Battlestar Galactica

Few suspected when SyFy relaunched ‘Battlestar Galactica’ back in 2004 that it would become the phenomena that it did, a show garnering a huge fan base that managed to touch on faith, theology, and self-awareness all while following the story of the Cylons trying to wipe out the remnants of the human race. It was a big hit for SyFy, but it all could have turned out much differently.

Apparently, a lot of their story and plot decisions were based on their budget, forcing them to be a bit more creative with their storytelling than doing things like massive space-battles and action scenes, which would have been very expensive. While speaking at the ‘Battlestar Galactica’ panel at San Diego Comic Con recently, showrunner Ron Moore explained:

“I liked the improvisational nature of the show. There were so many things about the show that we did discover along the way. We had different ideas at the beginning about what the series would be… [but] we quickly realized we couldn’t afford to do that.”

Mary McDonnell, who played President Laurel Roslin on the series (after being promoted from Secretary of Education), also commented on the limited budget:

“One of the ships that was promised was going to have a mall. So I thought Roslin was going to have more than one suit. But it never happened.”

Could this have been the unintentional secret to the show’s success? I have long been a proponent of the idea that many creatives operate best when faced with a set of limitations and tasked with finding ways to make things work despite those obstacles, and perhaps having a limited budget really did the creative team behind ‘Battlestar Galactica’ some favors. We have all seen the big space battles, the fancy aliens, everything that comes with the big budget science fiction films and television shows that are more standard fare, but BSG stands up even today because it really makes you think, and that is something you cannot throw money at.

What are your thoughts on the matter? Do you believe they would have had the same storylines, the same cultural impact even with a bigger budget? Feel free to share your opinion in the comments below!

Source: Cinema Blend