" parts, but why would they need to give a robot working ovaries, tubes, uterus, and a supply of eggs? It couldn't have been to reproduce with other Cylons since they had resurection technology, and according to the plan (as mentioned in The Plan) there weren't supposed to be any humans left either.

[Mitar Precip 0]

I don't think one can answer V`roy's comments without a through understanding of the theology presented in the prequel Caprica. Which is not an easy subject to say the least.

 

What worries me about Blood and Chrome is the absence of Moore. Not to suggest he guarantees success, since Caprica was cancelled. However, he's been behind "combat" orientated series before and I feel that experience would be sorely missed. (I refer to the BSG remake and his presence on Deep Space Nine). In DS9 he didn't necessarily focus only on the battle episodes, such as the Dax- Worf wedding episode.

 

Galactica herself would need be seen differently. I thought I read a piece where Galactica would be a top of the line Colonial Warship. Also we have seen this ship in action for four years, hopefully they would show her do some stuff not done in BSG that looks fresh..(example: Use of Nukes, or use of the scores of main batteries the ship had ...not just the ones on top.)

 

FX shouldn't be a problem. The first series corrected Voyager's mistakes. The curious thing will be is how all these DS9 writers and David Eick will keep the same grit BSG had with all new characters, and less developed cylons.

 

-Precip

[Crash Calestorm 0]

Some sweet Concept art from the SyFy/Blastr site. The female looks freaky, and I love the 'Viper Mark 2' paint job on what looks like an early Raptor.

[T'aral 0]

One thing I didn't really get about the new BSG - I can understand why they would have to blend with humans, and I can see how that would include some "down there" parts, but why would they need to give a robot working ovaries, tubes, uterus, and a supply of eggs? ...

 

 

It was so that the series could include kinky cyborg sex, since nothing is any good without kinky cyborg sex. I didn't watch the new series, because I believe that if a show makes a point of being 'sexier', it's because the show is otherwise without sufficient merit.

[V'Roy 0]

But they could have kinky cyborg sex without using it to reproduce. That's my point.

 

Kinky cyborg sex is like bacon. It makes everything better.

[V'Roy 0]

Seriously, what is the point of kinky cyborg sex if you still need birth control?

[Crash Calestorm 0]

I'm not even going to deal with the kinky cyborg sex portion of this topic, though I am highly disappointed that it may offshoot into that sort of topic.

 

I started the topic in part for BSG: Blood and Chrome, not sex and cyborgs.

 

The new Battlestar series dealt with political, civilian, and military conflicts.

[Mitar Precip 0]

Yeah not wise to discuss to get off topic that way.

 

I heard that some suggested Caprica failed because it lacked the "Space" element. I guess that meant no space battles, ships, bases anything. Blood and Chrome would be the test of that theory.

 

I am curious if Blood and Chrome is going to focus on the colonials in a long drawn out war with the cylons. The re-imagined Battlestar Galactica or what I lovingly call BSG, some say had a post 9/11 basis to it. Are the creators coming up with another show with some sort of basis on our 10 year war we have been fighting since.

 

Again what amazes me is how many people involved in Star Trek are behind this project, like BSG had before it. I was a bit disappointed about the loss of the webisodes that were rumored to come before any pilot. For those could of closed the critical gap between Caprica and Blood and Chrome. I believe those are critical years in the re-imagined Galactica timeline that need filling in.

 

-Precip

[V'Roy 0]

I still say they should just do a Bill Adama: The Teenage Years series.

[Mitar Precip 0]

So I have basically said for Blood and Chrome to succeed it needs to show Galactica refreshed. Oddly antiquated in appearance, yet a top of the line Battlestar. New viewer angles of the ship to maker her look more armed than she was in BSG. Smaller colonial cruisers would be a must. Viper Mark 2s as top of the line...perhaps a look at the Viper Mark One? And Raptors w/changes to look more antiquated as well.

 

That's the easy part.

 

The show somehow has got to succeed on a character level in a functional military environment, that is the colonial military still exists. You cannot as easily sneak in a Kara Thrace type character. I sort of recall a show called Space Above and Beyond that was short lived, war in space show that actually had some decent reviews. Given the amount of cash SyFy is going to put into Blood and Chrome storytelling and writing individual episodes instead of a continual arc is going to be new to Eick. How to develop great characters in a show depicted during a war that already must focus on Adama..is what will sink or save Blood and Chrome. These guys have a big shoes to fill having show based aboard a ship where the BSG storyline took place.

 

I really want Blood and Chrome to succeed. I just ponder how all these Star Trek writers can get gritty and pull it off while the Captain's chair is vacant. (RDM not there).

 

Sure you want to ax those webisode prequels SyFy? Or do you wish to presume no BSG fan watched Caprica..?

 

-Agent P

 

[Crash Calestorm 0]

The show somehow has got to succeed on a character level in a functional military environment, that is the colonial military still exists. You cannot as easily sneak in a Kara Thrace type character. I sort of recall a show called Space Above and Beyond that was short lived, war in space show that actually had some decent reviews.

I really want Blood and Chrome to succeed. I just ponder how all these Star Trek writers can get gritty and pull it off while the Captain's chair is vacant. (RDM not there).

 

Space: Above and Beyond is an excellent example of military drama in space. I did not watch it during its initial run, but I do currently own the DVD set. At a time when Star Trek ruled the airwaves (1990s), I see how Space offered a change of pace from the standard space operas.

 

On the Battlestar Galactica DVD extras, particularly the behind the scenes excerpts included with the BSG miniseries, I can't tell you how many times Star Trek was brought up as compared to the new Battlestar Galactica - meaning what the creative forces behind BSG didn't want to do.

 

I am not bashing Star Trek. I love my Trek! All hail the Roddenberry God.

 

But you have to admit, Trek has never been gritty (we were shown a sanitized version of the Dominion War, etc) or military or "real life" entertainment. It is an idealist franchise that offers a welcome message in these very very unsure times and offers the viewer an escape so we can get away from the darkness: we will survive, we will succeed, we will not collectively nuke the planet.

 

....and no, that is not an invitation for this topic to go all political debate on the current state of the USA and the world...

 

On the opposite note, I think the military drama of BSG is kick azz, and I welcome this change to my sci fi viewing. I too want Blood and Chrome to succeed as a TV movie, possibly leading to a weekly series. It *will* succeed if the creative forces, minus Moore, stay with the same formula as BSG which is a military drama, character driven, political. The retro tone of the series, in conjunction with a young Bill Adama, will be a strong factor.

 

I can't comment on Caprica, at least not yet - have to watch the series first. =P

 

The pilot movie for Blood/Chrome is spposedly set at the end of the 1st Cylon War, so the logical question (in my mind) is How can you have a military drama done in the format of The Hurt Locker? The BSG episode "Hero" (introducing an escaped POW pilot by the callsign of Bulldog) gave me my answer - the Cylons and Humans had settled into a sort of Cold War, and there was some sort of ongoing skirmish/clash with the Colonial Tauron colony world.

 

Based on "Hero", I'd say a Colonial Military can be logically followed/shown in a series set 40 years before the events of the reimagined series.

[TKAR 0]

Sounds interesting-hopefull its better then the series thar how the cyclons were created.

[V'Roy 0]

Precip is right. This new series would have to show the military the way the military actually is. Thrace and Tigh and Tyrol would have been washed out had they not been needed after the decimation. Plus there would be no flip-floping of ranks so much. Look at Apolo: CPT to LT back to CPT to MAJ to COM back to MAJ - and that was just 2 seasons.